Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. The story contains graphic descriptions of sex between men. Anyone who is forbidden by law to read such material must stop now. This story is being posted to the Nifty Archive solely for the enjoyment of its readers.
David's Initiation: The Recovery 16
There has to be some axiom somewhere that says, the closer you let people get to you the greater your risk of being exposed for who you are. That's what was about to happen to Dave. He spent that weekend and each evening the following week developing house plans and incorporating Sophia and Sean's ideas. The following weekend Sean was off on a trip and Sophia dropped in with some pictures she had torn out of a magazine almost four years earlier. The pictures were actually shot in Italy and Greece and featured two houses with many of the concepts she wanted. That proved to be of great help to Dave.
While there, Sophia took the opportunity to get a closer, more detailed look at Dave's mansion. Something puzzled her but she'd wait and talk it over with Sean when he got home from his latest trip.
Sunday evening, Sean walked into the house from the garage and dropped his bag of dirty clothes in the laundry room before going into the kitchen. Their children, two girls -- one 13 and another 11, and a son -- age 5, were already in bed. Sophia had heard the back door close and walked into the kitchen to greet her husband. They met in the middle of the room, embraced with a loving kiss and began their normal conversation about what the kids had been doing, how his trip went, etc. Sophia poured them a glass of white wine and they retired to the bedroom to relax and enjoy each other's company.
As they lay peacefully arm in arm feeling thankful that they had each other to trust and depend on, Sophia asked her question. "What's your opinion of Dave, I mean, what do you think of him?"
"Where did that come from?" Sean asked. How could she select this private moment to bring Dave into the mix!
"Oh, I spent some time at his place yesterday and had a good look around. You know, that's a man's house. There are some feminine touches to it, and nice ones at that, but... I don't know, something doesn't set right."
"Well he is a bachelor, it should be a man's house! What're you trying to say?" Sean finally asked.
"Do you suppose he might be gay? I mean, look at him. He's really good looking but he doesn't seem to have any women in his life. He's in that big house and he lives alone. He must have plenty of money and that's bound to attract women. I don't know... I just don't know."
"Are you saying that if he's gay you don't want him designing your house?"
"Of course not!" Sophia stated emphatically as she playfully punched Sean in his ribcage. "I think he's really cute, gay or not, and we had a pleasant time working on the design yesterday. He's funny and polite. He's a mystery and you know how I love mysteries."
"Okay, the next time I see him I'll ask, Hey Dave, are you gay? Because if you are I'll tell Sophie to stop trying to set you up with her desperate female friends." Sophia could hear the playful sarcasm in Sean's voice. He was making fun of her.
"Don't you dare! And don't call me Sophie."
"Well, answer me this, does it make any difference?"
"Of course not! Does it make a difference to you?"
"No," Dave paused for a moment. "You know that some of our male flight attendants are gay and so are some of the women, they're just regular people. A few are a little swishey but they do their job and don't bother anyone. And Dave seems totally straight. I'd be surprised if he's gay."
"Well, I'm going to try to find out," Sophia stated.
"Oh, leave him alone. Now, can we get some sleep?" Sean's body was screaming for the sleep Nature demanded following the exertion of lovemaking.
For the remainder of the week Dave spent every evening in his library working on the McGregor house. He knew that by Saturday morning he would have something to show his new clients. Thursday afternoon, Sean called and invited Dave to play golf Saturday morning. Dave accepted and took the opportunity to tell Sean the house plans would be ready for tentative approval. Even though Dave was using the most up-to-date CAD program and making changes was easy, the details were far from being finished and he wanted their approval before going any further. Thinking that everything was going so well, and perhaps they were developing a good friendship, Dave also invited Sophia and Sean to dinner at his home Saturday evening and they could take the opportunity to review the house plans. Sean checked with his wife and then accepted the invitation.
Saturday morning, Dave joined Sean and two of his pilot buddies for a round of golf. Sean's two friends were happy to shake Dave's hand because they knew how he had helped Sean when he needed it and then kept his mouth shut. He was definitely among friends. Dave was an 18 handicap while Sean was a 10 and the other two were 4 and 5. While the other two men were much better golfers, Dave and Sean were able to use their handicaps to their advantage by splitting the front and back nine. Dave and Sean bought the beer and they all had a number of good laughs about some of the more spectacular and embarrassing shots of the day. Sean's friends left and he and Dave stayed for another beer. The conversation was light until Sean broached a new subject.
