---

"So who exactly is this guy that's coming down from Virginia to see you tomorrow ?" Randy asked after he and David arrived at his apartment.

"His name is Luke Sparks. I only knew him as a friend of Mark's. I don't remember ever talking to him much. I just didn't know how close he and Mark really were," David replied.

"He was the one that caused Mark to make a quick exit down here to Atlanta?"

"Well, in a manner of speaking. It was my dad who threw Mark out of our house after he caught Mark and Luke in bed together."

"You dad...conservative, through and through?"

"With a giant capital 'C'!"

"You know, Mark still loved your dad in spite of the havoc."

"Then if you didn't know who Luke was, apparently Mark never talked about him. You don't know, I suppose, whether Mark ever received a letter or phone call from Luke, do you?"

"Never heard his name, David, until you mentioned it."

"I never did find out how Luke's parents reacted after my dad spread the news to them about their two sons."

"Luke must have been an alright person for Mark to risk going to bed with him in his own bedroom."

"As I remember Luke, he was very much like Mark...nice looking kid, a bit more muscular than Mark, though. The few times I saw him, he was always very polite...always said 'sir' to my dad and 'ma'am' to my mother. He must have been brainier than Mark because Mark was always asking him to help him with his homework. Of course, looking back now, I guess helping with Mark's homework might have been just a cover so that they could spend more private time together."

"Look, David, when we go to pick him up at the airport tomorrow, in case he hasn't made a hotel reservation, why not ask him to stay here with you and me? I mean, we all three have 'Mark' in common."

"That's very nice of you, Randy. I don't know if Luke is enrolled in college or what his financial situation is, but staying here for a couple of days would be a help to anyone's wallet."

"Then if it's OK with Luke, it's more than OK with me."

"Thanks, Randy. Not only are you rich, but you have an abundance of Southern hospitality."

"You talk as though Virginia's part of the North. You're as polite and cordial as anyone I'd ever want to meet. I mean, you pitching in to help Father Chris with his meal route shows me what kind of person you are."

"You might change your mind when the alarm goes off very early in the morning," Chris said with a broad grin.

"Oh, shit! I almost forgot...or maybe I was just trying to forget. Now tell me what I'm supposed to do to help Father Chris?"

"By the time we get to the Church, he'll have yours and my assignments ready. Just follow his instructions and keep busy. We have a lot to do before we even load up the van...maybe scramble a hundred or so eggs, butter a couple or three hundred slices of toast, cook up ten pounds of bacon. It's like preparing breakfast for a lot of guests, multiplied by ten."

"What do you think Father Chris is going to do for help when you go back to Virginia?"

"I don't know...of course, you're not going back to Virginia..."

"Don't volunteer my services just yet. I don't know if I can acclimate myself to being an early riser on a regular basis."

"You might be surprised after you look into the eyes of those guys who depend on Father Chris for their meals. It might give you a new purpose in life."

"That remains to be seen."

"Speaking of new purposes, you and Thad seemed to hit it off at his apartment."

"You noticed, huh? I...I've always liked Thad, but, after Mark turned me away, Thad became like everyone else and began to resent or hate me."

"I think you should tell him the whole story of why you stopped coming by to see Mark. He might like you even more."

"Whoo, boy! You're supposed to be straight, so why are you suddenly becoming Dolly Levi, the matchmaker?"

"Don't forget, I spent nights with both of you. I just think you two would make a nice couple."

"You and he didn't have sex the way you and I did, did you?"

"Why don't you ask Thad after I've gone home to Virginia?"

"Aha! A mystery is about to unfold..."

"You sound as if you're jealous...thinking Thad and I might have done something."

"Not really. I've slept with Thad and I've never forgotten how big he is in the... 'man' department...also, what an aggressive lover he can be when he's turned on!"

"You know what? It's getting pretty late and if we're gonna get any sleep before we go help Chris, I think we'd better turn in."

"I know, you're right. You do know where the guest room is, even though you didn't use it last night since you fell asleep on the sofa?...Of course, I have a huge king-size bed in my bedroom in case you don't want to be alone...?"

"No way, José. I've got to get my sleep, too...and if I'm within arm's reach of you, you won't let either of us sleep a wink."

"You got that right! Come on, I'll carry one of your bags and turn the covers down for you."

"Thanks."

"I really hope you'll throw away every piece of your own clothing and wear the things I gave you."

"I'll see...that's all I can say."

They grabbed a suitcase each and took them down the hall to the guest room. David went into the bathroom to take a leak and brush his teeth while Randy got David's bed ready. When David came back into the bedroom, Randy was standing beside the bed. Without hesitation, Randy put his arms around David and hugged him. David showed no sign of resistance and slowly his arms encircled Randy's back to complete their embrace.

