Rick was looking out of his office
window at the Pentagon. He was
contemplating the recent changes in his family. Things were going smoothly with Purev’s
transition to living in their home. Rick
had reassured Glenn that David and Purev would live up to the promises they
made. Purev had moved in over the last
weekend. Since their first meeting with
Purev, he had stayed at home with his mother until his Dad had returned from
his trip to Mongolia just after Thanksgiving.
The time he spent with his mother had done Purev a world of good. She had made him realize that she still
loved him and would work on his father.
Purev had visited with them after school each day until his mother
arrived to take him home. Rick had
noticed that Purev no longer had that shadow of sadness behind his eyes. He seemed happy with his new situation.
Rick had pointed out to Glenn that David
was blossoming as he and Purev became very good friends. Glenn had acknowledged that he was right;
but still worried about the two boys.
His thoughts were interrupted by the chirping of his cell phone. He pulled it out of his pocket and noted
he’d received a text message from Glenn.
He keyed in his security code and retrieved the message.
“I love you! 8314!”
He smiled to himself. Their secret code still meant a lot to him
after all this time. He texted back
“8314! XOXOXOXO”
He was startled when he heard a voice
behind him ask, “What does 8314 mean?”
Rick turned his head to see Phil leaning
over his shoulder. Rick replied, “It’s
a secret code that Glenn and I used whenever we were around people we didn’t
want to know we were a couple.”
“I thought you two had always been out
and proud,” Phil said, straightening and moving to sit in a chair next to
Rick’s desk.”
“When I was still in the Marine Corps,
we had to be very careful about who we told we were gay,” Rick said. “Once I left the military, Glenn and I began
living our lives free from the restrictions that being a Marine placed on us.”
“Didn’t Glenn hate that?” Phil asked.
Rick winced at the memory of the many
arguments they had had over the subject of his continued military service. “Yes, you could say that.”
Phil said, “I can totally understand his
position. I feel the same way about
Garth. I can’t be open about our
relationship because he’s in the Marine Corps.
I want him to retire so we can be married.”
Rick looked at Phil and said, “Please be
patient with him, Phil. I know Glenn
didn’t mean to worry me to death about it; however, it was a constant source of
contention in our relationship. Garth
made it clear from the beginning that all he wanted from you was a good fuck and
that was the extent of what he was looking for in his relationship with you.”
“I know; but I’ve fallen in love with
him, Rick,” Phil said.
He looked so forlorn that Rick stood up
and walked over to him. He put his arm
around him and said, “Don’t give up hope, Phil. Garth seems to have similar feelings for
you.”
Phil’s face lit up and he asked, “Has he
mentioned anything to you about me?”
Rick returned to his chair and sat down,
putting his feet up on his desk. He
looked at Phil and said, “I don’t want to get your hopes up, Phil. Things could change in a heartbeat and you could
be hurt badly.”
Phil immediately jumped to a
conclusion. “He doesn’t love me!”
Rick held up his hand and said, “Whoa
there ! Slow down a bit! I haven’t said anything about Garth other
than to say that he has feelings for you.
I can’t claim to know what those feelings are; however, I’ve seen how he
looks at you, and there’s more than just a desire for sex.”
“He seems to have a soft spot for me;
but I’m not sure if it’s because he’s fallen in love with me, or if it’s
because he sees me more as a good friend, or even worse, as one of his
children,” Phil said.
“I don’t think he sees you as a child,
Phil,” Rick said.
There was a tap on the door and it
opened before either of them could move to answer it. They looked over to see Garth standing in
the doorway. “Am I interrupting?”
“No, Garth. Please come in,” Rick said.
He closed the door and locked it. This last action caused Rick to raise his
eyebrows in surprise. Noting Rick’s
look, Garth said, “Just a precaution. I
don’t want anyone to walk in on our conversation.”
Rick nodded his head and said,
“Okay.” He wondered what Garth wanted
to talk to them about.
Garth pulled a chair over to where Phil
was sitting and sat down. He looked at
both of them and said, “I’ve decided to retire from the Marine Corps. I wanted you two to know before I put in my
paperwork. It will mean that your jobs
may be eliminated since the new guy taking my place might decide to have the
work done by someone else. I wanted to
give you time to seek other employment.”
Phil looked like the end of the world
had happened right before his eyes.
Garth saw the look of devastation on Phil’s face. He took Phil’s hand and said, “Phil, you
don’t have to worry. I know I’m not the
most romantic person in the world so I will do this in the only way I know
how. Will you marry me?”
Phil’s face reflected the surprise and
joy he felt. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Garth leaned over and kissed him, “I
knew your answer would be “yes.” I’ve
known you were in love with me for quite some time. I was afraid I’d lose you if I didn’t do
something about it soon. Therefore, I
decided it’s time for me to move on with my life and make a fresh start with
you, Phil.”