"Say, before this evening, I think I ought to caution you, Sophia has this crazy notion that you might be uh... gay. Isn't that a laugh!" and Sean laughed. He had obviously developed a level of comfort with Dave that allowed him to share that thought.
"Yeah, that's a laugh," Dave said with a nervous chuckle. The mere mention of the `gay' word seemed to throw cold water on the conversation. Both men sat looking into their beer. Then Dave continued. "Would it make any difference? I mean, if she wants a gay architect I could pretend I am one."
"Oh shit, Dave, that would be a scream. But no, it wouldn't make any difference."
Dave thought for a moment and decided it was worth a try. "Okay, I am one."
"No, Dave not now, later, after dinner."
"No, now, Sean, I'm gay." Dave watched a variety of expressions sweep across Sean's face. He could tell that Sean was confused.
"No way!" Sean exclaimed, almost in a whisper, looking surprised and quickly swallowing a large gulp of beer.
When Dave decided to share his secret with people he trusted he relished watching their reactions when he told them. "You said it didn't matter, are you going to change your mind?"
"Uh... no, I... are you serious?!"
"I don't tell just anybody, Sean, only people I feel I can trust, yes I'm serious. Are you still coming to dinner?"
Dave watched an impish little grin develop on Sean's face. "Oh yeah! I wanna see Sophie's face when she finds out. Oh," Sean exclaimed, "don't tell Sophia I called her Sophie, she really dislikes that name. You are gonna tell her, aren't you?"
"You want me to lead her on and then spring in on her, don't you!" Dave was warming to the game he was sure Sean was proposing.
"You bet! Maybe it'll teach her a lesson. You know, she's got this plan to set you up with a few of her desperate girl friends, hoping they'll catch you. Oh jeez, I can't wait. She's gonna blow an gasket." Sean was beginning to appear quite excited.
"Okay, my place at about 5:30, we'll have some wine and look at the plans while dinner is baking, and we'll see what happens."
"You're on!" Sean thrust his hand into the air and Dave joined him in a high-five.
All the way home Dave found himself chuckling at just how easily Sean took his announcement, like it was no big thing. That was a new one. He stopped at the grocery store and bought what he needed to fix dinner.
The doorbell rang promptly at 5:30 PM. Dave thought how strange it was that anyone would be on time; he thought he was the only one anal enough to ever be so punctual. Perhaps Sean was influenced by the requirement for his flights to depart and arrive on time. Or perhaps it was his nature to be on time that influenced his becoming a pilot. Actually, neither was the case, Sophia was the perfectionist, the anal-retentive one who insisted on being on time for everything.
Dave greeted them at the door and escorted them to the fireplace area of the great room where they sat in one of the loveseats while he went to the wet bar and poured everyone some white zinfandel, something he thought Sophia would like. He handed them their drinks than sat in the facing loveseat. Dave noticed how Sophia kept looking at the gallery of photographs he had hanging on the wall of the hallway between the main entrance and the bedrooms. After visiting for a few minutes Dave excused himself and went to the kitchen to place the breaded chicken breasts into the oven. Then they went to the library where Dave showed them what he had done with their house plans. They loved everything and wanted to break ground tomorrow but Dave gave them the bad news that Sam was busy and couldn't start on their home for two more months.
Dave heard the timer ding' in the kitchen and announced he needed to go check on their dinner. Sophia sent Sean to fill up her wineglass while she followed Dave to the kitchen. As Dave placed a covered dish of broccoli into the microwave Sophia nosed around the kitchen trying to steal more ideas for her own house. Dave took the salads from the refrigerator and started to take them to the dining table when Sophia blocked his path and offered to do that so he let her. After a few minutes Dave removed the chicken breasts from the oven, placed them onto a serving platter and began walking toward the dining room. Again Sophia intercepted him and whisked the serving platter to the dining table. Moments later the microwave dinged', announcing that the broccoli was done as Sean walked in with the wineglasses and Dave asked him to take them to the dining room. This time he was on to Sophia's game and when she tried to take the broccoli from him he invited her to join him because they were ready to eat. Sophia was very impressed by Dave's success at getting everything to come out at exactly the right time.
In the dining room Dave directed Sophia to sit at the head of the table with Sean to her right and him to her left. That way they were all seated together at one end of the table where they could talk more intimately.
