Route 66 Tour

Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. If you are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man relations, please exit this page.

ROUTE 66 TOUR Copyrightc 2003 by Tulsa Driller 7. All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any specific person or persons. Any similarity to actual persons or events is entirely coincidental. This work is copyrightedc by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written permission of the author.

PLEASE: In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist. My characters sometimes have unprotected sex. I hope you use proper precautions because I'd like you to be around the read the last chapter of this story.

Route 66 Tour Chapter 12:

We drove to the furniture store where we'd bought the furniture for Laura's bedroom. We had several things in mind. We needed a sofa and four wingback chairs for the living room. All three bedrooms could use at least one comfortable chair for reading and we could really use two in our bedroom. We had two coffee tables for the living room on the list and could use something that would serve as a bar.

We had talked about an additional curio cabinet to house the collection of Boehm porcelains and Waterford Christmas bells, so that was on our shopping list, also.

As luck would have it, we drew the same salesman as on our previous trip. He had been super to work with then and would prove to be invaluable this time as he knew his inventory and was also knowledgeable about what could be special ordered, if need be.

We spent almost two hours in the store and ended up buying seventeen pieces of furniture as we added a table and hall tree for the first floor entry hall, then another table to go upstairs. We knew that we needed additional table lamps and possibly some torchiere lamps on either side of the fireplace, but didn't do anything except look at their offerings on this trip.

They could deliver the furniture the next day as that happened to fit their delivery schedule in that part of the city. I had a feeling that the salesman would have agreed to any day we wanted it delivered as A.J. wrote a check for almost $9,000 for our purchases. Other than desks for the office, incidental pieces and lamps, we were through with our furniture shopping.

When we returned to the house, there was a truck backed up the driveway and Ralph was seeing to the unloading of lumber, plywood, sheetrock and other materials. Our garage was going to be full and I was reminded that A.J. had called Curtis Cunningham earlier that morning, but Ralph Greene arrived before we had a chance to discuss it.

"Did you have a chance to talk to Curtis this morning?" I asked A.J.

"Yes, he thought he would be able to schedule an early sale for us and could probably get some of his helpers over here at the beginning of the week to price the sale items and have the sale on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of next week."

"That's good. If you know of anything we should add of our own, this is the time to get rid of it," I said.

"I don't know of anything, right now," he said.

"That brings up another point. What are you bringing from your parents house and do we need to hire someone to move it?" I asked.

"There are a few clothes and my computer system. I'd like to bring my pieces of art and model cars, if that's okay?" he said.

"Why shouldn't it be okay? This is your house, too, isn't it?" I questioned.

"Well, yes." he was hesitant.

"What?" I was confused.

"I guess that it's time I finally broke my ties to the house I grew up in. I know I haven't really lived there for six years, but. well you know, it just seems final, somehow."

Laura spoke up. "It's the opposite of the 'empty nest' syndrome. It's all part of the comfort of giving up the security of being able to go home to your parents."

"I'm all excited about living here and having our own house, but I guess grandmother is right. It's breaking the final ties by not having anything left there," A.J. said.

"I understand. I took things of mine from my parents house over a period of several years, then they moved to a smaller house and all of a sudden here was more stuff I'd forgotten about - school pictures, old books, stuff like that. All of a sudden, it didn't seem important anymore and they no longer owned the house where I grew up," I said.

"No, you are right. It has to be done and let's get everything when we take grandmother home on Friday. I'm sorry; I don't know what I was thinking or feeling. I certainly would much rather be here with you than living with them or even by myself."

I walked over to A.J. and gave him a hug and a kiss on his cheek as we pulled ourselves together.

"Thanks. I guess I needed that," he said.

Laura did the same thing and we shared one big hug together.

"We can rent a small U-Haul truck and probably have room left over," he said.

"That's fine. They are usually cheaper to rent as a 'one- way' rather than 'round-trip', so we can probably pick one up in Oklahoma City with no problem," I told them.

"There is a dealer that's only about a mile from the house," A.J. said.

"I think our best bet is to get everything you want down to the garage, then figure out how much space we need and get a truck that's large enough," I said.

"Sounds fine to me," he said, as if nothing had happened.

Ralph had plenty of room in the garage and only had to move a few things. He told us that he would be storing some tools there so he didn't have to carry them back and forth.

We took some things into the house and got the cleaning supplies we needed for the apartment and went over there. It took us about an hour to clean the bathroom and kitchen, including washing out the refrigerator and running the vacuum and taking down the drapes.

My first thought was to leave the hardware, but remembered that when I'd moved in there were no signs of screw holes in the walls. They would take the hardware down and probably throw it away. So, a screwdriver made short work of the task.

I took the keys and gate cards to the office. One of the women who worked there went back to the apartment with A.J. and me to inspect the place. I honestly think she was disappointed because she didn't find something to complain about or deduct from the deposit.

We went back to the office and she filled in a "vacancy report" which showed that we would get the total deposit back. She told us that it was seldom anyone left a unit as clean as ours was. I signed the form and was told a check would be mailed by the end of the week.

It was almost 5 o'clock when we got back to the house. Much to our surprise, Ralph and his son, Bud, had the framing up for the organ speakers. His son was a looker, but only about 5'10" to Ralph's 6'4". You could tell there was a family resemblance, but Bud looked to be in his early 20's so probably was as tall as he was going to be.

They were just nailing the final piece of plywood on top and Ralph had cut a hole in the sheetrock to access the outlet on the other side of the wall in the closet of the second bedroom upstairs.

"Oh good, you're here," Ralph said. "We need to plug a light into the outlet, then have someone turn off the breaker so we'll know the line is dead."

"We can do that for you," I told him.

"There is a small test light on top of that toolbox," Ralph said. "If one of you will plug the light in the outlet, then the other can turn off the breaker. Be sure to check both plugs. I don't think these are split circuits, but you never know if you don't try them."

"I'll go upstairs," I told them. "A.J., you go to the basement. There is a listing of the breakers on the panel. Make sure I say the light is on before you turn anything off. Laura, can you stand at the top of the basement stairs and relay the messages?"

It didn't take five minutes to determine that the breaker was off. It turned out that Bud was a licensed electrician, so made short work of what needed to be done to hook up an outlet on the living room side of the wall.

"We can put the sheetrock on this tomorrow morning," Ralph told us. "Do you want us to haul the speakers up there tonight?"

"Isn't it past your quitting time?" I questioned.

"Naw. not when you work for yourself. I bid on the job, not the time of day," he laughed. "Besides it's easier when the sheetrock hasn't been put up."

I now knew why Doug Reynolds had recommended everyone who was doing work for us. They were all honest people who would go overboard to do the job right. Those people got in, got the job done, didn't make a mess and were glad to be of service.

"That's fine. It won't take us five minutes to unhook the wiring," I said.

"Bud, you get the pads and straps out of the pickup. We'll have this done in no time."

Bud left on his errand. "His name is Jeremy, but he named himself Bud when he was about 4 years old. If I called him Jeremy today, he probably wouldn't answer," Ralph said, with a laugh.

By the time Bud was back in the living room, we had the speakers disconnected on both ends and they had a ramp with moving pads secured to it set up beside the ladder.

Bud handled the board with the amplifiers like it weighed nothing, when in reality it had to weigh 60 pounds or better. The two big cabinets containing the subwoofers were next. These weighed better than 90 pounds each. They put two straps on each of them and together hauled them up the ramp, one at a time. The remaining six cabinets were a cinch in comparison. Ralph and Bud set the speakers as directed. He had already cut the hole at the top for the cable and Bud made sure where we wanted the box below before he attached it to the stud.

