Trials and Triumphs II
By: Morris Henderson
(Copyright 2012 by the author)

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

Chapter 5
SPIRITS LIFTED; SPIRITS CRUSHED

Eric and Mike talked infrequently by telephone but the conversations were short and never rose above trivial topics.  Eric was surprised, therefore, when Mike called and said, “Hey there, Eric.  It’s Mike.  You said once you’d like to meet Larry.  Well, he’s just as eager to meet you.  I don’t think he believes me when I tell him what a great guy you are.  Can you break away for an evening and drive down to our place?  We’ll have dinner.  Larry’s a great cook.  You can be home in time to help Grant get ready for bed.  How about it?”

It took very little thought for Eric to answer.  He wanted to see Mike again and to meet Larry.  “I’d love to.  When is the best time?”

“Terrific!  As you know, weekends are busy for us but we can get together almost any evening midweek that fits your schedule.”

They agreed on Tuesday, just three days away.  Mike gave Eric the address and directions.  Grant was pleased that Eric would be spending time with a friend but Eric was more than pleased.  He was extremely excited and impatient for Tuesday to arrive.

Mike greeted his guest at the door — “Great to see you again” — and gave him a hug that felt good but wasn’t arousing because Eric had long since resigned himself to having only a good friend and not a sexual partner.

Larry came out of the kitchen.  Eric was impressed with Larry’s strikingly handsome looks.  He was only about five and a half feet tall but had a muscular body under a tight-fitting tee shirt and cargo pants.  His facial features and skin tone suggested a Hispanic heritage.  His bright eyes and broad smile seemed to attest to a jovial, perhaps, mischievous nature.  He greeted the guest with, “Hi, I’m Larry.  You must be Eric, the guy Mike has been telling me about.  But I have to say that his description of you doesn’t begin to match your good looks.”

Eric was momentarily taken aback by the compliment and more so by news that Mike had been so complimentary but he managed to say, “Thanks.  I guess I inherited the right genes.”

Larry said, “I’d like to admire you some more but that will have to be later.  Right now, I’ve got to get the biscuits in the oven.”  With that, he made his exit as quickly as he had his entrance.

Eric turned to Mike and said, “I can see why you love him.  He’s gorgeous and has a delightful personality.”

“You’re right on both counts,” Mike grinned.  “I’m very lucky.”

Dinner was superb and the conversation was pleasantly animated throughout.  After desert, they settled into the living room.  After about an hour of enjoyable conversation, Eric got a huge surprise when Mike got a serious look and said, “I hate to interrupt the socializing but I have some business to discuss.  You know we both work for an escort service.  What you don’t know is how successful it is.  There are more clients than the ten of us who work there can handle.  Bottom line: would you be willing to join the team?  Before you answer let me emphasize that it pays VERY well and, more importantly, they only accept well-healed clients so you never have to worry about entertaining some sleazebag or putting up with kinky stuff.  How about it?”

Eric had listened in disbelief and wasn’t able to digest the proposal.  He sat silently for a long time evaluating the possibilities.  Mike and Larry waited patiently for Eric’s answer, fully aware that the idea was unexpected and they understood Eric’s hesitancy.

Finally, Eric said, “I don’t know what to say, guys.  On the one hand, I may very well enjoy the frequent sex even though there would be no affection.  And you already know that I walked away from a similar situation because it was no more than doing my duty.  That and the deceit of my sugar daddy.  If that were the only consideration, I would be willing to give it a try.  The variety of sex partners might outweigh the lack of emotional commitment.  However, I can’t abandon Grant.  I love him like a father and he can’t get along without my help.  So I guess I’ll have to decline the offer.  But I’m extremely flattered that you think I’m qualified.”

“Take some time to think about it,” Mike urged.  “Who knows?  Maybe you can figure out a way to join us and still take care of Grant.”

For the next twenty minutes, Eric quizzed Mike and Larry about their typical schedule, details of their client’s preferences, and whether he could refuse to service a client after an unpleasant first experience.  With all the information he needed, he said, “Give me some time to think about it.  Okay?  I’ll let you know in a day or two.”

“Add this to the possibilities,” Larry said.  “I met Mike because we both worked for the service.  Now we’re deeply in love but we can keep our private life and our job separate.  No guarantee but you may be able to do the same — with another escort or somebody else.”

Eric hadn’t considered that and said, “If I could find a partner like either of you two and enjoy the love you have for each other, I would be the happiest person on earth.  But I realize that the chances of that are slim.  But I can hope, can’t I?”

Eric struggled with his dilemma on the drive back to Denton.  Two days later, he phoned Mike with his answer.  “Thanks again for the offer.  I appreciate the compliment and the confidence you showed.  I’ve thought of very little else since then.  But I have to decline.  For now.  Maybe — if the offer stands — I can accept it later.”

<><><><><> 

Grant’s mobility slowly became more impaired.  He never complained but the grimace on his face as he moved, especially getting up out of his recliner, told Eric that the pain was getting worse even with an increase in the amount of medication.  Without telling Grant, whom he knew would object, he bought a lift chair — a motorized recliner that would raise the occupant to an almost standing position — and scheduled delivery for a Saturday.  Eric’s prediction was correct.  When the chair was delivered, Grant exploded.  It was the first time Eric had seen the man angry.  He ranted and fumed for fifteen minutes, ignoring Eric’s insistence that he wanted to make Grant’s life a little easier and had bought the lift chair as a token of friendship.  Grant sulked for two days.  The atmosphere was positively chilly and quite unlike the amiable rapport the two had enjoyed for so long.  Eventually, however, Grant’s residual anger was replaced with appreciation and an admission that the lift chair was a luxury that helped more than he thought possible.

