Daddy Type - Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen {03-2019 to 08-2019}

"How's he doing?" Darryl asked as I sat down at the table.

"He's recovering well. Luke took him to a checkup today, and the doctor gave a glowing review," I explained.

"What's he been doing?" Phil asked.

"Sleeping, resting, watching TV, hanging with Casey," I said.

"What's next?" Darryl asked.

"More recuperation time."

"I'm surprised you're here," Phil said.

"I was supposed to work from home today, but Luke had an important meeting yesterday. We swapped, and I went to the office today. Luke and Cody encouraged me to come."

"Ah."

Georgia walked up and asked, "Where is everyone tonight?"

"Cody, Luke, and Casey are at our house," I said. "Cody had a procedure on Monday and is recuperating."

"He's okay?" she asked.

"Definitely, he just needs time to heal. Casey's been hanging with Cody during his recovery since Kyle's visiting his brothers. Angus and Justin are having some alone time, from what I understand. Ben and Austin should be here shortly. I'm not sure about Stephen and Chris."

"They aren't going to make it," Darryl stated.

"What are you doing tonight?" Georgia asked.

I handed her my USB drive and said, "Unlovable."

"Who's that by?"

"Darren Hayes."

"A new one for me," she said. "I look forward to it."

"Have you heard his other solo stuff?"

"I don't think I have," she admitted.

"If you like it, I'll do more over time."

"Super! I really like how engaged some of our folks are in expanding and exploring. It makes this much more than basic karaoke."

"You make it more than basic karaoke. You built a great foundation," I said.

"That's so sweet. Now, I need to get moving so folks can sign up."

She walked off, and I turned back to the table.

"That was very sweet of you," Darryl said.

I just smiled.

Ben and Austin joined us just before the lights dimmed for the show.

"I commented to one of our regulars that I really appreciate how so many folks expand and explore different music each week. I'm really pleased with some of the songs selected tonight. To start things off, here's Ginger doing the 1933 Ethel Waters version of Stormy Weather."

Ginger walked up to the stage. Her outfit had a late-twenties flapper feel, and she did an amazing job of covering that beautiful blues standard.

"I'm guessing the gang got together and chose their music for tonight. Here's Tee doing the 1931 Billie Holiday version of All of Me," Georgia said.

Again, another amazing vintage-look outfit and a great performance.

"Finally, here's Devine Monroe doing another Billie Holiday great, Body and Soul."

After Devine received a huge round of applause and sat down, Georgia was standing on the stage. She announced, "Next is a different vintage, coming from 2004, here's Coulter doing Darren Hayes' Unlovable."

I got up on stage, and the music started.

"Are my lips unkissable? Are my eyes unlookable? Is my skin untouchable? Am I unlovable?" I sang.

I'd watched a couple YouTube videos where someone recorded Darren on stage. I tried to mimic the pleading looks and gestures as I sang. When I finished the song, I too received a good round of applause.

I sat down, and Phil leaned over and said, "I'm surprised you sang that."

"Why?"

"You're so in love. You're so loved."

"I didn't pick it for that. I picked it because I like the song."

"Ah," he replied.

I took a Lyft to the train station and then drove home. It was a bit late for me but all three guys were up.

"How was it tonight?" Casey asked.

"Good! There were a lot of different songs covered tonight. Team Ginger did some thirties blues songs. Great outfits, great performances."

I was looking at the three guys when it dawned on me that they were all in pajamas. I looked at Casey and said, "Giving Justin and Angus the house to themselves?"

"Yep."

"That's nice of you."

"With Kyle gone, it is nice to have a distraction."

"I should get cleaned up and ready for bed," I said.

"Have a good night's sleep," Casey said.

I was just about ready to climb into bed when Luke and Cody walked in.

"Love you," Cody said. "A few more nights, and I'll be able to sleep with you again."

"I hope the guest room bed isn't too bad."

"It's really comfortable," Cody said.

"Good."

"Not having someone to snuggle up with is the problem."

"Understood."

He kissed both Luke and me and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Love you," Luke said. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a deep kiss.

After the kiss ended, we climbed into bed and curled up, and I quickly fell asleep.

-----

I got up Friday morning, used the restroom, and walked out into the hall. I noticed that Cody's door was ajar, so I walked over and checked on him. He was uncovered on the bed with his stuffed animal, Weber, cuddled in his arms. I wondered how much this young man looked like that when he was a young boy. I quietly pulled the door closed and went to the kitchen.

I started coffee and was checking out the food options when Cody walked into the kitchen and said, "Morning."

"Morning."

"How are you feeling?"

"Every day makes things better. The doctor was really happy with how things were healing."

"Good. Good."

"I'm sorry, I didn't talk to you about Casey staying over."

"No worries. He's been helping out so much. Plus, when I sent the text out about karaoke yesterday, Justin let me know he and Angus were getting some alone time. Is he staying longer?"

"I can ask him. He's missing Kyle and wanted to let them have their time. Maybe he could stay till Sunday."

"I'm home today. Luke's at the office. See what he wants to do. I'm sure he'll need to get more clothing, but there's nothing wrong with having him around."

"Super."

"He's good for your mood too!"

"We've talked about so much," Cody admitted. "It's been a big help."

"Good. What would you like for breakfast?"

"We could heat up some of the leftover biscuits with ham and cheese."

"Works for me. I should make sure Luke's up."

"You keep him up late?"

"Nope. I think he is feeling off without you in our bed."

"I'll talk to him. It's going to be another week or so before I can."

"You're going to be one horned up young man."

"I'll wear you two out next weekend."

"Looking forward to it."

Luke appeared at the door at that moment and said, "Coffee."

"All ready," Cody replied.

"Thanks! So, what are you looking forward to?"

"I said I'd wear you two out next weekend, and Coulter's looking forward to it."

"Woo hoo."

"You want the Jeep today?"

"No. I'll leave it and take the car to the station."

"We're doing ham and cheese biscuits," Cody said.

"Two please. I'm going to get my shower and get dressed."

"We'll have them ready," Cody said.

Luke walked off, and moments later Casey walked in and said, "Morning."

"Morning," we echoed back.

"Any coffee?" he asked.

"Regular, hazelnut, or vanilla?" Cody asked.

"Vanilla sounds good."

I got the kettle on while Cody got the French press ready. As the water came to a boil, I turned to Casey and said, "Stay till Sunday?"

"Um, that would be great. I can go over and get some more clothes, and then the dads get more alone time."

"Figured you could help Cody; help us, and we can keep you busy until Kyle gets back."

"I'd appreciate that. Are you working today?"

"From the den. Luke's going into the office."

"Cool."

We got breakfast going, Luke on the road, me cleaned up, and into the den to work.

-----

Saturday morning, I was sitting, staring out the window, when I heard someone walk up. I looked up and saw Casey take a sip of coffee. After he swallowed, he said, "What's going on today?"

"That depends on Cody."

"What depends on me?" Cody said as he walked in, holding a mug of coffee.

"What we're doing today," Casey replied.

"You can do what you like," he said.

I held up my hand, then said, "Casey asked what was going on today. I replied that it depended on you. If you're up for things, we'll do them, including you. If you're not, then we won't. Also, if you're up for doing something, we might change plans a little. In the end, I'm flexible. I do need to do some grocery shopping; we should gas up the Jeep, and otherwise we can relax and enjoy."

"I mean, I've got energy. The doctor said nothing too exotic, too aerobic, or that would potentially lead to an issue with the insertion point. I don't think grocery shopping should be a problem."

"Where do you go shopping?" Casey asked.

"We'll hit the Korean market for fruits, vegetables, and Asian ingredients. We hit Aldi for the basics. If I need meat, I hit Walmart."

Casey gave me an odd look.

"What? Don't like Wally World?" I asked.

"I just didn't think of it as a great place to get meat."

"If you want tenderloin or top steaks, no. But when it comes to ingredient meats, they have a better selection than most of the other stores."

"Ingredient meats?" he asked.

"If you want to make braciola, they have beef that is already pounded flat and ready."

"What's braciola?"

"Rolled beef stuffed with breadcrumbs, cheese, and sausage; that is slow cooked in a red sauce." I explained.

"Sounds yummy."

"I take it; you've never had it. We can make it if you like."

"I'd like that. It sounds like an affordable meal to fill Kyle's hollow leg. I'll need to have those eventually."

"What's the plan for breakfast?" Cody asked.

"Breakfast casserole, if that's okay," I said.

"Works for me."

"What's in your casserole?" Casey asked.

"Old bread, sausage, bacon, cheese, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and eggs."

"Carbs, proteins, vegetables - a good combo. I should come over more often to expand my culinary knowledge."

"I'm good at following recipes," I said.

"Stop it! You're a good cook, and you do so many wonderful meals," Cody said. "Don't denigrate yourself like that any longer! You don't use recipes that much!"

"Thanks."

Casey gave Cody a look. Cody looked thoughtful and said, "He's a great cook. He rarely uses a recipe unless he's baking. He's been saying that for so long."

Casey pivoted slightly and gave me a look. I decided to explain. "With James, we ate out a lot. He would cook very basic stuff. I would do the same. If we wanted more, the recipes would come out. Since I left, I have spent a lot of time improving my diet to support my health. I've spent an equal amount of time going through my mom's recipe box and eating the foods I enjoyed as a kid. I'm getting to be a good cook without the need for recipes, I guess."

"That's cool. My mom was - I guess you'd call her a basic cook. My dad was not an adventurous eater, and we had a meat and potatoes type of dinner," Casey explained. "Since dad adopted me, he's taught me a lot, and I've learned from others."

"Others?" Cody asked.

"Well, Kyle's mom, Becca, taught me his favorite things. Justin's former neighbor, Cindy, taught me more. They have become part of my extended family."

"My mom sounds like yours," Cody said. "Dad only tolerated standard American fare. Pizza was okay. Mom would fix La Choy or Chef Boyardee for me for lunch in the summer. I didn't have real food from any other country till I met Coulter."

"What can I do to help?" Casey asked. "Talking about food is making me hungry."

"Grab the bag of old bread out of the fridge and start cubing it. Say inch or inch-and-a-half cubes," I explained.

"I'll crack eggs," Cody offered.

I started shredding cheese. We had about half the ingredients ready when Luke walked in. We all said our good mornings while he fixed a mug of coffee. After a few sips, he grabbed a cutting board, the onions, and started slicing.

Casey watched as I built the casserole and got it into the oven.

"This is going to make Kyle happy when I make it," Casey said.

I gave him a big smile.

-----

"This feels wrong," Luke said.

"He came one step short of demanding it," I said.

"I know. Still, it doesn't feel right. He's in the room across the hall."

"And he won't be able to have sex for another week. As he put it, we should have to be completely backed up just because he is."

"I get it. I already felt bad."

"Why?" I asked.

"I get to cuddle with you, and he doesn't."

"Something simple, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Jack off together? Sixty-nine?"

"To be honest, I want you to fuck me silly."

"Well, okay, then! One fuck you silly!"

He giggled a bit at that.

"On your back," I said.

I got between his legs and pushed his knees towards his chest. I moved a bit and got my face into his crack.

"Fuck, I've missed this," he said.

