Going to Disney World for Gay Days was one of the best things we had ever done. We had done a lot of cool stuff, don't get me wrong, but I felt just like a little kid at Disney World. "I know that's Mickey Mouse, but who's that other one?" I asked Brian. "That's Goofy. Do you not know the Disney characters, Buddy?" "Not most of 'em. I didn't really have a regular childhood, you know, Bri? That's why I am the way I am, I guess," I said. "How do you think you are?" he asked me. "I don't know. Sort of fucked up, I reckon. There's just a lot of gaps in what I know," I said. "Justin, you know that I love you, don't you? You know I would never lie to you, don't you?" Brian said. I didn't have any idea where that was going, and it sort of scared me a little bit. "Yeah, I know both of those things," I said. "So you're going to have to believe me, okay?" he said. "Okay," I said, still scared. "You are not fucked up in any way. Don't ever think that about yourself again, and I mean it," he said. His voice had that "and I mean business" sound to it. The way he said that was about the cutest he'd ever been, and it made me laugh. "You don't think I'm fucked up?" "Well, maybe a little bit," he said. Now he was teasing me. "Well, which is it? You told me you'd never lie to me. Am I fucked up or not?" I asked. "Come here, Buddy. It's okay to do this here." Then he planted a big kiss on my mouth. We didn't get into the tongue thing or any of that, though. "That's how fucked up you are," he said. "And even if you were fucked up, I'd still love you." That made me feel so good, I was about to bust. "You realize, I've just said the word fuck more times in this conversation than I have in the whole rest of my life put together, don't you?" Brian said. That was pretty damn cute, too. "I know. You're turning into a damn potty mouth," I said. We both laughed. Then I got serious. "Bri, you almost never say any cuss words. Why is that?" I asked. "I don't feel comfortable using that kind of language, Buddy," he said. "Does it bother you when I do, or when the others do?" I asked. "Not a bit," he said. "In fact, sometimes it's kind of a turn-on." "You mean, like, it gives you an erection?" I asked. I found that hard to believe. "No, not that. I get them sometimes, but that's just normal," he said. "I guess it's just sort of rough and masculine to me. You and Kyle are very masculine men. I don't think Tim and I are as masculine as you and Kyle." "What?! There's nothing feminine about either one of you guys. Brian, I couldn't go for you if you were feminine, man. That's just a fact. What makes you say that about you and Tim?" I was just a little bit pissed off at him and the way he thought of himself. He was the finest human being I ever knew in my life, and I resented him saying that about himself because I thought it was a put-down. "Now don't get annoyed. I'm not putting myself down. But I know myself, Jus. Everybody has masculine and feminine qualities, and that's the way it's supposed to be. I think Tim and I have more feminine qualities than you and Kyle do, that's all," he said. "Like what?" "Well, I think we're more intuitive than you guys are," he said. "What does that mean?" "It means we sense how people are feeling quicker than you and Kyle do," he said. "Well, that's true. You guys do that, for sure," I said. "What else?" "I think we're gentler and less interested in roughhousing than you guys," he said. "That roughhouse stuff is strictly Kyle, not me," I said. "Justin?! What?! You'll roughhouse in a second. What are you talking about? Have you ever heard Tim or me offer to whip each other's ass out in the yard? I know that's just talk, but the fact that you think about it, and would do it if you pissed each other off enough, is proof of what I'm saying," he said. "I'd like to see you and Tim square off," I said. He knew I was teasing him, though. He laughed. "If Tim and I ever had a real fight, you and Kyle would go crazy and probably kill each other," he said. "But that's the kind of thing I'm talking about. That's what I mean when I say Tim and I have more feminine qualities than you and Kyle." "Have you talked about this with Tim and Kyle?" I asked. "With Tim, yeah. Not with Kyle, though. Kyle and I got really close working on his book. That was the first major thing I ever did with just him, and it was a wonderful bonding experience for both of us. But he and I don't talk about stuff like this," he said. "I know. I don't talk to him about stuff like this, either. In fact, I don't talk to anybody but you about it," I said. "So tell me this. Who lives in that big castle?" "What are you talking about?" he asked. "That thing right there," I said, pointing to the castle. "Who lives there? Or used to live there?" "Oh, that's Cinderella's Castle," he said. "I don't know who that is," I said. "Is that one of those things everybody in the world knows about but me?" "I don't know about everybody in the world, but it's pretty common knowledge," he