Family Matters, Chapter 24
On Sunday at lunch, Landon asked for a show of hands of those who felt they were ready to make a decision on whether or not to participate in the reality TV series on their lives as a modern family. Only Michael's hand went up.
"We're not obliged to let Mr. Stern know until next Saturday, so that will give us more time if we need it. Let's check in with each other again on Tuesday to see what progress has been made. Would anyone like to say why they need more time?" Landon continued.
"Austin and I were raring to go yesterday, but then we began to have questions. We've been back and forth. We drew a line down the middle of a sheet of paper and listed the good points on one side and the drawbacks on the other. I think we need more time to check out what happened to the Loud family so long ago. It was too late to do much reading last night by the time we did homework and, um, some other things."
"I'm not sure I could ever make up my mind," Marian said. "It's not really my decision because it's not my house. Could we have three choices in voting, yes,' no,' and `abstain'?"
"I suppose that would be the fairest way to vote," Landon agreed. "I believe it should be done by secret ballot initially so no one feels pressured one way or the other. However, I beg to differ with you about its not being your decision. You have as much at stake as anyone, if not more. You have two grandsons who will be impacted, as well as dealing with interruptions in your daily routine as our chief cook, and Corbin's caretaker."
"But I have to balance those things against helping to make a better world for Rory, Austin, and you men for that matter," Marian responded.
"There might be other ways we could be a voice for the cause," Michael reminded her.
On Sunday night after making sure their homework was up to date, Rory and Austin propped up on Rory's bed and watched an interview of Lance Loud on an old-time talk show hosted by Dick Cavett. They were a bit put off by Lance because of his campy mannerisms. It seemed to them that the young star went out of his way to make sure everyone knew he was different.
Then they watched some footage of the original show. Again, they were bothered by the way the family acted. It was like they were always playing to the camera, even when they weren't supposed to be aware they were being filmed.
The father, Bill, in an interview some years after the show ended, admitted feeling like he always needed to say something profound and that the show didn't really present any of the family members as they were.
The more the boys read, the more disillusioned they became.
"It's getting late, could you take me home?" Austin sighed.
"I can, but why don't you check with your `rents to see if you can sleep over? You have plenty of clothes in my closet and if you need anything, you can wear something of mine."
"I will if you let me wear the underwear you had on today."
"I will if you do the same with yours," Rory grinned.
"Deal!" Austin exclaimed.
"You are such a pervert!"
"Takes one to know one!"
After Austin got permission, via a text message from his mother, he and Rory stripped and climbed under the sheet. Soon, they were asleep, cuddled together.
Tuesday, Austin had dinner at Rory's house because they were going to take what they hoped would be a final and decisive vote about the filming project after they'd finished eating.
Marian had cooked a medium rare beef roast with several vegetables to complement it. She was always careful not to make anything too starchy since her men had become fitness nuts. That was fine with her because she had lost a few pounds and tightened up her waist principally by eating right and going to the senior classes at the gym a few times a week. With swimming season over, the boys didn't need as many carbs either.
After the men had cleaned up the kitchen while the boys had put away the leftovers, the household reconvened in the family room. The little boys were playing with a few toys and Charlie in a corner where they wouldn't be likely to pay attention to the discussion the rest were having.
"From our conversation over dinner, I assume everyone is ready to vote," Landon said.
A murmur of assenting words echoed throughout the room.
"I ran off the ballots on one sheet of paper and sliced them up with the paper cutter at work today," Michael said as he passed them out along with pencils. "As you can see, you need only circle your answer, so your vote will truly be secret."
Everyone marked a ballot, folded it, and dropped it in a shoebox Landon had set on the coffee table. He unfolded each and set them into separate piles. There were only two piles, and one contained a single piece of paper.
"I think I can guess who abstained, but I could be wrong. All the rest say that we should NOT participate. The family has spoken. It's not necessary, but would anyone care to say what led them to a negative response?"
"Yup!" Rory grinned. "Austin and I felt that it wouldn't show the real us. We think we'd come off stilted like that family from back in the 70's."
"We decided having a camera in our faces all the time would change everything," Austin added. "It would take the verite' out of the cinema verite' just like primitive tribes have been changed by contact with anthropologists who studied them. I read about that in one of our social studies assignments."
