David's Initiation

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 28

Georgia smiled at Tony and patted the top of his right thigh. "Yes it will, it shore will," she smiled, stood up and walked back to the kitchen. At that moment Tony heard the doorbell ring so he stood up and walked to the front door. When he opened it he found himself looking at an attractive black man impeccably dressed in a very expensive suit and carrying a briefcase. Tony made a snap judgement that this was Marcus.

"Hello," Tony said as he stuck out his hand and smiled. "You must be Marcus, Dave told me you'd be coming. I'm Tony."

Marcus was only momentarily slightly off balance, primarily because he'd anticipated David would answer the door; he hadn't expected to be greeted by such an attractive stranger. And he too made some snap judgements. The young man, Tony, knew his name, and not just his professional name but 'Marcus'. And he was expecting him. Marcus also surmised that David would only share that information with a trusted friend. Further, the fact that Tony was answering the door and not David meant that Tony was more than a casual acquaintance. Marcus couldn't remember David ever talking about any 'close' friend but Tony certainly looked like he could be one.

"Hi Tony, nice to meet you. David home?"

"Yes, he's taking a shower. Please c'mon in," Tony invited as he stepped back to create the visual effect that the foyer was wide open and Marcus was welcome.

Marcus was impressed with Tony's self-confident demeanor.

"Shall I leave the car where it is?" Marcus asked as he turned and motioned with his hand toward a silver Jaguar S-Type.

"Hey, nice car!" Tony exclaimed.

"Yeah, pretty good for a rental," Marcus smiled.

"Tell ya what," Tony continued, "we're expecting quite a few guests this afternoon and parking space will be at a premium. How would you feel about putting it in the garage?"

The fact that Tony's said 'we're' expecting was a significant comment that wasn't lost on Marcus. "I guess the garage is around there?" Marcus said pointing toward the corner of the house. Tony interpreted Marcus' response as an agreement.

"Yes. Tell you what, if you have a bag I can take it into the house and then go open one of the garage doors.

"Excellent idea," Marcus agreed. He set his briefcase down in the foyer and walked back out to the car with Tony right behind. Marcus opened the trunk and Tony grabbed the travel bag.

'Good man,' Marcus half-chuckled to himself at the way Tony was directing things. It reminded him of Dave.

Tony carried Marcus' bag into the house, closed the door, dropped the bag in the hallway and walked briskly to the garage where he opened the door to bay number four. He watched as the sleek silver S-Type silently rolled into the garage. Tony waited at the door for Marcus to come inside the house.

"Dave's built himself a really nice place here," Marcus said as he followed Tony down the short hallway toward the kitchen.

"This must be your first visit," Tony more or less asked as they walked into the kitchen where an inquisitive Georgia stood waiting.

Georgia definitely appeared intimidated by this tall, attractive, well-dressed black man walking into 'her' kitchen. Tony noticed her facial expression and realized he'd better make some introductions.

"Georgia, I'd like you to meet Mr. Walter Richardson. He's come for today's meeting and he'll be spending the night in the upstairs master."

"Hello, Georgia, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Marcus said with a genuine smile on his face as he extended his hand. "David's told me some very nice things about how well you take care of him."

"Oh Mr. Richardson," Georgia said shyly and a little bit embarrassed as she shook Marcus' hand. She was obviously impressed. "Mister Dave, he do tell stories. I better go up and make sure your room is ready," she said as an excuse to hide her admiration. Georgia turned and left the kitchen.

"Let's go into the great room, Dave should be out soon," Tony suggested. "Can I get you something to drink, iced tea maybe?"

"Yes, thank you, I am a little thirsty and that would hit the spot." Marcus was dying to find out more about Tony but knew that if he were patient David would be there soon and explain things in his own way. One of the important things he'd learned in becoming a lawyer was that if you just wait, people would volunteer more information than they would tell you if you asked.

After getting his glass of iced tea the first thing Marcus wanted to do was collect his briefcase from the foyer. Tony suggested it would be safe on Dave's desk in the library. Marcus was impressed with the room and noticed the similarity to Art's library in Dallas, which he'd seen several times. Tony then led him into the great room where he looked all around admiringly. It was obvious that the furniture had been arranged for the meeting.

