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Kevin's Perspective

The big four came roaring into the driveway about two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. We expected them around then, but you could never be certain that everything would be on time. Kyle had a rule that his car, or somebody's car, had to be left at the airport. His theory was that you basically couldn't trust the airline to be punctual. He thought there was nothing more boring than waiting an hour or two in an airport for a flight that had been delayed or for someone who had missed a connection. And, given the fact that you always had to navigate that enormous airport in Atlanta to get to Emerald Beach, he was right. More than once in our first two years together, I had cooled my heels in our local airport waiting for Rick, who had missed a connection in Atlanta on his way home from a trip.

"WAZZZZZZZUP?!!" Kyle screamed when he came into the house.

"Mister Bigstuff is home," Rick said.

"Mister Bigmouth, you mean," I said.

They came into the den, all grins. We all hugged them and shook hands and patted backs and did everything we could to welcome the boys home. Brian went straight to the dogs, and they were both all over him like they were trying to eat him alive. Jeff and Tyler were there, along with the permanent residents of the household, and they were as happy to see them as the rest of us were.

After we had gone through all the emotional effusion of welcoming them home, we all settled down to hear about the trip.

"This one was the best," Justin said. "I feel like I'm finally getting me an education."

"It was the best for me, too," Brian said. "Don't get me wrong. All of our trips have been wonderful, but we saw stuff in Washington that we've never seen anywhere else. The museums were unbelievable, and the zoo and the aquarium were the best."

"After seeing what we saw on this trip, I think the country's going to make it, after all," Kyle said.

We all laughed.

"What's been going on around here?" Justin asked.

"I had a date this week," Chuck said. "And I'm supposed to go out with him again tonight."

"No shit!? That's great, man," Justin said.

Chuck was grinning at his friend's approval.

"Who is he? Is he somebody from work? Do I know him?" Justin fired off his questions rapidly.

"No, you don't know him. He's in the Coast Guard, and he's a friend of Tyler's," Chuck said.

"Is he a nice guy? Does he treat you good, or do I have to kick his ass?" Jus said.

I could tell Justin was happy for Chuck. I knew that under different circumstances, those two might have been all over each other, and I wondered if Chuck's meeting somebody was taking some pressure off that situation.

"He's an extremely nice guy, Jus," Chuck said.

"He is, Bubba. I know him, and I can vouch for him," Jeff said.

"That's good, Chuck. I'm very happy for you," Justin said.

"This is only our second date, Jus," Chuck said.

"Even so, the fact that you wanted to have a second date sounds good to me," Jus said.

"What do you know about second dates?" Kyle asked.

"Shut up, Kyle, before you have to get Sonya and Doc both working on those teeth, after I punch 'em out," Justin said.

"Was it this kind of stuff all during the trip?" I asked.

"Of course. As always," Tim said. "At least on this trip we didn't have to persuade a grandma-type that Southerners aren't inherently violent and that they weren't really going to fight to the death on Boston Common."

Those of us who knew that story laughed. The rest just sat there.

"Have you guys ever really had a physical confrontation?" Tyler asked.

"No, of course not," Kyle said.

"That ain't true, Kyle," Justin said. "Don't you remember a certain Sunday morning the first week I was here? You busted my ass good into that wall, and you were fixing to take my face off with your fists, too."

"Oh, yeah. But I'm not going to talk about that," Kyle said. "That was a whole different world and a totally different you, Bubba. Let's permanently delete that from the hard drive. Okay?"

"No, Kyle. I'm not ever forgetting that day. That was one of two turn-around points in my life, man, and I'm not ever forgetting that. And I'm not ever going to let you forget it, either. Or Tim. That was the second time you saved my life in a damn week, Kyle. How can I forget that?"

"Let's step out and have a smoke," Kyle said.

