The last few weeks of the second semester were unbelievably hectic on North Lagoon Drive. I mean, we had four guys graduating, two from Emerald Coast Community College and two from Beachside High School; a prom that the four older boys were involved with; two valedictions to compose and rehearse; graduation parties that Kyle and Tim attended; a couple of parties that Justin and Brian went to, as well; and the year-end bar-b-que and keg party for Kyle's fraternity. We had a big party for Kyle and Justin when they graduated, and another big party for Tim and Brian. My relatives came from New Orleans for both graduations, and, while we put them up at Kyle's condo, they added to the commotion -- and the merriment. As usual, little Rob was the center of attention, and he gets cuter and cuter every time we see him. He's pulling up and taking a few steps before he falls on his ass, and that is so cute. Trixie and Krewe are crazy about that baby. When he falls down trying to walk, they try to nudge him up with their noses. Kyle must have taken five hundred pictures of the baby and the dogs, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he gets another book out of the three of them together. And Rob seems to know that those are his dogs, too. The pictures are really going to be unbelievably cute. When the boys went to Dune Island for the last camping trip when all of them would be together, the house seemed like a tomb. Ordinarily, my relatives would have stayed for the weekend, but they had commitments at home they had to get back for on the Friday the guys went camping. "My God. This is creepy," Rick said when everyone had cleared out. "I know. Has it ever been like this?" I asked. "This quiet, I mean?" "I'm sure it has been, but I can't remember when," he said. "We ought to go on a trip ourselves." "Do you really want to?" I asked. I would have gone anywhere he wanted to go, but, frankly, I was looking forward to just being at home with him and enjoying some peace and quiet. "Hell, no, I don't want to go anywhere," he said. "The only place I want to go is into that bedroom with you." "I was just thinking. We can cuddle nude on the sofa in the den all we want to," I said. "Great idea," he said. "Come here." He took me into his arms and kissed me passionately. That was another thing we hadn't been able to do out in the open for a long time. He started undressing me, and I started working on his clothes, too. We were in the den, and it was ten o'clock in the morning. Our lovemaking was spontaneous and uninhibited. Rick topped me on the floor in front of the fireplace, and twenty minutes later I topped him on the sofa. Feeling him inside me gave me a sense of security and completeness that's difficult to describe, and being in him made me know that he surrendered his whole being to me, to us. Later, that evening, we would luxuriate in each other's flesh, but that morning we communicated passion and depth and commitment in ways that were beyond spoken language. We drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, neither of us with a care in the world but each other. We slept for about an hour, and we woke up around noon. The first sound I heard was a deep rumble coming from my lover's stomach. "I think I'm hungry," he said. I giggled, and he did, too. "Do you want to go get some lunch?" I asked. "Yeah. And let's go to Gulf World and Zoo World this afternoon. You want to?" he asked. "That's a great idea. We've never done that, have we?" I said. "Craig went that time with Kyle and Philip and Ryan, and he loved it. Gulf World, anyway. Let's do that, Babe. Do you want to call somebody to see if they want to go?" "Nope. I want you all to myself today," he said. We were pretty cummy after our tryst, so we each took a shower and put on fresh shorts and tee shirts. We ate at one of the touristy restaurants that we never go to otherwise, and we lingered over lunch for more than an hour. We both had lobster salad, made with those shovel-nosed lobsters like Kyle and Philip catch. Then we went to Gulf World. It's really quite impressive, and Rick and I laughed like little kids at the antics of the trained dolphins in their show. The place is beautifully landscaped, and we strolled around taking in the sights. We saw a young male couple holding hands, so I took Rick's hand in mine. We got a few stares, and I'm sure more than one set of parents took the opportunity to explain to their children that we're going to hell and why we're going there. We didn't keep that up for very long, though, because we both found walking around holding hands to be physically awkward, but