I was really looking forward to going to Disney World with Tim, Justin, and Brian. None of them had ever been there, and I knew we were going to have us a good time. I couldn't care less about the gay part of it. I mean, I'm as gay as the next guy, but that wasn't something I ever thought much about. I had been to plenty of gay places and gay events, so it wasn't really something that meant that much to me. That wasn't true for Philip, though. I knew Philip just about as well as I had ever known anybody, including my own family. I had loved him since I was little, and I think he had loved me that long, too. He seemed to have a need to be part of a larger gay movement or something, though. We got to the Royal Plaza Hotel around nine o'clock, Eastern Time, on Thursday night. The Gay Expo was just shutting down when we got there, but we'd have plenty of time to see that. It was, like, fifty exhibitors, every one of them specifically dealing with gay stuff. And I'm not talking just trinkets and gay flags and shit like that. I'm talking stuff like the Queer as Folk show, the big beer companies, the big record companies, and a lot of big things that have gay-related products and services. My daddy had told me that when he went to conventions for our brand hotels that the exhibits were usually the best part of the meetings, and I figured this was going to be about the same thing. We checked in and got two rooms, with two doubles each. We had already decided that we would be swapping around so that we could spend the night with a different couple each time. Tim and I were up to spend Thursday night with Kevin and Rick, and that wasn't a problem for us. I figured he and I would get up early and leave the room to give them some privacy Friday morning. I knew they wouldn't do anything with us in the room, and they needed their time together. Jeff and Ty had a room to themselves, but all three rooms were in a row. I knew we'd be back and forth. Of course, we didn't go there to spend time in a hotel room. We went there to have a good time out with everybody else. We missed the Welcome! cocktail party that first night, and we needed food. We had eaten junk all along the way, but we needed a good, substantial meal. We all gathered up in our room, and Rick and Justin made drinks for those who wanted them. The boys and I had gone down to the vending machines to get cokes and snacks, and we had a pile of stuff to nibble on. "Where are we going tomorrow?" Justin asked. "Sea World tomorrow, Disney on Saturday, and Universal Studios for Islands of Adventure on Sunday," Kevin said. "Did you see that on the Web site, because that's the traditional line-up?" Jeff said. "Yeah, I did, Jeff," Kevin said. "There are going to be a lot of red shirts at all those places when we're there. I think the red shirts are a great idea, by the way." "I know. Me, too," Philip said. "I've felt empowered since I put this thing on this morning." "You need to empower you some Mennen Speed Stick. You're starting to get a little bit ripe there, Philip," I said. "Kyle, if you hadn't said that, you would have ruined this trip for me," Philip said. "But check your own pits, too, son." "I know, but I like the way I smell," I said. "I actually like the way my shit . . . " "That's enough, Kyle. Philip," Kevin said, interrupting me. We had us a couple of drinks, and I was feeling pretty good. That Rick was something else. He never touched a drop of alcohol, except maybe a little wine with dinner, now and then, but I knew he was the one who had brought the booze along. Kevin was a wonderful man, and he drank right along with the rest of us. But he never thought about tucking a bottle or two in a suitcase. The same with Justin. I never saw him turn down a drink, but he never thought about bringing any. I didn't know if Philip and Ryan had brought anything. We weren't out to get drunk, but a drink now and then can help a celebration. And we were damn sure out to celebrate that weekend. We went out to an Outback Steak House near our hotel, and we had us a wonderful meal. I don't think you could beat steak and potatoes if you tried. I mean, I love every form of seafood, raw or cooked, but you get a nice prime rib or a New York Strip or something like that, with a baked potato with butter and sour cream, and that's got to be a taste of heaven. A good salad to start it off, and you're on your way. "Can I tempt you with some dessert?" the waiter asked when we were finished eating. Yeah, he could tempt every one of them. Not me, though. I