"You want us to wire these?" Bud asked, referring to the speakers.

"No, we can do that. I've got what is needed and we'll cut the wire to length and use cable ties.

"That's okay. If you'll go turn the breaker back on, we'll double check to make sure this outlet works," Bud said.

A.J. went downstairs and shortly their test light lit up. I went to the basement door and hollered that it was okay. A.J. came back upstairs.

By this time they had the ramp taken down and were preparing to take it to the garage in case they needed it again.

Bidding us a good evening they left, telling us they would be back about 8 o'clock the next day.

"I don't know how we lucked out in finding the great workers Doug recommended," Laura said. "The last people to do some work on my condo were always at least an hour late in the morning, then didn't do anything the last hour they were there and usually took a couple of hours for lunch, too."

"I have a feeling that Ralph is going to be in and out of here before we're aware he's here," A.J. said.

"I think you are right about that. If you will be so kind as to fix drinks, I'll unload the cleaning supplies out of the car and bring them in."

"What, no organ recital for happy hour tonight?" Laura teased.

"Well, we can delay it about twenty minutes," I said. "I can do a quick hookup and we can always take care of cutting cables to length later."

If the truth were known, I wanted to hear the sound with the speakers up above, anyway. I started up the ladder.

"Do you need some help?" A.J. asked.

"Sure, it'll go twice as fast."

A.J. helped me relocate several cabinets, then turn the large ones up on end so we could easily get to the terminals. He attached the wires to the various cabinets and I attached them to the amplifiers, and then laid the board on the shelf, behind the speakers. We'd attach it to the wall the next day to minimize vibrations.

After I got back down to the floor, I turned the organ on and A.J. verified that each of the amplifiers had a green light. He came down and we removed the ladder to the garage, although we knew they would need it the next day.

A.J. fixed drinks while I washed my hands and changed shoes. He had laid out cheese and crackers a little earlier so put them on a plate for us.

I spent about 5 minutes checking the sound of various stops. The sound in the room was great; although I thought maybe a couple of speaker cabinets should be repositioned. We'd have to experiment with that later, but getting the speakers up high and away was definitely okay. There was good response for the 32' bourdon stop without it being too loud, but still you could tell it was on in full organ combinations.

I started playing, having a piece of cracker and cheese along with a couple sips of my gin between numbers. I dug deeper in the stack of music and pulled out some things that I hadn't played for awhile, both loud and soft. I had a good time and an attentive audience that didn't hesitate to let me know what they liked and didn't like.

I didn't realize that Laura had gone to the kitchen until a little later. She had put some chicken thighs out to defrost earlier, so had coated them with breadcrumbs and herbs and put them in the oven to bake.

We made it easy on ourselves with a bag of salad greens and wild rice to go with the chicken. There was ice cream for dessert.

It was a nice comfortable evening at home and the three of us enjoyed just relaxing and visiting with each other.

Laura had talked to Herbert Flowers, her attorney, each day since she had been staying with us. He had plenty of questions for her each time they talked. We had always made ourselves scarce while she was on the telephone. A.J. and I were sure we'd find out what they discussed when it was time for the big meeting.

About 9 o'clock Laura announced she was going to her room to read and would see us in the morning.

We went downstairs to relax in the den. The furniture was perfect for cuddling, as it was soft, but well padded, too. We listened to Van Cliburn playing the Rachmaninoff "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and the Brahms Piano Concerto number 2 with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. This was a re-release of disks made in the late 1950's on CD's.

The recording must have been excellent because we both went to sleep. A.J. was sitting in the corner of the sofa and I had my head on his thigh when we went to sleep. It was only 10:30 when we came to, but I didn't remember hearing the "18th Variation" of the Rachmaninoff.

We shut things down and went upstairs to bed. I think we each shed our clothes, crawled in, curled up and went back to sleep immediately. The next thing I knew it was daylight and someone was rubbing my chest and I could feel his hairy chest against my back. What a pleasurable way to wake up in the morning.

We got out of bed to take care of our need to pee, then brushed our teeth and washed faces. Then we went back to bed to enjoy each other and by the time we were through we really needed a shower.

"Good morning," Laura greeted us as we appeared in the kitchen about 7:45.

Both A.J. and I kissed her on the cheek, giving her our "Good morning" greeting, also.

"I have some muffins ready to go in the oven and they'll take about 20 minutes to bake," she told us.

A.J. grabbed two coffee mugs that were sitting on the counter and poured coffee for us, then touched up Laura's cup.

"Anything in the paper worth reading?" he questioned her as he was putting the muffins in the oven.

"A couple of the local columnists, otherwise we've already seen it on TV," she laughed.

"That brings up a question. Do you want a TV set in your bedroom?" I questioned Laura.

"No, not really. I can't stand the talk shows and I'm seldom awake by the time they come on, anyway."

"I think we could use a small TV here in the kitchen, either put it on the counter, or get a shelf where we could mount it on the wall," I said.

"We could take the TV that's downstairs and put it in our room and get a big-screen TV for the den," A.J. said, his eyes dancing.

"You know that if we get everything we want right now, Santa won't have anything to bring you for Christmas," I teased.

"Yeah, I guess that's right. I've already got you and grandmother, so I don't really need anything else," he grinned.

About that time the phone rang. I answered it. It was the delivery people for the furniture store. They would be here in about 45 minutes.

"Santa's on his way with part of your presents now," I laughed.

"Early Christmas," Laura laughed, too.

A.J. joined us.

I touched up our coffee mugs and asked, "How much more coffee should I make?

"Why don't you make a full pot, maybe Ralph and Bud drink coffee."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the back door. It was Ralph and Bud.

"Good morning," A.J. said as he opened the door.

We could hear Ralph and Bud telling him hello, then us as they entered the kitchen.

"Do you fellows drink coffee?" I asked.

"Can't live without it," Ralph said.

"Good I was just getting ready to make a new pot. We have muffins in the oven so you can have coffee and a hot muffin in a few minutes."

"Sounds good to us, we'll be in the living room. How does the organ sound now?" Ralph asked. "I hope you'll let Bud hear it a little later.

"Sure. Let's have our coffee and muffins in a few minutes. The movers from the furniture store are on their way, so when they get through, we can have a little concert."

"That would be great. I was telling Bud about hearing it yesterday morning. He doesn't believe me when I tell him that it sounds like a pipe organ."

"He can be the judge of that when he hears it," I said.

They brought their ladder back in the house and then carried in at least six pieces of sheetrock.

The muffins were just ready to come out of the oven and the coffee was ready about the same time, so Laura told the men to join us in the kitchen. She had put out butter and a couple kinds of preserves, along with two more coffee mugs and plates.

"You folks will spoil us. We generally just have coffee and a 'Mickey D's Eggwich' on our way to the job. This morning we didn't have time for anything more than our coffee as we needed to stop to pick up some things at the hardware store," Ralph said.

As we were sitting at the table visiting and eating, we learned that Ralph's wife had died about a year ago after a long, hard fought battle with cancer. It had been in remission several times, but the last time it became active it was with a vengeance and nothing the doctor's did helped, except to keep her comfortable.

Bud had a degree in Political History but had obtained his electrician's license while he was in college. He and Ralph worked together and his brother, Jim, helped as he could, but was working on a degree in engineering.

Ralph had a degree in English Literature, but enjoyed carpentry more and had worked with his father, taking over the company when he died about 10 years ago.

We were just finishing our "breakfast" when we heard the truck from the furniture company backing up the driveway.

Ralph and Bud thanked us for giving them a bite to eat and assured us that they would bring some wonderful cinnamon rolls from a local bakery the next morning.