we made our statement. Our wrists just don't bend and twist the way they need to for that to be comfortable. It took longer to see Gulf World than we had thought it would, so we decided to postpone Zoo World until later in the weekend. As we were leaving, two men in their mid-fifties came up to us. "We saw you guys holding hands," one of them said. "Yeah? So?" Rick said. I could tell he was prepared to be defensive, but it was pretty clear to me those two guys are on our team. "So, thank you," the second one said. "Thank you for your courage. You did us proud." "Oh. I'm sorry I bowed up just now," Rick said. "I didn't know what was coming." "That's perfectly understandable. Where are you all from?" the first one said. "Here. We live here," Rick said. "Really?" "Yeah. We've just been through a hellacious month of graduations and such, and all of our kids are on a camping trip. We just decided to do some tourist things today," Rick said. "Kids? How many? What ages?" the first guy asked. "Eight kids. Foster kids, not our biological kids," Rick said. "How old are they, Kevin?" "Two nineteen, one eighteen, one seventeen, three sixteen, and one fourteen," I said. "All boys, and all gay." "Oh, my God! That's incredible. If you don't have plans, why don't you let us buy you dinner? We'd love to hear about your family," the second guy said. "I'm Ryan, by the way, and this is Ricky. What do you say?" They seemed so nice and so eager to get to know us. "What do you think, Babe?" I asked Rick. "I think we're about to make some new friends," Rick said. * * * We had dinner with Ryan and Ricky. They wanted to go to The Captain's Table, which really is one of the fifty best restaurants in North America, and the wait in line proves that. We had been there a few times with Kyle and the other boys, but Kyle knows a secret password that's reserved for Beach Rats so we had gotten a table in less than ten minutes with him along. We don't know it, though. We waited about an hour for a table, but it was far from unpleasant. They have a beautiful patio that overlooks Grand Lagoon, and we watched the fishing boats come in and unload while we had drinks. It turned out that Ryan and Ricky -- whose real given name is Ricky, and not Richard -- live in the Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. Ryan is a professor of sociology at Duke University, and Ricky is a professor of social work at UNC in Chapel Hill. They are both fifty-six years old, and they have been together thirty years. They had each been married in their early twenties. Ryan has a gay son who had problems with drugs and alcohol as a younger man but who is now in a stable relationship of eight years' duration, clean and sober. Ricky has two grown daughters and four grandchildren. He was estranged from the girls for a number of years, but, since the death of his ex-wife, they've been a family. "Tell us about your boys," Ryan said. That question was all it took for us to launch into the story of the Foley-Mashburn clan. We got about halfway through that when our table was ready, so we continued it in the dining room. "Gentlemen, what I've just heard may be unique," Ryan said. "You want us to do a study, don't you?" Ricky said. "Let's explore this," Ryan said. He put it all in the context of the recent Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court case that struck down sodomy laws. He pointed out that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals is, even now, considering a lawsuit to strike down the Florida law that forbids adoption by gay people. He said it's the harshest law of its kind in the country, and legal people are cautiously optimistic that the Florida law will be stricken, in light of the Lawrence decision. "The body of evidence strongly supports the fitness of gay couples to raise children, and you boys are proving it over and over every day. The American Pediatric Society, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and every social-work organization that I know of have all come out in favor of gay adoption. I realize you haven't adopted these boys . . . " "Yet," Rick said. "Yet, but I think there is extremely fertile ground for scientific study here, guys. As far as I know, there has been no study specifically of a gay couple who have served as foster parents to gay adolescent boys," Ryan said. "Adolescent boys are probably the most neglected segment of the foster-care population in scientific research, and gay adolescent boys are, without question, THE most neglected. Most of them never even make it into foster homes. They end up on the street or in jail or dead." "What