don't know why I can't eat dessert after a meal like that, but I never could. I wanted exactly one bite of whatever Tim was having, and that's it. I wanted coffee, and that particular night I wanted a cigarette, too, but no dessert for me. Back at the hotel, we were all in our room for a nightcap. I had seen a movie one time where this guy asked another character if he wanted a nightcap. He said, "No, I never wear 'em." The actor who said that line was Leslie Nielsen, and I thought at the time that was one of the funniest things I had ever heard. All that Nielsen guy had to do was open his mouth, and I laughed. It was late when we went to bed, but I had to keep reminding myself that we were really an hour earlier than that place because we lived in Central Time. That thing about Central Time was a little known fact in Florida, but our part of the state was in Central. That meant that our sunrises and sunsets were an hour earlier than the next county over to the east of us, but that's the way it was in Emerald Beach, Florida, like it or not. The next morning after breakfast we went to Sea World. The very first thing we did was go on Kraken. That one was a fine ride, too. This is what the sign said about it. Remember the monster under your bed? Well, it grew up! Kraken, the monster of all roller coasters, is the tallest, fastest, longest and only floorless roller coaster in Orlando. It will take you to the heights of a 15-story building and turn you upside down seven times, all at speeds reaching 65 mph! Named after a legendary sea monster, Kraken is a massive, mythological underwater beast that's unleashed from the depths of the sea to take SeaWorld guests on the ride of their lives--lifting them higher, dropping them longer and spiraling them faster than any other coaster in Orlando. Riders' feet dangle as they sit on open-air, pedestal-like seats with nothing around them except shoulder restraints. There's no one to hold on to, nothing in front of them and nothing below them--and only sky above. I had never been on that thing before, and that was the scariest damn ride I had ever been on in my life. I ain't ashamed to admit it. I almost peed my pants. The next one up was the Journey to Atlantis. "What the hell was that last thing?" Justin asked. "It was a roller coaster, Bubba. Did you like it?" I asked. "I almost puked, Kyle," he said. "It was fun, but it was scary as hell, too." "Let's go," I said. The sign for Journey to Atlantis said, Get ready for the ultimate adventure ride--Journey to Atlantis! Traveling on water and high-speed rails, you'll be chased by spirits who want to keep Atlantis--and you--for their own! You'll never know what's around the next corner or the next drop--even when it's 60 feet, nearly straight down. Journey to Atlantis is the future of theme park thrill rides. Combining the best parts of water rides and roller coasters, and adding out-of-this world special effects, Journey to Atlantis is one of the most unbelievable rides imaginable. And it was just exactly that. "Kyle, I feel like my balls are around my neck," Justin said, when we got off that thing. "I know. Me, too," I said. "Where's the 'Sea' in SeaWorld?" "I know. I think it's all about sea monsters, and I think we just been on two of the monsters," Jus said. "Did you like 'em, though?" "I loved 'em. You know I loved 'em. I need to go to the bathroom pretty bad right now, though," he said. "Yeah. Me, too. Let's go," I said. We went to see Shamu, the killer whale, and Namu, his wife. They had seven of those things there, and one of the young boy ones got him a hard-on while we were watching. "You're making that dude excited, Tim," I said. He was laughing, just like the rest of us. There were red shirts everywhere I looked, so I knew the rest of the audience was probably enjoying the sight. "Shut up, Kyle," Tim said. "You're embarrassing me." "Am I really?" "No, but shut up, anyway," Tim said. I laughed at him, and we laughed together. They had dolphin and sea lion shows there, too. The ones at Gulf World back home were just about as good as those ones were. They didn't have those big whales at Gulf World, but I thought the dolphin and sea lion shows might have even been better at Gulf World. "Do you think this is better than Gulf World?" Philip asked me. "No. I think the show at Gulf World is better than this," I said. "Me, too," he said. "I want my money back." I laughed, and he laughed, too. "I don't think they give you your money back just because you happen to come from a place that