Phil eyes were glistening with tears as
he said, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Garth responded.
Rick looked from one to the other and
said, “I’m glad you two finally figured things out because I was beginning to
think I was going to have to take the situation in hand myself.”
Garth saw Rick’s expression of mock
severity and laughed. “I was moving
rather cautiously, wasn’t I?”
Rick smiled and replied, “Yes, you
were.”
Phil asked, “When are you planning to
retire?”
“I’m going to put in my paperwork as
soon as I leave this office,” Garth said.
He stood up and pulled Phil to his feet. “Come with me, Phil. I want you to be there when I hand in my
retirement papers.”
Phil put his arm around Garth’s waist as
they walked towards the door. He looked
back over his shoulder at Rick and grinned.
“Thanks for everything, Rick.”
Rick said, “Don’t mention it. You guys did all the hard work.” After they left, Rick sat staring at the
door, thinking about the future. He
wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He
pulled out his cell phone and called Glenn.
“Hey, Babe,” Rick said.
“What’s up?” I asked; a little surprised
at Rick’s phone call.
“I need to tell you some good news,”
Rick said. “Garth and Phil got engaged
a few minutes ago.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m happy they finally got things together,”
I said.
“It also means Garth is retiring. He warned me that when he goes, they may
hire someone else to do my job,” Rick said.
“That’s not good. What do you want to do?” I asked.
“I don’t know. That’s why I called,” Rick said. “I wanted to hear your thoughts.”
“Well, I could go to work full time with
Todd. He mentioned he wanted to expand
his company and needs to hire some good programmers to help him with the
increased workload,” I said.
“But then who would stay home with the
children?” Rick asked.
“You could if that is what you want to
do. Otherwise, you could find another
job and I could continue to stay at home with them just like I do now,” I
said. “I’m just laying out options for
us to consider. I’m perfectly happy
with the way things are now; where I work occasionally for Todd and I spend
most of my time homeschooling the children.”
“We could move to a smaller home and
reduce our costs, so we can live off of the investment income we get from our
various businesses,” Rick said.
“That’s a thought,” I responded. “Zach’s contract is up for renewal next
year. Todd has mentioned they are
thinking of moving back to Toronto. If
they move, I think that we should definitely move to a house closer to the
children’s schools.”
“Where would we dock the boat?” Rick
asked.
“There are several marinas around the
area,” I replied. “I’m pretty sure we
could rent a slip at one of them. We
might consider selling the boat.”
“You’re right about selling the
boat. However, I’m not sure we should
do that. The General would be very
upset if we sold the boat,” Rick said.
“That’s true. I guess we will have to find a marina that
is handicap accessible,” I said.
“I’m not sure how soon I’ll know what is
going to happen here,” Rick said.
“Well, let’s not hit the panic button
until we know for sure that you won’t have a job. I’m thinking that they will find a way to
keep you on board; even if it’s in a different job. You’ve proven yourself to them and they know
they need you,” I said.
Rick said, “I know that they are aware
of what I bring to their project; but I’m not sure if that will translate into
keeping me on the job.”
“Rick, let’s be positive! I know how wonderful you are and they do,
too. I have faith that you will be just
fine,” I said.
Rick sighed and said, “I hope you’re
right.”
“Sweetheart, listen to me. You are a bright, hard-working employee and
you will have a job even if it’s not the same one you have now. Trust me, Rick. They won’t let you go,” I said.
“Thanks, Babe. You always know what to say to help keep me
going,” Rick said.
“I love you,” I said. “That’s why I know what you need.”
“I love you, too,” Rick said. “I’ll call you later.”
“Hugs and kisses,” I said.
“Back at you,” Rick responded and cut
the connection.
He smiled as he looked at the photograph
of Glenn on his desk. He was glad he had
called Glenn. His husband’s confidence
in him always buoyed him up. He knew
Glenn was right about the fact that his company saw him as a highly valued
employee. He knew that they would do
their best to keep him on their payroll.
He turned his attention to the stack of papers on his desk and lost
himself in the tasks at hand.
*** ***
The next morning Rick was up early. They had purchased tickets to eat breakfast
with Santa Claus at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore and needed to
leave within the hour in order to make it there on time. He ruffled Glenn’s hair and gently shook his
shoulder to wake him.
“Glenn, it’s time to get up,” Rick said.
I mumbled, “What?” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and
yawned.
Rick repeated, “It’s time to get
up. If we plan to have breakfast with
Santa Claus, we need to get up soon.”
I said, “Okay.”
Rick lifted my chin and kissed me. “Let’s get in the shower.”
