So anyone who knows me well will know that one of my special phrases is "woo hoo hoo." I don't know why; it just is! So anyway...Here is Chapter 12. I hope that you guys continue to enjoy the story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. That being said, this isn't the final chapter. Chapter 17 will be the final. I've already got it finished, and will be posting more as soon as the editors and proofers get back with me. I would like to take a moment to thank Ken, Alex, JD (woo hoo hoo!), Cheryl, Belinda, and Donna for taking the time to look over the stories and give me their imput. Without you guys, I wouldn't have gotten this far, I don't believe.
If you have any questions...please, as always, feel free to email me on boricuaholandes@hotmail.com. We also have the Yahoo! group set up for those who are interested. The address is ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/futurecanadiansgroup. iQue disfruten la historia!
-David
All Good Things Chapter 12 -- Checks and Balances
Tony kissed my face gently. "Wake up, baby." I groggily came to.
"Good morning, Tony." I stretched and yawned as I continued to lay on the bed as he sat, looking down at my body as I came into the world of the living. "What time is it?"
"It's seven. I've got to be at the airport by 10."
"Oh, shit! I almost forgot," I said as pulled myself out of the bed and began pulling on a pair of jeans that I'd gotten from my suitcase.
"Wait, babe. I've still got to shower before I can go," Tony winked and smiled at me. I smiled as well and began to take off the jeans as quickly as I'd put them on. When we were traveling, especially to Toronto, the only time we had to ourselves was in the shower. We often took full advantage of the time alone to quench our mutual thirsts for physical contact with one another. Being that he was leaving that morning for his hunting trip, this would be the first time until we got back to Auburn to mutually satisfy one another. He giggled evilly as I climbed back onto the bed and took his lips. I kissed them deeply as I became conscious of my morning wood. Was it morning wood or an actual hard on that had resulted from kissing my extremely hot boyfriend? "You're such a dirty boy," he said.
"Yeah. You want to clean me up?"
"I want to do something else to you," he said as he gently rubbed my naked chest with the tip of his finger.
"Oh really? What is that?"
He leaned over and whispered into my ear, "I want to suck your dick and swallow every gooey drop of what you can offer me."
"Ooh. Tony!"
"And I want you to make love to me," he continued. "I want to feel you inside me."
"Tony," I managed to say, despite the drying of my throat, "we don't have much time."
"I know." He kissed my cheek as he climbed off the bed, stripping the boxers he was wearing from his body. I got off the bed myself and found myself so horny that I could barely take the boxers off my body. I almost stumbled and fell onto the floor as I pulled the white cotton article from my body. When I finally was able to get into the bathroom, Tony had already turned on the water and was testing it to make sure that it would be comfortable for both of us. When it was ready, he turned and smiled at me. It almost seemed as though he were in slow motion as he walked toward me. When he arrived at his destination, he smiled and put his wet hands on my hip. He kissed me gently for a moment before lowering himself to his knees.
He kissed around my chest and abdomen as he made his way to the place he was looking for. He didn't waste any time and put his lips onto my cock. It felt really, really good. I love getting head first thing in the morning. It seems as though the sensations wake me even more than a cup of coffee might. It was the kind of high that can be reproduced by a drink or a drug. He worked his hand up and down my shaft as he slid it in and out of his mouth. It wasn't long before I reached the point of no return. I leaned up against the wall and put my hands on his dark curly hair.
"I'm gonna cum," I whispered. He didn't respond, but stopped moving. I began to fuck his mouth, using my gyrating hips to shove my penis into and out of his through. I began to moan as I tried to hold back my own orgasm. It was going to be big, since I hadn't gotten off in a few days. The first load quickly shot into the back of his throat. The second and third weren't as powerful as the first had been, but were strong, none the less. Five spurts later, I felt like I was spent, but I knew that I wouldn't get out of it that easily. Tony was always very upfront with what he wanted, and, with that, I knew that I'd better be able to get it back up in a few minutes, because he was in the mood to get fucked. As he came off my dick, he stood and smiled at me. A little drop of cum had slipped out of his mouth. When he realized it, he wiped it from the corner of his mouth and licked the finger.
"So let's shower," he said, winking as he turned and opened the shower curtain.
"OK," I said as he climbed into the shower. "I've got to pee, though."
"Hurry," he said as he pulled the curtain shut. It took a second for the flow to start, but when it did, it felt as if I were losing weigt from the water loss.
"Alright," I said as I finished draining myself. I climbed into the shower and looked at him. He'd leaned up against the back wall waiting on me. His dick was huge and hard. He smiled at me as he tried to look cool standing there in the shower. It was my turn to take charge of things, and I was more than ready for the challenge. I kissed him at first. His supple red lips, at least for that minute, were mine. I massaged his hips. I pulled myself away from him for a moment.
