John

An hour later, freshly showered and dressed, we walked into the expansive living room, where the family was gathered at one end around a big stone fireplace. Will saw us coming, stood up and held his arms out to us, as he said, "Ah, in this time of sorrow and grief, here comes some joy and light. Reese and I were fortunate this afternoon to witness Frank and John make vows to each other. I present to you... the new mates for life."

The room was quiet as everyone turned to stare at us. Frank reached for my hand. Then Dad stood up, and walked across the room to take us in his arms, as he said, "This makes me very happy. For years, Alice worried about whether Franky would ever find a partner. If she was here, she'd be the first to welcome you to the family, John. Since she's not, I shall. Congratulations, John, and welcome to the Bailey family."

He then knelt and wrapped his arms around Farr. "I'm thrilled to see you so happy with this big man. Take good care of him, Son. He's worth the effort."

Dan and Pete were right behind him to hug us, followed by Reese and Will. I saw Patrick, who I hadn't yet met, start to rise from the sofa next to his wife. She grabbed his arm and yanked him back down, as she audibly whispered, "Don't you dare."

Patrick pulled his arm away from her grasp and said, "Frank is my brother, Janet."

"The runt is a faggot," she furiously whispered.

Patrick raised his hand to slap her, but Dan caught his wrist. "No, Pat. She'd only make you regret it."

"You may be hard-hearted enough to shun your own brother for being gay," Patrick said to her through clinched teeth, "but I will not shun mine. I love all three of my gay brothers."

Janet looked at Will and Reese, then turned to frown at Dan and Pete. She obviously hadn't realized that they were gay. She stood, wiping her hands on her hips, as she snarled, "This family is disgusting. I want out of it. I want a divorce, Patrick." She was on a roll. "I want a real man... one that can give me children."

Patrick grabbed her arms, stuck his face into hers and said in a hard, cruel voice, "You'll never find such a miracle man, Janet. No man can get your arid body pregnant. You are barren...sterile. You can't have a child."

"Liar," she screeched, as she pulled her right arm loose and slapped him.

His eyes filled of pity, he stared at her, sadly shook his head, then let go of her arm. She slapped him again. Patrick swayed with the strike, but didn't raise a hand.

Reese stepped up to her. "Enough, Bitch," she said, and punched her in the nose.

I liked Reese before, but after that punch, I was in love with her. If I'd been straight, I'd have attempted to take her away from Will. He later told me that Janet had once insulted Reese's ancestry, and had told her she was unfit to join the Bailey family.

Janet screamed, "You broke my nose. I paid three thousand dollars for this nose."

"I knew it was too perfect to be real," Reese laughed, rubbing her fist. "I hope you had it insured. Get out of here and let this....this disgustingly - wonderful family have some peace."

Transfixed and fascinated, we six men just stood and watched as the petite Reese put the frumpy straight-laced Janet in her place. Janet fled into the bedroom. Forgetting her bloodied nose, she grabbed her bags and ran for the front door. Realizing she had no car keys, she dropped her bags and turned on Patrick. "Give me the car keys," she demanded. "I'm leaving. I can't stay in this house another minute."

Before he could answer, Pete, who's the largest of the Bailey brothers, and only four inches shorter than me, rushed over and forcefully pushed her towards the door. "This family would like to mourn the loss of our mother without you being the center of attention."

She twisted away from him screaming, "Let go of me, you faggot."

Pete grabbed her arm, and thrust her out the door. "Go wait on the curb, Bitch. We'll call you a cab." He then grabbed her bags, pushing her out of his way with them, and threw them toward the street. One burst open, stewing clothes over the lawn. She screamed another epithet at him as he strode back in and wrapped Patrick in a hug. "Jezus, I don't know how you ever let that bitch get her claws into you."

Patrick let himself be hugged for a bit, then pulled back. "I guess it's a good thing that I'm a major shareholder in the firm. Her father will surely try to fire me," he said with a grin.

We didn't notice that Dan had left, until we heard a car start up. Will looked out the window and said, "Always proper. Dan is taking the witch away.... I hope he takes her to the bus station, and doesn't just drop her off at a freeway entrance."

