This is a story that involves sex between males. if such a story is offensive, or illegal for you to read where you live, then do not continue,
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This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any specific person or persons. If there is any similarity to any real persons or events it is entirely coincidental.
The work is copyrighted (c) by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written permission of the author.
My thanks to John and Michael who have read this through and made a number of corrections and suggestions. Any remaining errors , grammatical, spelling or historical or whatever are entirely my fault.
Malcolm's Boys Part 7 Sunday. 26th June 2005
The grandchildren were awake and ready for action early on Sunday morning. They had the usual difficulty of doing anything quietly. Their parents were disturbed, as the children got dressed and began to seek out their cousins.
In spite of strict instructions not to make a noise and wake grandma and granddad they made a noise and Janice and Malcolm were roused from their slumber. Malcolm looked at his watch. A quarter past six! He knew it would be useless to try to get any more sleep. Janice was awake and responded positively to Malcolm's suggestion of an earlier than usual cup of tea.
He went to the kitchen and made a big pot. He knew that the other adults would be awake, and would probably welcome a cup of tea. When the grandchildren realised he was around they invaded the kitchen and were given cold drinks and bowls of cereal.
Breakfast was a buffet meal on these occasions. The grandchildren ate first and ravenously. The adults were later, ate slower, and grumbled about being wakened earlier than usual.
Michael and Lois had talked at some length about whether they should go to church or not. Lois eventually persuaded Michael that they should support his parents.
They were summoned to the church by the pealing of the bells. They walked,
as the weather was fine and sunny. Several of the barbecue party were also in the congregation - Bill and Margaret Hurst, Reginald and Barbara Ironside. There were two couples missing, Arthur and Elsie Kimpton for some reason, and Simon and Patricia Wallace who would be at their Roman Catholic Church. Helen Perkins sat in the congregation, and Bruce, as vicar, took the service.
Reginald Ironside read the first lesson in his usual crisp military manner.
Bruce preached the sermon. He was a good preacher, and saw preaching as an important part of his ministry. He spoke of the dangers of moral slackness, which he saw in every facet of society, not least within the church. He finished with the usual urgent call to repentance. It was a typical Bruce Perkins sermon.
In the intercessions he prayed for church leaders to be steadfast to Biblical truth. There was a lengthy section where he prayed for fallen sinners to repent, especially those in bondage to depraved moral disorder. He prayed for the family and friends of the fallen that they might not compromise in their stand on Biblical principles.
Michael and Lois would have voiced their own `Amens' aloud to these petitions in their home church, but within the respectability of a village church in England they remained silent; such things were not done! Stephen and Paula felt slightly embarrassed. Janice, and more particularly, Malcolm felt got at, and both found themselves inwardly squirming.
At the end of the service tea and coffee were served, with cold drinks for youngsters. Most people drifted out of church into the warm sunshine to consume their refreshments. The component parts of the Pridham family split as they all had different friends to greet. Janice and Malcolm quickly set off home as there was a lot to be done to prepare lunch for the whole family. The traditional Sunday roast had been put in the oven as the last thing before leaving for church, but there were the roast potatoes and Yorkshire Puddings to see to.
Reginald Ironside came striding up to Michael and Lois. "Good to see the two of you." They all shook hands. "Over for the weekend?"
"Yes, we usually have a family barbecue about this time of the year."
"Kevin come down?"
"No."
"Terrible do, that young brother of yours! Did you suspect it in him? Or do you think he's got caught up in bad company?"
"I don't know. I was certainly surprised."
"Too much of it around. All in the open now. On the television, in the papers, not just theatrical people, but even cabinet ministers and churchmen. It is noticeable that there are no sportsmen. No leading footballers, or rugby players or cricketers. Shows that real men are not that way inclined."
"I hadn't thought about it that way," muttered Michael.
