"Oh God, Mary, I'm glad you called. Is Max okay? No black eyes, cut lips or bruises?" Miki asked. She and Mary considered themselves sisters-in-law. Their brothers were lovers and partners in business with her husband. Plus they joked about being mothers-in-law, too; since Mary's second son Max had been emotionally involved with Miki's oldest son Joseph since the day they had met six years ago. Joseph was now 17 and a high school senior, and Max at 22 was soon graduating from college. "No, he's physically fine, but something has him stewing and he won't talk about it. Do you know what happened?" "It's been a mad house here since I got home. To begin with, Joe called me after Dave called him. Apparently, Max had run to Dave. I found Joseph collapsed on the floor stark naked with the telephone clutched in his hand. At first, I thought he'd been stabbed. There was dry blood all over him. But he'd been hit in the nose and he just let it bleed until it stopped on its own. He has two big shiners, a split lip and a broken nose. And the way he moves, I suspect he got kicked between the legs." "Good grief! Who did that to him?" "He said Max." Mary let out a short bark of laughter. "Max? Why on earth would Max ?" Mary faltered with the question while trying to imagine the answer. "I haven't the foggiest. That was the only question that Joseph would answer. Oh, and he shattered the bones in his fist. He hit something or someone really hard. But he won't say anything about that, at all. "When I got him up and into his room to dress so I could take him to the emergency room, he was quiet for a bit and then he went berserk, screaming and throwing things. Mary, he demolished everything in his room. He broke the desk chair over the computer and turned the desk upside down. He turned over the bookshelves and stomped on his music system. He even shredded the mattress. Joe arrived in the middle of it. He had to break in the door and then had to wrestle Joseph down. "Once Joe had his arms around him, Joseph just collapsed and bawled. Oh God, Mary, you've never heard such heart- broken crying. We called an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Rence got here just as the ambulance was leaving. Joe drove him over to the hospital. He was almost as much a mess as Joseph. "Doc gave him a sedative and then took X-rays. They have to reconstruct his nose and surgically set the bones in his hand. He really messed them up using it after he broke them. Doc doesn't understand how he could stand the pain. He's sleeping now. He keeps whimpering in his sleep, asking, "Why did he do it?" "You mean why did Max hit him?" "I don't think it was Max he's asking about. When he was tearing up his room, he kept screaming, 'Allen, you son of a bitch. I'll kill you.'" "Do you know who this Allen is?" Mary asked. "Allen Green, maybe. He's on the same baseball team as Joseph. They've kind of been friends since grade school." "What could this Allen have done?" "I have no idea. And I'm afraid to imagine. Mary, we're all afraid Joseph might go berserk again. The doctor conferred with Dr. Chestnut and they moved him to the Psychiatric ward where they restrained him... literally tied him down to the bed, so he couldn't damage his hand again." Later, after talking to Miki, Mary was fixing dinner when Gary, Max's younger brother, trudged into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice, poured himself a glassful, and then greeted his mother. "So how was baseball practice, Sweety?" Gary ignored the endearment. Ever since his back surgeries six years ago, his mom had called him that. At least she didn't do it in front of other people. "It sucked, Mom. Joseph and Allen Green were AWOL today. Man, was coach angry. He took it out on the rest of us." "Where do you suppose they were?" "Well, don't you breathe a word of this to Max, but if Allen had his way, he'd have Joseph off somewhere molesting him. That boy has it bad for my big brother's lover." Max and Gary had always been close. Gary had grown like the proverbial weed after the operations. He now stood five foot eleven, where Max was only five eight. And as Gary out grew Max in size, it became an affectionate joke to call Max his big brother. "How do you know this?" "Aaah, Mom, everybody in school knows it, except Max." "Poor Max." Mary sighed. "I guess he knows now, too." "What do you mean, Mom?" "Well, I don't know for sure, but it looks like Allen had his way and Max walked in on them. He's in his room staring at the ceiling." "Oh shit! Mmm, sorry, Mom." "You're forgiven. This certainly looks like a big pile of it, doesn't it?" When Lloyd came home that