Disclaimer -- This is a work of fiction depicting a situation involving homosexual men. If you are offended or are under the legal age to view such matierials, please do not read further. By continuing, you agree that neither the author nor nifty are responsible for any actions that occur as a result of this story or an individual's interpretation. Also, if you are a "bible thumper," please email me any comments you have. I will rebuke every claim that you make. If you have other comments, feel free to email me if you wish. The address is boricuaholandes@hotmail.com.
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I woke up at 4:45, or at least that's what the clock read. The darkness was broken only by the red LED of the clock from across the room. As I grew more and more conscious, I began to realize what day it was. It was day I'd been working toward for years. It was a day that I'd put off because of campaigning for my dad for the House and Senate; I'd put off the day, too, when Josh died and I took a semester off to work and learn how to cope with the loss. What day was it? It was graduation day.
"In just seven hours," I thought, "I will hold my B.A. in Spanish." I smiled, feeling as though I was about to accomplish something for myself and no one else.
I lay in the bed for a long time, just thinking, reflecting on what was, is, and will be. My head rested on Pedro's left arm; our left hands being held together by the interlacing of our fingers. Pedro's right arm was wrapped around my side and waist, holding me into his tightly. His forehead rested itself on my upper back, and I felt the warmth of his breath on my naked back. I felt the coarse hair of his legs as they wrapped around me, our toes gently touching each other's.
For almost a half hour, I lay there, thinking about things, contemplating the meaning of life. Pedro breathed deeply a few times, and moved his head away from my back. I kissed his arm lightly. I could almost feel him smile. He always smiled when he first woke up. That's one of the things I love about him.
"Morning," he said quietly.
"Good morning, love. Sleep well?" I responded.
"I did."
"Why is that?"
"Porque estuve al lado del hombre que quiero por toda la noche." (Because I was beside the man I love all night.)
"Que simpático! Te quiero, Pedrito," I said as I turned to face him. (How nice! I love you, Pedrito.)
"Te quiero más," he added, smiling at me. He yawned deeply, "¿Qué hora es?" (I love you more...What time is it?)
"Son las cinco y cuarto." (It's 5:15.)
"Tan temprano. ¿Estás bellaco?" (So early...Are you horny?)
"No. Estoy feliz." (No. I'm excited.)
"Ay. Casí olvidé que nos graduaremos un poco más tarde." (Ay. I almost forgot that we'll be graduating in a little while.)
"Vas a recibir tu BS en ciencia politica y recibiré la mía en español," I said as I ran a single finger of the hard ridges of his chest. (You're going to receive your BS in Political Science and I will receive mine in Spanish.)
"Te compré un regalito," he said, taking my hand with his and kissing it. (I bought you a gift.)
"Te compré algo, también." (I bought you something too.)
"¿Qué me compraste?" he asked. (What did you buy me?)
"Verás." (You'll see.)
"Ay David. Necesito saber que me darás." (Ay David. I need to know what you're giving me.)
"Entonces, tendrás que esperar. No te lo voy a dar antes del ceremonio." I looked at him and smiled. "Pero, te quiero," I added, kissing his chest as he faked being upset. (Then, you'll have to wait. I'm not going to give it to you until after the ceremony.)
"OK," he said, sighing, "Esperaré." (I will wait.)
"Bueno," I said between gentle kisses of his masculine chest. "Estoy bellaco, Pedro," I said, moving further and further south with my kisses. (Good...I'm horny, Pedro.)
"Sabes que no voy a decirte a parar," Pedro said, turning over onto his side. I made my way to his belly button. I tugged at his boxers as he lifted his hips enough for me to remove them from his body. I pulled them from under his ass first, followed by the front next. I stopped by oral assault until I could get his boxers off his taut body. "David?" (You know I'm not gonna tell you to stop.)
"¿Sí, Pedrito?" (Yes, Pedro?)
"Quiero algo." (I want something.)
"¿Qué quieres, amor?" (What do you want, love?)
"¿Quiero que me jodas?" (I want you to fuck me.)
"¿Cómo?" (Huh?)