It didn't take the three men from the furniture store long to unload the items they had to deliver and put them in the appropriate rooms. A.J. and I could tell that one of the young men was all eyes and impressed with what he saw of the house. The other two seemed to be lost in a fog and I wondered if they had experienced a night of bad drugs.

Regardless, they were gone by 9:30.

Ralph and Bud made short work out of putting sheetrock on the inside and outside of the speaker shelf and had the first coat of mud and tape in place shortly afterward. I was amazed at the speed they accomplished things.

They broke for lunch about 11:45 saying that they would be starting on the office/bathroom project when they returned.

Laura put the casserole that Michael and Michelle Langley had provided into the oven and made a green salad to go with it, so we were ready to eat our lunch by 12:30. She had been busy in the kitchen all morning and showed us several casseroles she had made up and put into the freezer, along with some other goodies she thought we should have on hand for quick meal preparation.

By the time we were ready to leave for Oklahoma City at 10:30 Friday morning, great progress had been made on the first floor half-bath and office areas on the main floor. The sheetrock on the speaker shelf had been sanded and recoated twice and would probably be ready to paint on Monday - certainly Tuesday.

I was astounded at the speed and progress Ralph and Bud were making on their projects. They were going to start on Laura's bedroom and bath that afternoon since she would be gone and they could work in those rooms, too.

We arrived in Oklahoma City shortly after noon on that Friday and Laura wanted to take us to lunch at a new place some friends of hers had discovered. Morgan's Bar and Grill turned out to be a place with some potential. It overlooked Lake Hefner and wasn't too far from Tiffin's Bistro where we had eaten days earlier.

The food, an extensive sandwich menu, was good, but the wait staff hadn't been trained and this was going to be a detriment to the restaurant as the service was poor. Our drinks arrived only shortly before the plates with the salad and then the sandwiches were placed before us with the waitress shoving the salad plate to the side while we were still eating. I would have loved to talk to the manager, but this wasn't my city and we wouldn't be returning here to eat when visiting Laura in the future.

We discussed quietly among us as to the longevity of this restaurant, coming to the conclusion that it would not be open in three months time.

Laura had talked to Herbert Flowers the previous day and he would be at her house at 2 o'clock. He wanted a report on how we were coming along with our house and then would give us some papers to sign to finish the acquisition process. We had taken new interior pictures and printed them that morning before leaving Tulsa.

We were at Laura's home a few minutes after leaving the restaurant.

"I've really enjoyed being with you boys the last 10 days, but I'm glad to be back home for a while. However, you are not off the hook. As soon as my rooms are ready at your house, I'm coming back," Laura said.

"Shall I call Ralph to have him devote all his time to working on your bedroom and bathroom?" I asked.

We laughed about that.

"Seriously, I might actually consider establishing a residence in Tulsa after all these years. I've made a lot of contacts with old friends the last few days while there and I could be happy staying there part of the time.

"Do you want to live with us?" A.J. questioned.

"No, not on a permanent basis. If I came to visit, I would enjoy staying with you, but if I decide to rent an apartment, I want it to be a place of my own where I can entertain my friends and not interfere with what you are doing. You guys have your own things to do and all of us would be better off in our own homes."

"That sounds reasonable," I said.

"I'm not going to give up my home here. I just enjoy being close to both of you and may decide to divide my time between the two cities and my friends in both places," Laura said.

Herbert arrived at Laura's place as we were discussing this new idea Laura had proposed.

A.J. let him in. He had two soft briefcases under his left arm.

We greeted him as he came in and sat down.

"Laura, I'm glad you are one of the few clients I have left. You have kept me busy the last two weeks.

Laura laughed, as did A.J. and me. "Herbert, you are younger than me by several years and you had better plan to be around to handle all the flack that's going to be in the air when I die."

"What I've been working on should prevent a lot of that flack from being fired. We're going to secure things for you and your two favorite men," nodding at us as he said that.

"That sounds like you really have been busy," she said.

"Yes, I've been working with Joe Wyton and Randall Davis in that regard and we think we've come up with a solution to the ownership of the company that should keep everyone happy," Herbert said.

"Is it complicated?" Laura asked.

"No, quite simple, in fact. You own 55% of the company so you can do as you please. I suggest that A.J. become president of the company and that David be elected to the board of directors, as he will own 15% of the company under the proposed changes. That will give A.J. a 40% ownership, so the two of you can approve or disapprove of any changes Jim or the 3 sons-in-law might come up with."

I was sitting there, stunned at what I was hearing.

"Your son, Jim, actually owns or controls 45% of the stock. The provision is that he would pass 5% to each of his children, which actually makes A.J. now have a 45% share of the stock. With David having his share, that gives the two of you 60% of the stock. Jim would retain 25% and each of his daughters would have 5%, or a total for them of 15%."

I spoke up. "Aren't they going to have an objection about me owning 15% of the stock all of a sudden?"

"There is no provision in the by-laws about how the stock is held. Anyone can give stock away. In a close-corporation like this, you can't sell it to an outsider."

"Wow," was all I could say.

Herbert continued. "When we wrote the corporate by-laws 30 years ago, we weren't thinking of a situation like this, but it works perfectly for Laura to divide her interests and still assure that things will go as she wants them to, as I know each of you will consult with her before voting on anything."

"What about any dissention?" A.J. asked, meaning his father and brothers-in-law.

"This is a case where if they have a problem, they will really have a problem because they could find themselves without a job and they don't control enough stock to even be able to call for a vote," Herbert told us.

I was sitting there thinking that Herbert and the two financial advisors had this all worked out. If everyone left everything alone, there would be no changes, except for a redistribution of Jim's stock, and that could take place immediately, or when he wanted to do it. Nobody was in danger of losing a job or income. The three sisters would be getting control of their trust funds, along with A.J., and the income from that money alone should provide a good living for each of them.

"What is the salary of Jim and A.J.'s brothers-in-law?. or is it any of my business" I asked.

"Jim's salary has always been tied to a percentage of sales, so last year it was almost $2 million dollars, plus another 'good performance bonus' of $1.3 million. Gary and Mark have always gotten a salary plus a commission over-ride, so each of them got a total of $875 thousand last year.

"Jim didn't get any income from the corporation beyond that as the money was used to fund the various trust funds. Assuming that the individual trust funds that A.J., his sisters and you have will continue to perform, even in this poor economy, there should be anywhere from $300 thousand to $500 thousand annually after taxes. So, none of you are hurting for money, but might be limited in any large bequests you might want to consider."

I was having a hard time comprehending the figures that were being tossed around and hoped that Herbert or one of the others might provide us with something on paper. That should make it seem more realistic.

"Jim and Betsy will be home a week from next Monday. I suggest that we set up a meeting of the family on Wednesday evening and have dinner at the Country Club," Laura said. "You fellows can stay here with me that night if you want."

A.J. agreed that would work for both of us. I was sitting there thinking, 'This is really going to be fun.'

We told Laura that we would be back in time for drinks and dinner, but that we needed to go figure out what we were moving of A.J.'s personal items, determine how it should be packed and then rent a truck. We knew we would be spending the night in his bedroom at his parents' home, perhaps the last time for him.

The only large item was his computer system. He didn't want the desk as he thought it would be too large for our new office at home. There were a few items of clothing, both in the closet and his dresser and chest. He'd already taken everything in the bathroom, but there were a number of models, trophies, awards, oil paintings, prints and his miniature Calder mobile.

We didn't need to rent a truck. Everything could go in his car, although it would be full. We went to the liquor store for boxes, and then got the bubble wrap and tape from our Tulsa move out of the trunk of his car. We had everything packed and in the garage in less than two hours. It was 4:30 and we weren't to be at Laura's house until 6:15 for drinks.