I know he'd said before that he really enjoyed the hair from my goatee rubbing his skin while my tongue ate his hole. As my tongue worked deeper, his moans got louder and more persistent.

I spent a good bit of time working my tongue in and out, loosening his hole, and getting it good and wet. I really didn't enjoy tonguing his ass.

"Enough," he said. "I'm open, and I need FUCKED!"

"A little lube?"

"Yeah."

I grabbed the lube from the nightstand, slicked up my dick, and put the head against his hole. With that, I pushed in and sank into the depths.

When my pubes hit his hole, Luke groaned, "Fuck yeah!"

I leaned over, started kissing him, and I pulled my cock back a bit, fucking him with slow, short strokes.

"More Daddy."

It had been a while since Luke called me Daddy during sex. I thought about it a moment; he didn't do that when Cody was with us.

I pulled back further and started longer, deeper strokes.

"Harder Daddy."

I amped up my strokes.

"Harder," he urged.

I pushed my body forward a bit; this forced his knees back and spread his ass more. I was using his legs for leverage and slamming my body towards him.

"Fuck!" he yelled. I felt his cum splatter on my chest. His hole clamped down on my dick, triggering my orgasm.

As I finished shooting, I collapsed on top of Luke. Seconds later, I heard clapping. My head whipped towards the noise.

"That's a video I'm going to enjoy," Cody said. "I heard you two as I walked back to my room. I grabbed my phone; you two were so intent on sex, you didn't hear me come in."

Luke started laughing, then said, "Our porn library keeps growing."

I leaned over and kissed him. I motioned Cody over, and we both kissed him good night.

-----

"Ready to get back to classes?" Luke asked.

"Yep. I got everything done. While it wasn't a traditional one, I did end up having a great spring break."

"Huh? What?"

"Well, true, Monday and Tuesday weren't too good. But I'm recovering well. I got to spend time with the two of you all week. I got to spend a lot of time with Casey. Mindy visited. Zach and Caleb visited. Overall, it was a good week."

"Anything big going on in class this week?" I asked.

"No. Most of my profs got things out of the way before spring break, or it's further out."

"How's your senior design project?"

"I'm almost ready for you two to start a deep review."

"Ready when you are," Luke replied. Cody rewarded Luke with a big smile. "It may be a bit more technical than I can do, but I'm willing to review and provide feedback."

"You're fresher at it than I am," I said.

"You have a lot more experience, dude," Luke replied.

Cody just gave a chuckle at our discussion.

"I figure there will be a lot of document review going on in your group," I said.

"You could make a fortune," Cody said.

"Oh?"

"Reviewing all the different papers."

"I doubt they would be able to pay me what I think my time is worth."

"How much would you charge?"

"When I reviewed Luke's project, it was what, four hours?"

Luke nodded his head.

"Let's say two forty, maybe two fifty."

"What?"

"If I valued my time at my current hourly rate, it would be in that range. Heck, let's be nice and say twenty an hour, so eighty would be the steep discount rate."

"That just seems..."

"Expensive," I finished. "I get it. I don't remember much about my economics. However, I do recall that people often undervalue their time. If you do something that wouldn't be part of your norm or something that you don't really want to do, you need to think about how much enjoyment you're losing."

"Huh?"

"Think of it this way. You have to mow the lawn. It takes you two hours."

Cody nodded his head.

"If you were working, making, say, fifteen an hour, you'd earn thirty."

"Okay," Cody said.

"So, the cost of mowing the lawn is thirty?" Luke asked.

"Do you enjoy mowing the lawn?"

"Not really," Luke admitted.

"Would you rather be working?"

"Not really."

"Fair. So, thirty is the starting point. Now, if you can hire someone to mow the lawn for twenty-five."

"It would be worth it," Cody said.

"What about if it cost forty?" I asked.

"I'd lose money," Luke said.

"Yes. But the cost of mowing the lawn would be ten."

"You said it was forty."

"But you could make thirty."

"Oh!" Cody exclaimed. "I get it. The cost of doing something you don't like. The cost of having someone do it. The opportunity to do something you like."

"Exactly."

"For you two, the service is free. I get a lot of joy from it. I'd do it for Kyle, Casey, and a few others."

"But you wouldn't want to make it a service."

"No. I don't mind editing, but I don't love it."

"Rob could explain the economic theory behind this," Luke said.

"You're still in touch with him?" I asked. I'll admit it, I was surprised.

"We text every once in a while."

"How's he doing?"

"He seems to be enjoying school. He's dating a bit. We don't get too deep."

"Does he know about the three of us?"

"He knows you and I are together."

"You've never mentioned me?" Cody said.

"It's text messages, not deep discussions.

"That makes sense," I said.

Cody gave me a look and shrugged his shoulders. From his look, I figured he and I would be discussing this later.

-----

"Any thoughts on a winning song for the next competition?" Cody asked as we made our way home.

"What did Georgia say the theme was?" Luke asked. "I missed it."

"Seventies retro," I said. "I do have an idea, if you're willing to participate."

"Me?" Luke sounded concerned.

"Yes, you, Mr. Deep Bass."

"What song?" Cody asked.

"Pull up Devil's Gun," I said. "We'd need Casey and possibly Angus to get the full sound."

"I'm sure they'd be up for it," Cody said.

"Got it," Luke said.

I paired his phone to the Jeep's stereo, and soon the song started playing. We listened to the entire song twice.

"I see why you need me," Luke said.

"Two tenors, a baritone, a bass, and a contrabass would be a good mix," Cody said.

"I'm in. It's not that much," Luke said.

We talked about how we could set things up to cover all the parts as I drove us home.

The next morning, I was getting breakfast ready when Cody walked in and said, "Casey's in, and he's going to talk to Angus."

"Super."

"Maybe we get together this weekend and practice?"

"Sure, have them all over for dinner tomorrow or Sunday night. Justin can provide feedback."

"Great. I'll text Casey."

"Coffee," Luke said as he joined us.

"You're all dressed up for a Friday." Cody said.

"I'm presenting to some bigwigs today. I want to look sharp. Persis said that a jacket and tie during the presentation wouldn't be inappropriate."

"She's right. There are some in the executive ranks that are always in suits," I said.

"Why?" Cody asked.

"They are the ones meeting with customers, investors, or the press. They never know what might pop-up, so they are always prepared."

"Never thought of that," Cody said.

"Unlike my current place, Luke's office has a varied interpretation of business casual and casual Friday."

"Persis doesn't want us to wear jeans on Friday. In reality, she means faded or worn denim, or just baggy fit. Some of the team come in wearing really sharp black, really dark blue, or tan jeans with a dress shirt and jacket and look sharp on Friday."

"You always look nice. Dockers or chinos and a nice shirt," Cody admitted.

"Someone gave me some sage advice. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have," Luke said.

Cody gave me a look.

"Not me. That's a Justin thing."

"It sounds like great advice," Cody said.

We got breakfast going, and I went and took my turn getting ready for work. Cody was preparing for his shower when I stepped out.

"All yours," I said.

"I'm learning so much from you and Luke," he said.

"They say that anyone who is a first generation faces a distinct disadvantage."

"What do you mean?"

"Not having someone to mentor them, to learn from, to help them understand the way something operates."

"I hadn't thought about that."

"Get your shower; we can talk more later."

I dressed and then joined Luke in the kitchen and started packing my breakfast and lunch.

"Why aren't you eating at home?" Luke asked.

"Just how things have been since I moved out here. I get up. I get ready. If I can, I eat at home. If I can't, I eat on the train. I don't want to eat rushed."

"Makes sense."

"About ready to go?"

"Yeah."

We found Cody getting dressed for school. We each gave him a kiss and headed for work.

-----

Saturday morning, I had my phone out and was using the language app when Cody walked in.

"What are you doing?"

"Practicing my Nederlands," I explained.

"Huh, I've never seen you do that."

"Since you two entered my life on a more permanent basis, I usually do it at lunch. I had an errand to run yesterday, so I'm doing it now."

"Why'd you learn, you mean Dutch, right?"

"Nederlands, ja. I started learning Dutch because I was fascinated by the Netherlands and wanted to visit the country. I really wanted to go during the spring, when all the bulbs are in bloom. It's supposed to be amazing."

"Why haven't you gone? Wait. Let me guess. James wouldn't hear of it."

"That was the start of it. He didn't like the thought of Amsterdam, and the rest of the country was off because of that. When I left James, I was rebuilding my life. Then it was the house. Then it was Rob."

"Then us," Cody added.

"There was a gap between Rob and you two where I could have gone. I just didn't push myself."

"A bucket list item? I mean, you went to all the trouble to learn the language."

"Yes, it's still on the list, but the reality is that the three of us should be determining our list."

"I don't have a list," Cody said. "I'd be happy to explore the Netherlands with you. I'm sure Luke will be as well. Where all do you want to go?"

"As I said, we should determine our list. My things will be on it, but both of you should have things on it too. As to your second question, at the top of my list are Leiden, Delft, Den Haag, and Gouda."

"Cheese! Plus, as I said before, I don't have anything yet."

"They still sell cheese in the main town square once a week in Gouda, from what I understand. I want to try fresh cheese right from the source."

"Changing topics, what did you think of Luke and Rob?"

"Rob is a friend of Luke's. He introduced Luke to me. I don't have a problem on that front. The fact that he hasn't told Rob about you. I can understand it. Especially if they are only sending text messages."

"I guess. I just..." His voice drifted off.

"Face it. Luke loves you deeply. He cares about you just as deeply. Being in a three-person committed relationship isn't a norm that everyone accepts."

"Got it. And he's just told his folks."

"Exactly. You have to give the young man a lot of credit."

"I do."

"Any plans for this weekend?"

"I finished my paper yesterday. I'm ready for you and Luke to review."

"When is it due?"

"Wednesday. Not this Wednesday, but the following one."

"How long?"

"Forty-seven pages, but that includes the table of contents, references, and images."

"Okay, so not a true weekend project."

"No. Just need time to fix it if either of you find anything. We have the guys coming around for dinner tomorrow night. Have you thought about what to feed them?"

"That I have. I figured we'd make braciola with risotto and a vegetable."

"That sounds good," he admitted. "Casey enjoyed it."

"And it will give him a chance to see if Kyle enjoys it."

"As I understand it, Kyle eats anything that isn't raw."

"Huh?"

"No, sushi, carpaccio, or the like."

"Got it."

There was silence for a bit. We both drank some of our coffee and snuggled.

"Doctor said you're clear?"

"As of today, no concerns."

"Good. I know what we're doing today," I said.

"What?"

"Luke and I plan to see just how many loads of cum we can get shot out of your cock in a day."

"Hmmm... a good torture?"

"Could be," I said with a laugh.

"We're just waiting for him?"

"Him and breakfast," I said.

"Maybe we should start with breakfast."

"Works."

We had breakfast well underway when Luke appeared at the kitchen door. He fixed himself a mug of coffee and then said, "Good morning. Are we on for today?"

"Yep, as soon as we eat, the draining of Cody's balls begins!"

"Hmmm... Cody Cum Fest." Luke said.

"Dude, I admit to being backed up. That first load will be epic!"