said. "You know what? When we get home, I'm going to put you on a reading program. There really are a lot of gaps in what you know, but we're going to take care of that. If you want to, that is." "Yeah, I want to. But let's don't tell the others, okay? I don't want Kyle and Rick ragging my butt about that, okay?" I said. He gave me about the sweetest smile I had ever seen in my life. "It'll just be us," he said. "Me and my man." "Brian, I love you so much I'm about to pop right now," I said. "And I love you that much, too. We're building a partnership that has to last a lifetime, you know? I've got a stake in this, too, Buddy," he said. "I love it when you say stuff like that, Brian," I said. "Cause that's exactly how I feel about it, too." "I know," he said. * * * We met up with these three boys from North Carolina in Disney World. Everything you could have going against you, they had. They were fat, they were gay, and they were effeminate. But, once you got past all that, they were just as nice and as likeable as they could be. I knew they were probably the type that got picked on at school, and before I came to Emerald Beach, I probably would have done the picking, had I been there. That was one thing they had taught me, though. You don't judge people. You just accept them and be friends. The thing was, it had been two years to the day that they had found me in that motel. I know my birthday is July 4th, or so my birth certificate says, if you can believe that. But that day in June they found me was my real birthday. That was the day I started my real life, and couldn't nobody tell me different. That's what we were all crying about when that Herb boy came up to us. "You can't cry in the Magic Kingdom," he said. Oh, yes, you can, I thought. When you're as happy as I am, you cry if you want to. And this is the perfect place to do it. Those boys knew the ones in North Carolina who have the flower shop. That is so damn typical of us. Here we are, hundreds of miles from home, and we run into people who know people we know. And they were even farther away from home than we were. That never stops amazing me, how we can do that. Before we know it, Herb and Walt and Cameron are going to spend the night with us. Then, Herb's going to come live with us. Those boys were eighteen or nineteen at the most, and they needed help. Who do you call when you need help? Kevin Foley and Rick Mashburn. Who else? The next day, though, we met this little prick named Dan. We met his daddy and his daddy's partner, too, and this other straight boy named Max, who was wearing a red shirt just like the rest of us. Dan wouldn't wear one because he didn't want the people there to think he was gay. Like they cared. Turns out, Dan is as queer as a three-dollar bill, but he's pissed off because his mama and step-daddy made him come live in Atlanta with his real daddy to bust him up with his boyfriend. Don't get me wrong. I would have been supremely pissed off if somebody had done me that way, but you don't turn into a prick who hates gay people because you're pissed off at your mama. That doesn't make any sense to me, especially if you're gay yourself. If anybody had a right to be pissed off, it was Max. He wasn't gay, but he didn't give a shit if everybody in that place thought he was. Not him. He wanted to fit in and show Gay Pride, even though he ain't gay. He was having a great time, and he knew nobody was going to force him to give them a blowjob or something. He was level-headed, I thought. Kyle had told me to watch Dan close because of what had happened that morning at the pool. That boy was lucky that man had been there that morning. Otherwise, Dan might be wearing those teeth on a necklace, instead of in his mouth, if Kyle had had his way with him. Then we have this big coming out thing while we're taking a break. Dan and his daddy go off to patch it up or something. I don't know. Meanwhile, Max is dying for a smoke, and that's a little mini-drama in itself because evidently he hadn't been smoking in front of his daddy. Jesus! Anyway, we finally got everything all worked out. But that was just another one of our family traits. We work it all out in the end.
"Damn, would you keep still," I said to Kyle on the Friday night before Chris and David were getting there the next day. "I can't help it," he said. He had been pumping his foot as fast as he could, and it was shaking the sofa. We were in the den watching the Braves on TV. I put my hand on his left thigh. I was sitting next to him. "Stop it," I said. "I'm sorry," he said. He knew that was annoying, but he really wasn't aware he was doing it. He'd stop for a few minutes when I did something like put my hand on him, but he'd start again without realizing it just as soon as I turned him loose. "This game is boring the piss out of me," he said. "I can't concentrate on it. Who wants to do something?" Kyle and I were the only ones watching the game. The rest of them were in there, but