Tales from the Ranch

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.

TALES FROM THE RANCH Copyright(c) 2006 by Tulsa Driller. All rights reserved.

This is a story of men who have two common interests. You will see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is also the story of young men who love other men and their coming of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding. It is a story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's society.

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 copyrighted(c) 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 have unprotected sex. I hope you use proper precautions because I'd like you to be around to read the last chapter of this story.

Book 2, Chapter 11: The Wedding of the Year

The week before the commitment ceremony passed quickly. The four taking part in the ceremony had been fitted for tuxes three weeks earlier and they were ready to pick up on Friday afternoon (February 22nd) so it was arranged for all of them to be at the Bridal Shoppe at 4 o'clock. The "maitre d' uniforms", as Forrest called them, fit fine and they looked sharp.

Craig and Dale had gone to Mercier's Jewelry earlier in the week to purchase studs and cuff links for themselves and their sons. Antoine Mercier was glad to see the men and greeted them warmly. As they were looking at the selection, Antoine asked them to take their rings off. "I will clean these for you so they will sparkle at your..." He started to say wedding, then corrected himself by saying "ceremony". They chose matching gold sets of studs and cufflinks for each of them. They also wanted to buy something for the boys in honor of the occasion so Dale bought a neck chain for Joey, matching the ones the other three of them wore. Craig bought a gold link bracelet to give to Forrest.

Dale and Craig had put the word out to friends that Mercier's Jewelry was a gay-friendly place to shop. Certainly Antoine Mercier had noticed an increase of business from men he assumed to be gay and was pleased at the support they gave his store. He had also sold a number of gifts to people who had been invited to Dale and Craig's ceremony.

While he was putting the purchases into gift boxes he decided that he really wanted to give the couple a gift, too. He had received a new shipment of Waterford crystal that morning, but had not had time to polish it or put price stickers on the pieces. Taking a Captains Decanter off the shelf, he quickly prepared it for wrapping and put it in a box, tied a maroon ribbon around it and added a gift card signed, Best Wishes from Antoine Mercier.

Going back to the front with the boxes and their rings, he placed them on the counter. He had put a note under the ribbon of each box to identify the contents. There was one extra box. Antoine picked it up and said, "This is something from me with grateful appreciation and best wishes for a long and happy life together."

The men shook hands with each other as Dale and Craig thanked him, and then walked to their car.

"I can't believe all of the gifts we're received," Dale said, getting behind the wheel. "Every time we turn around the door bell is ringing with another box."

"I know, it's exciting, isn't it? I'm like you, we stated 'no gifts' on the invitation and I think we've received something from each one of them, plus several that I still don't understand," Craig told him as he backed out of the parking place.

When they arrived home from picking up the tuxes, Joey went to the kitchen to put a block of cheese on a plate along with a selection of crackers. He was hungry and knew the others would like a light snack to go with the drinks they would be having. Don Albrecht and his wife, Renee, had invited the four of them to a celebration dinner at the Lakeshore Country Club and they were to meet them there at 6:30.

This was going to be the first time Forrest had been to the country club and he was excited by the fact he was included in the invitation. He took Mitsy downstairs so she could take care of her needs, then followed her back up to the fifth floor so he could feed her and check her water dish.

Dale announced that he would fix the drinks and pointed out that if Joey or Forrest was going to drive, they had better stick to Ginger Ale.

Craig decided that he wanted a quick shower before putting on a suit so he and Dale disappeared to their bedroom.

"Hey Dude, I could use a little shower myself. Wanna join me?" Forrest leered.

"Sure, but we need to make it quick. It's 5:15 now and we don't have much time," Joey replied.

"Oh," came a disappointed answer. Forrest and Joey had been getting more adventurous in their experimentations. They were enjoying the discovery of gay sex and were truly as close to each other as brothers could be.

When Dale and Craig were dressed except for putting on ties and coats they went back into the living room. Forrest and Joey were helping themselves to cheese. "Hey Dads, want some of this good white cheddar cheese?" Forrest asked.

"Sure," the reply came, almost in stereo. He deftly sliced four pieces, putting each on a Triscuit and then placed them on two napkins, handing them to Dale and Craig.

Thanking them, Craig walked to the dining room table to retrieve the gift boxes for Joey and Forrest. The first box each of them opened contained the shirt studs and cufflinks. Craig explained, "These are for taking part in our commitment ceremony." "We hope you will remember us each time you wear them," Dale said. He handed the other two boxes to the boys and they carefully opened them.