"Landon and I agree," Michael said. "We were afraid that we would try to make statements we felt were `significant' but would come off as sounding contrived."
"We also considered the effect it would have on the little ones," Landon added, inclining his head toward Corbin and Ryan who were busy getting Charlie to shake hands. "Our baby would probably mug for the camera, and his new bro has had enough instability in his life without the disruptions of a camera crew for weeks on end. There's also the extra stress it would put on Marian."
Marian smiled at the outcome. "I agree with the family's decision, but if the boys had wanted it, I didn't want to stand in their way. I can understand why they would like to bring a message of hope to other teens."
"We can still do that, but in other ways," Landon reassured her.
Due to the time difference between the Midwest and the West Coast, Landon took a chance that he might be able to get in touch with Eric Stern right away. The call went through, and he explained the outcome of their family vote. He pushed the `speaker' button so the family could hear.
"I rather expected that is how it would go," Eric said. "I've talked to a couple of other families like yours and they expressed reservations too. I'm going to revise the project to be a series of interviews instead of the cinema verite format. It will allow participants to get their views to the public without all the hassle of having a camera in their faces for long periods of time. The audience would still get a peek into how the family operates. Do you think your family might be interested in doing something like that?"
"Funny you should ask, because we were just discussing that idea," Landon said. "From the nodding heads in this room, I believe everyone would consider it. We would want to have a say about the content, I think."
"Great! I'll keep in touch."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later," Landon signed off.
"Well, my beloved family, I believe this could work out like we wanted it to."
As the end of the school year approached, several details needed attending to. Marian took Ryan to get him officially registered for kindergarten in the fall. She had entered his name in the district records as soon as he'd come to live with them. She wouldn't have known about the amount of competition for places in the program if Jenna hadn't alerted her to it.
School officials tested Ryan for readiness and found him to be quite advanced for his age. Part of his achievement reflected his natural abilities, but some of it was due to having Rory and Austin playing educational games with him.
Because of their help, he had a good sight-vocabulary and could read simple sentences. He also did well with elementary math exercises like adding and subtracting numbers from one to 10 and counting to 100. He felt quite proud of himself when the tester praised his good work.
For the older boys, spring term brought the PSAT tests to evaluate their readiness for college, which would start in a little over a year. They did well too, and Mrs. O'Grady thought their scores might make them eligible for some scholarships to help defray expenses.
Before summer vacation began, there were projects to finish and final exams to pass. Since their schedules were nearly identical, Rory and Austin worked and studied together. That turned into a good opportunity for them to strengthen the ties of their union while honing their skills for the tests.
Shortly before finals week, Rory and Austin got calls from the manager of the city swimming pools. Their applications had been accepted and they'd be working as lifeguards in the summer like they had hoped. The news was both good and not quite so good. They were assigned to the same pool in their quadrant of the city, but they wouldn't be working together for the most part. At times, their shifts would overlap by half an hour, but that was it.
However, they would work together in the mornings three days a week teaching beginners. That was really great! Rory hoped that either Austin or he would be able to teach Ryan. He knew his little brother would do better for them than with a stranger.
Grandma became Ryan's part-time chauffeur once the summer schedule began. He was excited about learning to swim because his big brother was an excellent swimmer and he wanted to be just like him. Rory was flattered to be his hero, but felt that he needed to be a perfect role model and hoped he could live up to Ryan's expectations. He worried sometimes about what would happen to their relationship when Ryan became old enough to understand the full meaning of the term "boyfriend" as it applied to Austin. At this juncture, the little boy simply accepted the relationship without questioning it.
Marian often took Corbin to the pool along with Ryan so he could splash in the kiddies' pool. Fortunately, it was located close to the shallow end of the large one so that she could keep an eye on both of them.
Whichever of the teens was off duty when Marian was there would give extra instruction to one of the boys while Marian watched the other. Ryan would likely pass the beginner level before the summer was over. Little Corbin was quickly becoming acclimated to the water too. He wasn't afraid to duck his head under after the boys showed him about blowing his breath out to keep from sucking water back in. Rory thought the toddler could become a really strong swimmer someday if he could become comfortable in the water this early. They also wanted him to learn from the beginning not to hold his breath. The head instructor at the pool had told them of how many young children drown from fainting in the water because of holding their breath too long.