We dressed casually, but with jackets to go back to Laura's for drinks before going out to eat. A.J. and I had discussed family finances instead of indulging in our ability make each other feel good. Although we knew that Herbert and the two financial advisors knew what they were doing, we still had various 'scenarios' to talk about.

Laura greeted us at the door and was thrilled because we had worn jackets to go eat. I honestly wondered if we could have gotten by with being naked - as long as we were wearing a jacket.

We went back to Lake Hefner, but to Tiffin's Bistro. The meal and service were as great as the previous visit. Certainly much different than what was passed off as food and service at noon.

Dinner was leisurely and Laura was talking about what Herbert was doing. She was very pleased with the results.

"You both need to sit down and work with Herbert and write a will that protects each of you and allows others to benefit when the time comes, also," she told us.

"Do you think there will be a problem with A.J.'s brothers- in-law?" I asked.

"What good will it do them to put up a fuss? They are already living on the family generosity and if they think things through, they would realize that you could sell the company and they wouldn't have jobs because the new owners would be buying a profitable company and they would be part of the dead-wood that would be swept out to make it even more profitable."

One thing about Laura, she tells it as it is.

"What I would like for the two of you to do, upon your deaths, is to leave the money in a trust fund so it can be of benefit to the arts and museums. This is what I'm doing with my money, although you already know that because the two of you are the trustees and have to pass on every application. The first thing you have to decide is how much money to release each year, if any at all. You can rely on Joe Wyton and Randall Davis to give you guidance there. My personal things are to be left to A.J. and any money I have left will go into the arts trust fund since you two will have plenty of money."

This had turned out to be another interesting day in Family Finance 101 for both of us.

Our meal was excellent and the same waiter attended us as on the previous visit. We did find out his name was Jon and that he was one of the owners of the restaurant.

A.J. told him we lived in Tulsa and would welcome a restaurant like this in our town.

"We've been approached about franchising, but feel that we lose too much control over the service and the food," he told us.

"I can understand that. There are too few places that have both, except for the country club dining rooms. My pet peeve is what happened to us today at lunch. We gave drink orders and they arrived only a few steps ahead of the salad, which was then shoved aside when entree arrived.

"The next thing was to be asked 2 minutes later if everything was okay. When we said yes, the check was slammed down on the table with a 'Have a great day'. If we had wanted anything else, I'm sure we would have been out of luck," I said.

Jon laughed. "Oh yes, Mickey D's with tablecloths."

"You got it," A.J. replied. All four of us laughed.

We returned Laura to her house, telling her that we would pick up some things for breakfast and be at her place about 8:30.

A.J. drove back to his parent's house. He was unusually quiet which led me to believe that he was still thinking about breaking the final ties to the family home. I reached over and squeezed his right hand, then brought it to my lips for a kiss.

"Are you okay, babe?" I asked.

"Yeah, I really am. I'm sorry, it just seems like I'm sneaking out while they aren't looking. I'll bet that when we see them a week from next Wednesday that they won't even realize my room is empty of all personal things."

"I'm sorry that bothers you," I said.

"Don't be. I really haven't spent any time here for the last six years and certainly not as part of a family. I was just someone who 'rented a room' and had a different schedule than they did," he said.

"I understand," I said, thinking I really did.

"No, my place is with you and I'm thankful for what Grandmother has done in making all of this possible. Up to now, she's the only person who has really mattered to me. I could always count on her to be there when I needed somebody, or to talk to, or receive guidance. My sister's all got married as soon as they could just so they could leave home." He sounded a little bitter.

I tried to lighten the subject. "So are you," making a joke.

He brightened up immediately. "I hadn't thought of it that way, but I am. Only I'm in love and they were looking for an escape."

We both laughed, a little tentative in our response.

"You know that grandmother is incredible. She is very perceptive and I think she realized that I was in love before I did," A.J. told me.

"Before either of us," I agreed.

By this time we were rounding the corner of the garage.

"Is it okay if we pack the car tonight?" A.J. asked.

"Sure," I said.

"I want to get up, clean up and leave here in the morning. I want to go to grandmother's house and tell the world that I'm okay," he almost shouted.

It didn't take long to pack the car. It was crowded and there would be several things that would have to be added after I was in the car the next morning as the bundles would be wedged around my feet and body as I sat in the seat and they would have to be removed before I could get out. We were through in about 25 minutes.

We were damp with sweat by the time we were through with the loading of A.J.'s car. We stripped our clothes off without ceremony and showered together. I could tell that A.J. still wasn't secure about what was happening. The only solution I could think of was to take him to bed and let him know he was loved - in whatever form it took.

We dried each other the best we could before getting out of the large shower and finished the job while standing on the bath mat.

It was by an unspoken agreement that we got into the bed together, crawling in from opposite sides to meet in the middle.

My sweet A.J. needed to be comforted. Although he was one of the most self-assured people I knew, I realized what he was going through. He now had his own home, but still needed to separate himself from his room at his parent's home, the only place he'd really lived until now. Sure, he had been a student at the University of Oklahoma for over six years, staying at his parent's home only on occasion, but this was still a big step for anyone at any age. He could be 60 years old and still have the same "withdrawal" symptoms.

I was thankful that Laura had nurtured him into being the person he was: Smart, kind, loving, questioning, incredibly handsome and usually self-assured, but still innocent of the way the world worked.

A.J. didn't need sex this night. He needed someone to hold him, to cuddle him in their arms and whisper that "it" was okay. I was surprised. He went to sleep very quickly and didn't stir until the bedroom became light the next morning.

The person that greeted me when he awoke was the A.J. that I knew and had come to love. There was no hint of any problem from the night before. We had time to play around with each other and did so - with gusto, not having intercourse as such, but still achieving a mutual climax and painting each other with the evidence of our love for each other.

We cleaned up and then stripped the bed, putting the mattress pad and sheets in the laundry for the cleaning lady to find. We had dressed casually for the day and after making sure everything was in the car, we stopped at a wonderful bakery on the way to Laura's home.

I didn't try to get out of the car, but A.J. found a wonderful Quiche Lorraine and English Muffins to take with us.

Laura greeted us with her usual cheery welcome, giving each of us a kiss and hug, which we gratefully returned.

While having juice, coffee and bakery items, we visited about what Herbert had told us the previous day.

"What if they make a stink about all the changes that are proposed?" A.J. asked.

"The three of us can sell the company and all of us, Jim included, will have plenty of money for whatever we want to do. If Jim wants to cut his daughters in on the deal, that's fine, but I can't imagine that the new owners will want Jim, Gary or Mark working there.

"You sound like you have a buyer for the company?" I questioned.

"Oh yes, several in fact. This is a successful company, so there is no problem selling it at a good price. Any of the possible new owners would trim the deadwood immediately and they would be out of a job.

"Actually, you are telling them, 'Play the game our way, or there won't be any game'," A.J. said.

Laura laughed. "That's the simplest way I can think of to put it."

I wasn't sure if I should laugh or not, but then A.J. and Laura did and I joined them.

We finished our breakfast. Laura had made arrangements for a friend of hers to take her to the beauty shop and then the grocery store, so we were dismissed.

"Go on, start on your way home. I know you have plenty of things to do and we'll visit this evening and have drinks together with Ma Bell playing host," Laura laughed.

A.J. and I carried dishes to the kitchen and took the Quiche Lorraine at her insistence.

We exchanged kisses and hugs as we went out the door.

A.J. helped me into the passenger side of the car and handed the packages so I could arrange them around my feet.

As we backed out the driveway, A.J. tooted the horn and we both waved at our benefactor and provider.