evening, Mary filled him in on what had happened. He changed out of his work clothes and then knocked on Max's door. "May I come in, Son?" Max sat up and told him to enter. Seeing Max's misery wrenched his heart. He and Max had developed a close loving father son relationship since the move to UniCity, but they had never really discussed Max's sexuality, nor his relationship with Joseph. Lloyd had left that to his gay brother-in-law Dave. He stood there a moment, not having the least idea what to say, but seeing the state his son was in, he moved to his side and wrapped his arms around him and just held him. Max turned into his father's shoulder and let the flood of raw emotions loose. He blubbered the whole incident into his father's chest. He told him of all the years he'd put up with Allen's taunts and the nasty racial slurs he called Joseph behind his back, and Joseph's ultimate betrayal. Lloyd had never given much thought to what his gay son and his young lover might do behind closed doors. He'd supposed that they did no more that a bit of kissing, masturbation and oral copulation. It had never entered his mind that they were into serious sex. But Max was now 22; certainly old enough. He mentally shrugged the thought away. While he was shocked by Max's graphic tale he didn't react. He just continued to hold him and rub a comforting hand up and down his back. He didn't say a word until Max eventually calmed down. "Are you going to be okay, Son?" he asked. Max let out a long shuddering sigh. "No, Dad, but there's not a thing that you or anyone else can do to help. Time.... I just need time to accept it and adjust to it." Offering him physical comfort was the only thing Lloyd could see to do. "I'm here for you, Son. Anytime." "That is comforting, Dad. Please, don't tell anyone what I told you, not even Mom." Max said, and stood up. "Not even your mother?" "Please don't, Dad." Lloyd stood and ruffled Max's hair. "Alright, you have my word. However, she has already pretty much guessed the truth after talking to Miki and Gary." He headed for the door; his mind was in turmoil from what Max had just told him. He stopped and looked back at the miserable young man." Max, you know I love you." Max managed a smile. "I love you, Dad." Max stayed in his room and sulked until late in the night when everyone had gone to bed. He then went into the kitchen and got a Coke out of the fridge. He wasn't hungry and he was afraid that if he forced himself to eat anything he would just regurgitate it. The sweet acidic Coke would quiet the turmoil in his abdomen. He stood at the kitchen sink soaking his bruised, swollen knuckles in ice water and nursing the Coke as he thought about what the future looked like. Not bright, that was for sure. He decided that the only thing to do was to proceed as though nothing had changed. Except that now there was no Joseph in his life. The only way to handle Joseph, he figured, was to completely ignore him and act like he didn't exist. Actually, Max was afraid that if he talked to Joseph he'd end up forgiving him. He didn't want to do that because he didn't trust him anymore. Even though he was sure that the whole incident was at Allen's instigation, Joseph had gone along with it and destroyed that trust, and there was no way that Max could see to fix it. For six years Max had put up with Allen's taunts and nasty racial slurs, all done behind Joseph's back. At first Max had tried to tell Joseph about it, but Joseph didn't want to believe that Allen who was always nice and friendly to him would do that. Max quit trying and just put up with it, and tried to stay away from Allen as much as possible. Max hadn't realized that all the little digs, the taunts, the insults and racial slurs, that Joseph would not believe were going on, had built a wall, now insurmountable despite the fact that Joseph had finally realized that Max had all along been telling the truth. When the ice had melted and the water warmed, he dried his hands, crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling until daybreak. Had it only been that afternoon that he'd left the school parking lot and had driven to the Reville's on the hope that Joze would be there. He relived the events that had changed his life forever, unaware that other lives had been changed as dramatically. Max had left the campus and headed for the Darcy's knowing that no one would be home except Joze. Joze only had four classes in his senior year of high school and other than having baseball practice after school; he had most of the afternoon off. Joze's Audi was in the driveway so Max had pulled in behind it, jumped out