"Marcus!" Dave exclaimed as he walked briskly down the hallway. Tony immediately noticed how smartly Dave was dressed: black dress shoes, charcoal gray worsted wool double-pleated dress slacks, white long-sleeved cotton, button-down dress shirt with the cuffs folded up twice. Tony could see the glow of Dave's tan underneath. He looked very impressive and very sexy and Tony mouth watered at the sight.

"David!" Marcus exclaimed and he immediately sprang to his feet. Marcus had just sat down in one of the club chairs and placed his glass of iced tea on a coaster. The two met in a tight hug near the steps leading down into the great room. "Hey, you're a sight for sore eyes, Buddy."

"You too, Man. Ooh it's good to see you; welcome to my home."

"This place is really great, David. Ray says he's gonna have you build him a new house, maybe I ought to consider the same."

"Just tell me what you want it to look like and where you want it built."

"Well now I have a surprise for you! I just purchased a large plot of land at the far end of this development and will be looking to start building in a few months. I'll let my wife tell you what she wants it to look like."

"No shit?" Dave exclaimed. "You're gonna be livin' here?" Dave exclaimed then noticed Tony standing patiently off to the side. "Oh I'm sorry, I'm forgetting something." Dave reached out and pulled Tony to his right side and placed his right hand on Tony's left shoulder. The significance of that gesture wasn't lost on Dave's guest. "Marcus, I want to introduce Tony Mancuso." Dave smiled, a little embarrassed for not having made the introduction sooner. "But I guess you've already met," Dave acknowledged.

Suddenly Tony, who just moments earlier had been comfortably in control, began to feel embarrassed and blushed, not that anyone would notice. He hadn't been 'out' long enough to be accustomed to situations like this.

"Oh yes, we've met." Marcus said with a smile on his face and in his voice and shook Tony's hand again. "Tony had me park in the garage and has already introduced me to Georgia."

As they talked, Dave repositioned a club chair so that it was facing a loveseat. He motioned for Marcus to sit in the chair and he and Tony took the loveseat.

Marcus got a big grin on his face. "So..." he began 'How do I ask this?' He paused again. "You have something to tell me?" Marcus glanced from Dave to Tony and back to Dave. His underlying question was clear.

Dave smiled at Tony and than back at Marcus, then he paused for a moment. "Uh... Tony and I... well... I won't beat around the bush with you, Tony's become a good friend, a very significant friend and he lives here now."

"Congratulations," Marcus almost shouted, his grin widening, "to both of you. I don't know about you, Tony, but Dave, it's been years since I've seen you looking this good. I'm happy for you, both of you." Marcus stood and pulled Dave then Tony into a hug.

Tony was floored by the ease with which Marcus accepted their relationship. Again he was enormously impressed with the obvious bond that existed between Dave and his friends.

"We met four and a half weeks ago and Tony agreed to move in last Friday."

"Practically newlyweds!" Marcus exclaimed, then he caught himself. Perhaps that comment was out of place. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't talk like that. I hope I haven't offended you, Tony."

"No, not at all," Tony began to chuckle. "This is all new to me but I really appreciate the way you're making it quite easy."

"Gentlemen, I got sanwiches in the kitchen for lunch, y'all come sit," Georgia announced from the kitchen door.

"We'd better go," Dave said with a chuckle, "We don't want to disrupt Georgia's schedule." The three men proceeded into the kitchen.

"Okay, now back to building a house." Dave began. "You've bought some property?" They were seated at the kitchen table where Georgia had set out some turkey sandwiches and glasses of iced tea.

"I need to back up a little." Marcus began. "The firm has decided to open an office here in the city and they asked me if I'd be interested in being the office manager. Well duh!" All three men laughed. "My wife and I get to move back here and be closer to our families and friends and in a few years it will be MUCH easier to make partner here than it would if I stayed in Dallas. Also, I'll still be the principal on the trust." Marcus seemed to catch himself and looked at Dave. "Perhaps it would be better if we discussed that later," he said trying to back-peddle.