Looking at me, he commented, "Fuck me hard." I smiled and turned him around in the shower as the water pelted my back. We'd stashed a bottle of lube in my bathroom at home, just in case we didn't think to bring any from the apartment. I grabbed the bottle and lubed up my cock, which had again grown to full mast. I squeezed a bit into my hand and rubbed it in his ass.
"Oh yeah," he said as I began to push myself into him. He'd turned and put his left leg onto the edge of the slightly oversized tub. Slowly, I moved my hips, stroking my hard penis inside him. He bent over slightly, to get a better feel of me being inside him. I put my hands on his hips and began to more quickly. Tony held his place with one hand against the wall while he feverishly stroked his cock with the other hand. I could feel he was about to blow from the contractions of his ass muscles. "OH FUCK!" he screamed as he began to shoot load after load of gooey white splooge all over the floor of the bathtub. He remained in the same position for a moment, though, because he knew I wouldn't be far behind him with my second load of the morning. He surmised correctly as I soon felt the rumblings from deep within my groin. I began to moan as I reached around to feel his abs. He contracted them so that I could feel the ridges formed during hours of crunches and other ab exercises. I pushed myself deep inside him one last time as I began to loose my load. It was almost as strong as the orgasm I'd experienced filling the other end of his body a few minutes before.
"Oh God, I'm going to miss you," I said I pulled myself out of him and he turned to face me.
"I know."
"But you need to spend time with Gui and Martin, without your other half around."
"I am going to miss you, too, Jake." He kissed my lips once and grabbed the soap. Fifteen minutes later, we were climbing out of the shower and toweling off. We dressed in silence before I began helping Tony get his clothes together. It was going to be a different experience going to bed without him. "So are you and Joey going out to dinner tonight?"
"Yeah. He said he'd pick me up around six."
"I'll be gone less than 12 hours and you have a date with another guy."
"Aww...You know that you are the only man that I date. I'm just going out with a friend."
"I know babe," he said, smiling.
"I love you, Tony."
"I love you, too."
Within just a few minutes, his suitcase was packed, and we were headed downstairs. I carried his suitcase down the stairs into the living room, where my mother was sitting to watch TV for a few minutes before going to her office. Danny would be there in a moment to take us to the airport, so that we could see Tony safely onto the plane.
"So," Mom started without looking at us, "I learned something just now."
"What is that?"
"That your bathroom isn't soundproof as we'd initially thought." She and Tony began laughing hysterically as I turned a bright shade of red. "Sounds like Tony was having fun."
"Oh, I was, Susan." They began laughing again. Aunt Freda came in with a cup of coffee for her and my mother.
"GOOD morning," she said, accenting the first word as she looked at the two of us.
"Good morning, to you too, Auntie."
"I need a man that can screw that good!" she said, bluntly, again making my mother and Tony laugh as I turned red as a beet. "The best part is seeing Jake turn that red!" Freda exclaimed as she pointed at me.
"You people are nuts."
"Well, I am at least. But I've regained my sanity since I left your uncle."
"You did good, sis."
"Yes, I did."
Within a half hour, Danny and a friend from school arrived, fully ready to take us to the airport. The time had come for us to depart and for Tony to be back in his homeland for a few days without his foreign boyfriend. Danny carried the suitcase to the car as Tony took a moment to hug my mom and aunt before leaving. He cared for both of them as if they were his own family. For all practical purposes, they were as much his family as mine. Within just a few minutes, we were off. Danny turned and twisted through the streets as we made our way from our North Toronto home. Danny and his friend sat in the front of the jeep, while Danny and I sat in the back. Like Danny, his friend, Diego, had a gay brother with a boyfriend. He was comfortable with being around gay people in love. Tony and I didn't pay much attention to their conversation. We were both far more concerned with his departure. This was the first time since he'd arrived in Toronto the year before to celebrate Christmas after his disastrous coming-out.
We finally arrived at the airport a bit after leaving the house. My stomach sank a little bit as I waited for the moment of Tony's final departure. The four of us piled out of the car, but only Tony and I walked into Pearson's second terminal. "So this is it for a week?" Tony asked.
"Yeah. I suppose so." I felt like I was going to cry, and Tony saw that in downcast face.
"Don't worry babe. We'll see each other in less than a week, and we'll have plenty of time before the semester starts to um...catch up."
"That's not what I'm gonna miss, though."
"I know, babe. I'm going to miss cuddling with you, smelling you when I wake up in the middle of the night, seeing your beautiful brown eyes first thing in the morning, and, most importantly, seeing that gleam in your face when I tell you that I love you."
I smiled a little bit. "Now boarding, CanadAir flight 9913 to Charlotte, North Carolina, United States at Gate 11," a loud, female voice belted over the intercom system.
"That's my flight, babe." Tony hugged me once, very tightly. When he pulled away, I could tell that he wasn't fighting tears like I was. He looked at me and smiled. I reached up and kissed him on the lips quickly. I didn't care what anyone else would think at my display of affection.
