Thanksgiving this year was great. My parents and Craig, Cherie, and Rob came over from New Orleans for the weekend. Gene and Rita were there all day on Thursday, and so were George and Sonya. The four Townhouse Boys were there, too, and we had a great feast in the clubhouse. The kids argued over who got to take care of Rob, and that was cute. Kyle and Justin did something incredibly nice, I thought. They got up early Wednesday morning, drove to Pensacola, and brought Mrs. Sarah Schultz and Mrs. Rose Martinez to Emerald Beach for the holiday. Miss Sarah is Murray's grandmother, and Miss Rose is Miss Sarah's roommate at the nursing home. Murray didn't know anything about it before the fact. The New Orleans crowd was staying at Kyle's condo, but the two old ladies were staying at the Laguna. I cleared it with Jack Rooney beforehand, of course, and they were going to be in the Presidential Suite, which was probably the nicest hotel room in Emerald Beach. Jack hired one of the women who worked in housekeeping to be their assistant, to help with baths and dressing and such. The ladies were old and infirm, but they weren't really sick. The New Orleans people were going to leave in time to get to our house around one o'clock. They were in on the whole thing, and my mother was beside herself when I told her about it. "Kevin, whose idea was this? Kyle's?" my mom had asked. "I really don't know. Kyle and Justin have taken Murray to see his grandmother several times, and I think both boys really love those old ladies. It could just as easily have been Justin's idea," I said. "I'm so proud of them, Kevin, . . . " She couldn't continue because she was crying so hard. "I know," I said. "Rick and I are very proud of them, too. I told you we have the best kids in the world." Long pause, with lots of gasps and sobs from Mom. "Are you okay?" I finally asked. "I'm so okay that I can't find the words for it. Do you realize . . ., " and she lost it again. Tim, Brian, Denny, and Sean took Murray on some kind of outing around midday on Wednesday to give us time to get the two ladies into the clubhouse. Rick and I set up lunch out there. When Kyle and Justin brought them back, all of us had a very tearful meeting. "You boys have gone to so much trouble for my Murray," Miss Sarah said. "Thank you all so much. I love you, just as Murray loves you." "Murray is a great kid in a house full of great kids, Miss Sarah. We're just so happy you and Miss Rose could be with us,” I said. Kyle and Justin stayed out in the clubhouse with the ladies while we went inside to greet the New Orleans people when they arrived. My family was always wonderful, but that day with Sarah and Rose they made me even prouder of them than usual. The younger guys came home right at 1:30, as per instructions. All of us were already in the clubhouse, and they came in. When Murray saw his Nana, the look on his face was pure joy and happiness. I had never seen anyone look as happy as he did at that moment. Kyle--and Justin, too--snapped picture after picture. That was really the emotional highlight of the Thanksgiving holiday for us. The whole holiday went very well. We determined that there were five generations represented at our house that weekend. There may not have been real blood connections among too many of us, but we were damn sure a family, and a pretty big one. Craig and Cherie had brought a playpen for Rob, and Trixie and Krewe sat in front of it, like the Secret Service guarding the president, any time Rob was in the playpen. It was as though they somehow knew he was their little boy, the kid they would have to raise, and they were Johnny-on-the-spot. "Did you teach them to do that, Brian?" I asked. "No. How could you teach dogs to guard a baby they've never seen? They're just dumb animals, Kevin," Brian said. "Go wash your mouth out with soap," I said. "What?" He was grinning big. "How can you call them dumb?" I asked. "I know. They're smart, aren't they?" he said. "I'll say," I said, and he laughed with delight. Kyle, Justin, Murray, and Denny left when the New Orleans crowd did, Sunday morning, to deliver Miss Sarah and Miss Rose home to the nursing facility. There were many tears when everybody said goodbye in the driveway. They were sad tears because we had to say goodbye to people we loved, but they were happy tears, too, because of the fun we had had and the love we had shared. "Kevin, come here," Miss Rose said, as they were about to leave. "Yes, ma'am?" "Kevin, what you and Rick are doing is what God would be doing if He was walking the earth. I know all of you are homosexuals. Well, let me tell you something. I have a grandson in Texas who is a homosexual. He's fourteen years old, and my son-in-law, his father, treats