I was lost in silence for a few miles.

"I think Oklahoma is about to have a major earthquake," I said as we were driving down the Kilpatrick Turnpike.

A.J. laughed. "Dad loves that company, so he'll do whatever it takes to see to it that he has a place to go everyday on his way to and from the golf course."

"What about Gary and Mark?" I questioned.

"Maybe they'll actually have to thank Laura. and us. that they have jobs."

"Somehow I don't think we're going to be too popular in Oklahoma City and it's a good thing we have a 90-mile long turnpike separating the two cities.

"Would your father try to buy the company if it were put up for sale?" I asked.

"You know, I don't really know. That's an interesting thought, although I'm sure if it came to that, several other companies would outbid him," A.J. said.

By this time we'd made the transition to the Turner Turnpike and would be home by 11:30.

We were surprised to find that Ralph, Bud and the other son, Jim, were working on the new bathroom and office area, along with Laura's bathroom. The two doors into the living room had been closed up and the two pocket doors installed.

Ralph greeted us, and then introduced Jim.

"This is a nice home you fellow have here and I think you are making some great improvements to it," Jim told us while shaking our hands.

Jim had the finest qualities of his father and brother. He was taller than Bud, probably 6'1" and more slender, at least in appearance than either his father or Bud. He was the younger of the two boys.

"Thanks," I said. "This was a situation where it seemed like the bedrooms were almost an extension of the living room."

Jim answered, "Getting rid of the two doors and hiding the other behind that screen you built for the organ speakers is a great idea and it will make your music room seem larger, too."

He was right, it did and when the new sheetrock was painted to match the living room, that enclosure would seem to disappear.

"I haven't had a chance to hear the organ yet," Bud said, sounding like a young child.

A.J. laughed. "I'll speak to the maestro and see if a private concert can be set up for you."

"At your service," I said, bowing deeply.

"I told them they were in for a treat," Ralph told us.

"Well, I can't disappoint them, can I?" I said, sitting backward on the bench to change my shoes.

The three men stood in the corner of the room, waiting for me to start.

"You may want to walk around and see how much the sound changes from one area to another. I haven't done any adjusting or sound leveling yet and I know there are a few things that need to be changed.

I swung around on the bench and launched into the arrangement of J.S. Bach's "Come, Sweet Death" that was made popular by Virgil Fox. That was one of the great transcriptions of organ literature in my book. It certainly made great use of the organs resources except for the brilliant reeds and I would play Andre Campra's "Rigaudon" so they could experience that.

When I finished the first selection, it was quiet, then applause. I didn't give them a chance to comment, but started the second piece. The Festival Trumpet certainly spoke with authority with the speakers in their new location and I was pleased that the sound seemed to be from several different directional sources, which was due to proper placement of the various speaker cabinets.

There was a lot of applause for just three people. When I looked around A.J. was applauding, as were Michael and Michelle Langley from next-door east, who were standing in the room, also.

"We brought some smoked brisket that Michael prepared on our grill," Michelle said, walking up with a large covered plate in her hand.

I was beginning to change my mind about these people because we had really enjoyed the chicken and pasta casserole they had given us the other day.

"That really sounded great," Michael said, with Michelle agreeing.

A.J. spoke up. "They came to the backdoor, otherwise I don't think I would have heard the front door bell."

Ralph and his sons walked up to say "thank you" and tell us they would be back about 8 o'clock on Monday morning.

"Dad was right," was all Bud said.

"Sounded great," were Jim's words.

"Please forgive us for just walking in the back door, but we rang and realized that you might not be able to hear the bell as we could hear the organ," Michelle said.

"That's not a problem," I replied. "Obviously you knew we couldn't hear anything except the organ."

"They've really made a lot of progress on your remodeling this week," Michael said.

I slipped off the bench and changed shoes so we could walk through the house, as I hadn't seen all the changes they'd made since we left here 24 hours ago.

They had closed up two doors from the living room into the bathroom and our new office. The hardware for the pocket door into Laura's bathroom (as we thought of it) was in place and the door was leaning against the wall. The inside of the old hall door had been framed and sheetrock in place, so the mirror could be hung shortly.

I was surprised at the new half bath as that room appeared to be shaping up nicely. The stool was ready to set and the cabinet and lines were in place for the lavatory. The doorframe was in and the hardware for the new pocket door into our office was in place.

We discovered later in the afternoon that the frame for the dolly for the organ console had been assembled.

These men didn't waste any time.

A.J. gave Michelle the casserole dish from the other day and we both assured her that all three of us had enjoyed it.

Michael spoke up that they had to be somewhere by 1:30 and still had to change clothes. Somehow, that was good news for me. We'd had a big day yesterday along with the drive back from Oklahoma City this morning. We needed some time for ourselves and needed to unpack the car, too.

Curtis Cunningham called almost as soon as the Langley's left. He told us he wanted to come by later in the afternoon to see about space for the sale and what needed to be done to have it ready for his crew to start pricing on Monday morning.

We told him that the garage would be unlocked and there were some tools and building materials stored there, but at the rate the remodeling was going, we thought that area of the garage would be empty in a couple more days.

"I'm ready for a Saturday noon libation," I told A.J. as he pushed the button on the speakerphone.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. What are we going to have for lunch?"

"Gin," I said, laughing.

"I love you," he said, giving me a kiss and joining in the laughter.

As we were leaning in for another kiss, the telephone rang again. A.J. pushed the button for the speakerphone. It was Doug and Tom.

"Hi," we both said, almost together after we found out who was calling.

"How are the plans for remodeling coming along? Did you have a chance to talk to Ralph Greene yet?" Doug asked.

I started laughing. "Would you believe that he's almost through with the project?"

"What?" Doug was incredulous.

"He came by the week before last, when we were getting ready to move and we discussed what we wanted done. Then he called on Tuesday morning, saying he'd had a delay on another project because of another subcontractor holding him up, waiting for materials. He came over, presented his bid for the work, we accepted it and he started work that afternoon," I said.

"He never ceases to amaze me," Doug told us.

"His son, Bud, has been helping him all week and today Jim was with them. I didn't expect him to work on Saturday, but they were here when we got back from Oklahoma City before noon," A.J. told them.

"They all work hard and I've never had a complaint about their work," Doug said.

"We certainly don't have any and at the rate they are going, I think they will have all the structural changes completed by the end of the week. The shelving for the office probably will take longer," I told them.

"What do you want to bet that they'll get that built over the weekend and be ready to install it sometime this week? A.J. asked.

"That wouldn't be improbable," Doug laughed.

"Thank you for giving us the names of Curtis Cunningham, Ralph Greene and George and Paul and Charlie and Blaine. These guys get in, get their work done and disappear and I don't know how it happened, but we seemed to get the next spot on all their schedules," I said.

"Part of that is luck, but they know I give them good recommendations and they are anxious to have me give them referrals," Doug told us.

"I don't care what they call it, but I'm impressed with all of them," I said.

"The reason I called," Doug said, "is that I have some paperwork to give you and wondered if we could drop it by in a few minutes. We're going out to lunch, so won't stay unless you want to give us a drink," Doug laughed.

"You knew there was a catch, didn't you?" Tom spoke up for the first time.

"Do you have plans for lunch?" Doug asked.

"No. In fact when you called we were just discussing having a drink ourselves, so come on over before we get into the booze all by ourselves," A.J. giggled.

"We'll be there in about ten minutes," Doug said. "And lunch is on us."

I pushed the button on the speakerphone.

"Were our lives dull before we met each other?" I asked A.J., leaning in for another kiss.

"Must have been, but I'm sure having fun now," he replied.