Rick rolled me off of him and then got
out of bed. He reached his hands toward
the ceiling and stretched; his perfectly sculpted muscles rippling under his
skin. I couldn’t take my eyes off of
him! Rick noticed my hungry gaze and
grinned. He reached down and took my
hand. “Come with me, Glenn. Let me take care of you.”
He pulled me into his arms as I came to
my feet. We kissed and he led me into
our en suite. He turned on the water in
the shower and adjusted the temperature.
Rick pulled me under the warm cascade of water and proceeded to satisfy
my need for him!
Later, we helped each other dress and I
crossed the hallway to the twins’ room while Rick went downstairs to start
making coffee.
I stood looking at the two sleeping boys
for a moment. They looked so peaceful
and happy. I leaned down and gently
shook each boy awake. “It’s time to get
up. We’re going to have breakfast with
Santa.”
JJ looked up at me and said, “Okay,
Daddy.”
Josh asked, “Are we really going to see
Santa Claus?”
“Yes, Josh, we’re really going to see
Santa Claus,” I replied.
The two boys got up and walked with me
to Kyle’s room. JJ opened the door and
they went in and climbed into bed with Kyle.
Kyle opened his eyes and asked, “What
are you doing?”
“We’re waking you up. We’re going to see Santa Claus this morning,”
JJ answered.
Kyle sat up in bed and looked over at
me. “Do I have to go?”
“No, you don’t have to go,” I said.
Josh said, “Kyle, please come with us.”
“Yes, Kyle, we want you to see Santa
Claus,” JJ said.
As I stood in the doorway, I was pushed
aside by Cameron and Skye. They joined
the boys on Kyle’s bed. Cameron asked,
“Are you ready to go see Santa?”
JJ and Josh chorused, “Yes.”
When Kyle didn’t answer, Skye said,
“Kyle doesn’t want to go.” Kyle nodded
his head. Skye asked, “Don’t you like
trains?”
“Yes, but we’ve been to the train museum
so many times already,” Kyle complained.
Skye replied, “This time is special
because Santa Claus will be there.”
I saw Kyle about to respond and decided
I needed to intervene. I know Kyle
wouldn’t intentionally try to destroy the magic of Santa Claus for the younger
boys; but I didn’t want him to say something he’d regret later. “Boys, I need to talk to Kyle alone for a
minute. Will you go wake up Purev and
David and make sure they are getting ready?”
The four younger boys jumped off of
Kyle’s bed and scampered across the room.
Cameron said, excitedly, “I get to wake up, Purev.”
Skye objected, “It’s my turn to wake up
Purev!”
“First one there gets to wake him up,”
Cameron responded and took off running down the hall, with Skye close on his
heels. JJ and Josh followed in their
wake. I stepped back inside Kyle’s room
and closed the door.
I looked at Kyle and said, “I sent them
off because I was afraid you were going to tell them that you don’t believe in
Santa Claus.”
Kyle looked at me in surprise and said,
“I wouldn’t have done that.”
“I know you wouldn’t have done it
intentionally; but I could see where your argument with them was headed,” I
said.
Kyle nodded his head. “I see what you mean. Thanks for stopping me from ruining
Christmas for them. The twins are
always so cute on Christmas morning. I
love seeing their eyes get as big as saucers and their squeals of delight.”
I smiled and said, “Exactly! And they aren’t the only ones, Kyle.”
Kyle laughed. “Okay, I used to do that, too.”
“There’s no “used to” about it. You still get pretty excited on Christmas
morning!”
“Yes, but I don’t go completely nuts
over that huge stack of presents under the tree like the twins do,” Kyle
responded.
I sat down on the edge of Kyle’s bed and
looked him in the eyes. “So what are
you doing today? Are you coming with us,
or are you staying home?”
Kyle considered my question for a moment
before responding to my question. “I’ll
go; but I want to be the official photographer. I don’t want to be in any photos.”
I grinned at him and ruffled his
hair. “Why don’t you want to be seen
with Santa Claus?”
Kyle pushed my hand away from his hair
and said, “I’m too old to sit on Santa’s lap.”
“Okay, you can take the photos; however,
I can’t promise you that your Dad won’t insist that you sit on Santa’s lap,” I
said, laughing.
I stood up and said, “You need to get up
and get your shower, son.”
Kyle replied, with a smirk on his face,
“Yes, Mother.”
“Alright, smart Alec, just make sure you
don’t make us wait for you. We’re
leaving in about 30 minutes,” I said as I left his room.
I met Zach and Todd in the hallway. Zach said, “We’ve already showered.”
“We have, too,” I said. “The boys are in David and Purev’s room.”
They followed me down the hall. We could hear the boys talking to David and
Purev. We entered the room to find JJ
and Josh on David’s bed and Cameron and Skye on Purev’s.
Skye looked up and said, “Dad, Purev is
going to help us put up the train set when we get back.”