him like dirt. Can my grandson please come live here?" "Miss Rose, we've got room in our house and in our hearts for your grandson. Let me give you my card. I'm writing an address for a Web site on the back for you to give to your grandson. It's a diary about us. Read it to him, and he’ll know what to do. When will you see him?" I asked. "Probably at Christmas. They usually come see me then. But I talk to him on the phone sometimes," she said. "Tell him to call me," I said. "All of my phone numbers are on the card." "Thank you, Kevin. You can save my grandson. You saved Murray, and you can save Todd, too," she said. "The change in Murray since the first time I met him is remarkable." "We'll try our best," I said. "I know you will, and you will succeed," she said.
"Okay. Best and worst. This is a little game we play in our family after a trip. You got to tell the best thing you did and the worst thing you did," Kyle said. We were driving back to Pensacola. I was pretty sad right then because Nana was going home, but we had had a fantastic weekend. "Nana, you go first," Kyle said. "Do you have to ask? The best for me was seeing my Murray, of course." "Yeah, I figured that," Kyle said. "What was the worst?" "There was no worst. Everything was wonderful," she said. "All right. You don't get it, do you?" Kyle said. My grandmother was very, very smart, and she and Kyle had been sparring back and forth for all the time they had spent together. "Yes, I do get it, Kyle. I think probably the worst was seeing you every day," she said. "Whoa!! Whoa!!" Justin screamed. He reached over and started beeping the horn. "Cut it out. That's dangerous," Kyle said. "Shit, Kyle. She got you last, dude. Bad last, too," Justin said. He was laughing hard and jumping around. Nana and Miss Rose were laughing hard, too. "Nana, we play this game called Got You Last," Kyle said. "Murray has told me all about it, Kyle, and I got your ass last," she said. I had never heard my grandmother say anything like "ass" before, and I was laughing so hard I couldn't stand it. Kyle and Justin and Denny were laughing hard, too. "That's it. Game's over," Kyle said. "No! I want a turn, too," Miss Rose said. "The best for me was just getting to get out of that nursing home and being with such nice people. The worst is that my grandson doesn't live with you." "Would your grandson fit in with us?" Denny asked. "Yes. He's a homosexual. He's only fourteen, but he told his parents that's what he is. It might have been a mistake at his age. Maybe he really isn't. It doesn't matter to me, though, if he is. He needs to be away from his father. He's very abusive to Todd," she said. "Miss Rose, I knew I was gay when I was twelve. Fourteen isn't too young to know for sure," I said. "I think I knew when I was born," Justin said. "I've always been gay. I mean, I didn't have the word for it for a long time, but I knew I was something different. Fourteen ain't too young, Miss Rose. I know that." "Justin, I've never met two more manly men than you and Kyle. Brian and Tim are manly, too, but in a different way than you are. I think they might be more intellectual. My grandson is like you and Kyle. For most of my life, I never thought homosexual men could be like you boys. Now I know better. Kevin gave me his card, and I'm going to tell Todd to call Kevin," Miss Rose said. "Yes, ma'am, you do that, Miss Rose. If he comes to live with us, Justin and I will look out for him, no question about that," Kyle said. "And he'll come to see you when Murray comes to see Nana. That's just a little added benefit for him." "And for me, too," she said. "Yes, ma'am," Kyle said.
I was so fucking busy, I didn't know when I was going to have time to take a shit. I mean, I had exams, I had Christmas, I had a double wedding. We had talked about going to Virginia the day after the wedding for a vacation. Nobody had given a second thought to the vacation, and I hadn't had time to, so that was off for this year. On top of everything else, I was working at a Christmas tree lot about fifteen hours a week for my fraternity. I was beat. "You need to slow down," Tim said one night. We had just made love, and making love to him was something that I was never not going to have time for. He was the emotional equivalent of my brain and my spinal cord. "How can I slow down?" I asked him. "How many exams do you have?" "Just two. I already passed my chemistry exam with a B, and my photography teacher told me I already have an A in that course and don't have to take any exam. It's just business and calculus," I said. "How hard is the business exam going to be?" he asked. "Not too hard, probably. I mean, it's stuff I've heard all my life. I can do that one easy," I