Joey was elated when he saw the neck chain and especially proud of the fact that all four of them had chains that were exactly alike. Forrest was pleased with the bracelet. Dale put Joey's chain on him and he turned around to give him a hug and kiss on his cheek. "Thanks Dad," Joey said. "You're the greatest!"

Craig showed Forrest how to manipulate the clasp on his bracelet with one hand after putting it around his wrist. He got a hug and kiss, also. "Thanks Dad. I love you and Dale and Joey, too. You guys have really given me more than I can ever thank you for."

More hugs were exchanged. Then Joey excused himself to go to his bedroom closet. He came back with a large box wrapped in white paper, tied with a silver ribbon with bells in place of a bow.

"This is from Forrest and me, for both of you and for our new house."

Forrest and Joey were excited and could hardly wait for them to open the package.

Craig couldn't imagine what it was. It was heavy and rattled a little bit.

He opened the envelope and read the hand-lettered card: "To the Greatest Dad's in the World. Love from Joey and Forrest."

"Thanks guys. We love you, too," Craig said.

"Help me open this," he asked Dale.

He carefully removed the ribbon and bells, then Dale started ripping the paper off the box. It was revealed that the box contained brass fireplace tools of excellent quality. Dale pulled his pocket knife out to cut the tape so the lid could be opened. It was a 5-piece set, containing a stand, broom, tongs, shovel and poker.

Both Dale and Craig were surprised and thankful for the gift. The new house would have three fireplaces, so the tools would be put to good usage.

"Thanks, guys," Dale told them. There were more hugs as Craig thanked them, too.

It was time for them to start on their way to the country club.

"Do you want to ride in our car?" Forrest asked. Both Dale and Craig picked up on the 'our car' statement. It made them feel good that their boys were sharing.

"Sure," Craig said.

"Can I be a backseat driver?" Dale teased.

"Sure," Forrest said. "Joey, you drive." Dale thought the Camaro didn't have a large backseat, but they were only riding a few miles to the country club. He wouldn't want to take a trip sitting in the back though. Dale and Craig were holding hands. Dale had an evil thought and turned to Craig. "Hey stud, do ya wanna make out a little?" Craig picked up on the joke immediately. "Nah, it might give the kids the wrong idea and make them horny, too." "Yeah, I understand. Besides it might make the testosterone level too high and we'd all pass out from lack of oxygen." By this time all of them were laughing their heads off. All thought they had a great family to be able to tease each other this way. This was Joey's and Forrest's first experience with valet parking. They thought it was neat and as they were going inside, Dale slipped Joey some dollar bills for a tip when they left. * * * * * Saturday morning was hectic but it was going to be a beautiful day with the temperature predicted to be about 60. The men had a hurried breakfast and they had barely gotten dressed when the doorbell rang for the first time this day. It was the rental company with folding chairs and two folding tables for refreshments after the ceremony. Those were left outside on the landing between the front door and the elevator. It seemed that the rental company had just left when the florist arrived with three large urns full of red and white carnations. There were two large sprays of red and white roses on stands to be used on either side of the table being used as an altar. Finally there were five boutonnieres and the corsage for Doris. Craig was signing the receipt for the florist when Paul arrived with the first trays of food for the reception. Joey and Forrest helped him. There was plenty of refrigerator space as Craig had moved things around in the spacious refrigerator a couple of days before. Paul had borrowed a punch bowl and cups, along with a silver coffee service and tablecloths from the parish hall. On Paul's heels was the bakery with the cake and a selection of items Paul had ordered for refreshments. Dale decided that his presence wasn't needed, so took Craig's car to a full-service car wash to be cleaned inside and out. After that he drove to the ATM to get cash for the trip and then to the Texaco station to fill the car with gas. RJ Barton was on duty and wasn't busy so they had a chance to visit for a little bit. "Well, today's your big day, isn't it?" RJ wanted to know. "Yeah, the condo is a madhouse with the caterer, the florist, the chair rental company and at least a dozen other people," he laughed. "That place gets crowded quickly when everyone is ordering everyone else around." "I envy you and Craig. You make a great couple and I know that you will be together for life. You aren't the same guy I knew in high school. You always seemed shy and didn't have many friends. Now you are successful and have gone a lot further in a short time than anyone else I can think of in our high school class. Who would have ever thought then that you would be getting married in a big ceremony with another guy as your partner?" RJ stated.

"I certainly didn't, although I knew I was gay when in high school. I just never thought about something like this. I'm glad I have Craig, he's certainly made my life complete and we have a grand time together, and with our two sons, too," Dale replied.