"The Padre is against it." Reginald Ironside nodded in the direction of Bruce Perkins who was busy talking to Stephen and Paula. "It all comes from these liberalising laws. It's all that chap Wolfenden's fault, he and his bloody, excuse my French, Report. Maggie Thatcher tried to keep it out of the schools with her Clause 28, but now this present lot, Blair's men, have gone and repealed it."
"Did you find much of it in the army?" asked Lois innocently.
"Some. Put one couple caught at it in the Guard Room for the night, and told the Guard why they were there. They were a sorry sight in the morning, but that was nothing to what they deserved. They were sent to the MCE Colchester [Military Corrective Establishment] and when they had served their sentence given a dishonourable discharge."
Barbara Ironside came up and joined them. "Reginald dear, we need to be getting home, if I'm to have lunch on the table at 1.00."
"Good to talk to you. Don't stand any nonsense from that young brother of yours."
Barbara and Reginald Ironside departed. Michael agreed totally with all that Reginald Ironside had said. Lois agreed, but did not like either the manner in which it was said, or the man.
Meanwhile Bruce Perkins, the vicar, was speaking to Stephen and Paula. He know all the younger members of the Pridham family quite well. He had baptised Zoe and Mark, Stephen and Paula's two children.
"Good to see the Pridham family in strength today. Your part of it looks in good health. Zoe and Mark are growing fast, aren't they?"
Stephen and Paula nodded in agreement.
"I suppose Kevin didn't come down. Terrible matter, especially for your parents, Stephen."
"It's come as a blow to us all."
"I would never've guessed. Not that I know Kevin all that well. But I guess many of these homosexuals do not fall into the stereotypes we expect. I find it hard to understand how one can be married. They have become so insidious, worming their way into every section of society. In the old days you would expect them to be actors, or poets, or hairdressers, or male nurses. But now they are to be found everywhere, bankers, doctors, lawyers."
"And vicars?" said Paula quietly.
Bruce gave her a momentary hard stare. "Yes, unfortunately vicars too. Though if I had may way I would screen more carefully at selection, give a warning before ordination, and if found guilty instant dismissal with complete loss of pension rights."
"Would not that be against the European Convention on Human Rights?" asked Paula.
"Probably. Why we signed up to that I just don't know!"
"I thought we were very influential in its formation," said Stephen.
"Probably during one of those terrible periods of a Labour government."
"I think it was by a conservative government," added Stephen.
Bruce was for a moment speechless.
"Bruce, do you know many homosexuals?" asked Paula.
"No, I don't think I do."
"Have any homosexuals come to you for help in the course of your ministry? In fact, have you ever spoken to any homosexual at length about what it is like to be gay?"
"No, I don't think I have."
"Then I think you should, before you pontificate any more on the subject of homosexuality." Paula turned on her heel and walked away.
Bruce stared after her open mouthed. Stephen looked from one to the other, before hurrying to catch up with his wife.
"That man and his ilk!" exploded Paula.
"Well done! You did not let him get it all his own way. I don't think there are many around here who stand up to him, at least not on that issue."
"And your brother is not much better."
They walked on silence for a while.
"Steve? Do you think you can get hold of Kevin's mobile number. I presume you've not got it."
"No. But the parents, definitely Dad will have it. Why?"
"I want to contact Kev, and offer him some support. Katie is getting masses. Her parents, your parents. Rightly so. But Kev is out on his own. He must be feeling bad. I think he needs to know that at least one person from his old life is sympathetic and understanding."
"Shall I ask Dad, or see if I can find it."
"See if you can find it. Your Dad may think I'm trying to interfere, and not want to let you have it. Only ask him if you cannot find it."
Stephen found it quite easily. He looked in the gadget containing phone numbers that was beside the phone. It was not there. But Malcolm's mobile was alongside, and Stephen found out from that his brother's mobile number.
There was no opportunity for serious discussion over the meal table as the children were present, and they needed a certain amount of attention and were always better behaved when they were included in the conversation. Afterwards Michael and Stephen and their families prepared to leave. Paula was helping Janice with some clearing up in the kitchen.