Earlier Dave had wondered how to deal with the issue of the blessing before starting to eat. He handled it by suggesting a moment of silence to give thanks and then the meal was on. Dave made sure he was the first to start the dinner conversation so that it at least began in a direction of his choosing.
"You two really seem perfect together. If you don't mind my asking, how did you meet and how long have you been married?"
"We've been married fourteen wonderful years," Sean replied. That satisfied the requirement to demonstrate that he in fact knew exactly how long they had been married. "I'd better let Sophia explain how we met because my version is never right."
"Well," Sophia began. "We met at a sorority/fraternity mixer right after school started when I was a junior and John was a senior. I knew immediately that I was going to marry him, I just had to bring him around to the idea."
"After graduation," Sean picked up the story, "I went off to pilot training with the Air Force. Sophia graduated that next spring and we got married right after I finished pilot training. We spent our `honeymoon', if that's what you want to call it, at my first assignment in New Mexico."
"What a horrid place!" Sophia exclaimed. She went on to describe the living conditions they endured until they could qualify for Base housing. Their first daughter was born nine months later and the second daughter born almost two years after that. Sean described how the deployments to Europe, and the separations that required forced him to give up his military career after seven years. He was soon hired by Cirrus Airline and had been with them for seven years.
"So, that would make you about 35 or 36 years old," Dave stated questioningly. "When we first met I thought you were only about 31."
"Thirty-six, and thanks," Sean replied with a sexy grin. Dave still felt attracted to him. "I'm not old enough to need those years now but in about 25 more years they'll really be appreciated." Everyone laughed.
"And you have a 5 year old son?" Dave asked.
"Ha-ha," Sophia laughed. "Once Sean got on with Cirrus he was home a lot more often and for longer periods of time. Things happen," she smiled at her husband as she reached out and squeezed his hand. Dave could tell that their love was strong and deep. "Enough about us, tell us about you, Dave, how did you get to this place?" Sophia let her eyes search the room as though she was including the entire house.
Dave told about growing up in a town about an hour away, his time in the Army, about going to college and getting his degree in architecture. He left out the more personal aspects of his life. When they asked his age, Dave admitted he was 24.
"Where did you two grow up?" Dave shifted the attention back to his guests.
"I grew up over on the coast and planned to go to college at the state university but I got an academic scholarship to Penn State." Sophia said.
"I grew up in Connecticut," Sean added, "and knew I wanted to be a pilot so I went to Penn State for the ROTC. Then it was on to pilot training, and the rest, as they say, is history."
"I'm always amazed at how people from different parts of the country are able to meet and form relationships," Dave commented. "It's really wonderful."
"Tell me, Dave, who are all those people in the pictures along the wall in the other room?" Sophia asked.
"That's my family, you wanna see?"
"Of course," Sean replied.
"Let's pick up the dishes first," Sophia suggested.
"Please leave them, this won't take long and then we can do that before we have desert." Dave explained.
"What's for desert?" Sean asked exuberantly.
"Just wait and see," Dave taunted as they walked from the dining room into the foyer then to the hallway. Like a tour guide at a theme park Dave began his story.
"These are my parents, Bob and Nancy Baker, they still live in the same house where I grew up. This is my sister Kate, her husband John, and these are my boys, Mark, Matt, and JD."
"Your boys?" Sophia inquired with interest. "But you said you weren't married."
"Ho-ho," Dave laughed, "they are Kate and John's boys but I call them mine."
"Say, isn't that John Close, the tight end?" Sean recognized him. "You're his brother-in-law!"
"Yeah, and here they all are together," Dave said as he pointed to another photograph. "This is a picture of Miguel Sanchez, my Army roommate, we call him Mike, and his partner Todd Pepper." Dave paused, waiting for a reaction but getting none, moved on. "This is Dan Chambers, an old high school buddy. Here are my Texas friends, Alex and Steve Roehl, their daughter Connie and her fiancé, and Art and Beth Radford. And the rest of these pictures are just more of these same people." Then Dave pointed to the photo of the one taken at Kate's where he was asleep with the twins in his arms. "And this is my favorite picture but I love them all."
"Where are the pictures of all of your girlfriends, Dave?" Sophia was about to make her move and both Dave and Sean knew it.
"Well, there aren't any, Sophia."
"Oh my dear cute boy," she began as she placed her arm over his shoulder and drew him to her. She was about an inch taller than Dave and seemed like an imposing figure. "You are under my supervision now and we're going to remedy that situation. I have several single friends whom I know would just adore you to pieces. There's Barbara and..."