"Me oiste." (You heard me.)
I laughed evilly. "Sí, te oí." (Yes, I heard you.)
I pulled a condom from the drawer beside our bed and lubed my now hard cock. I put one of my lubed fingers into Pedro's ass, followed a few minutes later by a second. "Listo estoy," he said as I pushed slowing into his tight asshole.
Over the next hour, I pounded away at his ass. He loved every minute of the assault. Well after the sun came up, we were finished with our love making session. Pedro came three times, once without touching himself. I came twice, spending myself inside of him.
I fell on top of him, having completely lost my breath. "Yo te quiero," he whispered as he kissed my sweaty head. (I love you.)
"Yo te quiero, también," I said, returning the kiss onto his sweaty chest.
Around seven, we both managed to get ourselves out of bed and ready to start the day. We took a shower together, taking time to wash each other all over. His hands rubbing and caressing my body made me horny again, though neither of us had time to take care of the problems that arose.
Nine o'clock was the magic hour. Pedro and I, as graduates, were required to report well before our guests and invitees. Countless people were there, waiting in their suits and dresses for the moment when their name would be called, and they would be asked to walk across the stage. Pedro and I were both nervous.
"David," he said, putting his hand on my legs. "I need to talk to you about something."
"You're not breaking up with me, are you?" I jokingly said as I put my hand on top of his.
"David Jansen! I couldn't ever do that," he added, kissing my cheek. "No...I've got a job interview this coming Tuesday."
"Really?" I excitedly asked. "Where at?"
"That's what I need to tell you," he said, nervously.
"Could all of the graduates please come to the floor and take your seat!" a woman bellowed before Pedro could get finished with his phrase. He kissed me once more and said his `I love yous' before going to the floor. I followed him down the stairs to the stadium's floor, taking my place with other graduates from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.
Several speakers, including the President of UAB and the Chancellor of the University of Alabama system spoke of their pride in our graduation. In a way, it seemed a veiled attempt at thanking us for spending so much money on the piece of paper that we were about to receive. My father was third down the list, having been invited to address the crowd of people assembled. My father had assured me, though, that this would not be a political speech or a pre-campaign rally.
He spoke to us for about ten minutes. I looked directly at him, and he looked directly at me. "And I leave you with the following: God has put all of us on this Earth to do great things, regardless of our race, gender, religion, creed, belief, or sexual orientation. It's what we do with that empowerment that determines how we're remembered." His words seemed almost too real; I looked at Pedro, who seemed to be hanging on each word uttered by my father. "And so to my son, his partner, Pedro, and all of you who sit before me as graduates of this University, Congratulations from both my wife and me." The crowd seemed pleased with the speech. Several of my fellow graduates stood and clapped for my father and his flowery words. Some of my fellow graduates made no show of support for my father's words. Some of them, including the man with whom I'd made love this morning, stood and very loudly cheered for him and what he said.
The next part of the ceremony was actually the conferring of degrees. One by one, we filed to the stage, each having our name called by the University's President. "Catherine Maria Jameson, Bachelor of Arts, French...David Miguel Jansen, Bachelor of Arts, Spanish..." I walked across the stage, shaking the President's hand before being corralled back to my seat. In just a few minutes, those receiving a Bachelor of Science degree were herded onto the stage. "...Chad Moram, Bachelor of Science, History...Pedro Daniel Morales, Bachelor of Science, Political Science..." Pedro seemed to walk more triumphantly across the stage than any of the other graduates. Maria, Antony, and Abu had sat with my family, Christopher and his new boyfriend Jay. They all cheered as loudly as I did. I was so happy for him and so honored to be his boyfriend.
As the ceremony ended, Pedro and I found each other. We walked up to each other and kissed. A couple of pictures snapped around us, but we didn't care who'd seen us sharing a moment between lovers. All of the straight couples were doing it! Our combined families found their way to where we'd met each other. Rounds of kissing were in order as Abu, Maya, Rose, and Dr. T all insisted on kissing, hugging, and congratulating each of us separately. The rest of the family, including my father the Senator, crowded around the two of us. Each of the `mothers' took enough pictures to re-paper our apartment. The day couldn't get any better.