all would be involved?" I asked. "Well, interviews, of course. Case histories. Behavioral indices. Psychological profiles. Academic histories. Maybe even some medical history. A lot," Ryan said. "I can see a number of individual studies coming out of this, plus a book summarizing all of it." "Iono," Rick said. He and I looked at each other and grinned. "What?" Ryan asked. "That's the way some of the boys talk, Ryan. We call it the Emerald Beach Grumble, and, for not being a native, Rick does it extremely well," I said. "I'm sorry. It's kind of an inside joke. I assume that in a study like this, confidentiality is preserved and protected." "Oh, absolutely. How many boys and young men have lived in your home?" Ryan asked. "Gosh. I don't think we've ever counted them up. Probably fifteen. Maybe more," I said. "Oh, my God, Kevin," Ryan said. "That's perfect. Two or three, and it wouldn't have much impact. But fifteen! My God! That's a gold mine." "It might be more than that. Let's figure it out, Babe. The eight we have now. Seth, Paddy, Alex, Jeff, Chuck. Who else? Ken Balch, although he was an adult. Chris Uhle, although he isn't gay. David Uhle, for a short time. Ron Grisham. Andy Callaway and Trey Hudson. Trey came to our house to die of AIDS, so you can't really include him. And there are a lot of boys who have spent a lot of time in our house without actually living there. Babe, I'm thinking of Philip and Ryan. They came to us the night Philip's dad caught them together, remember?" I said "I counted twenty names just now," Ryan said. "Of course, there was Sean. He's dead now, too. But he was with us for a good five months or more, and, ironically, he's probably had the biggest impact on us of any of them. Negative impact," I said. "He was beaten to death in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in a gay-related killing." "Guys, we have a treasure trove of data here. Let's swap cards right now. I want you all to think about this, and I want you to talk to the boys about it, too. This is a chance to make a real, lasting contribution to social science, and I'd hate for you to pass it up," Ryan said. "And I can get a grant like that [he snapped his fingers] to support it. This is incredibly powerful stuff, Kevin and Rick. Incredibly powerful. And to think it all came about because you guys held hands in front of a stingray pool. God! I'm giddy over this." * * * That was a nice evening, and it gave me food for thought for several days. Cherie had hinted months -- maybe even a couple of years -- before that our family is unique and probably needs to be studied scientifically, but I hadn't thought of it even once in the time since she had said that. Now, all of a sudden, because Rick and I held hands at Gulf World, two social scientists, from very major universities, are interested in conducting a study of us and the boys. The next morning I got Cherie on the phone. "Hey, Bubba. What's up? You can't get enough of me, can you?" she said. "No, I can't, but this is a business call," I said. "Is somebody in trouble?" she asked, all concerned. "No. It's nothing like that," I said. "Kevin, I've never told you this before, but when the doctor inserted into me that syringe containing your semen, all I could think of was your penis entering me. Taking me," she said. "Have I called at a bad time? Are you on an acid trip or something?" I asked. She laughed so loud, I thought she was going to burst my eardrum. "You just will not let me get you last, will you?" she said, once she had stopped laughing. "Not today, Sis," I said. "I'm sorry, Bubba. What's going on?" she asked. I told her about meeting Ryan and Ricky the night before and what they proposed. "Kevin, here's the thing. You and Rick and your boys are in a unique position to contribute to the scientific knowledge regarding gay parenting. Some people would disagree with me because of the privacy issues and the time that will be involved for you guys, but my position is this. You can help them discover knowledge that nobody else can, and I think you have the moral obligation to make that knowledge known," she said. "Whoa! Moral obligation?" I said. "Yes, Bubba. Moral obligation. You don't really have a choice, Kevin. I know you guys have just been trying to live out your lives as ordinary people out of the limelight. But see, that's the beauty of it. You're just regular, ordinary people. You're not an experiment. You and Rick have built your family one kid at a time, and it's been unbelievably successful. You've taken them as they've come. It's time to share what you guys have learned, and what the boys