they were all reading. Jeff, Ty, Chuck, and Tony were home at their townhouse or out or something, and it was just the Big Four, Kevin and I, Denny, and Paddy at home. Chip usually spent Friday night at our house, but he had a date that night. Nobody said anything when he asked who wanted to do something. "So what is this? Ignore Kyle Night?" he asked. "Jesus, Kyle. You're getting on my nerves," I said. "Y'all take it outside. I'm selling tickets," Justin said. That made us laugh. "Look at that," he said. "That's a double play. No! Damn, that's a triple play." "I thought the game was boring the piss out of you," I said. "It was. It's not any more, though," he said. I put my hand back on his thigh because he had started up again. "I'm going for a swim," Kyle said. "I've got too much energy tonight." He got up and went outside. He stripped off and dove in. I could see him through the French doors that led from the den to the patio and pool. He dove in at the shallow end, but it was a flat dive, not one that was dangerous. I noticed he held his nuts when he did it, too. Despite the triple play, the game really was very, very dull. I decided to join Kyle in the pool. His face lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw me come out there. "That game is boring, isn't it?" he said. "It's the top of the seventh and still no score. I'd say it's pretty boring," I said. "Thanks for coming out here with me," he said. "That's okay, Bubba. I was going to sleep in there, anyway, once the gyrations of the couch stopped," I said. "See, that was keeping you awake," he said. "I was just trying to help you out." "Why are you so hyper tonight?" I asked. "Why do you think? My little boy's coming home tomorrow, that's why," he said, grinning. "Your little boy?" "I know he's not a little boy, but that's the way I think of Chris," he said. "You really love him, don't you?" I asked. "Do you have to ask that question?" he asked. "No, not really. I know you do. What are you going to do if your little boy isn't a little boy anymore, Kyle? He's made a lot of progress in a year, you know? He's had the surgery and all. Is that going to change anything?" I asked. "I've thought a lot about that. He and I write to each other every week, at least. Usually a couple of times. I know he's grown, and I know he's put on a whole lot of weight. Muscle weight. He's worked really hard at PT, and it's paying off. He doesn't take speech therapy anymore. Did you know that?" "No, I didn't," I said. "That's right. His speech is just as clear as mine now. When I talk to him on the phone, I never have to ask him to repeat himself anymore," he said. "That's wonderful," I said. "His speech was never really all that hard to understand before, though." "I know, in person. But did you ever talk to him on the phone? When he first went up there, he was hard to understand on the phone because you couldn't see his mouth. Now, like I said, he talks as plain as me," he said. "I don't think you talk all that plain, Mr. Guff of Mexico, where you play goff when the woofs aren't out to eat the goff balls," I said. "Then you come home and ball up some shrimp, and put plenty of olive all on the salad." He laughed. "That's just my accent. That's the way we talk in Emerald Beach," he said. "I know. I'm just teasing you, Kyle. I told one of the clerks the other day that I needed some pens, and she brought me a whole string of safety pins," I said. "Which ones did you need? Ink pins or safety pins?" he asked. I laughed. "Don't laugh at our talk, Bubba. You sound like a Yankee to me," he said. "I know, but back to Chris. Are you going to be ready if he doesn't need your help anymore, like he used to?" I asked. He got pretty pensive just then. I could tell that was something he had thought about, and I also knew it was something he wasn't yet totally comfortable with. "I know he won't, Rick, but he's still going to be my brother, isn't he?" Kyle asked. "From what I can tell, he'll be your brother for the rest of your life, but he won't be your little boy, Kyle," I said. "Yeah, but isn't that what growing up is all about?" he asked. "That's what I wanted to hear, Kyle. I think you're ready for the 'new Chris,' whatever form that is going to take, man," I said. * * * The next afternoon we were all at the airport when Chris Uhle and his brother David landed. The plane was one of the smaller ones that came in from Atlanta, so the passengers had to climb down the ladder onto the runway to come into the terminal. We were all standing at the plate-glass wall watching, and David came down first. There were several more people, and then Chris emerged from the plane. He took the steps down one at a time, and he was using crutches. When he got on the tarmac, we all tapped on the window for him to see us. When he saw us, he threw his crutches ten feet in front of himself and burst out into the biggest grin I had ever seen on him. The flight attendants, or whoever the people were who were