"I love you, Tony," I managed to say from behind my misty eyes.
"I love you, Jakey." He kissed me on the cheek one last time and then turned to head toward the gate. Security had let me pass through with Tony, but as he walked away, I couldn't leave the secured area of the airport. It wasn't until he was completely out of sight that I felt that my feet would allow me to move. I slowly walked out of the terminal and to my brother's jeep, where he and Diego were waiting on me.
"You OK, Jake?" Danny asked as I climbed into the vehicle.
"Yeah. I miss him already, though," I said as my phone buzzed. It was Tony, sending me a text message to say that he was safely on the plane. I began to sniffle. "Diego, I'm sorry that I'm so emotional, but this is the first time in over a year that we've been apart for more than a few hours."
"No problem, dude. My brother gets the same way when he and his boyfriend are apart," Diego said in a thick accent. I smiled at the man that I barely knew, but seeing my brother's look of great concern made me finally break down. As much as I tried to hold back the tears, they flowed. They flowed freely. Danny reached back and patted my shoulder to comfort me a little bit. From where the car was parked, we could see the ascent of a plane into the air. I assumed it was Tony's flight back across the border.
Danny pulled out of the space and then out of the parking deck. He and Diego talked as we drove back toward home, but all I could do was sit in the back and think about Tony. By the time we got back to the house, Pete had woken up and had joined our mother's in the living room. Danny and Diego didn't stay long, but did spend enough time to eat some breakfast that Aunt Freda prepared especially for the four of us. She was an amazing cook. Diego even noted that if she owned a restaurant, he'd eat there as much as he could. Freda was pleased by the comment. Mom left as Danny and Diego pulled out of the driveway. It was cool to hang out with Freda and Pete for the afternoon.
"So Mom," Pete said as we sat in the living room.
"Yes, baby?"
"I got a phone number at the bar the other night."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah."
"Did you call yet?" I asked.
"Not yet," Pete answered. "I'm still a little too embarrassed over the way I acted.
"Don't worry about it. He's really cool."
"What's his name?" Freda asked. "Is he hot?"
"Tom...and YES! He's muscular and sweet."
"Good. Is he good?"
"He seems like a good guy?"
"No, baby. Is he good in the sack?"
"MOM!" It was Pete's turn to become bright red in the face.
"Well? It's a legitimate question."
"I don't know yet, Mom."
"So you are planning on doing him?"
"If he wants to, I wouldn't complain."
"Just remember: wrap it before you tap it," Freda said as she sipped a soda. I laughed, never expecting my aunt who just a short time ago was a quiet, reserved woman, repressed by a husband who thought the universe revolved around him and no one else. Pete laughed as well, but not as loudly and with his face still a bright shade of red. "So what are you plans for tonight, Jake?"
"My friend Joey and I are going out to dinner."
"Oh OK. I haven't met him yet, have I?"
"No ma'am."
"Now this is the guy that took you to the hospital, right?"
"Yes ma'am. He's the one who saved my life."
"I can't wait to meet him. He's got to come in and see me."
"I'm sure I can arrange it."
"Is he straight?"
"No ma'am."
"Damn," Freda said.
"MOM!" Pete yelled again.
"What? I've got needs, too. And if you think I'm calling your father, you are SADLY mistaken." I giggled, while Pete shook his head in disbelief.
Since the shower from earlier had been occupied by other things, I decided to head upstairs to nap for a bit and then take a shower before Joey arrived. After waking, I enjoyed letting the water pelt my back and shoulders. It felt good as I wiped the soap all over my naked body. Even though I wasn't as tanned as I'd like to be, I could still see the definition that I'd added to my own body with Tony's assistance. I was cute, and for the first time since Adan and I split, I felt like I was cute.
Not that Tony didn't dote on me all the time as being his "hot boyfriend," but with what I'd been through with Adan, it took me a long time to get over those feelings. The odd thing was, though, that I wasn't mad at Adan anymore. I didn't harbor a single hard feeling toward him. I guess that true love can do that to a person. For a split second, I wondered what he was doing, but those thoughts were changed quickly as I thought of what I got when I got Tony. When you put the two side by side, Tony shined in comparison to Adan. Tony was smarter, hotter, nicer, and more humble than Adan, and he didn't have a pesky little nose-candy problem. The one good thing I got out of that relationship was a friendship with Joey.
The sound of the phone ringing broke me from my thoughts. I quickly jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my wet body.
"Hello?" I answered without looking at the ID.
"Hey gorgeous!" Tony said.
"How is the finest man alive?" I asked as I smiled greatly.
"I don't know. How are you?"
"Good one, babe!"
"Ay...I love you, and I miss you."
"I love you and miss you, more."
"Nuh huh."
"Uh huh."
"Whatever," Tony said in a joking tone.
"So I take you made it to North Carolina."