"Oh no, not the dominatrix!" Sean exclaimed; Dave could hear the sarcasm in Sean's voice.
"Now she's no such thing, Sean McGregor," Sophia protested. "Besides, how would you know?"
"I talked to her last victim just before he escaped for the West Coast."
Ignoring his comment, she continued. "Then there's Tiffany..."
"Nope, no Tiffany, "Dave interrupted. He was fairly sure this was not `his' Tiffany but the mere thought stopped him in his tracks.
"Okay, Ashley is just adorable," Sophia gushed. "I can see her on your arm right now. She's about an inch shorter than you, has a pixie haircut and..."
"Thanks, Sophia," Dave interrupted, "but I really don't want you to go to all that trouble."
"No trouble, my dear boy, I just love to play matchmaker."
"Well, what I mean is, it's a waste of time." Dave paused for a second to make sure he had Sophia's attention. "You see, I like men... I'm gay."
Dave and Sean both were like sitting on the edge of their seats waiting with great anticipation for Sophia's reaction.
"Well, then, okay," she replied calmly and left her arm around Dave's shoulders. "Then I'll help find you a man." Dave and Sean were almost in shock. That was way too easy. "You're much too nice of a person to be alone, Dave, you have so much to offer someone. I'll help."
Sean's mind reacted like most any male as he wondered, `How could she know how much Dave has to offer? I hope she's never seen him naked.'
"Thanks, Sophia, I appreciate the thought but, really, I'd really rather do my own looking.
"I can't believe we're having this conversation," Sean interrupted. Although he considered himself open minded, not a homophobe, this was not something he wanted to stand around discussing. "What's for desert?"
The conversation over, the three friends returned to the dining room and as a team cleared the table. For desert Dave served chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. After desert they adjourned to the great room and visited a while longer. Finally Sophia exercised her feminine responsibility and announced it was time she and Sean went home. They thanked Dave for a delicious meal and a wonderful evening and made him promise to spend an evening with them soon. When they actually departed it was obvious that Dave's confession had in no way damaged their friendship. In fact, the honesty might even have strengthened it.
Later that evening Dave lay in bed thinking about what Sophia had said. "You're much too nice of a person to be alone, Dave, you have so much to offer someone." `She's right, I shouldn't be alone. I don't want to be alone; it's just that I've been so busy. And I haven't been out looking either. I need to find some activity that will give me an opportunity to meet men I might find attractive and also would welcome some attention. Where should I look? I'm heavily involved with Philos and that isn't a very fertile field for eligible men. Quarterly trips to Dallas aren't good either; if I found someone there, the geography would be an obstacle. The office is a loss too. The two other gay men already have partners. Gay bars are out - I want more than a one-night stand. Shit, why did I start this? I'll think about it tomorrow, or next week.' He rolled over and went to sleep.
September arrived which meant that Dave was off to Dallas for his quarterly meeting with the AANCF. He spent a wonderful weekend with the Roehls and was able to show off his improved golfing skills with Steve, Art, and Adam. Upon arriving home Sunday evening Dave had to begin preparing for the arrival of Kate and the boys. John's team would be playing in town the next Sunday so the other four members of his family traveled ahead to spend time with grandparents and Uncle Dave.
Kate was anxious to see Dave's new house and the boys wanted to see the swimming pool. Mark and Matt were now almost 6 years old and JD was almost 4. The brood arrived Monday afternoon and went straight to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They were to return to the city on Saturday morning to stay with Dave. On Sunday they would all go to the game and then fly back home on Monday.
Mid morning Saturday, Dave anxiously awaited Kate and the boys' arrival. When he saw the huge Lincoln Navigator they rented from Hertz moving slowly up the driveway Dave ran out of the house to greet them. Kate was driving slowly so that she could get a good look at the massive, imposing structure. Dave's first action was to open the door to the back seat area where he found three young boys strapped safely into their seats. There was a lot of commotion, "Hi Uncle David's", "Hi Matt, Mark, and JD," and "Hi Kate," with hugs all around. As Kate was trying to take in the beauty of the house, the boys had hold of David's hands and were dragging him toward the door and asking him if they could go swimming in his pool. David said that was their mother's decision and Kate insisted they take their luggage to their room first and them she would decide. Three little men couldn't move fast enough. They grabbed their bags and ran into the house then stopped, realizing they didn't know where their room was. David told them where to find it and they were off. That gave him a chance to hug his sister and share a kiss on the cheek. Kate and David arrived at the boy's room to find three stark naked urchins digging through their luggage searching for bathing suits. The sight was so funny that Kate and David couldn't c ontain their laughter. Kate acquiesced and said they could swim for no more than one hour then they had to have some lunch.