has a better show," I said. "You don't think so, Kyle? Imagine that!" "You shitass. Get out of my face," I said. We both laughed hard. One thing they had there that we definitely didn't have in Emerald Beach was the Arctic and the Antarctic sites. You had to get on a helicopter to go there, and those two places were pretty unbelievable. They were inside, of course, and they were very cold. They had polar bears, walruses, and penguins. That was awesome. I was so damn cold, I was shivering. "Is Disney World this good?" Tim asked. "Tim, it's so different, you can't even compare the two," I said. "Just wait." "Where's the American history exhibit?" Justin asked me. "I want ole Andrew Jackson back in my life." He and I both laughed. "This ain't about American history, dumbass. It's about nature and science," I said. "You want to go up against me on science?" he asked. He had just gotten an A in biology and biology lab in college, and there was no way I was going to challenge that. Justin was a smart guy, and I knew it. "No way, Bubba," I said. He grabbed me around the neck and hugged me. It hurt a little, too. We stayed at SeaWorld as long as we could stand it, and then we went back to our hotel. We got coffee and snacks, and then we went to the Gay Expo. Some of that stuff was bogus. I mean, Gay Cellular Telephones? What the hell was that all about? I didn't want a telephone done up in the rainbow colors. My black one worked just fine. There was a tee shirt and cap shop that was pretty interesting. They had some pretty funny caps and tees, but there was no way I was going to wear any of that shit around Emerald Beach. I didn't want any of the gay-themed key chains, decals, posters, greeting cards, or any of the rest of that crap, either. I knew a lot of guys liked that kind of stuff, and more power to 'em. It just wasn't for me. We went up to our rooms to rest for a while, and then we got back together for dinner. "Where do y'all want to go for dinner?" Kevin asked. "I don't know. Do you want to try here?" Rick asked. The hotel sounded good to all of us. We were game. It turned out they had a real good buffet on Friday night, and that's what all of us got. We all ate good. "So, there's a circuit party tonight. Do you guys want to go to it?" Kevin asked. "I wouldn't mind going," Philip said. "How much?" "It's $85 a person," Kevin said. "What?!! You're kidding, right?" Philip asked. "No, that's what it costs, Philip," Kevin said. "Shit, I wouldn't pay that much to get in anywhere, except maybe a hospital if I was dying," he said. We laughed. "Well, that's what the party costs," Kevin said. "There's a pool party at our hotel. Admission is free, since we're staying there. Cash bar, though." "I'm wanting some splash, anyway," I said. "That pool party sounds great to me. Suits?" "Yeah, suits," Kevin said. "I wouldn't mind some splash myself. Let's make it an early night, though, guys. Tomorrow is a big day."
SeaWorld was the fifth big zoo I had been to in a couple of years, and I thought it was unbelievable. The animals were incredibly well cared for, and they were beautiful. There were a couple of zoos in Emerald Beach that I hadn't yet been to, but I was going to make it my business to get to both of them as soon as I could. There was actually a third zoo in Emerald Beach County, too, and it had recently been in the news when a tiger mauled the owner. I might have to check that one out, too. We got up pretty early on the day we went to Disney. In fact, we were all in the dining room of the hotel by 7:30. They had a breakfast buffet, which our family seemed to specialize in, and all of us got huge plates of food. "Are we going to try to stay together?" Rick asked. "I think we should, don't you?" Kevin said. "Yeah, if y'all do," Rick said. "What's the advantage of not staying together?" Kevin asked. "Well, different people like different stuff," Kyle said. "For instance, I'm not really interested in any gift shops. I've been in way too many of those things as it is, and they've got a ton of them in the park. My suggestion is we do it in hour increments. I mean, everybody's got a watch. We stop at a place, decide we'll meet back here in one hour, and we all go where we want to go." "I think Kyle's right. For instance, I'm not going on that damn teacup ride again. The last time I went on that thing, I puked my guts out. That is way too stressful to my intestinal tract," Philip said. Everybody laughed at the way he said that, but that was one ride I was actually looking forward to. I had