After school was out, it wasn't all work and no play for the guys. Several days a week, there was no one at home at the Bank's house since Jennifer was taking two classes at the university to keep up her certification. This gave the boys a place to sun nude in the backyard which was surrounded by a tall privacy fence. They were careful to use sunscreen to prevent getting burned, applying a higher SPF number to the parts of their bodies which were exposed to more rays when they were lifeguarding, and a lower number on their butts and other places which weren't normally bare. Of course, the heavy-duty stuff was used to protect their privates from sunburn. Helping one another apply it became a game which usually ended in the outflow of bodily fluids.
Sometimes, they invited Thad and Paul to join them, which was therapeutic for Thad and Rory. Thad still had quite a bit of anger toward his deceased father. Rory could empathize because of how he felt toward Ralph. It was good to be in a situation where they could let their feelings out, knowing no one would sit in judgment on them.
The more Austin was around Thad, the more he found him to be a sensitive, considerate guy. In past years, he'd always seen him as a stereotypical jock who expected the world to revolve around him. Austin realized that he had been prejudging Thad on the basis of being a football player instead of really getting to know him. Austin now had no qualms about Rory's plan to be a place kicker on the football team in the fall. He knew Thad wasn't going to be hitting on his boyfriend because Thad was a gentleman, and he also had Paul.
Ryan would have liked having Rory and Austin at his beck and call every day now that school wasn't in session. He came to accept that it wasn't possible because of their jobs. Grandma took him to the pool at times when they were on duty so he could see that for himself. She encouraged him to play with boys his own age too. That's why she had him in a play group.
Marian had originally felt a bit out of place being a generation older than most of the moms in the group. However, there was another grandmother of similar age who was also raising a five-year-old. In that case, the lady's daughter had lost custody because of drug use, and neglect of the boy. The two women found they had a lot in common.
In addition to being supportive of each other, they often served as resources for the younger women who didn't have mothers nearby or who didn't want to ask their own mothers for advice on child-rearing. The ladies felt good about being useful.
Eric Stern contacted the family in the third week of June to see if he could set up an interview with them before July. He emailed a list of topics he would like to cover. He included samples of the kind of questions he would likely be asking so they would have time to consider their responses. Landon and Michael checked with everyone's calendar and decided it would be doable. The plans for their July wedding were pretty much in place, and barring some unforeseen snag, should come off on schedule. So, they gave the go-ahead.
Mr. Stern did part of the interviews with them as a family, but also wanted some sessions with Michael and Landon by themselves. He chose to do the same with Rory and Austin. At times, Ron, Jennifer, and Mildred Langston were included because they were considered to be a part of the extended family.
In addition to the informal sessions, he planned to weave in details from the extensive notes about the family that Jennifer had provided. He would have a narrator work bits and pieces into the story when they edited the footage they'd shot.
After asking permission to come back to discreetly film parts of the upcoming wedding, he and his crew went back to California.
Lois and Lloyd Brooks arrived from London in the late afternoon on the first day of July. They were tired from their long flight and the effects of jet lag, but perked up when they saw their son and two handsome teenagers waiting for them beyond the security checkpoint. Landon escorted them to the baggage claim area after introductions had been made all around.
They had all visited on Skype, but this was their first time of meeting face to face, since Lois had left several months before Rory came to live with Landon and Michael. Lloyd and she were quite impressed with the boys' manners, as they insisted on carrying the luggage to relieve their tired guests of the effort.
Marian had a light meal ready for them when they arrived at the house. She knew that they'd probably want a bite to eat before taking a rest to rejuvenate.
It was several hours before Lois and Lloyd came back downstairs again. By that time, the rest of the family had eaten dinner and were scattered around the house. However, everyone assembled in the family room to get better acquainted.
It was nearly Corbin's bedtime, but he wanted to stay up to meet his grandmother. He wasn't the least bit standoffish with her or Lloyd. Lloyd probably got the warmest welcome because he sat down on the floor to play with the boys. For awhile, he had Corbin on one side and Ryan on the other. He did his best to spread his attention equally between the two.
Charlie got right in Lloyd's face, wanting to be noticed too. Lloyd loved the whole scene!
Assuming that their guests would be hungry again and knowing that her family had a perpetual appetite, Marian set out cold cuts, cheese, bread, crackers, chips, a veggie tray, and a variety of sodas on the kitchen countertop for everyone to snack on. It was welcome indeed.
