Late the next morning, Dave had his nose buried in one of the Way journals. Joe had to be at the building site for a while, then they were to meet Clyde at the Way mansion. The intercom chimed. Dave marked his place, closed the journal and answered the device.

"Mr. Gates, this is Wade at the desk, there is a young man here asking to see his Uncle Dave. He says his name is Max Brown."

"Max? Good God! Send him up. Thanks, Wade." Dave walked into the foyer to await Max's arrival. The elevator door slid open to reveal a dirty haggard young man dragging his back pack.

"Hi, Uncle Dave."

"Max. What in the world are you doing here?"

"I didn't know where else to go. David lives in the dorms and I knew he wouldn't have a place for me to stay."

That didn't answer his question, but Dave let it be for the moment. There were more important things to take care of.

"I can see that you haven't had a bath for a while. When was the last time you ate?"

"I had a McMuffin and a milk this morning."

"Okay. Does your dad know you are here?"

"I left him a note, but I didn't say where I was going."

"I see. And when did you leave home?"

"Yesterday, after school."

"Yesterday? Where did you spend the night?"

"In a truck stop. This trucker that gave me a ride to there, told me to stay and wait for his buddy who was coming through early this morning. So I got a ride with him."

Dave mentally shuddered again, and gave thanks that Max had made it safely. He didn't say anything figuring that at the moment Max didn't need a lecture. Obviously, the boy had come to him out of desperation. Dave guessed at what caused it. "You have clean clothes in that bag?"

"Yeah."

"Go into the guest room and take a bath and put on some clean clothes while I fix you some lunch."

As soon as Max was in the bathroom Dave called his brother-in-law. "Lloyd, it's Dave. Max just showed up on my doorstep."

"Thank God. I was just going to call you. I called Mary just a few minutes ago. I'll have to call her and Jean back. I've had everybody looking for him, even the state police. Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He was kinda dirty. He's in showering now. Look, call Mary and Mom back, and the police. And then call me as soon as you can talk."

"Thanks, Dave. Take care of my boy. Tell him no matter what... I love him." Lloyd had a difficult time talking and not crying at he same time.

"Will do. Call me as soon as you can. Bye." Dave hung up the phone and opened the fridge to get the makings for a sandwich.

A few minutes later, as Dave set a sandwich and a glass of milk on the table Max walked into the kitchen. His hair was still wet. He was bare footed, wearing a tank top and a pair of cut off jeans.

"I didn't know a shower could feel so good."

"You look a heck of a lot better. Sit down and eat. Where'd you leave your dirty clothes?"

"In a pile on the bathroom floor."

"Soon as you finish, bring them in here and toss them into the washer."

Dave sat down across from him.

"Max, I called your dad to let him know you're safe."

"I was going to ask you to do that, Uncle Dave."

"Do you want to tell me why you ran away?"

Max laid the sandwich down and slowly chewed the one bite he'd taken. His ravenous appetite had suddenly disappeared.

"I didn't know who else to turn to, Uncle Dave," he finally said, staring at his plate.

"Turn to for what, Max?"

"You and Uncle Joe are the only gay people I know."

"So?"

"Well, I'm gay too," he muttered. He'd dropped his hands into his lap. Tears dripped onto the plate in front of him.

Dave took a moment to wonder how he should handle this admission. "Oh, you are? How do you know that?" he finally asked.

There was hurt and a bit of belligerence in his expression as Max stared in disbelief at the one person he'd been sure would understand. "Uncle Dave, you of all people, shouldn't have to ask me that."

Dave ignored the hurt for the moment. He could get back to it, if need be. "I, of all people, definitely have to ask you that, Max. Just what makes you think you are gay?"

Tears began to course down his face as he stared at his uncle.

"Max, I'm not trying to be mean. I really want to know why you think you are gay."

"I don't like girls. Okay?" Max yelled. Abashed, he looked down and whispered. "All I can think about is this one guy, and what I'd like to do with him. I think I'm in love with him." Max looked back up at his uncle. There was a note of desperation in his voice. "And I have a bad time in gym. Especially in the showers. It's so hard not to get a hard-on looking at the other guys."

"Well, that does sound like me when I was around your age."

"So what did you do about it, Uncle Dave?"