seen it on TV, and it looked like a lot of fun to me. "I think we're going to want to spend most of our time in Frontierland and Tomorrowland," Kyle said. "I mean, that's where the big rides are. Frontierland has Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is a runaway mountain train roller coaster, and Splash Mountain, which is a log flume roller coaster. Those are both terrific. And Tomorrowland has Astro Orbiter, The ExtraTerrorestrial Alien Encounter, and Space Mountain. Those are the best rides in Disney World, in my opinion." "I'll second Kyle on those," Philip said. "This is like the sixth or seventh time I've been here, and those are the best in my opinion, too." "What about the teacups?" I asked. "I told you. I'm not going on those," Philip said. "Tim and I will go with you on that one, Brian," Kyle said. "I was with him on it when he puked, and we made it turn too fast. I did, I mean. I won't make you puke, Bri. That's a cool ride." "What about It's a Small World?" Tim asked. "Everybody ought to see that one at least once, although I hate that damn song. And the Country Bear Jamboree and the Hall of the Presidents, too. I forget that some of y'all ain't been here before. Tim, I'll do anything you want to do, Babe." Those were our marching orders for the day. The place itself was unbelievable to me. Everything was spotlessly clean, and there were more flowers around than, I believe, I had ever seen before. The castle that dominated the center of the place was spectacular, and everything was perfect. There were red shirts everywhere, and I felt completely at ease and at home. Justin was quiet. "What's the matter, Buddy? You seem quiet," I said. "Brian, I have never even imagined anything like this in my life," he said. "I'm having a wonderful time here with you, but I'm just trying to take it all in." "I know. It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" I said. "Yeah. I feel like a kid. I've never felt like a kid before. Free and innocent," he said. God! That ripped my heart. Justin was so good, so loving, so generous, so very kind. But so much bad had been done to him. So many bad men had used him and abused him. I teared up, but I didn't let myself cry. He was such an incredibly strong man, but I knew that if I cried it would worry him and bother him. I grabbed his hand as tightly as I could. I knew he was going to be the rock of support for me for the rest of my life. He squeezed my hand in return, and I knew that was a melding of our hearts. * * * One of the things I didn't know about was the parade in the afternoon. It was all the Disney characters, plus the Muppets and a lot more, riding in funny cars. Some were walking, too. There were some great bands, including some gay marching bands. As the end of the parade passed us, the security guards let down the barricade so we could all join in the parade. "They don't usually do this," Kyle said, as we stepped out to march. "It's probably special for Gay Day," Jeff said. "I've never seen this, either." There were thousands of people in red tee shirts and tank tops marching in the parade. It was a really impressive sight, and it gave me a lump in my throat to see it. I looked around at all of those rides and all of those buildings, and I thought of all the unbelievable fun that millions of people had had there. And it all started with a mouse. We got ice cream cones after the parade, and we found a shady place to sit, relax, and eat our ice cream. "Kevin and Rick, this is the most wonderful place I've ever been in my life," Justin said. His voice was thick with emotion, and I knew he was on the verge of crying. "Thank you for bringing us here." All of us were quiet, sort of soaking up the meaning for him of what Jus had just said. "Shit, I feel like a damn girl, crying like this," he said. Instead of the usual wisecracks or jokes, Kyle wrapped his arm around Justin. "You cry all you want to, Bubba. You still got some bad shit inside that you need to get out, and that's the way to do it," he said. "We love you Justin, and you're going to be our brother forever. You're safe with us." That made Jus cry more. "I know," he sobbed. "Do y'all know what today is?" "Saturday?" Kyle asked. We all laughed. "Today is the day y'all found me," Justin said. "It's kind of like my birthday, you know?" That was more than any of the five of us--Kevin, Rick, Kyle, Tim, and me--could stand, and we all started crying. "What's going on? There can be no tears in the Magic Kingdom," this heavyset young guy said. He was