"Well buddy, congrats to both you and Craig. I'm proud of you," RJ told Dale, shaking hands across the counter.

"Thanks. The support of our friends means a lot to both of us," Dale said as he started for the door.

'Lucky them,' RJ thought as he watched Dale leave the drive.

By the time he arrived back home, Craig had two suitcases packed, along with two garment bags containing suits, sport coats, slacks and dress shirts as they planned to go to a couple of nice restaurants while in San Antonio. Dale took those down to Craig's car and placed them in the trunk, hanging the bags in the backseat.

Forrest drove in and parked next to Dale.

"Hi Dad, I was going to see if you wanted to ride out with me to feed the horses this morning, but you were already gone when I was ready to leave. Joey decided to stay and help set things up inside the condo."

"That's the reason I left. Things were getting a little hectic with everyone running around. I figured I was one less body for them to run over," he grinned.

Forrest went around the car to give Dale a big hug. "It's okay, you only get married once," he said. "That's the reason I left, too," he told Dale.

"Why are you getting married today, too?" Dale teased.

Forrest laughed. "No, but I think I'm falling in love with Joey."

"I've been wondering about that. You guys are pretty tight with each other and Craig and I are glad about that. Is everything going okay otherwise?" he wanted to know.

"You mean like sex stuff?" Forrest asked.

"Yeah. I don't want either of you getting hurt so be sure you know what you're doing and use plenty of lube..." He didn't finish the sentence.

Forrest turned a little red. "We haven't gone that far yet. Do you think it's okay if we do that?" he questioned.

"Well, that's up to the two of you. If you are going to try that, be careful... and be gentle. You both have to want to do that for it to be comfortable and it will hurt the first few times until you become accustomed to having a foreign object shoved up your butt. Just don't force it, okay?" Dale asked.

"I understand. There are some movies where you know the guys are enjoying it and in others it looks kinda brutal," Forrest replied.

"Some guys get off on being rough," Dale said.

"Can I ask a question?" Forrest wanted to know.

"Sure, ask away. I may not have the answer," Dale said and smiled.

"Uhn... Do you and Craig have... butt... sex?"

"Yes, probably about 70% of the time and we take turns, it's not always me topping him or the other way around. We feel more like we're a part of each other that way and it's a great way to make love." Both were getting a little hard from the discussion.

Dale decided that he had better ask the next question. "Do you guys have plenty of lube and condoms?"

"Yeah, Joey has an almost full box of Trojans that he found at his Dad's house. There were several bottles of lube, too. Do you guys use condoms?" he questioned.

"No, we never have because neither of us have ever been with anyone else. If you guys haven't had sex with anyone else, I guess it's okay to dispense with them, but, if either of you ever have sex with anyone else, please be sure to use them."

"You mean like jackin-off"? Forrest wanted to know.

"No, I mean anal intercourse, butt fucking, if you want plain English," Dale said.

"Oh. No, the only thing Joey and I have ever done is beat off and we've been doing the '69' thing," he said, getting a little embarrassed.

"No reason to be embarrassed around me, bud. I'm here to answer your questions, just like Craig. We don't want you hurting each other because of ignorance. So, just go slow and easy and use lots of lube when you do try it, okay?" Dale asked.

"Sure, Dad. Thanks for telling me this," Forrest said. He couldn't imagine any of his friends having a discussion about sex of any kind with their fathers."

"One more thing," Dale added, "there are more condoms and lube in the drawer on Craig's side of the bed. Help yourself if you run out," he smiled.

Forrest laughed. "If we fucked as much as to use the box of condoms in our room, our dicks would fall off."

They both had a chuckle over that.

"Well, just be careful, but enjoy it," Dale told him, giving Forrest a hug around the shoulders.

"We will. Thanks again for talking to me. You and my other Dad are really awesome parents."

"Okay. Now, we'd better get upstairs and see if we have been missed," Dale joked.

Meanwhile, across town at the Faith Assembly Church, the Rev. Milton Brockle was supervising a small group from his congregation that were making protest signs and banners. They were copied from the signs that Fred Phelps used when he protested events involving gay people. Clever signs that said such things as "God Hates Fags", "Fags Will Burn in Hell", "Die Fags", "Sodomites Are the Devil" and other creative sayings. There was a group of four people helping that morning. Several in the congregation weren't "available" as they remembered what had happened when Fred Phelps came from Topeka, Kansas to protest the opening of Saber Computer Store.

Among those who used the excuse that they had to work was a young fellow by the name of "Scooter" Howell, whose real name was Eric Howell. He had been a member of Victory Temple at one time and had gotten his fill of Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones shortly after he arrived in town and starting trying to stir up trouble.