"Yeah. Martin just picked me up in this shiny black BMW."
"Oh really."
"I accused him of stealing it off some hot rich kid."
"He might not be rich, but just have an affinity for beautiful things. Like he may have a REALLY hot boyfriend with a huge dick."
"OK! Too much information," Martin yelled.
"I was putting you on speaker phone so that you could say hey to my brother."
"Oh shit!" Tony and I laughed.
"I really think the world of you, Jake, but I do NOT need to know about the size of my brother's penis," Martin said.
"It would make you jealous anyway," Tony said to his brother.
"Tony!" Martin said laughing. "I've already got an inferiority complex!" The two of them laughed. It was good to hear them laughing together. I'd heard it a million times, but something seemed different. It was as if I were getting a peek at two how their family dynamic worked before I came into the picture. Tony and I talked for a few more minutes before they arrived at Gui's apartment. The plan was to get the hunting gear loaded into Gui's SUV and then head to Nani's house to drop off my car.
As we hung up the phone, Tony and I blew kisses into the phone at each other. We were still very much in love. He said bye, and I closed the phone. I held it in my hands for a moment. I missed him again, but it was a comfort to know that he'd safely made his way to his home town. I dressed quickly enough and made my way back downstairs in time to catch my Mom getting home from her office. Joey was close behind her, pulling up to the house in his Ford truck. As he came into the house, Mom pulled him in and introduced him to Freda. Freda was impressed by his courtesy and sincerity.
He asked Pete if he'd called Tom, which prompted a whole line of questioning from my mother. He went on to tell my Mom about what had transpired in our conversation that afternoon, which brought fits of laughter to both my mother and Joey. Freda snickered a couple of times through the course of the recount from Pete's point of view.
Around six, Joey and I parted the company of my family. We drove around for a bit and discussed what each of us felt like eating. Considering I'd eaten Italian twice in the previous few weeks, I didn't really feel up to pasta. Not that I don't ADORE Italian food, but I just like something different. As we drove, Joey suggested a nice little Greek restaurant where he knew the owner's son. Greek found sounded so good at that moment, so Joey steered his truck toward Greektown. We made it through traffic to the neighborhood, where we found blue and white flags and streamers. There was no doubt that this group of Canadians were not only proud of being Canadian but also proud of their homeland and their heritage. This was especially evident when we came upon the restaurant that Joey had been talking about earlier. Greek flags hung in the cold wind, and a blue and white awning hung over the door. As we walked into the restaurant, it was almost as if we'd stepped back in time to a place with mounds of "Old World" charm. The host escorted us to a small booth toward the back of the dining room. It was small, but just large enough to accommodate two people. The waiter came and got our drink orders as we looked over the menu.
"This all looks so good," Joey said.
"Yes it does," I said as I looked over the menu myself.
"It's about time you showed up!" Paul said, wearing the uniform that all the other waiters in the place were wearing. "How are you, babe?" he asked as he hugged Joey.
"I'm good."
"And Jake. It's good to see you again!" he said very nicely as he tried not to let me know that he was checking me out. I again felt cute as he gave me his covert once-over.
"Likewise," I said as we shook hands.
"So what are you guys up to tonight?"
"Not much. If Jake's up for it, we might go to the bar tonight," Joey said.
"Sounds fine with me. I have nothing else to do tonight," I said.
"I may join you guys then. I'm not sure what time I'm getting off, though.
The slave driver is having me fill in for a waiter who called in sick."
"How is your Mom?"
"She's fine," Paul answered, with a scowl on his face.
"Paul's mom owns this place," Joey stated.
"Oh! OK," I said.
The waiter came over to the table and chatted with us for a few minutes before taking our orders. I had mousakka, and Joey ordered something with eggplant that I couldn't have pronounced to save my life.
"So what are your plans after graduation?" Joey asked.
"I don't know yet. I think Tony wants to stay down there, but I want to come home."
"Decisions, decisions."
"Right."
"I'd really like to be home. It's gotten harder and harder to leave every time we've come home. The only reason I've gone back is Tony."
"Hey Jake!" a voice said from away from the table.
"Hey Diego. What's going on?"
"Not much man. How you doing?"
"I'm good. Just missing Tony."
"No worries man. You guys will be back together in less than a week."
"I know. By the way, this is Joey. Joey...Danny's friend Diego."
"Nice to meet you, man."
"Likewise," Joey answered.
"So what are you doing all the way over in Greektown?" I asked of my brother's friend. I wasn't trying to be nosey, but just to make small talk.
"My brother and his boyfriend wanted me to meet them here for dinner."
"Oh, OK."
"Alright. Well I'm going to go get a table and wait on them. It was good to see you, Jake."
"Likewise," I said as he waved at the two of us and walked off.
"It's almost as if there were a bulletin that we're coming to dinner."