Corbin wasn't happy when it was time for him to go to bed, but he didn't make a big fuss. Ryan wanted to stay up longer too, but Rory told him he had to take his bath in two minutes if he wanted his help because Austin and he had to get to bed in order to be up early to give swimming lessons in the morning. Wanting their attention at bath-time, Ryan went upstairs willingly.
After the little ones were bedded down, and Rory and Austin had gone down to sleep, the adults got to visit a bit longer.
"You have a really lovely family," Lloyd exclaimed. "Lois had raved about Corbin and Marian, and I know from Landon's emails that the boys are all doing well, but having not seen them all with my own eyes, I wondered if he was being entirely realistic."
"I didn't exaggerate, did I?" Landon beamed.
"Not a bit! From what I've seen, Son, you're a very lucky man."
"I am, indeed. On top of that I have this awesome husband-to-be," he said, placing an arm on Michael's shoulder.
"I agree," Lloyd smiled. "I wish everyone could be so fortunate."
When Marian went out to tidy up the kitchen, Lois followed her to help.
"Thank you for taking such good care of my son and his family, dear lady," she said. "I hate being so far away, but knowing you're here makes me rest easier."
"I love helping them out, but it goes both ways. They are a big aid to me in the raising of my two grandsons. It's especially great for Rory to have them in his life since he's gay."
"Oh, I didn't know that."
"Didn't Landon mention it?"
"No, he probably thought it wasn't particularly important. Being gay doesn't dictate every aspect of a person's life."
"So, you didn't pick up on how close Rory and Austin are?"
"Well, I can see that they are very good buddies, but no one told me they were lovers."
"You have to be proud of Landon for not spreading gossip, even when it's true!" Marian smiled. "He and Michael are really great guys!"
Once their sleeping patterns adjusted to the Midwestern time zone, Landon's parents spent a lot of time with the family. They were happy that they'd decided to come back to the US early enough to have a good visit before the wedding, instead of arriving last minute and seeing little of the men before they left for their honeymoon.
Their young grandsons enjoyed them more and more as they had opportunity to be read to and played with. While Rory and Austin didn't exactly fall into the category of grandsons, they got along with Landon's parents very well too.
Rory arranged for pool passes so that Lois and Lloyd could observe them teaching kids to swim. The guys loved showing off their skills to Landon's parents.
Landon and Michael had long ago decided to have a very small wedding. In the beginning, they had thought it would be enough to simply go to the courthouse and have a judge sign the papers and make the pronouncement. However, as their family grew, they felt it would be nicer to have a real church wedding.
Because the Episcopal Church had recently voted in favor of performing same-sex ceremonies, they decided to have it in the chapel of St. Stephan's. It was a beautiful setting and would accommodate their list of friends and family comfortably. Being on church property would also provide a gracious space for a reception in the large parlor afterwards. Having it in the early afternoon, there would be no need for a sit-down meal which would cut down on the cost and make it a less formal event.
In each invitation, they had included a slip of paper which read, "The pleasure of your presence is the only present we desire. If you find it difficult to abide by that, you are welcome to send a small gift to the charity of your choice in our names."
In combining their belongings, they had ended up with more household goods than they needed, and they really did want their wedding to be a "no-obligation" type of event.
They also wished to have their extended family members participate as fully as possible. They chose Rory and Austin to be their attendants. Ryan and Corbin carried pillows with the rings pinned on. Landon's mother lighted his candle, and Marian did the honors for Michael's since his mother was deceased. Their fathers ushered, and Aunt Mildred oversaw the guest book. The only one without a job was Charlie, and the guys thought that he wouldn't feel slighted as long as he got to have the run of the yard in their absence.
Every detail of the ceremony came off as planned. The grooms had been concerned about Corbin's part, but with Ryan holding his hand as he toddled down the aisle, he performed beautifully.
Fr. Tom included all of the traditional elements that he used in the marriages of hetero couples. It turned out to be a beautiful ceremony; one which was recorded in full detail by the professional cameramen from Eric Stern's operation.
After the reception, the new husbands flew off to a resort in Belize.
On a Saturday night in early August, the interview segment of the Brooks/Day family aired on the ABC network to a huge audience. Even Eric was surprised at the estimated number of people viewing his second program in the series.