He felt that a church was a place to worship God and not create trouble for everyone who didn't believe as the minister. So, he had started attending Faith Assembly Church and enjoyed the Pentecostal style of worship and hymns. That is until Rev. Milton Brockle arrived in Williamsport. It soon became clear that the man really didn't have any faith in God; he was another overly zealous bigot who wanted to make life miserable for everyone else. Scooter would have moved on to another church, but his elderly mother was the organist at Faith Assembly and thought that Rev. Brockle was "fighting sin in the streets" so it couldn't get inside the church building.

Scooter knew who Dale and Craig were, but had never met them. He just thought they were people like he wanted to be and admired them for their success in business as well as the other endeavors they attempted. Most of all, he admired them for living a gay lifestyle in public.

So, when he found out what was in the works, he called Marilyn Kolb, whom he knew fairly well. Marilyn was the partner of Trish Sutton who owned LeGourmet. Marilyn was a lesbian and also a Lieutenant on the Williamsport Police force. He knew that she also belonged to a group of gay men and women who were part of a group called "Dignity/Integrity" that was sponsored by St. James Episcopal Church, a group he wished he had the guts to join.

Marilyn thanked him for the information of the impending protest and told Scooter that she would take care of it, telling him of her appreciation for the alert.

She left a message for Jerry Pennington, a rookie on the police force, to call her and they met that evening after their shift ended. She related her phone conversation without revealing a name and outlined her plan to prevent a protest of the most special event in the life of her friends, Dale and Craig.

Soon it was 1:30 and after a hurried lunch purchased from a fast food restaurant that nobody seemed to enjoy, time was approaching to clean up and dress for the ceremony that Dale and Craig had been anticipating for almost 6 months. Their plan was to be groomed and dressed in time to greet guests as they started arriving, probably around two o'clock.

About 1:45 Fr. George arrived with the necessary accouterments to celebrate the Eucharist. His vestments and those for Jason and Kevin Williamson, who would serve the mass, were in a bag. Paul was carrying a small table to serve as the altar. After placing it between the two urns of roses, he busied himself in getting food items ready to place on the tables in the living room for the reception after the ceremony.

The four men who made up the "wedding party" adjourned to their bedrooms to shower and dress for the occasion. Frank and Doris arrived while Fr. George was arranging the altar and making sure everything he needed was available. * * * * *

At Faith Assembly Church, the small group of protesters had put their signs in the back of the church van and got in to ride to the Carriage House condos. Rev. Brockle assured them that a large group of people wasn't needed, that a protest group could be small and still be effective.

Rev. Brockle was behind the wheel and as he pulled into the street, didn't notice a police cruiser had pulled in behind him, following the van down the street. At the first stop sign, the van came to a halt, and then started on through the intersection. As soon as he had cleared the intersection, he noticed the flashing lights behind him.

"Damn!" he swore, more at himself than anything. He carefully pulled to the curb, making sure to use his turn signal.

Lt. Marilyn Kolb exited her car and started to the van at the same time Officer Jerry Pennington pulled ahead of the van, backing up to effectively pen the van. He got out of his cruiser, also, meeting Marilyn at the drivers' door.

"Sir, may I see your drivers license and insurance card, please?" She was doing her best to be polite and not laugh.

Rev. Brockle handed over his driver's license, but told her that this was a church vehicle that he seldom drove and didn't know where the insurance card was so she copied down the VIN number. The person in the front passenger seat was rummaging through the glove box without success.

"Thank you, sir," she said as he handed over his license. "I'll need to call this in," she said as she started back to her police car. 'This is almost too easy,' she thought to herself. She was reminded of the night she apprehended Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones and that made her smile.

Jerry Pennington swung into action. "Sir, are you aware that you have no brake lights on this vehicle?" Earlier that morning he and another officer had pulled the fuse controlling the brake circuit on the unlocked van. Otherwise, they would have unscrewed the bulbs and shorted them out. This was fun.

"What?" Rev Brockle said.

"I suggest that you have one of your passengers check the lights to see for themselves," Jerry said.

"Get out there and look," he told the man in the front passenger seat. The older man dutifully got out and walked to the back with Officer Pennington. "Okay, press down on the brake pedal," the officer told Rev. Brockle. Nothing happened. "Are you pressing the pedal down?" questioned the officer. "Yeah, you mean it still doesn't light?" "No sir." Then addressing the passenger. "You can get back in the van." About that time, Lt. Kolb arrived back at the door of the van. "Sir, are you aware that the insurance on this van expired almost a year ago?" she asked. "Also there is no current sticker on the license plate." 'This was a bonus,' she thought.