There was a lot of tension in that room as those boys went out to the patio. Tim and Brian seemed a little bored with it all. Tim had been there for both "life saving" events, and I was sure Brian had heard a great deal about them. To all the other boys, though, including Jeff, this was all new script.

We all watched them through the French doors that led out to the patio. Justin took out his pack of cigarettes, and he and Kyle each took one. They talked quietly for a few minutes. Then their voices got louder, and it was obvious they were arguing. We couldn't understand what they were saying, but we all listened hard.

I started to get up, but Rick put his hand on my forearm to keep me in place. As quickly as the anger between them had flared up, it subsided. One of them must have said something funny, and they both laughed. They talked quietly for a few more moments. They both flicked their cigarette butts into the shrubbery, and then they hugged.

"Whoa! That was pretty intense," Jeff said. "Have they done that before?"

"Yeah, a few times," Tim said. "It's nothing, Jeff. They love each other. We've been together constantly for seven days, and Kyle has been totally in charge. It's been building up. Every once in a while, Justin has to let him know that he is ready to take over on a moment's notice, if Kyle should falter. That is absolutely all that was about. Trust me; it was nothing."

"Justin believes Kyle saved his life. Twice in fact. And Kyle absolutely will not accept that. Kyle says we all did it, if his life was even saved at all," Brian said. "This isn't the first argument they've had about this, guys."

"I'd like to hear that whole story, from start to finish. I've picked up bits and pieces of it, but I've never heard the whole thing," Jeff said.

"This isn't a good time to talk about it, Jeff," I said.

"Oh, I know. One of these days, though. Okay?" Jeff said.

They came back in all grins and laughter. Everybody clapped.

"What the hell are y'all looking at?" Justin demanded.

"You two scared the shit out of your brothers, that's what," Rick said.

"We took it outside, didn't we?" Kyle said. "Y'all have just got to know that he and I are going to have disagreements from time to time. Justin and I are too much alike for it to always be smooth sailing, and that's just a fact. But we're always going to be brothers and best friends. Kevin, didn't you and Craig fight sometimes? Don't say you didn't, because I know you did."

"Yeah, we did, Kyle. Have the two of you made up?" I asked.

"What the hell does it look like?" Justin asked.

"It looks like you made up, to me," Rick said.

"There wasn't any making up to do, Rick," Justin said. "Him and me are never going to agree on one particular issue, and until he learns how to accept praise and compliments, it's never going to change."

"Jus, we just went through all that out there," Kyle said. "Get your head somewhere else, okay? Get it back to that club where that girl made me touch her dick."

"What?!!" three or four of us said in unison.

"I've got to hear about this," I said.

"Tell 'em," Kyle said to Justin.

"You tell 'em. It's your story," Justin said.

Kyle told the story of meeting up with the transvestites in the bar in Dupont Circle, and it was hilarious. Kyle is a born storyteller, just like his father and many of the other men I had met who were either natives of Emerald Beach or longtime residents. It's a basic part of the culture of the place, among men, at least. There was a cadence to his voice that was funny, even if the story itself wasn't all that humorous. The amount of detail he put into it was amazing, and the gestures and facial expressions brought the whole thing to life. There wasn't a thing in the world funny about transvestites, as such, but those two guys they had met evidently each had a great sense of humor.

"I just was not prepared for it," he said. "I mean, I knew there were guys who dressed up like girls for parties and shit, but these two were girls. And damn good looking ones, too. They were so good looking, ole Justin here boned up. Had a big ole wet spot on his pants."

"I did not, Kyle. Why are you saying that?" Justin demanded.

"You're rising to the bait, Bubba," Kyle said.

"You're right. Keep on," Justin said.

"You know, I've heard of lesbians, but I've never met one in my life, that I know of, anyway. Except a few at school, but those were just girls, not women. They said that they were gay but that they weren't lesbians. Okay, I thought. Where does that leave us now? I'll be the first to admit I'm not up on all the gay stuff out there, but it seemed like there weren't that many options.