"Thank you, Paula, for what you said last night. You seem to know more about these things than most of us."
"Only through working in the hospital. I was working with gay men on and off the whole time I was there."
"I seem to know so little about it. I don't think I have ever spoken to a gay man - but I must've if Kev's gay. My own child, and I hadn't realised or known that about him. What sort of mother am I?"
"A very good mother." Paula put her arms round Janice's shoulders. "I think there are many like you. I think some of the youngsters of today are out to their parents, and some parents are supportive, but others far from it. But it is not so easy for a youngster to come up to his parents and say `Oh by the way, I'm gay!' We don't know when Kev began to realise, or fully realise, that he was gay. We don't know when he had his first sexual experience with a man."
"Is it a process of self discovery?"
"Very much so. There was one consultant at Bart's who was married, with kids. In his late forties. He said that over a period of three or four years he came to realise his sexuality was gay. He was unsure whether it had become so, as the years had gone by; or whether it had always been so,
and it had got suppressed by the pressures of society and so on."
"Do you think we forced Kev into marriage?"
"I don't think you, or we, for I was a member of the family when he was courting Katie, consciously did so. I was here the first time he brought her home. I don't think anyone forced him into marriage, but the expectation was there. And also the example of Michael and Steve."
"Mal told me there is quite a debate as to whether it is in the genes, or in the upbringing."
"Nature, or nurture. I think the jury is out on that. Possibly it is a bit of both."
"If it is either, then Mal and I are in some way responsible."
"Now, don't you go blaming yourself. That is a wrong reaction. We must all be positive. What can we do to help both Katie and Kevin?"
"I don't think Michael and Lois would go along with you in helping Kevin."
"Maybe not. But both Katie and Kev need support and help. And both of them need a lot of love. I reckon they are both feeling very bad at the moment.
Katie full of apprehension about the future, with her marriage breaking up and a baby on the way, and probably a lot of anger against Kevin as well. Kevin? Guilty, ashamed, lonely and afraid of the future?"
"Thanks Paula, for all your help. I'm afraid what I feared has happened. It's split the family. Michael and Lois very unsympathetic; you and Steve supportive of Kevin, and Mal and I just baffled over the whole thing."
"It'll sort itself out."
Then Stephen came into the kitchen. "I think I've packed everything, but you'd better have a final look round."
Stephen, Paula and their two children, Zoe and Mark, were the first to leave. Michael and Stephen shook hands, the men kissed the women, and the two women kissed.
When it came to saying goodbye to his parents, Stephen gave Malcolm and hug, and whispered in his ear, "Don't forget to pass on my message to Kev."
"I won't," muttered Malcolm.
Stephen's part of the family were waved off.
Half an hour later Michael and Lois started saying their farewells. Michael and his father shook hands.
"Don't compromise with the truth, Dad, when it comes to Kevin. A sin is a sin until there is real repentance."
Malcolm groaned inwardly. "We'll see," was all he could say.
When Lois came to say good bye to Janice, she gave her a hug and a kiss. "We'll be thinking of you, and praying for you, with regard to Kevin. Be steadfast in your stand for Biblical truth."
Janice boiled inwardly, and wanted to shout aloud, `But he's my son, and I love him.' But she said nothing.
Jonathan, Michael and Lois' eldest son was fifteen. He had the awareness that something serious had happened and was being discussed during the time he was at his grandparents'. He also had that teenage ability to be inconspicuous and yet all ears. He had overheard enough to realise that Kevin was being discussed. He liked his Uncle Kevin, who was also his godfather, for when he had been born Michael and Lois were still members of the Church of England. Kevin had taken his godparental duties seriously. Jonathan thought that his uncle was someone who made these family dos bearable. Kevin would often play some sort of ball game with him on the lawn at the back of the house.
It was later that evening when his younger siblings, Abigail and Thomas had gone to bed that he decided to tackle his parents.
"Dad, why wasn't uncle Kevin at the family barbecue?"