"No, no I wasn't," the minister replied. He looked at his watch. It was two o'clock.

"Well, you can't drive this vehicle on the street with no brake lights, insurance or current license tag. Where is this van normally garaged?"

"Faith Assembly Church," he wearily replied. 'This isn't my day,' he thought.

Officer Pennington was walking around the van and saw the signs in the back. He went back to the driver's window. "Lt. Kolb, the back of the van is full of hate signs, like might be used in a protest of some kind."

"Sir, is the back of the van unlocked?" she asked.

"Yes, yes, it should be," he replied. This wasn't turning out well at all.

"Okay, Jerry, open it up and let's see what's there. She returned Rev. Brockle's drivers license to him.

Officer Jerry walked to the back and opened one of the doors. He pulled out three signs; all with hate messages on them. 'Bingo,' he thought as he carried them to the driver's door. "Well, well, going to stage a little protest today?" Lt. Kolb asked.

"Unn... err... well we heard there was going to be a big gathering of faggots today and we wanted to show them that they aren't welcome in Williamsport."

Lt. Kolb smiled. "Seems to me that someone from out of state tried this same thing about three months ago. It turned out that they were the ones who weren't welcome. Were you aware of that, Reverend (stressing the 'Reverend') Brockle?"

"Unn, yeah, I kinda was. I tried to help them out by taking them food and water, but the officers watching them wouldn't let me get out of my car."

"We have a number of very wise officers on our local police force. Seems to me that maybe the police are a little smarter than you think. Don't you agree, Reverend Brockle?"

Milton Brockle didn't like the way this was going, but sensed that he had lost the battle.

"Also, do you have a parade permit?" she asked, smiling at the idea.

"Parade permit? I didn't know anything about that," the minister stated. "We're not having a parade, just a small demonstration," the minister protested. He looked at his watch. It was 2:10.

"It doesn't make any difference if you are the only person protesting something, you still have to apply at the Williamsport City Hall and get a permit. They only cost $50 and it keeps everything legal," Lt. Kolb said. She was enjoying this, and wished it was this much fun to stop other vehicles.

Officer Jerry was writing a ticket for driving without brake lights, not having insurance and an expired license tag. That, potentially was $155 to the good of the city budget.

Lt. Kolb handed Rev. Brockle the ticket. "Just to make sure you're safe and don't run into any other problems, Officer Pennington will lead you back to your church and I'll follow in my car. When we get there, the other officer and I will help you dispose of the signs by tearing them up and putting them in the dumpster. After all you'll not have any need for them again, will you, Reverend Brockle?" Then her smile turned into something more threatening. "Do you understand me, Reverend?"

Rev. Brockle was seething, but he wasn't about to make a scene in front of the four church members who were in the van with him. He figured that he'd been had, but didn't know what to do about it.

Officer Jerry led the van around the block and back into the church parking lot, Lt. Kolb following in her cruiser. This had been a piece of cake and would be the subject of mirth around the department for the next week. The other policemen loved stories like this.

Once the signs were destroyed and placed in the trash dumpster, it was 2:30. Time for the commitment ceremony to start.

"Rev. Brockle, I would suggest that you go home and enjoy the rest of your day off. You can return to the Lord's work tomorrow." She smiled her best smile. "Have a happy day," she said as she returned to her car.

Reverend Milton Brockle wasn't sure what had hit him, but he resolved that he would get even with the Williamsport Police Department. He wondered if the two officers that had given him so much trouble were also faggots. Those kinds of people seemed to be everywhere. * * * * *

Motorcycle patrolman, Clive Skinner, had been assigned to the area around 37th and Larcher, where the Carriage House condos were located. No problems were anticipated, but one never knew. He knew that two of his fellow officers were going to disable a protest by Rev. Milton Brockle, but there could be others who wanted to mar the beautiful day.

Clive knew who Dale and Craig were. While he didn't think he had much use for gay people, he really didn't have any solid reason to hate them. He didn't think he knew that many. So, he found himself assigned to patrol duty to observe the small group of people attending the commitment ceremony of two men.

He was aware of a mobile TV van from the NBC affiliate in Austin parking down the street. The next thing he knew, Miles Truby was approaching his cycle. He remembered that the reporter was the man who had uncovered the "Kiddy Porn" scandal that had toppled Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones from his dubious pillar of righteousness.