"Then she grabbed my hand and put it in her lap. Whoa! There was a dick down there. A rock-hard dick. And I mean a 'dick' with a capital D, too. That boy was hung."

"Let me take over," Justin said. "So, we're sort of half watching what's going on at the table, you know? There are people all over the place, men and women, or so we thought, and we're scoping them out. All of a sudden, Kyle yells out 'Shit! Fuck!' and he snatches his hand away like it had been put on hot coals or something. The way he acted was about the funniest thing I had ever seen. The two girls just about choked from laughing, and the rest of us laughed hard, too."

"Did you guys get up and leave?" Chuck asked.

"Naw. We stayed for the show, or some of it, any way. Both of the girls at the table with us were singers in the show, and one of them dedicated 'Way Down Upon the Suwannee River' to the Florida boys. Us, in other words," Kyle said. "I had fun at that place."

"I think we all had fun," Justin said.

We spent a good three hours in the den that afternoon talking about the trip, about the fact that Denny and Brady were boyfriends, and about the facts that Ron and Chuck were both dating nice guys.

"A lot can happen in a week, can't it?" Justin said, by way of summary.

"Guys, it's time to get ready for Mass," I said.

Ron was Catholic, but Denny, Brady, and Chuck weren't. That didn't matter in the least, though, when it came to going to Mass with us. Rick and I would never have insisted, if one of them had balked, but that was never an issue. The ten of us loaded up in three cars, and off to church we went. We sat with Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, and Pat Taylor and Mike Lawley. Usually, George and Sonya Murphy, Tim's parents, sat with us, too, but they were off that weekend with Gene and Rita Goodson at a resort on St. Simon's Island off the Georgia coast. Our fourteen people took up two whole pews, and we sang loud and hard. It was Palm Sunday that weekend, the Sunday before Easter, and the Mass was longer than usual. Kyle said he was going back to Mass the next day for the final Scrutiny. It suddenly dawned on me that the next weekend was Easter, and that was when Kyle was going to become a Catholic.

Chuck and Ron both had dates that night. In fact, Ron was spending the night at his friend's house, and Chuck was going to drop him off. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor went home after Mass, as they usually did, and Pat and Mike went off to a party that somebody in Pat's office was having. Jeff and Tyler had plans, as well. It ended up being Rick and I, the Big Four, and Denny and Brady at the restaurant that night. We had a good time talking and teasing and carrying on. Kyle and Justin both had serious sides, and we had seen those sides many times, but mostly we saw the fun sides of those two. And we definitely saw them that night.

* * *

The next afternoon around five o'clock Rick and I were in the den. The Big Four had taken the dogs skateboarding, and they came in tired and wringing wet with sweat.

"Hi. Did you guys have fun?" Rick asked.

"We had a great time," Brian said. "We taught the dogs how to skateboard. They loved it."

"You look like you did a good bit yourself, Bri," Rick said.

He laughed.

"Yeah, we all did. We started out in the parking lot at the condo, but that wasn't very good. Then Kyle suggested we go to the parking lot of that really big hotel we have. What was the name of it?" Brian asked.

"The Breakers," Kyle said.

"Yeah, the Breakers. It was so funny. Somebody came out to run us off. Kyle said he wanted to see the manager. The manager came out and asked us who the hell we thought we were. Kyle said, 'I think I'm Kyle Goodson.' The guy said, 'For real?' Kyle said, 'You want to see my license?' The man said, 'No, that's all right. Do these dogs bite?' 'No, sir,' Kyle said. 'Well, y'all be careful, you hear?' That was it. That's all he said," Brian said.

"Kyle, you can't be doing shit like that, man," Rick said.

"Doing shit like what, Rick? The Laguna and the Boardwalk have signs posted that say 'No Skateboarding.' We don't go there, even though that would be the best. That Breakers place doesn't have any signs about skateboarding. When the man asked me who did I think I was, was I supposed to say, 'I think I'm Kyle Mashburn?'"