"I'm gonna miss you, David, when you go home."

"I'll miss you, too, Randy. The more I get to know about you, the more I see how Mark must've loved you. If...if I were gay..."

"Ssh, don't say it! You might encourage disaster before I leave this room. I know you're straight but it confuses the hell out of me since you look so much like Mark, I just naturally expect you to respond to me the way he did."

"Are you asking me to kiss you?"

"I'd never ask that, David."

"What if it's me who wants to kiss you?"

"Then all things considered, I'd promise to behave like a gentleman."

"Good!"

David leaned forward and pressed his lips to Randy's. Randy was more confused because David's kiss was more than just 'friendly', more than the quick 'good night kiss' on the doorstep a boy looks for when he brings his date home for the first time. David's kiss had warmth, passion, especially when Randy felt David's tongue trying to pry his lips apart.

It was Randy, not David who stopped things from going too far. He stepped back to unlock the kiss and the embrace, which left David a bit embarrassed since he had risked showing passion only to please Randy.

"I think I'd better go to my room," Randy said as he walked out of the bedroom without so much as looking back to catch a glimpse of David's expression. Randy walked through his own bedroom and straight to the bathroom to take a cold shower and jerk off the erection which David had just given him.

David closed his door and locked it. He took a quick shower and shave, then walked back to the bed still naked. At home or at college, even when he was alone, David had always worn pajamas or at least his underwear to bed. Tonight, he felt different... more adventurous and daring. No one as around and he decided to sleep in the nude which he found exciting and stimulating. As soon as the top and bottom satin sheets touched him, they felt erotic to him and he, again, sprang an erection. He hadn't masturbated in several days. He had reached a climax from Randy's oral sex on him the day before. But now he was alone with his thoughts and fantasies. He was free to think about having sex with Jenny or perhaps, Nicole Kidman or Catherine Zeta-Jones as he reached to take his prod in hand.

'Dear God, how good it feels to jerk off!' David thought. He suddenly remembered he had to have something to catch his warm spurts to avoid messing the sheets. He looked over at the nearest night stand only to discover that Randy thought of everything. On the table was a brass box which encased a container of 'Wet Ones' and so he continued to pleasure himself without missing a beat.

David closed his eyes and tried to imagine Jenny beside him in the luxurious bed, but suddenly he found his hard-on going limp His mind began reliving yesterday afternoon's treat when Randy had gone down on him. Almost instantly, his sexual prowess was restored and all thoughts of Jenny were replaced with thoughts about Randy...and also of Thad. He didn't care, as this didn't seem to bother him. If it took fantasies about Randy and Thad to get him off, then so be it! Masturbation hadn't been this exciting since he was a teenager and nothing could stop him now!

Had there been a sky-view cam above Randy's apartment, it would have recorded Randy and David's orgasms reaching their peaks simultaneously in two separate bedrooms. They were both relaxed now and fell asleep almost instantly to await the sound of an alarm clock four hours from now.

* * *

Todd and Marcia were beside themselves with relief when Andy walked through the door. However, both looked oddly askance when they saw it was Father Chris who had brought him home. They wondered if Andy had been with Chris the whole time he'd been missing...or had Chris known of Andy's whereabouts when they'd had the conversation in Father 'D's office? Had Chris hidden their son? Remembering all the explicit things Andy had written in his diary accounting various sexual acts Andy and Chris had supposedly performed together, part of the joy of the reunion remained clouded by suspicious speculation.

Todd stepped forward to thank Chris, hoping that Chris would take that as a hint and leave so that he and Marcia could have some privacy with Andy and perhaps pry a few answers from him. Even though Andy was eighteen, his parents might still need to call the police to report a kidnapping or, even worse, to press sexual assault charges against Chris.

Actually, Chris was more than glad to leave, since, for the first time, he felt uncomfortable being around the Thompson's. Hopefully, Andy wouldn't mention his introduction to gay sex which he had experienced only two hours ago. Andy had sworn to Chris that no one would ever know, considering how Chris' position at the Church would be jeopardized, not to mention the scandal that both of them would endure, not only at the church, but in the community as well.

Marcia still had her arms around Andy, smothering him with maternal kisses as Chris left to go back to St. Thaddeus'. Chris knew that David and Randy would be meeting him around 3:30 AM and he could get a head start if he returned to the church's kitchen now.

"Andy, are you sure you're all right?" Marcia had asked this at least a dozen times since the door had closed behind the young priest.

"Mom, I'm fine," Andy said, while trying to peel her arms from around his neck. "'I'm tired and I would really like to go to bed."