Grant was able to enjoy the chair for only six months.  Eric came home from work to find the man lying on the bathroom floor, cold and not breathing.  He immediately called 911 and was advised that, given the situation he described, CPR would be useless.  An autopsy (mandatory for unexpected deaths) found that he had suffered a heart attack.

Eric arranged for burial and a brief, graveside memorial service.  Grant was the fourth father he had lost and the one for whom he grieved the most.  The father in his childhood degenerated into a cruel demon due to the poisoning effect of booze and who drunkenly stumbled to his death in front of a passing car.  The second, a surrogate father, was lost due to the inexplicable anger of his high school friend and would-be lover, Brian.  The third, his biological father, turned out to be intolerably selfish and deceitful.  But it was Grant who, in spite of his deteriorating body, was kind and loving.  It was Grant’s death that submerged Eric into the deepest grief and mourning.

Eric no longer felt at home in Grant’s house.  Aside from the memories of his best friend that arose in every room of the house, he knew he didn’t belong, that it was not HIS house; he had been just a boarder.  He was homeless for the third time in his young life.  He decided he would look for an apartment.  But the more immediate concern was a sense of obligation to figure out what would become of Grant’s house and its contents.  The man had said he had no living relatives so Eric faced a problem with no apparent solution.  He was brooding over the quandary when the phone rang. 

“Are you Eric Mathews?”

“I am.”

“This Paul Stevens.  I’m an attorney.  I saw Grant Kaiser’s obituary in the paper.”

Eric, irritated by what he thought was a hearse-chasing lawyer, interrupted, “If you’re trolling for clients, I’m not interested.”

“No, I’m not looking for a client.  I have some information that you may or may not know.  Mr. Kaiser had me draw up a Will.  You’re named in the Will and there’s a personal letter from him to you in a sealed envelope.  He gave me explicit instructions to deliver it to you after his death.  Can you stop by my office?  There are a several matters we should discuss.”

Eric was stunned by the news but managed to say, “I can’t get off work but I have the late shift on Monday.  I can come in on Monday morning.”

“That will be fine.  I’ll transfer you to my secretary to make the appointment and give you directions to my office.  I’ll see you on Monday.”

Paul Stevens, the attorney, was a man of about thirty and was reasonably pleasant but very business like when his secretary ushered Eric into the plush office.  “Good morning.  Thanks for coming in.  Please have a seat.”  Eric sat in one of the leather-covered chairs in front of a large, cluttered desk.  “If you don’t mind, Mr. Mathews, I’ll get right down to business.  Grant Kaiser executed this Will three months ago.  I must say, I didn’t expect him to pass away so soon.  He told me that you have been a resident in his home for quite some time and have seen to his needs so I wasn’t surprised that he designated you as the sole beneficiary of his estate.  It’s little more than the house, all its contents, and the car.”  Stevens paused before saying, “I see you’re surprised.  You didn’t know about the Will and inheriting his estate?”

“No, Sir.  I never thought about his passing.  He was crippled with arthritis but otherwise in good health.  And I never gave a thought to what would happen to his meager possessions when he did die.  I knew he had no family but I’m mystified by his leaving it all to me.

“I inquired about his reason but he said it was explained in the letter he left for you.  I also asked a routine question in such matters.  Namely did he want provisions in the Will for final expenses and burial.  He said, in effect, ‘They can cart this old body off to the land fill.  It’s worn out, anyway.’  He was so emphatic in his answer that I didn’t pursue the subject.  Now, however, my curiosity is aroused.  It’s none of my business but who paid for the burial and final expenses?”

“I did,” Eric replied.  “He has no family and I thought he deserved a decent burial.”

“Just as I suspected,” the attorney said.  “That was very kind and thoughtful of you.  Now back to the matters at hand.”

“Before going on, my curiosity is also aroused.  I know that legal help is not cheap.  Since he had less than enough money to meet basic necessities of living, how could he afford to pay you to create the Will?”

The attorney replied, “I sometimes do pro bono work ... for destitute but deserving people like Grant Kaiser.  When I visited his home, he wanted to pay my fee in ... forgive me ... dribs and drabs.  But I declined his offer.”

“How like him,” Eric mused.  “He was — or wanted to be — as independent as possible.”

“You will need to transfer title to the car and the deed to the property.  You can do it yourself through probate court if you like.  If, however, you would like assistance, I would be glad to handle the details for you.”

“I’ll let you know,” Eric replied.

As soon as he got home, Eric opened the sealed envelope and read the letter from Grant.

Dear Eric, my friend

Thank you.  You’ve been a reliable help for a crippled old man.  It pains me to think of how you have denied yourself the pleasures of being young in order to make my life more bearable.

Most of all, I thank you for being a companion for a lonely old man.  You have brought joy into my life just by being a friend.  I pray that God will reward you for your compassion and unselfishness.

You’ve been a great help to me when my body wouldn’t do what I wanted it to.  You’ve also been a great help to my spirits and kept me from loneliness and self-pity.  For that I love you as a proud father would love his son.

I don’t know when you will read this letter but one thing I know for sure.  You made my days pleasant just by being there for me.

God bless you,

Grant

Eric cried, once more, over the loss of his good friend.

To be continued...

My thanks to Iatia for his consistently meticulous editing and for his continuing encouragement.

Posted:09/14/12