"Twenty-two, used to regularly getting sex, and you haven't cum in two weeks. Yup, epic!" I agreed.

There was a good bit of tension as we dined. Not bad tension; maybe anticipation is a better description. Once we cleaned up the dishes, the three of us headed for the playroom.

I helped Cody get out of his boxers and positioned him so he could just lay back into the sling.

"Up and at'em," I said, helping him get into position.

Once he was in position, Cody's hand went to his rapidly hardening dick. I pushed it away. I got between his spread legs and started eating his ass. I noticed Luke move towards the other end of the sling, and based on his moans, I assumed Cody was sucking him.

I worked hard to prep Cody's hole, then stood and started pushing in my cock. Cody moaned a bit around Luke's cock. Again, his hands moved down to his dick, and I pushed them away.

"Load one is going to be hands-free," I said.

"He's going to cover himself big time," Luke predicted.

Luke pulled his cock from Cody's mouth and started nibbling on his body. I watched him nibble on Cody's neck and then down to his tits. Cody's cock was jerking and twerking as Luke teased his skin and I fucked his hole.

"Fuck, that feels good," Cody said.

"Your turn," I said to Luke.

I pulled out. Luke grabbed the box and moved it into position. He plugged in and commenced his fuckstrokes. I moved around and started licking Cody's body. My efforts quickly made him squirm.

"Guys, I need to cum," Cody said.

"We're going to make that happen," I said. "Just enjoy the ride."

After a good period of time, Luke said, "Switch."

Luke pulled out, moved the box under the sling, and I moved back into position. As I started fucking Cody, I noticed Luke pull the box to the side. He stepped back on it, grabbed the bars at the top of the sling, and climbed up. He grabbed hold of Cody's cock and started sliding down it. We hadn't planned on this, but hey, it was all about getting Cody off.

"Oh, fuck!" Cody groaned as Luke hit bottom.

Using the pole above him, Luke started working up and down Cody's cock. I synchronized my fucking so that I was bottoming out in Cody when Luke's ass hit Cody's pubes.

"Guys, I'm gonna..." was all that Cody got out. He let out a guttural moan that pierced the ears.

Luke slammed down, and I'm sure his ass got flooded. Cody's ass started spasming around my cock. That was all it took to trigger me. I slammed in and shot deep.

"Fuck!" I yelped.

"Damn," I heard Luke yell.

I looked up and saw cum spraying onto Cody's face.

It took a few minutes for us to recover a bit. Luke said, "That's the first load."

"How many more can we churn?" I said. "Maybe you fuck my ass this time."

"Sure!"

I moved over to the fuck bench and climbed on.

"Round two," Luke announced.

-----

"Welcome," I said.

"Thanks for having us," Angus said. "Casey and I have been listening to the song."

"And watching the video," Casey added. "Cody said it was an Italian dinner tonight."

"We brought panna cotta," Kyle said. "Casey was busy today."

"That will go well with the braciola, risotto, and broccoli."

"Wonderful." I started leading them towards the den. "What would everyone like to drink?"

"Gin and tonic," Justin said.

"What scotch do you have?" Angus asked.

I turned to Luke as he entered the den. "Did you hear Angus?"

He shook his head a bit.

"What scotch do we have?"

"Two choices at the moment," Luke said. "We have a Macallan and a Glen Moray."

"You have two great choices," Angus replied. "I'll take a Macallan on the rocks."

"Justin would like a gin and tonic," I said to Luke.

"We have Beefeaters or Hendricks for the gin, and for tonic, you can choose plain, lemon, or elderflower."

"I'll try the elderflower," Justin replied.

"Black and tan?" Luke asked Kyle.

"Please."

"I'll do a virgin Cuba libre," Casey said with a chuckle.

"Coke it is," Luke replied.

Luke started working on the drinks, and I carried the dessert into the kitchen. I found Cody fussing with stuff.

"It's fine; let's go join the guys."

"Okay."

Cody and I joined the group.

"Are you practicing first, or are we eating?" Justin asked.

"We have an Italian-inspired meat and cheese board," Cody said, pointing to the sofa table. "We figured we could practice and graze, have dinner, and if needed, one final run through."

"And Kyle and I are the audience," Justin said.

"Feedback baby. Feedback," Angus said.

"We will," he said with a laugh.

"First question," Casey said. "Are we getting the wild costumes from the video?"

"I think not," I said.

"Whew..." Angus let out.

"Jeans and t-shirts?" Luke asked.

"How about faded jeans and a white tee?" Angus said.

"Works."

"Consistent shoes?" Justin asked.

"At least color," I said.

"Black? Brown?" Cody asked.

"Either. Pick one," I replied.

"Black," Angus said.

"Outfits defined," Casey said. "I think the parts are pretty clear."

We all nodded.

"I've got the words and who's singing them by vocal range."

I handed out the paper, queued up the music, and said, "Ready?"

Everyone nodded, so I pressed play. When the music finished, Kyle raised his hand and said, "That sounded really good. I watched the video and thought their movements were really good and provided a consistent look."

"Up for the work?" Justin asked.

I turned to look at everyone, and they nodded.

After a number of iterations, Luke said, "I don't know about anyone else, but I'm hungry."

"Dinner time," I said. "We're serving from the kitchen and eating in the dining room."

We moved to the kitchen and got all the food plated. We'd been eating for a few minutes when Kyle looked at Casey and said, "This is what you learned to make?"

Casey nodded.

"Good. This is very good!"

-----

Cody was still at school when Luke and I got home. We grabbed the mail, put our stuff away, and headed for the kitchen. Luke got a pained look on his face as he went through the mail. I asked, "What's wrong?"

"We received more medical bills, and the total is climbing."

"There's an out-of-pocket maximum," I reminded him.

"So, things are capped?"

"Seventy-five hundred dollars."

"That's still a lot."

"Yes. It is. I have it in savings; it just depletes the account a bit."

"I want to contribute," he said.

"Look, I've said it before; I'll say it again. You do." He started to say something, but I put my hand up. "When we formed the family, how much did you and Cody contribute?"

"Essentially nothing."

"Were we strained? Did things seem financially stretched?"

"No."

"Since you started working, you've been contributing. You're paying the HELOC, helping with food, and helping with other things. Plus, you're paying down your student loans quickly. Just how strained do you think things are now, considering all your help?"

"Horrible," he said with a laugh.

"Funny. Har har. I've been able to save quite a bit, so this isn't as big a hit."

"Okay, I get it."

"It's just..."

"The car, the procedure, all the things add up. I'm doing fine. We're doing fine. Once Cody gets a job, the three of us are going to be sitting pretty."

"Huh?"

"Think about it. You're coming up on a year with the company. With that, you'll be eligible for a raise. He'll start earning. Three salaries combined for us. Yes, you have loans. Yes, there's a mortgage. But there will be a lot of positives."

"How do we deal with it?"

"What do you mean? A bill comes in, and I pay it. When we hit his deductible, then the bill is cut to thirty percent, and we pay those till he hits the max."

"How much is his deductible?"

"Six thousand."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me. It's six thousand."

"So, wait, how much does this really cap out at?"

"We pay seventy-five hundred max."

"I meant bill-wise."

"Oh. Hmmm..." I grabbed a piece of paper and did the math. "Thirty percent of five thousand is fifteen hundred. The bills would have to hit eleven thousand for him to hit his out-of-pocket maximum."

"Do you think they will?"

"Easily. The hospital, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the medications, the follow-up visits, with all that, I'd be surprised if it didn't top twenty thousand."

"Health care is expensive."

"Which is why insurance is so important."

"Maybe I should think about better insurance when our next open season starts."

"Which did you choose?"

"They offered a gold, a silver, and a bronze plan. I chose the silver."

"What's your deductible?"

"I don't know."

"Insurance is a gamble. If you use it a lot, like me, then lower deductibles, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums are important. Unless the difference in cost is a lot."

"You don't get too much," Luke said.

"Quarterly visits at a minimum, medications, it all adds up. I'd rather not have a huge surprise, so I'm willing to pay for better insurance. I'm also almost twice your age. Look at the price difference between silver and gold, then see how much the cost would be. Like I said, it's a bit of a gamble."

"I got it. I'll have you review with me when things come up again."

"Deal."

-----

"Thank you for all the comments on my paper," Cody said.

"You're welcome," Luke said.

"I've incorporated all Luke's feedback. Coulter, would you do the second round?"

"Sure. If I'm done by Friday?"

"That would give me the weekend, Monday, and Tuesday to finish it. My professor wants time to grade and post before our final."

"Deadline set."

"Super, thanks."

"I thought it was really good," Luke said. "There were a few places where things weren't consistent."

"I think I resolved all of those. I also fixed everything else on which you commented."

"Changing the topic a bit. How are the party plans going?" I asked.

"We only have four people who haven't provided an RSVP. I will follow up with them," Cody explained.

"I have the menu ready," Luke said. "Let me grab it."

He walked off and came back with the sheet of paper. I started reading it.

"Seems good," I said.

Cody grabbed the list from me and said, "Holy crap. That's a lot of food."

"It's a lot of food, and there are a lot of people coming. It's a big party for six graduates."

"I'm going to help," Cody said.

"Of course," I said.

"Did you ask anyone for help?" Cody said. Anyone could have read the worry on his face about the cost.

"Justin and Angus are planning to help. I'm sure that means Casey will be in the kitchen."

"And Kyle on clean-up duty," Luke added.

"What about..." he started.

I stood, motioned, and said, "Come here."

He walked over to me. I wrapped him in a hug, and Luke came over, making the hug complete.

"We love you," Luke said.

"We'd do anything for you," I said.

"This is your graduation, and we want to do the biggest party ever for it," Luke said.

"You deserve this."

Cody started sobbing into my shoulder.

"Get it all out," Luke said. "We're your family. We care! We love you!"

Finally, Cody stopped sobbing and said, "I don't deserve you two."

"Yes, yes, you do. You are more than worthy of this praise. We love you!" I said.

"You get it?" Luke asked.

"It's sinking in slowly."

-----

"Halfway through the competition, and we've got team Diablo up next," Georgia said. "Their team's name fits for a group singing Devil's Gun."

The five of us got into position. We had a consistent look, and I thought it fit the Seventies theme. The music started, and we performed the initial moves while singing the oohs and aahs. As in the video, the high-range singers dropped to their knees when Luke started the lyrics, "Fee fie fo fum, we're looking down the barrel of the Devil's Gun."

I was on the opposite side of the stage, mimicking his moves and singing in my deepest bass.

Once we got into the main part of the song, Cody did the lead part, with Casey and Angus providing primary support. We got to the next round of deep bass, and Luke nailed the lyrics.

We got a huge round of applause as we wrapped up. Back at our table, our crew gave us a lot of positive comments as the next team took the stage.

It was forty-five minutes later when we were called up to the stage to receive our drink coupons. As the lights came up in the club and folks started to leave, Ginger walked up to me and said, "He's the secret to winning. No one can compete."

"I don't know; I'm sure there are ways, but this was definitely the right song for tonight."

"I need to get with him and set up for the next competition," she replied.

"There aren't a lot of songs with a contrabass part."

"True, but that graduation song you two did shows he's got more than a deep voice."