said. "What about calc? Is that one going to be tough?" Tim asked. "We did more in pre-calc in high school than in this class," I said. "Babe, you know what I think the fact of the matter is? Beachside is a very good high school, compared to most. I mean, this college crap has not been all that much of a challenge to me." "That's very good to hear," Tim said. "I hope it's true for me, too." * * * Christmas was fabulous. We went to New Orleans like we always did for the party before Christmas, and we had a great time. It had only been a month since we had seen Rob, but I could tell some big differences in him. He was going to be a stud some day, that's for sure. He was getting big and strong. "Craig, if your son ever goes missing, I'll have him," I said. "I'll be somewhere in the Keys." "He's fine, isn't he?" Craig said. "He's better than fine. He's the best," I said. "He looks just like you, too." "I know. I'm really a lucky man," Craig said. "I hope to be as lucky one day," I said. "Kyle, you lead a charméd life, as Shakespeare said." "He said that about me?" I asked, just to be a fool. "No, dumbass. He died about a hundred years ago. He didn't even know you existed," Craig said. "Who was he, anyway?" I asked. "I don't know. Some guy," Craig said. "All right, Bubba! You're almost as dumb as me. Way to go!" I said. He and I were cracking up, and that was fun. Craig was picking up on the Emerald Beach Grumble, and I loved it. I loved him, in fact. Him, Cherie, Rob, Grandma and Grandpa. All of 'em. * * * We got home around one o'clock on Christmas Eve, and I got busy. We had already had the bachelor party for the guys. Kevin and Rick had been in charge of that. It was nice, but it wasn't much. We had it in New Orleans, and all it was, was dinner at Antoine's. Grandpa and Craig got to come to it, but it was basically just a dinner party at a fancy restaurant. We went to a couple of clubs afterward, too, but it was basically low key. When we got home, I got in Tim's Jeep and went to the Laguna to make sure everything was on "go" there. It was. Madeline was off, but I talked to the chef. He told me not to worry about a thing. Then I called Thelma, the Wedding Planner, and she said everything was cool. I called Jerry, and he said everything was fine on his end. The wedding was in good shape. Because of the wedding, the New Orleans people were going to have Christmas at our house. We had to rearrange the sleeping situation because so many people were going to be there. We basically cleared out the second floor for the visitors. My parents and Tim's parents were going to sleep with us, so we needed those four bedrooms for the guests. Denny and Murray were going to sleep together in one room on the third floor, Tim and I had another room up there, and Justin and Brian needed one, too. Sean was already up there, so he stayed put. We had gotten a baby bed from one of the hotels for little Rob. We were all set. The Townhouse Boys were sleeping at home, but they were going to be there with us for everything. We had talked about having them sleep at our house, too, but we would have had to use the clubhouse for them. We decided against that, though, since that was where all the meals were going to take place. That would have been too much. We had us a crowd Christmas Eve night. Besides being Christmas Eve, it was Kevin and Rick's third anniversary of their commitment, and it was also the rehearsal dinner for the wedding. The rehearsal had been that afternoon, and it had gone good. A few of our friends were out of town, but not many. Pretty much everybody was at the house that night. We got a couple of bartenders to come over to handle that, and we had a kitchen crew from one of the hotels to take care of making the food, or serving it, anyway. They cooked it at the hotel and just brought it to the house. We didn't usually have turkey for Christmas, but we did this year on Christmas Eve. The food was delicious, and we must have entertained a good seventy-five people that night. We had to borrow some extra tables and chairs from a hotel, and it was pretty tight in the clubhouse. We got 'em all in, though. It was nice, and everybody seemed to have a good time. It is a tradition at a wedding for the best man to propose a toast to the new couple. Some people do it at the reception, and others do it at the rehearsal dinner. We did it at the rehearsal dinner. The thing was, there were two couples, and there were a total of six best men. That would have taken too long if all six of us gave toasts. The best men for Jeff and Tyler were me, my daddy, Ty's daddy, and Ty's brother. The four of us got together before hand and decided I would do it. Kevin and Rick were the best men for Chuck and Tony, and