"Well, I wasn't as fortunate as you, Max. I didn't have anyone to talk to about how I was feeling. I just hid it, until I met Bill. I masturbated a lot, and had wet dreams about other boys, but I didn't do anything else until I met Bill. Do you remember him?"

"Yes, he used to come up to Grandmom's with you. He was bigger than Uncle Joe."

"Well, Joe is just as tall, but Bill was a lot bigger around," Dave agreed.

"You didn't do things with other guys?"

He thought for a moment. "I guess I was kind of different than other gay guys. I've always thought that sex was something special to share with the one person that's extra special in your life. Just like your mom and dad feel about each other."

Dave and Max spent the next couple of hours talking, with Dave explaining all the aspects of being gay. What not to do, and how to be extra careful having sex. They went through all the STDs and how they can ruin one's life. He assured Max that no one could tell by looking at him that he was gay, and that as long as he controlled his urges, he shouldn't have any problems with the other guys in school. By that time, it was time for Joe to be coming home, Dave felt that Max now had a pretty thorough understanding of what his future would hold for him.

Dave, remembering the appointment he'd made with Clyde, called and broke it. He'd tell Joe the change in plans when he got home. He was considering what to have for dinner, when he remembered that this was Thursday. Thursday nights his nephew, David, had a standing invitation to dinner. He explained this to Max.

"Max, does David have any idea that you might be gay?"

"No way, Uncle Dave."

"How are you going to explain why you are here?"

Max was silent for a while.

"I won't lie to him. So I guess I'll have to tell him the truth."

"Have you given any thought to what you're going to say to your dad when he calls back? He's definitely going to want to speak to you. He told me to tell you that no matter what, he loves you, Max."

Max got real quiet. Dave left him alone with his thoughts and started puttering around in the kitchen. Max got up and wandered out. After a while Dave got curious as to where the boy had wandered off, and went looking for him. He wandered though the house calling for him and didn't get an answer.

Dave walked out onto the patio calling louder. Still he got no response. He looked around the north side where the camping tent had been set up a few weeks earlier. Dave was beginning to panic. He ran around to the south side where the lap pool was. He saw Max floating face up in the pool. He wasn't moving.

"Max........" Dave screamed as he surface dived into the pool. He grabbed Max around the neck and started hauling him to the edge before he realized Max was struggling and yelling at him. When it got through to his brain that Max was alive, kicking and struggling, he let him go.

"God, I thought you had drowned. You really scared me." He hugged Max.

"You scared me, too. I was just floating there thinking about how to tell Dad. I didn't mean to scare you."

Dave let go of him. He still felt a little bit hysterical. He wanted to laugh and cry with relief.... all at the same time.

"I didn't mean to scare you either, Max."

Dave pulled himself up, sat on the edge of the pool and lay back. "Damn, it's going to take me a bit to recover."

Max climbed out of the pool and sat down on the end of a chaise. He felt more depressed than ever, and now it was mixed with even more guilt for having scared his uncle.

When Dave eventually calmed down. He sat up and lifted his feet out of the water. "Well, at least I wasn't wearing my boots," he chuckled as he shucked off his wet trainers. Without thinking about the fifteen year old boy sitting there, Dave took off his plaid shirt and soggy Levi's. Dave was always commando unless he was wearing slacks, then he would wear boxers. Naked, he wrung the water out of his clothes. Max looked up.

He couldn't unglue his eyes from his uncle's magnificent body. He was enthralled. "Wow, you are a Greek god, Uncle Dave."

"What?"

"You look just like the statues of the Greek gods in my art history book."

"Oh m'God. I didn't think." He was trying to cover his nakedness with his wet clothes. "Max don't you dare tell anyone you saw me naked. Damn, your dad would kill me, thinking I'm perverting you."

He heard chuckling behind him and turned to see who, exposing his naked butt to his young nephew. Max was taking it all in, not aware that the front of his cutoffs were tented.

Joe was leaning against the wall laughing. He picked up a big towel from a pile that was always laying ready by the pool.

"Cover yourself," he said, draping the towel around his lover. "What would Mary say if she knew you were showing Max what a grown man looks like?" He couldn't help but laugh some more at Dave's rueful expression.

Dave dropped his wet clothes and finished wrapping the towel around his waist. What Joe could see of his body was beet red.

