Cousins All
by: Will B
(© 2007 by the Author)
Advisor: E Walk

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

From Chapter 9: Pete and Joe, accompanied by Mac and Buddy, arrive in Baltimore, and learn that a party is planned for the next day; a sinister gang plans to kidnap young teens and set up a brothel staffed by those teens.

Chapter 10

June 10:

“Good morning, my love, it’s time to get up—and I see that you’re partly up already,” Gary laughed at Matt as he lay in bed, his man shaft at full attention.

“Good morning, yourself, my hunky hombre. . . yes, I guess I’d better get up. We have a lot to do today,” replied Matt, as he swung his muscular legs over the bed to the floor, and raised his sexy torso up.

Both men, in their late 30s, had the trim bodies of male models, and could have sold a lot of swimsuits or underwear, if they had gone into that business.

They showered together, lovingly lathering the soap over each other’s body, kissing and caressing each other. They ’took care of each other’s needs,’ as one of my favorite authors is fond of saying. They did put some new decorations on the walls of the shower stall, but they cleaned them off. (Seems like those guys were always ‘redecorating’ those walls!).

Leaving the bathroom, they dressed, and at 8:15, they went down to breakfast.

“I’ve been thinking. It’s definitely gonna be a good idea to fix up that apartment upstairs, and rent it out—to the right person,” Matt said.

After the party, let’s make some definite plans,” Gary said.

At 9:00 they had eaten breakfast (bananas, Cheerios©, toast, butter, jelly, and hot tea), and by 9:15 they had put the dishes in the dishwasher, and cleaned up the kitchen.

At 10:00 the rental agency delivered tables and chairs, which Matt and Gary set up in the back yard. There were five tables that would each seat six people, and two long tables on which the food could be set.

At 10:30 Gary and Matt brought the portable grills out of the basement, and Pete and Joe brought their grill over.

* * * *

Across town, Tony Jones awoke to find that his sheets were encrusted with his ejaculate. His thoughts of Rosa di Napoli, and his active hands had led to him the inevitable conclusion of such thoughts. Just as he was wondering what to do, there was a knock on his door, and Papa Luigi asked, “Tony, may I come in?”

“Uh . . . uh, . . Just a minute, Papa?” Tony started to pull the sheet up and realized the smell of semen was still pretty strong. He decided he couldn’t put off the moment of discovery, so he’d better get it over with.

“Come in, papa,” he said.

Papa Luigi came in, looked at Tony, sniffed the air, looked at the bed, and smiled. “Don’t be embarrassed, Tony, you’re a growing boy, one who is rapidly becoming a man. This happens all the time.”

“Papa. I just . . . I just . . .” Tony said with some confusion.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, Tony, but I am going to show you how to launder your own sheets. We’ll tell Mama you’re just doing it to help her out. She may guess why you’re doing it but she will never say anything. This way, you needn’t be embarrassed about what is, after all, a natural part of growing up.”

“Thank you, Papa. I think I’ll tell Mama that I thought it would be a good idea if I gave her more help around the house. And, oh . . . Papa, I wanted to ask you about this.”

Tony showed Papa the box he had found in the closet the night before.

Papa’s eyes began to fill up. “I gave . . . this box to . . . Antonio on his 13^th birthday,” Papa said. “Tony, have you looked inside the box?”

“No, Papa. I was tempted, but then I thought it wouldn’t be quite right, looking in Antonio’s box, even though he’s not . . .”

Papa now definitely had tears in his eyes. “Tony, my boy, that tells me you have a great deal of integrity! I gave this box to Antonio, and told him I would never look inside it. If he had any prized possessions, or even if he had pictures that all boys see as they grow up, but never want their parents to know they’ve seen, he could keep those pictures in here and I would never look inside.”

After a pause while Papa Luigi blew his nose, he went on, “Tony this afternoon you and I are going to go for a walk, and find a large dumpster and dispose of this box. Then I am going to get you a box just like it, and I promise you, on the ‘word of a Lombardi,’ neither your Mama or I will ever invade your privacy.”

Tony and Papa looked at each other, and then Papa gave Tony a bear hug and said, “Come, my son. Let’s see what Mama is fixing for breakfast.”

* * * *

At 11:00, back at Matt and Gary’s the guests had begun to arrive.