Miles didn't have anything against gay people and if it hadn't been for the "Jimmy Bob Jones scandal" he wouldn't be where he was today. His station had been tipped off that there was to be a protest of a commitment ceremony between two men. When he was assigned to the story, he didn't really know much about it. Then when he discovered that he had a slight acquaintance with the two men, he was very uneasy about causing them any problems. After all, they were successful in their professions and owned a thriving business in Williamsport.

Office Clive greeted Miles as he walked up to the cycle. He swung his leg over the saddle so he could stand to talk, rather than sit on the cycle.

"Hello officer," Miles greeted him. "What's going on? I heard there was going to be a protest march today."

"Not going to happen from what I understand. The people had car trouble and then it was discovered they didn't have a parade permit, so were turned away," the officer said.

Miles noticed that the people arriving were well dressed, the men wearing suits and most of the ladies were wearing long dresses. There did seem to be a much higher proportion of men than women who were arriving, all driving nice cars.

"Well, it's a 'slow news day' as they say in my business. My boss was looking for a story and I don't think it's going to happen here. Thanks for the information, officer," Miles said, offering his hand to shake.

Officer Clive Skinner watched Miles walk away and order the equipment two men were unloading to be returned to the mobile van. When everything was in place, the van left.

Dale and Craig helped each other dress in their tuxes, as did Forrest and Joey in their own bedroom. All four of the men were slightly nervous, but not overly so.

It was almost like a signal had summoned the four men. They entered the living room at the same time to greet guests. Doris helped the men, including her husband with their boutonnières and Craig pinned the beautiful orchid on his mothers striking green gown.

Fr. George, along with Jason and Kevin retired to the bedroom shared by Forrest and Joey to put on their vestments. Everything on the altar was in place and the ceremony was about 10 minutes away from starting. Father George stepped into the bathroom, closing the door so he could relieve himself. Jason pointed out that there was only one bed in the room. "Kinda like in our room, where the dogs sleep on one bed and we sleep in the other," Jason giggled. He then wondered if Joey and Forrest did "sex things" like he and Kevin did.

It didn't take them long to put on their cassocks and surplices. Dale, Craig, Joey and Forrest came into the bedroom about the time everyone was vested. Paul had made a tape of beautiful organ music that was playing on the stereo. This was "gathering music" as there would be no processional or recessional marches. When it was time for the ceremony to start, Fr. George asked that everyone join hands and he prayed for God's blessing on all of them as they went through the commitment ceremony.

The only chairs that had been reserved were those for Frank and Doris. All of the guests had arrived well before the scheduled ceremony and at the appointed hour Fr. George opened the bedroom door. He led Jason and Kevin, Forrest and Joey, along with Dale and Craig to the altar table.

Fr. George reverenced the altar, then turned to face Dale and Craig, who were flanked by Forrest and Joey. Jason and Kevin were standing to one side of the altar as their part of the ceremony wouldn't start until the offertory.

Fr. George addressed the assembled group of friends and family. "Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining of two of His children in a union based on love and trust. God established the bond and covenant of a union of two people in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signified to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends the love of two people to be honored among all people, regardless of their sexuality as we are made in His image.

"God intends the union of two people in heart, body, and mind for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and when it is God's will, the gift of children and their nurture is the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore, a union of two people of the same sex is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which God instituted it.

"Into this holy union, Dale Joseph Richards and Craig Connor Bastian now come to be joined as God's children, two men committed to each other, seeking the blessing of Christ's Church. If any of you can show just cause why they may not be bound together, speak now, or else for ever hold your peace."

There was welcome silence. Joey thought about his adoption hearing when 'Valerie' had objected.

Fr. George addressed Dale and Craig:

"I require and charge you both, here in the presence of God, that if either of you know any reason why you may not be joined together as two people who are committed to each other, and in accordance with God's Word, you do now confess it.

The men looked at each other with love and squeezed hands.

[The Declaration of Consent] "Craig, will you have this man to be your partner for life; to live together in the covenant of a union between two men who love and honor each other? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

Craig answered, "I will, by God's help." "Dale, will you have this man to be your partner for life; to live together in the covenant of a union between two men who love and honor each other? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

Dale answered, "I will, by God's help." Fr. George then addressed those present, and said: "Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two men in their union with each other?" The people answered, "We will, by God's help."

There followed, The Ministry of the Word Fr. George then addressed the people:

"The Lord be with you."

The people answered: "And also with you."

"Let us pray."