"That's okay, Marcus, I intend to tell Tony about that, I just haven't had time." Then turning to Tony. "Marcus is talking about a trust, the Paul A. Roehl trust of which I'm the first trustee. I'll explain more later but for now this is confidential information that we should keep just between us." Tony reached out, took hold of Dave's hand and nodded his agreement.

"So when does all this happen?" Dave asked.

"Probably not until after the first of the year. There are just too many things going on between now and then but I'll be traveling here more often as we search for office space and other things. Tonya and I've discussed bringing the family back for the holidays and then just staying if we can find a place to rent."

"Well that shouldn't be a problem," Dave advised. "I know lots of places. Just let me know when and I'll line up several places for you to choose from. It'll be good to see Tonya again. How are she and the kids doing?"

"Wonderful! We're excited about the upcoming arrival, a girl this time!" Marcus exclaimed. "Tonya says we're stopping after this one." He chuckled and Dave and Tony joined him.

"Marcus," Tony spoke up. "Can I ask a question?"

"Well sure, ask away."

"I'd like to know about you and Dave, how you met, things like that, if we have time of course."

"Yeah, this ought to be good!" Dave exclaimed with a chuckle.

"Oh David, you don't mind me telling all your secrets?"

"I have no secrets from Tony," Dave replied and smiled at his lover. That wasn't exactly true but Dave intended to correct that as time passed.

"Okay, here goes." Marcus grinned. "Dave and I met in high school..." Marcus told everything he could remember but left out the part about Dave initiating him into the track team. He told about Dave using his influence to get him into the Alpha Society and encouraging him to work harder on his studies. Then he related their reunion at college, how Dave came out, how he handled or mishandled that and how Tonya talked some sense into his head. Marcus also explained how Dave opened the right doors to help him prove himself to the firm he now works for. "So David has been my mentor. And a damn good one at that." Marcus grinned with affection.

"That's some story," Tony exclaimed. "Dave, why am I not surprised!" He realized that he had already seen those qualities in Dave and Marcus' story only validated what Mike, Todd and Dan had told him.

"Can I get you another glass of iced tea?" Dave asked as he noticed Marcus' glass was empty.

"I could use another," Marcus replied. Dave stood and began walking over to the refrigerator.

"Marcus, is that you?" Dan exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen from the garage where he'd parked his car. "God it's been years! How you doin'?" Dave had told him Marcus would be there so he wasn't surprised but he was excited.

As they shook hands Dan remembered how he'd challenged Dave and accused him of dumping him for Marcus. 'How wrong I was,' Dan thought.

"You're looking good, Dan, how's life?"

"Great now, thanks to Dave." Dan wasn't the least bit hesitant to give credit where it belonged. The four men relocated to the great room and continued visiting until the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Tony announced as he sprang to his feet and left Dave, Dan and Marcus to visit while he walked to the front door. The time had flown by when Marcus was telling his story and it was approaching 5:00 PM when people were expected to begin arriving. Tony opened the front door, introduced himself and invited the guests inside. Tony accepted the food they brought and carried it to the kitchen where Georgia took control.

Dan took on the task of being bartender while Dave introduced Marcus and visited with board members and guests. The fourth time Tony answered the door it was someone he knew.

"Father Tim, welcome!" Tony exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Hello, Tony, I might say the same for you!" They both laughed. "Here's some potato salad, shall I take it to the kitchen and give it to Georgia?"

"Oh, I'll take that, why don't you just go on in to the great room, everyone's gathering there," Tony said as he slid his hand under the bowl and lifted it from Tim's hands.

"Didn't notice you at church this morning," Tim said in a joking manner.

"Yeah, we were busy getting ready for this meeting, lots of furniture to move."

"I know, Tony, I'm just joking."

"I thought so, Padre," Tony replied with a chuckle as he left to take the bowl into the kitchen.

Tony was really getting into his routine. He'd open the door, extend his hand and say, "Hi, I'm Tony, please come in, welcome to Dave's house." It worked well and everyone seemed interested in seeing him. Each time he entered the great room he and Dave seemed to find each other with their eyes and smile.