"No, you weren't supposed to say that, but why did you ask to see the manager?" Rick asked.

"Because I didn't trust that little shit that came out to tell us to get lost, that's why. That parking lot has a righteous slope down from the road, and there are some good dips in it, too. We saw maybe five cars come in and out, and we avoided them. We weren't in any danger. Nor were they. I think you're making a mountain out of a sand dune, Rick."

"You know as well as I do your daddy doesn't want you throwing your weight around," Rick said.

"Of course I know that. That's not my nature, Rick, and you know it. He was itching to chew our asses out. I told him my name. That's it. I was very polite and called him 'yes, sir,' and all that. Can I help it that he happened to recognize my name? If that's really what happened. If he doesn't want people skateboarding in that parking lot, he needs to put up a sign. We'll respect that. In the meantime, I'm skateboarding there anytime I want to," Kyle said.

I didn't say anything during that discussion. I thought Kyle was right, but I would never take his side against Rick, at least not publicly like that. The General Manager of that particular hotel was scared shitless of me, of Gene, of everybody. He did a good job of managing the place, and it made a good profit every year for us. He was totally secure in his job, as far as I was concerned, but he was also totally paranoid about anything or anybody associated with the Goodson name. I knew he was gay and had a partner, and he was terrified that someone would "out" him to me. Go figure. It takes all kinds.

"I want to change the subject," I said. "Today is Palm Sunday, which means that next Sunday is Easter. That means that next Saturday night, you're going to be baptized, right?"

I knew he wasn't going to be baptized, but I enjoyed teasing Kyle.

"No, I am not going to be baptized. I have already been baptized, at the Gulf View Presbyterian Church. You can only be baptized one time in your life, Kevin. How many times do we have to go over this? I am a candidate, not a catechumen. The catechumens are the ones who are going to be baptized, and the candidates are going to make their profession of faith. Jesus Christ, Kevin. Just because they both start with a C don't make it that hard to keep straight, man," Kyle said.

Rick and I and the others were laughing.

"What are y'all laughing at?" Kyle demanded.

"You, asshole. He's pulling your dick, and you fall for it every damn time, Kyle," Justin said.

"Yeah? Well, you never know with him," Kyle said.

We all laughed.

"So, who's coming to this thing?" I asked. It suddenly dawned on me that this was a really big event in Kyle's life, and he might have invited the immediate world.

"Everybody's coming, that's who," Kyle said.

"Everybody?"

"The New Orleans people, including Seth and his boyfriend. The Sarasota people. I wanted Chris to fly in for it, but he can't. You knew about this, Kevin. Don't pretend you didn't," Kyle said.

I had a vague recollection of his asking us if he could invite everybody to his ceremony of becoming a Catholic, and, of course, we had said yes. But that had been months ago. We had told him to get it organized, if that's what he wanted, and that was the big mistake. Kyle could organize a war in three days if he had to, and organizing that weekend was child's play for him.

"He asked us, Kev, and we said it was okay, as long as he organized it," Rick said.

"I'm totally cool with the whole thing. I'm just a little bit taken aback, I guess, because I forgot about it," I said.

"It's all set up. Everything is ready, or will be. My parents are paying for every bit of it, and my mom and I set the menus," Kyle said.

"Menus?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday lunch," Kyle said. "Kevin, you just play along and be glad I'm joining the Catholic Church and not the Ku Klux Klan, okay? A burning cross would mess up the front lawn."

Rick and I both laughed.

"Kev, I really thought you knew about all of this," Rick said.

"Y'all probably told me, or tried to tell me, but I've just been too absorbed in that new computer system at work to pay much attention, I guess," I said.

"Yeah, I guess that's it," Rick said. "Rita and Beth talked about it at Mardi Gras. I guess you weren't around. I probably dropped the ball on some of it, too."