they decided Rick was going to give the toast for them. "Are you nervous?" Rick asked me. "About what?" I asked. "About giving the toast," he said. "Are you nervous?" I asked. "A little bit," he said. "Do you have yours written out?" "I have an outline, but I don't need a script," I said. "Did you write yours out?" "Yeah." "How long is it going to take?" "About an hour," he said. "Rick, are you out of your damn mind? An hour? People are going to be sound asleep by the time you finish," I said. "Got you last," he said. "Okay. Really, how long is it?" I asked. "About three minutes," he said. "Good. Mine, too," I said. I went first, and I thought it went pretty good. I got laughs four or five times, and nobody got embarrassed. I decided not to even mention my brother, and I was glad I didn't. Rick's was good, too, but his voice sounded a little nervous at first. He got over that pretty quick, though, and he got a couple of laughs, too. Not as many as me, though. I wished there had been an easy way to move the tables so we could dance, but there wasn't. So, around ten o'clock, everybody went home. Of course a good many were staying there, so we partied on into the night. The crew from the hotel took care of putting away the tables and moving the other furniture back into the clubhouse. There were going to be twenty-one adult-size people there, plus Rob, so I had them leave up three tables, with seven at each one. I gave the guys drinks, and I think they liked that. I tipped them good, too. * * * We got kind of a late start Christmas day because we had all stayed up so late the night before. We hadn't gone to Midnight Mass, so Grandma and Cherie got up and went to church. The rest of us took a pass on that. I woke up with a little bit of a headache, and Justin took some aspirins, too. Craig took aspirins and seltzer, so I reckon he had a sure-enough hangover. I figured Sean was going to need 'em, too, so I shook four out of the bottle and took them up to his room. I went in without knocking, and he was still sound asleep. He was the last one up, though, and there was no telling how long he'd sleep, if I let him. He was naked in bed with the covers everywhere, and he had about a foot of hard dick on him. He isn’t really even as big as I am, but they all look big to me when they’re hard. I had brought him a glass of orange juice to take his aspirins with, and I set it on his nightstand. "Sean, wake up," I said softly, shaking his shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes. "Merry Christmas, Bubba," I said. He just groaned. "What time is it?" he asked in a real sleepy voice. "It's ten o'clock. Everybody's downstairs waiting for us. Here, take these aspirins and drink this juice," I said, handing him the pills and the glass. "Do I have time for a shower?" he asked. "Yeah, but make it quick," I said. "Will you take one with me?" he asked, grinning at me. "You never quit, do you?" I said. Sean had been acting so much cuter and nicer than he ever had before that I couldn't get over it. "One of these days, Kyle. One of these days. I give a hell of a good blowjob, you know?" "So I've heard. Are you still doing that shit?" "What? Giving blowjobs?" "Yeah," I said. "I'll always give blowjobs, but I'm only giving them to Scott these days," he said. "That's authorized," I said. "Now, hurry up. I'm not leaving here until I see you get under the water. I don't want you going back to sleep on me." "Okay." He started to get up when the headache hit him full force. "God," he groaned. "Why did you let me drink so much last night?" "'Cause I wanted you to have a bad headache. Now, let's go," I said. He got up and stumbled to the bathroom. I heard the water go on, but I stuck my head in there to make sure he was actually under it. He was. "Did you get Sean up?" Kevin asked me, once I went back downstairs. "Yeah," I said. "How was he? I think he was pretty drunk last night," he said. "I think he's paying the wages of sin right now. Kevin, that boy is cute, you know it?" I said. "I know he is. Have you noticed a change in him lately?" Kevin asked. "Have I ever! He's just so nice and polite and pleasant to be around. I really like him, now," I said. "Does your brother like him any better?" Kevin asked. "Who? Justin?" "What are y'all saying about me?" Justin asked, as he walked into the kitchen. "I was asking Kyle if you like Sean any better than you did," Kevin said. "Sean? Oh, yeah. There's been, like, this night-and-day turn-around on that boy. He's funny as hell, and I think he's pretty damn cute, too," Jus said. "I know," I said. "I'll bet you that doctor he goes to gave him some medicine to make him better. We might need to talk to Grandma about that." "Well, I can tell you, he is