We made our ways back to our cars and each headed out of town toward Maya and Daddy's house in Oneonta. As with any other major occasion, Maya cooked. She cooked enough for food to fee each of us three times over. Mexican, Puerto Rican, American, Italian, and a couple of Brazilian dishes she'd learned from Senator Collins' of Illinois wife, who herself was from Bahía, in northern Brazil. We all seemed to enjoy ourselves. On several occasions, I saw Pedro stealing glances at me. They were also accompanied by smiles.
Feeling tired from the day's goings on, and from the fact that I'd gotten up at 4:45 that morning, Pedro and I took our leave at around seven in the evening. The excitement helped keep our conversation fueled for most of the way home. It was then that I remembered our conversation from earlier.
"So tell me about this job interview," I said as we made our way down I-59 toward the apartment. Pedro sat silent for a few minutes. "I didn't mean to upset you, Pedro," I said after realizing the apprehension that had been building up inside him.
"Well. I'd be working for a good left-wing group. They need a permanent consultant," he stated.
"That's great, Pedro!"
"Yeah. And if I'm hired, which they say is looking really good, I'd be making one hundred fifty thousand dollars a year."
"Damn. So I get to be a house husband?" I asked, joking with him.
For the first time since I brought the subject up, Pedro smiled, "If you want to be a house husband, then that would be awesome."
"So what group is this for?"
"It's a left-wing group," he again stated vaguely.
"OK???" I asked.
"Baby, before I tell you this next part, promise that you won't get mad."
"You don't want me to go with you, do you?" I said, preparing myself to be rejected by the man who'd proposed to me a few months before.
"David Miguel Jansen! Don't be talkin' crazy," he said, "of course I want you there with me. We're a team!"
"OK."
"It's working for the Liberal Part of Ontario. They want a consultant to advise them on dealings with American groups and government entities."
"That's awesome, baby."
"So you wouldn't be upset about leaving Birmingham?"
"Pedro. Where you go, I will go," I said as a sense of relief came over his face. "How many people know about this?"
"Other than me, Robert Cannes and you," he answered.
"Who's Robert Cannes?"
"He's the Chief of Staff for Dalton McGuinty," Pedro answered.
"Shit! You'd be working for the Premier?"
"Indirectly, yeah. I'd actually be working for the party."
"Wow. That is what you wanted to do, kind of, isn't it."
"This so much what I wanted to do."
"Then why were you nervous to tell me?" I asked.
"Because I saw how you looked around your family. They make you happy."
"Pedro! You are, for all practical purposes, my husband!"
"That's another thing, too!"
"What?"
"I told Robert that I'd be bringing my partner with me. He's told me that if I'm hired, you will automatically be able to come with me, and that we can get married. It's been legal there since 2003."
"Really?"
"Yeah. So we could make that ring you wear every day worth something."
"It already is," I stated as I turned to look at him directly.
I took his hand in mind as I thought about all that we'd been talking about. I couldn't seem to focus on the rest of the conversation. It was a lot of information to take in.
"So would you like to go up there with me?" he asked at the end of a speech I'd not paid much attention to.
"Sure," I answered, assuming that he was talking about the two of us going to Toronto.
"Great, because Robert sent an extra ticket for you, too."
"Really?" I joked. "That is really nice of him."
"Yes it is. I also told him that you were thinking of starting on your graduate degree in the fall, and he is checking a couple of things for me at the University of Toronto."
"My God, Pedro! You've been a busy boy! When did you start planning all of this stuff?"
"About two weeks ago. When I had that mid-afternoon study session a couple of weeks ago, I was really going to Abu's for an interview."
"I thought she didn't know."
"She doesn't know the details."
"Oh...OK..."
We drove back to the apartment discussing the details of our coming trip. Even though I was dog tired from the goings-on of the day, I still was excited. I'd never been to Toronto before, but I'd always heard that I would enjoy it immensely.
