The Mark and the Mole
by: E Walk

(© 2007 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

  

Chapter 35
The Curtain Comes Down

Author’s Note:  This will be the last installment of this story.  I have all sorts of ideas about this story but they do not belong on a site that features stories of an alternative lifestyle.  When I started this story last December, I never dreamt that it would go on this long.

I have cried a lot of tears over this story and fell in love with the fifteen plus  main characters.  I know that life is not as idyllic as I portray it, but it is nice to imagine that there is a nicer world out there where everyone can be themselves.  Over and out and on to the next story.  E

Editor's comment: As I said to E Walk in an e mail I sent to him after receiving the news that he was ending this story.  “Please don't drop this story; there are plenty of situations that are possible for the people in this story. I know that Chad isn't gay, but just because he may grow up and marry a wonderful lady, that doesn't mean we will stop loving and caring about what happens to him. I know you have lots of wonderful ideas of what might happen to everyone in the story, and I am certain that most of your fans will want to read about them.  Don't be surprised if you get a lot of letters saying the same thing that I just did, and I am certain that your web hosts will agree to keep hosting any stories that flow from any or all of your other stories.  Your stories are loving, heartwarming and down right wonderful.”

Darryl

This is Doug Walker,  “It’s hard for me to believe that our life was changed by the arrival of two little babies at Grandmother’s door on Christmas Eve 21 years ago, and Mike and I eventually wound up with 11 children.  Pretty good for two men in their late fifties,  huh?

I need to bring you up to date on what happened to everyone.  Me, I was promoted to the station manager of the television station and am also in charge of the Human Resources department at the station and three other stations in Iowa.

Mike is still a practicing pediatrician, but he more or less sets his own hours since he owns the clinic where he works and has six assistants.  One of whom you will hear about later. 

Grandmother passed away when Jon and Mark were seven and it took them a long time to get over her death.  It was harder for them than anyone else.  They really loved their Grandmother.  She left her sizable estate to the two of them with the stipulation that Chad was to manage the money wisely.

My Dad died three years later and left his estate to Tim and Chad.  He had been prudent and had established joint accounts with both boys so they wouldn’t have to pay inheritance taxes.

Mark and Jon are going to be twenty-one years old.  They have thrived because Chad and everyone else have always fully supported them.  They both excelled at academics and athletics.  They both had all sorts of scholarships to numerous colleges.  They reluctantly decided to go to different colleges.  Mark went to Harvard and Jon went to Yale.  They still got together at least once a month.

Mark called last night and asked if he and Jon could bring their fiancés to our house for Christmas because they had some big news to share.  They wanted us to arrange a party so the family could meet their fiancés.  After the call, I looked at Mike, “It sounds to me like there may be two weddings coming soon.”

I’m going to skip over Chad for the time being since he is the reason this story started, and quickly tell you what happened to the rest of our family.

Tim and Kevin received baseball scholarships and went to the University of Texas where they were roommates.  They fell in love with Austin, Texas and decided to stay there after they graduated and opened a thriving public relations business.  They called the other night and announced that they and their two sons would be home for Christmas.

Jenny and Greg are now married.  Greg went to the Air Force Academy and Jenny went to the University of Colorado.  Greg is now a Brigadier General in the Air Force and they are stationed in Washington, D. C.  They will be here for Christmas with their three children.

Dianna and Deanna decided to go to Iowa State and they are now married.  Dianna and her husband live in Ankeny, Iowa where they own a real estate company that is doing well.  They are expecting their first child soon.

Deanna and her husband live in Storm Lake where they are professors at Buena Vista College.  They don’t have any children yet, but are planning a family.

Jason followed his Uncle Mike’s footsteps and became an pediatrician and joined Mike’s practice.  He was married last year. 

Bobby surprised everyone and after going to college at Stanford, joined the professional golf tour.  He has made some respectable money but hasn’t won any major tournaments.  He and his wife are happy and they are expecting their first child in the spring.

Billy graduated from Georgetown University and is now studying at Cambridge University in England on a Fulbright Scholarship. He has been too busy traveling around Europe to settle down, but he is planning to be home for Christmas.

Jeremy got interested in music and especially country and western music.  He just had his latest release turn gold.  He called and told us that he was bringing his partner, Jeff, home for Christmas.  So he’s gay, what's it to you!

That brings me to Chad.  In his junior year of high school, he led the baseball team to the state finals where they lost in the final game.  He was elected the Senior Class President and had a straight A average even with taking care of his sons.  Of course he had a lot of help.

In his senior year, the team won the state championship in baseball and Chad and Dirk could have gone almost to any school in the country but they decided to stay home and go to Drake as did Kendra.  Chad couldn’t stand to be separated from his sons so he stayed at home and he, Kendra and Dirk commuted to the campus each day. 

Chad and Dirk played baseball because they had scholarships and led the team to the Missouri Valley Championship the last two years of college and went to the College World Series their senior year, where they lost in the final game.  Chad was voted the most valuable player of the series, but he turned down the opportunity to go pro.

He returned to Drake and he and Dirk both enrolled in the Drake law program.  When they were in there final year of law school, Chad and Kendra got married and had a double wedding with Dirk and his wife.

Chad and Dirk opened a law office in Des Moines that has thrived and they specialize in cases involving children’s rights. 

Chad and Kendra have two children of their own and you would think that they were Mark and Jon’s children because of the way they dote on them.

Yep, I guess for two old gay men, Mike and I didn’t do too badly by our family, but the house may be a little crowded over Christmas, but we’ll make it work.

The End.

Please send comments to:

Editor's notes:

I don't want this story to end. I understand that it has ended. That doesn't mean that we can't keep up with the people's lives now and then. I would love to see a nice sequel to bring us up to date now and then like maybe at Christmas. E Walk has said that he has ideas as to things involving some or all of the people in the story, but he is afraid that no one would be interested in it if it wasn't about alternate lifestyles. I say he is wrong about that. We love every one of the people in that family and we don't want to lose track of any of them. Let's all let E Walk know we care about him and the stories he writes.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 09/12/08