Young Al Johnson and Mark Taylor were the first to arrive, with ten two-liter bottles of soda, followed shortly by Steve Johnson and Jim Smith, who brought ten more bottles of soda. Sarah Johnson (Sarah was Al and Steve’s sister) was next, with a bowl of potato salad and another bowl of cole slaw. Tim Green Heckman, a seminary student, and his fiancée Linda Fell came, bringing two picnic chest sized coolers, filled with ice. Tammy Green Heckman, Tim’s sister, brought a bowl of pasta salad. “Big” Al Johnson and his partner Steve Johnson, came with steaks. Big Al’s son Jack and his wife Peggy came with more steaks. Pete Harris and Joe Jones brought hotdogs and hamburgers.

This was not going to be a party where people thought too much about cholesterol!

Adele Pritchett, still pretty active for 75, and Dave and Mary Heckman (parents of Tammy and Tim), brought bottles of champagne, and John and Alicia Heckman brought champagne and glasses. Paul and Sally Smith (Sally was Jack Johnson’s sister and Paul and Sally were the parents of Jim Smith), came with six gallons of ice cream (which was quickly put in Matt and Gary’s freezer). Judge Jones came with paper plates and plastic tableware. Gene Rogers and Roy Cassidy came with ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, and steak sauce. Buddy Mason and Mac Williams arrived. When they had been told about today’s party, they offered to bring paper cups and hot dog and hamburger rolls (Did my readers think I had forgotten rolls?).

Like any party of friends and family, people greeted people with hugs, kisses, punches on the shoulder and high-fives.

Mac and Buddy were a little shy at first, but Pete and Joe introduced them to all the others, and any shyness soon melted away. At one point Steve and Jim, Al and Mark, Matt and Gary were all talking to Pete and Joe.

“Yeah, we’ve fixed up our basement apartment, and Mac and Buddy are going to be living with us while they are in medical school,” Pete explained.

“Matt and I were talking about fixing up our second floor apartment and renting it out, if we could find the right tenants,” Gary stated.

“Uh . . ., uh . . . what would you call the ‘right kind’ of tenants?” Al asked. Wheels were going around in his head; the wheels in Mark’s head were going around almost as fast.

“We thought someone just starting out, a young guy, perhaps. But he would have to be someone who wouldn’t mind having two landlords who were more than just friends,” Matt said.

“Ummmm, . . .” Al thought a minute. “Would you consider renting to a couple?” he asked.

“Well, we wouldn’t want some noisy dudes who were always whooping it up,” Matt said.

“How about a couple of policemen who come home in the evening, and just want to relax . . . I mean a responsible pair of citizens,” Al said.

Lights began to go on in Matt and Gary’s brain, especially when they saw Al turn to Mark with a questioning look on his face, and saw Mark give a slight nod of his head.

“I guess we might consider It., if we could find the ‘right kind’ of policemen. I guess they would have to be mature . . . and settled. We wouldn’t want them bringing their dates home at all hours,” Gary said with an oh-so-serious look on his face. All this while Steve and Jim were looking at Matt and Gary and Al and Mark with a serious look on their faces, but with a devilish gleam in their eyes.

Al took a deep breath, and then took Mark’s hand, looked at Matt and Gary, and said, “Would you consider Mark and me as tenants? We are sober, mature, and settled, and we . . . well . . . , the only dates we would be bringing home would be . . . US!”

Steve and Jim let out a whoop of laughter, high-fived each other, and said “Yes!” and “I knew it.”

Matt looked at Steve and asked, “Can you vouch for this young man’s character, sir?”

“Oh, he’s a character all right,” Steve answered. I’ve known him all my life, and he is a character, but you know I think somehow Mark will keep him toned down.”

Gary and Matt looked at each other, raised their eyebrows quizzically, and nodded their heads in agreement, and then turned to Al and Mark, and Gary said, “I think we can work something out—but mind! No wild parties unless you invite us!”

They shook hands and Steve and Jim each gave Al and Mark a bear hug. Steve whispered to Al “I’m so happy for you two. You know Steve and I thought this might happen when you brought Mark to the meeting of ‘The Cousins.’ Later Steve and I have something we would like to ask you two.”

As the party went on, Paul Smith, M.D., was having a conversation with Buddy Mason, future M.D., and Mac Williams, the other future M.D.

“Have you thought about what kind of medicine you want to specialize in?” he asked.

“Well,” Buddy replied, “We’re thinking about setting up as G. P’s. But I have also been giving some thought about going into pediatrics.”

“If we don’t set up a practice as G.P.’s, I’ve thought about concentrating on gerontology. I know it sounds corny,” Mac said, “But we’re more interested in helping people than in making a lot of money.”