have learned, so that, maybe, the world can be a better place for other gay boys like yours. And maybe for other foster families, too, gay and straight," she said. "If Rick and I decide to do this, will you come here and stand by us?" I asked. "You don't need a lawyer for that, Kevin," she said. "When is it going to happen?" "I don't know 'when.' I don't even know 'if,' yet. The kids are all on Dune Island. Even the dogs. We have to talk to them about it to see if they're willing," I said. "Kevin, they'll be willing, and you know it. I'll come as your sister-in-law, if you want me to, but you don't need a lawyer for scientific research," she said. "Okay," I said, "but Rob has to come with you on every trip." "He will. He definitely will," she said. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? Getting Rob there?" I just laughed. * * * The boys came home late Sunday afternoon, too late, in fact, for us to go to Mass that weekend. They all had pretty good tans before they went to the island, but their tans were much darker and deeper when they returned. Sunday night was bittersweet, at best. Todd was leaving the next day to go home to Houston, and nobody was in a good mood about that. "Perk up, Kyle," Justin said. We were in the den, supposedly watching TV, but nobody was saying much of anything, or paying much attention to the TV. "Leave me the fuck alone, Justin," Kyle said, somewhat annoyed. "Here comes the little man, Kyle," Justin said, "walking" the first two fingers of his right hand down his leg and getting ready to cross over to Kyle's. Justin was getting ready to tickle him. "If you touch me, Davis, I'm going to break those fingers. Just know that," Kyle said. Justin pulled back his hand. "Kyle, he ain't dying. We're going to see him again," Justin said. "I know you love Todd. We all do. But he's going to a good place, man. Don't be so down." "I'm going to be as down as I want to be, Justin. You don't know him the way I do," Kyle said. "Maybe not, Kyle, but I know he's a good boy. And I know he's an asset to this family," Justin said. "Don't fight about me, guys," Todd said. "We're not fighting about you. But, Todd, a boy I love very much is leaving here tomorrow, and he might not ever come back. I'm sorry, but I can't be happy about that," Kyle said. It was dead quiet in the room, except for the TV. Kyle hit the power button on the TV remote. And then he started to sing in that pure, clear voice of his. "Blame it all on my roots, "I showed up in boots, "And ruined your black-tie affair, "The last one to know, the last one to show, "I was the last one you'd thought you'd see there, "And I saw the surprise, and the fear in his eyes, "When I took his glass of champagne, "And I toasted you, said, honey, we might we through, "But you'll never hear me complain." That's when most of us joined in. "'Cause I got friends in low places, "Where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases, "My blues away, and I'll be okay. "Now, I'm not big on social graces. "Think I'll slip on down to the Oasis. "So I've got friends, in low places." By the time Kyle got through the first verse and we got through the chorus, Brian had the CD on the player on repeat, and everybody was singing. If our family has an anthem, it is surely that song. And it always makes us smile and perk up. That song is so popular that everybody knows the words, even though it's quite old, and that line, "and I'll be okay," means so much to us. We played it several times, and, of course, we were all up dancing. While it was true we were losing our brother, Todd, the next morning, we would always have Todd in our hearts. Compared to Justin and Kyle, he is a young kid, but he's their brother. I know they will never forget him. We played lots more Garth Brooks that night, and other bands, too, and we danced and we danced and we danced. We celebrated Todd within our family, without a fancy party or an elaborate meal. We celebrated a boy that we all love and that we will all miss, but we knew things were going to be good for him. And, if they aren't, he can always come back. In a sense, Todd is really what foster care is all about. He needed care for a short time, and he is returning to his family as a whole person, better off for the experience. It's impossible for me not to contrast Todd with Sean. I mean, they came from similar, if not identical, backgrounds. They both came from affluence, as I did, and they both had parents who are very career focused, as I have. The difference between them is character, I suppose. Maybe Todd has it but Sean didn't. Maybe Sean had character, too, but