"I know you are, honey! Have you eaten? Can I fix you anything...some soup? A roast beef sandwich? A glass of milk?"

"Mom, please! I...Before I go to my room, could I ask you and Dad to sit down for a few minutes."

"Certainly, son," Todd said as he took his wife's hand and led her to the couch to sit.

"I have so much to say...and I...I know I won't get it all said tonight, but there are a few things I want you to know."

"Andy, tell us as much as you like..."

"My...my diary..." Andy said, dropping his head, a bit ashamed. "Chris...Father Chris told me about the meeting at the church where you had Father 'D' read what I had written." Andy's shaky voice became stronger as he mustered up more courage. "First of all, I don't like the idea of your reading it. I wrote my private...and I stress, private, thoughts on paper. I wish now I'd never done it. But I'm eighteen years old...I'm no longer a child! Legally, even though I'm still in high school, I'm a man."

"Son, we're sorry!" Todd said, "We were just trying to find a clue as to your whereabouts."

"And you didn't find anything in my diary to find me, did you? But you did find out some things about me that you didn't know. The thing is...you still don't know, because nothing in my diary ever happened...in real life, anyway. In my mind, in my imagination, they were real and did happen the way I wanted them to..."

"Then why did you write them, Andy?"

"You've heard about kids who grow up with make-believe friends that don't exist except in the kids' minds? The image I portrayed of Father Chris in my diary was all make-believe. Chris was my make-believe friend and I could make him be, or do, anything I wanted. Chris...Father Chris had no idea of what I had written. He was as much in the dark as both of you were...or are...but, since you both took it upon yourselves to invade my private thoughts and had the audacity to share them with Father 'D'...Don't you see what you've done? You've practically gotten Father Chris fired...Who knows?...maybe even excommunicated...because of things I had made up and now Father Chris' and my worlds are suddenly turned upside down!"

"But, son, you described everything with such intimate detail. How could we not believe there was some truth to it? The first thing that you implied is that you are gay. Is that true?"

"Before tonight, I didn't know if I would ever tell you, but, love me or hate me, yes, I am gay."

"Well, if you didn't do those things with Father Chris, has there ever been anyone else in your life?"

"No, Dad---no one at all. That's why I made up what I did. There was no one in my life...there never has been! You're fully aware that I've never asked to borrow the car to go on a date---because I've never been on a date. The night that I took all of Mom's pills, I realized that I had never kissed anyone...never held someone's hand, never held anyone in my arms, and certainly never had any kind of experience which even resembled sex. I felt as if I was the only eighteen-year-old virgin in the world."

"Andy, maybe your mother and I have never discussed these matters with you before...and that's our fault. We have talked about the possibility of you being gay when you weren't around and, you wanna know something? It didn't bother either of us. We're a Catholic family and raised you as a good Catholic, but we also are liberal Democrats, and we don't completely agree with the Vatican about many things. 'Being gay' is one of them. Sure, the old school says that being gay is a phase or a temptation, but anyone who reads the news or watches TV can see that it's a trait you're born with, not something you learn or acquire during puberty. I wo hate it if someone tried to force me to become gay. I couldn't do it because of my genes. So why should the Church, society, or anyone try to change a homosexual into a heterosexual? That could lead to all kinds of depression, traumatic experiences, or even suicide. Being very frank, that's the first thing I thought of, night before last. Maybe you were gay and took an overdose to keep from facing reality or trying to make your mother and me accept who you are."

"Then you don't mind? You're not ashamed?"

"Good heavens, no! I wouldn't care if you were a transvestite or wanted a sex-change operation if that's what it took to keep you alive and part of our family."

"I...I don't know what to say...I hardly know what to believe."

"Andy, I'm relieved that none of the entries in your diary are true because if you had fallen in love with Father Chris or with any priest, you couldn't possibly have made your situation more difficult. That's what made it so strange and mysterious to us. It was impossible to believe that you could have done any of those things with a Catholic priest! There's no way that relationship could have ever worked out realistically."

Andy thought back two hours ago when he was having the wildest sex imaginable with Chris and he almost laughed...but there was no way he could ever let anyone know what he and Chris had experienced together...and how wonderful it had been.

"I...I guess that's all I wanted to tell you for now. I...I do feel much better...and tomorrow, I think the three of us need to go see Father 'D' and let him know that Father Chris is innocent of any part of my sordid fantasies."

"My God," Todd said, "I feel so ashamed of the way I treated Father Chris when he brought you home a few minutes ago. He must've felt I was trying to convict him twice in the same day. Dear God, I've got to make it up to him somehow.!