"All the balls are right where they're supposed to be," Kyle said. "At least mine are, anyway. I can't speak for your balls."

We laughed.

* * *

My parents, Craig and Cherie, and Seth and Curt arrived Thursday afternoon, Holy Thursday.

"Well, look at this old pregnant lady," Rick said, as soon as Cherie was in the house. "You look terrific."

"Thanks, Rick," Cherie said, kissing him on the cheek. "You look pretty good, too."

"Thanks, but I'm not pregnant. How are you feeling?"

"Pregnancy agrees with me, Rick. It really does. Now that the fatigue of the first part is over, I feel great," she said.

"Where are the boys?" Mom asked.

"They're still at school or work," I said. "School lets out at 2:30, so they should be here soon. Tomorrow is a holiday for them, by the way. Wait till you see how much they've grown. We can't keep them in clothes that fit."

"The real shocker is going to be Chip. You won't believe it when you see him," Rick said. "I mean, puberty hit with a bang. It seems like he grows an inch a month."

"That makes me happy," Mom said. "I knew it would, eventually. I just hope there aren't too many scars from before."

"If there are scars, we don't see any signs of them," I said.

"Has he decided if he's gay?" Craig asked.

"Yeah, he's decided, and he's not," I said. "He's been dating some, too."

"Cool. Finally I'm not alone," Craig said.

We laughed.

The first crowd got home around 3:45. It was Kyle, Tim, Brian, Denny, and Ron.

"Why are you guys so late?" I asked.

"Because I had to stop at Publix," Kyle said. "Have you got food for tonight?"

I just grinned.

"I didn't think so," Kyle said. "That's what we were doing. I was getting dinner. Pork roast, rotisserie chicken, green beans, mac and cheese, salad, and some steamed shrimp to start us off. A real nice chocolate cake for dessert. How does that sound?"

"It sounds great to me," Craig said.

"I knew you'd like that, Hungry," Kyle said. "Tomorrow is a fast day, you know."

"For you guys, but not for me," Cherie said. "I'm exempt because of this guy."

"What did you say?" I demanded.

She and Craig were grinning their faces off, and my mom and dad were, too.

"We found out yesterday, Kev. The baby's a boy," Cherie said.

"No, shit! Are you happy about that?" I asked.

"We're delighted. Either way would have been fine, though," Craig said. "But we're going to get us a little boy."

"I can see him right now, in my lap, driving that boat," Kyle said. "He's going to be spoiled rotten. You know that, don't you?"

"Not too fast, Hotdog," Craig said. "I get first shot at spoiling him."

"What are you going to name him?" Brian asked.

"Yeah. What's his name going to be?" Kyle asked.

"We're not telling," Craig said.

"Oh, man! You got to tell us," Kyle whined. "That's cruel and unusual punishment not to tell us his name."

"Speaking of names, what's your confirmation name going to be?" Craig asked Kyle, obviously using his lawyer skills to change the subject. "Joseph?"

"Hell, no. That's the name Doc wanted me to take, but that's a sissy name," Kyle said.

"A sissy name? St. Joseph is the foster father of Jesus," Dad said.

"Yes, sir, I know who he is. I didn't say he was a sissy, just the name," Kyle said.

"So what did you pick? Grant? Crane? Reid?" Craig asked.

"Very funny. I actually picked two names because I couldn't decide. Father Jerry said it was all right to do that, if I wanted to. They're both sissy names, too, though," he said.

"So, what the hell are they?" Craig asked.

"Kevin and Richard," Kyle said.

I looked at Rick, and his grin was as big as mine.

"Did you know about this?" I asked him.

"No," Rick said.

"Kyle, I think Rick and I need a big hug right about now, Bubba," I said.

Kyle was proud of himself, and he damn sure made us happy.

"What's your middle name? Do you have a middle name?" Craig asked.

"Of course I have a middle name. It's Adam," Kyle said.