his other problems interfered with it. I don't know. At any rate, Todd is a great kid, and we were losing him. We ate ice cream that night, and Todd got a banana sticking up between the two globes of ice cream covered in coconut. His bowl was rimmed in red Maraschino cherries, too, and he loved it. That was a very emotional moment for all of us. Monday morning at the airport was terrible. Thank God his plane was on time. It was bad enough having breakfast with him for the last time in that tiny restaurant in the airport. We pulled tables together, much to the annoyance of other patrons, but I didn't give a shit. None of us did. I think everybody in our household kissed Todd goodbye on the cheek, and we sent him forth. * * * The next morning, the kissing goodbye took place in our driveway. Kyle has a rule, which actually makes very good sense, that it's stupid to take people to the airport when they can drive themselves. We never have any idea if ASA ("Always Something Airline"--Jeff's coinage) will be anywhere close to "on time," and you never know if the traveler will actually make his connection in Atlanta. The twenty or thirty bucks you have to pay for airport parking is more than worth a two-hour wait in the terminal by the people who would have to pick up the traveler. "Have a safe trip," I said. "No. We ain't doing that. We're going to have us a plane crash in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, preferably on the way over," Kyle said. "And, if we actually make it there in one piece, we're going to try to bribe the bus driver into running the bus off the side of a mountain." "You shit. I hate you, Kyle," I said. Everybody was laughing hard. "Get in the damn car and go, before I have to kick your ass," I said. That was Tuesday morning, June 5th. Denny and Murray were leaving for Debate Camp at Georgetown University on Sunday, June 10th. They would be gone for a week. It wasn't exactly a vacation, but their boyfriends were both going, too, so they would have a good time. The "camp" had scheduled in plenty of time for them to see Washington, D.C. "Babe," Rick said to me that night in bed. His tone of voice let me know he wanted something, and I knew it wasn't more sex. "What?" I said. "We have to take Pete somewhere, don't you think? He's the only one not going on a trip this summer," Rick said. "Where are you thinking we can take him?" I asked. "I don't know. I wonder if he's ever been to Disney," he said. "I doubt it," I said. "Don't you think he ought to go? I mean, isn't that part of being a kid in Florida? We haven't paid him much attention at all, you know? I mean, we've had so much going on with the others that we couldn't, but he's a really sweet kid, Babe," Rick said. I chuckled at my man. "Babe, you know I'll do whatever you want us to do," I said. "I know. We could go Wednesday, stay till Saturday, and be back home when they come home from D.C. on Sunday. We can do that," he said. "Why don't you call your mom and Arnie to see if they want to meet us there? They might be able to get away now," I said. "That's a great idea," he said. "Kevin, I love you so much." "I know. Now turn the light off and go to sleep," I said. He elbowed me lightly several times, but he did turn off his light. Then he wrapped his arms around me, and we went to sleep.
The next morning, the three boys who were in the house were at the breakfast room table. It had been a while since we had all been able to fit around that table, and it looked so barren I almost couldn't stand it. Those three are working at pools or beaches or someplace. I don't know what the hell Kevin fixed them up with, but they're all working. Kevin wasn't there, and I hadn't seen him since I had come in from running on the treadmill in the clubhouse. I was totally rank, and I knew it. "You guys are leaving next Sunday, right?" I said to Denny and Murray. "Right," Denny said. "This is supposedly the best debate camp in the country, too." "Is that what the brochure said?" I asked. Denny and Murray both laughed. "That's what I thought," I said. And they laughed some more. "Pete, you got you a new job coming up the Wednesday morning after they leave," I said. "Okay. What is it?" Pete asked. "Tourist. I need you to go with me and Kevin down to Orlando to check out Disney World. Can you go?" I asked. I just wish you could have seen the look on that boy's face when I said that. "Really?!" "Yep. It's going to be hot as hell, but we've got it to do," I said. "Are you serious, Rick?" he asked. "I'm as serious as a heart attack. Y'all better get going. Kevin'll fire your asses if y'all are late, and