“You both sound like my kind of men,” Paul said with a smile. “I certainly wish you luck, and if ever I can give either of you any kind of help, just call on me . . . and here’s my first bit of advice. Some times you may be at a party like this, and some one will come up and start asking you for medical advice. Just look very serious and say, ‘I can help you better if you just take off your clothes, so I can examine you. . .’ It works every time.”

Buddy and Mac laughed at this advice.

Just then Matt and Gary announced that the food was ready. Buddy and Mac went to Adele Pritchett and Judge Jones and said, “Can we bring you anything?”

Adele said “I would like two hotdogs with ketchup and relish, and a dab of potato salad and a larger dab of cole slaw. Thank you very much, gentlemen.” She gave them each a sweet smile.

Judge Jones smiled and said, “I can get my own, I thank you . . but I’ll tell you what, one of you can walk five paces ahead of me and announce, “Here come de judge, here come de judge.”

Laughter, good food, good drink, and love and friendship were all around! What more could anyone ask?

While the others were eating, talking, drinking, talking, and eating some more, Judge Jones was talking to Steve and Jim and giving them some things to think about as they were going to embark on a life as ‘life partners.’

“You should think about legal protections for the two of you. What if one of you should become very ill? Have you provided a way for the other to make decisions?” he asked kindly.

“Yes, sir, we have,” Steve answered. “We are going to be partners in every way allowable.”

“Good, and may I say ‘God bless the two of you,’” the Judge concluded.

When everyone had finished eating, Pete and Joe put champagne flutes on each table, and several bottles of champagne. For those who did not like champagne, they had bottles of sparkling cider.

Tim Heckman stood and tapped his fork on the edge of his flute, everyone got quiet and Steve and Jim stood up and faced the crowd.

“Friends and family, some of you know what we are about to say, but this is an official announcement,” Steve began.

“Steve and I are going to take each other as life partners,” Jim continued.

After a few gasps of surprise, everyone applauded. Al and Mark looked at each other and smiled. Matt and Gary looked at each other and squeezed each other’s hands. Pete and Joe looked at each other and Pete whispered “I think that we . . . . “ Joe replied “I think so too, my love.” Mac and Buddy sat there with tears in their eyes, and just held each other’s hand.

Steve continued, “We are having the commitment ceremony at the lake on June 20, and you are all invited to attend.”

There was more applause, and everyone went to congratulate the couple. At one point, Steven and Jim came to Pete and Joe and Matt and Gary, and asked if they would sing something at the ceremony. Steve whispered the name of the hymn in Pete’s ear.

“Yes, we can do that,” he said.

Jim said to Mac and Buddy, “Is there any chance that you two play the guitar, and if you do, could you accompany the singers while they sing . . . (and he whispered the name of the song into their ears)?”

“We brought our guitars from Vegas. We’d be delighted to play, but we’ll have to practice it, but I am sure we can,” Buddy replied.

Later that afternoon Sally Smith turned to her brother, Jack Johnson, and said “Are you OK, brother? I see that gleam of moisture in your eyes.”

“Yes, Sally, I truly am. I know that my sons—both of them—did not choose to be gay, and I can only hope and pray that they live useful, honorable lives and that they find partners to share their lives. I want them to be happy in their choices of partners as I have been in having Peggy by my side all these years.”

Sally gave her brother a hug, and gave Peggy a smile. Paul, her husband, said “Now let’s see. We are all brothers and sisters-in-law. We are aunts and uncles to each other’s children, and now we are going to be ‘co parents-in-law,’ and my son better treat your son right, or I’ll . . . or I’ll . . send him to his room! That’s what I’ll do.”

Everybody laughed.

* * * *

At 2:30 that afternoon, Papa Luigi said to Mama, “Could you mind the store? I need to take Tony to the hardware store.”

“Of course, Papa. It’s good for you and Tony to have some time together,” Mama said with a smile.

Papa told Tony to bring the box with the two keys, and they set off to the hardware store. On the way, they passed an alley with two dumpsters in it. “Give me those two keys, please,” Papa said.

“Sure, Papa. Here they are.”

Papa took the two keys and threw them into one of the dumpsters. Then he took the box and tore off the label with Anthony’s name on it, and he threw that box into the other dumpster.

“Papa, why did you do that?” Tony asked, with a puzzled frown on his face.