When we got back to the apartment, the party at Kyle and Jamie's was in full force. It had become a tradition for them to have a party on the night after graduation in the spring. For the last four years, it had happened as regularly as clockwork. Pedro and I climbed the stairs and sneaked into the apartment before a knock on the door interrupted us. We tried to ignore the person knocking, but they wouldn't stop. I looked through the peephole to see Christopher, with his boyfriend in tow.
"Let us in. I see you looking through the peephole, David!" Christopher said.
I opened the door and smiled politely. "How did you know it was me and not Pedro?"
"Lucky guess, I suppose," he said as he and Jay pushed their way through the doorway and into the living room of our apartment.
"So, Jay and I are going to the beach next week. Would you and your really attractive, big, brown husband like to go with us?" Christopher asked.
I looked at Pedro, who gave me the approval to tell Christopher what was going on. "We can't next week."
"Why not?"
"Well, Pedro has a job interview out of town."
"Then you can come, if you want to," he said, turning to Pedro, "and if it's OK with Pedro."
"Well. I was actually going to go with him."
"Oh OK," he said smiling. He wasn't angry, but I could tell from his expressions that he wanted details. "So are y'all gonna tell me what y'all are hiding?" he joking said, turning to look between Pedro and me.
"Well," Pedro said, getting off the couch and coming to stand beside us.
"I have a job opportunity working as a consultant for a left-wing group," he said smiling.
"Pedro. You might as well be speaking Spanish. Where is it at? And what would you be doing?"
"Well. I would be working indirectly for a man named Dalton McGuinty."
"Oh my God! You'd be moving to Canada?" Jay asked without thinking.
Christopher looked at me, half with an expression of shock and half with an expression of disbelief. "Is he for real?"
"Yeah," I said quietly. Christopher was expressionless for a minute.
"So you'd be leaving?"
"Yeah," I said, expecting a more positive response from him. Pedro looked at me supportively from behind Christopher and Jay.
"Well it'll be about time you got out of this shithole of an apartment!" he exclaimed, jumping up to hug me. Despite the fact that we were tired, Christopher and Jay dragged us over to Kyle and Jamie's party. "KYLE! JAMIE!" Christopher yelled as we crossed the breezeway.
"What?" they said as we walked into their apartment.
"David and Pedro are leaving us."
"We don't know that definitely, yet," I added as soon as Christopher had finished.
"As soon as they see Pedro, they'll give him the job!"
"Where is it at?" Jamie asked.
"What would you be doing?" Kyle followed, both of them coming up to Pedro and hugging him.
"They're going to Canada!" Christopher said after waiting for Pedro to answer.
"He's got a job working for the Premier of Ontario," Jay added.
"Oh shit!" Kyle said.
"Y'all can get married. I mean, actually married," Jamie added.
"Who's getting married?" Cole asked as he brought Jamie and himself a beer.
"David and Pedro," Christopher said.
"Really? When? Congratulations!"
"Pedro's getting a job in Canada, and they're gonna move up there and get married," Jamie explained as he turned and kissed his boyfriend. "Isn't that so romantic?"
"Awww...that is really sweet," Cole said. "Congratulations, guys!" Cole looked at me, "Does your family know, yet?"
"Not yet," I said. "So don't say anything to them, OK?"
"No problem," Cole said, winking at me. "Baby, can I talk to you about something in your room for a minute?" he said to Jamie after a moment.
The conversation dispersed as Jay and Christopher went to dancing. Kyle had brought someone to the party, and eventually wandered off with him. Pedro and I slipped out quietly when no one else was looking.
Before long, we were asleep. I tossed and turned for part of the night. I finally did rest, but was awoken the next morning by the sounds of breakfast being cooked in the next room.
As I woke up, Pedro slipped into the bedroom, carrying a tray for breakfast. "Morning, sexy," he said as I sat up in the bed.
"Good morning. What is this?"
"I made you breakfast. I made pancakes with maple syrup and Canadian bacon."
"Wow. Are you working with a theme, Mr. Morales?"
"Yeah. I'm going for the whole Canada theme."
"Cool," I said as I cut into the pancakes. "So when are we leaving for your interview?"
