This story is entirely fictional, and any resemblances to actual persons are completely coincidental. Actual locations are mentioned, and are used for 'background' only.
This story happens during the period of time when my earlier story, 'Phalen,' ends.
Many of the character's names are Finnish. For those who wish to know how they are pronounced, read on.
Mikko - MEEK-ko Paavo - PAW-vo Joel - YOE-el Halonen - HALL-oh-nen
Roy roynm@mac.com
Leith - chapter 17
He heard their voices before they opened the front door, and decided he didn't want to move from his favorite chair. 'I'll just sit here and pretend to be asleep. Maybe they'll leave me alone.' He knew the minute they came in the door and heard Kerin snicker that he'd been mistaken.
"Do you think he's dead?" Kerin half whispered, talking to his brother with barely suppressed laughter. "He looks dead to me." Kerin's voice moved slightly to Andrew's left.
'Is he going to climb onto the chair with me? I can feel his breath on my cheek.' Finally, Kerin stood and looked toward his brother.
"His color is awful. Look at those clothes, T. He looks like a mortician with no sense of style chose his clothes for him, and then had trouble wrestling with the body to dress him."
Thian sounded concerned. "Hmm, I see what you mean. Do you suppose one of his patients didn't think he was adequately 'cured,' and came back for a fist fight? I mean he is a psychiatrist. They're surrounded by imbalanced types. You never know what might happen."
"Gee, I don't know, T. What do you think we should do? I mean, if he is dead, won't he begin to . . . you know . . . smell? He'll draw flies or something."
Thian spoke from a little further away. "Oh, here's the problem." Andrew inwardly cringed at the thought that Thian must have found his gym bag. He knew his fears were correct when he heard the gym bag drop to the floor with a dull thud and a metallic clink
'Geez, I hope that's not my phone.'
Thian must have joined his brother because both their voices were once again coming from only a few steps away. "It's my guess he was trying to impress some young guy at the gym and overdid it." The way Andrew saw it, Thian put entirely too much stress on the word, "young."
Kerin made a tsk tsk sound. Andrew could almost see him standing there with his arms crossed, shaking his head in pity. "I'll bet you're right, T. And then he came home to die . . . wearing some of the other guy's clothes. What are the neighbors going to think when a badly dressed corpse is hauled out of this house?" There was an expressive sound. "I shudder to think."
"You forget, K. When they haul a corpse out they cover it with a sheet. No one'll see. You and I won't have to live with the embarrassment."
"Whew, well I'm glad that's taken care of." He could hear both of his sons head for the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner, T? I guess it's my turn to cook, huh?" He heard Thian say something about, "the usual," and then there was silence. Andrew chanced a glance into the dining room. Thian had backed his brother against a wall and was kissing him.
'Ugh, sex,' Andrew thought, groaning from the workout Mikko had put him through. It was too bad they never made it out of the locker room.
'Why do I always have to hook up with athletic guys,' he wondered to himself. 'First Larry, the runner with super endurance, and now Mikko, the sex crazed lawyer . . . again, with super endurance.' He opened his eyes a little further and tilted his head to look down at himself. He sighed, dropping his head back against the chair's upholstery.
'There's nothing wrong with how I'm dressed,' he thought. 'If I had gotten the buttons of my shirt in the correct buttonholes, I'd look pretty presentable. Guys walk around all the time with their neckties half undone. It just looks like I got dressed in a hurry.' He looked at himself once again, wondering why Mikko had let him leave the gym with one of his shirt tails hanging out. 'And how in hell's name did I manage to put on two different colored socks?' He stared at one of his socks for a moment. 'So that's where that sock went. I must have left it in my gym bag and grabbed it today by mistake.' He groaned to himself. 'I admit it. I'm a mess.' He recalled how crisp Mikko had appeared when they left the gym and groaned aloud. "Damn, him."
"Geez, he is alive, Thian!" He could hear a single set of footsteps on the wooden floor as his son approached. "Though it sounds like he may be dying. What should we do?" Kerin was having a difficult time to keep from laughing.
