Starlight Rhapsody - Chapter 4
This story begins in 1946 in Boston, Massachusetts. The author was born in 1953 and never experienced life during the time in which the story takes place.
The concept for Starlight Rhapsody was conceived as I awoke one morning. I rushed to my PC to save the idea in a text file, and wound up staying at the PC for the entire day as the first four chapters literally wrote themselves. This novel is a complete work of fiction and the characters bear no resemblance to any real persons, living or dead. The main character's Christian name was chosen because it was the name of an online friend, but the use of his name is the only characteristic they have in common. I sincerely hope you will enjoy Starlight Rhapsody. It is a story filled with love, affection, friendships, relationships, competition and jubilation, however it was written as a same-sex love story without being pornographic. I cannot imagine that I could have written a different story with the same commitment and dedication I have given to this one. Those wishing to communicate with me about Starlight Rhapsody can do so at junkmail01801@gmail.com. If you like this story, be sure to make a donation to http://www.nifty.org so that authors like me continue to have a place to post our work so that you may enjoy them!
"Starlight Rhapsody - Chapter 4
Sunday went pretty much as expected. Elena woke the guys up, they showered, dressed for and attended church with Krystal, who introduced her new family to several friends and acquaintances, then returned home. Alex decided to go play some records, leaving Krystal and Mike to each other. This was an opportunity both had been awaiting. Mike asked Krystal to tell him about her childhood, her family, and what led up to her marriage and obtaining the huge estate. Krystal withheld nothing, and everything she said made sense to Mike, giving him no reason to doubt her words. Krystal then asked Mike to tell her whatever he knew about his family, what he remembered about his time at St. Patrick's, the boys' home, and finally his return to St. Patrick's and introduction to Alex. Mike told her everything he could remember about his younger days, then fully elaborated about meeting Alex. When asked, he couldn't explain the bond that developed between the two of them, but the young boy had a loving nature about him and seemed to have an insatiable need to feel loved, traits he had in common with Mike. It just seemed perfectly natural to him to care for the young boy in his state of helplessness, and for him to console him during his period of grief. Krystal then asked a question he hadn't expected about a topic to which he'd give no thought.
"Is there, or have there ever been anything sexual between you and Alex?" Krystal asked.
"No! How could you even ask me that?" Mike retorted, shocked at her question.
"Look, I know the two of you are very close, and that you care about each other very much," Krystal told the young man. "I will be going before the court to legally adopt a grown man, and I know that I will have to answer some unusual questions. It would be easier for all of us if I just adopted him and married you, from the court's perspective, but that isn't what we want. We want the three people we are to be in the roles we talked about, with me as your maternal figure and the two of you as brothers. Since you have assured me there is nothing sexual between the two of you, I can stand in front of the judge with a clear conscience."
"Krystal, I love that boy with my entire heart and soul, and it's not from any physical or sexual attraction. I love him for the person he is, and as if he had been born my younger brother. He made me glad that I was able to help him after his accident. Last night before I fell asleep, I was lying in bed trying to put this all together and figure out the odds in my mind. How and why did a `nobody' like me get assigned to a boy like Alex? How did a lady like you get to connect with Alex? Why did our individual connections to Alex bring us together? Krystal, I am grateful to you for everything you're doing for both Alex and me. Since I've seen the human side of you, I've come to love you very much, just as I love Alex. In our own ways, before this three-way connection got made, we were three lonely souls who had no one in our corners. You were stuck in a life you inherited, but that's not who you are inside and with your husband gone, you had no one to care about your feelings. I had no one in my life at all who gave a damn about me. I met this unfortunate boy who had nobody to give a damn about him, other than you to give him music lessons. Until you reached out to us, your life was as empty as ours had been. Because of you, we all now have each other. You lived in this big, empty house, but now, there's love in it. Alex and I both love you and we feel your love for us. Please accept it for what it is, and don't try to read into it something that doesn't exist. My place in that boy's life is to help him become a young man, and to understand what is happening to his body as he passes through puberty, be supportive as he develops attractions for young ladies, and especially when he thinks perhaps he's found one to love. In the process, I hope he sees me find a nice girl to whom I'm attracted and with whom I wish to share my love. Those are my responsibilities to Alex as the older brother you will enable me to become."
Smiling at the young man, Krystal said "I never suspected your intentions were anything less than honorable, but I'm sure you now understand why I had to ask.