Somewhere about the tenth or twelfth time the doorbell rang he opened the door and a man was standing there with his back turned talking to another man.

"Hi I'm... Sam!" Tony exclaimed when the man turned around.

"No, the last time I checked I was Sam and you were Tony," Sam chuckled; he was having fun at the awkwardness of the moment.

"Well..." Tony was more than surprised, he was embarrassed and startled and concerned. His secret was now out. His boss knew.

"Aren't you going to invite us in?" Sam asked with a broad grin. He knew he'd knocked Tony's wheels off. "Let me introduce you to Joe Krug, and he's a longtime friend of Dave's."

"Uh... nice to meet you Joe," Tony was regaining his composure. "Please, c'mon in." 'Is Sam gay?' Tony wondered. He had just assumed that anyone who attended this meeting was gay, but maybe not!

"This is a chocolate moose cake, would you ask Georgia to put it in the refrigerator, please?" Sam handed the cake container to Tony.

"Yeah... thanks Sam, just go ahead and join the rest of the group in the great room." Tony was beginning to recover his balance. He smiled back at Sam who didn't seem the least bit surprised or upset to find him greeting Dave's guests.

By 5:30 PM everyone was there and Dave invited them into the dining room where Georgia had set up a buffet. The guests filled their plates and returned to the great room. Some sat and ate while others stood and visited while they ate. Dave ate very little, he spent most of his time talking with his guests and introducing Marcus and another special guest who had arrived.

Her name was Judy Lindsay and she was from the AANCF in Dallas. She had been there about a week at Dave's request to get to know the Philos Foundation and make contact with the state Department of Child Services. The report she was going to make to the Board was an important one.

Tony was leaning against the wall just outside the kitchen door watching Dave. He was amazed as how Dave worked the room. Everyone seemed to want to talk to him and they always smiled when he talked to them.

"He's quite a man, isn't he," Sam said. Tony had been so engrossed in watching Dave he hadn't noticed when Sam walked up and leaned back against the wall right next to him.

"You can say that again," Tony said as he turned toward Sam and smiled. "Did Dave tell you?" He was curious how Sam seemed to know.

"Didn't have to. All I had to do was watch you two when Dave visited the work site."

"God was it that obvious?" Tony suddenly felt nervous.

"No, only if you know what to look for. Relax, I'm sure nobody else noticed."

Tony breathed a sigh of relief. Then he had this thought, 'Maybe Sam IS gay. That's why he could see things that others probably couldn't. How does that work?' Tony's eyes found Dave again. "He is wonderful," he almost sighed again.

"They don't come any better," Sam replied. Tony turned toward Sam with a questioning face.

"How do you mean that, Sam?"

"Calm down, Tony, don't hear things I didn't say. And you're right; he is wonderful. I'm fortunate to have him as a friend and business associate. I think you two are meant for each other. Or am I getting too far ahead of myself?"

Tony blushed slightly. "I sure hope you're right. I'm still in a state of shock at how fast this has happened."

"Rome wasn't built in a day, ya know. But it started by laying one Roman at a time." Sam grinned and Tony chuckled at the subtle insinuation of Sam's remark.

'Yeah, he's gay,' Tony was sure.

At that moment everyone's attention was drawn to the sound of a knife blade striking the side of a glass. "If y'all can take your plates and stuff into the kitchen and come back in here, we'll get started," Ben announced. The conversation subsided as one by one the guests filed through the kitchen and deposited their plates. Georgia would take it from there and get everything cleaned up and put away.

The meeting began with approval of the minutes from the last meeting followed by the Treasurers report. Their fundraising efforts were beginning to pay off and the Foundation was now operating in the black. Each committee chairman then reported on his or her area.

"Thank y'all," Ben said with great sincerity. "We've now come to the part of our meeting what we've all been waiting for. And for that I'm going to turn the meeting over to Dave. Dave, can you step up here?"

"Thank you, Ben. It's no secret that for the past nine months to a year we've all been troubled and upset by the media reports about the many cases of children found abandoned and abused, some even dead, throughout our city. Every one of us feels terrible about it and as I've talked with each of you I think it's fair to say we've all wanted to do something about the situation. We just weren't sure where or how to start.