of his car and trotted into the house to see his best friend and lover. The house was quiet. Max figured Joze would be up in his bedroom studying for his finals, so without calling out, he bounced up the stairs and down the hall to Joze's bedroom. Before he even got to the door he could hear grunts and moans. He knew what the sounds meant, and his first inclination was to turn and run. But he had to verify that the noises were what they sounded like. There was a peculiar sweet smoky smell in the air. Max identified it as Marijuana. He'd never indulged in the stuff, but knew the scent. He couldn't believe it was coming from Joze's room. He crept to the door and peered in. Max was transfixed by what he saw. He was fascinated by the contrast in color of the paler skin on the hands gripping and clinching the creamy, mocha colored, sweat sheened skin of Joze's long beautiful back muscles. The long brown shaft that Max had been lusting for all afternoon was now plunging into this lily white ass. The bounce of Joze's big full dark ball sac against that pale butt mesmerized him. Even in this moment of betrayal, he loved looking at Joze's beautiful sinuous body. He'd loved it from the string bean Joze had been at eleven years old, to now as a muscular young athletic adult at eighteen. His mind wasn't yet registering what this sight meant, and it disturbed him that he was sexually excited by the coupling of the two young men. As the two drew to a thunderous climax, an errant thought crossed Max's mind that this would be the last time he'd see Joze unclothed. Neither of the boys seemed to be aware of Max standing there watching as they regained their breath. Max felt he was going to vomit when Joze licked the cum off the white boy's chest. That intimacy was the ultimate betrayal. Max started to turn away just as the white boy turned his head and looked right at him and grinned. Until that moment, Max hadn't seen who it was that Joze had just fucked to such a tremendous climax. It was Allen Green, Max's nemesis. "Hey, Max, did we give ya a good show?" Allen sneered. His eyes were red from smoking weed. An errant thought crossed Max's mind. 'He looks like Satan incarnate.' Joseph turned and looked over his shoulder just in time to see Max run into the door frame knocking the air out of himself before he fled down the hall. He looked down at Allen and saw a self satisfied smile on his face. "Shit," he said, under his breath. At that moment, everything that Max had ever told him about Allen came into focus and he realized that Allen had played him for a fool... and that he had just ruined everything Joseph held dear. Joseph screamed in rage, "God damn you, Allen. Max never lied. You set me up." He rammed his fist into Allen's jaw with all the force he could muster. He paid no attention to the intense pain in his hand as he jumped off the bed and ran after Max. Max got down the stairs and into the living room before Joseph caught up to him. "Max, stop. It's not what it looks like," he yelled, as he ran. The incongruity of the statement stopped Max in his tracks. He turned to give a sharp retort and Joseph ran smack into him. Joseph wrapped him in a protective hug as his momentum took them both to the floor. Max pushed away from him in a rage. In his fury, he fought without thinking. A knee hard into those big balls. A fist to that exquisite aquiline nose. Another jab into one of a pair of the most wonderful warm summer green eyes in the world. Another rabbit punch into that beautiful regal aquiline nose, and then one into his other eye. Joseph was so surprised that mild, gentle little Max would attack him that he didn't even try to protect himself. Max pushed away from him, scrambled to his feet and fled out the door. Leaping into his car, he peeled backwards into the street. As he rammed the gearshift lever into forward he saw Joseph run out of the house, blood running from his nose down his face and chest, his beautiful long cock dangling between his legs as he fell to his knees with his arms stretched out in supplication as he screamed his shame and begged forgiveness. "N-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O." The heartrending cry echoed through Max. It didn't register that the protest was Joseph's for he was sure it had been his own. He shunted the remorse aside and rammed the gas pedal to the floor, fish tailing down the street. He glanced in the rear view mirror and saw Joseph crumple to the ground. He grimaced to himself. He had no idea of where he was going. He only came to his senses when the elevator door opened into the Eyrie and he collapsed into his Uncle Dave's