Mike smiled back, sheepishly, "Since I was assigned to that boy, he has been my whole world. Now, I have you with whom I can share him and take some time to have a life of my own." He moved over to Krystal and kissed her cheek.
"The two of you are a dynamic pair," Krystal told Mike. "In just under two days, I've gotten a made-to-order family, and it's just what I've needed in my life. I have some correspondences I have to take care of, so if you don't mind, I'll go do that. Go enjoy yourself and I'll see you at dinner."
"I love you, Krystal," Mike called after her as she headed down the hall.
"I love you, too!" Krystal answered back.
The family convened for dinner at 6:30 P.M. Roast chicken was served with a potato and onion stuffing and beans, which the three of them enjoyed. After their meal, Krystal took them to a room under their bedrooms that she called her "game room," where there were small tables set up with a chess board, a checkerboard, Chinese checkers, decks of cards, cribbage boards, a billiard table, a ping-pong table, a blackjack table, a few slot machines and a roulette wheel.
"This was my husband's creation," Krystal said. "It doesn't get used anymore, but you young men are welcome to use it. Do you play any games?"
"I play chess," Alex ventured.
"I play ping-pong, checkers and cribbage," Mike said. "I can teach Alex to play those, and maybe I can learn chess."
"Maybe we'll all start to use the room," Krystal suggested. "I play cribbage and chess, so perhaps I will have formidable opponents, but we need a game that three can play."
"What about if we asked Elena?" Mike suggested. "Hearts and Whist are both card games, but they require a fourth player."
"Hmm. It's not considered proper to break decorum with the hired help," Krystal stated, "but what the hell. If we're going to break the concept of a conventional family anyway, why not?
She went off to attempt to persuade Elena to participate in a game and left the guys in the game room.
"This place is incredible!" Alex exclaimed. "Is this heaven or what?"
"It's a nice room in which to have friends visit when we make some," Mike replied. When you make some friends at school, you could hang out here after school and on weekends."
"Yeah, that would be great," the boy replied, staring at the chess set. "I wish Peter could see this. He'd really like it."
"You really miss him, don't you?" Mike asked Alex.
"I do," Alex told him. "He was my first friend at St. Patrick's before they hired you, and we used to play chess all the time."
At that moment, Krystal returned without Elena, explaining that Elena wasn't fond of playing games, so either they could play a two-player game while she observed, she could go busy herself with her own activities while they played a game, or they could leave games for another occasion and go do something else. The guys chose to leave the game room and go to the music room and asked Krystal to join them. When they got there, Alex headed for the classical records, but Mike intercepted him.
"Mom, why don't you pick out something you think we might enjoy hearing that you like?" the young man suggested.
"All right," Krystal replied, still not used to being referred to in matronly terms. She went to the popular section behind the cabinet doors and retrieved Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" and put it on the record player. As the notes came out of the speaker, Mike approached her and bowed.
"May I have this dance?" he asked.
"But of course," she said.
"Hey! I know this one," Alex shouted over the music.
Krystal was quite amazed that the young man knew how to jitterbug, and was particularly impressed with how good he was!
"Who taught you that?" she inquired when the record had ended.
"One of the kitchen ladies at the boys' school gave some of us dancing lessons," Mike answered. "She used to teach us one day a week after lunch, and she'd bring her own record player and records. Most of the guys wouldn't bother, but about a dozen of us did."
"Well, you're very good, I must say," Krystal complimented him.
"Maybe we should teach Alex," Mike suggested.
Alex just shook his head. "No, thank you," he said. "Besides, I've got all I can handle with learning the piano."
"It's simple, really. Remember the counting you do in your head with the time signature on the music sheets?"
"Yes," the boy replied.
"Dancing is no different," Krystal explained. "The jitterbug is really a fast fox-trot, and all fox-trots are in 4/4 time. The only difference is, instead of using your fingers to make the notes, you're moving your feet in time with the music. Come here and I'll show you."
Alex got up grudgingly and let Krystal show him a few steps. She went over to the popular records and picked out a medium-tempo fox-trot, handed it to Mike and instructed him to play it. Holding Alex's hands, she led him through the steps as the record played, and the boy did rather well.
"That was good for a first try," Krystal told him. "I'll bet if we dance to one record after each music lesson, you'll be a talented dancer like Mike in no time!"
"You were pretty good there, little brother," Mike encouraged the boy. "With a little practice, you might put me to shame."
Alex doubted he would dance as well as Mike, but since it was related to music and he could already count in time with music in 4/4 time, maybe it wouldn't be hard at all. After all, it did seem like fun.