acting silly, probably to cheer us up. He was with two other guys, and they were both fat, too. Not like those bear guys we had seen in Pensacola. These guys were just overweight, and I was sure they had all been made fun of in high school. They were just the type who would have been. We all started laughing, and he got a big smile on his face. "Thanks, but these are very happy tears, brother," Kyle said. "Even though we're crying, we're probably the happiest people in this damn park right now." "Well, good. I was just trying to help out," he said. "Thanks, man," Justin said. "We were having a nostalgia moment." "I'm Herb, and this is my cousin Walt and Walt's boyfriend, Cameron," Herb said. We introduced ourselves and told him who our partners were. "Where are you all from?" Herb asked. We told him. "We're from North Carolina, more or less between Highlands and Cashiers. Ever hear of it?" We all got big, bright grins. "We certainly have. We're neighbors, in fact. My parents have a cabin right outside Highlands," Kevin said. "You're kidding?!" Walter said. "No, I'm not kidding. We were there in January, skiing," Kevin said. "Do you know Steve and Frank? The guys who run the flower shop in Highlands? They're friends of ours." "Oh, my God! Do we know them? They're, like, our mentors," Cameron said. "They introduced me to Walt and Herb. This is incredible!" One of them, Herb I think, started singing "It's a Small World, After All," and we all joined in. I looked at Kyle. He wasn't singing, and he rolled his eyes at me. I burst out laughing. "Sing, Kyle," Rick said. "You've got the best voice of all of us." "No! I hate that fucking song. I will never sing it," he said. We all laughed. The North Carolina boys ended up spending the rest of the day with us. We ate dinner in the park, and we stayed until it closed at ten. The fireworks were pretty spectacular over the castle, and the night parade, which they evidently only have on special occasions, like Gay Day, was really great, too. They used fiber-optic light on everything, from the floats to the costumes of the characters who were walking. We had seen some pretty spectacular night parades at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, but nothing compared to that. North Carolina came back to our hotel with us, and we had drinks and snacks in Kevin and Rick's room. "Where are you fellas staying?" Kyle asked them, once we were all settled in the air conditioning. "Well, we don't actually have a place," Herb said. "We slept in our car last night." "Nuh-uh," Kyle said. "Yeah, we did. We're doing this trip on the cheap," Herb said. "Kevin, come here," Kyle said. "I need to talk to you out in the hall." I looked at Tim and Rick, and they both grinned. They knew. "He's up to his old stuff. He ain't had a project in days," Justin said. "He picked a good day for it, too, don't you think?" We all laughed. "What's going on?" Herb asked. "You'll see," Jus said. "What time is it?" Jeff asked. He was wearing a watch, like the rest of us, but I was pretty sure he was ready to break up our little social but didn't want to just come out and say it. "It's not late. You'd best stay, Bubba," Jus said. "Jeff and Ty. Y'all come out here," Kyle said, sticking his head in the room. Jeff knew exactly what was going on, and he grinned at us as he and Ty were leaving the room. "Are you guys in school?" Tim asked. "I am, unfortunately," Cameron said. "Community college. Not this summer, though. I'm working for my homophobic father and uncle this summer." "Walt and I are working, or trying to," Herb said. "There isn't much work where we live, though." "Do you have jobs at all?" I asked. "Yes. We're servants. Walt and I share a job as a bellboy at a resort, if you call that a job." He expected a laugh, but he didn't get one. "That's what most of us do for jobs, too," Tim said. "That's pretty much what all of our brothers do," Justin said. "Or did. Jeff and I have been promoted to desk clerk. Our other brother, Chuck, is actually in sales now." Herb looked like he was a little embarrassed for having put down his bellboy job. The boys in the hall came back in. Kevin was the first to speak. "We've been talking about you guys bunking up with us. Jeff and Ty have a double bed in their room that's empty, and every one of these rooms has a sofa that opens into a single bed. Would you do us the honor of spending the night with us? No demands, guys. Just friends," he said. "Well, sure," Walt said. "That's awfully nice of you, Kevin, but I don't think . . .," Herb