arms. Dave, having heard the chimes, had answered the call from the guard at the lobby desk. "Dave, a very distraught young man is on his way up." The guard informed him. He was waiting at the elevator when Max rushed into his arms and collapsed. He walked Max over to the sofa and sat down with him. Dave held him, making soothing sounds as he combed his fingers through his nephew's hair over and over until the tenseness left his body. Finally, Max pushed away from him with a jagged sigh. "If you talk about it, you might feel better." Max pushed away and glared into the cold fireplace in front of him. His heart felt like that, dark and cold. Dave watched his nephew. He knew Max would talk only when he was ready. The telephone rang. Dave went into the kitchen to answer it. After a few moments of listening, he laid the phone down and went out to Max."It's Joseph. He is frantic to talk to you." Max stood up, turned and looked at his uncle. The light in his eyes was dead. He said in a quiet calm voice, "I don't want to hear what he has to say. I have nothing to say to him." Dave studied him for a moment. "That's Joseph's blood on your hands, isn't it?" Max didn't answer. He glanced at his fists. His expression turned to horror as he realized he had just pummeled his soul mate; he looked up at Dave in horror and whispered, "Oh my God, what have I done?" Max turned and fled out the French doors, shedding his clothes as he went. By the time he got to the pool he was naked. The pool had always been a source of refuge for him, a place to regain his equanimity, his sang froid. He surface dived into the smooth cool water. Expelling the air from his lungs, he glided to the deepest corner and sat cross-legged. He'd practiced for years staying under as long as possible. Now, if he relaxed and stayed perfectly still, he could stay under for just over four minutes. The euphoria from the lack of oxygen cleared his brain. He was aware of nothing but the need to soon fill his lungs with air. Dave went back to the kitchen to tell Joseph that Max refused to talk to him. The sadness and remorse in Joseph's voice echoed in Dave's head as he hung up the phone. He turned toward the kitchen window in time to see Max's dive. That pool had been a source of comfort for Max since the first time he'd ever seen it. He wondered what Joseph had done that had Max seething so coldly, and Joseph so remorseful and frantic to make amends. He sighed and mentally shrugged. Time would tell it all. Dave hadn't really thought the two of them would last in a relationship for six years. Max had been a sophomore in high school when they met, and Joseph an eleven year old sixth grader. They'd been so young, not old enough to be in a serious, monogamous relationship, and yet they had, until now, shown great maturity in dealing with all the problems of being a couple. Both sets of parents, along with their three uncles, had watched in trepidation, wondering when the break would come. Which one would end up hurting the other? It looked like Max was the one that got hurt first. He waited for Max to break the water's surface. When he could stand it no longer, Dave rushed out to the pool. He could see Max sitting on the bottom, his hands just barely moving at his sides. Dave thought about the first time Max had used this pool. It had been another traumatic time in Max's life; the day he'd shown up on Dave's doorstep after having run away from home. It had been the day that Max had told him he was gay. Dave recalled thinking that Max had drowned when he saw him floating unmoving and how he'd jumped into the pool, fully clothed, to save him. Just when Dave's patience had run out and he was ready again to jump into the pool to pull him out, Max floated to the surface. His face rose above the water and he drew in great draughts of air. His eyes were closed. "Dammit, Max, one of these days I'm going to drown you myself," Dave yelled. Max gave no indication of hearing. His ears were under water. Frustrated, Dave knelt and splashed water at him. Max opened his eyes and looked at his uncle. Seeing the expression on his face, Max blushed, swam to the edge, and pulled himself up and out. "Sorry, Dave, I didn't mean to scare you. It just relaxes me and clears my mind." He stood and wiped the water from his body showing no modesty. "One of these days, Buster, I'm going to hold you under until you really have to be rescued." Dave tried not to smile, but didn't quite succeed. He couldn't help but notice that Max was a full grown man now as he wrapped the fluffy towel around himself. They'd grown accustom to being naked around each other and the