Zach smiled and said, “That’s sounds
like a great idea.”
Purev said, “The boys insisted that I
had to help them with the train.”
Zach laughed. “They can be pretty persuasive when they
want to be. You have to admit they are
persistent if nothing else.”
Purev grinned. “That is so true and they are so cute.”
Cameron protested, “I’m not cute; I’m
handsome!”
“Okay, you’re handsome,” Purev said,
correcting himself.
I said, “Boys, we need you to get ready
to go. JJ and Josh, let’s get you out
of your pajamas. David, please wake up
your sister. ”
The twins raced back to their bedroom
and I followed them. I heard Zach and
Todd shepherding their twins back to their bedroom as well. A few minutes later we were all assembled in
the kitchen. Rick handed out hot
chocolate for the kids and coffee for the adults; except me, of course. He handed me a cup of hot chocolate and
leaned over to kiss me.
“When are you going to graduate to
drinking coffee, like every other adult?” Rick asked.
I grinned up at him and replied,
“Never!”
Rick turned to Zach and Todd. “You see the child I married?”
Todd laughed, “I’m glad Glenn has never
grown up. He would be so boring
otherwise.”
Ashley said, “Yes, Daddy is rather
silly.”
“I learned everything I know about being
silly from you, Ashley,” I responded, laughing.
Ashley shook her head and smiled. “No, Daddy, Dad told us you were silly
before you adopted us; so you can’t have learned it from me.”
“Well, maybe that’s so. At least I’m not goofy,” I said.
Kyle guffawed, “I beg to differ.”
I looked over at Purev and David and
asked, “What do you two think?”
Purev laughed, “I think you’re great.”
Kyle said, “Yes, Daddy is pretty funny.”
“Yes, Daddy can be quite entertaining,”
David agreed.
Rick put his arm around my shoulders and
said, “We love you, Glenn.”
“I’m glad you do,” I said smiling at my
husband.
As we were finishing up in the kitchen,
there was a knock on the door. Rick got
up and answered it. He returned with
Jeff and his two daughters, Caroline and Marie.
When Kyle saw them, he said, “Hey, I’m
glad you’re going with us.”
Caroline smiled at him and said,
“Thanks.” She blushed and lowered her
gaze.
Marie said, “Caroline couldn’t sleep
last night because she was so excited to be going with you.”
Caroline protested, “That’s not true!”
Jeff said, “It’s okay, Caroline. Do you want to ride with us, Kyle?”
“Sure,” Kyle said. He smiled at the girls and then said, “I get
to ride shotgun.”
Marie started to protest, “But…”
Jeff cut her off, “It’s okay,
Marie. You can ride in the front seat
with me on the way back.”
Marie gave him a mutinous look; but
didn’t say anything more about it.
Kyle, seeing her look, said, “I’m sorry, Marie. You can ride in the front seat if you want.”
Marie said, “It’s okay, Kyle. I’ll wait until the ride back with
Caroline.”
Jeff sighed and said, “Now that we’ve
worked that out, let’s go.”
“I think we’re ready,” I said. I turned to the kids and asked, “Are you
guys ready to go?”
Cameron and Skye chorused, “We’re
ready.”
“Cammy and Skye, will you help the twins
put on their coats and gloves?” I asked.
Cameron said, “Yes, we’ll help them get
their coats on.”
A few minutes later, we were all
standing in the foyer. Cameron asked,
“Dad may David and Purev ride with us?”
Zach looked over at me and Rick. I said, “I’m okay with it if you guys are.”
Rick turned to the two young men in
question and asked, “What do you two want to do?”
Purev took David’s hand in his and said,
“We’ll ride with Cammy and Skye on the way up and with JJ and Josh on the way
back.”
We left the house and climbed into our
respective vehicles and caravanned north to Baltimore. We arrived on time, and were seated just in
time to see Santa Claus enter the room.
The boys squealed with delight.
JJ said, “There’s Santa Claus.” He tugged on my arm and pointed towards
Santa Claus.
“I see him. After you’ve eaten, we’ll go up and you can
talk to him,” I said.
We had a great time and snapped a few
good photos of the younger set sitting on Santa’s knee. The teenagers slipped outside and waited for
us to join them. We toured the
roundhouse and rode the train. The Lego
model train was totally awesome. We
ended up with a Thomas the Tank Engine book, video and Christmas ornament from
the museum gift shop.
Rick and I stood outside the gift shop
waiting for Zach and Todd. Rick burst
out laughing when he saw the big bag of stuff Zach was holding. “I won’t complain about how many souvenirs
we ended up purchasing!”
Zach grinned, “Cameron and Skye can be
pretty adamant about their trains.”