“Tony,” Papa told him, “I promised Anthony that that box was to contain his personal treasures and papers and that I would never look in it, and I never have. You told me you had not looked in it, and now nobody will know what secrets Anthony Lombardi was keeping. The box may have contained notes from his classmates, or even a letter from a special friend. It may even have contained some pictures from those girlie magazines that he didn’t want Mama or me to know he had. I don’t know what he was keeping in the box, but I’ve respected his privacy to this day.”

Tony was quiet. He and Papa arrived at the hardware store, and went in.

“Hello, Mr. Steiner. How are you?” Papa asked a middle-aged man who had gray hair and was wearing a blue shop apron.

“I’m fine, thank you, Mr. Lombardi. What can I do for you today?” Mr. Steiner asked with a smile.

“This is my . . . my foster son, Tony. I want to get him a metal box that locks, like the one you sold me some months ago. Tony is going to keep all his gold in the box. Ha ha ha!”

“This is the only size box we have, but I am sure that in a year or two, Tony will be so rich he will need a larger box. Mrs. Steiner was telling me how helpful and polite Tony was the other day when he waited on her at your store.”

“That makes me proud to hear you say that,” Papa replied with a huge grin on his face.

Papa paid for the box and he and Tony started home. “Let’s go sit in the park for a few minutes, Tony. I’m sure Mama will be all right.”

Papa and Tony went into the park and sat on a bench.

“Tony Jones, I give you this box for your very own, and here are the only two keys. It is yours, to keep your gold in, or notes from your friends, or maybe even notes from a special friend, like . . . like Rosa. She’s a very nice young lady, and I think you . . . eh? Tony?”

Papa gave Tony a gentle nudge and all Tony could say was “Oh, Papa . . .”

At that, Papa got very serious. “Tony, you are maturing, and as we talked earlier this morning, you know that your body is undergoing many changes. You are going to become curious about sex and about other people’s bodies.”

Tony started to say something, but Papa went on.

“Tony, it is perfectly natural to be curious about sex. You will be starting at St. Joseph’s School in the fall, and you will make many friends. You will talk about sex, and you msy even . . . you may even . . . want to touch each other and explore . . .”

Papa paused here to think about how he wanted to word the next words, “Sometimes, Tony, boys may explore other boys’ bodies. The curiosity is natural, but Tony, I must urge you always to act responsibly and honorably, and . . and safely!”

“Papa, I . . ., “ Tiny started.

“Let me finish, please, Tony. I don’t think I have to warn you about predators who prey on young boys or girls, who try to entice them to get into a car with promises of candy or some such treats,” Papa said.

“No, Papa. I know about those kinds of people.”

“Finally, Tony, you should know that some men find they are attracted to other men, rather than to women. It’s not a choice they make. It’s just the way they are born. Tony, Mama and I are coming to love you like a son. We hope that if you are willing we will be able to adopt you, and you will be our son legally, as well as in our hearts. Whatever choices you make, just know that your Mama and I love you.”

At this point Papa had tears in his eyes, and Tony’s eyes filled up also. All Tony could do was squeeze Papa’s hand, and say, “I love you and Mama, Papa, and I will do my best always to act in an honorable way so that you and Mama won’t ever have to be ashamed of me.”

Papa put his arm around Tony’s shoulder and took a deep breath, and said, “So, Tony, we will go home to Mama. Here is your box, and I promise you that neither Mama nor I will ever look in it. After all, we can’t expect you to trust us, if you think we don’t trust you! Oh, and one more thing, my boy, if you ever have any questions about anything, sex, or anything, please feel free to ask me or Mama.”

While they were walking home, they did not notice a red convertible parked across the street from the park, driven by a bare-chested man who had snakes tattooed all over his arms, shoulders, neck and chest. If they had noticed him, and if they could have known the thoughts he was thinking, they would have been sickened, and terrified.

To be continued . . .

Feedback always welcome:     

Author’s comments: Papa and Mama are showing how they love Tony more and more. I hope my readers are coming to love him also.

Editor’s comments:  I have this funny feeling that there may be more commitment ceremonies coming down the pike.  I am worried about what is on Snake’s evil mind for Tony.  E

Author’s rebuttal: Once again I have t thank my editor for his help in finding inconsistencies. He should be worried about Snake’s evil. I just hope I can find a way to prevent the worst from happening. Will Mighty Mouse come to save the day? Will Superman continue to fight for truth, justice and the American way? To find the answers to these questions, you will just have to keep reading, won’t you. (And now I am being evil!).

Posted: 02/29/08