"I like that one," Craig said. "I think I'm going to start calling you Adam."

"You better not, Mister. My name is Kyle, like it or not," he said.

"So what is this about Kevin and Richard being sissy names?" Rick asked.

Kyle laughed.

"I knew that would get you," Kyle said. "I was just teasing you, Richard. Those are definitely not sissy names, and I really don't think Joseph is a sissy name, either."

"You better not call me that," Rick said.

"Why not? That's your name, ain't it?" Kyle said.

"Yeah, but I don't go by that," Rick said.

"I don't understand this," Denny said. "Why does he have to have some new names?"

"It's a Catholic tradition, son," Dad said. "Kyle is going to receive the sacrament of Confirmation Saturday night, as part of his reception into the Church. When a Catholic receives Confirmation, he or she adds a new name. Usually just one. It's called the Confirmation name. It's not a legal part of your name. It's more or less a way to honor a saint that you have a special fondness for. That saint becomes your special patron."

"I think Kyle is honoring his big brothers more than he is St. Kevin and St. Richard," mom said.

"That's exactly what I'm doing, and I'm damn proud of it," Kyle said.

The conversation then turned to middle names and Confirmation names. It was one of those uniquely Catholic discussions that comes up from time to time. But only rarely.

"My Confirmation name is Philomena," Mom said.

"Where'd that come from?" Kyle asked.

"St. Philomena was very popular when I was a kid," she said. "She was a young girl. A virgin and a martyr. There were five of us in my Confirmation class that took that name."

"I had to do research on my two saints," Kyle said. "St. Kevin was really cool. One day he was praying with his hands raised up in the air. A blackbird came and laid an egg in one hand, and St. Kevin stayed put till the egg hatched and the baby bird flew away. He must have had some biceps on him that were unbelievable. He was from Ireland. The other one, St. Richard, was a real smart guy. He was from England, and they made him a bishop."

"Do you believe that about St. Kevin," Justin asked.

"Hell, no," Kyle said, and we all laughed.

It turned out Rick and I had taken the same Confirmation name--Matthew. We had never talked about that before. Brian and my dad both had taken Joseph, and Ron had taken Mark.

"What's yours, Bubba," Kyle asked Craig.

"Yes, son. Tell us your Confirmation name," Mom said. She had tried to convince him not to take the name he took, but he had been stubborn.

"Rock," Craig said.

"Rock?! What the hell kind of name is that?" Kyle asked.

"What do you mean? Haven't you ever heard of St. Rock?" Craig asked. "He's a big deal in New Orleans."

"Is that where he's from?" Brian asked.

"No, baby. He was from France," Mom said.

"I can't believe there is a St. Rock," Kyle said.

"Well, there is. There's St. Rock Avenue, St. Rock Playground, and St. Rock Cemetery in New Orleans," Craig said. "One time he caught the plague, and he went off into the woods to die. A dog found him. The next day, the dog came back with a loaf of bread that he had stolen off his owner's table. The dog kept that up for several days. Finally, the dog's owner followed the dog, and then the man took care of St. Rock and cured him. In all of his pictures, there's always a dog with him, sometimes licking his plague sores."

"That's disgusting," Cherie said.

"See, that's why you don't want the dogs licking you. A dog will lick anything," Kyle said.

"Speaking of dogs, where are they?" Tim asked.

"I'll get 'em," Brian said.

Trixie and Krewe came into the den with Brian. After they greeted all the guests, Brian made them lie down beside him.

"Did y'all know this boy's a dog man?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, we've heard. These two are beautiful, and they're beautifully behaved, too," Mom said.

Brian grinned his shy grin, and it was obvious he was pleased with the attention.

Seth and Curt had been pretty quiet.

"Seth, you've definitely been working out. I can tell that, Bubba," Rick said.

"Oh, yeah," Seth said. "Curt and I work out together every day."

"Do you guys live together?" Kyle asked.