True to their word, they drove up the driveway within ten minutes and we greeted them at the front door, giving each other hugs as they came inside.

Doug looked around. "This place looks like a different house. I'm glad you were able to figure out what to do with those three stupid doors off the back of the living room."

"Two are gone and one is hidden," A.J. proudly said.

"Yes, and when that new wall is painted, that whole area will disappear, or certainly not be obvious," Doug told us.

"That's a good place for the organ speakers," Tom told us.

"Yes, there is room for a facade of organ pipes and I need to call a couple of the local organ servicemen to see if they have any junk pipes that are in good shape. We can build toe boards and racks to hold them after we lay out the design," I said.

"How does the organ sound in here?" Doug wanted to know.

"Really good. Do you want to hear it?" I proudly asked.

"Thought you would never ask," Doug laughed, poking me in the ribs.

"You asked for it," I said as I said down on the bench to change shoes again.

A.J. said, "I hate to interrupt, but somebody called and said they were thirsty and we're thirsty, so I'm opening the bar."

All of us laughed and gave him our drink orders.

I repeated the two pieces I'd played a little earlier.

"Wow, I feel like I'm in a cathedral," Tom told us.

"This is a wonderful room for sound, isn't it?" Doug asked.

"Yes, the hardwood floor, tall ceiling and hard surfaces give it just enough reverberation to make it sound great. I could turn the reverb up a little more, but I think that makes it sound artificial and we really don't want that," I said.

"I have to agree. It sounds real now and if you add any echo it won't be a desirable sound," Tom said. Doug agreed.

We walked on through the house so they could see the remodeling project and they approved of what we were having done.

The next stop was the dining room. "Are you going to keep this light?" Doug asked, indicating the one hanging over the dining room table.

"No, definitely not. We have a nice crystal chandelier and I'm going to get Bud to hang it for us on Monday. This one is going in the sale."

"I know someone who is looking for something like this. They may not want this one, but I'll tell them to call you, if you don't mind," Doug asked.

"Fine with me. Do you have any idea what it's worth?" I asked.

"Price it at $400. You can always come down, if you have to," Doug said.

"What?!" I was stunned.

"Sure, just go to Lowes or Home Depot or any of the lighting places. Things like this bring top dollar and people gladly pay it," Tom said.

"Have them give us a call, then," A.J. said. "I think it's ugly."

"I do, too, but they didn't ask my opinion," Doug told us.

We had a great lunch at an Irish Pub called Kilkenny's on 15th Street. They had a good sandwich menu and excellent drinks and we were feeling no pain when we left the place.

We didn't really do much the rest of the weekend, except to revel in our new house, rest, make love when the mood struck us and eat when we felt like it. We did go to church on Sunday morning, and then treated ourselves to the Sunday buffet at the Gilcrease Museum. A nap was in order after we got home.

Our usual conversation with Laura was around 6 p.m. both evenings. Although she swore she was glad to be home, both of us thought she would rather be with us.

The next week went pretty much as we had expected. Curtis and his crew showed up to price and arrange things for the sale on Monday morning.

Jim helped his father and brother three days of that week and, A.J. was right, they had the shelving ready to install on Wednesday. The small bathroom was complete except for cutting and stretching the carpet and the sheetrock in all the rooms had been painted. The glass company arrived on Friday afternoon to install the new mirror in Laura's bathroom, covering the area where the door into the living room used to be.

The sale started on Thursday morning and the stuff I considered to be lesser quality sold first and at good prices. The people Doug knew didn't take the dining room light that we took down, but it was sold within 20 minutes of start of the sale and for $475. By the time the sale opened on Saturday morning, it looked like the remnants from a junkyard. Finally, with our permission Curtis closed the sale at 1 p.m. and a friend of his who had a booth in a flea market bought and hauled away the few remaining items. The sale had gone much as Curtis expected and grossed a little over $30,000. By the time we paid Curtis his 30% plus the $450 to appraise the items we had thought we wanted to keep, we made a total of $1,550 on the sale after having paid the Martin's $19,000 for the furniture we kept and what went in the sale. Doug realized that we hadn't kept everything we'd told him about, so gave us back $200 of his appraisal fee, insisting we take it even when telling him no.

Ralph and his sons brought the organ platform around to the front door, as there was more room to maneuver it into the living room. The five of us, plus one of the men working for Curtis placed the console on it. We lifted and he shoved the dolly under it. It was a perfect fit and was the same color as the oak of the console. It rolled smoothly on the floor and was nice as the console could be shoved against the wall if we wanted it out of the way.

Ralph told us to call him when we got the pipes and he would help measure and build toe and rack boards for them.

We had given Laura a daily report of the various activities each evening. We could tell that she was itching to get back over here, but said she would wait until after the big meeting on Wednesday night.

Our weekend was a lazy one, although we looked at cars to replace the Pontiac Grand Prix Coupe I was driving. We had decided that a 4-door sedan of some kind was much easier for Laura to get in and out of. However, we didn't buy a car that weekend.

Laura had already invited her granddaughters and their husbands to the country club for dinner on Wednesday night. Tamara and Mark indicated that they had other plans for the evening and Laura told them to cancel them that this concerned them as it was related to the family business. That statement must have given all of the girls and their husbands something to talk about.

A.J.'s parents arrived back in Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon. Gary, who was Marilee's husband, was pressed into service to pick them up at the airport and we found out later he wasn't happy about it because he had to miss an afternoon of golf. Life is tough.

Jim, A.J.'s father, didn't say anything to Laura about the upcoming meeting, but Herbert Flowers told him that he and Joe Wyton and Randall Davis would be present at the dinner, too.

We drove to Oklahoma City on Wednesday morning and had lunch with A.J.'s parents. They were nice people and we all seemed to be comfortable with each other. Of course, we had questions about their trip, where they had been, what they saw, etc. As A.J. had predicted, they didn't know exactly where they had been and what they had done, except that the large cities seemed modern, but the rural areas were backward and that people actually lived in mud huts.

After we were through eating, A.J. told them of our having met each other and that we were living together as a gay male couple. The news didn't faze either one a bit and I remembered that Jim had told A.J. at one point that a couple of his golfing buddy's had sons who were gay and he would be glad to introduce them.

"Do you know what this meeting is all about that Mom is having this evening?" Jim questioned A.J.

"Yes, a little. She's making some changes in her will and the administration of the trust fund for the arts she has established," he told his father.

"Oh, I thought maybe it was something serious," Jim said, dismissing the subject.

"Well, it's serious to her," A.J. said without volunteering to divulge anything more.

I had tried to talk to Betsy, but found her to be largely uninterested in the fact that A.J. and I had bought a house and were having some extensive remodeling work done.

Her reply was, "Maybe I ought to have our house redecorated again. It's been about four years since that was done the last time.

My first thought was comparing having the house redone to having the oil changed on your car. Something that had to be done on a regular basis. That further explained why the house looked like a museum instead of a place where people lived.

Jim invited us to join him on the golf course that afternoon. When I told him that I didn't play he seemed surprised, as if he thought everyone played golf. Betsy had an appointment at the beauty shop, so had to leave as soon as we were through eating.

A.J. said, "We are staying with Laura and will bring her with us this evening."

"Why aren't you staying in your own room?" Betsy questioned. "It's large enough for both of you."

"Because ten days ago I moved everything out that I wanted to keep and it's now in our home in Tulsa." A.J. told me later that as he had thought, she hadn't been in that part of the house since they returned from their trip.

After we left the restaurant, A.J. told me to help him remember to give his father his house keys and garage door opener.