said. "No, you don't think. We were so hot in that car last night we almost died, and we didn't even get a shower this morning. Herbie, Cam and I are staying, even if you don't," Walt said. "These are obviously very nice people, and they're neighbors. They know Steve and Frank, for God's sake." "You've twisted my arm, Coz. Yeah, we'll stay. Thanks, guys," Herb said. We partied some more with those guys. They had actually parked their car within walking distance of our hotel, so they went down and got their stuff. All three of them wanted to take showers when they came back up, so that's what they did. After that, we went down to the pool. We ordered hamburgers and French fries from the food concession that was out there, and we had a good time talking. Around midnight, Justin said, "Little Buddy, I'm really tired. Let's go to bed, okay?" "Okay," I said. Walt and Cameron were sleeping in the bed in the room with Justin and me, and Walt was sleeping on our couch. They all started to get up to go to bed, too. "Give them a little time, okay, guys? This is a very special day for them," Kevin said. Those guys were no fools. They stayed put, and Justin and I went up to bed. Bed that night was about ten feet above heaven.
Kyle and Tim were sleeping in Jeff's room that night. Jeff and Ty left the pool area right after Justin and Brian. "Do you have your key, Ty?" Jeff asked. "Yeah," Ty said. "Here's my key, Bubba," Jeff said, handing his key to Kyle. "Give us about an hour, okay?" Kyle grinned and nodded. Philip and Ryan were sleeping in the room with Kevin and me, and they excused themselves. "Nighty-night, boys," Kyle said lecherously as Philip and Ryan were leaving. "Fuck you, Kyle," Philip said. "Me?" Kyle asked in an exaggerated way, and they both laughed. "Are you guys related in some way?" Herb asked, once Jeff and Ty, and Philip and Ryan were gone. "It's a pretty long and involved story, but, yes, we are related. But not by blood," I said. "Kevin and I are a married couple, and all of these guys are our foster sons, either legally or honorary. Except Ty. He's Jeff's partner, so that makes him part of the family, by default. Philip and Ryan are very close friends." "Wow! You mean, like, you've got this whole gay family?" Cameron said. "Yeah, and there are more of us, too. Brian and Denny, who isn't here, are our two official foster sons at the moment. Denny is home with Chuck, an honorary foster son. Denny's fifteen, and Chuck's twenty-two," I said. "Are those two, like, boyfriends?" Walt asked. "Oh, no. They each have a boyfriend, but they're not each other's boyfriend," Kevin said. "You must have a huge house," Herb said. "How many can you sleep?" "Twenty-four, if we use all the sofa-sleepers," Kyle said. "Thirty-two, if we use the condo." I had no idea we could put up that many people, but I was sure Mr. Hospitality was right. That was exactly the kind of thing he would know--for planning purposes, of course. "That doesn't count air mattresses and sleeping bags and shit like that," Kyle said. "Plus, my parents could put up another fourteen, if we had to. Well, no. Another eighteen, if we used their condo, too." "You could put up fifty people?!" Herb asked. "What are y'all running down there? A hotel?" "Actually, eleven hotels or motels, in addition to our houses," Kevin said. "We could really put up quite a few people. And we do so on a regular basis. At the hotels and motels, that is." I laughed, but the kids didn't think that was funny. Dumbasses. Hanging out around the pool was something we were masters at, and that's what we were doing. We were sipping drinks and watching the boys play in the water. I personally was too tired to get in that big splash-a-thon they were having in the pool. Kyle and Tim both had on red Speedos that night. Suddenly, Kyle's hand dove to his crotch, and he started working it. "What the hell are you doing?" Kevin asked. He knew damn good and well that Kyle was just scratching himself, but Kevin loved to tease Kyle about stuff like that. "I'm scratching my balls. What do you think I'm doing? They itch. Don't your balls ever itch?" Kyle said. Kyle was using the tone of voice that Philip had told me was called the "Emerald Beach Grumble." "Nobody around here would care if I scratched my balls except you, Kevin," Kyle said. The North Carolina boys looked like they thought the two of them were going to fight. "Maybe if they looked like real balls, I'd know that," Kevin said. Kyle pulled his suit up tight, and he opened his legs wide. His balls