"Let him be." Thian's voice came from the dining room. "I wouldn't worry, K, he'll either get better, or the house will be ours."
"Cut the crap, guys." Andrew croaked, opening his eyes and struggling to sit up. "Geez, I hurt all over." Kerin sat across from him, and Thian walked back into the room with a glass of milk for both him and his brother. Neither of them looked particularly concerned about their father's welfare.
"Tough day at the gym, Dad?" Thian downed the glass of milk in a long swallow, licking his lips. Andrew tried not to shudder. He hated milk.
"Yeah, it was a tough day, and what's distressing is we never made it out of the locker room." He flopped back with a groan and then looked to the ceiling and wailed. "Why am I surrounded by athletes?" When no answer appeared to be forthcoming, he looked back at his sons. Both of them had also been looking toward the ceiling, imitating their father. 'They're mocking me,' he thought as both of his sons tried on a look of concern. The fit was not very good. 'Ah well . . . they're athletes.'
"It's not like we exercised or something tough. All we did was have sex."
"Sex?" Kerin sputtered.
"Three fuckin times."
"Ooooo." Kerin's eyes were round with surprise.
Andrew smiled. "In an hour!"
"Well, I'm impressed," Kerin murmured. "I didn't think you'd still be able to get it up more than once a day, you know . . . because of your age and all." He ducked the pillow his father threw in his direction.
"Was this with the Mikko guy you were telling us about?" Thian grabbed the pillow from his brother and tossed it aside before Kerin could start a pillow fight with his father. "Yeah . . . Mikko, Mr. Let's Try It In A Different Position This Time." Andrew groaned. "I'm gonna be sore tomorrow. I just know it." He sat forward and ran his hands through his hair.
"Three times?" Kerin asked, not sure he heard correctly. His father nodded.
"In an hour," Andrew added. "Don't forget that bit. I'm not sixteen, guys! The trouble is, neither is he. I think he could have kept on for another couple rounds . . . at least." Andrew groaned and flopped back in his chair. "I . . . am . . . exhausted."
Thian turned to his brother. "I hate to think what he's gonna be like when they actually have to exercise."
"C'mon men, have some pity on a guy who was so worn out he couldn't even button his shirt correctly." He gestured to his chest. "I should be happy I didn't leave something essential back at the gym. Heaven knows how I drove myself home." Andrew slowly shook his head.
"Okay, we understand about the shirt . . . but Dad, really . . . two different socks!"
"Was it nice, Dad?" Thian nudged his brother to stop pestering their father. Andrew looked up and grinned.
"The absolute very best sex I've ever had. I mean ever!" He shook his head in wonder. "I thought he was going to suck me down his throat."
"Isn't that the objective?"
"I'm talking about my friggin tongue, Mr. Smart Ass." Andrew heaved himself out of the chair and stood on legs that were none too steady, and tried to tuck his shirt tail into his pants. He looked down at himself and decided to ignore the crooked clothing. He straightened his tie and brushed his hands over the front of his pants in a futile attempt to erase the wrinkles.
"Oh man," he groaned, as he stopped and stretched. "I feel like this and we haven't even fucked yet!" He shook his head and began to haltingly weave a path toward the hallway, and his bedroom. "I think I'll have to plan to take a week's vacation whenever we do that." He disappeared around the corner, still muttering to himself.
They heard their father's bedroom door close, followed a few moments later by a slightly manic laugh and a loud shout. "I can't wait!
"What was going on with your dad at dinner tonight?" Brett shrugged as he reached into the shower to adjust the water temperature.
"Hell if I know. The only thing I can think of is that he didn't like the idea of your dad meeting that Andrew guy. He got all freaky soon as Mikko mentioned meeting him." He approached Leith who was perching on the bathroom countertop, stepping between Leith's splayed legs, wrapping his arms around his cousin and giving him a small kiss.
"I wonder what Kent made of the whole thing. He just sat back in his chair and watched the two of 'em. I hate to say it Leith, but I'll be glad when you guys move to your own place . . . hopefully with me in tow. I'm getting sick of all the tension in this house." Leith slowly nodded and wrapped his arms around his cousin's shoulders, pulling him close for another kiss.