We arrived at the Oklahoma City Country Club at 6:15. Laura had a room reserved for our party, with the table set for 14. It was a good thing that cocktail hour was planned to be an hour, because it was pretty stiff when it started. A.J. introduced me to his older sister, Marilee and her husband, Gary. Then there was Tamara and Mark. These were the two men that were part of the business. The other, younger sister was Lorraine and her husband, Phillip. She had shown up wearing a new maternity outfit as their way of announcing they were expecting their second child. I noticed that there was little visiting between Laura and her three granddaughters. I felt badly about that until I realized they weren't visiting with Betsy, either, and didn't have that much to do with each other. It was going to be a long (happy?) hour.

Finally, Laura signaled that we were to be seated at the table and it was then that I noticed the place cards. I was between Lorraine and Marilee, with their husbands on the other side of them. Laura was at the head of the table and Herbert Flowers was at the foot.

For as strained as the conversation was, the food more than made up for it. I ate well, but noticed that Lorraine was picking at her food, which was a sirloin roast with twice-baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, glazed carrots, onions and green beans.

"Good food," I said.

"I'm thinking of becoming a vegetarian," she told me.

"The vegetables are good," I said, realizing that my attempt at conversation was futile.

"They have other things in them. The vegetables are glazed with meat drippings and the potatoes have cream and butter in them."

"Oh," I said wishing I'd kept my mouth shut.

Marilee was a little friendlier, but not by very much.

I was glad when the plates were taken away and the dessert was served. The offering was pears poached in port wine and served with coffee.

The meal seemed to last forever and it had been rather quiet around the table. I wondered how long it had been since this family had eaten a meal together like this.

Finally Herbert Flowers stood up. The two quiet conversations that were going on ceased immediately.

"I'd like to thank Laura for the wonderful dinner this evening. The food is always great here and the menu was well chosen.

"Laura asked me to talk to you this evening as she has had Joe and Randall and myself working on her will and the trust fund for the arts that has been established for several years. There are few changes that concern you, but we felt that a family gathering was the best way to talk to all of you and answer your questions at the same time.

"All of you have met David tonight. He and A.J. met recently and have decided to become domestic partners, so he is now part of the McDermott family." There were a couple of groans from the brothers-in-law.

"Now, I have some good news for all of you. Many years ago Andrew James and Laura McDermott loaned their son, Jim, the money to go into the appliance business. All of you know that this business has been very successful and has supported all of you in grand style. Proceeds from the business have gone into four trust funds to benefit Marilee, Tamara, Lorraine and A.J. The terms were that none of them could draw any of that money until Lorraine reached the age of 23, which will take place in January. Those trust funds are worth $5 million dollars each and you can use the income in any manner you please."

There was a gasp around the table, then applause.

"In addition, Laura has funded, from her own money, a trust fund for her great-grand children. Company money which has funded the other trust funds will no longer be used for that, instead they will be diverted to the trust funds for the younger generation."

There was more applause.

"Now, as you know, Laura has retained majority ownership of the company all of these years and this will change some, but won't effect any of you. The terms of the by-laws of this corporation are that stock may not be sold to an outsider; however, it may be given away at the owner's discretion. She has given David control of 15% of her stock and the control of the other 40% has been passed to A.J. Both will be elected to the board and A.J. will become the president of the corporation."

There was much murmuring and Gary stood up. His greed was immediately apparent to those of us in the room.

"He's not even part of the company. He didn't want a job working for us and we've been paying him as a consultant when in reality he has been going to school."

Mark, wisely kept quiet, but you could tell he wasn't a happy camper.

"Point well taken, Gary. Let me clarify this for you. A.J. was given the title as consultant with the company to help him out with the college expenses his scholarship didn't cover, namely for a portion of his living expenses. Since your compensation has always been based on salary plus a commission override, it didn't have any effect on the money you received or expected to receive in compensation. Furthermore, Mark is paid the same as you.

"Actually in the past six years, A.J. has drawn a total of $54,000 from the company. That's $9,000 per year and I believe that last year your total salary and commission override was $875 thousand, plus car, insurance, retirement and club memberships which amounted to another $100 thousand. The same is true for Mark."

I was enjoying this as Gary sat down without saying anything further.

"Are there any questions?" Herbert asked.

Phillip, Lorraine's husband, stood up. "I think Laura has been more than generous with everyone in this room. However, I'd like to know if any of the rest of us will ever have a chance to buy stock in this company?"

"That's a fair question," Herbert said. "I'm not telling any secrets when I say that Jim's will is set up to leave his stock to his wife and eventually, his children. However, he can make that distribution anytime from today to when the administrator of his estate has to deal with it. The stock doesn't pay any dividends, the profit has always been reinvested in the company to allow for growth and also used to fund the trusts we talked about earlier. So, there is really no advantage to owning stock, except for who has controlling interest."

Gary jumped back up. "How come David fares so well? He's an outsider and a lot older than A.J. How do we know he's not going to take our company to the cleaners and leave?"

"Good point. The terms of any of David's financial benefits from Laura or this company are that if at any point he and A.J. decide to end their relationship, he has no claim whatsoever on the corporation or any principal amount that's been set aside for him. He cannot sell the stock he's been entrusted with, unless the majority of the stockholders decide to sell the company."

Phillip was heard to say quietly, "He'd be a fool to leave."

Mark was on his feet this time. "Are you trying to tell us that he and A.J. could sell the company out from under us and we don't have any say about it?" He was livid.

"Technically, that is possible. However, keep this in mind. The company is healthy, it provides a very good life for each of you, trust funds have been set up and matured for Jim's children and provisions have been made to do the same for his grandchildren. And. most importantly, you have Laura and her two financial advisors, Joe Wyton and Randall Davis to thank for this as they have invested the trust fund money wisely and helped it grow by leaps and bounds. All of you would be wise to leave the principal intact and use only the annual income and interest. There is no consideration for selling the company, although there have been offers. However, Laura, A.J. and David feel this should still be a family corporation."

There was noise in the room, but no sign of dissent.

Jim stood up. "Mother, I'd like to thank you for helping me to realize my dream of owning my own store. The fact that you owned the majority of the company stock was never a problem for me, because I've received more salary than I ever needed. The corporate salary structure for me was always based on sales and good performance. You gave me great financial advisors to work with and my wife and I have always had everything that we needed.

"Gary and Mark came on board at the time they married into the family. In the last five years we've opened two new stores and have plans to open two more as soon as it is possible, however, finding managers who are team players is not easy. Your generosity has given Gary and Mark a wonderful lifestyle.

When Lorraine and Phillip were married, he was offered a job with the company and he declined. I know he has always made good money as a financial advisor, but he has followed his own dream and from what he has told me, his company is starting to grow and attract clients who are paying him good commissions."

There was a little applause.

"A.J. has been an ideal son, although Mother is the person responsible for that. She took him under her wing early on, taking him on trips, nurturing his interest in history and art. They have always been close and the fact that he is gay makes no difference to his mother or me. He has indicated that David is his soul mate and that they are in love with each other. I saw the pictures of their new house today and although they have just moved in and are getting settled, it's going to be a beautiful home they can rightfully be proud of.

"Gary, you and Mark married well. I'm sure your marriages are happy and filled with love (I found out later that Laura and A.J. almost gagged at that statement, too). You have been great business partners and I'm hopeful that you will continue to grow with the company and reap the benefits provided to you. Mother has always been generous to you and I'm sure that A.J. and David will continue what she has started for each of us.

"Betsy and I love to travel and we've seen a good portion of the world and it's a wonderful place, but makes us happy we live here in the United States. We intend to continue to explore other parts of the world and Gary and Mark will be taking on more and more responsibility and Joe and Randall will be called on to guide them in the running of the company.