I giggled at Joey's comment. From our vantage point, Joey and I could both see who was coming into the restaurant. People filed in and out of the door, as I was looking. When Paul and our waiter brought out our plates, we were more than ready to have a go at the dishes we'd ordered. As we ate, we talked about a lot of stuff. He asked me about school. I told him about the pending graduation, but there was no more talk of what would happen afterwards. He told me about the gym that he wanted to open. He'd been turned down by one bank for a loan, but was hoping that another one might be able to loan him the last of the money he needed to open the shop of his dreams. He'd saved enough money to almost have the cost covered, but still lacked another $15,000 before the place could open.
"Wow, that sounds really cool, Joey."
"Yeah. I can't wait. I was hoping to have it all ready by my birthday, but the place I want I can't afford just yet."
"Why don't you take me by it when we leave?" I suggested.
"Sure. It's actually not too far from your mom's house."
"Nice. So when I'm home, I can come work out for free?"
Joey smiled. "You know you can, Jake."
"Nice. I don't get many workouts since Tony left the gym."
"You should still go. You were doing really, really well."
"Well thank you, Joey."
"I'm serious, you were getting HOT. If you hadn't been with Tony, I so would have asked you to move home and date me."
"Really?"
"I told you on my birthday that I always had the hots for you."
"That was a fun day."
"Oh yeah," he answered, looking at his plate and playing with his food. I could tell that he was serious in what he said, and I thought it was sweet. I wouldn't admit it at that moment, but if I weren't totally in love with Tony, I would have accepted. Joey looked up from his plate and toward the door for a second. "Oh, God!" he said in a low volume.
"What?" I asked, following the path of his eyes. "Why here?" I asked when I saw what had caught his attention. I tried to look away before he noticed me, but it was too late. Even with the distance from the door to our table, I could still see directly into his brown eyes. I wasn't mad at him anymore, but that didn't mean that I wanted to see him. He was with a Latin man. He continued to look at me for a second, but then turned his attention to the man he was with and the person that they were going to meet: Diego. They sat for a few minutes. Joey and I both tried to enjoy the rest of the dinner, but weren't really able to. Thoughts of the past were creeping into both of our minds. Joey grabbed Paul as he walked by and asked for the check. He looked concerned about Joey, but didn't ask any questions. He brought the check right out to the table.
"Hey Paul. This isn't right," Joey commented.
"Yeah it is. Um....I kinda, accidentally, dropped the original ticket in the shredder, and that was all that I could remember that the two of you ordered.
"Paul! $10?"
"Yeah. When you get your gym opened, remember me." Paul smiled at Joey sweetly and walked away. Joey also smiled at him.
"He's kinda sweet."
"Very, if you ask me."
Joey put a $20 note on the table with the ticket, and we both stood up to leave, hoping that Adan wouldn't notice our departure. We pulled on our jackets and walked toward the front. Out of the corner of our eyes, we watched Adan, sitting with who we assumed was his boyfriend and his boyfriend's brother, Diego. We made it out the door and turned toward where Joey had parked the car. We made it half a block before a voice came from behind us.
"Jake? Joey?" he said as we could tell he was walking toward us. He sounded different. He sounded like the Adan I'd first met years before. Both Joey and I were stopped dead in our tracks, both of us for different reasons.
"Hi," I answered politely as I turned to see him. He looked different. His body wasn't as defined as it once was. It looked as if he'd put on some weight, but most importantly, he looked as if he were sober. Something in his face and about his expressions seemed like the Adan that I'd first met years before.
"Hey," I said. Joey remained quietly skeptical of the situation. He put his hands in his pockets and watched the situation as it unfolded.
"So how are things?"
"They're fine," I answered. Adan looked at Joey, who just looked at him. Adan looked as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words.
"So are you two together now?" Adan said, breaking what was becoming an uncomfortable silence.
"No," Joey answered shortly. "Jake is seeing a wonderful man named Tony, who treats him the way he should be treated, and I've been seeing a man named Paul."
"Oh," Adan answered. He began to look nervous and self-conscious.
"What do you want, Adan?" I asked.
"I know you guys probably could have lived without seeing me ever again, and after what I did to both of you, I completely understand." He stopped for a moment. He looked directly at both of us. He had control of his mind again; he knew exactly what he was saying to us. He looked down once again and put his hand into the pocket of his jeans. "Guys. About a year ago, I was at a club with my boyfriend, Carlo." He pointed back toward the restaurant with his thumb, to let us know that the man he'd entered with a moment ago was his boyfriend. "He and I were getting high. I was doing lines of coke, and he was doing some ex." He stopped for a second. "His stuff was tainted, and after just a little bit, he passed out." He started to cry a little bit. "I realized what I had been doing. I realized what I'd done to both of you, to my family, and to Carlo and his family."
"Yeah?" I asked, a bit skeptical in that moment.