Tony was at the back of the room leaning against the window framework and was mesmerized as he watched Dave control the room.

'Look at him. When he talks he has everyone's undivided attention. He projects an air of confidence and is surely at ease in front of this group. I'd be terrified.' Tony let his mind wonder. 'He's not only handsome he's intelligent, the kind of man people like to follow. Then why isn't he in charge of this outfit? Well now that's easy to answer. Based on what I know of him he's a behind the scenes man; he shuns the spotlight.

'And he's hot, too. Just look at those dark areolas hiding under his shirt? I'd like to rip that shirt off him and suck those nipples so hard they'd never go down.' Tony immediately had a vision of taking Dave by the hand and dragging him down the hall leaving the guests with their mouths hanging open and throwing him on the bed then making mad passionate love to him.

"As most of you know, I'm also privileged to be on the Board of Directors of the Abandoned and Neglected Children Foundation in Dallas, Texas. During my last few visits there I've looked into what it might take for the Philos Foundation to implement a similar program here. Our first speaker was kind enough to spend the past week here looking at our operation and contacting various government agencies to learn what would be needed if we are serious about going forward with our ideas."

Dave's eyes roamed around the room trying to make contact with as many board members as he could when Tony came into view. Tony wore a faint smile and Dave could see Tony's nipples trying to poke holes in his polo shirt. Further down, Dave could see the obvious bulge in Tony's pants. He immediately had a vision of dragging Tony down the hall leaving the guests with their mouths hanging open and throwing him on the bed then making mad passionate love to him. Dave i mmediately diverted his eyes to someone else and a wry smile appeared on his face. This was not the time to get aroused.

Tony had watched Dave give him the top to crotch scan and then look away. He was sure that the smile was meant for him and he was right.

"It is with great pleasure that I introduce Ms. Judy Lindsay. Judy is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in Sociology. She also has a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Chicago and has varied experience with child welfare organizations in the Southwest. For the past five years Judy has held the position of Assistant Director of the AANCF were she introduced many innovative improvements to that organization. And with that, Judy, welcome." Judy stood to the applause and joined Dave in front of the group.

"Thank you, Dave, for such a laudatory introduction. I kept looking around to find out who you were introducing, I just hope I can live up to it." Everyone chuckled. "When Dave asked me if I'd come here and take a look at your situation, I had no idea what to expect. I knew very little about Philos and what it does but I must say I'm greatly impressed with your accomplishments." Judy went on to outline what she'd learned both at Philos and in meetings with government agencies, specifically DCS. She explained that in her estimation, Philos was ideally positioned to start a small program similar to AANCF in Dallas. She believed that the greatest obstacle might be the DCS bureaucrats but only because they would view Philos as a threat. That, she was certain, would change once DCS learned how they would be helped by what Philos wanted to do.

Judy finished her presentation and opened the floor to questions. It didn't take long for someone to ask how much this venture was going cost. Judy offered her best estimate but said further studies needed to be completed and the board would have to get more specific about exactly what it wanted to accomplish before a final cost could be established. She reported that one thing in their favor was that they had been able to use leftover monies to continued restoration of the old Plantation Hotel and much of it was ready for immediate occupancy. The obvious follow-on question was "How do we pay for this?"

"That's a good question," Dave interrupted, "and we have someone here who can help answer that. Thank you Judy, let's let Walt take the hot seat for a while." Judy gladly sat down as Dave introduced Marcus. "Many of you will remember a few years ago when the Paul A. Roehl Trust donated the money that allowed us to purchase and renovate the old Plantation Hotel, our current home. Well, it gives me great pleasure to introduce Mr. M. Walter Richardson, an attorney with the highly respected law firm of Harrison-Kermit-Lambert in Dallas. Mr. Richardson is the principal attorney for the Roehl Trust and has an announcement to make. So without further adieu, I give you Mr. Richardson." Walt stood to polite applause and faced the audience as Dave sat back down.

Tony was absolutely impressed with the way Dave seemed to instinctively know when to take over the meeting and how to make such impressive introductions look so easy.