helping the passengers off the plane, must have thought he had fallen or something, and they jumped alive. "Jesus Christ," Kyle said. "It's a miracle! He's been healed!" Justin said. We laughed at Justin. The boys who knew Chris were in tears, as were Kevin and I. Chris had on shorts, so we could see the brace on his right leg. He limped a little, but he damn sure walked across that runway under his own power. David picked up the crutches, which looked like they must have cost a small fortune. He handed them to Chris. "Use the crutches," David said. It was easy to read his lips. "No. You carry them," Chris said. Chris was grinning so big I thought his mouth would split open, and David was grinning, too, proud of his brother. God, what a wonderful sight! We formed a kind of receiving line in the terminal. David and Chris hugged Kevin and me. We introduced them to the ones they didn't already know, and then they proceeded down the line. Kyle was at the end. It was a pretty emotional welcome for all of the Big Four, but Kyle and Chris absolutely lost it. "I can't pick you up anymore," Kyle said. "Yes, you can, but don't, okay?" Chris said. "I know," Kyle said, laughing. They hugged long and hard, grinning and laughing. It was a joy to see those two boys reunited. "Where are your sticks?" Kyle asked. "Dave has 'em. I only brought 'em because I needed 'em in Atlanta. We had to haul ass across that damn airport, but I haven't used them regularly in over three months," Chris said. "I haven't sat in a wheelchair in six months. I can't wait to drive your new car, by the way." "Well, you don't have long to wait. You're driving us home," Kyle said. "My God, it feels so good to be here," Chris said. "I'm home with my bubbas." * * * When we got home, we congregated in the den, of course. Kyle had put together quite a spread for us, and he brought it out, with the help of Tim, Justin, and Brian. "Did you make all of this?" Chris asked. "Yeah, of course I did. We knew you were coming," Kyle said. "Kyle, you're Mr. Party," Chris said. "That's my name. Don't wear it out," Kyle said. There had been a lot of joy and happiness in that room over the year-and-a-half that we had lived there, but I don't think any of it equaled the joy and happiness we knew that afternoon. "I don't want my room to be on the first floor," Chris said. "Second floor, if there's a vacancy, third floor if there isn't." "What?" Justin asked. "You heard me. I've been working on climbing stairs for four damn months, and I want to be up there with you guys," Chris said. "I can't believe how much you've changed in a year," Kyle said. "You must be a good six inches taller." "Seven inches, actually, and forty pounds heavier, all muscle. And that isn't all that's grown," he said. He gave us a sly look. We laughed. "Kyle, when the physical therapy hurt so bad I couldn't stand it, I thought of you and Tim and Justin and Brian, and of my promise to march down the street with you guys, arm in arm. That was my motivation and the source of my energy," he said. "Chris, the transformation is unbelievable," Jeff said. "Well, I've got some more to do," Chris said. "But I don't need a towel anymore to eat." "I can tell that from the way you're eating here. When was the last time you ate, by the way? Do I need to go cook up a steer?" Kyle asked. We all laughed. "I know I've been eating quite a bit, but they didn't give us any food on the plane. Delta is ready to starve you when you are," he said. We all laughed again. "And what's up with the ASA we flew in on from Atlanta?" Chris asked. "That stands for 'Always Something' Airlines," Jeff said. That made us laugh, too. "So, Chris, you know we swim a good bit here," Kyle said. "Kyle, you won't believe me in the water," he said. "Let's go in," Kevin said. Trixie and Krewe were very interested in our newcomers. Chris was too busy to be much interested in the dogs, but David wasn't. I saw the whole thing working out. Kyle, Justin, and Paddy were going to attend to Chris, and Tim, Brian, and Denny were going to attend to David. "Hi, Dave," I said. "How're you doing, buddy?" "I'm doing great, thanks. This is Chris's trip, but I'm just happy to be here," he said. "No, this is your trip, too, Dave. Is this the first time you've ever been around a houseful of gay guys?" I asked. "Yes," he said. "Except for when you guys visited us last summer." "Well, we want you to have a good time, and you tell me if you aren't having a good time, okay?" I said. "Yes, sir, I will. You are the only gay people I know," he said. "I think just being here is going to be a good time." "I hope so, but you tell me if you want to do something that the other ones don't want to do. I'll do it with you, okay?" I said. He grinned. "Yes, sir, I will." * * * "Rick, Dave wants to work with me with the dogs," Brian said. "That's good, Bri," I said. That was actually a God-send because I didn't really know what I was going to do with him. I mean, I could have put him to work