Pete let out a theatrical sigh and said, "Well, that gave the neighbors something to gossip about. At least, I don't have to call her a taxi."

Frank

I've lived with the name 'Runt' all of my life. And though it hurt to hear a member of my family call me that, I sloughed it off. Never having been around Janet, it didn't mean that much; but it was gratifying to see her 'sent on her way.'

Patrick was in college by the time I was starting school. I always looked up to him as my oldest brother, but I didn't really know him. A little later that evening, I found him sitting alone on the front patio, looking totally defeated. I sat down beside him. He smiled at me and said, "Hey, Kid," and pulled me into a one armed hug. We sat there for a moment before he looked at me and said, "Congratulations, by the way. Looks like you've found a good mate."

I hugged him back. "Yeah, John is the best. I'm sorry about Janet. Was she always that bad?"

He glanced at me with a pained smile, and shook his head. "Always bad, but you just saw her at her worst. I'm sorry you had some of her nastiness aimed at you."

"Forget it, it doesn't matter. She's gone."

We sat silently for a few minutes. I was mulling over what little I knew about my eldest brother, which wasn't much. I broke the silence by asking, "If she was so awful, Paddy, why did you marry her?" (Only family got away with calling him Paddy.)

Patrick raised his head and stared off across the valley. "The lure of a very prestigious law firm. Her father was the head of it, and he pushed her at me. She was a real nympho, she nearly raped me on our first date. When it looked to her like I'd never propose, she told me that I'd gotten her pregnant. We married. It was a big social affair. She swelled up, but nine months later, there was no baby. She went into a depression, and became the total bitch you saw earlier. She told everyone that she'd had a miscarriage. It was what the doctor later described to me as a hysterical pregnancy. He told me she'd gotten pregnant when she was sixteen, while going to a girl's school back east, and sneaked off and got a back street abortion. It left her infertile. Barren."

Patrick continued staring off across the green valley toward the brown hills. "After that fiasco, she'd have nothing to do with me sexually. In public, she was the perfect loving wife. I think that only the doctor, his staff, her parents and I were the only ones who knew. She'd pulled the wool over everyone else's eyes. She started screwing every man that she could entice into her bed. One thing I gotta give her though... she was discreet. But she sure managed to emasculate me. God, I wonder why I put up with it."

I guess he forgot that I was there. He just sighed and stared off across the valley. I sat and quietly absorbed what Patrick had just told me. Eventually, not knowing what else to say, I hugged him again, wished him good luck, then went in search of John. I found him on a side patio, deep in conversation with my dad. He pulled me onto his lap, wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek. Dad just smiled.

Patrick left that evening, after getting hugs from everyone. He called Dad the next morning, Thursday, and told him that Janet hadn't gone back to their house, nor had she contacted her father. Patrick said that he'd called his father-in-law first thing to tender his resignation from the firm, and requested that his stock in the firm be purchased, since he and Janet were definitely divorcing. When the man asked where his daughter was, Patrick told him that she was an adult, she had own bank account and credit card. He didn't know where she'd gone, and furthermore, he no longer cared. He told Dad that he'd been surprised when the man called him 'Son,' wished him the best, and told him that he would miss him.

Patrick called again that afternoon to tell Dad that he'd accepted an offer with a law firm in San Jose that had been trying to recruit him for the last couple of years. He was moving north immediately, and he'd see him Sunday afternoon. We quietly celebrated his freedom with a toast at dinner.

Mom's funeral was to be held on the following Wednesday, a week after her death. We stayed through Thursday evening, and then headed back to town. We both had businesses that needed us. Besides, we had gone down to Gilroy without the proper clothing for a funeral.

Friday morning, I didn't feel like working... but I'd go crazy being idle, so I called Martha Raymond and told her that I would keep shop. She told me I shouldn't be alone at a time like this, and asked where John was.

"John has responsibilities that he's taking care of. We're together in the evenings."

"Well, I'll go in and keep you company," she insisted.