looked like two red Easter eggs through that suit. "You just ain't ever seen any. That's all," he said. Kevin, Tim, and I burst out laughing. The North Carolina boys looked kind of confused. "Who'd he get last?" Tim asked. "I think both of us on that one," I said. "Very good, Bubba. We don't get too many two-fers," I said. Of course, we had to explain the game to the North Carolina boys, and they laughed when they got the joke. "What do you guys do in Highlands?" Kyle asked. Herb and Walt explained about sharing a job at a resort. "I work for my father and my uncle at their lumber yard," Cameron said. "They consider me a pack animal." We laughed. "What do you do?" Kyle asked. "Basically, anything that's too good for a straight guy to do, including my homophobic brother," Cameron said. "I'm twenty, and he's two years older than me. His best friend works with us, too, and they basically spend their days making fun of me. I hate my family." "Walt and I are first cousins," Herb said. "Our respective families basically kicked us out when they found out we're gay. Last summer, right after we graduated high school. Since then, we've lived together, rather hand-to-mouth. The three of us have saved for over a year to come here this weekend." "You realize you're making me feel like shit, don't you?" Kyle said. "How so, Kyle? That's the furthest thing from our minds, man," Herb said. "Well, think about it. This afternoon, y'all saw us crying, and you wanted to help us feel good. You didn't know that those tears happened to be a celebration for this family, but all you wanted to do was make us happy. You thought we were sad. You took a big fucking risk to help us," Kyle said. "So?" Herb said. "So you guys were the ones who needed help. Not us. We should have been helping you guys. Not you helping us," Kyle said. "Aren't you guys helping us tonight? Right now?" Herb said. "I know, but it was sort of an accident, you know?" "How could we have planned it, Kyle?" Herb said. "Look at the three of us and at the however-many there are of you. Every one of you is slim, trim, lean, and good looking. And you're all very masculine. The three of us are fat, and we know it. And we're pretty femme. We know that about ourselves, and we accept that. It's who we are." "I don't get your point, Herb. The fact is, this family has resources. Deep ones that you guys don't have. I'm speaking purely for myself here, but I also think I'm speaking for my brothers. Herb, do you have a boyfriend?" Kyle asked. "No." "You and Walt are sharing a job. What would happen if one of you quit?" Kyle asked. "Well, I guess the other one would go on full-time," he said. "Kevin and Rick. I need to talk to y'all," Kyle said. "In private." "The answer is 'yes,' Kyle," I said, before he asked the question. "You mean it?" "I can put him to work, but I think he'd make more as a bellhop. Can you use him, Babe?" "Shit, I put three or four to work every week. This boy has experience, too. No problem," Kevin said. Kyle burst into a big grin. "Herb, if you're willing to move to Emerald Beach, you've got a job and a place to stay, at least temporarily," I said. "My God!" Walt said. The three of them were grinning their faces off. Those three boys, but especially Herb, were fat and effeminate. Three years before, when I was Mister Ironman, I wouldn't have given those boys a second thought. But time changes a lot. As Kyle had said, those guys, especially Herb, had taken a big chance that afternoon to help us when they thought we were needing help. The very least we could do was reciprocate. And they really were in need of some relief. "Let's get in the splash before we go to bed," Kyle said. Without waiting for a response from us, he dove into the pool. Tim was right behind him, and I knew Justin and Brian would have been on his heels, too, if they were there. "You guys are really something," Herb said. "Thank you." * * * Philip and Ryan were sound asleep in their bed when we got to our room that night. Kevin sniffed loudly a couple of times. "What does that smell like to you?" he asked in a whisper. "It smells like young love," I whispered back. "I could use some of that myself tonight." "Me, too, but we have to be quiet." "I love you so much," I whispered. He grinned. "Not as much as I love you," he said. We had fun that night, making love without making noise. We knew those two boys--adult males, technically--couldn't have cared less what we did, but it was kind of fun pretending we didn't want to wake the kids. God, I loved that man. |