at a gift shop for two weeks, but he was fairly young to do that alone. Kevin could have put him where Denny was working, but we didn't really need another pool boy there. "Is Mr. Mack going to pay him, Bri," I asked. "He'll get paid," Brian said. "Okay," I said. I figured whatever money Dave made would come from Brian. We all went out to the patio and started stripping off. I had my eye on Dave to see if he would be self-conscious about getting nude with the rest of us. He was a damn nice kid, and I sure didn't want him to be embarrassed around some of the elephant dicks in our family. Of course, some guys were modestly endowed, but Kyle, Justin, and Brian would probably intimidate a little fellow like Dave. "What the hell happened to this thing?" Justin said, grabbing Chris's penis. Chris was laughing his ass off, of course, and everybody else was, too. "I told you it grew," Chris said. "And if you don't turn it loose, it's going to grow some more, asshole." Justin took his hand away like he had been touching fire, and Chris laughed some more. "Goddamn! Look at this," Jus said, indicating Chris's muscles. He was nowhere close to Justin's size, of course, but you could actually see muscle on his body. Chris pumped his left bicep into a muscle, and Justin had to feel it. "Damn, Bubba. I don't want to fight you," Jus said. "The right one isn't as good, yet, but I'll get it there," Chris said. "Can you say, 'self-esteem team?'" Kevin asked me in a whisper. "I know, but are you surprised?" I asked. "Nope, and I also can't get over the difference in Chris from last summer," he said. Chris took the brace off his right leg. He could walk without it, but he didn't seem to be nearly as stable once it was off. He limped more, too. "Do you remember the first time you went into this pool?" Kyle asked Chris. "I sure do," Chris said. "Well, we're going in the same way we did then," Kyle said. He reached down behind Chris's knees and picked him up. "You're heavy, boy," Kyle said, and Chris laughed. Kyle walked over to the side of the pool and jumped in. He and Chris went underwater, of course, and Kyle held him down there a good long time. Kevin and I looked at one another, a shadow of worry on our faces. They popped up just then, both laughing their asses off. "Toss me to Justin," Chris screamed. "I don't know if I can in this deep water. You're man-size now. I don't know if I can do it," Kyle said. "Try it," Chris said. "All right. Hold your breath," Kyle said. It was quite an effort for Kyle to hoist him out of the water, especially since Kyle's feet weren't touching the bottom of the pool. He did it, though, and he tossed Chris to Jus. Justin caught him and wanted to toss him to Brian. "Chris, don't drown, if I can't catch you," Brian said. "I can swim," Chris said. "I swim three or four times a week as part of my therapy." "Okay," Bri said. They kept that up for a while, and, of course, Tim got into the act, too. The laughter coming out of that pool was contagious. Of course, the dogs were in the water with the kids, and Dave and Denny were playing with them. Brian had taught Trixie a game wherein she would nudge a kid, swim away fast, and then bark so the kid would go after her. Denny knew that game, and the three of them played it. Krewe was learning it, only she wasn't as adept at getting away from the boys as Trixie was. "I want to show you something," Chris said. "We have to get out, though." Everybody got out of the pool. He walked over to a basketball that had been left out, picked it up, dribbled it a few times, and took a shot. He missed. "Shit," he said. He got the ball back, dribbled it again, and shot again. That time it went in. We all cheered. "Do you remember me trying to play from my chair?" Chris asked. "Yeah, I do," Jus said. "I could piss higher than you could throw it." We all laughed at that, but Chris really laughed hard. I suddenly remembered his "bathroom bonding" with Justin, and I realized those two had a thing for bathroom humor. "Let's play a game," Kyle said. "I don't think I'm ready for a game," Chris said. "Not basketball. Let's play HORSE," Kyle said. "You've got a good arm on you. You can be competitive." "How do you play it?" Chris asked. "You shoot from five positions around the keyhole. If you miss, you get a letter of the word 'horse' for each miss. The first one who gets 'horse' is out," Kyle said. "The last one in, wins." "I want to play," Paddy said. "I play that all the time at home. We play it a little bit different, but it's the same idea. Do you have to match the first guy's shot?" "Yeah, we usually do, but today it's just going to be a shot," Kyle said. "Play it like you usually play it," Chris said. "No. Do you know how to do a jump shot? A hook shot?" he asked. "I've never done those," Chris said. "I didn't think so. That's why we're doing it the way I said," Kyle said. "Next year we'll play it by those other rules. You'll be ready for that by then." Chris put his shoes and his