He had begun two weeks earlier with the enchanting story of Devon Cook and Jade Matson who, along with Jade's grandmother, Dyani and their two sons, Jayden and Dakota, had captivated the hearts of America. That had proved to be a smashing success, and it looked like tonight's numbers might top it.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I'm your host, Eric Stern, bringing you the second in our series of exploring the American family in the 21st Century. Tonight we'll meet Landon Brooks and Michael Day, along with their extended family and a few friends.
As I told you last time, my wife and I have been happily married 24 years and have three children. You may remember that my motivation in making this series is to expose the `Gay agenda' for what it is; a desire of a number of people in this minority to be treated like everyone else. They aren't looking to turn your children gay as some misguided people have suggested. What they want is to experience equal opportunity in the workplace, the chance to live in partnership as spouses, and the possibility of raising their families in a loving environment. In other words, the American Dream. Since the Supreme Court decision in June, this is now a reality!
Before we view tonight's installment, I want to thank all of you who took the time to email, tweet, or write a letter. I'm happy to report that the responses we received were overwhelmingly positive. A number of you expressed how your opinion of same-sex marriage had changed by observing scenes of a gay wedding and the love expressed by the couple involved.
We did get some hate mail, but that's to be expected, I'm afraid. It's taken a long time for the nation to move away from the racial discrimination that led to events like "Bloody Sunday" fifty years ago, and we're certainly not out of the woods in that area either. However, despite the events in Ferguson, Missouri, and other places recently, the future looks more promising on that front too.
Now, I invite you to turn on your recorders in case you want to go back and have a second look later. There are many important lessons to observe in the next hour."
The extended family, including Aunt Mildred, Ron and Jennifer, along with Thad and Paul, who were spending the night, watched in rapt attention on the large-screen TV in the basement rec room.
When the first commercial came on, Marian invited them to fill up their plates with the array of snacks she'd prepared for the screening party. During various breaks, the teens, in particular, went back for more goodies.
Everyone applauded the definition of "family" that Landon and Michael had come up with together. It resonated with all of them that the concept of family included people who were related by factors other than DNA.
"Our family, for the most part, is an assembled group who are united by a stronger force than the happenstance of birth." Landon had summed it up at the end of the episode. "We have a bond that's like superglue. It's called LOVE!"
It was bedtime soon after the party had wound down and the leftovers put away. The four teens lounged in boxers in the basement rec room after their showers, still talking about how cool the show had been.
"I think it's awesome that you got the message out that it's okay to be gay," Paul smiled.
"Me too, and I'm really happy to have been in a couple of the scenes," Thad added. "The concept of openly gay guys with gay friends has to have sent a positive message to kids who feel like they're the only ones in the world with those feelings. I'm proud to have been a small part of it."
"I am too," Paul agreed. "You know I used to lust for you at a distance before you got the balls to come out."
"Yeah, I grew balls only to have to surrender them to you," Thad joked. "Let's go to bed before we get too tired..."
The boys retreated to their own beds to show their appreciation for their boyfriends. Exactly what they did would remain a private matter.
Landon and Michael were in their bed about to celebrate their union once more too. But before they did, they spent a little time reminiscing, recounting the twists of fate that had taken them from being two strangers sharing a table in a Greek restaurant to becoming a 21st Century American family.
"It's like Eric said in the introduction, we have reached the American Dream!" Michael remarked. "Now let's enjoy one of the more intimate aspects of that dream while the kids are asleep."
"I love you, Michael!
"I love you too, Landon!
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Author's notes: Thanks to the larger than usual number who responded this week. The list includes: Ott H, Wayne, Chandra B, Mike D, Dave F, Jim L, Nick S, Tony W, Geoff, Swill Nick, Trish R, Douglas and Lawrence, Mendy D, Paul R, Harry T, Jeremy R, John L, Marc A, David T, Bill K, Jim W, Tom A, Bill T, Martel D, David A, Silent R, Zero, Walt S, Dick M, and Paul F. As always, I hope I didn't omit anyone.
I have a few new story starts in my head and will try to get one going for posting soon. It could be within the next week or so. If you're on my "alert" list, you should receive the info when something is up.
As NPR begins its fall pledge drive, don't forget Nifty if you have the cash to spare. Someone has to help fund free services...
Until next time, be kind to others and help bring peace and understanding to the world one person at a time.
David