Todd punched Zach in the shoulder. “Zach is just as bad as the boys! He’s the one who insisted on buying a new
electric train to put under the Christmas tree.”
Zach smiled and admitted, “I like trains
even more than the boys do.”
I said, “Then you will want to go with
us to the U.S. Botanical Gardens this afternoon. They have several model trains running
through their exhibits during the holiday season.”
Zach looked at Todd with raised
eyebrows. Todd laughed, “Okay, we can
go with them to see the trains.”
Zach leaned over and gave Todd a quick
kiss on the lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Todd said.
Jeff came up behind us with the girls
and Kyle. Jeff asked, “What are your
plans for the afternoon?”
Zach said, “We’re going to the U.S.
Botanical Gardens in DC.”
Kyle said, “They have the coolest
exhibits.”
Caroline asked, “May we go with them?”
Jeff said, “If that is what Marie wants
to do as well.”
Caroline turned to Marie, “Please,
Marie!”
Marie asked, “What will you give me?”
Caroline replied, “You can ride in the
front seat all you want and I won’t argue with you about it.”
Marie smiled and said, “Deal!”
Jeff said, “It looks like we’re going
with you.”
“Let’s grab lunch at Timbuktu’s. They have the best crab cakes!” I said.
Zach said, “That’s sounds good to
me. The boys like their chicken
fingers.”
I turned to Jeff, “Are you okay with
Timbuktu’s?”
Jeff smiled and answered, “Yes, I love
their seafood.”
“We’ll eat lunch there and then head
south to DC,” I said.
Kyle asked, “May I get the lobster tail
instead of the crab cakes this time?”
Rick said, “Sure.”
Kyle grinned, “You’re so awesome, Dad!”
Rick ruffled his hair. “You’d better say that!”
Kyle hugged Rick and then turned to
follow Caroline and Marie to Jeff’s car.
Timbuktu’s food was as good as I remembered it to be. Everyone left the restaurant very much
satisfied. The U.S. Botanical Garden
was also a hit.
 |
| US Botanical Gardens |
 |
| Topiary at the US Botanical Gardens |
*** ***
We arrived home late in the
afternoon. The twins immediately ran
into the family room to play with their Thomas the Tank Engine toys. Before the teenagers disappeared from the
scene, I said, “Dinner will be ready in about an hour.”
Kyle said, “Got it.”
Ashley said, “I won’t forget. I’m working on a charcoal sketch for my art
class. I’ll show it to you when I’m
done.”
Purev asked, “Is it okay for me to help
Cameron and Skye set up their trains?”
“Sure,” Rick replied. “David, are you going to help them as well?”
David nodded his head and said, “Yes,
I’ll help them. Purev already asked me
to go with him.”
Zach said, “Okay, we’ll see you guys
later.”
Zach and Todd left with the boys,
leaving Jeff and his girls with us in the kitchen. Jeff said, “Thanks for inviting us to go
with you today.”
“You’re welcome,” Rick said.
Caroline said, “I had a good time. I’m glad we got to go with you.”
Marie said, “All you wanted was to be
with Kyle.”
Jeff said, “That’s enough, Marie.”
Caroline said, “Marie’s right, Dad. I did want to be with Kyle.”
Jeff looked at me and Rick to see our
reaction.
“Well, Kyle didn’t seem to mind,” Rick
said with a smile.
Caroline smiled and said, “He told me he
had a good time.”
“I think that means things are okay,” I
said.
Jeff smiled and said, “Okay, girls. It’s time for us to go home.”
The said their “good byes” and we were
finally alone. I looked at Rick and I
said, “Thank you for the wonderful day, sweetheart.”
I walked around the table and pulled
Rick into my arms. I kissed him
passionately to let him know how grateful I was! I felt Rick’s body responding to me as I
pushed my hands into the back pockets of his jeans to pull him closer to me.
When we came up for air, Rick looked
deeply into my eyes and said, “I wonder what you have on your mind.”
I grinned and responded, “You know what
I want and I think we need to ask Kyle to watch the little ones for a wee
bit.” I pulled my hands out of his
pockets and then slipped my hands inside his shirt; my fingertips tracing the
outline of his abs.
Rick nodded his head in agreement. “Come with me, Babe.” He grabbed both of my hands and led me out
of the kitchen. “You go get ready while
I talk to Kyle.”
We climbed the stairs together and I
went into our bedroom. I quickly
stripped off my clothes and walked into the en suite. I turned on the water to fill up the Jacuzzi
tub. I climbed in and relaxed in the hot
water. A few minutes later Rick joined
me. I looked up from the tub to admire
the gorgeous man who married me. I let
my eyes wander over his perfect body.
I finally raised my eyes to his and he
laughed. “Do I meet with your
approval?”
Instead of answering him directly, I
smiled provocatively and crooked a finger at him. I said, in a seductive voice, “Come hither
my husband.”