"Very true."

-----

Friday afternoon, I was walking from my office to the station when my cell phone started ringing.

"Hey Kyle," I said.

"I need your help."

"You know I'm always glad to help if I can."

"This is going to be a lot of work. Justin and Angus both think you're the man to help."

"Okay, now you have me concerned. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I just need you to help with a song for karaoke."

"You're going to do karaoke? I thought you couldn't sing."

"I don't think my voice is bad. It's not like yours or Casey's, but I'm not as bad as Justin. It's just not my thing."

"Why now?"

"I want to do something for Casey. We agreed not to exchange presents around the wedding."

"But you want to give him something personal."

"Yep. We were in Uncle J's car. It was my eighteenth birthday. I'd just called Casey, my lover, for the first time. The first song that played was Eighth World Wonder."

"Kimberly Locke. It's a great song."

"I want it to be perfect. I mean, fucking perfect," he said.

"A little over two months?"

"Yeah."

"How do you want to do this?"

"That's the hard part."

"Justin and Angus know?"

"Yes."

"What about Cody?"

"Can he keep a secret?"

"To help surprise his little brother, I'm sure he can."

"Okay, we can tell him, but..."

"Then we get Cody to distract Casey somehow."

"Oh, wow. I hadn't thought about that."

"Let me work with Cody, and we'll get a plan. Then he gets Casey doing something, and you can come over and we'll work on it."

"Super! Thanks."

"Of course, that means Luke will know as well."

"As long as no one tells Casey, I don't really care who knows."

My phone buzzed. I looked at the screen and saw that Luke was in the third train car.

"I'm about to get on the train. I'll talk to Cody tonight. Calls only?"

"Huh?"

"Does Casey look at your phone?"

"Sure."

"Text messages could be seen. In fact, clear your call log."

"I hadn't thought about that. Thanks."

"Talk to you later," I said.

"Bye."

I hung up as the train pulled up. I filled Luke in on Kyle's plans as we rode home. We found Cody in the kitchen, working on dinner.

"Smells good," Luke said.

"Thanks."

"So, I got a call from Kyle this afternoon."

"Everything okay?"

"He wants my help to surprise Casey."

"Oh?"

"He wants to do a song at karaoke."

"He doesn't sing."

"He doesn't like to perform. He can sing. He said that he's not Casey good, but I guess we won't have to wear ear plugs."

"Okay. How's this going to work?"

"We're going to practice here, but you'll need to distract Casey."

"Ummm..."

"We need to figure out a way that you can get Casey out without Kyle, and then he and I can practice."

"I'll start trying to think of things."

"Good. What can we do to help with dinner?"

"Get changed into comfy clothing, set the table, and get drinks."

"Deal," Luke said.

-----

We were sitting at the table having dinner when Luke looked up and said, "Okay, it's exam time, and that makes this house all about Cody."

"Huh?"

"Coulter always made exam time all about us. Now he and I are making it all about you."

"You don't," Cody started.

Luke's hand went up. "We've been through this. Stop it!"

"Okay."

"What do you need from us?" I asked.

"Nothing really. I'm pretty much ready for my exams. With you two at work, I have plenty of time to review, read, and study." He stopped, looked thoughtful, and said, "Some stress-relieving sex would be good."

"Game for that," Luke responded. "In fact, how about a good round after dinner?"

"This is really good," I said.

"I found the idea on the net. You coat the beef in a mixture of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Add basil, garlic powder, and a few other herbs. Put onion wedges at the bottom of the Dutch oven, add the beef, and cook at 200 for about 8 hours. I made the egg noodles just before you got home."

"Much left?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, it was that big chuck roast. Lots left."

"I could see making some sandwiches with this," Luke said.

"Oh, toast some of those ciabatta rolls, some good cheese," Cody added.

"Yummy," Luke said.

"You've got a winner here, Cody."

-----

Two nights before graduation, we joined the gang for karaoke.

"Done! Man, we're done!" Kyle's voice showed how excited he was.

"Yeah! But aren't you starting grad school in September?" Luke asked.

"Yup! But there's something big before that!" Kyle continued in a loud tone.

"WEDDING!" Casey cut loose.

"Aren't there two of them?" I asked.

"Damn straight!" Justin said.

"Nothing straight about it," Angus chimed in.

That started everyone laughing.

"Time to sign up!" the substitute host called out.

Everyone got into the line, but I hung back. I wanted to make sure no one saw what I chose.

Georgia called Casey to the stage roughly forty-five minutes into the evening.

"I'm dedicating this to my fiancé. Two more months!"

The music started, and Casey did a good rendition of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's I Won't Change You.

Cody was called to the stage next; our group had queued up together, and evidently Georgia had no reason to move folks around. He did Alexis Jordan's Happiness, which put a big smile on my face.

Georgia walked onto the stage and said, "We're in for a treat. He doesn't sing often, but when he does, well, let's just say he's two for two in competitions. Come on up, Luke and Coulter."

I was watching Cody, and the expression on his face was priceless!

"Luke and I want to dedicate this to our three guys graduating this Saturday!"

The music for ItaloBrother's Till You Drop started, and I took the lead. Luke and I'd worked hard on this, and I'd discovered he really had a talent for the kind of background vocals and sounds used in the song. He really got into it, and used all the right moves and gestures, and even did some cool spinning. The guys at the table were going wild. As I got to the third verse of the song, the lyrics started to get to me. Tears started down my face as I sang, "Make your mark in this world; make it count. Show the whole universe you're around. Be the light in the dark for us to see. Become everything you dreamed to be." I was really pleased that the refrain focused on Luke showing off his skills and gave me a moment to regain my composure to finish up. As the song came to an end, we got a big round of applause. What really hit me was seeing Kyle, Casey, and Cody in tears.

"That was amazing," Casey said, as Luke and I got back to the table.

"Really cool, guys," Kyle chimed in.

"Thank you both," Cody said as he gathered us both into a big hug.

-----

"Ready to go?" I asked.

"Yes," Luke said. "I'm glad you convinced him to march."

"I think he was worried."

"Huh?"

"I didn't get to watch you graduate; now I'm getting to watch him."

"Well, three of my family members were there; the rest weren't able to go. Three of his family will be there too."

"Three?"

"Casey!"

"Oh."

"The three of them are lining up to march together. Since they don't cross the stage, they can group together and enjoy!"

"Well, let's get a move on. We have to meet Justin and Angus, and I hear we're getting to meet Kyle's folks too."

We got over to the campus, parked, and made our way to Eagle Bank Arena. We'd agreed to a meeting point and found Justin and Angus with a couple.

"Rodney and Rebecca, this is Luke and Coulter."

"We've heard a lot about you from Kyle and Casey; nice to finally meet you," Rebecca said.

"Nice to meet you both," I said.

"Let's go get our seats," Justin said.

We got settled into a group of seats and enjoyed the ceremony.

"That's it for us," Rodney said.

"Well, for undergraduate," Rebecca added.

"Luke and I are going to run to get things ready," I said. "See you over there in a bit?"

"Sounds good," Justin said.

As we didn't wait for the graduates to appear, Luke and I were able to get off campus relatively quickly. We got back to the house and found a car with West Virginia tags sitting in the driveway. Two young gentlemen and a young lady, all of whom bore more than a passing resemblance to Casey, were standing in the front yard.

"You must be Casey's siblings," I said as I walked up from the Jeep.

"I'm Dylan; this is Bryce and Sophie."

"I'm Coulter; this is Luke. Come on in the house; the graduates should be here shortly."

"Nice to meet you all," Luke added.

"Can we do anything to help?" Sophie asked as we walked into the house.

"Not too much left to do," I admitted. "We need to get the grill going. Get the cold food set out."

"Where's the grill?" Dylan asked.

"Out back. Luke, why don't you show everyone around quickly? I'll get the grill started, and then we can set the food out."

A few minutes later, Sophie and Dylan were back in the kitchen.

"Bryce is helping Luke get things ready out back," Dylan said.

"I get lost in all the friendships and relationships. How is it that you know Casey?" Sophie said.

"I used to work with Justin. I left for another opportunity, and we drifted apart. We reconnected for my fortieth birthday, which was a few months after Luke and Cody started living here. I met Kyle and Casey that day. Kyle, Casey, and Cody all went to Mason together for the last two years. Luke was at Mason for one year with them. Plus, of course, Casey and Cody have bonded since Cody's family disowned him."

"That's why Paula and Marty aren't with us. They're still dependent on Mom and Dad," Dylan said.

"Will they be able to make it to the wedding?" I asked.

"Yes," Dylan said. "We're going camping that weekend!"

He started to laugh, and I realized what he meant.

"That's a good way to disguise it."

The doorbell rang, and I went to answer it.

"Welcome," I said to the crowd of friends at the door. "Everything for today is around back, but it's easier to just use the stairs to the basement and go out through the slider. I'm Coulter. Luke is around back, wearing a bright blue polo. He can answer any of your questions."

"Thanks for hosting!" someone said.

I led them to the stairs, and they went down and out. The doorbell rang again. I opened it to find Mindy, Caleb, and Zack.

"Welcome! And congrats."

"We're here for the party!" Mindy sang out. "And thanks!"

"Gretchen Wilson. I think this party will rock her way a bit."

"With us around, you bet!" Caleb said.

"It's really great of you to host," Zack said.

"We do anything for Cody and, of course, Casey and Kyle. You three are a huge plus!"

"Thanks. I've learned just how far you two will go for your family," Mindy said.

"Well, the party is out back. You know where the stairs are. Luke's out back, tending the grill. Casey's family and a few others are out there as well."

"Super," Caleb said. "Our folks should be here soon. They wanted to freshen up at the hotel."

"Mine stopped by the house to let the mutt out."

They headed out, and I went back to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, I heard the front door open. Cody ran into the kitchen and wrapped me in a hug. Being enveloped by this young man was one of the many joys in my life.

"Congrats," I whispered into his ear.

"Thanks! You did a lot to get me here."

"It's well deserved. I'm so proud of you!"

"Love you."

"Love you too."

"Woo hoo!" I heard from behind Cody. I looked up and saw Casey and Kyle.

"Congrats, guys," I said.

Both Casey and Kyle came over and added themselves to the pile. It became one huge group hug.

"Why don't the three of you go out and enjoy time with your guests? Luke's tending the grill."

"Gotta get out there fast," Cody said with a laugh.

The three guys headed out and were quickly replaced by Justin and Rebecca.

"What can we do to help?" Rebecca asked.

"Mostly need to get the rest of the food on trays and the trays out onto the tables."

"I can run the trays down," Justin offered.

"I'll help with tray set up," Rebecca said.

With help, it didn't take long to get all the food on trays and out to the service table.

"This is quite the spread," Rebecca said as we surveyed the table.

"With six cooks and bakers in the kitchen this week, we produced a lot of stuff," I replied.

"Quite the crowd," Angus said as he walked up to us.

"Six graduates, families, friends, and lots of food."

I looked over at the grill and saw that Rodney had taken over duties from Luke. I turned toward Rebecca. Before I could say anything, she said, "He's happiest at a grill."