"Max, what are you doing here anyway?" Joe picked up another towel and tossed it to him.

"Hi, Uncle Joe." He wrapped the big towel around his shoulders. Joe made no comment about Max's state of excitement.

"I do think some kind of explanation is in order here. Dave, why were you in the pool fully clothed?"

"I thought Max had drowned. He was just floating without moving."

"Okay, Max, why were you just floating?" Joe asked. He couldn't keep his amusement from showing.

"I was thinking about how to tell Dad I'm gay."

"Oh?" Joe said, stunned at what Max had just blurted out, he lost his grin.

"You asked," Dave stated, grinning at Joe's expression. No one paid any attention to the elevator bell.

"Hello," David called out from inside the house. "Uncle Dave? Uncle Joe? Anybody home?"

"We're outside, David," Joe yelled back.

David came around the corner and froze. "What's going on? Max, what are you doing here?"

Seeing both Max and Dave looking like deer caught in the headlights, Joe chuckled and gave his nephew an over simplified explanation, "It looks like Max ran away from home. Dave thought he was drowning and jumped into the pool to save him."

"Joe, you're not being funny," Dave muttered. "I'm going to go put on some dry clothes."

"Me too." Max said, following Dave. David grabbed his younger brother's arm as he passed. "Not so fast, Little Bro." Max who had always been small until recently, was almost as tall as David. "You haven't said why you are here."

Max pulled his arm from his brother's grip. "I'm not sure I want to tell you." He proceeded to the guest bedroom, with David following on his heels.

"Does Dad know you're here?"

"Yeah, Uncle Dave called him and told him."

David closed the door as he followed Max into the bedroom. Max proceeded to rifle though his bag for some dry shorts. David sat down on the bed and watched his younger brother. "Max does this have anything to do with someone being gay?" David's voice was soft and soothing, much as one's voice would be talking to a skitterish colt.

"You talking about our uncles?" Max asked flippantly.

"No Max, I'm not talking about our uncles."

Max sat down on the foot of the bed, looking defeated. "You're talking about me, aren't you?"

David didn't answer.

"How can you tell?" Max looked up at him.

"I can't tell. There is no way to tell by looking at you." David moved to sit next to Max and put an arm around his shoulder. "You look as normal as any other guy your age. Hey, you're my brother, we've shared the same bedroom for all our lives. I know you almost as well as I know myself. I couldn't help but notice your interest in my body."

Max blushed, but he enjoyed the closeness with his big brother. David had always been his idol. The one he always emulated. He glanced up at him.

"David?"

"What, Max?"

"Do you really believe that Dad has changed, that he doesn't hate people like Uncle Dave....and me?"

"I know for a fact that he's changed, Max. Take my word on it, Little Bro," David said, as he recalled the conversation he had overheard between his parents, and then the one between his dad and Dave. "Really.... you don't have to fear telling Dad."

Joe followed Dave into their bedroom. As soon as the door was closed he grabbed Dave up, dumped him on the bed and leaped on top of him. Dave was still a little disgruntled about Joe making light of what had happened. He lay there not responding to Joe's advances.

"Come on, Babe, look at it from my side. I walk out and see this ogle-eyed fifteen year old boy watching you strip. You were completely unaware of the effect you were having on him. I had to make light of it. He was sitting there with this raging hardon, mesmerized by your fabulous bod. I didn't want to embarrass the kid. Their egos are so fragile at his age."

"You're right. I was just so shaken. He was floating... spread eagle... with only his face above water. He wasn't moving.... I really thought he had drowned."

Dave shuddered as he relived the event. He wrapped Joe in a hard hug. Joe held him for a moment, then rolled off him and rubbed his hand over Dave's furry chest and on down his belly to fondle Dave's turgidity. "Are you sure you're not twenty years old? We don't have time to take care of this now, so you'd better get dressed. Let's take the boys out to dinner."

Dave couldn't help it, he just got excited whenever Joe touched him. He ignored the situation. "I don't understand why Lloyd hasn't called back. I'm going to call him as soon as I get dressed."

Lloyd sounded drugged when he answered the phone.

"It's Dave. I thought you were going to call back before now. We're worried. Are you okay?"

"Damn, what time is it?"