*** ***
Later, we rested in each other’s arms,
enjoying the closeness that lovemaking always brings to us. Rick played with my hair, twirling it around
his finger and then running his fingers through it to make it stand straight
up. “I love your hair,” he said. “I’ve always liked the feel of it. It’s so soft and silky; so different from my
own.”
I looked at him and said, “But I like
your hair. It’s so thick and curly.” I reached up and brushed his hair away from
his face.
“I know you do; but it’s so thick and
coarse compared to yours,” Rick said.
“It’s part of what makes us so
interesting to the other. You complete
me in so many ways; where I’m weak in an area, you are strong and vice versa,”
I said.
We heard a light tap on our door. Rick said, “I bet that’s JJ. He said he wanted me to help him build a
train track.”
I smiled and said, “Then I guess it’s
time to get up.”
There was a second tap on the door. I disentangled myself from Rick and rolled
off of the bed. I pulled on some
clothes and then opened the door. Sure
enough, JJ was standing there. He
looked up at me and said, “Dad said he would help me build a train track for
our trains.”
Rick said, “I haven’t forgotten,
JJ. I’ll be right down as soon as I get
dressed.”
I bent down and picked up our little
guy. “While you’re waiting for Dad, do
you want to help me get dinner started?”
“Yes, Daddy,” JJ said. He wrapped his arms around my neck as we
descended the stairs.
I put him down and asked, “What do you want
to eat?”
“Macaroni and cheese,” JJ said with
authority. “I want the box kind.”
I grimaced. I hate the boxed macaroni and cheese. It tastes so processed! Todd had introduced it to the twins and they
have begged me to cook it for them ever since!
I remembered the first time they asked for boxed macaroni and
cheese. I looked over at Todd in
surprise. Rick and I had never given the boys boxed
macaroni and cheese to eat. Todd had
thrown up his hands and said, “Sorry, Glenn.
I’m at fault. I gave it to them
for lunch yesterday while you were running errands.” I love Todd very much; however, I didn’t
appreciate the introduction of one of the worst culinary disasters to ever
occur in human history to the twin’s palette.
I asked, “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.
May we add tuna fish to it?” JJ asked.
Much chagrinned, I shuddered with
horror. Not only was JJ asking for
boxed macaroni and cheese, he wanted me to add a can of tuna fish to add insult
to injury.
“JJ, what do you think of pasta with a
red sauce instead?” I asked, hoping to redirect his thoughts toward a menu
choice that would more acceptable.
JJ thought for a moment and then
countered with another of his favorite dishes.
“I want chili mac.”
“Okay, chili mac it is,” I replied with
a smile.
“But you have to make it like Grandma
does,” JJ said.
“Okay, JJ. I’ll call Grandma and ask her how to make it
taste just like her chili mac,” I said.
Rick appeared in the kitchen doorway and
asked, “Are you ready to build your train track?”
JJ shouted, “Yes, I’m ready!” He jumped up and down with excitement and
then ran from the kitchen.
Rick laughed and said, “I wish I had his
energy.”
I winked at him and responded, “I think
you do, Babe. You just use it in more
important ways!”
Rick laughed and said, “I guess you’re right
about that.” He turned and followed our
son out of the kitchen.
I went to the pantry to retrieve the
needed ingredients for chili mac. I
pulled my cell phone out and dialed Mom’s number. She answered, “Hi Glenn!
“Hey!
How are you today?”
“I’m fine,” she replied.
“Mom, how do you make your chili
mac? JJ wants it to taste just like
yours does,” I said.
She laughed and replied, “I’m glad to
hear that my grandson likes my cooking.
Here’s how I do it.”
She gave me the particulars and then she
said, “Good luck and let me know how it turns out.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said and cut the
connection.
*** ***
Rick followed JJ into the family room
where they found Josh had dumped all of the wooden train tracks out on the
floor. Rick sat down on the floor next to the pile of
tracks and said, “Let’s build a gigantic train track.”
Josh smiled up at him and replied, “I
want lots of bridges!” He picked up a
train bridge and handed it to his Dad.
“Okay, how many bridges are ‘lots’ of
bridges?” Rick asked.
Josh looked at the pile of train tracks
and then back at his Dad. “I don’t
know.”
“Why don’t you look for the bridges in
that pile and JJ and I will start laying the other tracks?” Rick suggested.
Josh said, “Okay.” He started rummaging through the pile of
tracks.
JJ picked up several straight pieces of
track and walked over to Rick. “Here,
Dad,” he said, handing the wooden tracks to Rick.
They had laid out several connecting
figure eights with a bridge in each one when Kyle entered the room. He looked over the tracks and then asked,
“May I help?”