"Not yet. We will after I graduate, though," Seth said.

"Seth is going to be a Tulane Greenie next year," Cherie said.

"Congratulations, Seth," my dad said. "We're a big Tulane family."

"So are we," Seth said. "Kyle, what are you going to do about college?"

"I'm going to go to ECCC next year," Kyle said.

"What is ECCC?" Seth asked.

"Emerald Coast Community College," Kyle replied. "We're a big ECCC family."

Everybody laughed.

"They really are," I said. "His dad's president of the board of their foundation, there are thirty fully-endowed Goodson Scholarships, and the Willis and Mary Lee Goodson Fine Arts Auditorium is named for Kyle's grandparents."

"We're not that big at Tulane," Craig said.

Everybody laughed.

"Are you going to transfer to Tulane after that?" Seth asked.

"No. They don't have what I want to take. Justin and I are going to UNO, but Tim and Brian want to go to Tulane. Jus and I are going to study Hospitality and Tourism Administration," Kyle said.

"I hear that's one of the best programs of its type in the country," Dad said.

"It still doesn't hold a candle to FSU, though, Dad," I said.

We had been through this discussion many, many times during my senior year of high school. They had wanted me to stay in New Orleans and go to UNO. I finally won the argument when I proved to them that the hospitality program at FSU was second only to Cornell in quality.

In a little while, Chip came over on his bike to see "the grandparents," as he called them. Everyone was astounded at his size and bulk, and at his deep voice, as I knew they would be. He was turning into a fine young man, physically and in every other way. He and Denny were still best friends, and now he was Brady's best friend, too, since Brady had been added to the mix. Rick and I had speculated in private about whether the three of them engaged in any sex play together, but we would never ask.

Jeff, Tyler, and Chuck came home around 5:30. The New Orleans folks hadn't met Chuck yet, and we made all the introductions. Justin came home from his biology lab around 5:45, and he greeted everybody, too.

"It's a boy," Kyle said.

"Really?"

"Yep. They just found out yesterday," Kyle said.

"What's his name going to be?" Jus asked, after he told them congratulations.

"They're not telling," Kyle said.

"Aw, man," Justin said.

"It's going to be a surprise," Craig said.

"Grandma, what is it?" Justin asked.

"They won't tell us, either, baby," she said.

We had drinks, and then proceeded toward dinner.

Rick's parents drove in on Good Friday. Most of us went to the Good Friday liturgy that afternoon, and we had a fish fry at the Goodsons' house in Destin that evening. It was a great meal, and Rita had the whole thing catered by people from the hotel over there. They invited all of our friends from Emerald Beach and about the same number of their family friends. It was quite a crowd, and Rita was the perfect hostess.

Chuck had asked if he could invite his friend to dinner. Kyle checked with his mom, and, of course, the answer was yes. We met the friend, and we were very impressed.

His name was Tony Miller. He was in his early twenties, probably twenty-two or twenty-three. He was at least six feet tall, probably weighed around 180, and had brown hair and brown eyes. You could tell he was intelligent just by looking at him, which was something you wanted to do a good bit of because he was drop-dead handsome. The boy could have easily been a model. He had a great sense of humor, and he wasn't at all shy about interacting with us. I could tell he and Chuck liked each other a lot, but it was obvious they had just begun dating. They didn't have the ease with one another that couples develop after they've been dating a while. I figured him for a keeper.

The next day, Holy Saturday, was the day Kyle had been working toward for eight months. We had a big picnic for the family on Dune Island. Monte let us borrow his boat to get everybody out there and to have a place to use the bathroom, once we were there. It was March 28th, and the weather was magnificent. That was really the time of year to come to Emerald Beach. It was in the low 80's, so it was warm but not too hot. The water was crystal clear and a bright emerald green. The wind on the island was probably fifteen miles per hour, and everything was perfect.