"O gracious and ever living God, you have created us in your image. Look mercifully upon these two men who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love, they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Forrest read the Old Testament lesson, which was from the Song of Solomon, 2:1-13 and 8:6-7:

My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned. Psalm 67 was said antiphonally between readings

Joey read the New Testament selection from I Corinthians 13:1-13: If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends; as for prophecy, it will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." Fr. George turned to the altar, picking up the Book of Gospels and announced: "Here follows a reading from the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew 7, verses 21 through 29."

The people responded: "Glory to you, Lord Christ." "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many might works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.'

"Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."

And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

When Fr. George finished, he held the book high and said: "The Gospel of the Lord." The people responded: "Praise to you, Lord Christ."

[The Commitment followed.]

Dale, facing Craig and taking his right hand in his, repeated after Fr. George: "In the Name of God, I, Dale Joseph Richards, take you, Craig Connor Bastian, to be my life partner, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

They turned loose their hands, and Craig, still facing Dale, took his right hand in his, and repeated: "In the Name of God, I, Craig Connor Bastian, take you, Dale Joseph Richards, to be my life partner, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

They turned loose their hands. The Priest took the rings from Forrest and Joey to ask God's blessing on the rings as follows: "Bless, O Lord, these rings to be a signs of the vows by which these two men have bound themselves to each other, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Dale, the giver of the ring, placed the ring on the ring-finger of Craig's left hand and said: "Craig, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Craig placed his offering of the ring on Dale's left ring-finger and said: "Dale, I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Fr. George then joined the right hands of the couple, wrapping his stole around them, saying: "Now that Dale and Craig have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are a committed couple, two men who have asked for the blessing of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

He continued: "Those whom God has joined together, let no one put asunder.

Amen."

Susan Bastian read selected prayers, the people responding by saying Amen after each.

After the prayers, the ceremony continued with the blessing and peace, everyone standing to greet each other.

Chairs were placed for the six at the altar to sit on.

The short Homily followed. Fr. George was at his best.

"Thank you for coming to witness the commitment ceremony between two men, Dale and Craig, who have asked for the blessing of their vows to each other, which you have just witnessed. Unfortunately, civil law and church law do not recognize this as a legal and valid step for two people of the same sex to take.

"My feeling that it is going to be at least another generation before a ceremony such as this will be a lawful union, and then only in a few of the states with a more liberal population. The church does not have an official rite for this ceremony. However, several proposals have been made. The time is not yet here, but it will happen, perhaps the next time the Prayer Book is revised. "Many of those who are against granting any kind of ceremony to two men who seek it, like to quote the scriptures from Leviticus, saying that is God's law. Allow me to clarify my thoughts on that. Those scriptures were written thousands of years ago when the Jewish people were deeply divided and scattered from each other. They realized that life was precious and that the "seed of man" should not be wasted. Those same scriptures describe and enforce Jewish law, which has become archaic with modern refrigeration and sterilization procedures when handling food. Those scriptures also talk about a man being required to marry his brother's widow. Those scriptures are very specific about ritualistic slaughter of animals along with other laws that have fallen by the wayside. I know of few Jewish people, even Orthodox Jews who would insist the words of Leviticus be followed to the letter.

"The original Hebrew Scriptures were translated to Greek and later from Greek to Latin. Many true meanings were lost because there were not words in the new language to give the same meaning as the original. Then the King James Bible was a new translation from Hebrew to the Kings English. Many scriptures were found to have different meanings than what had been assumed for hundreds of years. In recent years, there have been still more translations and comparisons, changing our interpretation of many things we took for granted. Some denominations embrace the new translations and many do not. And, there are still far too many who snip a portion of a verse and put it together with another sentence fragment to make the Bible say what they want it to say.

"I like to think that our world, approaching the twenty-first century, is starting to deal with reality. Not everyone fits into the mold that society has cast and many are breaking out to proclaim their independence. There are no scriptures that show Jesus either condoning or denying the love of two men or two women. There are some who would like to be able to make the Bible say that Jesus loved his disciple, John. There again it is probably a matter of translation from one language to another. Certainly no denomination has literally embraced that thought. My personal thought is that Jesus TRUSTED John. "The world we live in, in the United States, is a changing world with rapidly shifting moral values. Many women have children without being married, divorce is rampant, the style of dress has completely turned upside down. Street language is vulgar. Thirty years ago men wore suits and hats to church and so did women. Now you seldom see hats and there is far too much skin showing in the way both men and women dress. Many young people pay huge sums of money for clothes that look like they came out of ragbags. "The matter of homosexuality is a non-issue with many of the younger generation below 30 years old. Many clergy, such as myself are willing to provide a commitment ceremony like this to people we believe truly love each other. Some Bishops have quietly told their clergy to follow their hearts, but don't make a public announcement of it. "I know that Dale and Craig love each other and have the support of their family and friends who are assembled here today. Therefore, let us join them in celebrating that love today. Amen."