"Thanks, Dad. We all have to do that." Andy walked over to the sofa and kissed each of his parents on the cheek and said good night. Then he went to his room.

* * *

Three-thirty AM came around early..really early for Randy. He had to down three cups of Cuban coffee before he could keep his eyes open enough to focus. Getting up early with little sleep was not a difficult task for David, however, as he was used to cramming all night for tests at an early morning class in college. To insure their safety, Randy let David drive his car to St. Thaddeus' to meet Chris.

Chris' demeanor had changed mightily since David had seen him the night before. Chris was relieved to have found Andy and returned him safe and sound back to his parents. Not knowing what had been discussed at Andy's house with Todd and Marcia, Chris still had the troublesome accusations hovering on his shoulders. He missed not having Jeff and Tommy to help him with the breakfast meal and run, but mostly, he missed Andy, especially after all that had been said and all that they'd done when they were alone together last night in Mark's bedroom.

Having sex with a real person for the first time in years had relaxed Chris and had reopened his eyes to the life he'd missed since becoming a priest. Granted, he'd had lots of sex before he took his vows, but, thinking back over all of his raunchy escapades, there had been no feelings of love during those fun-filled nights. Had Chris ever been in love with a guy before?...The answer was 'no'. If there had ever been anyone in his past with whom he'd had had an emotional bond, he might have thought twice before entering the priesthood.

On returning to the church last night, he hadn't slept. Awake in bed, he kept feeling he was on a giant teeter-totter atop the Washington Monument. Which did he love more...his avowed vocation, his dedication to God and the hurch...or Andy, a young, inexperienced high school boy?

He had lain in bed for three hours praying and meditating. Had he simply been 'caught up' in the momentary excitement, the gratification of physical lust or was he actually in love with Andy? If he was in love, where could it lead but to disaster? The scandal, the idea of giving up his calling from God, the eight-year difference in their ages, the probability of Andy going off to college in the fall and maybe finding someone closer to his age and leaving Chris alone...without a career and without someone to love. This was the most difficult decision Chris had ever made or would most likely ever have to make.

His mental anguish had caused him to commit another minor sin. Chris masturbated twice, thinking of Andy each time, and at the end of both climaxes, he was extremely perturbed at realizing he'd been thinking he loved Andy even more. Chris wanted someone to confide in. He didn't know David well enough and, God knows, Father 'D' was totally out of the question. Thad was probably the only one who might understand and look objectively at both sides of Chris' dilemma. Chris hoped that, when David arrived with Randy, David would have kept secret from Randy anything he knew about the situation from the night before. But then, David had left with Thad from the church parking lot and couldn't know that Chris had returned to Steve's or that anything had happened there between Andy and him.

As David and Randy entered the kitchen, ready to start the breakfast run, Chris tried to read their eyes and expressions. David appeared to be 'David' with no accusing looks. Randy looked as if he had been on a weekend drunk, still half asleep from arising so early.

"The cavalry has arrived!" David said cheerfully.

"If so, I feel like Custer after Little Big Horn," Randy said, trying to make a joke.

"I'm so glad to see both of you and believe me when I say I'm grateful," Chris replied.

"Just show us what to do!" David said.

"Yeah, only please don't make me stir anything. The churning of scrambled eggs or gravy might make me dive head first into them."

"How about buttering around two hundred pieces of toast?" Chris asked Randy.

"How many days do I have to finish?"

"I'd say around a half hour."

"Oh, Jesus! Can I use a paint roller or spray gun filled with butter?"

"No, but you might think of how to invent one. You might make a fortune with cafeterias and lunchrooms."

"Who needs another fortune?" Randy said. "Why don't I call Denny's and order two hundred slices of buttered toast and have them delivered."

"Randy, you said you would help," David said, jokingly to Randy. "If Chris served Denny's toast, his clients would expect it every morning. Are you going to pay for it on a daily basis from now on."

"How expensive could a half dozen loaves of bread and three pounds of butter be?"

"Not that much, but who's going to toast the bread and spread the butter?"

"Some street person looking for work. Heck, I'd pay twenty-five bucks an hour."

"Would you stop grumbling and get to buttering?" David said.

"Yes, 'Massa'. Is the butter made or does I have to churn it, like Ma Walton?"

"It's in the big fridge over there," Chris replied,.

Looking as if he was in a stupor, Randy walked to the refrigerator, got the butter and placed it on the table with the bread. He opened a loaf of bread and started dealing slices on a metal sheet as if he was Las Vegas card dealer. He stopped and turned Chris.