"Pick out another record, Mom," Mike asked of Krystal.
She went back over to the popular section and selected one of her favorite ballads, "Close to You" by Frank Sinatra and handed it to Alex to play. When it began, Mike bowed again, and he began to dance with Krystal again. As the words of the song filled the room, Krystal realized what was being sung, blushed and pulled away from the young man. Realizing her mistake of selecting a romantic ballad and then dancing with a young man who was half her age and about to become her adopted son, she made Alex take the record off and sat in a chair.
"I don't know what came over me," she explained. "I never should have chosen that record. Well, there are plenty more to dance to some other time, but right now I think I need a drink of water, then retire to my room for the evening. I have to go to the court to file papers in the morning, then stop at the school to get you admitted, Alex. Make sure you gentlemen don't stay up too late."
Krystal left two young guys baffled at what caused her to stop dancing, particularly Mike who was enjoying dancing with her. He walked over to the record player and started the ballad again, this time listening to the lyrics. As the words came from the speakers, he felt he knew what she wasn't willing to admit, and he thought that the last time she danced to that song, it was with her late husband. When the record ended, Mike put all the records away while Alex switched off the record player, then shut the lights and closed the door. Mike felt it was going to take Krystal some time to adjust to having two young men in her life, or maybe any men at all, if she couldn't put the past behind her. The two guys walked to their rooms quietly, until both were behind closed doors.
"Did something spook Mom when the two of you were dancing?" Alex asked.
"I think it was the record," Mike replied. "I think it reminded her of her husband and made her sad."
"I don't want to see her be sad," the boy said. "I'm used to her being all bubbly and fun, like when you danced with her to that first record. After she danced with me and that last record played, she became a totally different person."
"It's not easy to forget the good times you've spent with someone you really loved," Mike told Alex. "It's like when you think of the good times you had with your parents."
"Oh yeah, I get it," said Alex. "It doesn't make sense that we love people and then they die."
"Little brother, we are all born to die," Mike said. "It's part of living. If we didn't die, there would be no room left in the world for new people to be born. To lose loved ones in death is sad, I know, but it happens and will always happen."
"If Krystal's going to be our Mom," Alex began, "maybe we can do something to keep her from being sad. I know I can try. Will you?"
"Sure, I'll try," Mike agreed, but with reservations of his own. Maybe Krystal needed to meet a new man, one who would fill the void in her life that neither he nor Alex could. He would have to concentrate on that.
As she had promised, Krystal began her day at the court, filling out a stack of bureaucratic documents for Alex, then another for Mike. Everything had to be filled out by hand, with some forms in duplicate and others in triplicate. When she finished the stack of forms for Mike, the clerk informed her that his signature had to be on one of them, as he was legally an adult. She grabbed Mike's stack of forms, dashed out of the court and hurried home with them for him to sign. She knocked on the door to Mike's room. Dressed in his robe, he answered her knock, and was surprised to see a rather disheveled Krystal holding a pen and requesting his signature on the form that required it. She apologized for invading his privacy, but the court insisted that he sign the form. Mike signed the form, handed it back to her, and she ran down the hall to return to the court. Upon handing the stack of Mike's forms to the clerk, she was informed that a judge would be available within a half hour to evaluate her petitions, and that she should take a seat until she was called.
"Krystal O'Reilly!" a page shouted in less than twenty minutes.
"Right here!" Krystal raised her hand and shouted.
The page escorted Krystal into Judge Maslow's chamber.
"Krystal!" the judge exclaimed. "What brings you into my chamber today? It's been a while since we last met, hasn't it?"
"Yes, Marty, it certainly has," replied Krystal. "I wish to adopt two young men. One is a thirteen year-old boy who is an orphan and is already my ward. The other is a nineteen year-old young man who wishes also to be my son, but more particularly the young boy's older brother. They met when the boy was in St. Patrick's orphanage after losing his parents and sister and an accident. The young man was assigned to the boy to assist him, as he was injured in the accident as well and had to spend several months with both legs in casts." She paused, then continued, "Whether or not you can see your way clearly to approve these petitions won't change much as far as the family now exists. The two young men want to be brothers, they want me as their maternal figure, and denying the petitions will only mean the three of us won't share the same surname. I consider them my sons, they consider me their mother, and they consider each other as brothers."
