Welcome back! The feast is well underway, and our mystery guest has arrived.
This story deals with adult themes, primarily same-gender sexual relations. Such relations have their basis in love and commitment, rather than sex for the sake of sex alone. In some cases they will use protection; at other times they will not. You and I should always use protection because we do not live in the world of fiction.
If you are offended the idea of homosexuality or if you are under the age of consent or if you reside in an area where such things are considered illegal or immoral, then you should seek entertainment elsewhere.
Comments may be directed to the author at thornado5@netscape.net
This story is copyright 2004 by Mike Williams. All rights reserved. Thou shalt not steal.
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A Thousand Rainbows by Mike Williams
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Todd's eyes were wide as he led Dylan into the dining room, where Brian was already setting a place for their guest. "Everybody, I'd like you to meet Dylan Cruz. Uh, Mr. Cruz, this is my mom and dad ..."
Will stood and offered his hand to the newcomer. "Will and Sarah."
Dylan removed his hat. "Pleased to meet you, sir ... ma'am."
"... My half-brothers Jason and Josh ..."
Dylan gave them a wide smile. "Pleasure to meet you guys."
Todd continued the introductions. "... My uncles, Brian Connor and Bjorn Larkin ..."
Brian stepped forward. "We are honored, sir."
Bjorn stood up from his chair at the head of the table. "Welcome to our home. Please make yourself comfortable." He indicated a chair next to Sean.
"... And this is our friend ..."
Dylan cut him off as the smile faded from his face. "Sean Ludwig. Man, you just keep getting uglier every time I see you."
Sean rose from his chair with a serious look on his face. "Well, Mr. Cruz, I think I might just have to ..." He trailed off as he stepped toward the newcomer.
For a moment it looked as if the two men would come to blows, the rebirth of some long- standing feud. But then he broke into a big smile. "... Give you a big hug!" And he pulled the country singer into a close friendly embrace, clapping him on the back as he did so.
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While Dylan ate, the rest of the family remained at the dining room table, and the conversation continued pretty much along the same lines as it had before his arrival. He sat back having just polished off dessert. "That was, without a doubt, the best Thanksgiving dinner I've ever had. Thank you, Bjorn, for your turkey and cornbread stuffing. Thank you, Sarah, for your salad. Thank you, Will, for thoughts on football. Thank you, Todd, for answering the door and being such a fan of my music. Thank you, Jason and Josh ... or, at least, thank you in advance. I'm looking forward to hearing your music. And, Brian, your apple pie was just heaven." Then he turned to the deputy. "And thank you, Sean, for making your dad's salad dressing recipe just the way I remember it; you even used your secret ingredient."
"And what's the secret ingredient, Sean?" Brian asked.
But Dylan continued. "I can answer that question: It was the wine. My family runs a small winery in the Napa valley, and our Chardonnay makes a great salad dressing."
"A few years ago," Sean continued, "my dad visited the winery ... just part of the regular tour they give to the public ... and he bought a few bottles. Then he started experimenting."
"That's part of why I'm here, taking a few days off from the tour," Dylan said. "We're looking for some land to expand the wine business. Speaking of which, I've got a couple cases in the car." He pulled the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Todd. "Todd, would you and your brothers do the honors? In the trunk there are two cases marked `Sean'."
And the boys were quickly away, eager to see Cruz' late-model SUV for themselves.
"So here we have a country singer and a cop," Bjorn said. "How did you guys meet?"
"In school," Sean answered. "I was a junior at Mannheim College ... that's near San Fernando ... studying criminal justice ..."
"... And I was doing post-grad work and teaching a couple courses in their music department," Dylan finished his friend's thought. "I had a two-bedroom apartment off campus ..."
"... And I got kicked out of the dorms after a wild party one night," Sean said somewhat sheepishly. "Dylan was looking for a roommate, and I needed a place to live."
Brian smiled at his partner, thinking how similar was the situation that brought these to men together. Something in the back of his mind told him that these two were more than just friends.
"And when I discovered he had a guitar ..." Dylan was saying; he turned to look at his friend before continuing. "... I made him practice every day and every night."
"I almost changed my major," Sean confessed.
Todd and the boys returned with two cases of wine. "Way cool car, Dylan," Todd said as he handed the keys back to the singer. The twins nodded their agreement.
"Thanks; glad you like it." Dylan turned back to his hosts. "But I knew talent when I heard it. This guy can really play. In fact, we formed a band with a couple other guys, and it was Sean who sang lead vocals."
"What was the name of the band? Did you guys record anything?" Todd asked.
Sean smiled over at his friend. "We called ourselves Pony River. And I can't remember how we came up with that name."
Brian recognized the look on Sean's face and thought that he must have been holding something back. But he said nothing.
"And yes," Sean continued. "We recorded an album of original stuff. But I think that was more for our own egos than for selling records."
"Wait a minute, Dylan," Sarah interrupted. "You were doing post-grad work? You've got a master's?"
"Yes, ma'am, in education. I got my bachelor's in music at Brookshire College."
Will's eyebrows rose. "Brookshire! Very impressive." He saw confusion on the faces of nearly everyone else in the room. "A small liberal arts college in Connecticut. And one of the best music programs in the country. I thought seriously about studying there myself."