"He couldn't get."
"Why? Is he ill or something?"
"Well, perhaps sort of."
"Why were all you adults talking about him and Auntie Katie in whispers?"
"Were we?"
"Yes, you all were. Is he seriously ill, or what?"
Michael hesitated. Jonathan was now fifteen and old enough to know the facts of life, and about homosexuality. Lois and Michael had made sure that they had told their children at the right time about the birds and the bees.
From quite an early age he knew that babies did not come via a stork, or were found under a gooseberry bush, but grew in a mother's tummy. He had been four and seven when his sister and brother had been born. He also knew about the male as well as the female contribution to the making of a baby, and all that was involved. He had learnt most of it from an older boy at school a couple of years before it was covered in a biology lesson. But neither Michael or Lois had talked any further about sexual practices and relationships, and certainly not about homosexuality. The school too, with the fear of the notorious Clause 28 hanging around, had steered well clear of any mention of that subject.
Michael and Lois looked at each other. The time had come!
Lois looked again at Michael. "I'll leave it to you Michael, to have the man to man talk with our son." She got up and left.
"Your uncle Kevin is in some trouble."
"With the law?"
"No, but perhaps he should be. As you know the Bible says that when a man and woman love each other, and get married then it is all right for them to make love, have sex together, and maybe have children."
"Yes?"
"Well your uncle Kevin has done something very, very wrong. Something that the Bible regards as a terrible sin." Michael paused, and felt increasing embarrassment about putting what he wanted to say into words for his son. "Well, instead of making love to your Auntie Katie, it has been found that Kevin has been making love to another man."
"You mean he's gay?" responded Jonathan at once.
Michael made the quick mental adjustment to the fact that his eldest son was now fifteen, and in the culture of the opening years of the third millennium it was to be expected that he would know about such things. "Yes. He's gay."
Jonathan stood thinking for a moment. "Poor auntie Katie. Is she going to divorce him?"
"I expect so. It has all happened very recently, ten days ago."
"Will we see Uncle Kevin again?"
"Not unless he repents of the terrible sin he's committed. Until then, I think it would be wrong for us to see him."
"Is he still up in York with Auntie Katie?"
"No, she asked him to leave, so he's left home, and we don't know where he is."
"I feel sorry for Auntie Katie. But it's not the end of the world, a lot of people are gay, aren't they?"
"I don't know about that. Whether there are many or a few, it is still a sin. The Bible condemns it. Anyway what do you know about it?"
"There are a couple of guys in the class at school who are gay. Everybody knows about them."
Michael looked at his son with an open mouth. The world, with all its evil,
was obviously close and threatening his elder son with contamination. "You know someone?"
"Yes, don't you?"
"How does the class treat them?"
"They get teased a bit. There are always titters in the class whenever the word `queer' is used, and because of that it tends to be used quite a lot. They're great guys, both in the football team. They sleep over at each other's houses every weekend."
"You know? It's all out in the open. that they're homosexual?"
"Yes. We don't know exactly what they do, but we've all got a good idea."
"I hope you will never get up to anything like that. Remember it is a serious sin in the eyes of the Lord. What your uncle has done is serious, almost unforgivable. His repentance needs to be heartfelt and sincere."
"Dad, can I ask you a question? It's been puzzling me for some time."
"Yes, Jonathan?"
"Do," he paused for a moment, "Do homosexuals use condoms?"
For the second time in that conversation Michael had to adjust to realising that this son was on the verge of adulthood. He was embarrassed. "I don't know. Why don't you ask your school friends."
So it was that the effect of the events of that fateful Wednesday ten days before began to affect the youngest generation of the Pridham family.
Over the next few days Jonathan told his sister Abigail who was eleven. She in turn told her younger brother Thomas, aged eight. His comment was, "If two men love each other why shouldn't they kiss and cuddle, like Mummy and Daddy!"