'I love you David Baker,' he thought. 'Now if I just had the nerve to say that to your face!' He sighed. 'I still can't believe you asked me to live with you. You could have almost anyone you want. I'm sure most of the guys in this room would love to call you their own. Why me? What do you see in me, a construction worker, who has little education and even less money? I guess I'm going to have to earn your love. I'll have to go to school like Mike. It'll be a start; then maybe I'll be able to compete at your intellectual level a little better. I need to find something that appeals to me that gets me out of construction work with promise of a good income. You are definitely someone I could spend the rest of my life with.'

"Thank you David, it's a real pleasure to be here and meet all of you. Through David's involvement with the AANCF in Dallas, I've been following the successes of your foundation and the really good work you do. It is for that reason that I've come here today. After conferring with Ms. Lindsay about her assessment of your immediate goal I've discussed the situation with the executor of the Roehl Trust and a decision has been made. To get right to the point, the Paul A. Roehl Trust is prepared to endow the Philos Foundation with ten million dollars."

A collective gasp filled the room and stunned silence followed. Tony wasn't sure he'd heard correctly but then concluded he had. He looked at the back of Dave's head. 'You're giving this organization $10,000,000? And they don't even know you're behind it? C'mon Dave, you deserve some recognition for such a generous donation. You're sitting there letting everyone think Marcus is fronting for some anonymous benefactor? Holy shit! Blow me away! If you're givin' away that much money, how much more you got left?'

After a short pregnant pause to allow the announcement to settle in, Marcus continued. "Let me repeat, this is an endowment, not an outright grant. There will be conditions attached to the money and..."

Tony noticed movement several places to Dave's right; it was Doctor Gray. He pulled out his cell phone, looked at the display, arose from his seat and, walked stooped over into Dave's library like he was trying to sneak out. The phone must have been set to 'vibrate' because it didn't make a sound. A few moments later, Doc Gray came out of the library and moved to where he could catch Dave's eye. He pointed to his cell phone and then motioned back over his shoulder with his thumb as if to say 'Gotta go'. Tony saw Dave raise his right hand slightly and give a discrete goodbye wave. Doc Gray turned and was out the door in a flash. Tony presumed that this behavior must be common place because nobody seemed the least bit disturbed by the Doc's departure.

"...annual audits and several other strings will be attached." Marcus concluded his remarks. "And now I'm prepared to take questions. Judy, Ben, Dave, could you three join me?" Marcus wasn't about to field questions by himself. The questions came and there were many.

After about 25 minutes, Tony heard the house phone ringing. It rang only twice and then stopped, Georgia must have answered it. A few moments later Georgia appeared in the in the kitchen doorway looking quite distressed. Tony could see that she was anxiously trying to get Dave's attention but the angles involved prevented Dave from seeing her. Calmly, Tony worked his way toward the steps then down the hall to Georgia. Once in the kitchen he closed the door.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh Mister Tony, it's... it's my boy, he's..."

"Do you need to go?"

"Yes, oh yes," Georgia said frantically. "But Mister Dave..."

"Don't worry about Dave, Georgia, you go ahead and leave; I'll explain things to Dave."

"But what about all this?" She swept her arm out as if pointing out all the work that still needed to be done to clean up the kitchen.

"Don't worry about that either, we'll take care of it. Now you go... go!" Tony urged as he nudged Georgia toward the door. She removed her apron, picked up her purse and practically ran out the back door.

By the time Tony returned to the great room the meeting had concluded. People were gathered in small groups chatting as they prepared to depart. Georgia had emptied and washed all of the containers people had brought food in and placed them on the dining room table. As people left they passed through the dining room, picked up their containers and left through the front door, thanking Dave on the way out.

"Where's Georgia?" Dave asked as he walked into the kitchen following the departure of the last guest.

"She had to leave, Dave, I think it had something to do with her son." Tony then explained what he'd seen and that Georgia left to see Dexter.

"Oh shit," Dave mumbled. "Let's get this place cleaned up a bit and then I'll go down to hold Georgia's hand."