Josh said, “Yes, you can help me build
bridges.” He pointed to the stack of
bridges he had collected.
Kyle looked at them and said, “We need
some straight connectors and then we can hook them to the rest of the
tracks.”
The four of them continued building out
the design until it covered the entire room.
I stood in the entrance to the family room and watched the final pieces
being put into place. I watched Rick as
he quietly directed JJ on the placement of each piece. He was so gentle with them and seemed to be
having as much fun as they were. Kyle
was working with Josh to put in the last bridge in the far corner of the
room.
Josh was the first to notice me and
shouted, “Daddy! Look at our train
track!”
I replied, “I can see it. You guys did a good job laying it out. Do I get to play with a train, too?”
“Yes, you do; but I get Thomas and JJ
gets Percy,” Josh said. He walked over
to the toy chest and pulled out the train case. He put it on the floor and opened it
up. “You can have one of these other
ones,” he said, pointing to the remaining train engines.
I said, “Okay, but I get Edward and I
get Clarabel, too!”
Josh looked at me and said, “Alright, you
can have Clarabel.”
Rick looked up at me from where he sat
next to JJ. He smiled and said, “I know
you have probably finished cooking dinner; but can we hold off for a bit?”
I laughed and replied, “Yes, Babe, we
can hold dinner until you’ve had time to play with your boys. I’ll put it in the warmer until we’re ready
to eat.” I turned and went back into
the kitchen to take care of the food. I
returned to the family room to retrieve my train engine. “Edward is a much better engine than
Thomas. Don’t you think so, Kyle?”
Kyle smiled at me and said, “No, I don’t
think Edward is better than Thomas.
Thomas is really cool; but I like Percy the best. I like Gordon as well. I love playing with trains.”
Kyle still amazed me at how childlike he
could be even at 15 years of age. I
ruffled his hair and said, “I’m glad you still like to play with trains as
well.”
JJ said, “We have to divide out the
train cars evenly so everyone has the same amount.” He began handing out train cars from the
train case. He ended up with one
extra. He said, “We’ll put this one
back in the case.”
Josh said, “JJ, I want Hector. Here, take Harold back. I decided I don’t want him.”
JJ handed Josh the coal car and took
back the helicopter. JJ put him back in
the case. We spent the next hour pushing
the wooden trains around the track.
Josh and JJ supplied the sound effects as we journeyed from one place to
the next. JJ pulled out the Legos and
began building a train station. When it
was completed he said, “We need to build a town.” He and Josh pulled out the little people and
wooden houses and arranged them around the train station.
I glanced at my watch and said, “Okay
guys, it’s time to eat. We can return
to our trains after dinner.”
Josh asked, “Can’t we eat in here,
Daddy? We promise not to spill on the
carpet.” He walked over and put his
arms around my neck. “Please, Daddy!”
I looked over at Rick who smiled and
said, “It’s up to you, Glenn.”
I looked into Josh’s eyes and replied,
“Let’s eat in the kitchen. It will be
much faster that way.”
Josh nodded his head in
acquiescence. “Okay, Daddy; but let’s
hurry.”
I said, “Help me get up then.” I gave him my hand and Josh pulled
hard. I said, “You have to pull
harder.”
JJ came over and took my other
hand. He said, “Dad, come help us get
Daddy up.”
Rick laughed and said, “Okay, son. I’ll help you.” Rick stood up and stretched before he walked
over to assist the twins. He said,
“Watch how it’s done, boys.”
The twins let me go and Rick took my
hands in his. He lifted me up and into
his embrace. He stole a quick kiss
before releasing me. Kyle laughed
behind us. “I saw that.”
Rick turned to look at Kyle and asked,
“What did you see?”
Kyle gave Rick a huge grin. “You know what I saw.”
Rick gave Kyle his “I’m innocent” look
and said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I laughed, “Come on you two. Let’s go eat. Kyle, will you go upstairs and let your
sister know we’re ready to eat?”
Kyle answered, “Yes, I’ll tell
her.” He came up to us and put an arm
around each of us. He gave us a sly
look and then said, “I’m glad to know you two aren’t too old to have sex. I was beginning to get worried that you were
headed to a nursing home for the decrepit and the senile.”
Rick laughed and said, “If anyone is
getting too old, it’s you.”
Kyle responded, “I expected you would
say that.” He patted Rick’s stomach and
said, “But I think I feel a little bit of blubber beginning to form here.”
Rick said, “Why you…” Rick reached for Kyle; but he skipped away,
laughing as he bounded up the stairs two at a time. Rick smiled at me. “What are we going to do with that young
pup?”
“Love him and care for him,” I
replied. “There’s nothing else you can
do.”
We walked arm in arm into the
kitchen. Kyle returned with
Ashley. Rick said, “As your just reward
for your smart comments, you can set the table.”