Dave could hear him making stretching noises.

"It's nearly seven."

"I'm sorry, Dave, after I called Mary, your mom and the police, I sat down for a moment. I guess I was just so relaxed knowing that Max is safe that I fell asleep. I haven't been sleeping well with Mary gone, and then not at all last night with Max disappearing. Is he doing okay?"

"I think he's going to be fine. David is in talking to him now."

"I'd like to talk with him."

"Lloyd, before I call him to the phone, you need to know he's a little fragile right now. He's finding out who and what he is, and he's running scared. Give him your love and reassurance. He needs that more than anything else right now."

"Dave, as I said before, I made a grave mistake shunning you from our lives. My boys have missed so much that you could have offered them. I am sorry that I wasn't man enough to face up to myself."

"Lloyd, it takes a real man to admit what you did, and to make amends. I love you, Fellow. Don't be so hard on yourself. Let me call your son."

Dave knocked on Max's door and entered.

"Max your dad wants to talk to you."

He pointed at the phone on the bedside table.

"Come on, David, Max needs some privacy right now."

"Dad?"

"Hi, Max."

"Dad, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run away."

"Are you okay, Son?"

"I'm alright. Uncle Dave has helped me a lot."

"Your Uncle Dave is a good man, Son, trust him."

"He didn't tell you why I came down here, did he?"

"No, Max. He wouldn't tell me anything unless you told him it was okay to so."

"I'm sorry to be such a disappointment to you and Mom. I try to be as good as David. I guess I'll never measure up. He's so perfect."

"Max. We've never expected you to be like David. You're two different people. All we've ever asked of you is for you to be, and do, the best you can."

"But David is special because he's the oldest, and Gary is special 'cause he is the baby. And I'm just stuck in between," Max replied.

"Is that what's bothering you?"

Max didn't answer.

"Max, being in the middle is as special as being the youngest or oldest. You are as important to your mom and me as either of your two brothers. We love you just as much, and maybe a little bit more, because you are extra special."

"I'm not even a 'little' special. I'm just a big disappointment. And I know you're going to hate me and kick me out of your house when you find out what I really am." Max had worked himself up, forgetting for the moment all that Dave and his brother had just told him.

"Max...Son, listen to me. No matter what you tell me. No matter what you are. There is absolutely nothing that would cause me to hate you. You are my son, Max, and I love you very much."

"I don't want to be this way, Daddy. I want to be like you and David. I want to grow up and have kids of my own. But I'm gay, Daddy. I'm sorry."

Max was rolled into a fetal ball with the phone cradled to his ear.

"Don't be sorry, little man. Be proud of what you are. Like I said, you are extra special, and because of that Mom and I love you just a little bit extra. And I'm sure, Max, that if you want kids you'll find a way. I want you to promise me something, Son."

Max hugged the phone to his ear. He wanted to believe his dad. He wanted it to all be true.

"Max, are you listening."

"Yeah, Dad, I'm here."

"I want you to promise to be the very best person you can be. Make me proud to say, 'That's Max, my son'."

Max straightened out and lay flat on the bed.

"I'll do that, Dad. I'll be the best gay man I can be. Just like Uncle Dave."

"You couldn't have a better man to style your life after, little man. I love you, Son. I'll be down to pick you up tomorrow afternoon. Now, I want you to hang up this phone, and go tell Dave to give you a big hug for me.... and a big kiss on your forehead."

"Not like you give, Dad, they're too sloppy." Max giggled.

"I love you, Max."

"I love you, Dad."

"Don't you guys ever get tired of eating in the same restaurant all the time?" David asked.

They were sitting around the owners table at Gio Gio's.

"What? And miss a free meal?" Joe's English accent was bad.

"It's not free. Gio just takes it out of your share of the profits." David pointed out.

Dave acted confused. He loved pulling the wool over unsuspecting eyes.

"He does? And here I thought Gio was just being so generous."

Two beefy hands clamped down on Dave's shoulders.

"And what is the reason I should be generous to a table full of free loaders?" Gio had overheard the whole conversation.

Dave looked up at Gio and grinned.

"Because we're purty to look at?"

"Well, other than that?"

Joe raised his hand like an eager little boy. "I know. I know." Now he had everyone's attention. "It's because we're sooo loveable. And.... we love you Gio." He made goo-goo eyes at Gio.