"Hey, why don't you go ahead? Dan and I can clean this place up, can't we Dan!" Tony looked askingly at Dan as he said that.

"Sure we can, Tony, go on Dave, we'll come down when we're finished." Dan knew Dave well enough to appreciate his concern for Georgia and Dexter. He also knew that Dave had already arranged to pay for Dexter's funeral so that it would appear that Philos had paid for it. Georgia certainly didn't have the money for it.

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." Turning to Tony, "See ya later, Hon." He and Tony gave each other a peck on the lips.

"Be careful, Babe, I'll come down with Dan." Dave spun around and was out the door.

Dan noticed everything, the brief kiss, the "Hon" and "Babe" exchanges, and the way Dave and Tony communicated. He also observed how Tony seemed to take charge as they finished cleaning up the kitchen.

"Where's Dave?" Marcus asked as he strolled into the kitchen.

"Oh," Tony had completely forgotten about him. "I think Georgia's son has taken a turn for the worst and may be near death. She left earlier and Dave has gone to Philos to be with her."

"Sorry to hear that," Marcus responded sincerely. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't think so, Marcus, Dan and I were just finishing up here and then we planned to join Dave. I'm sorry," Tony almost blushed as he tried to figure out what to do about Marcus. "Will you be alright here by yourself for a while?"

"I'll be just fine. Actually, I need to do a little work, make some calls and have dinner with some prospective clients. I told Dave I expect to be back here about 11:00 PM. Do you think Dave would mind if I used his office for a while?"

"Help yourself, I'm sure he'd insist that you to make yourself comfortable." Tony thought for a minute, "If you get hungry, there's plenty of food in the fridge. I promise that either I or Dave will call when we know more."

"Great, you gentlemen go ahead, I can take care of myself." Marcus extended his hand toward Dan. "And Dan it sure was a pleasure to see you again. I hope we have the opportunity to talk again soon. I hear you are an important cog in the Philos wheel." Marcus knew that it never hurt to lay on a little flattery, you never know when it will come back to you.

"Thanks, Marcus... er Walt," Dan corrected himself and smiled as he shook Marcus' hand.

Again, Dan had been impressed at the way Tony handled the situation with Marcus, like he was an insider in Dave's household.

Just after turning out of the driveway, Dan couldn't wait any longer. He remembered Mike saying that Dave had invited Tony to move in with him so why not ask? He thought for a few moments to frame the question correctly.

"So, Tony," he began, "looks like you and Dave are hittin' it off real well. When ya gonna move in with him?"

"Ha-ha, I already did... Friday night," Tony chuckled.

"No shit! Well congratulations, Man," Dan held out his right hand, palm up. Tony slapped it and they both laughed. "I'm glad to see it." They drove on in silence for a few minutes until Tony decided to ask a question of his own.

"Say, Dan," they glanced at each other. "Whatta ya know about this community college Mike's gonna be goin' to?"

"Mike's not the only one, I'm gonna sign up for some courses too. Like Mike, I've learned that if I can pick up some management courses it'll help me move up into a higher salary scale at work. Mike and I'll be taking the same courses this fall."

"So you think it's a good school?"

"Yeah, it sure is. And when we finish, if we wanna go on to the university all of our courses transfer and we'll have only two more years to go. I don't know if that's what I wanna do but it's nice knowin' the door's open." Dan gl anced at Tony then back to the road. "Hey," Dan exclaimed casually, "why don't ya join us? We could all work together."

"Maybe," Tony paused for a second. "I haven't decided exactly what I want to do but I know I don't want to work construction for the rest of my life."

"That'll be great, Man... Oh! One more thing I almost forgot about. All that computer training I got in the Navy? The university will accept most of it toward a degree and that shortens the time even more. Ya oughta look into it too. You may have some training courses you could use."

"Hey, that's a great idea!" Tony exclaimed. Then in a more subdued tone, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything to Dave right now, I wanna think about it a little longer. Okay?"

"Sure, Tony, I think I understand," Dan turned and smiled at his new friend.

In the following silence Tony began to think. From what he'd observed, Dan seemed to know Dave better than Mike or Todd. He figured that was probably because they had been in high school together and just had a longer personal history. Perhaps Dan was the best person to ask for some guidance.