"It's a good school," Dylan agreed. "I try and get back there at least once a year."
"That gives me an idea." Bjorn said, looking at the twins. "If you guys are serious about studying music, next time you can get into the guidance center, pick up a catalog on Brookshire."
"I might even have one in the car. Don't let me forget before I go." Dylan stood and turned to the twins. "So you guys are composers. Let's hear what ya got."
Brian stood and led the way to the family room. "This way, ladies and gentlemen. Don't forget to bring your coffee."
Jason and Josh were making the final adjustments to the stereo system as the others took their seats. Then they stood, facing their audience. "This first song," Jason said, "is one we wrote for our church choir. It's called `Share A Brand New Day'." Josh pressed the play button on the CD player. The speakers came to life with a string section playing pizzacato as the twins waited for their cue.
Along with their synthesized orchestra, a choir joined the popsong with ooh's and ahh's through the middle eight.
The song finished to thunderous applause from the small audience. Josh turned quickly to stop the CD player from continuing into the next track before they were ready.
Dylan was astonished at the talent before him. "That was really, really good."
"Thank you," Josh said. "This next one we wrote for a friend of ours. She's an author, and, if they ever make her story into a movie, we hope this will be the theme song. It's called `The Magic In Your Touch'."
Again he reached around to press the play button. And again the room was filled with a string section ... not pizzicato as before, but a lively introduction ... with harp and drums.
"Well, I never would have believed it If it hadn't happened to me. Something woke me up, and it opened my eyes. Now there's so much more to see. It defies all explanation, But it's what I need so much. There's a magic, A magic in your touch.
"Well, I never would have believed it If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. But the moment you stepped into my life The sun broke the cloudy skies. Just let me hold you Hold you 'til we feel the rush. There's a magic, A magic in your touch.
"There's a story inside each of us Just waiting to be set free, And you put your mind on paper For all the world to see, And everything comes together Connecting every one of us. It's the magic, The magic in your touch."
Dylan sat in awe. "I better quit the music business while I'm ahead. You guys are too much!"
Praise from other members of the audience was just as lavish. Todd was about to give a loud whistle, but caught Sarah watching him with a raised eyebrow. He resumed clapping and shouted "Bravo! Bravo!"
"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen," Jason said. "That's end of our concert."
"Looks like it's my turn to sing for my supper," Dylan said to his hosts. "You guys got a guitar?"
Bjorn shook his head. "Just an electronic keyboard."
"That'll do."
Bjorn retrieved the instrument and plugged it in. Dylan sat behind the console and changed the setting to grand piano'. He struck a few random chords. "So many people hear the name Dylan Cruz', and they think of country music. And it makes me sad to think that they only latch on to one thing ... because there's so much more out there. But then, if they heard the name Gregory Delacroix, they probably wouldn't give it a second thought."
Todd's hung on his every word. "Who's Gregory Delacroix?"
Dylan smiled down at the boys seated on cushions on the floor. "That's my real name. But ya gotta promise not to tell anyone."
The twins raised their right hands with the first two fingers extended. "We promise," they said in unison. "Twins honor."
Todd tried to imitate his brothers, but had some trouble. Finally he gave up. "Yeah, what they said. Code of the West."
Dylan gently touched the keys and closed his eyes. With no further introduction he began Debussy's "Claire de Lune". Throughout the piece he opened his eyes only briefly, in the more tricky passages. Jason, Josh and Todd sat together on the floor in wide-eyed amazement; the twins astonished by the beauty of the song, and Todd, because he had a front row seat to a private concert by his favorite country superstar.
At one end of the sofa Brian and Bjorn held hands, as did Will and Sarah at the other end. Sean, seated in an easy chair, fought to keep his emotions under control, but tears streamed down his cheek nevertheless. As the song finished Dylan opened his eyes to face his audience, several of whom were visibly moved to tears.
Sean wiped his face with a handkerchief. "I must have heard you perform that at least five hundred times. And it just keeps getting better."
Dylan smiled fondly at his longtime friend. "Thank you."
Brian realized that no one was applauding. "Applause, everyone, applause." Instantly there were wide smiles, and everyone was on their feet.
Dylan stood and acknowledged his audience with a slight bow. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Now, if I can just have a moment in your rest room."
"This way." Brian led him down the hall. When he returned, Bjorn had taken the seat behind the keyboard and was serenading the group with a popular song. Brian recognized the tune, but he couldn't recall the title.
Halfway through the song Bjorn looked up to see Dylan standing in the door, smiling, and he motioned Dylan to join him at the keyboard. Bjorn scooted to the left, making room for Dylan on the piano bench.
"Next verse is yours, Dylan," he said, taking his right hand from that side of the keyboard. He continued to play the left-hand part and occasionally improvised a little something with his right hand. Dylan picked up the melody right away and added a few embellishments of his own.
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to be continued in Chapter 25
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Editor's note: I would like to have included the words to "Share A Brand New Day", which I co-wrote for a church choir in 1993. Alas, I have lost contact with my co-author. So, Ken, if you're out there, send me an e-mail.
"The Magic In Your Touch" (Copyright 2004, words and music by Mike Williams, based on the story "The Magic In Your Touch" by Sara Bell; thanks, babe)