"Probably a good thing. Luke has become a phenomenal baker. I'm not sure how good his grilling skills are."

"What's on the grill?" Angus asked.

"Irn Bru glazed chicken," I started.

"What?"

"Cody made a glaze with mustard, honey, brown sugar, and Irn Bru."

"What's Irn Bru?" Rebecca asked.

"It is the soft drink of Scotland," Angus said.

"What's its taste?"

"Tangy, fizzy, and like nothing else," I admitted. "My dad would get it shipped to him from time to time."

"How'd you find it?" Angus asked.

"Online."

"What else is on the grill?"

"Burgers and veggie patties."

"I'm going to eat well," Angus said.

"I'm hungry," Rebecca said.

They started getting their plates. I looked around and saw Cody with a small group of people. I walked over to join the conversation. We'd been talking a bit when Luke walked up.

"Got a minute?" he asked.

"Sure, what's up?"

"What time do you want to do the cake?"

"I figure after about an hour. Give people time to eat some."

"Okay."

"What's up?"

"I need to decorate it."

"I thought Cody said not too."

"He said it was too much work. He didn't say, don't do it."

"Fair. How long to get it ready?"

"I did a practice run with plain frosting the other day. It took thirty minutes."

"Can I help?"

"No, I'm good."

I noticed Cody watching us, but he was involved in a conversation. I said to Luke, "We're being watched. Wait a few minutes and then go inside."

"Thanks."

He walked one way, and I went over and joined the parental group.

"How's it feel?" I asked Justin.

"I'm very proud of him."

"You're a good dad," I said.

"Funny, I never thought I'd be a parent."

"Liam would have been very proud of you," Rebecca said. "You two did so much for Kyle. Then you took in Casey."

"Thanks."

While we were talking, I noticed Luke slip into the house.

"What are you two up to?" Justin asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I noticed you and Luke talking. He just slipped into the house, trying to be unseen."

"He baked a cake for the party. Cody told him not to bother decorating it. He wants to do it. He's doing it now."

"Any ideas on the design?" Rebecca asked.

"No. He's been baking a lot. He made and decorated Cody's birthday cake. He hasn't done as much decorating as baking, but he did say he'd practiced recently."

"What's the cake like?" Justin asked.

"There are two large sheet cakes. One is chocolate, of course, since Cody's one of the recipients. The other is a vanilla cake. Both are frosted in Swiss meringue butter cream."

"Impressive," Rebecca said.

"As I said, he's really dug into baking, not just sweets. He's doing biscuits, breads, and chips."

"Wow."

We continued the conversation a bit, and then the group changed. I noticed Luke come back outside about thirty minutes later, and he gave me a thumbs up.

The party had been in swing for a little over an hour when Cody walked up to me.

"This is so amazing!"

"You deserve it!"

"Thanks."

He put his arm around me and hugged me.

"Time for the cake?"

"Yeah! I'll go get it."

"You're the party guy. Let Luke and I take care of things. We'll get Rebecca and Justin to help."

"Okay."

I walked over and asked for assistance. We went up to the kitchen and found the two cakes sitting side by side on the counter. On one, Luke had written Congratulations Mason Graduates. On the other, he had written Make Your Mark in This World, Become Everything You Dream to Be. All the lettering was done in Mason green and gold. That made me tear up, as it was two of the lines from the song he and I'd done at karaoke.

"That is amazing," Rebecca said. "Your lettering is so well done."

Luke blushed a bit.

I pulled him into a hug, kissed him on the side of the head, and said, "Perfect."

"What else do we need other than the cakes?" Justin asked.

"The freezer up here has the chocolate and the peanut butter ice cream. The chest freezer downstairs has the vanilla and the mint."

Justin opened the freezer and started looking. He said, "Umm."

"Those big Rubbermaid containers," Luke explained.

"Homemade?" Rebecca asked.

"Of course," Luke replied.

We got the cakes and the ice cream and headed back downstairs. After getting everything set on the table, I grabbed my phone, turned on the sound system, and started playing Pomp and Circumstance. That got everyone's attention quickly.

"Folks, we gathered here today to celebrate the graduation of a great group of young people. These six friends completed four years of hard work. Three are moving on to graduate studies, while three are moving into the world of full-time work," I said.

That got a big round of applause.

"In this house, cakes have more recently become a part of our celebrations, and homemade ice cream has always been a part. We have a chocolate cake on the left and a vanilla cake on the right, both made by our house baker, Luke."

Another round of applause.

"The ice cream includes chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, and mint. Which the three of us worked together to make. Congrats to our graduates!"

A final round of applause.

The graduates all came over and started looking at the cake. Cody's face was an interesting study. It was clear he was fighting back the tears, and eventually he lost the battle. Casey and Mindy put their arms around him.

A few minutes later, Mindy walked up to me and said, "This is wonderful. Thank you so much."

"We're proud to be celebrating this wonderful event."

"You're doing so much more. You're showing what family, what love, and what caring are! The food today was an amazing collection of things that we all enjoy. The cakes are amazing, and the ice cream is so delicious. I need to come over and learn to make it."

"Glad to teach. It's really not hard."

"Super."

While we continued to chat, Cody walked up and put his arm around my shoulder. He leaned in and said, "I love you both so much!"

I put my arm around him and said, "We love you so much!"

It was about an hour later that folks started to depart.

"We're sticking around to help clean up," Justin said.

"Thanks. It shouldn't take too much."

"You went all out on this," Angus said. "Thanks for including our guys."

"They're part of the family," I said. "It made the day special for Cody too."

"What can we do?"

"Food that will spoil if it's been out too long goes into the trash, unfortunately. Food that is safe take up to the kitchen, and Luke or Cody can get into containers and put them away. Or you can take home any leftovers that you like."

"There's not much food left," Angus said. "Those kids packed it away!"

"Fold the tables and chairs and carry them up front. The rental service will pick up first thing tomorrow morning."

"What about the linens?"

"Tablecloths and napkins go with the tables. Ask Luke where the bags are. Anything else, goes into the house and can go into the hamper in the laundry room."

"What about all the glasses?" Angus asked.

"We bought those. They were cheaper than renting. I'm going to store them in the utility room once they are clean, for future parties."

"Crazy," Justin said.

"Borrow them when needed," I replied.

With that, we got busy cleaning up.

"Anything else we can do?" Justin asked.

"Nope, I think that's it," I replied.

"It was an awesome party," Casey said.

Kyle was standing behind him, arms wrapped around him, nodding his head.

"Glad you enjoyed it," Luke said.

"That cake was something else," Kyle said. "Do you share your recipes?"

"I'll send it to Casey," Luke replied.

"Thanks!"

Cody moved over and wrapped his arms around Luke.

"It was very special."

"I also need the Irn Bru glaze recipe," Casey said.

"That I have," Angus said.

"Have a great evening, guys. Thanks for helping clean up," I said.

We walked everyone out and then came in and crashed in the den.

"I feel like we need to have graduation sex," Luke said. "But I'm pretty wiped."

"How about trading graduation massages tonight? We can do the graduation sex tomorrow," I said.

"Works for me," Cody replied.

-----

The following Saturday, Cody was getting his stuff together to leave. I asked, "How long will you two be gone?"

"The class is three hours," Cody replied. "I think he's a bit miffed that Kyle doesn't want to take it."

"Yeah, I don't see Kyle being interested in arranging flowers."

"When's Kyle arriving?"

"He doesn't want Casey to see him coming over, so he's waiting until I call and say you're gone."

"Cool."

It wasn't long before the doorbell rang.

"Doing the flowers for the wedding?" I asked.

"It's an outdoor wedding; we're going to do window boxes and hanging baskets, but I want a little floral décor. I want to figure out how to do garland."

"And this class will teach that?"

"Supposedly."

"And I can help put them together," Cody said.

"I was hoping Kyle would," Casey said.

"I'm guessing it's not his thing. Focus on the positives," I said.

"Huh?"

"What all is he helping with?" I asked.

"Lighting, setting up, and... oh, I get it."

"Don't see it as he doesn't want to; see it as he's not a flower arranging guy."

"True. I just..."

"He loves you. He dotes on you."

"I get it. I'm really lucky."

"And your big brother's going to help!" Cody said.

That put a smile on Casey's face.

"We should be going," Casey said.

As soon as Casey's car pulled out of the driveway, I sent a text to Kyle. About fifteen minutes later, he was at our door.

"Welcome," I said.

"I really appreciate this."

"Not a problem. I'm glad to help! You said you could sing. Correct?"

"Yes. I sing, but I'm not comfortable singing in front of anyone."

"Sing in the shower?"

"If Casey's not in it with me."

I chuckled at that.

"But you're willing to do this in front of everyone?"

"It will mean so much to Casey. I know he's not happy that I'm not going to the floral thingy today."

"We talked about that. He gets it."

"Thanks!"

"Ready to practice?"

"Is Luke home?"

"Yes, but he's downstairs doing some things. You realize you're going to have an audience."

"I just don't want one yet. Later, he can come up and be my audience."

I smiled at that. I queued up the music and said, "Let's see how this goes."

Kyle started singing the words, and I understood why he said he didn't sing around others. This big lacrosse jock was singing falsetto. I hit pause on the song.

"Okay. First comment: I'm doubting that's really your range."

"Huh? I was trying to hit her notes."

"You're a guy. I'm guessing you have a male vocal range. You've heard me cover songs before. Am I singing like that?"

"No. Let me give it a shot."

I started the music and sang in my bass range for a short bit.

"Now you try," I said.

Kyle started singing and did have a good voice. I noticed that he was struggling in some places. The music ended, and I said, "Let's find your range."

"What do you mean?"

"Counter tenor, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass, what are you? Cody's a tenor. Angus is a baritone. I'm a bass, and Luke's a contrabass."

I pulled up my keyboard app and played middle C. "Can you hit that?" I asked.

He did. I then dropped an octave and played C again. Again, he hit it. I kept working with him until it was clear.

"Well, you're most aligned with the baritone range, though you run a little on the high or tenor side."

"Okay."

"Think mostly in the range that Angus sings, but heading more toward Casey or Cody and less toward me. Definitely nowhere near as low as Luke."

"So, what does that mean for this song?"

"Kimberly is an alto, and this song is in that range. I'd say we can get you to nail it without a chord change."

"Can you do it the right way for me? I'm pretty good at imitating."

"Sure. It's a bit on the higher side of my range."

I queued up the song and went through it.

"Ready?" I asked after I finished.

"Sure."

Again, I queued up the song, and Kyle sang through it.

"Yuck," he said when he finished.

"That wasn't that bad."

"It wasn't that good."

"Let's work on a few things. First breathing and second opening up more."

"Huh?"

"Breathe like you're yawning," I said. I gave an example. "Then you should have the air supply to hold a longer note." Again, I gave him an example.

"You held that for a long time," he said.

"It's all in the breathing. The second thing is opening up or projecting."

I gave him an example of not projecting and then projecting.

"You don't need the mics, do you?"

"Depends on how big the space is and how loud things are. If you notice most nights, I keep the mic low."

We spent a good bit of time working on the song.

"Time for an audience," I said.

I went to the top of the stairs and called Luke. Kyle went through the song one last time.