"Say... uh... Dan..."

"Yeah?" Dan detected a note of hesitation in Tony's voice and anticipated a question would follow.

"I know you guys said I'd have to wait for Dave to tell me about Paul but... can ya give me enough to help understand where Dave's comin' from?"

"Whatta ya mean, Tony? I thought things were goin' great."

"Like... I mean, things are great but Dave seems to be holding back just a little." Tony paused for a moment then continued. "Would it have anything to do with Paul?"

Dan was silent for a couple of minutes thinking about how he should answer that question. His experience as a counselor at Philos had taught him a lot about how to read and analyze people, and he'd done a lot of that with Dave.

"Tony... when Paul died it hurt Dave really bad. I mean there was a lot of pain. I wasn't there but Mike has told me a lot and I put it together with what I already knew. I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't some residual pain somewhere inside him. If you're askin' for my recommendation it would have to be - be patient. You've already been such a tremendously positive influence on Dave that I think it'll be only a short time before you start seeing what you're lookin' for."

Tony absorbed every word that Dan said. He hoped Dan was right and he was prepared to wait a long time if need be.

When Dan and Tony arrived at Philos they headed toward Dexter's room. Just as they got within sight of the room they saw Dave and Georgia walking toward them, Dave's arm around was Georgia and she was crying. It must have been over. Georgia accepted hugs and condolences from Tony and Dan.

Dave insisted that Georgia go back to his house for the night. She lived by herself and Dave believed she would be better off if she were not alone. At first Georgia resisted but Dave finally won out so she accompanied him and Tony back to the house. Tony reminded Dave about Marcus' plans and Dave called Marcus on his cell phone to say they were on their way home. -- Upon arriving at the house, Dave tried to get Georgia to go sit down but she insisted on busying herself with turning the leftovers into a meal for the three of them, Marcus was just leaving for his appointment. Staying busy was a welcome distraction for Georgia and was somewhat therapeutic too. In a way, Dexter's death was somewhat anticlimactic because she had known for some time that it would be happening. In that respect she actually felt some relief. She also received comfort knowing that her son was no longer suffering. And she particularly treasured the love and support she'd received from Dave, and now Tony.

Dave and Tony were in no mood for lovemaking that night; they just cuddled and appreciated having each o-ther to hold onto.

Monday morning the two men were up early for work. When they got to the kitchen Georgia had already made the coffee and set the table. She was obviously sad and Dave and Tony did their best to console her. Georgia said she didn't know what to do and when Dave suggested they have a long talk after he got home she agreed. Marcus entered the kitchen and had a light breakfast before departing for the airport. Dave thanked him for all of his help and promised to stay in touch. They would see each other again in September when Dave attended the next AANCF meeting.

Monday evening, when Dave and Tony got home, Georgia had prepared a beef roast in the oven with potatoes and carrots. After dinner they all retired to the library and Dave laid out his proposal for Georgia's consideration. He offered Georgia a fulltime job, which included her own apartment over the garage. When Georgia pointed out that there was no apartment over the garage, Dave said, "Not yet there isn't." Earlier that morning he'd started the ball rolling to turn the space over the southeastern wing of the garage into a private one-bedroom apartment. The section closer to the house he planned to turn into a play/exercise room. The current exercise room off the master bath would be turned into another bedroom. (Dave had an unannounced reason for that move.) Since the project would take a few months to complete, Dave asked Georgia to think about it and she agreed.

Tuesday morning Georgia returned to her own home in a rundown section of the city. She was renting and it was costing her a pretty penny to live there.

Wednesday afternoon, Dave accompanied Georgia to Dexter's funeral and burial. Very few people attended - a couple of Georgia's neighbors, Dan, Tony, and a couple of men from Philos who had befriended Dexter. Father Tim Fields performed the simple ceremony and Dexter was laid to rest. Dave was disappointed that members of Georgia's church hadn't attended but Georgia explained that they had virtually abandoned her when they learned that her son had died of AIDS. Even in his grave, Dexter couldn't escape their bigotry.

(To be continued.)