then what will we do with you?" I said. They laughed, and then they took their plates into the kitchen to put them in the dishwasher. That's a fine bunch of boys right there. Kevin and I are so lucky. I still didn't know where he was, though. I went into our bedroom to get dressed for work, and Kevin was still in bed. He was as pale as a ghost, and he had a terrible look on his face. "Babe, what's the matter?" I asked. I sat down on the bed next to him. "I don't know what's wrong. The pain is excruciating, and I can't piss," he said. "I'll take you to the emergency room right now. Do you think you can stand up and walk?" I asked. "Yeah, I think so," he said. "But you need to take a shower first, okay?" "Okay," and I proceeded to take one of the fastest showers of my life. God, Almighty. Getting him out of bed hurt him so bad. I thought he was about to pass out on me a couple of times, but I got him dressed. I took his car because it's more comfortable than my SUV, and I got him to the walk-in clinic that is close to us. I prayed every inch of the way. Kidney stones. That's what the doctor said he had. The doctor was a young guy, and he didn't even look as old as us. "It's extremely painful, but we can help with that. This is a relatively minor problem," the Doc said. "So, what do we do about it?" I asked. "Well, I can give him medicine to dissolve it, or we can put him in the tub and shoot a laser at it," he said. "Actually, I'd like to refer him to a urologist." "That's fine. But what I would like to do is call his father. He's a heart surgeon at Tulane Medical Center. Edward Foley. You ever heard of him?" I asked. "Yes," the doctor said. I called his cell, and he answered it. "Ed, this is Rick. Kevin's sick. He's got a kidney stone," I said. "What should we do?" "Where are you?" he asked. "We're at a walk-in clinic on the beach," I said. "He needs to see a urologist. He's probably in a lot of pain. They may want to do extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy. That's a fairly common treatment for this. Let me talk to the doctor who's there," he said. I handed my phone to the doctor, and he and Ed talked. I didn't pay attention to what the doctor on our end said because I figured I wouldn't understand it, anyway. "I guess the trip with Pete is off," I said. "Not necessarily. Let's wait and see what they say. Did you tell him about it?" Kevin asked. "Yeah, but now I wish I hadn't. I hate to disappoint a kid. He was really excited, Babe," I said. "I do, too. What did my dad say to you?" "I don't know, Kevin. He said you need to see a urologist, and then he used some words I've never heard before. I guess this guy will know what he's talking about," I said. "What's up?" I asked, once the doctor got off the phone. "He recommended I put in a catheter, which is actually something I should have thought of. I did my cardiology rotation with your dad, Kevin, but I hope to God he doesn't remember who I am," he said. "Why not?" Kevin asked. "Well, the catheter thing, for one. I mean, that's basic medicine. I should have had one in you by now," he said. "Does that hurt?" Kevin asked. "Not the way I do it," he said. I liked that guy. He was friendly and seemed to have a dry sense of humor. I was picking up big gaydar vibes, too, by the way. He got the equipment, and then he made Kevin take off his underwear. I know Kevin hates doctors, and to be lying there naked in front of this stranger, even as nice as he was, was embarrassing. "I won't look," the doctor said. "You better look," I said. My opinion of him was changing fast. "I think he just got you last, Rick," Kevin said. "Very funny. Now let's go. This man's in pain," I said. "The stone is right at the top of the urethra. This is probably going to push it back into the bladder," he said. "But maybe not. We'll see." He took Kevin's penis into his hand, and I felt a slight stirring down below. He started inserting the tube, and Kevin didn't seem to be in any particular discomfort from that. As soon as it was in place, the plastic bag at the end of the tube started filling up with urine, and the guy was looking at it closely. "Well, I'll be damned," he said. "There it is. Dr. Foley was right." "What do you mean?" I asked. "He said catheterization might make him pass it when I told him where it was, and he just did," the doctor said. "See it?" He pointed to a very small thing that looked like it had burrs on it. There were traces of blood in the urine, but it wasn't really bloody piss. "That's all it is?" Kevin asked. "Yeah. That's it. You don't even need to see a urologist, unless you want to. I recommend