"You have always been a dynamic woman, Krystal," the judge told her. "When you present your case as you just did, who would I be to deny you or your family what you all seem to want so strongly? Your petitions are granted, and I wish you and your family all the happiness together the world can offer. Now, perhaps you would grace me with your presence on a social level? Might I take you to dinner some evening?"
"Why Marty, of course you can," Krystal replied. "We have a lot of catching up to do! Just let me know when, and I'll be ready!"
"Fine then," the judge smiled. "Off the record, I know you will be a fine mother to that boy and his older brother!"
Having the adoption papers signed and stamped by Judge Maslow, Krystal headed to the school she wanted Alex to attend to get him enrolled. That took no time at all, and she was told he could begin class the next day. Before returning home, she stopped at a local tea room for a breather and to enjoy a cup of a special blend they served that she enjoyed. As she sipped her tea, she gazed at the adoption papers and the names by which her two adoptees would now be known: Alexander O'Reilly and Michael O'Reilly. She was now legally their mother and they were legally her sons and brothers to each other. She finished her tea and headed home to greet her sons and tell them the news. They were in the music room, with Alex playing a piano concerto on the record player and Mike rummaging through the popular records. As the record player dropped the next record, Krystal shouted to them. Alex caught the tone arm before it began playing the record that had dropped.
"It's all done!" Krystal exclaimed. "Alex, you are now Alexander O'Reilly, and Mike, you are now Michael O'Reilly. You are legally brothers and are both my sons."
Both newly named males ran to Krystal, giving her hugs and kisses on her cheek, then turned to one another and did the same. The sight of the joy the three of them shared was priceless.
"Alex, you are now enrolled at The Boston Academy for Boys and will begin tomorrow morning," Krystal began. "You and I will walk together so that you will be able to find your way back home after you are dismissed. Mike, if you like you may accompany me to the markets after Alex is in school. Usually, I have the markets deliver what I buy, but if you won't mind, we can carry them home instead."
"That's fine, Mom," Mike replied. "Tell us, how do you feel, now that you're officially our mother?"
"Happy," she said. "Not just for me, but for both of you. You both wanted us to be a real family, and now we are."
"I'm happy, too," Alex replied with a smile.
"So am I," Mike grinned. "For the first time in my life since my father was killed, I really have a family."
"We must go out and celebrate," Krystal declared. "Today is a milestone in our lives. We will have the best roast prime rib that Durgin-Park can serve!
The guys had never heard of Durgin-Park, but it was well-known among Bostonians as having the freshest of everything on the menu. Boats would pull up to the back entrance to unload the day's catch of fish and seafood, and each of two train depots, one from the south and west and the other from the north were close enough to deliver meat and poultry by carriage or truck. The city's produce market was in the shadow of Durgin-Park.
Krystal excused herself late in the afternoon to prepare herself for dinner, sending the guys to their showers with instructions to dress presentably. Alex tore his casual clothes off and tossed them on his bed, while Mike folded his neatly on a chair. Both of them were on some type of mystical cloud, especially Mike because even though he was an adult, he finally had a family of people who wanted, loved and respected him. Alex paid extra attention to the details of getting himself extra clean under the spray, being excited to be celebrating his new official family. When they were finished with their showers, an undressed Alex walked in on an undressed Mike holding two hangers containing slacks and asked him which pair he should wear. Mike pointed to the darker pair before choosing similar slacks from his own closet. Alex returned wearing the slacks Mike selected, but with a shirt that didn't match. Mike took him to his closet, chose another shirt and a tie and told him to wear those, forgetting the boy had no idea how to manage the correct knot in the tie. Once he was dressed, he went back to Alex's room to discover he'd practically put his neck in a noose! Quickly undoing the knot, he tied the cravat properly and made the boy don his dinner jacket.
"Why do guys wear these things, anyway?" Alex asked about his tie. "They don't really do anything but hang there and choke me."
"They are fashionable," his brother said. "Guys think they look more attractive when they wear them. I never understood them either, but when we dress up for certain occasions, everyone expects us to wear them."
"There HAS to be something better than these," Alex complained.
"We'd better go downstairs. Krystal, I mean Mom is probably waiting for us," Mike urged, eager to change the subject.
Upon descending the grand staircase, the two guys were met by a radiant Krystal, who looked stunning in a blue velvet dress, with her hair neatly tucked under a rather smart hat.
"You look beautiful, Mom," Mike told her.
"Yes, you do," agreed Alex.
"Thank you, my dears," Krystal replied as she offered one arm to each of her escorts. "We're off to Durgin-Park!"