"No, really, you don't need to do that. I'm okay. I'll do just fine. But thanks for taking the next few days for me."

It took a bit more talking to convince her that I would be okay, but she finally relented.

I was involved in taking a big French chandelier apart for rewiring when Rich came into the shop. There's something about Rich that makes me feel so comfortable around him. He's not handsome like Rafe or Tommy, but he is good looking... you know... pleasant to look at... pleasing to the eye. In my mind, I think of him as 'the brown man,' but not like Rafe, who is Hispanic. Rich has luxurious brown hair, warm brown eyes, a naturally tanned brown complexion, and he seems to unconsciously accent his brown-ness by wearing mostly brown clothes. He's older than John and Rafe, I'd say, by at least five years. They are thirty-two and thirty four respectively. So that would put Rich at close to forty.

He didn't say anything. He just walked over to me, knelt, and took me into his arms. It was a comforting hug - like my dad's. It was me that eventually pulled back. I looked into his warm, loving face and said, "Thank you, Rich. You've really sneaked into my heart. I've come to love you as a dear friend."

He just wrinkled his nose and winked at me with a warm smile. "How's your dad holding up?"

"As well as can be expected," I sighed. "He and mom had been together since they were juniors in high school. He told us the other day that she was his best friend, as well as his wife and the mother of his sons."

"Your dad's a wonderful man. How are you and Big John getting along?

I beamed at him. "He proposed to me Wednesday... right in front of my brother Will and his fiancée."

"And did you accept?"

"I love John with my whole being. What do you think?"

"I think you made him the happiest man alive."

"Well, he's one of the two happiest."

"That day in the bar when I saw your head pop up above the crowd, when you were looking for John, I knew he'd found a jewel. I wasn't about to let him lose you."

I hugged Rich again. He made his adieus before I could think to invite him to the funeral. I wondered for a moment why he'd stopped in, then decided it was just because he's that kind of man. I made a mental note to call him later, and went back to work thinking about how good it is to have him as a friend.

I worked through the rest of the day, until around four when the doorbell chimed. I entered the showroom wiping my hands, and was surprised to see Rafe and Tommy. Rafe dropped down on one knee and gave me a big hug. (Damn, I feel like I come off as some kind of royalty - everyone dropping down on their knees to me. But that's what these wonderful big men did. I sometimes feel I should carry around a box to stand on, so they won't have to kneel.) "I'm sorry for your loss, Farr, but from what John told me, your mom is no longer in pain."

I felt like a dolt. I'd had no idea what had been wrong with Mom, except that she'd hemorrhaged, and they couldn't stop the bleeding. I hadn't even known she was in pain. I decided I should talk to Will before I went home.

Tommy took Rafe's place in extending his condolences and giving me a hug. If I hadn't been so torn up with grief, I'd have surely swooned from being so close to these two, movie-star-handsome men. Even though they're John's close friends, I hadn't been around them very much.

Rafe inquired about the funeral, and they took their leave. I then called Will. He got all over my case about being down on myself for not knowing what was going on with Mom. "At least you were there to see her before she died," he said.

"Will," I told him, "If I had two hundred students depending on me, I'd have done the same thing."

Having mollified each other, we talked a bit more.

I took time when I got home to sit down and play with Spike for a bit. Since I was heading over to John's, I fed him before I showered, shaved, and put on clean clothes. John's house was dark when I arrived. Using the key he had given me; I let myself in and turned on some lights, then headed for the kitchen.

I'd no sooner opened the fridge to see what there was to cook when John came in the back door.

"Let's go out to eat, Babe," he said, flopping into a kitchen chair and pulling me into his arms. "Damn, what a day. I'd like to blame it on being away for two days, but being here wouldn't have made today any easier."

"What happened?"

"Let me take a quick shower, and dress. I'll tell you over dinner."

"Want me to scrub your back?" I leered, lusting for his gorgeous body.

An hour later, we were sitting in Home, a restaurant on Market. They've good home-style cooking, and they're fast. Once we'd gotten our drinks and had ordered, I asked again, "What happened today?"