"Father, do you know this bread is stale? In another six hours, it'll be growing mold...and this yellow stuff you call butter, I wouldn't donate this to the humane society to spread over dog biscuits!"

"Randy, I'm afraid that's the best we can offer. We depend on donations from stores and restaurants who give us their leftovers."

"Pardon my saying so, but this shit looks like something the Salvation Army threw out the back door. Even they wouldn't serve it!"

"The people to whom we cater are very appreciative, no matter how old the food or how bad it must taste sometimes. They are just grateful to get a meal."

"Jesus Christ! Why didn't I know about this? I can get you lots of food...fresh food from many of my friends who own restaurants and food warehouses."

"Randy, anything you can find for us would be most appreciated."

"Hell, just wait until I get home and make a few phone calls. Starting tomorrow, the menu is going to change for the better for your meal clients."

David was so pleased with Randy's enthusiasm, his eyes were filled with tears as were Chris' as they looked at one another.

"Damn! You need new equipment too!" Randy continued. "How about a new stove or two...some restaurant sized appliances? What's that but a few thousand bucks?"

David gave Chris a 'knowing' smile and uttered, "Chris, the Lord works in mysterious ways".

Randy overheard David's remark and said, "I'm not sure if the Lord's middle name is Randy, but I'm gonna damned well see that you get whatever you need. Jesus! I had no idea that this was the kind of stuff you were bringing by for Mark or Steve to eat. Hell, no wonder Mark never gained any weight!"

"When Georgia had to cut the budget for social services under the new administration in Washington, many things, such as food, were cut...as well as many of the medications Medicaid had been paying for."

"They cut out food in Georgia to buy weapons to kill Iraqi insurgents?"

"It wasn't only Georgia; all the states had to make social service cuts."

"I'd love to take a couple of loaves of this stale bread and ship them to the White House and Congress with a note saying, 'Here's your breakfast! Eat it and be happy' and see how long it would take for them to make a few adjustments in the budget."

"Randy, this is what we've been facing for the past four years and it seems to get worse every few months with more and more cuts."

"Then I say it's time we get that asshole out of the White House."

"I'm afraid it would take getting rid of a few hundred Congressmen as well."

This part of the conversation had created a raging tirade in Randy. He was wide awake now and began buttering the toast three slices at a time. "God damn! Some of this white bread is darker than Pumpernickel. Maybe we should spread cream cheese and chives on it to make it look more appetizing!"

Randy's grumbling continued until all the meals were prepared and loaded into the van. For the next three hours, Randy received a complete education of how poorly indigents and AIDS patients are cared for. The hundreds of faces he saw, and the conditions in which they were trying to survive, opened Randy's eyes in a way in which he had never seen the world. He was almost ashamed of his rich wardrobe, his sports car, his lavishedly furnished apartment. He was a bit reluctant when the first two or three clients tried to thank him for the meal by offering him a hug, but half an hour later, on the run, it was Randy who was giving the clients hugs. Several times he had to leave a client's room to wipe his eyes because he was so moved by what he had seen.

The last stop on the route was Steve and Mark's apartment. Randy was reticent about seeing Steve as he knew Steve still blamed him for leaving Mark while he was so ill. But Randy felt it was time to make amends if it was at all possible.

David and Randy followed Chris up the stairs and Chris knocked on Steve's door. Chris waited to hear Steve's usual sarcastic greeting, only this time, there was no reply. Chris knocked again and waited another minute.

"Do you suppose he's all right?" David asked Chris, seeming quite concerned.

"Maybe he took an extra pain pill for his condition and is sleeping soundly."

"Wanna try the door? Maybe he left it unlocked..." David said.

Chris turned the knob and the door opened. He entered the living room slowly and called out for Steve...still no answer. Then Chris walked into Steve's bedroom, but Steve was not in the bed. However, the door to the bathroom was closed.

David took it upon himself to go into the bathroom and invade Steve's privacy if necessary. That's when he saw Steve lying on the bathroom tiles. Steve's trousers were around his ankles, appearing as if he had falling off the commode in a heap. Beside Steve's mouth lay a pool of vomit. David knelt to touch Steve's shoulder and called his name, quietly. David could now see that Steve's eyes were open and fixed. Steve was dead.

"Chris!" David called. "In here..."

Chris hurried to the bathroom door to size up the situation. "Is he all right?" Chris asked.

"He's dead, Chris..."

"Oh, my God!" Chris said, putting a hand to his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Randy asked, trying to get a look over Chris' shoulder. "Oh, shit, no!" Randy shouted. "Let me go call an ambulance."

"It's too late, Randy," David said through his tears.

None of the three said a word for the next five minutes as they looked at Steve's body and exchanged glances with each other.