Kyle laughed and said, “I’ll do it as
long as Ashley helps me.”
Ashley looked at her brother and said,
“Don’t be dragging me into something that you brought on yourself, brother
dear.”
Kyle quickly set the table. David and Purev walked in the door as we
were getting ready to say grace. Rick
said, “Please have a seat, boys. I’ll
say grace.”
We enjoyed our meal as we talked about
our day. Purev and David excitedly
related to us their experience with the electric trains next door.
Purev said, “We should go back after we
eat to help finish setting things up.”
David agreed. “Uncle Zach has two more model trains he
wants to set up. May be go back to help
him?”
Rick said, “Yes, you may. In fact, we can all go over to help.” He looked over at Ashley and said, “Unless,
of course, you don’t want to go.”
Ashley said, “I’ll go. I like trains, too.”
We finished cleaning up the kitchen and
then made our way over to Zach and Todd’s house. We spent the rest of the evening putting the
train sets together and testing each of them to make sure the trains would
run. It was quite late when we returned
home.
We put the children to bed and retired
to our bedroom to unwind a bit before going to bed. As we cuddled in front of the fireplace,
Rick’s cell phone rang. I got up and
walked over to retrieve it for him. I
handed it to him and he looked to see who was calling.
He looked up at me and said, in
surprise, “It’s my sister.” He answered
the call, “Hello Julie.”
“Rick, Dad has had a stroke,” she said,
without any greeting. “Dad is brain
dead and Mom is going to authorize them to pull the plug on the life
support. I thought you should know.”
Rick’s stricken expression let me know
something was very wrong. “Thanks for
letting me know.”
“I’m sorry that you weren’t able to see
him before he died,” Julie said. “Maybe
Mom will soften her attitudes now that Dad is gone.”
“I don’t think that will happen,
Julie. If anything, Mom will become
more extreme in her views,” Rick responded.
“I’ll take photos and I will send them
to you,” Julie said. “I wish we could
heal the breach in our family.”
“That is impossible, Julie. Mother declared war against me and my family
many years ago now and I don’t see her declaring a cease fire any time in the
future,” Rick replied.
“Maybe if you reach out to her first,
she will be moved to soften her heart,” Julie said.
Rick said, “I would like to do that;
however, I don’t trust her or her family.
They have attempted to murder me and my husband on more than one
occasion. I’m not about to open myself
up to that danger, again.”
Julie said, “Can you find it in your
heart to forgive her and Uncle George?”
“No, I can’t, Julie. They ruined Peyton’s life in addition to
what they did to me and Glenn,” Rick responded.
“I only hope that someday our Mother
and her family will come to realize just how wrong they are.”
Julie said, “I understand why you feel
so bitter about what happened; however, hasn’t it been long enough?”
“I don’t know, Julie. Has it been long enough since you told me
not to visit you or your family? You
told me you didn’t want your boys exposed to their gay uncle. You tell me if it’s been long enough,” Rick
responded, the anger and the bitterness he felt making his voice hard as
steel. Rick heard Julie crying and
relented somewhat. “Thank you for
calling, Julie. I appreciate the fact
that you have been willing to accept my phone calls; despite your feelings
about who I am and who I married.”
There was silence on the other end of
the line for a long while. Julie
finally said, “Good bye, Rick.”
“Good bye,” Rick said, cutting the
connection.
I put my arms around Rick and pulled him
close. “I’m sorry, Rick.”
Rick clung to me as sobs wracked his
body. I held him tight for a long
time. I rubbed his back and smoothed
his hair. Rick’s eyes were red from
crying and the tears still stained his face when he pulled back from me. “Thank you for being here, Glenn. I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart,” I
replied. “Let’s go to bed. You need to rest.”
Rick numbly nodded his head and I helped
him out of his clothes. I quickly
stripped and joined him. Tonight, I
took him in my arms and he slept with his head on my breast. I whispered, “Go to sleep my love. I will be here when you awaken in the
morning.”
*** ***
Author’s Note:
An excerpt from their web site: “Get
into the holiday spirit at the U.S. Botanic Garden's annual holiday exhibit, Season's Greenings.
The Conservatory will be adorned with wreaths, garlands, living ornaments and
filled with model trains, buildings made from plant materials and a vast
collection of poinsettias to celebrate the wonder of the winter holiday season.
The famous Garden Railway in the
East Gallery will feature model trains running through an imaginative Enchanted
Forest, with fanciful fairy dwellings along the rail line, all created with
plant materials. Enjoy blooming plants throughout the Conservatory and a living
history of poinsettias. The West Gallery will house one of the largest indoor
decorated trees in Washington, D.C., and the Garden Court will be home to a
display of model landmark buildings from our Nation's capital, all made from
plant materials.”
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