For Michael and Lois the consequences of the talk with Jonathan were serious and lengthy. Both were horrified at how much he knew, and how close his contact was with the dreaded homosexuality. They debated whether to move him to a private school, and resolved to be more steadfast in prayer for their elder son.
Janice and Malcolm felt exhausted after the visit of the family. Janice went and had a sleep on her bed; while Malcolm fell asleep reading the Sunday paper in the sitting room.
It was late afternoon when Janice called out to Malcolm. "Any chance of a cup of tea?"
That woke him, and he made a pot of tea. He took the mugs up to the bedroom and sat on his bed sipping his hot tea.
Janice remained on her bed. "Not an easy weekend?"
"No."
"Surprises, and not surprises."
"Meaning?"
"I was not at all surprised and Michael and Lois' reaction to Kevin. Michael has always been a legalist, and I think that church he goes to panders to those tendencies. The surprise was really Paula. She knew something about it all, and was prepared to challenge Michael and Lois."
"Yes. What she said has made me more concerned for Kev. I think we ought to send another message to him."
"Ring him?"
"I think we ought to wait until he wants to talk to us. But we can make it easier for him to do that, by us keeping in contact."
"And Steve wanted me to pass on a message of support."
"I think we need to think carefully what we are going to say."
Malcolm went to get a pen and some paper, and they worked on what they would send to Kevin.
Half an hour later they sent the following message to Kevin. "Dear Kev Thinking of you & we R here 2 help Steve sends regards & offer of help Love Mum Dad."
Kevin woke late that Sunday morning. It was the tolling of the church bell that woke him. He had a leisurely time, shaving, showering and having some breakfast. As it was a fine morning he decided to go for a stroll and explore the neighbourhood.
He wandered across the village green and was surprised to see an African-Caribbean woman wearing a large and colourful hat obviously returning home from Church. He walked for about a mile down a track that ran between fields and a couple of small beech woods.
His return route went passed the church. As he was passing the vicar came out, and said `Good morning'.
Kevin replied, but thought `If you knew me you would not be wishing me a good morning but wanting to consign me to hell, like so many of your profession do'.
In the afternoon he watched some sport on television. After he had got himself a meal he read for a while. He was reading one of the novels. he had bought to while away the time when he was watching the house back in York. One of the minor characters in the story was a man called Maurice. At the end of a chapter he got up to make himself a drink. His mind ran on and he began to remember a film that he had seen on television. It was called Maurice, and was a adaptation of the book of the same name by E.M.Forster. He remembered that he had been very struck with the film.
It was a Merchant Ivory production, and starred Hugh Grant in his first big role, as James Wilby.
He began to recollect the story. He remembered that it centred on two young men, one of whom was called Maurice. They met at Cambridge University and became friends. Both were from an upper middle class background. One of them had all the characteristics of a gay man. The other, the Maurice of the book, was far less so. Maurice slowly became sexually attracted to his friend. When Maurice made a pass he was rejected. His friend subsequently married, but the two men remained good friends. It was when Maurice was staying with his friend and his wife, that, in rather improbable circumstances, Maurice began a sexual relationship with his friend's young gardener, Scudder, played by Rupert Graves.
He thought it was the first time he had seen anything dealing with homosexually on the television. It was a number of years earlier, sometime before he was married. He tried to remember where he had been. He thought it must have been shortly before he left his Whitgest home. He thought he has seen it alone, with no one else in the room. There had been a fascination with the story. It had not involved anything explicit, just enough to know that the relationship between Maurice and the gardener had been sexually consummated.
Yes, he had been fascinated. The story had moved him in a deeper way. He remembered that he had actually bought the book and read it. He wondered where his copy was now. He knew it was not in York; it was probably in one of the four or five large boxes in the attic of the Pridham's home in Whitgest. There were a number of boxes there, some marked Michael', or Stephen', and others with his own name.
But what was it about the film and the novel, that had appealed so strongly to him then? He thought for a while, and came to the conclusion that it resonated with something in himself. That he had felt he could identify with Maurice. But he had just enjoyed the story. He had not realised that when he saw the film, and read the book all those years ago, that it had been saying to him, `You are the same, aren't you?'