taking medicine, and that's the main reason he's so much better," Kevin said. "Well, halleluiah for that," Justin said. Craig came into the kitchen. "Are we making Bloody Marys this morning?" he asked. "We're not. You are," Justin said. "Okay. Get the stuff for 'em, Kevin," he said. "Come on, boy. Let's go." He said that pretty gruff, and I couldn't tell if he was teasing Kevin or not. "Don't you talk to me like that in my own house, Craig. I'll kick your fucking ass, man," Kevin said. I had never heard Kevin talk like that to anybody before. Ever. Kevin was serious, and it scared the shit out of me. I looked at Justin, and I knew he was alarmed, too. "Guys," Justin said. "I'm sorry, Kevin. I shouldn't have said that the way I did. I didn't mean it, Bro," Craig said. "I am not having a very good morning, at all." "I'm sorry, too, Bubba. I over reacted," Kevin said. They hugged each other. "Let me and Justin make the Bloody Marys," I said. "Y'all go back in the den." "Y'all, I'm sorry," Craig said to me and Justin. "I'm embarrassed by the way I just acted." "That's all right. Just get out of our way," I said. "Jesus Christ! I thought we were going to have a fucking throw-down right here in the kitchen on Christmas morning. That's trailer trash stuff, and I know, 'cause that's what I am. Have you ever heard Kevin talk like that before?" Justin asked. "No. And don't you ever call yourself trailer trash again in my presence because if you do, I'll kick your fucking ass," I said. "Kyle, what you just said was teasing me, and I know it. I don't think Kevin was teasing just now. That scared the crap out of me, man," he said. "I know. Me too. Let's hurry up and get the drinks made so they don't come back in here," I said. Justin and I got those drinks made quick. We decided to make three pitchers of Virgin Marys, and we took a couple of bottles of vodka out with them so everybody could add as much as they wanted to. I noticed neither Kevin nor Craig put any vodka in theirs. Sean, who was down by then looking like Mr. GQ, loaded his up with vodka. I put a shot in mine, and Justin put a shot in his, too. "Come outside with me, Bro," Craig said to Kevin. "There's something I want to talk to you about." Kevin and Craig went outside. They both lit up smokes, but I knew that wasn't the main reason they were out there. They came back inside in about fifteen minutes, arms around each other's shoulders, laughing and grinning. "We're okay," Kevin whispered to me and Justin, and I was damn relieved. "What was that all about? Did they have a fight or something?" Tim asked me. "Close. I'll tell you about it later," I said. The rest of Christmas morning was slow paced. The gifts were mostly donations to charities and crap like pairs of socks, CD's, DVD's, books, video games, and that kind of stuff. The big gift--which came from my parents, Tim's parents, Grandma and Grandpa, Craig and Cherie, and Kevin and Rick--was four jet skis to the whole Foley-Mashburn family. Those damn things cost about $10,000 each, but I knew they hadn't paid retail for 'em. That was a very nice gift, and it was like the pool table or the boat: they were things that us and our friends would have fun with for years to come. The big surprise of the morning was that Sean got a phone call from his parents. We had just finished brunch, and Denny answered the phone. We were out in the clubhouse, and the extension was in the kitchen. "Sean, it's for you," Denny said. "I think it might be your parents." "I doubt it," Sean said, as he got up to answer the call. He was gone a good thirty minutes. When he came back in, you could have lit up a small city off that grin. "Was it your parents?" Kevin asked. "Yeah," he said. That was the happiest I had ever seen him, that was for sure. "Is everything okay?" Kevin asked. "Yeah. They called from a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea, and they're having a great time. They wanted me to tell everybody hello, especially Kevin and Rick. So, Hello!" "Had you not heard from them for a while?" Grandma asked. "No, ma'am, not for a while. I told them who was here, and my dad said he had heard of you, Dr. Mr. Foley. They seemed impressed," he said. "We're happy for you, Sean. Come and talk with me on the sofa over there. You're my newest grandson, and I haven't even had a chance to talk to you," Grandma said. "Okay," he said, and tears were streaming down his face. "She's got a new one," Justin said, when they were out of hearing. "Yep," Grandpa said. "His parents must be arrogant pricks. Just like Ph.D.'s," he said. Doc started laughing so hard, I thought he was going to put his face in the grits. It was a good thing we had a heart specialist in the house, that's all I got to