"Phillip, at the present time you have no direct involvement with our company, other than being married to daughter number three, but the offer will always be open and maybe at some point you can take over for Joe and Randall with our family investments.

"I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I owe my gratitude to my parents, especially my Mother and now my son and his partner. I know you will carry on the tradition that my parents started. I plan to retire in a couple more years, but the company will always have my attention."

He sat down to applause from everyone.

Herbert stood up. "Thank you Jim. I know those words are from the bottom of your heart and well said."

Laura stood up. "You are a wonderful family. Thank you for understanding that I'm trying to keep the company going by passing my interests on to the next generations and from what I've heard this evening, my son is doing the same. Please understand that I'm not changing anything, but making way for future growth and health of our company."

There was more applause as she sat down.

A.J. was the next to stand, which surprised me.

"Our family has been blessed by the leadership of my grandfather, whom I never knew, along with my grandmother. My father and his family have been the direct benefactors of their generosity throughout the years. I have been fortunate to have gotten a good education and recently have met someone that I love deeply. Grandmother realized this before I did and I thank her for being supportive. We plan no changes in the company except for a careful expansion, as my father has indicated. Hopefully the profits from the company will allow those involved in its operation to receive more compensation each year as well as provide for future generations.

"Thank you grandmother and thank you Dad and Mom."

A.J. sat down to well-deserved applause.

The dinner broke up with people being much more friendly than when we gathered for cocktails. Gary and Mark had some valid questions about what was going on, but realized that they were first in line at the hog trough and nobody was going to shove them out of the way. They realized they had nothing to fear and I hoped that they would feel free to talk to A.J. and me about their ideas for the company; after all we were all in this together and would benefit from positive changes.

I was very pleased that both Gary and Mark took the time to talk to both A.J. and me, together and separately. Gary didn't say anything about it, but Mark congratulated me on becoming part of the family.

As far as Jim and Betsy were concerned, they could continue to travel the world and not learn anything. They already had a trip planned to India and Laura, A.J. and I wondered why on earth they would choose to visit there when there were so many places in paradise they could go instead. It turned out that Betsy had heard the Taj Mahal was a beautiful place and had been built as a memorial to a man's love. Besides, none of their friends had been there.

Gary and Mark would carry on with the stores and expand the operation, continuing in their loveless marriages with the children in private schools. Phillip and Lorraine were happy in their marriage with soon-to-be two children. His business would continue to grow and he would be called upon to help Joe and Randall, the two family financial advisors, but wanted no direct input as he felt the burden would be too great if he made bad decisions.

Laura was the stabilizing force behind this family. She admitted with no hesitation that A.J. had always been her favorite and through his urging, Laura began to see her great- grandchildren on a regular basis. Somewhere, somehow, they had gotten the message that Grandmother Laura McDermott was a kindly lady who loved to give them the attention she had once given only to A.J.

Through her efforts, they began attending events, from junior symphony performances to museum visits geared toward young people. She paid their way to arts camps, music lessons and one or two day trips to historic sites that had children's programs.

After a year of this, both A.J. and I could see those children starting to bloom and become more self-confident. They loved to spend a weekend in Laura's company and you could tell that she enjoyed opening her window on the world for them to look through.

Laura loved to travel and, of course, we always accompanied her on the various trips she carefully planned. We were great traveling companions. She had been seen by a new doctor recently as the one she had been going to had retired and sold his practice. When she had a physical, the doctor was concerned about her inability to walk more than a short distance.

The problem turned out to be a simple one involving a pinched nerve, which caused some numbness in one foot. This resulted in her dragging that foot instead of picking it up and stepping ahead. A very minor surgical procedure stopped the problem completely. She was off her feet for about three days, then built up her endurance quickly. By the time we went to London and onto Glasgow a month later, she was walking as well as we were and I'm not so sure we didn't have trouble keeping up with her.

We celebrated Laura's 76th birthday at Stratford on Avon, seeing a production of "The Taming of the Shrew" after a lovely dinner at the hotel next to the theatre. She loved to travel and so did A.J. and I.

We settled into our house and started having regular dinner parties about twice a month. The crowd was generally a well- mixed group of both straight and gay people, most of which already knew each other. We would usually take part in a progressive cocktail/dinner/dessert party that the gay couples in our neighborhood had every few weeks. There were usually anywhere from a dozen to maybe 20 people involved and we always rotated the homes so we never did the same course in a home twice in a row.

This gave us a chance to meet other gay and straight couples. If Laura was in town she was always automatically included in the invitation.

We literally pulled out all the stops for a Christmas party. Laura insisted we have it catered and she paid for it. This party started at 4 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon and invitations had been sent out specifying "cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, 4 to 5:30 p.m." The next group read "cocktails and buffet, 6:30 to 8 p.m." The last group read "dessert, 9 to 10 p.m."

We had invited 50 people for the first part of the party, 35 for the second and a small group of 24 for the dessert part of the party. According to the guest book we had 49 for the first section. One couple didn't show up and another brought a guest. We had 37 for the dinner as one couple brought guests and 18 people came for dessert. We didn't expect that many for dessert.

The party was "well mixed" and most knew each other. It was fun to give a party and have someone to tend bar while others prepared food and served it. By the time the last guest left, the caterers were packing up to leave, too. And, the bonus was that the house was cleaned up and in good shape.

We had not gone "all out" to decorate. We'd simply hung greens at the appropriate places in the various rooms, decorating them with colored balls and lots of ribbon. It was under-done, but that's what we wanted.

The next spring, shortly after our return from England and Scotland, Doug Reynolds found a nice one-bedroom condo for Laura to rent. It was less than a mile from where we lived and easy to pick her up for grocery shopping, the beauty shop or to go out for an afternoon or evening. She enjoyed it immensely and spent about half of her time in Tulsa. We helped her with her own small dinner parties, which never exceeded 8 people, and it was amazing how quickly her circle of friends grew.

We did buy a four-door sedan, a Lexus, which made it more comfortable to take Laura places with us. She insisted on paying part of the cost and we finally gave in. However, for the most part we drove A.J.'s Acura around town, as it was easy to get in and out of traffic and parking spaces.

In April, A.J. and Laura surprised me with a trip to Spain for my 60th birthday. We had a grand time and were gone for 12 days. I think all of us were glad to arrive back home. The trip wasn't tiring, but there is something about being in a place where English isn't the first language that made all of us uncomfortable. Maybe it was because this was my first foray into a totally foreign country, but it took me 10 of the 12 days to adjust to it.

We also traveled a lot on our own, but at least when we got home; we knew where we'd been and what we'd seen.

At the end of May we received a call from a friend of ours who asked for our help. A couple of his friends had a son who was 17 and had just announced to his parents that he was gay. They went ballistic and tossed him out of the house. He stayed with a friend for a couple of weeks, but that family was getting ready to leave for a month in Mexico to go on a archeological dig and the boy, Jarred, didn't have a place to stay.

The friend who called wasn't gay, but knew we were and had no problem with it. However, the young man needed a place to stay and he was hoping we would take him and provide an example that being gay is okay.

We agreed to meet with him and Jarred to find out what his needs were and, more importantly, his attitude.

• • • • • THE END of Book One

AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks for being a reader of my second story to appear in the Nifty Archives. I've left a "hook" at the end of "Book One" and will consider writing a second story dealing with Jarred, if there is enough response. My thanks to Paul Daventon for helping catch most of the obvious errors in the story. Regardless of how carefully we proofread, I always discover wrong words that make it past spell check when writing. You may contact me at the following e-mail address: TulsaDriller7@aol.com. Thanks again, David.