"Well, we're wasting water, standing here like this." Brett stepped aside and Leith scooted off the counter and stepped into the shower. Brett had one foot in the shower when the bathroom door leading to Glenn's room suddenly opened and Glenn stood frozen in place, like a deer caught in a car's headlights.
"Damn." He blinked a couple times focusing on his brother and cousin. "Um, sorry guys," he said loud enough to be heard over the noise of the shower. Brett smiled, pausing to see if Glenn needed anything.
"Ah, sorry Brett." He gestured toward his iPod earphones. "I had my music on and I didn't hear the shower running. I gotta piss."
Brett nodded in the general direction. "There's the toilet. You need anything else? Leith and I were about to take a shower. Glenn watched his brother with wide eyes. "Well?" Brett grinned.
"Oh . . . oh, no, I don't need anything else." He stepped into the room continuing to watch his brother and Leith who was now washing his hair.
"Damn, Brett, you look hot. I never saw you naked before. Leith too." Brett grinned.
"Thanks, Glenn. Now, I've gotta get in here before all the hot water is used up." He waved and closed the glass shower door, noticing how Glenn continued watching him and Leith for a few moments longer before he used the toilet.
Joel shut down his computer and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. 'Maybe tonight, I'll be able to get some sleep. I hate Mikko not being in the house.' He leaned his head back and yawned. 'I wonder what he's doing tonight.'
There was a tentative knock on his office door, causing him to look up with a frown. 'I thought everyone was already asleep.' He walked around his desk and opened the door, not knowing whom he should be expecting to see.
"Um, hi Dad." His youngest son, Kent's hand was poised to knock again. He grinned slightly. "Can I come in? I . . . uh . . . need to talk 'bout something . . . with you." Joel was not only surprised to find his youngest son standing at the door, he was especially surprised to hear him stuttering, at a loss for words. Since the day he spoke his first word, Kent had never stopped talking. What many people failed to realize is that beneath the playful exterior, was a very serious young man.
Joel stepped aside and Kent slouched into the room with his hands in his pockets, and then slumped into one of the leather easy chairs. He looked at his father and tried to smile. "Are things okay?" Joel closed the door and sat in the chair opposite his son. The only light came from the desk light on the far side of the room.
Kent shrugged in answer to his father's question.
"Suppose you tell me what's bothering you and we'll talk about it, okay?"
"Okay." He studied his father closely.
"Well," Joel prompted.
"Dad, are you and uncle Mikko having sex with each other?" Kent didn't bat an eye as he asked the question. Joel was the one to flinch. He sighed, hesitated a long moment, and then nodded.
"Yes, Kent. Not often, but we are . . . once in awhile."
"Are you gay?"
"No, I don't think of myself as gay. I don't even think of myself as bisexual. Do you know what that means?" Kent nodded, never taking his eyes off his father. "I'm not interested in any man other than Mikko. Absolutely none." He looked at his son who sat motionless only a few feet away. "Do you believe me?"
He nodded. "Yes. Do you love Mom?"
"Yes, Kent, I do, very much. . . as well as you and both of your brothers."
"How long have you and Uncle Mikko been . . . fooling around? Did you start when he and Leith came here from Chicago?"
Joel took a deep breath and massaged the back of his neck, thinking it felt good to be talking about his relationship with his brother. "No. In fact, when he and Leith came to Phoenix, the two of us had not had sex with one another for close to eighteen years. We grew up fooling around with each other, Kent. There wasn't a time when we didn't. I loved him so much I wasn't sure I could stay in Phoenix when I moved here after graduating from college. I stuck it out and it became easier to live without him being around. Then I met your mother and fell in love with her. Mikko is the only man I've ever had sex with, and your mother is the only woman. I deeply love them both, and that makes my life very . . . complicated." Kent grinned and silently snorted.
"I guess." Kent looked across the room for a moment and then turned back to his father. "You've never fooled around with Brett, or Leith?"
"If you mean, have I ever had sex with them, the answer is no." Joel took a deep breath. "They have however, been close-by when Mikko and I have had sex. Kent . . . I've never told anyone what I'm telling you." Kent held up a hand.