other guys, including Max's dad Lloyd, since they'd move into the Tower six years ago. Mary and her mother Jean had learned quickly that if they didn't want to be embarrassed by the nudity, they had to call up to the Eyrie to announce themselves and then give the guys time to dress before making an appearance. Dave studied Max as he dried himself. His eyes were still red, but the hurt feral look had disappeared. "How do you do it, Max?" "Do what?" He looked up at his uncle. "How do you just shut off the pain and anger like that?" For a moment it was back in his eyes, and just as quickly, it was gone. Max stared at the empty pale blue sky, blinked a couple of times, and then looked directly at Dave."It's still there. When I can, I'll deal with it. Right now I've got to get dressed and go shop for a new shirt and some slacks. Tomorrow night is the big graduation party that the Juniors are throwing for us Seniors." Max slipped into his boxers and picked up his pants. He paused before putting them on. "Yeah, and I have to find a date." "So you're not going with Joseph?" He paused like he was considering the possibility as he slipped on his jeans. "Joseph?" He shook his head and grinned at Dave, not succeeding in hiding the pain. "Nah, Joseph's got himself a new guy to fuck," he said, picked up his socks and stuffed them into his loafers. Dave was shocked by the statement. He knew Max, and was well aware that his cheerful demeanor was just an act. "And you're okay with that?" he asked. Max picked up his shirt and stared into the sky before answering. "No, Dave," he sighed. "I'm not okay with it. But Joseph made his choice. And I wasn't it. So I've got to move on. It hurts like hell, but I'll deal with it when I can. Just... not now." "What do you mean, he made his choice? Did he tell you that? It didn't sound like he'd made a choice when he called awhile ago." Max collapsed on the edge of a chaise and looked up at his uncle. "You're not going to let it be, are you?" "Max, I know you're hurting. I don't know what happened, but I do know you'll feel better if you talk about it rather than bottling it up. I've been you confidante and advisor since the day you showed up on my doorstep when you were only fifteen and announced that you are gay. Talk to me. Let me help ease the pain." The feral wild animal look returned to Max's face. He looked like he'd run if Dave came a step closer. "If it had been anyone else....." Max said as he stood up. Nervous. He glanced around as he brushed his fingers through his longish hair. "No, I can't... I've got to go." He dropped his shirt, fled down the stairs, and entered his parent's spacious condo on the floor below the penthouse. He stumbled into his bedroom and collapsed on his bed. Dave sighed as he picked up Max's abandoned clothes, folded the shirt and laid it on top of the shoes next to the stairwell door before he went into the study to call Joe, who had over the last couple of years become Joseph's confidante and advisor, to inform him about the situation. Mary heard Max enter the condo and knocked on his door. "Max, are you alright? Joseph called. I told him to call up to the Eyrie." Max cleared his throat. "Yeah, Mom, I'm okay. Dave talked to Joseph." Mary opened the door and looked at her son sprawled on his bed with an arm flung over his eyes. "He sounded rather distraught. Why didn't you talk to him?" Max raised his head and looked at his mother. His tone was pedantic, as if he were trying to get a point across to a mentally deficient person. "I had nothing to say to him." "Max, I " "I'll say no more about it, Mother." Max's voice was sharp as he interrupted what his mother was going to say. "If you're curious as to why... ask him." Max dropped his forearm back across his eyes, presumptuously dismissing her from his room. Mary studied her son for a moment; his red swollen eyes had tugged at her. He'd never before in his life addressed her as 'Mother', it had always been Mom. She felt a strong urge to go to him and cuddle him, protect him from his pain. But she shook her head, knowing he wouldn't abide it, and changed the subject. She took note of his wet hair and the fact that he was only wearing his jeans. Dave had told her how Max used the pool when he was stressed. "I think you forgot the rest of your clothes up by the pool." Max raised his head and looked down at shirtless torso and then at his mother. He grimaced and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess I did." His look begged her to let him alone. "I'll bring them down to you in a while," she said, and quietly closed the door. She went to the phone and called Miki. |