Why their new mother would choose this establishment baffled her sons. Upon being seated, they were confused over why they were flanked on either side by total strangers, as the seating was at 9 foot long banquet tables with no tables for small private parties.
"I hope you are hungry," Krystal said. "The prime rib here is just what it says. It's the rib bone of a steer, with the beef still on it. It's huge, and they bring it out to you on a large platter and the rib is larger than the platter! They also serve your choice of potato with it, but vegetables are optional. I recommend the green beans, unless you prefer the Boston baked beans."
Just then, a waitress appeared with what looked like a huge plate with a huge bone on it surrounded by beef and tossed it on the table in front of a man seated next to Alex.
Is that it? Alex asked.
"That's it," Krystal answered.
Alex looked at his flat stomach, wondering where he was going to fit the meat from the rib, much less his potato.
"Whatever you can't finish, you can bring home with you to eat later," Krystal told both of her sons.
"I'm feeling hungry, but I'm not sure I can eat all of that, either." Mike said.
"To tell you the truth, I can never finish mine," Krystal said, then added with a wink, "I usually have Elena heat up what I bring home to have for dinner again the next night!"
Just as it was delivered to the man next to Alex, three servings of prime rib with baked potatoes were tossed in front of the intended recipients.
"The waitresses here have a reputation for being brutal." Krystal pointed out. "You can see why. If the food here wasn't as good as it is, nobody would eat here!"
"There isn't any privacy either, Mike observed, after swallowing a bite of beef, "but I have to say that this meat is delicious!"
"That's the point," Krystal replied. "The food is so good that you really don't mind the lack of atmosphere. Well, I suppose the place has atmosphere of its own!"
Alex found a pamphlet on the chair next to him when another customer had finished his meal and left. The pamphlet contained the full menu, as well as the history of the establishment that Alex found interesting.
"It says here this building was built in 1742 and the restaurant used to serve the sailors whose ships would come into port in Boston Harbor," Alex read aloud. It's amazing that this place is that old and still serving food!"
"They must be doing something right, because even my potato is cooked just right," Mike said after swallowing a forkful saturated in butter.
The new family of three ate as much of their dinners as they could and asked the waitress to pack up what they couldn't finish for them to take home. Krystal paid the check and the headed out the door into Faneuil Hall marketplace. Buskers and other attractions milled about, as did vendors with carts and many locals and tourists. Krystal suggested they would return on another occasion, since Alex would begin school in the morning and she thought it best if he retired for the night at a reasonable hour. Although he was caught up in the excitement of the marketplace, he thought the better of arguing with his new mother and walked home with her and Mike. Upon entering Krystal asked her sons if they would mind if she adjourned to her room to reply to the day's letters, and they gave her their blessing, and after making Mike promise to get Alex in bed by 9:30, she walked up the grand staircase and then went left at the top toward her room. As they climbed the stairs Alex voiced his curiosity.
"I wonder what'd down there besides Krystal's, I mean Mom's room," Alex said.
"Whatever it is, it's none of our business until Mom makes it our business," Mike told him. "We have to respect her privacy. You don't see her coming down to our rooms and poking her nose through our things, do you?"
"No, I guess not," was his brother's response. "Still, wouldn't you like to know what's down there?"
"If I catch you going down there, as much as I love you as my little brother," Mike warned, "I'll put you over my knee and wallop your little butt! You have to give Mom the respect she deserves. Think of what she's done for you and me. Think of how she would or even worse, how you would feel if she caught you going down there and looking through her area. Mom might punish you worse than I would if she found you in her wing of the house. Look, we have open access to the music room, the game room and the rest of the house. Our rooms are our rooms and she respects our privacy, so you just respect hers and stay out of her wing."
"I wonder if she would show it to us if we asked her," Alex suggested.
"Just asking her would indicate that you might be curious enough to invade her privacy," Mike insisted. "Just forget about it. If Mom wants us to go into her wing, she will either send us there, take us there, or call us when she is there."
Alex thought about what his brother said and realized what he said made sense, but this was the first time Mike ever threatened to wallop him, so he really had to be serious about respecting his adoptive mother's privacy. In fact, it was the first time in his life anyone threatened him with physical punishment! He figured that someday, he'd either receive an invitation to enter Krystal's wing of the house or that she'd eventually show it to him.
"Get ready for bed, buddy," Mike told Alex. "You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow, so you'll function better if you're well rested.