"Alright, enough. My boots are not so deep to keep out all this tall.... how do you say? BS.... Yes?"

"Yes, it is BS, but you got the rest of it backwards, it's tall boots and deep BS," Dave said.

"Whatever," Gio said, throwing up his hands. "English is a most difficult language. So what do you young men want for dinner?" he asked, looking at Max and David.

"I'll have a cheeseburger and fries," David said, looking at the menu as if such a thing were listed on it.

"And I'd like a hot dog with everything on it," Max piped up, joining in the fun.

Gio didn't even raise an eyebrow. He just nodded his head.

"And you, Mr. Gates?"

"I would like to try the Chicken Florentine and a baby greens salad with your wonderful house dressing."

"Someone is learning how to make points with the chef. And you, my dear cousin?"

"What Dave's having. Especially some of the wonderful house dressing."

"One point for Dave, a half point for you. Coming right up, Gentlemen." Gio headed for the kitchen.

"Uncle Joe, we were joking. There aren't hamburgers and hot dogs on this menu." David whispered. Joe laughed.

"Knowing Gio, the joke's going to be on you boys. Let's see what he concocts for you."

Gio sent one of his assistants down the street to the local hamburger joint for a deluxe hamburger, a hot dog with the works and two orders of French fries. When the man returned, Gio laid out the items on plates and decorated them as he would have one of his own dishes. The waiter served them along with the Chicken Florentine for Joe and Dave. Both boys looked at their plates in surprise. Gio had followed the waiter out to see their reactions. He grinned at their shocked faces.

"You didn't think I would serve you such fare?"

David recovered and looked up at Gio.

"Could we have some ketchup, please?"

"Of course, just one moment."

He returned with a bottle of Heinz catsup.

"From my own private reserve," he said, presenting the bottle as one would a fine bottle of wine. David, suspicious of Gio, took the bottle, opened it and smelled it. Gio grinned. David poured some on his plate and passed it to Max.

"You know, Gio," David said around a mouth full of burger, "this hamburger tastes just like the ones they serve down the street. And the fries are cut the same, too."

Gio threw up his hand in mock exasperation.

"Okay, you win. I didn't realize I was serving to a connoisseur of hamburgers. I thought to push a joke on you, I have never made a hamburger in my life."

"Gio," David looked a bit chagrined, "the joke was really on us. I would much rather have had what Dave and Joe have."

"And I really wanted spaghetti and meatballs," Max said.

Gio laughed and called out for the waiter who appeared with two plates. One with spaghetti and meatballs and the other with Chicken Florentine. The hamburger and hot dog were whisked away.

David looked up at Gio and asked, "How did you know?"

Gio grinned, "That was easy. Max always orders the same, and I just assumed you would follow your uncle's lead."

They all had a good laugh as they tackled their meals.

Joe and Dave strolled along with Max lagging a little behind. David had parted ways with the others to go back to his dorm to study. They stepped into the elevator and turned to wait for Max to catch up. Dave put a comforting arm around his shoulder as they ascended.

When they entered the Eyrie, Max flopped down on the livingroom sofa with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Let's sit outside for a while and enjoy this balmy evening. There won't be many more before the fall chill sets in," Joe said. "Come on, Max, join us."

Max got up and shuffled out behind Joe.

"I'll be out in a minute," Dave yelled from inside the house. A moment later he appeared carrying a guitar. "I feel like singing a bit tonight."

"Where did that come from?" Joe asked, pointing at the guitar. "I didn't know you could sing."

"Remember what you said to me as you dragged me into your lair that first night? We have the rest of our lives to discover each other."

"You had to drag him into your bedroom, Uncle Joe?" Max's eyes were big with the wonder of imagining Joe doing such a thing.

"And he was kicking and screaming like a white woman about to be raped," Joe laughed.

"I'll get you for that one, you golden-eyed fox," Dave muttered.

Max giggled, he really enjoyed the loving banter between his uncles.

Dave winked at him as he sat down and started strumming and tuning his guitar. "This is a song for both of you."

He ran through a few chords and started singing. His voice was a mellow tenor. Joe was transfixed by it. He sat forward listening to the words. Dave sang the first part to Max.