Once the boys were in the pool David and Kate sat poolside with some iced tea and tried to catch up on gossip. Occasionally David would have to caution the boys not to run but other than that they were well behaved. The rest of the day went well. The boys explored the whole house and Kate was astonished at how much `at home' she felt in David's kitchen. She decided right then that her brother was going to design her next house.
Later that evening, after the boys were in bed, brother and sister sat in the great room chatting.
"So, what did you do to Dad when he spent the night in your condo?"
"Nothing, we just sat around talking and when we realized how late it was he called Mother and said he was staying the night. Why do you think I did something?"
"Oh..." Kate seemed hesitant to answer that question directly but then continued. "Mother said that when Dad got home she noticed he was wearing some boxer briefs. She thought he looked really sexy in them and told him so. When she asked him where he got them he said you gave them to him. Well, later that week Dad threw out all of his boxer shorts and went to the department story and bought all new boxer briefs."
By now Dave was laughing. "That's the strangest story I think I ever heard. You know, he never has returned those boxer briefs, not that I'd want them back or anything."
"Ha-ha, but the story gets better!" Kate chuckled. "Mother says that ever since then Dad has been a lot more... shall we say `more amorous'?"
"Oh Kate, please, do women actually talk about such things!"
"Of course! Women share a lot of information men would never dream of sharing.
"I thing that's more information than I want to know. I don't know about you, but I can't think about our parents in that way, like you know, doing IT."
"Well duh! Just how do you think we got here?" Kate was chuckling.
"I know, but I'd rather not dwell on the subject. Can we talk about something else?"
Kate could easily see that she was embarrassing her brother and she was loving it. It seemed like old times. But she changed the subject and they spent the next hour discussing an array of different topics before turning in.
Sunday morning Kate fixed breakfast for the five of them and then they prepared to depart for the football game. Parking was not a problem because a special area was reserved for player's families. Their seats were also in a special family section near the 50-yard-line, next to the aisle.
The game was more of a defensive struggle with not much scoring. About midway through the second period John's team had managed to work its way inside the 20 to the 18-yard line. The next play had John cutting across the middle for a pass which was right on the money. However, the opponents had studied the game film and were ready for him and three defenders hit him high, middle and low. The crowd was on its feet and the noise was deafening. The whistles blew and play stopped. The defenders got up but John stayed on the carpet clutching the ball.
David was concerned and when he looked at Kate he could see that she was also and that made him even more concerned. They watched as a couple of the officials signaled for help from the visitor's sideline. The trainer and one of the assistant coaches ran onto the field and there was a huddle around John. The next thing that happened shook Kate and David. They watched as the golf cart stretcher drove onto the field, headed to where John still lay on the carpet.
"Mommy, what happening?" Mark asked. Maybe he sensed something.
"Oh nothing, Dear. The men in striped shirts are talking again," was Kate's answer.
They watched as John was lifted onto the stretcher cart and then it began to slowly drive toward the exit at the far corner of the field. The crowd applauded, the teams huddled, and play resumed. At that moment David happened to glance over his shoulder and saw a member of the team management walking rapidly down the steps toward them. Dave remembered meeting him once when John took him to the workout session a few years ago.
"Kate," David said and when Kate looked at him he nodded his head and moved his eyes toward the stairs. He could tell that Kate was really nervous now. When the man finally reached them he whispered something into Kate's ear and David could see that her concern increased even more.
"David, we have to go. Can you take the boys home?"
"Certainly! You go with him and I'll get the boys home. Call me when you know something." Since David had driven them from his house, he still had the keys to the Navigator in his pocket.
"Okay," Kate replied nervously then turned and followed the team representative up the steps.
There was no time to stand around and talk about what had happened. Kate obviously didn't want to upset the boys, who seemed oblivious to what was happening, they were still enthralled with being in the crowded stadium filled with screaming fans.
"Where's Mommy going, Uncle David?" Matt asked.
"She has to go wait for your daddy. You men are coming home with me to go swimming."