"I know, Dad. I may talk a lot but I also know when not to talk." He squirmed slightly and lowered his voice.
"I like doing sex stuff with guys too."
"I see." Joel tried to think of what to say. "Do you think of yourself as gay?" Kent shrugged.
"I don't know. I used to think about girls when I . . . you know. . . "
"Masturbated?"
"Yeah, masturbated, beat off, whatever."
"Something's changed that?" Kent shrugged, his equivalent of answering yes.
"May I ask what?"
"I asked if Brett and Leith would beat off with me. I actually wanted to see them kiss. You see, I love kissing." A blush lit up his fair complexion. "I've kissed girls and stuff, but I wanted to kiss a guy. Girls are so," he squirmed, "fragile, sorta . . . you know?" Joel grinned and nodded. "You think I'm funny." Joel reached out and squeezed his son's knee.
"Yes, I think you're funny when you're laughing and teasing and having a good time joking around. When we're talking, like now, I listen to you. I do not think of you as being funny then. I'm thinking how wonderful it is to have these sort of conversations with you. When I chuckled a moment ago, I was agreeing with you. Girls are sort of fragile. Guys are different." Kent nodded.
"So, you're not laughing at me 'cause I'm telling you this stuff?"
"Absolutely not. Kent, I enjoy seeing this side of you. A lot of people aren't aware there's more to you than your funny side." Kent grinned and bowed his head, secretly pleased with his father's words.
"Yeah, my sex side. Not too many people know about that either."
"That's another facet of my wonderful son. There are many more, some of which none of us have yet discovered."
"You think?" Joel nodded.
"Now, back to Brett and Leith."
"Yeah, well . . . I asked them if I could watch them beat off. I've fooled around with some of the guys from school and stuff, but I knew Brett and Leith did more . . . serious stuff. Like kissing an sucking an' stuff. No one I know has ever done that kinda thing . . . or admitted it if they have."
"Anyhow, I went to their room . . . late one night and asked them. They didn't want to 'cause I'm fourteen and stuff, but I sorta begged them. I really wanted to feel another guy's dick, and make him shoot his stuff. I figured maybe Brett and Leith would let me do it to them, and maybe if I was lucky, they would make me shoot too. I wanted to taste their stuff too. I mean, I've tasted my own and I really like the taste, but it's so exciting to think of tasting another guy's cum."
"What I really wanted most though, was to kiss them. Dad, am I some sorta sex maniac? That's all I ever think about. And since . . . they let me kiss them and I tasted their cum, it has gotten worse. I now hardly ever think of a girl as someone sexy. I look at the guys in gym class or wherever, wondering how big they are and what it would be like to feel their tongue in my mouth." He squirmed in the chair.
"Damn, just thinking about sex stuff makes me hard." He blushed again.
"Me too, Kent. You're not alone. All guys feel pretty much the same thing."
"Do you beat off, Dad?"
"Yes, every chance I get. Does that surprise you?" Kent shrugged.
"Sorta, I guess. I mean you have Mom . . . and Mikko. I woulda thought that might be . . . you know . . . enough."
"Would two people be enough to keep you satisfied, Kent?"
Again, he blushed and hunched his shoulders, looking like he was about to laugh. "No," he smiled. "Not anywhere near enough. Geez, Dad, this feels so good, talking to you like this. Being honest with each other and all. I never tell you how much I love you, do I? Well, I do. I bet other guys can't talk to their dad's like I can with you. You don't BS me. You tell me the straight story. . . . I like that."
"And you tell me the straight story too, Kent. I like that."
"Yeah, well. So . . . what are you and uncle Mikko gonna do? Are you and Mom gonna split up or something? Does she know about you and Mikko fooling around?"
"No, your mother doesn't know. I think she may suspect, but she doesn't know. Your main question though, is if we're going to stay together, and the answer is yes. I will never leave your mother. No one, not even Mikko can make me want to do that."
"You're jealous 'cause Mikko's seeing this new guy. . . aren't you?" Joel sat back in his chair and took a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks as he slowly exhaled.