brace back on, and he and Kyle, Justin, Paddy, Jeff, and Tyler played "horse," all naked. Tim, Brian, Denny, Dave, and the dogs got back in the pool. Chuck, Tony, Kevin, and I sat on the side, talking and watching. "Who are these guys?" Tony asked. "Chris was a foster placement here a year ago last May," Kevin said. "Dave is his brother. Half-brother, really. They live in Montana. Chris stole our hearts, Tony. We all went to see him and his family last summer." "They seem to be making a lot over his physique and physical skills. He's not all that much, though. Why does he limp?" Tony asked. "Chris was born with cerebral palsy, and, when he was here before, he was in a wheelchair and could barely feed himself. The boys had to bathe him and take care of him in the bathroom. They're making so much over the physical stuff because the transformation has been so remarkable," Kevin said. "Oh, wow!" Tony said. "I've heard y'all talking about Chris, but I didn't know any of that," Chuck said. "Kyle and Justin got him laid for the first time last summer when we were out there. They'll do anything for Chris," I said. "Really? Is he gay?" Tony asked. "No, he's straight. I don't know the details of that whole thing, but I know they didn't hire a hooker. I'm sure a bellman was involved in some way, but the girl liked Chris well enough that they had a second date the next night," I said. "He's got a girlfriend now. A different girl." "People I've known with cerebral palsy have been a lot more crippled than he is," Chuck said. "I know, and he was, too, when he was here. He hadn't gotten the right kind, or the right amount, of therapy when he was in Florida. His mom was depending on the school system to do it, and they did the best they could, I guess. His dad is a professor of computer science at the University of Montana, and he has some kind of connection with the Physical Therapy Department, or something. They found out that Chris wasn't nearly as bad off as the doctor here had thought, and he's just basically worked his ass off in therapy. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Although, he's finished the speech therapy now, apparently," Kevin said. "That's amazing," Chuck said. "Yeah, it is, but it's taken a whole lot of work on his part. More than any of us have ever done, probably. He's been going to school half a day and taking therapy the other half of the day. Really, more than half. I talked to his dad about him coming down here, and he told me Chris is thought of as a prodigy at the university," Kevin said. "Did you hear him say our boys have been his inspiration?" I said. "Yeah. I got tears in my eyes when he said that, too, Babe," Kevin said. "Me, too," I said. "Well, if loving somebody is what it takes, nobody could be more loved by anybody than Chris Uhle is." "Dave's a cute kid, too," Chuck said. "Yeah, he is. He and Brian and Tim really hit it off last summer. Dave is gay or bisexual or something. He's fourteen, maybe fifteen by now, but he seems younger than the rest of them. He and Denny seem to be about the same, and Danny's fifteen," I said. "Denny's fifteen?" Tony asked. "Yeah. Brian's only sixteen, but there's a really big difference between them, isn't there?" I said. "That's amazing," Tony said. "Brian's basically an adult, and Denny's basically still a child," Kevin said. "Babe, have you noticed how much Brian has blossomed?" "Yes, I have, and you're right. Kyle and Justin are so 'in your face' all the time that you tend to lose track of Brian and Tim. I'm beginning to believe that Brian is actually the brains of that outfit," I said. "I know. I've seen that over and over again. But he'll defer to Kyle and Justin every time, if there's a conflict," Kevin said. "We're boring y'all to death, I know, talking about our kids." "Not at all, Kevin. We're learning from you guys," Chuck said. "One of these days we might find ourselves in the same kind of situation." "Chuck, if you do, you won't be sorry. I guarantee that. Kevin and I were very happy together before the boys came along. But you know what? We were both pretty self-centered. I mean, all I cared about was him and triathlon, and not always in that order. Once we took in Tim, everything changed. There was a real tangible purpose in our lives, don't you think, Babe?" I said. "Absolutely," Kevin said. "But you have to know, we've had only the cream of the crop of kids. I don't think it's always as much fun as it has been for us. Or as easy." "As it's worked out, they have been the cream of the crop, but they weren't always that way," I said. "True," Kevin said. "Justin, Brian, and Denny were all potential power kegs. Even Tim was a potential powder keg, although he came from a very different background than the others did. Kyle has never really been our foster son. He's just been an honorary one, and he hasn't had any of the adverse things the other have." "I don't know, Babe. We helped him through Clay's death and Jeff's coming to live with