"Yea, yea, yea!" Three voices blended with all the other cheering fans and David had successfully distracted them.
"Okay, let's all hold hands and go the car." JD held David's right hand and Mark held his left with Matt holding on to Mark's left hand. Together they climbed the steps toward the exit. Before they got to the to the top of the steps David had to reach down, pick JD up and carry him the rest of the way. Dave had just finished strapping the boys into their safety seats when his cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"David, is everything all right?"
"Oh hi, Mother, I don't know. The boys and I are just getting into the car; we're going to my place. You must have been watching the game." David was trying to avoid saying anything that might alert the boys that something was wrong.
Nancy understood that the boys were close enough to hear and that David couldn't say very much. "Yes we were and we're concerned. Your father saw the replays and he thinks it looks bad. John's parents called to see if we had heard anything, they watched the replays too."
"Kate said she'd call when she has something to tell us. Look, why don't you all drive up here. That way we'll all be in one place. Plan on staying because I have plenty of room. And that invitation goes for John's parents too."
"Okay Dear, we'll throw some clothes in a bag and get there as soon as we can. See you soon, David," Nancy concluded her conversation.
"Bye, Mother." Dave pressed the `END' key and returned his phone to his pocket. "Okay men," David began as he slid behind the wheel of the monster SUV, "Let's go swimming!" Loud cheers arose from the back seat. Upon arriving at his house, David pulled around behind and parked in front of one of the six garage doors, one that he knew had an empty bay. His troupe had already unbuckled themselves by the time he got around to open their door so he led them into the house. When he turned around to close the back door from the garage he started issuing instructions on what to do.
"You men go get into your bathing suits and..." He turned around and discovered he was talking to himself. Walking through the kitchen he encountered articles of boys clothing lying on the floor and followed the trail into the hallway and great room. The sliding glass door leading to the pool was wide open and Dave could easily see through the glass wall to the pool where three very naked little boys were having the time of their lives swimming in their birthday suits.
`It's a good thing your mother isn't here or I'd be in biiig trouble,' Dave thought as he chuckled to himself. Stepping through the sliding door and closing it behind him, Dave walked closer to the edge of the pool.
"Come on in, Uncle David, please," Mark pleaded. "Yeah, Uncle David, we wanna play," Matt added.
"I have to get a bathing suit."
"No you don't, go like us."
David considered that for a moment, he couldn't really leave them alone while he changed so what should he do? "Okay," he replied and began to strip. However, David stopped at his boxer shorts. At least he would retain some form of modesty. Call it a hang-up, but he didn't think it was appropriate for young boys to see adult men naked.
Once David got into the pool the boys were all over him. They loved it when he tossed them through the air so that they could splash down and sink under the water. Then all three of them attacked him. They wrapped their naked bodies around him and pulled him under then let him go and did it again. After about thirty minutes from the time they got in the pool, David heard the phone ringing.
"Boys, boys, I have to answer the phone, let's stop for a minute." They let him go and an exhausted David crawled up over the edge of the pool and walked over to the phone, which was in a sheltered alcove. The boys started playing tag, which involved yelling and splashing.
"Hello," David answered.
"Well I guess I know what you're doing," Kate said with a laugh. "I can hear them all the way to the hospital."
"Just a minute, Kate... MARK, no running." Mark didn't answer, he just grinned like he knew he wasn't supposed to run but didn't like getting caught either. "Now, what were you saying?"
"I'm at the hospital and John is in some pain but otherwise doing fine, all things considered. He took a shoulder pad to the side of his right knee. They've taken X-rays..."
"Matt, what did I just say to your brother?" "No running, sir." Matt replied shyly with guilt in his voice as he slowed to a fast walk.
"Sorry, Kate, go ahead, please."
"You're tough, David, you must have learned that in the Army. Anyway, they took X-rays and a MRI but the doctors haven't rendered a judgement yet. What's going on at your end, other than the obvious?"
"You're not gonna believe this but YOUR sons are skinny-dipping."
"David, No! What if someone sees them?"
"In case you didn't notice when you were here, the property south of the house is a dense forest, and it's all my land so there's no one to see them. They're having a great time."
"I can hear! Anything else happening?"
"Yeah, Mother caught me on my cell phone as I was loading the boys into that environmentally hazardous battle cruiser you rented. She and Dad were watching the game so she called to see if I knew what happened. To make a long story short, she and Dad are already on the road; they should be here soon, probably in about a half an hour. And I invited John's parents, they're coming too."