"That was good," Luke said.

"Thanks!"

My phone dinged.

"They're on their way home," I said.

"I should run then. You don't know how much this means to me!"

"I can imagine," I replied. "We can try to practice again if you feel you need it. Or you can get Angus to work with you. His voice is more in your range."

"I can mimic him."

With that, Kyle took off.

-----

"Happy first day of June," Cody said.

"May was an eventful month," I admitted.

"June should be fairly quiet," Luke agreed.

"What's the game plan for this weekend?" Cody asked.

"None from my perspective," I replied. "Luke?"

"Chores and more chores, I guess."

"What do you think about putting in an herb garden?"

"What? Huh?" Luke said.

"You know, herbs for cooking. I was thinking of stuff we could use when cooking," Cody explained.

"Where do you want to put it, and what herbs were you planning to grow?" I asked.

"Basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, maybe some lavender. They all need sun."

"Why don't we walk outside and scout out a place?"

"So, I can do it?" Cody seemed surprised.

"It's your home!"

"I know, I know."

"We can help you get it started," Luke said.

We went out and decided on a place to put the herbs.

"What about critters?" Luke asked.

"From what I read, rabbits and deer don't like herbs. It seems like only humans really like them," Cody replied.

"Raised bed or not?" I asked.

"Umm..."

"Want to start now and then see how it goes?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"How about we just get some sort of garden edging so that we can weed whack along it, and it will keep your mulch or compost in the bed?"

"That sounds good," Cody said.

"In the end, it's your project," I said.

"Sounds like you have more experience," Cody said.

"I did grow up on a farm. We had a vegetable garden in the backyard. But like I said, it's your project, so I'll provide any suggestions and answer questions."

"I get it," Cody said. "It's that smother thing."

I nodded my head.

"You want me to grow..."

"And..."

"And it's my home too!"

That made me smile.

"Have you ever thought about fruit trees?" Luke asked.

"Yes, but most of what I looked at aren't deer-resistant. I had thought about putting in a fig tree or two. They tend to be a food of last resort. We could do something like grapes on an arbor if you want to build one, but otherwise the deer will eat the leaves and the grapes."

"Wow, they do pose a problem, don't they?" Cody said.

"I didn't want to fence off the yard. I removed a lot of the yummy deer plants and replaced them with natives that are deer resistant."

"Is there any way to stop them?" Luke asked.

"We would have to put eight-foot fencing around the entire yard and gate the driveway. My understanding is that it is tall enough to stop them. There's a lot of mitigation practices that can be employed to stop them from grazing or move their path, but..."

"If it's like cyber security mitigations only go so far," Cody interjected.

"Correct, and think about it: we have the creek between us and the O'Brien's that then runs through the woods behind us. It creates a natural path for the deer to follow. We essentially have woods on four sides since across the cul de sac are woods as well. The advantage and disadvantage of being the last house in the neighborhood against a park and a resource protection area."

"So, herbs it is," Luke said.

"For now, at least, until we figure something else out," I agreed.

"Garden center? Home Depot? Lowes?"

"Well, there are two garden centers over near the Home Depot. Let's put together a list of supplies and hit one of the garden centers later."

"Sounds good," Cody said.

"Let's get some chores done, get your list done, and then head over."

"Laundry?" Luke asked.

"One load that needs to get done," Cody said. "House is clean. We need some groceries."

"Okay, so two lists," I said.

"I'll get the laundry started," Cody said.

"Let's work on the grocery list," Luke said.

Luke and I confirmed the list for the kitchen, then he asked, "What about shampoo or conditioner?"

"Let's check," I said.

As we walked into the bedroom, Luke looked at me and asked, "What are you wearing to the wedding?"

"I'm thinking khakis, a dress shirt, a tie, and a blazer. You?"

"Well, slacks and a blazer, I guess."

"Wanna go get something?"

"Nah, I don't have the money at the moment."

"Dude..."

"I know... I know... but I'm really trying to live within my budget."

"Why are you so short?" I asked.

"I'm not, really; I've got it in my savings. I'm just trying to make sure I have plenty saved up; Cody and I have a car to buy."

"You think he's gonna need a car to get to work?"

"It's not for him!"

"Dude, that was a joke."

"Not to us... You've done so much for us; we think it appropriate."

"Well, before you buy a car, let's talk."

"Huh?"

"There are probably better things to do than buy a car if you two are dead set on this."

"Okay."

"In the meantime, let's check your closet. The only thing I can loan you are ties."

"Cody's lucky; his outfit is all set."

"All he's wearing is slacks, a seersucker blazer, and a tie."

"I get it," Luke admitted.

We rummaged through his closet for a moment.

"Light khaki pants, a dark blue blazer, a baby blue shirt, and this tie," I suggested.

"Works. While we're on the topic of Cody."

"You want to talk about how stressed he is that he hasn't found a job yet?"

"Yeah. He seems depressed."

"It is understandable. You had a job at graduation. He hasn't been earning anything and feels he's not contributing anything since you started working. Now, nearly two months of not having school, and it's hitting him hard."

"What can we do?"

"There isn't much we can do except hope he finds a job soon."

"He was talking about applying for a job at the mall."

"If he really wants to, I'm fine with that. It's not necessary, but it might help his mood."

"He won't apply for the job at my office," Luke said.

"I can understand that."

"Huh?"

"You work there, Justin works there, Angus works there, I used to work there, and James was there; there's a lot of baggage at that place."

"So, I'm baggage?"

"Calm down. Bad choice of words. He and I talked about it. He's afraid it'll be too much time around everyone. I told him that, being in a different department in a large place like that, he'd probably never see any of you unless he tried. He said he'd think about applying."

"Oh, cool. Wait, too much time?"

"You ever heard the term `don't shit where you eat?'"

"No."

"It's a broad term for not jeopardizing something that is essential to you. I did it, and look what happened to me."

"You mean James?"

"Yup."

"So, he doesn't want to jeopardize his job because of me?"

"In this case, the other way around. He doesn't want to jeopardize you because of his job."

"Oh!" As it sank in, Luke looked at me and smiled.

"Justin recommended a few companies that might be hiring; I passed them on to Cody last night."

"Who?"

"He recommended some of the beltway bandits and a few of the auditing firms."

"The who?"

"Government contractors. They are always looking for new talent to fill contracts. He's been focused on software companies, but there are more opportunities with companies like BAE, SAIC, CSRA, and others."

"Sounds like alphabet soup."

"It'll be a good place for him to get started," I explained.

"Hopefully, he'll succeed."

"Need anything?" I asked.

"Conditioner, toothpaste, and hand soap."

"Got it. I think we've got the list ready. Let's find Cody and head out."

We decided to go to the garden center first.

"What all do we need?" Luke asked.

"Soil amendments, plants, edging, and mulch," Cody said.

A staff member was walking past, and Luke raised his hand a bit and asked, "Which way to bed edging?"

"Outside, to the left, you'll see the exterior wall of one of our buildings. As you walk up it, you'll pass plant supports, then plant cages, and then you'll get to edging. We have plastic and metal."

"What are the advantages of each?" I asked.

"Cost versus durability, really. I find the metal edging easier to install as it cuts into the soil better. You can pound it in with a rubber mallet. It's just a good bit more expensive than the plastic stuff."

We found the edging and were looking at it. I could tell Cody was concerned about pricing, so I said, "Think durability, longevity, and ease of installation."

"We only need three sections," Luke added. "It's not that much more expensive."

Luke walked away for a moment and came back, pushing a cart.

Looking directly at Cody, Luke asked, "Brown or green?"

"I hadn't thought about it; green blends in with the grass; brown goes more with dirt and mulch."

He stood and looked at both. Luke started to say something but then stopped. Finally, Cody said, "I think brown will look nicer."

"Sounds good to me," I agreed.

Luke nodded his head, then started grabbing the segments and the stakes to hold them in place.

We walked through the garden center, finding the plants Cody wanted. He looked puzzled for a moment and then stopped a passing employee. "Where do we get soil amendments and mulch?"

"Go to the registers, and they have listings up on the walls behind them. Tell the cashier what you need, and they'll give you a slip. You go around back, and someone will load them into your vehicle."

"Thanks!" he said.

After we checked out and got things loaded into the back of the Jeep, we drove around to get the bags.

"Do you have any ones in your wallet?" I asked.

"No cash," Cody said.

I grabbed a few out of my wallet and said, "Here."

"What's this for?" Cody asked.

"Tip. If they load it, we should give one."

"Oh."

Once the stuff was in the Jeep, I looked at where we stood.

"I don't think we can add groceries to that pile."

"Go home, dump it at the end of the driveway, and then go shopping? Luke asked.

"Works," Cody agreed.

And with that, we were off.

-----

"It's Flag Day Friday," I said. "I am going to get my coffee, then start getting ready for work."

"Sounds good," Luke said.

When I got to the kitchen, I found Cody already busy. He said, "I'm making breakfast so you don't have to eat on the train."

"Thanks," I said.

I grabbed the mugs of coffee he had ready and walked back to the bedroom. Since Luke was in the shower, I got everything else done and slipped in as he exited.

Cody handed us each a plate of food as we got into the kitchen. I finished my first bite and said, "This is good, thanks. Have you thought about what we get Kyle and Casey for a wedding present?" I asked.

"They didn't register anywhere," Cody said. "They don't know what they'll need in two years."

"Makes sense," Luke said. "Something meaningful, frivolous, fun?"

Cody laughed and said, "Sex toys?"

"I doubt they need those," Luke replied.

"How about luggage?" I asked.

"They aren't taking a honeymoon," Cody said.

"They are."

"Huh? What?"

"Justin and Angus are giving them a honeymoon as their wedding present," I explained.

"Where are they sending them?"

"They are flying them to Scotland."

"Holy," Cody said and stopped. "That's really nice of them."

"Luggage it is," Luke said. "What and where?"

"Check Costco online. Check out Macy's online. Maybe run over to Tuesday Mornings and see what they have," I said.

"What about Angus and Justin?" Luke asked.

"They aren't registered either," I said.

"Luggage?" Cody said with a laugh.

"I was thinking of a gift certificate."

"You mean a gift card?" Luke asked.

"I was thinking of a specific restaurant or place. Could do the Inn at Little Washington or the Salamander resort."

"I'm assuming they are expensive places," Cody said.

"Yep. It's a wedding present for two friends. I think we can splurge a bit."

-----

"I'm truly surprised you're here tonight," Georgia said.

"Everything is ready," Casey replied. "We're doing a quick run through Saturday before the guests start arriving instead of a rehearsal."

"When does your family arrive?" she asked.

"Kyle's arrives tomorrow morning. Mine tomorrow evening."

"I guess I should get to work," Georgia said. "Come on up and select your songs."

I let Cody, Casey, and Angus head over first. As I stood up, Kyle winked. They had cleared out by the time I got up to Georgia.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Kissed You Good Night," I replied.

"Sweet, I'll add you to the list."

"I need to do another sign-up," I said.

"Only one song per night; you know the rules."

"Not for me. Kyle's doing Eighth World Wonder."

"Does he sing? Not that it's a problem either way."

"He can sing. He's not a performer."

"Got it."