"We're doing this huge old warehouse... two stories high... takes up three quarters of a block... huge. Sixteen foot ceilings. We had to bring in cherry pickers to get up to the ceilings. Anyway, there were four big old fuse boxes lined up on the back wall. Simple job to replace them. But I never thought to check for any others.

"Jimmy nearly got fried when he cut a wire on the opposite side of the building that was still live. It was a two twenty line, and when it hit the floor, it was sparking like the Fourth of July. It could have killed him. God, I'm glad that man has a sensible head on his shoulders. He quickly put on his insulated gloves and grabbed the wire, while the rest of us frantically searched for the source.

"The damned thing was in a little locked closet. The owners of the building didn't even know it was there. We had to knock the door down to get to it. It scared me so bad, that I was raving like a madman. Ward finally had to tell me to shut up and calm down.

"I don't know what the original electricians had in mind when they hid that box and its source. God, I've never been so frightened. I tell you, Jimmy is getting a bonus for his quick, cool-minded thinking on this job."

Our dinner came, and we ate in silence for a minute. I broke it by saying, "You talked to Rich and Rafe."

"Yeah, I told them about your mom."

"Rich came by this morning." I told him. "You know, he's really become a good friend."

"He is someone special. I love the guy."

"Rafe and Tommy came by about four. They're nice guys, too, but there's something special about Rich."

We went back to John's after dinner. He offered me a beer.

"No, I'm fine." I told him.

"How about some soft music, and a good cuddle?"

"I could really go for that," I said.

Knowing I love the way Richard Stoltzman plays a clarinet, he chose an album of his Latin jazz dance music. Then with a big relaxed sigh, he lay on the sofa, and I crawled into his arms.

I guess it was the silence at the end of the disc that woke me. I woke John and led him to the bedroom. He blearily looked at the clock and asked, "It's after eleven. Why are you still here?"

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked.

He grabbed me and pressed my head against his chest, "Fuck, no, Babe. I'm just surprised. Come on, get your clothes off, and let's go to bed."

After snuggling for a couple of minutes, John asked in a hushed, insecure little voice, "Farr, do you think Spike would like living here?"

Without thinking about what he was really asking, I responded, "Only if I were here to take care of him. Even though he lets you pet him, he's still a one person cat."

His tone of voice changed. "I'd really like for Spike to live here. Would you mind moving in to take care of him?"

In my drowsy state, it dawned on me what he was asking, but my twisted sense of humor kicked in. "Where would he sleep?" I asked.

"I could make him a nice bed in the kitchen."

"And where would I sleep?"

His sense of humor rivals mine. I knew he was yanking my chain, when he said, "I guess I could make you a pallet next to his."

"Oh, I guess that Spike and I will stay where we are then," I replied, doing my best to sound serious.

"Well, there is one other alternative." John said.

"What's that?"

"You could sleep with me?"

"Mmm, that makes the offer kind of tempting. Let me talk it over with Spike, and I'll get back to you on that," I said.

"Okay." His reply was a little too complacent. I knew he knew I was toying with him, and vice versa.

I was fully awake by then, but I lay there quietly waiting for John to explode. When it became obvious that this was going to be a game of one-upmanship, I started to snore lightly, as if I'd fallen asleep. John nudged me, and I grunted. He nudged me again. "Farr."

"Hmm?"

"You're not really asleep, are you?"

I groaned and stretched. "Not now. What do you want?"

He was silent for a minute, then he asked, "You wouldn't really leave the decision up to that fickle cat, would you?"

"The decision about what?"

"Farr, I'm too tired to play," he whined. "Please, move in with me."

I chuckled, turned over and kissed him. "I was just waiting for you to ask me."

"You little shit. I love you so much," he said, and started to tickling me. I got over being ticklish when I was a little kid. John gave up when he didn't get the response he'd expected.

I hugged him and said, "You know I love you just as much, Big Guy."

The decision made, I rolled over and snuggled back against my man. While John lightly snored against the top of my head, I lay awake for a long time wondering how my life could get any fuller.