"Oh, that was nice, David, listen, why don't I call back in about an hour; I should know more by then."
"BOYS, STOP RUNNING!"
"I'll leave you to your lifeguard duties," Kate laughed, "I hope you survive."
David could hear Kate chuckling as she hung up the phone. He decided to let the boys have just fifteen more minutes in the pool and told them so but was sure that the warning hadn't registered. They were engrossed in their game of tag and seemed to have forgotten all about him. Rather than rejoin his nephews, David sat in a chair to observe, study them.
From about age four, differences between the twins became easier to detect. Mark's hair began to get darker than Matt's and he was slightly shorter. They were both as skinny as rails but already showed promise of good muscle development. They also moved like cats; they would be good athletes. Mark's eyes had turned very dark, almost black, and very intense. Nothing seemed to escape his observation and at times it seemed like he could see right through you. Matt's eyes had remained the beautiful sky blue color he was born with -- he would break a lot of hearts. Mark was the sharp one, a natural leader. He absorbed information like a sponge and he could spit back everything he had learned. Matt was more quiet, thoughtful, easy to get along with. He was a smart as Mark but less aggressive.
JD was the one who held David's heart, perhaps because David held him so soon after he was born and gave him his nickname. He was just as smart as Mark and Matt and he seemed to know it but disguised. His light brown eyes seemed to possess secrets. JD never took part in his brothers' disputes; he just sat and watched like he was taking notes for a research project. Of the three boys JD, was the caring one.
As David continued to observe his lovable nephews he also became aware that they were definitely John Close's sons, even at their young ages they were well equipped. They would be admired in the locker room. After thinking about that for a moment, David decided that the other half of the boy's gene pool wasn't exactly lacking in the equipment department. David knew he was above average and believed his father was also. Oh well, it was time to call the boys out of the pool.
"Okay, men, time to get out."
"Awe, awe, do we have ta, can't we stay just a little longer, we just got in..." Their charm was hard to resist but David insisted.
"There's a bathroom and a shower right here beside the pool," David said as he walked to the far end of the pool and opened a door. "You get in here and get cleaned up and then you won't have to do that before you go to bed."
That seemed to do the trick. Three boys had a lot of fun being silly in the shower and David was satisfied they were sufficiently clean that they wouldn't need a bath before going to bed. He supervised to make sure they were dry then sent them back through the house to find the clothes they had dropped and made them put them back on. He just knew Kate would never have done that. That's the easy way out, the male way.
In preparation for their visit, David had purchased a number of Disney videos and soon the boys were parked in front of the TV watching the "Hundred and One Dalmatians." David rushed to his room, took a quick shower and dressed. Then he went straight to the kitchen to prepare some snacks and drinks for the boys because Kate said they were always hungry. He placed the snacks and drinks on a tray and carried it to the TV area and the boys pounced on the offering without taking their eyes from the movie. Dave just stood back and watched. His heart was about to burst with love. Then it dawned on him that he had overlooked one important feature in his house, a playroom. Well, there was a lot of unfinished space over the garage -- a future project.
The sound of the doorbell caught his attention and he turned and walked to the front door.
"Mother, Dad!" They hugged each other. "Oh I see the Close's came too! Good! Welcome," Dave said as he extended his hand. Peggy and Jack shook his hand.
"David, what a beautiful house you have," Peggy exclaimed.
"Yeah, bigger than some motels I've stayed in," Jack added.
"Jack! That wasn't nice," Peggy scolded.
"No, I meant it as a compliment," Jack said defensively.
"Thank you both," Dave said, "I appreciate it. Please, everyone come inside. The boys are sitting on the floor watching a movie."
"Have you heard from Kate?" Nancy asked.
"Yes, she called about half an hour ago. She said John took a shoulder pad on the side of his right knee. She hadn't heard from the doctors yet but John was in some pain."
"It was the right knee alright, I saw the replay," Jack Close reported, showing his concern. "I'll bet he's in pain! You think they'd let us see him if we went to the hospital?"
"I expect Kate to call soon, you can ask her, but I can't imagine why you couldn't." David tried to assure him.
"David, your house is absolutely stunning!" By now the group had moved through the foyer and into the hallway overlooking the sunken great room. The three Close boys jumped to their feet, ran to give their grandparents hugs and then returned to their movie.