"I haven't been to a regular school in two years, since before I got stuck in that wheelchair with my legs in casts," the young boy replied. "I hope this school isn't too hard."
"Mom is sending you to a private school, where she knows they have a good music program," Mike answered. I think she made her choice with your best interests in mind. She's a very well-educated lady herself, she knows all the right people, and I doubt she would make the mistake of sending you to a bad school."
Alex began to peel off his clothes, hanging up his dinner jacket, slacks, shirt and tie, removed his socks and undershorts, and then asked Mike, "What should I do with these? They're dirty and Mom never told us what to do with our dirty clothes."
"See that rectangular box next to your sink?" Mike asked the boy. "It's called a hamper. You put all your dirty clothes into that. I guess Elena comes to get everything once each week and has them laundered. I'll ask Mom tomorrow while we're shopping at the markets."
"All right," the boy said. "Come over here. I want to hug my new big brother before I do to bed."
"If you want a hug, put your robe on," Mike insisted. "You just can't go around giving me hugs without wearing anything."
Alex was slightly irritated over the additional step, because he saw no need for the modesty he didn't understand, but he complied with Mike's wishes. He went over to Mike, wrapped his arms around his new brother, whispering "Thank you."
"For what?" Mike asked.
"For being my big brother before you knew that you would be my big brother!" Alex exclaimed. "You've been a big brother to me for two years now. Nobody else at the orphanage did for any other boy what you've done for me."
"I knew you were a special boy when I first met you," Mike explained. Mom offered me a job here as your governor, but now here I, I really am your big brother. Mom didn't have to adopt me, too. She did it so that you would really have me as your brother. At St. Patrick's, they always used to say that things happen for a reason. There was a reason I went back to St. Patrick's and joined the staff, and that was to eventually provide me with the terrific little brother I now have, and to provide you with a big brother who cares about you and who can help you on your journey to manhood."
Alex hugged his brother again for what seemed like an hour, although it was only several seconds, then went to his room and loudly said, "Good night, big brother."
"Good night, little brother, Mike responded. "I'm going down to the music room for a little while to play some records. If I'm not awake in the morning when you get up for school, come in and wake me up."
"All right, Mike," the boy answered. "See you in the morning!"
Alex turned out his light and rolled over onto his side. It was only moments before the boy was overcome by sleep. When Mike was convinced his brother was asleep, he turned out his own light and went down to the music room. Mike couldn't remember being this happy at any time in his life before. At 19, he had become the son of a wealthy widow who was fun to be with, he had a little brother he adored and who adored him in return. Mike felt blessed to have this new life that held promise for him, for Alex, and for Krystal. Alex's curiosity about Krystal's wing of the house worried him a bit, but he felt that as long as he emphasized the need for Alex to respect Krystal's space, the boy wouldn't invade it. He entered the music room, turned on the lights, and went over to the popular music section. Browsing through the records, he found several that he knew he liked, brought them over to the record player, stacked them up, and pressed the button to activate the player. The first record dropped, and "Pushin' Sand" by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra began to play. Mike tapped his foot and hummed the melody along with the record. He enjoyed the sounds of the big bands, especially the up-tempo numbers. His thoughts went to Alex's fascination with classical music, and while he didn't mind it, he didn't understand why the young boy wasn't as much into the popular music he enjoyed. The record player dropped the next record, and Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump" blared out of the speakers. The young man whistled along with the tune, and again, his thoughts went to his brother.
"What if I could interest him in swing or jazz?" Mike thought to himself. "With his devotion to music, he could become very popular."
He put the thought out of his mind as the next record began, "Blue Champagne" by Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra. It was a ballad with a vocal refrain, but Mike liked it anyway. Again, his brother took over his consciousness. He began to wonder if perhaps his younger brother had become an obsession for him. Yes, he definitely wanted his brother to achieve success in music, and yes, as his older brother, he would be supportive of the boy every step of the way, but at what cost to himself? When Alex became an adult, what would Mike do? His job would be done! Krystal wouldn't need him anymore, so where would he go, and what would he do for work? He resolved to have a discussion with his new mother while they shopped the next day, or he could find himself without a future. When the stack of records had finished playing, Mike returned them to their places in the cabinets, turned out the lights and went back to his room. He undressed, hung up his clothes and tossed his dirty laundry into the hamper before getting into bed. The moonlight shone through his window as he lie in bed waiting for sleep to come. It did, and allowed Mike a temporary reprieve from his concerns.
(to be continued)