"Tonight."
"Tonight?"
"Yeah. Is that too soon?"
"Nope, but I'll need to get my passport from Maya and Daddy's house."
"You don't have your birth certificate?" he asked.
"Nope. I lost it a long time ago."
"OK. So we're going to see Maya and Mike then," he said. "Are you sure you're OK with this?"
"Pedro! I'm great with this. As long as you're there, I'm fine." I reached up from my pancakes and bacon to kiss him. He returned the kiss.
"Great. I love you, David," he whispered to me.
"I love you too," I said, breaking the kiss and stuffing another wedge of the pancakes into my mouth.
We rushed to get everything ready for the trip. By noon, we'd packed all the clothes we'd need for the next few days. The plan was to fly to Toronto that night, enjoy the sights and sounds of the city on Monday. On Tuesday morning, Pedro would meet with party officials while I explored the University of Toronto's, St. George campus and spoke with people in the linguistics department. We'd then spend another day exploring Toronto on Wednesday before flying home on Thursday.
Our flight out of Birmingham wasn't until late that night, so Pedro and I had time to make quick trips to see my parents and his grandmother, aunts, and Maria. Pedro and I, as we drove toward Oneonta, imagined what our family members would say. As we pulled into my parents' neighborhood, my stomach began to tense. I was getting nervous, though I don't know why.
As we pulled into the driveway, we noticed an unexpected snag in our plan: Jay and Dawn were there. I was more nervous, but Pedro took it all in stride.
"David! Pedro!" Maya said as she came down the stairs to meet us. "We weren't expecting to see you here today." She gave each of us a hug as Dawn and the baby came down the front stairs of the house.
"I know. I need to get something out of my room."
"Is everything OK?"
"Yeah. Everything's fine. I just realized this morning that I need to get something out of the safe in the room."
"What?"
"We'll explain in a few minutes," I said, smiling at my mother. When inside, Pedro pulled Daddy into the office while Maya and I went upstairs, leaving Jay and Dawn to muddle through what was going on.
"David. I am worried," my mother said as she and I walked into my room. "Are you sure that you're OK?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Then why are you getting into your safe?"
"Because I need to get my passport."
"Are y'all going somewhere?"
"Yes ma'am. Pedro has a job interview in Toronto on Tuesday. We're leaving tonight to fly up there."
"What will he be doing?"
"He'll be working for the Liberal Party in a consultant's position," I explained.
"And what will you be doing?"
"Hopefully, I'll be able to get into the University of Toronto to start my PhD," I said.
"I'm sure that you will have no problem, my love." She looked at me. "I am so proud for both of you. When will you be back?"
"The plan is to return on Thursday."
"Well, plan on coming up Friday for dinner, then. And call me the minute you get up there and the minute you get back to Birmingham," she instructed.
"I will," I said as I walked around my bed and pulled my fireproof safe from below my bed. A flood of memories came back as I sifted through pictures of Josh and me. I found a bankbook for an account that I'd forgotten I had, as well as my passport. The gold embossed, blue booklet with the seal of my homeland was right where I'd left it when Josh died. (I'd put it there so that I wouldn't be tempted to take the money I'd gotten from his insurance policy and go to another country to live in solitude for the rest of my days.)
I took the two booklets and went back downstairs with my mother. Jay and Dawn came up to me and hugged me. "Is everything OK?" they both asked, practically in tandem.
"Yeah. Everything's cool."
Pedro and Daddy came out Daddy's office in just a second. Daddy was crying a bit, but was smiling widely. "So, David. You'll love it up there," he said, coming over and giving me a hug.
"What's going on?"
"Pedro has an interview with the Liberal Party of Ontario on Tuesday."
"Really?" Dawn asked.
"That's great!" Jay said, hugging Pedro tightly.
"And you guys can get married up there, legally," Dawn said.
"Sweet," Pedro said, smiling at my brother and sister in law.
We sat around for an hour or so visiting with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law. We made our way back to Birmingham and to Abu's house. It was Pedro's turn to be nervous.