say. * * * Then there was the wedding the next day. "How are you boys feeling," my dad asked the four grooms as we were getting ready to march out. "I feel like I'm about to lose my lunch," Chuck said. "Trouble is, I was too nervous to eat any lunch. What the hell am I doing?" Daddy laughed. "Son, you're fixing to make an honest man out of this boy," he said, grabbing Tony by the arm. "I know. But all these people," Chuck said. "These are the people who love you and care about you, son. We wouldn't be here if we didn't," Dad said. My dad and I were standing up for Jeff. Tyler's dad and brother were standing up for him. Kevin was standing up for Chuck, and Rick was standing up for Tony. Everybody in the wedding party was in tuxedos, and, I had to admit, we looked good. The service lasted about thirty minutes. There were a couple of readings from scripture, and my mother and Sonya took care of those. Each couple had written their vows, and they had done a good job with that, too. Jerry blessed their rings, and then he blessed them. "Almighty Father, you created us in your image and likeness, each and every one, and gave each of us unique gifts for love and service. Bless the unions we celebrate today, and bless these four men in their love and commitment to each other. May their devotion and fidelity bear witness to the unity of the Blessed Trinity and to Your love for Your people. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The reception went off without a hitch. The food was as good as any I'd ever had at a hotel, and I ate a good bit of it, too. Tim and I danced together a bunch, and one time I even did a slow dance with my daddy. "Are you believing you and I are dancing in front of all these people?" he asked me. "I know. Daddy, just don't get a hard-on, okay?" I said. He laughed so hard, we had to stop dancing for a few seconds. "Kyle, you'll say anything, won't you?" "I will to you," I said. "Thank you, son. That means a lot to me. Your mama and I are so proud of you and Tim. Of all you guys, really. This is the way it's supposed to be, isn't it?" "I think so," I said. Cherie and Grandma "cut in" on us right then, so we danced with them. "What did you say that made him laugh so much?" Cherie asked me as we were dancing. "I told him not to get a hard-on," I said. She laughed. "Do I need to say the same thing to you?" she asked. "No comment," I said. The thing was supposed to be over at 8:30, and we were home by nine o'clock. I got out of the monkey suit I was wearing and put on jeans. We partied in the clubhouse until late that night. "What you think they're doing?" Justin asked me once we were out in the clubhouse. "Who?" "The four guys. The grooms," he said. "What would you be doing, stud?" I asked. He laughed a little. "I think you and me are on the same wave length," he said. "I'll bet you our four brothers are on the same wave length, too," I said. "Where are they going for their honeymoons? Do you know?" he asked. "You didn't hear about that? They're going on a cruise. To the Caribbean," I said. "Now where exactly is that?" he asked. "I don't know. It's south of here, though. I do know that much. It's where the hurricanes come from," I said. "I hope they don't get caught in one," he said. "They won't. Hurricane season ended November 30th. It goes from June 1st till November 30th, so it's over for this year," I said. "That's good. Are we going on a trip?" "What you mean? During these holidays?" "Yeah," he said. "Didn't Rick or somebody say something about us going to Virginia?" "Yeah, but nobody did anything about it. Besides, I'm flat worn out. I don't know about you, but I plan to sleep all day tomorrow," I said. "Shit, you'll be up at the crack of dawn," he said. "I don't think so. The Foleys aren't leaving until Monday, and there's no reason to get up early," I said. "Do you like those jet skis?" he asked. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about those. We can rev those up tomorrow," I said. "Ain't it too cool for them?" "Not with wet suits. Bubba, you're going to love 'em. You can go up to about forty miles an hour on those things. Maybe more on those new ones. They're great," I said. "Cool. You know something, Kyle? I think I'm about the luckiest boy in the world," Justin said. "I think we're all about the luckiest boys in the world." "Kyle, would you dance with me?" Justin asked. "I would love to dance with you, Bubba," I said. "I'm going to tell you like I told my daddy. Just don't get a hard-on." "You really told your daddy that? What did he say?" Justin asked. "He laughed his ass off," I said. "Well, I ain't making no promises about that," Jus said. "Neither me," I said. The End
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