"I know that my track record for dealing with that sort of thing in the past isn't too good," he said, looking at me, "but I realized in that moment what I'd been doing for years. What I'd done to you, Jake." He moved closer and put his hand on my shoulder. "Baby, I am so sorry."
"It's OK."
"Jake. That night, I took Carlo to the hospital. He came through everything OK. Two days later, we both decided to go into rehab, together."
Joey and I were both shocked by what we'd heard. Adan reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened it and pulled out two pieces of paper. "On 14 January, I will have been sober for one year."
I looked at Joey. Both of us began to smile. "Congratulations," I said to him. Joey concurred.
"Um...As part of my ongoing therapy," he started as he put his wallet back into his pocket. He was still holding the pieces of paper in his hand. "As part of my therapy, we take pictures of those we hurt while we were high with us until we have a chance to see them again. I've seen everybody but the two of you. We're supposed to give them the pictures, and they can do whatever they want with them." He handed each of us a picture, folded in half. Joey's was a picture of them from whey they played hockey when they were kids.
The picture he carried of me was one taken at one of the happy points in our relationship. Adan and I had taken a trip to commemorate being together for six months. We were in Cuba. Adan had asked someone on the street to take a picture of the two of us, and before the picture completed, he reached over and kissed me on the cheek. I was smiling. It was one of the only time that I still remembered when we were happy. "I don't expect you guys to forgive me. I know that I'm lucky not to be in jail because of the two of you."
"You're forgiven," I said as I looked at the picture. There was a swell of good memories that came back into my mind. They'd been repressed by all the negative chi that those final months of our relationship had put in my mind.
"Yeah," Joey concurred.
I walked over to Adan and pulled him into an embrace. "Thank you," he whispered into my ear before sniffling. Joey joined us in the embrace. Adan pulled back from us, "So I would like to introduce you to Carlo. You guys want to come back inside for a second?"
"Sure," Joey and I answered in tandem. We walked back toward the restaurant with him. It was an emotional moment for all of us, but a good one.
My phone began ringing as we walked back toward the door. "Hello?"
"You will never guess what just happened to me," Tony said, elated.
"I've got something to tell you, too." I said to Tony. "I'll be right in," I said to Joey and Adan.
"OK," they both said as they walked into the restaurant.
"Back!" I said to Tony.
"Who are you with?" he asked, obviously not recognizing the voices.
"Joey," I answered at first, "and Adan."
"Adan? Are you OK? What was he doing there?" Tony asked.
"Everything is good. That's actually what I've got to tell you. But you go first," I said.
"No. You go first."
"I talked to my mom."
"Are you OK?"
"Yeah. She wants us to meet her for lunch when you get back down."
"She's not going to lay into me again, is she?"
"Nope. We got into a fight about something else, and you ended up coming into the conversation."
"Uh huh..."
"Basically, I told her she was wrong for treating you the way she did."
"Yeah...."
"So she said that she regrets ever having said anything mean to you. She said that she was praying about things one night, and realized that she'd been taking the absolute wrong course of action. She said that she had a dream in which she realized that God still loves both of us, regardless of who we sleep with. She saw her priest about it, who said that if that's what she felt, then she could go with it."
"Wow!"
"That's what I said! From there, we talked about a lot of things that had happened over the last year."
"I take it that everything was good in the end."
"You take correctly, my good sir."
"Very good," I smiled.
"So what's going on with Adan?"
"Well, he is a changed man."
"For the better?"
"Yeah. He and his boyfriend were getting high one night, and Carlo got some tainted x. He said that, in that moment, he realized what he'd been doing to everyone around him."
"Uh huh..."
"And so he and Carlo checked into rehab together."
"Wow. Tell him that I said congratulations."
"I will."
"Alright, babe. I love you, and I will talk to you later."
"I love you, too," I said in a voice that some might resemble the mimicking of a little kid. "And I will look forward to hearing from you soon."
"You're so sweet to me."
"I'm not sweet. I'm just in love." Tony laughed. I could almost hear his smile through the phone.
"I will talk to you later, I guess."
"Yeah. Call me this week, if you get the chance."
"Alrighty," he responded. "Bye."
"Ciao, my love." I said as I heard the phone disconnect on his end. I closed my own phone as I thought about him, and oddly enough, what color underwear he was wearing.
I walked into the restaurant and over to the table where Joey, Adan, Carlo, and Diego sat. Adan quickly introduced me to Carlo, who seemed very nice and pleasant. I almost regretted the things that I'd thought about him when I first heard his name mentioned. He went to introduce me to Diego, but I explained that we'd already been introduced to one another, by way of my brother. For a little more than an hour, Joey and I sat with them. From my point of view, this was the man that first asked me out. This was the person that I fell in love with. This wasn't the person that I put up with over the years of our relationship.