"Oh!" Peggy exclaimed. "That studio grand piano! Where on earth did you find it?! It's beautiful!"
"That's right, you're a piano teacher, aren't you. Please feel free to play any time you like." David did not have a good answer to Mrs. Close's question and hoped to deflect it with his invitation to play. It worked.
"Oh, may I?" She was absolutely effervescent. "Well, I'll wait until the boy's movie is over." Peggy caught herself.
"Now, about room in this... `motel'," Dave smiled at Jack who smiled back sheepishly. "Kate has the upstairs master, right next to the boys. Mother, Dad, why don't you take the next room and Mr. and Mrs. Close take the one next to Mother and Dad. Will that be alright?"
"Fine." "Great." Everyone seemed satisfied. Bob and Jack returned to their cars to get the luggage and take them to their rooms. Nancy headed straight for the kitchen and started taking inventory. Dave checked on the boys and then joined his mother in the kitchen. About that time Bob and Jack walked in.
"David, we're going to have to have something to eat so I've made a list. Why don't you and your father run to the grocery store and get a few things?" Dave knew that his mother was not asking a question and so did Bob.
"Okay, Mother, what if Kate calls..."
"If Kate calls I'll handle it. Now go."
Without any discussion, David led his dad through the kitchen, down the hall and into the garage where they got into his BMW 540i. He opened the garage door by pressing transmitter attached to the visor, started the car, backed out, closed the door and drove around to the front of the house and down the driveway. David hadn't driven a quarter mile when his dad began to talk.
"David, I know it isn't any of my business..." Bob hesitated for a moment then continued, "but... this house you built... and the land... I didn't know architects made that kind of money."
Dave knew this day would come and he had no intention of lying to his father. "You're right, Dad, architects don't make that kind of money. When Paul Roehl died he made me the first trustee of his trust and it was -- is worth a large amount of money. It would have been easy for Steve and Alex to successfully challenge Paul's dying wishes but they decided not to. I wouldn't have fought them on it; I didn't want the money in the first place. I only wanted to have Paul back. They and Paul's lawyer encouraged me to keep it so I did. I haven't deliberately kept this information from you; it's just that at first I didn't know how to explain it. Now that I've lived with it for a while it seems less of a burden than it first was. Actually I've spent very little of it. The house... well, I believe Paul would have wanted me to use some of the money to build my first home. It's a place where I can keep many of his things." David paused for a moment. "That's about it."
The inside of the car was quiet for a couple of minutes then David turned into the grocery store parking lot and the moment seemed lost. David and his dad worked efficiently and soon had the shopping cart full of items from his mother's list. They went through the checkout stand where David paid for the groceries with his credit card. Bob offered to pay but David told his dad to save his money for his retirement. That caused both of them to laugh.
On the way home from the store, Bob found the courage to ask his next question. "About how much is this trust worth, David?"
"Oh Dad," David started to laugh, "so much it would blow your mind. When Art told me how much money I was worth I almost fainted. If I told you it was more than a million dollars could you handle that?"
"Whoa!" Bob was quiet for a while. "I don't need to know any more, David, that'll be enough."
David reached out and placed his right hand on his father's left shoulder. "Having that much money has been a much greater responsibility than I could have ever imagined. Paul liked to donate to a lot of charities and I'm continuing that practice. Remember when Mother went to the dedication of the new Philos facility?"
"Yeah," Bob replied.
"Well, Paul's trust donated a million dollars to fund the purchase and renovation of the old Plantation Hotel. Oh, and speaking of charities, if there's anything you or Mother would like to do or have, just say the word."
"That's mighty generous of you, Son, but your mother and I are doing just fine. You see, once our pesky kids moved out and no longer ate us out of the house and home, we experienced a sudden reversal in cash flow and have been able to save quite a nice nest egg. But if something comes up, you'll be the first person I call." Bob was chuckling by the time he finished his speech and David understood what his dad was trying to say and joined with his own chuckles. "But what you're telling me is that YOU donated a million dollars to the Foundation. Right? Where did you learn to think like that?"
Dave glanced at his dad, "From my father... and my mother," he said with pride and a big smile.
Arriving back at the house, David and Bob carried the groceries into the kitchen and set them on the counter. Dave looked around, "Where are Mr. and Mrs. Close," he asked his mother. "I didn't see their car in the driveway."
(To be continued.)