Everybody, including Cherie, went into the water at some point. We played volleyball, played frisbee, flew kites, flew radio-controlled model airplanes. Rita, Sonya, Mom, and Sarah played bridge. Arnie, Gene, George, and my dad went to check out the ruins of the fort that were on the island. Rick and I, Jeff and Tyler, Craig and Cherie, and Chuck and Tony spent a good bit of time talking and getting to know one another. Kyle, Tim, Justin, Brian, Denny, Brady, Chip, Ron, and Ron's friend Steve played with the dogs, snorkeled, swam, body surfed, and played a short impromptu game of touch football. And, of course, we all ate. A lot.

That was one of those family gatherings that really hadn't been planned long in advance, but it was a perfect day. It might have seemed to an outsider that we were celebrating Kyle's reception into the Church, and we were. But what we were really celebrating was love and family and unity in diversity. We were celebrating us.

* * *

The Easter Vigil started Saturday night at seven o'clock.

"When we were kids, this thing started at 10:30 at night," Dad said. "They timed it so that the Mass part started promptly at midnight with the ringing of the bells, and you'd be out of there by one o'clock in the morning. This new time is much better."

Kyle and George had to be there at 6:30, so they went separately. We got in our places in church by seven.

The first step was the lighting of the New Fire. All of the candles in the church, and the electric lights as well, were put out at the end of the service on Good Friday. Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, was symbolically dead. Gone. No light. The kindling of the New Fire, at the start of the service, represented His return from the dead. The Paschal Candle was carved and blessed, and then it was lit from the New Fire. Next, the Baptismal Water was consecrated, and the Paschal Candle was plunged into the Baptismal Water (bottom end, only). There were lots of prayers for all of this, of course.

Then we moved into the church, which was in total darkness by that time. Every seat had a small candle. Jerry was carrying the Paschal Candle, assisted by two deacons. He stopped at the back of the church and sang, "Light of Christ," and the congregation responded in song, "Thanks be to God." They passed some of the fire from the Paschal Candle to people in the back of the church. He did it again in the middle of the church and again at the front. By the time he got to the altar, every candle in everybody's hand was lighted. The church was aglow with candle light, and it was beautiful. Then they turned on the electric lights.

There were a bunch of readings from various books of the Bible, and then Jerry started Mass. The homily was maybe three minutes, and then they got on with the new Catholics. First came the baptisms of the catechumens, and then came the professions of faith of the candidates. George vouched for Kyle, as did the other sponsors for their people, and then they had the ceremony of Confirmation. When George formally announced to Jerry that Kyle had chosen Kevin Richard as his Confirmation name, tears came to my eyes and ran down my cheeks. Rick grabbed my hand on one side and Cherie did the same on the other. That was definitely the most emotional moment I had ever had in church.

The rest of the service went as usual. Kyle and the other new Catholics received their First Holy Communion that night, something cradle Catholics do when they are about seven, and that was sort of moving, too. And then, after a few more prayers, it was over.

Jeff, Ty, Justin, and Brian had slipped out right after communion to get things set up at home. We were having dinner for fifty at 9:30, and somebody had to make sure it was all set up. It was all catered, but they had to check. We all got there about 8:30, and the bartenders started full speed. It was a grand party, and everybody had a great time.

The next day, we had a kind of picnic lunch on our patio and in the clubhouse for just the family. Of course, that was twenty-five people. We had it fairly early so the ones who had to drive home could get an early start. It was mostly cold stuff, like ham, fried chicken, salads, and that sort of thing. There were some hot casseroles, too, though. Everybody got a colored hard-boiled egg as their Easter Egg, and, of course, Easter Egg fights broke out all over the place. Justin won the most fights, but Kyle was a close second.

The Easter Weekend ended around two, and, by then, everyone was bloated with food. The company from distant places left, and the residents of North Lagoon Drive settled down for naps. It had been a glorious weekend, but we were ready for a rest.