We walked out of the restaurant a bit later, after the three of them had finished their meal. I was happy that I finally had closure on that part of my life. I felt liberated, almost, as we walked to Joey's truck. As we drove through the streets of Toronto, I explained what had happened between Tony and his mom. Without warning to me, Joey pulled over to the side of the small street just a few kilometers away from my house. It was dark, but I could see the vacant building beside the truck.
"What is this place?"
"This is where I want to put my gym, if I can get it before someone else does."
"Oh wow."
"Let's go look at it."
"Alright," I answered as we piled out of the truck. There wasn't really much to see. It was a brick building with two stories. Across the street there was a McDonald's and I could see there was a Tim Ho's down the street.
Other than that, there really weren't any points of interest around. When my attention focused once again on the building, Joey pointed out that the top floor of the building had been converted into an office and an apartment by the one of the previous tenants. I noticed that there was a spec sheet on the door and went to inspect. It didn't show the price of the rent, but did show all of the amenities the place offered. It was an impressive sheet of features for such a plain looking building. What struck me as odd, though, was the phone number on the bottom of the page. It looked familiar.
I stored it in my phone just before we left the place. Joey was excited as he looked at it one last, longing time before we departed.
"If only I could afford it," he said.
"How much is it?"
"$2,000 a month."
"That's not bad for a shop that big."
"Yeah. It's not bad; I just can't afford it. At least not right now." The cogs of my mind were turning. I was going to figure out what that number was and call the managers the next morning.
A few minutes later, we were pulling into my mother's neighborhood. Joey pulled into my mother's driveway, but given that it was rather late, he decided not to come in.
"So I had an amazing time tonight," Joey said.
"I did, too. I got to hang out with a really cool friend, and I settled something from my past."
"Yeah. That was a really good thing, wasn't it?"
"Yeah." I reached over the cab of the truck and gave Joey a quick hug. He was an amazing friend, and I was so happy to have him in my life.
We exchanged quick good byes and I walked into the house. Mom was still up, sitting watching TV. "Hey Mom."
"Hey baby. Good dinner?"
"Yeah. You'll never believed what happened." I proceeded to explain to her what happened. She twitched a little upon hearing his name even being spoken, but then smiled when she heard of what he'd been through. We then talked about the building Joey wanted to put the gym in. She seemed very interested in it. She and Freda had inherited some buildings from my grandfather's estate after his passing. I'd never paid attention to where they were located, but I knew that he had at least ten different buildings. Freda had been forced to sell hers by Ernest, but Mom had kept on to the ones she'd inherited for sentimental reasons.
Mom retired a few minutes later, and I went up to the room. I was lonely, and I longed for my Tony. I climbed into the bed after taking my clothes off and clutched the pillow that Tony had been using. It smelled like him. I dreamt sweetly that night, and woke the next morning to a flood of good feelings. Without Tony there, though, I found that I got out of bed shortly after waking up. Being that he wasn't there to flirt with and play with, I had nothing to keep me snuggled away in the warmth of the room. I pulled on a t-shirt and some shorts quickly and went downstairs.
"Jake!" Mom called from the kitchen.
"Morning!" I said as I smiled and walked into the kitchen.
"So what would you think if Aunt Freda moved up here and stayed with me?"
"It's a good idea, I think. Ernest won't come up here, and it will give you somebody in the house, since Danny has moved away."
"See, Freda. I told you so."
"Susan! I can't afford to pay you anything right now. I mean, I love being here, but I can't take something that large from you. Besides, what about the house in Niagara."
"You could let Ernest stay there, or you could sell it and then sue him for his half of the property," I answered.
"Good idea. He needs to get fucked over once in his life."
"Damn right," Mom stated, holding her coffee mug.
A few minutes later, Mom left for work. Aunt Freda and I talked for a bit, but she had a couple of things to do that day and went to get ready for them. She was driving Dad's car for a few days, given that she had no other transportation. After she left, I set out to find out what that number was that I'd seen on the advert of the building.
"Gerald Wildes, Attorney," the lady answered the phone.
"I knew this number was familiar," I said. "This is Jake Henry. Is Mr. Wildes around?"
"Yes. He's just come in. I'll get him for you, Mr. Henry."
"Thank you."
"Hold on one minute."
"Yes ma'am."
I waited on the phone for a second, listening to 99.9, Toronto's Mix, in the background. "Jake!" Mr. Wildes said in the background. "How are you?"
"I'm good, Mr. Wildes. And you?"
"I'm great. What can I do for you today?"
"Well, a friend of mine and I were looking at a building last night, off Sheppard Ave."
"Ah. I know the property you're talking about. We had someone call about it yesterday. He seemed interested, but then balked a bit at the price."
"That might have been my friend Joey."
"Yeah. He sounded young and hot."
"That's him, then."
"Good. Well, since it's a friend of yours, I will talk to the owner and see if she's willing to cut the price."
"That would be amazing."
"If you'll hold on, I will get her on the phone. The two of you can talk about it."