I went and sat down, smiling broadly at Kyle.

Georgia got the evening started soon after I sat and kept things moving up to the break. We did a drink refresh, and then the lights flashed, indicating the second set for the evening.

"As your hostess with the mostess, I get to choose who sings when. We're starting this second set with some love songs. Here's Coulter doing Kissed You Good Night."

I got up, performed my number, and got a nice round of applause. As I was walking back to the table, Georgia said, "Next up is Casey covering Selena Gomez's hit Love You Like a Love Song."

Casey went to the stage and got into position, but the music did not start. He took the mic and said, "A little over four years ago, Kyle and I were in the back of Justin's car driving home from a busy day celebrating his eighteenth birthday. For those of you who don't know, that was the day Kyle first called me his lover. This song played moments later. So, in recognition of our wedding this Saturday, I'm performing this song and dedicating it to the man I love."

There was a huge round of applause, and the music started. You could see the tears streaming down Casey's face as he sang. I looked at Kyle and saw tears in his eyes as well. As Casey finished up, he got another round of applause and went to sit down.

Georgia took the stage and said, "We have a virgin tonight. Well, at least, he's a first-time performer here. Here's Kyle."

The look on Casey's face was worth all the effort. Kyle stood, walked to the stage, and took the mic. "During that car ride, Casey first sang to me the song he just performed. The song right before was all about Casey – he's my Eighth World Wonder."

The music started, and Kyle's voice was steady. No, he wouldn't win any prizes, but it was good. When he finished, Georgia walked up to him and put her arm around his shoulder. She looked at our table and said, "Come here, Casey."

Casey got up and joined them on stage.

"You've been together for how long?"

"Just over four years," Kyle replied.

"And you're getting married?"

"This Saturday," Casey replied.

"Let's give a big round of applause for these two young men."

As the applause rang out, Casey moved close and whispered into Georgia's ear.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I was just informed that there are not one but two weddings this weekend. Angus and Justin, join us please."

I could tell Justin wasn't happy about the fuss, but he joined Angus in walking to the stage.

"You've been together for how long?"

"Three years," Justin said.

"And you're getting married on Saturday as well?"

"Right after our son gets married," Angus said.

"Son?"

"I adopted him in all but legalities," Justin said.

"This is part of my family!" Casey said. "Dad J, Scots Dad, and my soon-to-be husband."

More applause.

"If you haven't figured it out, that tall blonde over there that I sing with all the time is my brother in all but biology. I was told long ago that the gay community builds families!"

The applause was deafening.

-----

"Dylan, Bryce, Sophie, good to see you. You must be Paula," I said.

"Nice to meet you," Paula said.

"I'm Coulter, and this is Luke."

"Where's Marty?" Luke asked.

"He's inside getting ready," Dylan explained.

"You met Cody earlier," Bryce said to Paula. "They live together and are friends of Casey and Kyle's."

"Have you been around back yet?" Dylan asked.

"No, we just got here and were trying to figure out where to go."

"You're a little early, so let me show you around," Bryce said.

"We had to drive over to drop Cody off," I explained. "We ran two errands, but they didn't fill up as much time as I'd hoped. I really didn't want to drive back home and then here again."

"Y'all aren't that far," Bryce said.

"Not compared to you," Luke admitted. "But it wouldn't be more than getting home and then turning around to come here."

"Gotcha."

We rounded the corner of the house, and I was amazed. Many of the trees in the backyard had `Christmas' lights wrapped around the first ten feet or so of their trunks. There were light balls, which I later found out were plastic frames wrapped with more lights, hanging in small clusters from tree branches. There was a small seating area with a podium at the front. The other half of the backyard was covered in a large tent. Under it were large tables, which I assumed would be filled with food shortly.

"This looks amazing," Luke said.

"I was just thinking the same thing," I admitted.

"I asked Casey how many lights they used. He said that each ball has three strands and the trees have over a thousand lights," Bryce said.

"That's a lot of lights," Luke agreed.

"I really like the balls. Those would be cool in branches in the woods behind our place," I said.

"I hear a project coming on," Luke laughed.

We'd been standing there for a few minutes chatting when I noticed a few former coworkers coming around the corner. As we went through greetings, I discovered some had met Luke at the office and others had not.

"Luke rented a room at my place while in college; still does," I explained to the group. "He found the job on his own, and I suggested he apply."

"He's been a great asset," Kent said.

"Glad to hear it."

"How's the not-so-new job?" Patrice asked.

"Good. I really enjoy getting to be more involved in all the phases of development." I explained.

We all talked a short bit longer, until this extremely tall, young man came over.

"Time for folks to take a seat," he said. "I'm Kenneth."

"You must be Kyle's brother," Luke said.

"Yes. So are y'all friends of the groom, the groom, the groom, or the groom?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and yes," I said.

That got a lot of laughs.

"Seriously, feel free to take any seat that isn't in the front two rows," Kenneth said.

As Luke and I found seats, music started playing softly. It took about ten minutes for the crowd to get settled. Kenneth led Rebecca down the aisle, while Rodney followed. The parents were seated, and Casey's siblings came down the aisle and sat.

A few minutes later, Kenneth led an older woman that I assumed was Angus' mother down the aisle, based on her tartan skirt. She was followed by a woman and a man that bore more than a passing resemblance to Angus; thus, I assumed they were his brother and sister.

The music changed, and the groomsmen started down the aisle. Cody looked very handsome in the light blue seersucker over dark blue pants. The guys fanned out on either side of the podium.

There was a distinct change in the music, and Angus and Justin came down the aisle. They both looked handsome in gray seersucker suits. I figured they were going to wed first, but the music changed yet again, and Kyle and Casey came down the aisle. Their seersucker was dark blue, which made them stand out from the groomsmen.

The officiant came to the podium and spoke. Luke reached over and squeezed my hand as Angus handed Kyle the ring and he slipped it on Casey's finger. Then Justin handed Casey the ring, and he slipped it on Kyle's finger. The grooms kissed rather passionately, then turned to face the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Casey and Kyle, the newlyweds!"

The entire crowd cheered and clapped.

Casey and Kyle kissed again and then swapped places with Angus and Justin, and the scene repeated. About ten minutes later, Angus took Justin in his arms and bent him over a bit to kiss him. Justin did the same to Angus, and the officiant presented them to the crowd.

They went back up the aisle, Kyle took Casey and kissed him, and they walked arm in arm down the aisle. The groomsmen reversed out, and the wedding ended.

The music kicked up a notch, and folks started standing.

"That was soooo cool," Luke enthused.

Cody showed up a few minutes later, almost bouncing. "That was a lot of fun."

He gave Luke a big kiss. He moved to do the same, and I let my head shake ever so slightly.

"What?" He seemed confused and a bit hurt.

"A number of Luke's co-workers are here."

"Oh. I hadn't thought about that."

"Love you," I said very quietly.

"Love you," he responded.

"We're supposed to head over to the tent for the reception," Cody explained.

We walked across the yard towards the tent, with most of the other guests moving in the same direction. We all stood around for a few minutes, then Kevin and Kenneth appeared, walked over to the table with the cake, and turned.

Kevin started, "Ladies, gentlemen, you are family, friends, and a special part of each couples' lives."

Kenneth continued, "We are pleased to introduce the first couple, Kyle Nelson and Casey Smith."

A huge round of applause went up as Kyle and Casey came out of the house and into the tent. Kyle took Casey in his arms and planted one hell of a kiss on him. This caused more applause.

Kenneth started, "Ladies, gentlemen, you are family, friends, and a special part of each couples' lives."

Kevin continued, "We are pleased to introduce the second couple, Angus MacKenzie and Justin Carter."

A huge round of applause went up as Justin and Angus came out of the house and into the tent. Angus took Justin in his arms and planted one hell of a kiss on him. This caused more applause. Then Justin took Angus in his arms and kissed him to more applause.

It was definitely an evening to remember.

-----

The next afternoon, I was reading in the den when Cody walked up and asked, "Can I use the Jeep?"

"Of course, I have no plans. I've told you before that it's yours when you need it."

"I was just making sure you don't need it."

"I don't. Going someplace fun?"

"I'm going over to the mall to see about jobs."

"Okay, unnecessary, but okay."

"Coulter..." Cody's voice was full of emotion.

"Sit," I said quietly. "I get it. It's been over three months since you graduated. You don't have a job, and you feel like you're not contributing. That adds to the feelings since before you started your junior year that you were mooching off me."

"Yes!"

"But you aren't mooching off me any more than you were your parents. You are my family, and family supports each other. You've also taken over a huge part of the cleaning, cooking, and laundry which makes my life so much easier. If you didn't do all that work during the week, I wouldn't be sitting here reading a book. In the end, if you want a job in retail or a restaurant, that's fine. I don't want it to impact your ability to search and interview."

Cody's shoulders slumped, and his head drooped. "I just feel..."

I stood up, sat next to him, and put my arm around his shoulder.

"Dependent," I finished for him. "Look, instead of the mall, go over to Mason and see if you can get a job there. It's close, and they should be more flexible."

"I hadn't thought of that," he said with a smile.

"Have you looked at USAJOBS.GOV?"

"A little, but I don't want to work downtown."

"There are a lot of agencies with offices in the burbs; you just need to filter better."

"I'll give it a shot."

We sat there and talked for a short while more.

-----

"Cody seemed better this morning," Luke said to me as we watched the scenery fly by.

"He wanted to borrow the Jeep yesterday to go check the mall for jobs. We talked."

"Good!"

"I keep trying to get him to understand the dynamic. We're a family."

"Huh?"

"He feels like he's been mooching off me for a long time, and now you too. I told him family supports each other."

"Yeah! And he does so much around the house."

"Exactly."

"I pointed him to a few more places to look."

"Good."

The train hit the tunnel, and I stood.

"See you this evening."

Work was uneventful, and I was standing on the train platform when my phone buzzed.

4th car, read the text message.

I moved down the platform so I could get in the right car.

"Hey!" I said as I sat down next to Luke.

"Hey!"

`How was work?"

"Fine, they did another organizational shift, and I got moved to a new project. Yippee!"

"Not one you like?"

"More like not one anyone likes."

"Oh, that project!"

"It's been around that long?"

"Yup. It's never gonna work, but periodically some senior executive hears about it, latches on to it, and then it's their attempt to be the big shot. In fact, it's ruined some careers."

"Oh, shit..."

"Not at your level. Whatever executive VP is pushing this, and maybe a couple senior VPs. They won't get fired, but that's the end of them at the company. Someone promises success, and when it fails, the costs are so great, they lose face."

"Got it."

Luke started explaining the design approach for the project, and I had to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"With turnover, there doesn't seem to be much organizational knowledge left. We tried that while I was there, it didn't work. Tell you what. Go to SharePoint and search `peacock.' It will have all the documentation from when we tried it about ten years ago. At least you can see what didn't work. With the technological changes in ten years, maybe that approach will work this time. With the documentation, you can help avoid the minefields."

"Wow, thanks; that will help."

We were sitting at Backlick Station when both our phones beeped.

"You get woo hoo," Luke asked.

"Yep. I'm hoping this means he found a job."

"You and me both!"