Another piece of the jigsaw of his life had fallen into place. There were these episodes from his past that pointed to him being gay. He wondered if anymore would back come into his memory.
He would have liked to have read the book again now, but he knew that there was no hope of getting his hands on the copy that was still under the parental roof.
"What about a stroll down the village to call on Simon and Pat?" suggested Malcolm to Janice in the early evening.
"I don't think we can do that. It might be inconvenient."
"Would you like to, if I ring first?"
"Yes, I think I would. Pat is one of the few people in this village I feel I can talk all this over with."
"I know, same here, Si is the only man I feel free to talk it over with."
Ten minutes later Malcolm and Janice were making their way down the village street.
"That was well timed," said Pat as she opened the door to the visitors. "The coffee is nearly made." She led the way into the sitting room.
Simon came in carrying a tray with the coffee things on it, together with a plate of biscuits.
The next half hour was spent giving an account of the weekend's activities to Simon and Patricia. They were sympathetic listeners. It was Patricia who intuitively suggested that the men went off into the garden as there was some watering to be done.
They watered some flowers and the tomatoes and other plants in the greenhouse. This did not take long for the two of them. They then made their way up to the end of the garden were there was a seat that caught the late evening sun. It was secluded, not overlooked by any houses.
"Well, Mal, my old friend, how are you feeling about all this?"
"Bit hurt by Michael and Lois' attitude. Surprised and helped by Paula and Steve. I would like to be in more contact with Kevin. Paula is absolutely right, we do need to hear his side of the story."
Simon nodded. "We both know what it is like to be gay and married. We've both lived dangerously. We've never got caught. Poor old Kev did."
"He nearly got away with it. Just another five or ten minutes and he would have removed the evidence."
"I wonder if in the long run he will be glad or sad it has happened the way it has?"
"What do you mean?"
"In a few years time, say, will he be glad to be free? Free to express his sexuality as he wishes? Perhaps live with a partner, or perhaps to have many lovers? Or will he be regretting not being with his child as it grows up?"
"I don't know."
"When you get back in full contact with Kev will you tell him about yourself?"
"Come out to him, you mean?"
"Yes."
"I just don't know. I expect I'll play that one by ear. That tends to be my way. Depends how it goes, how we get on when we talk together."
They talked on for a further ten minutes.
"I am know I'm looking forward to getting away for the Test Match," said Malcolm, giving Simon's thigh a rub with his hand.
"What is the main reason. To watch England versus Australia, or to be able to spend the nights in bed with me."
Malcolm laughed. "That'd be telling! I know it is a close run thing."
Simon laughed, and stood up. He pulled Simon up onto his feet, and gave him a quick kiss. "That's all I dare give you now. I wish it were more." He then led the way down the garden path back to the house.
Janice and Pat sat talking over the empty coffee cups. Janice again expressed the guilt and shame that she felt over Kevin's behaviour.
Pat listened sympathetically. "I'm not much of a moral theologian, but I think you should not be feeling guilty. Surely guilt comes when we do something deliberately. You did not rear Kevin or bring him up with intention of trying to make him a homosexual."
"Far from it. I don't think the possibility even entered my mind."
"We don't know why Kevin is the way he is. But we do know it is not your fault, any more that if he had been born with something physically wrong, or even that he has blue eyes, and, as our men would point out, is good at cricket."
Janice sat and thought for a moment. "Thanks, Pat, for your words of common sense."
"But I think Paula is right, it would be good for you both to hear Kevin's side of the story. I wonder if Kevin has put that into words to someone?"
"To the man he was with?"
"Somehow I doubt it. Certainly not in any depth."
Eventually Malcolm and Simon came in from the garden, and soon after the Pridhams made their way home.
If you want to comment on the story then do contact me on Jeffyrks@hotmail.com. I aim to reply to all messages.