"Hola!" Pedro yelled as we entered the house. "Abu?"
"Estoy en la cocina!" Abu yelled back. (I'm in the kitchen.)
We walked through the living room and into the kitchen. Abu was in front of the stove, as usual. Maribel, Joya, and Maria were in the kitchen. "Hola!" she said as she came over and gave us a hug.
"Hola Abu!" Pedro said. "Tengo que hablar contigo," he said directly. (I have to speak with you about something.)
"¿Todo está bien?" (Is everything OK?)
"Yeah. Everything's cool," he said as he and his grandmother left the room.
"So what's going on?" Maria asked a moment after they'd left the room.
"Pedro needs to tell y'all," I asked.
"David! C'mon!"
"Cristóbal ya me ha dicho," she winked. (Christopher already told me.)
"Told you what?" Maribel and Joya said, looking at Maria when they got no answer for me.
"Felicidades, David," Maria said again, keeping her aunts out of the loop.
"Pedro will tell y'all in a minute, ladies," I said.
Pedro and Abu came back in after talking for about ten minutes. Abu was smiling. She was obviously happy. "Pedro and David are moving."
"What?" Maribel said.
"Where are you moving to?" Joya followed
"I've got a job interview Tuesday, so let's not get too excited yet. If I get the job, David and I will be moving to Toronto."
"Canada?!?" the aunts asked.
"Yeah," he said before explaining the particulars of the position. Everyone seemed so happy for him. After spending about an hour and a half at his grandmother's house, I motioned that it was time for us to get going, since the flight was at 8:30 and we had to be there two hours beforehand.
We rushed back to the apartment and grabbed our bags. Pedro seemed to be in complete control of his emotions. We checked the bags and waited to depart from the airport. I called Antony for a few minutes, but the conversation was just a regular one that he and I had on Sunday evenings. We left on time, and within a few hours, we'd arrived in Toronto.
We were met at the airport by a driver who immediately took us to the hotel that David Cannes had arranged for us. Even though I found it hard to catch my bearings in this unfamiliar place, our guide was excellent. When we arrived at the hotel, a collective wow came from both Pedro and me. The hotel was nicer than we expected, but again, we were on the bill of the Province of Ontario.
The hotel wasn't as flashy as the Hôtel la Fleur in Birmingham, but nice none the less. Our suite included a `living room' as you walked in the door. To one side was our bedroom, which was outfitted with an oversized King bed. The bathroom included a jetted tub separate from a shower stall that appeared to be built directly into the wall.
The view was amazing. I couldn't have told you what I was looking at, but it was beautiful. The city was amazing.
As I stared out the window, Pedro came over to me, putting his arms around my waist as he put his head on my shoulders. "Whatcha thinking about?"
"I'm just thinking about how much I love you," I said.
He gently kissed my neck, "Te quiero."
"Shouldn't you tell me that in French, since we're in Canada?"
"Je t'aime." (I love you.)
"Meilleur." (Better.)
"Merci, Monsieur." (Thank you, sir.)
"De rien, mon amour." (You're welcome, my love.)
I turned to look into his rich, deep, brown eyes. I was truly able to lose myself deep within the recesses of his mind. I often wondered what he must be thinking when he looked at me so deeply. After a moment, I realized what it was: he was in love with me, beyond any doubt. He was as in love with me as I'd grown to be with him.
Both of us were tired by the time we'd arrived in Toronto. Bed quickly became the most important thing in the evening.
The next morning, we were awoken by breakfast at around 9:30. The hotel attendant brought in a tray filled with traditional Southern breakfast fare.
Grits, biscuits and gravy, sausage, and scrambled eggs were prepared in the style of the South. Pedro and I ate quickly and then dressed, wanting to see as much of the city as we could.
"This is gonna be a good day," I said as we walked out the hotel.
"It certainly is," Pedro said as he took my hand. It was the first time that I can ever remember Pedro taking my hand in public. Sure. I knew that he loved me, and he would kiss me on the cheek every now and again when no one was looking, but he'd never just taken my hand. I smiled, having myself fallen in love with this city.