Our train came to our station a short time later, and we walked to Luke's car, talking about Cody's mood and job prospects. As Luke pulled into the driveway, Cody came running out of the house.

"I got a job! I got a job!"

"Congrats," Luke exclaimed.

I gave the Woo Hoo cheer.

"I start next Monday," Cody continued.

"So that interview with CACI worked?"

"No. It was the interview from a month ago with INOVA."

"Wonderful," I said. "Wonder why they took so long."

"I was their second choice," Cody explained. "The first choice got a better offer on Friday and didn't show for work on Monday."

"So, you move up and get the job. Congrats! We need to celebrate!" Luke said.

"Damn right guys! Sex time... y'all may have to call in sick to work tomorrow."

"Not the first time," I admitted.

"Or the last," Luke agreed.

"Food first?" I asked.

"Order pizza. Someone can throw on shorts long enough to tip the driver," Cody replied.

-----

It was early August, and I was sitting in the den reading after dinner. Cody entered and said, "I need your help."

"With?"

"I'm doing a solo."

"Okay. So, how do you need help?"

"It's the two-year anniversary," he started and paused.

"I know. That day is forever marked on my brain's calendar," I replied. What I didn't tell him was that it was also on my work calendar with a one-month reminder so I could start preparing for any issues.

"I'm doing better this year."

"You are. You've been getting steadily better since the trial."

He gave me a big smile.

"So, what do you need my help with?"

"Casey and I talked to Georgia last week. I asked for a catharsis session, and I'm doing Unstoppable."

I knew the song, and I'm sure my face showed a bit of concern.

"Look," he said. "I get it." He stopped for a moment. "I'm looking at it from two sides; the first part is about the past. The chorus is about me now."

"I can live with that interpretation. I was concerned you were trying to hide things."

He gave a big laugh. "Me, the guy that ends up in the gym regularly to control my emotions, hiding things? Be serious!"

That made me laugh. "Back to the help."

"Have you seen the video?"

"Sia's original or the Wonder Woman version? I've seen both."

"Wonder Woman. I was thinking about the lyrics. I put my armor on..."

"You want a costume or a look?"

"Yeah. I was thinking about things I could put on. In the movie, she has those cool things on her wrists."

"The gauntlets, wristbands, or cuffs."

"Those!"

"Okay..."

"What?"

"Nothing wrong, just thinking. It's going to be hard to put things on while on stage."

"Oh."

"What about a slight variation?" I grabbed my tablet and did a search.

"Something like this?" I'd found a pair of lace-up leather gauntlets that would go from his wrist nearly to his elbow.

"Those are cool."

"You've got the harness."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Instead of putting things on, you could take things off."

"Huh?"

"Expose the armor for each chorus."

"Oh! Um, there are three choruses."

"Then we have to think of a third level. You could have a prop like a shield to pick up." His face told me that wasn't what he wanted. I did a quick search. "Leather shorts? Leg harness?"

"What's a leg harness?"

"Remember when we were at Mr. S.? They had those leather belt-like things that you wore around your thighs."

"Oh, yeah."

"It really depends on how much you want to show your body and what you want to do. You've got a month, so think about things, and then you can order what you need."

"What about the clothing over?"

"Well, it would depend on what's under, but we could take one of my old dress shirts and modify it for you."

"Again, huh?"

"Think stripper. Remove the seams where the arms attach to the body. Add some weak Velcro or tape. You pull at the cuffs, and the sleeves pop off."

"Got it! Oh, wow!"

"Now for the other part of it," I said. "Usually, when Georgia starts one of the sessions, she doesn't mention who requested it, just the theme or why. If you do a costume, it will be clear that the session is for you."

"I don't care. Victims of abuse shouldn't have to hide." His tone was a bit defensive.

"I'm not saying you should hide. Just that you'll be outing yourself. I wanted to make sure you were thinking about that."

"Oh, okay. I'm not too worried about it. Our gang knows. Ginger's gang knows. I mean, the first time I went to the club, I looked beaten and abused."

"Fair enough."

-----

I got on the METRO, as I was going to meet Luke at the station. We would walk over to the restaurant while Cody was driving in from work. Being an in-bound car during out-bound rush hou,r it wasn't crowded. We'd just left Braddock Road station when I got the feeling I was being watched. I looked up and spotted a young man staring at me. I gave him a brief smile and went back to reading.

The train stopped at National Airport, folks got off, folks got on, and someone sat down beside me. I looked up and found that the young man had moved next to me.

"I'm Avery."

"Coulter."

"Sorry for staring."

"It's a free country."

"I haven't seen you on this commute before. Just moved here?"

"No. I live out in Fairfax but have plans tonight, so I'm headed in for dinner."

"Oh. Big date?"

"Well, my partners and I are having dinner before joining friends for an evening out."

"Partners?"

"Yup."

"Oh. Sorry. I was..."

"Cruising on the METRO, it happens," I completed. "And I'm not offended. It's nice to be, um, cruised. Makes an old man feel not so old."

"You're not old."

"I'm forty-two."

"Not too old!"

I had to chuckle at how he put that. The train pulled into the station.

"This is my stop," I said as I grabbed my stuff. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you," he said as he stood to let me out.

"Bye."

I exited the station and headed to the meeting point. Luke was standing at the corner, waiting for me.

"Hey, Sexy," I said.

"Hey, handsome. How was your day?"

"Same ole, same ole for the most part. I got cruised on the METRO here."

"Huh?"

"A young man named Avery."

"You got his name?" Luke's voice got a bit louder.

The light turned, and we headed across the street.

"Well, he cruised from a distance, then moved next to me when the train stopped at National Airport. Introduced himself, and then I dashed his hopes."

"Oh."

"Jealous?"

"No! It's just that I've never been cruised."

"Not that you noticed, at least. I'm sure it happens. How was your day?"

"Like you said, same ole, same ole."

We got to the restaurant.

"Table for three," I said to the host. "Our third should be here in a few minutes, traffic permitting."

"We're not that busy as yet," the host said. "I'll go ahead and seat you."

"Thanks!"

Luke and I sat there for about fifteen minutes before Cody walked in. We waved, he saw us, and joined us at the table.

"How was work?" he asked as he sat across from me.

"Typical, boring, routine."

"He got cruised on the subway here," Luke exclaimed.

"What?"

"Younger guy cruised me on the train. He was a bit more, um, brazen than most. I guess he thought my smile was an invitation, so he moved next to me at National Airport."

"And???" Cody asked.

"We introduced ourselves. I told him I was meeting my partners for dinner, and the train pulled into the station. I said goodbye and left."

"Oh."

"You sound disappointed."

"No, I've never been cruised. I don't know how it all works."

"Like I said to Luke earlier, you haven't been cruised that you are aware of. Mostly, it is casual glances, smiles, and such. I guess it can lead to introductions if there's a connection. Hasn't happened to me in a long time, both my age and not being in places where cruising might happen more frequently."

"You're not old!" Luke said.

"I'm too old for many of the guys that might be cruising. Changing the topic, how was your day at work?"

"Rough. We started getting ready for a huge HIPAA compliance audit and have to review everything."

"What do you mean by everything?" Luke asked.

"Servers, network devices, software, you name it."

"HIPAA is huge," I admitted.

"My boss talked to me about getting certified."

"Certified in what?"

"Lots of options, from Sec Plus to CISSP to HIPAA certs to more specific hardware certifications. She mentioned that there are advantages to getting the broader ones and to getting the vendor-specific ones. What do you think?"

"You're young and have a lot of time to add a lot of alphabet soup to your signature line," I said. It got an odd look from both guys. "You know, on email, your signature line. Anyway, start with the broad ones; that way, if you change jobs, you'll have more options. You don't have enough experience with specific vendors to set a concrete path yet."

"That makes sense."

At that point, the waiter arrived and took our orders. We discussed the various options as we ate, then headed to the club. We were sitting with the gang when Georgia's voice came over the speaker system.

"It's sign-up time, folks. We've also had a request for catharsis tonight. For those of you who aren't regulars, this will take place in the second half of the evening, and we will focus on a specific theme to help cleanse emotions. Tonight's theme is abuse and victims of abuse. That can be dealing with, moving on from, or otherwise recovering from abuse. I have a list of song suggestions for those that don't have one off the top of their heads."

I went and queued up.

"Whatcha singing, hon?" she asked.

"Independence Day," I explained.

"I hadn't thought of that one," she admitted. "I have Martina's Broken Wing and Concrete Angel listed."

I returned to my seat and returned to discussions with the gang until the show started. After the intermission, Georgia got on stage and announced, "Catharsis, the purifying or cleansing of emotions. Periodically, we host a cathartic session to help one of our family. For the second half of the evening, please enjoy these songs meant to help cleanse the emotions. We usually never say who requested this, but tonight, I'm sure you'll figure it out. First up on the stage is Casey. He's covering Gunpowder and Lead, originally performed by Miranda Lambert."

I was surprised that Casey was one doing country and two picked that song, but his rendition was spot on. I'd never thought of the song as being about abuse; it was just a song. But when he sang, "Slapped my face, and he shook me like a rag doll, don't that sound like a real man, I'm gonna show him what a little boy is made of, gunpowder and lead." It clicked.

The next few participants did: Because of You, Fireworks, and Goodbye Earl, to name a few.

Georgia's voice came over the system, "Next up is Coulter. He's our regular country boy, and tonight he's got one I forgot about. Here's Independence Day, originally performed by Martina McBride."

As I got into the chorus, I could hear a few voices softly joining me in singing, "Let the weak be strong, let the right be wrong, roll the stone away, let the guilty pay; it's Independence Day."

I got a good round of applause, returned to my seat, and Georgia took the stage. "Next up is a young man who's proven adept at duets. Tonight, he's doing a solo. Here's Cody, doing Unstoppable."

Cody took the stage, I'm sure a few folks wondered about his outfit. Instead of his normal, fitted clothing, he was wearing a baggy shirt and pants. Georgia dimmed the lights, and the music started. Cody sang the lyrics in a somber tone, until the chorus, as he sang "I put my armor on, show you how strong I am," he ripped the arms off his shirt, exposing the leather gauntlets. He finished the chorus and moved back to the more somber tone of the second verse. As the second chorus started, he ripped the shirt off, exposing his body and showing he was wearing the harness. As he got to the final chorus, he ripped the pants off, exposing a pair of tight leather shorts. He spread his arms wide, which pushed his chest forward, showing his musculature.

He finished the song, and the crowd went wild.

Georgia took the stage and hugged Cody. She turned her head and kissed him on the cheek.

"An amazing young man, I'm sure you'll agree. Next up is Ginger, doing Martina McBride's Broken Wing.

The night truly helped Cody, Casey and many others heal.

Copyright 2024 BndgDawg (BndgDawg@gmail.com). Do not reproduce or distribute this story without the author's permission.

This is Chapter Seventeenth of the third story I have written. I look forward to positive comments, constructive criticisms and otherwise pleasantly worded feedback. Flames and attacks will be ignored and addresses blocked. (BndgDawg@gmail.com).

My other stories on this site are Double Trails (Beginnings/Rural - December 8, 2016) and Homeless (High School - July 30, 2017).