you make an appointment with one, but it's not an emergency anymore," the doctor said. "I'd lay off sex for a day or so. Are you cool with that?" He addressed his last comment to me. "Of course," I said. "You know about us, don't you?" "Well, guys, I'm family, too, so, yeah, I do," he said. "What's with the blood in his piss?" I asked. "Oh, that's just a trace. If you squirted something like that out of your dick, you'd bleed, too," he said. "In fact, he might even have a little more bleeding. But, unless it doesn't stop, it's normal. His is what we call a 'silent stone,' meaning it had already passed from the kidney to the bladder through the ureter. It didn't hurt him when it did that so that's why it was 'silent.' It only hurt when it was trying to get into the urethra. Are you ready to shake off so I can pull this thing out of you?" "Shake off?" Kevin asked. "Sorry. Bad joke," he said. When we finally got the joke, Kevin and I both laughed. "We're planning a trip to Orlando a week from Wednesday. Should we change those plans?" I asked. "I would. Do you realize how hot it is there already?" he said. "No. I meant for medical reasons," I said. "No. Of course not. I rarely cure anybody this quick, but I'd say you're cured," he said. He went about extracting the catheter from Kevin. "So let's get personal here for a minute. You're gay, right?" I said. "That's what you said." "Yep. Just like you," he said. "Do you have a boyfriend or partner or anybody?" I asked. "Nope. I'm single," he said. "This is only my second week here. I just finished my residency three weeks ago." "Look, I like you, and Kevin does, too. We've got a house full of gay boys and a ton of gay friends. Let me give you my card, and maybe you can come over and meet everybody. Four of the kids are in Europe right now, and two are going to Washington, D.C., on Sunday for debate camp. We'll just have the one at home, and that's why we're taking him to Disney World," I said. "You have seven gay children? My God," he said. "They're foster kids, or former foster kids who still live with us. Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen," I said. "So, what? Are you two up for canonization or something?" he asked. We laughed. "It's a very long and complicated story. Much too long for us to tell with me lying here with my dick flapping in the breeze," Kevin said. I handed him his underwear. "And it's a very nice one, by the way. I love foreskin," he said, in a stage whisper. He was acting gayer than he had before. "Do you carry on like this with all your patients?" Kevin asked. I knew what he was thinking. Ed Foley would definitely not approve of his bedside manner one bit. "Of course not." He was back to acting straight. "Only with attractive, young, gay couples who have a great sense of humor. Please don't say anything to your father about me," he said. "I'm going to call him and tell him you cured me," Kevin said. "Yeah. That's okay. Do that. Tell him I have healing hands, okay?" he said. We laughed. "You're going to fit right in with our crowd, if you're interested. It's a bunch of guys around our age, and it cuts across the whole spectrum. Lawyers, engineers, a couple of priests, teachers, businessmen. You name it. Plus, a bunch of kids, gay and straight. No doctors, though," Kevin said. "Good. I hate doctors," he said. We laughed again. "What about George and Sonya. George is an oral surgeon, and Sonya's an orthodontist," I said. "That sounds like a straight couple," he said. "Yeah, they are. Don't worry, though. Their son is gay, and he lives with us. It'll take a while for you to sort everybody out, but you will. Are we through here?" Kevin asked. "Yeah. I am. There are probably thirty people out there in that waiting room waiting for me to see them," he said, "but I'd much rather stay here and talk to you guys." "We'd like that, too, but we do both actually work," I said. "Oh, really?" he said, like he was fascinated by the concept. "I can't wait for the boys and the friends to meet you," I said, chuckling at his foolishness. Our medical insurance through Goodson Enterprises has a $300 deductible, and we had already met that because of our physicals in January. We still had to give them some money, though, which we did cheerfully. Kevin walked out of that place pain free, and that's all I cared about. I took him home. He hadn't eaten anything for breakfast that morning, so I scrambled him up four eggs and made him a couple of pieces of toast. That would hold him until lunch in a few hours. I stayed with him while he ate, but then we both went on into work for the rest of the day. |