"Young man, are you planning on being a lawyer? You seem to know how to go right to the heart of the matter." Kent shrugged and gave his father a small grin, but didn't say anything. When his father hadn't said anything after a few moments, Kent asked the question again.
"Are you jealous of him being happy, Dad?" Joel jerked his glance toward his son. "He is you know. I mean happy. Before he and Leith moved, I could hear him singing in the shower. He never did that before he met this Andrew person."
Joel studied his son who sat quietly, resting his hands on the arms of the easy chair. In return, Kent studied his father. Joel massaged the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed as he finally answered his son's questions.
"I guess I am jealous. I knew it wasn't possible for the two of us to have a relationship with one another, but at the same time, I wanted for Mikko and I to have the kind of relationship we had when we were in college." He paused a moment, feeling like he was purging his soul, surprisingly to his youngest son.
"I didn't like it when he told us about his new friend."
"Andrew," Kent supplied. "His name is Andrew."
"Yeah, Andrew. I knew Mikko and I couldn't have the kind of relationship I wanted . . ."
"Because of me and Mom and Glenn and Brett? Is that why you couldn't do what you wanted?"
Joel nodded. "Partially, but not in the way you're thinking. I have a responsibility to your mother, your brothers and you. I can't abandon that responsibility for anything or anyone. I can't, and I don't want to. I love all of you. I love Mikko too, but loving you guys is different . . . more special."
"Mikko loved aunt Julie and Mason just like he does Leith, didn't he, Dad?" Joel nodded. "Since they died, maybe he's searching for someone to feel responsible for, someone he can love like he did Aunt Julie and Mason and Leith. Ya think?"
Joel leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and hung his head. "No, Kent. I haven't been thinking . . . of Mikko and his needs. I've only been thinking of mine, and feeling miserable because he wouldn't be the person I wanted him to be. He told me a few weeks ago that he hoped I could understand that he wanted to have a new family." Joel leaned back and rubbed a hand over his face. "Well, Kent. I guess I didn't listen to him. I was too wrapped up in my own needs."
"So what does this mean? What are you gonna do now?"
"I'm going to tell him I'm happy for him and Andrew . . . and mean it when I say it. I'm going to let him live his life and be happy that he is happy." Joel thought for a few more moments and then added. "I'm also going to apologize to your mother for ignoring her as much as I have lately." He looked at his son with a sheepish smile.
"Thank you, Kent. I always knew you were a bright boy. Now, I'm having to start thinking of you as a very bright young man . . . who can make his father face reality and feel good about it." He stood and walked over to where his son was sitting and offered him a hand to help stand. Once Kent was facing him, Joel hugged him close, enjoying it when his son wrapped his arms around his waist, returning the embrace.
"Thank you so much, Kent. I am an awfully lucky guy to have such a wonderful son as you."
"You're pretty cool too, Dad." He looked at his watch and yawned. "Well, I guess I'd better get to bed. Mom would freak if she knew I was up so late." He grinned sheepishly. "She'd really freak if she knew the stuff I've been talking to you about." Joel smiled and stood, along with his youngest son. Kent turned to him and spoke in a confidential tone. "Mom sorta freaks 'bout lots of stuff, huh?" Joel chuckled and then welcomed his son into a warm embrace.
"Thanks, Kent, from both me and Mikko." Kent grinned and then turned and walked to the office door. He yawned once more and then looked over his shoulder.
"See ya, Dad. Thanks for the talk."
~ to be continued ~
Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I've been amazed at how many of you have contacted me about 'Leith' and my other story, 'Phalen.' I always welcome your email and enjoy hearing your thoughts. If you would like me to send a pic of the character(s), please ask.
I have four other stories you may want to read. 'Phalen' and the story's sequel, 'Phalen - Finding Happiness', and 'Chris,' are located in the Nifty College Section. The fourth story is called 'Wesley', and is located in the Adult Relationships section. I hope you enjoy them all.
Best wishes,
Roy Reinikainen roynm@mac.com suomalainen_abq@mac.com