"Alright." He placed me on hold for a moment, but then quickly reconnected to me as the phone was ringing. He'd patched the other person on the third side of the call.
"Susan Henry," Mom said as she answered the phone.
"Mrs. Henry, This is Gerald Wildes. I have someone that's interested in the Sheppard Ave property."
"Oh really? They're not balking about the price?"
"Well. I thought that you might like talking to the person directly, and so I've got him on the phone."
"Oh!"
"Hi Mom."
"Jake."
"Yep."
"So that is the building you were talking about last night!"
"Yes ma'am."
"How much do you think Joey would be able to pay for the building?" Mom asked me.
"I'm not sure. I can call him really fast."
"OK. Do that and call me back. Mr. Wildes, I will give you a call as soon as something is worked out. Is that alright?"
"Perfect, Mrs. Henry."
"Alright. I'm going to let you guys go. Jake. Call me in a few minutes."
"Yes ma'am."
Mother hung up the phone, and within just a moment, Mr. Wildes and I were also hanging up the phone from one another. As I was hanging up, mother called on the house line.
"Hey."
"Tell Joey that whatever he can pay is fine. If he can't pay but a few hundred a month, that's fine. Is he opening a gym?"
"Yes ma'am."
"OOH! Tell him that if he'll give us all lifetime memberships to the gym for free, that will cover the cost of rent, and that offer will be good until whenever."
"Good idea, Mom."
"I do impress myself, sometimes," Mom said proudly.
As soon as we hung up the phone, I was dialing Joey's number. "Hello?" he answered with a happy sound in his voice.
"What's going on?"
"Not much at all, Jakey. I just got a great blow job from Paul."
"Is he as good as me?"
"Almost," Joey answered.
"Well. Some of us are better than others," I said in a sarcastic tone.
Joey laughed, almost gleefully. "So what's going on this morning?"
"Well. I called the number about that property on Sheppard."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It turns out that it's an attorney's office."
"Uh huh. Wildes?"
"Yeah. He was my parents' attorney, and Mom still uses his services."
"Uh huh..."
"It turns out that the owner would be willing to accept lifetime gym memberships for everyone in her family in lieu of rent."
"Really???" he asked enthusiastically.
"Really! She's a really nice lady."
"Oh wow. This is so amazing. I want to hug this lady right now." He was crying out of happiness.
"And!"
"There's more?"
"Yeah. I'm going to give you what money you need to get everything going. You're a great guy, Joey, and you deserve the chance to show what you really can do."
"I can't accept a gift like that."
"Then think of it as me investing in your venture."
"I can do that. It'll give you a lifetime membership."
"Already got that covered."
"OK?"
"Yeah, the landlady will be..."
"YOUR MOM!" he guessed correctly.
"Yep."
"This is amazing. My God this is so amazing."
"Come by tonight and bring her some flowers of something."
"I can definitely, DEFINITELY do that."
Joey and I talked for a bit longer. He was elated by what had been going on that morning. He'd gotten head and then realized that he was going to be able to fulfill his dream of opening his own gym. As we hung up the phone, I thought I heard him sniffle a little bit, but I couldn't have sworn to it.
The rest of the morning, I stayed on the phone with various people. I called Mom back and then spoke to Tony for a bit. To hear his voice made my world a little warmer. It was the effect that he had over me, I suppose. I told him about Joey and the gym. He was excited for him, and promised that when we were up there, we would be working out daily at the gym. He skated around saying something, but I could tell from the tone in his voice that he was seriously considering moving to Canada. I couldn't tell if he'd decided to take the leap, but he was at least considering it.
Joey came over that evening to have dinner with us and to thank Mom for helping him out. She said that it was worth the investment, as she finally had a way that she felt like she could repay him for all that he'd done for the family, for me. He told her about his plans with enthusiastic banter. Mom watched and smiled proudly.
By the end of the week, I was ready to see Tony. Danny took me to the airport on Saturday morning, and within just a few hours, I was reunited with Tony. I wanted to jump him right in the airport, but held my composure...until we were in the car. I gave him an amazing blow job as we sat there in the parking deck. It was thrilling to do it right there where we could be caught. Tony also seemed to enjoy himself, as he was able to release almost a week's worth of pent up "frustration." We met his parents at a Mexican restaurant that Sunday afternoon. Magda was sincerely trying to cope with her son's homosexuality, but I'm sure the blow was cushioned by the fact that her oldest was getting married. She'd at least have a grandchild by one of them, we were sure.
The next week started our final semester at Auburn. Tony was planning to do an internship for a local firm as well as take a class in art to complete a minor he'd added the year before. I was starting to get ready for exams and my final semester, with two classes in which I would be a student and two in which I would be the instructor. Sounds like fun times, eh? Things seemed to be going so well for both of us as that semester opened. It was amazing the feelings that were rushing through me as that chapter of my life felt as though it was changing...for the better.