us. That was very much a potential powder keg, I think," I said. "Well, our boys are turning out great," Kevin said. The boys who had been in the pool got out just then, and they, and the dogs, came up to the table where we were sitting. We had brought out the snacks Kyle had made, and they all dove in. The dogs had thoughtfully waited until they were up by us to shake off, so we were drenched with showers. "GODDAMN IT! SHIT! FUCK!" Chris screamed from the basketball area. "He must have lost," Dave said. We all laughed. They came over, and all of them stayed nude, too. They dug into the snacks. "Who won?" I asked. They all looked at Justin. He took a cigarette out of the pack that was on the table and lit up. Then he grinned. "Justin?" I asked. "Yup," he said. "That's the way to end every sports event, Justin. Light up a cigarette. That's what all the pro athletes do. Hell, that's what I used to do when I finished a big race. Get that smoke in your lungs, Bubba," I said. "Fuck you," Justin said, and we all laughed. "So what's for dinner, Kevin? What'd you buy?" Kyle asked. "Was I in charge of that?" Kevin asked. "Hell, no. You haven't bought a potato or a grain of rice in your life. Shit," Kyle said. "Kevin is the executive type, you know? He gives orders. Lets somebody else do it." "Yeah, and I'm the executive type, too," I said. "Get your ass in the kitchen and make dinner. Right now." "Okay, I'll do it, but it's mostly made. You get your ass in that clubhouse and make some drinks. These people are wanting whiskey, and I am, too. Y'all come with me," Kyle said. Justin, Tim, and Brian got up to follow Kyle. "You, too, Denny. You're part of this family, like everybody else," Kyle said. Denny beamed when he said that. "Who wants a drink?" I asked. I knew that Jeff, Tyler, Chuck, Tony, Paddy, and Kevin would all have a drink. I knew Kyle and Justin wanted one, too. Chris was a wildcard. "Do you want one, Chris?" I asked. "Yeah, if that's all right," he said. "I wouldn't have offered you one if it wasn't all right," I said. "Then, in that case, make it a double," Chris said. We all laughed. When Kyle cooked a meal, you never knew how much of it he made himself and how much of it he had gotten from his "sources." It was always very good, and that night was no exception. He brought out boiled crabs and boiled shrimp. I knew he had caught the crabs, and I assumed the shrimp had come from his Vietnamese friends that he did business with all the time. He had boiled the crabs a couple of days before and they were chilled, but the shrimp were freshly boiled. The shrimp were huge, too. He had boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, whole onions, and artichokes with the shrimp. He used newspaper as the table cloth on the tables on the patio, and he poured the whole load of shrimp and vegetables out in a long line. It was actually rather pretty, sort of longshoreman-casual style. "Y'all eat these artichokes. These things are delicious," Kyle said. "How do you eat it? It looks like a porcupine," Chris said. "Watch," Kyle said, and he demonstrated how to eat the artichoke leaf. We ordinarily ate those with drawn butter or flavored mayonnaise if they weren't stuffed, but he hadn't served that. The leaves were well seasoned, though, from the seasoning he had put in the boil with the shrimp. "Is this all we're having?" Justin asked. "Is this going to be enough?" Kyle asked. "Oh, hell, yeah. I just wanted to know if I should go ahead and make the kind of pig of myself that I want to," Jus said. "Make the biggest pig of yourself you can, Bubba. I cooked a bushel of corn for you, Jus. Have a ball, y'all," Kyle said. We laughed. That food was wonderful that night. I kept my eye on Dave. I had to show him how to get into a crab, but he caught on pretty quickly. He understood the anatomy of the shrimp, though, and it was obvious he had had those before. Probably not in that state, but pealing a boiled shrimp isn't difficult. Dave, along with Tim, Brian, and Denny, were drinking coke. At one point in the meal, Dave accidentally burped, and it was pretty loud. "I'm so sorry," Dave said, all embarrassed at having burped. "That's okay, Dave. We're lucky somebody didn't fart," Jus said, looking right at Kyle. Just as I knew he would, Kyle rocked onto one hip and let loose a pretty loud one. Everybody laughed. "What?" Kyle said. He had done that to make Dave feel okay, and most of us knew it. That's the only reason I didn't take his head off. "What do you expect from a hog but a grunt?" I asked, and we all laughed. "You better watch it, Semi-Hole," Kyle said. We had a great time that afternoon and night, and I know Chris and Dave felt welcome. Kyle's "little boy" was a grown man, independent and self-assured, just as I thought he would be. "What do you think of your little boy, Kyle?" I asked, as we were putting things away in the kitchen. "He ain't my little boy anymore. He's my man, now," Kyle said. "For sure, Kyle. For sure." |