At the offertory, Frank and Doris presented the gifts of bread and wine in honor of Dale and Craig. Jason and Kevin served the priest, the first time they had done this duty as they usually assumed the roles of Thurifer and Incense Boat bearer.

The Eucharist followed with Dale and Craig receiving communion first after Fr. George.

After all shared the Sacrament, Fr. George ended the mass with the following prayer: "O God, the giver of all that is true and lovely and gracious: We give you thanks for binding us together in these holy mysteries of the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Grant that by your Holy Spirit, Dale and Craig, now joined in a Holy Union, may become one in the heart and soul, live in fidelity and peace, and obtain these eternal joys prepared for all who love you; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Fr. George continued, making the sign of the cross: "The blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen."

Dale and Craig, who had been kneeling for the benediction, stood up.

Fr. George prompted, "You may kiss your partner." There was a general round of applause when it appeared that they were swabbing each other's tonsils. Both turned red.

Forrest and Joey were the first to hug their Dads, then were joined by Fr. George, Jason and Kevin. The others crowded into line to do the same and wish the men their congratulations, many of the straight men even hugging them and kissing them on the cheek. * * * * *

Craig's sisters, Susan and Becky, were in charge of the guest book and gifts. While Craig and Dale were visiting with everyone, the women unwrapped the packages, writing down the giver of each gift, but not putting nametags on the gifts that were displayed.

Dale was watching out of the corner of his eye and couldn't believe the items being unwrapped. There were place settings of sterling silver, Waterford crystal and china in the pattern Doris had started for Craig several years before. Also there silver-plated trays, bowls and serving pieces. He was in awe of the gifts.

Craig spotted the Waterford Captains Decanter that Antoine Mercier had given them. It was beautiful. He, too, was astounded at the gifts they had received. Many of the guests were looking at the table, giving their approval. Some of the women were saying things like, "You'll be using this a lot," or "I have one like this and I love it."

Paul quickly had the refreshment table arranged and the cake was in place to be cut. Dale and Craig had chosen a simple cake with only white icing and red rosebuds. They had nixed the idea of two grooms topping the cake. Several guests that had cameras and a video camera were taking pictures of the room and guests. Dale didn't remember if he had seen a video camera during the ceremony or not. (There was and the pictures were excellent).

It was time to cut the cake and a knife was provided, along with a plate so they could feed each other the first piece cut. That silliness was soon over and they had managed not to get any icing on the other. The champagne had been opened for the toasts to each other and then the guests started through the reception line. Paul handed Dale and Craig plates with cake and other items from the reception table. This tasted much better than the burger they had hurriedly eaten for lunch.

The guests didn't seem to be in any hurry to leave and most wanted their picture taken with Dale and Craig, sometimes including Joey and Forrest, too. It was almost like the pictures would be valuable someday.

Finally, the last guest left at 4 o'clock, leaving only family members present. Doris was looking at the gifts, giving her approval. Frank said, "You boys made quite a haul for requesting no gifts on the invitation."

Susan spoke up. "Looks to me that you fellows have a lot of friends who love you." The others agreed. Craig insisted that Paul take the remaining confections and some of the items from the refreshment table to use at the coffee hour following church the next day. Joey and Forrest managed to fix themselves plates of their favorite items and put them in the kitchen. Doris told them that she would wrap the top layer of the cake so it could be frozen and eaten for their first anniversary.

The wedding party went to their bedrooms to change clothes. Levi's and long-sleeve polo shirts were much more comfortable than tuxes. They were glad to hang them up to be returned to the bridal shop. Doris was going to take care of that on Monday. Frank was to take the urns of roses and two urns of carnations to the church at 4:30 so they could be used as altar flowers the next morning. The other carnations would stay at the condo. Doris was going to take the boutonnières to the florist along with four roses to have them preserved.

Finally it was time for the newly committed men to leave for San Antonio. It was about a 90-mile trip so they would be at the inn around 6 p.m. They had reservations for a late dinner at a restaurant on the river walk, not far from where the bed and breakfast was located.

Craig was relieved when they went downstairs to the parking lot that the car hadn't been decorated or tin cans tied to the back bumper. They gave each of the family a kiss and a hug before getting into Craig's car. Even Doug Oliver, Becky's boyfriend, didn't object when they hugged him. Dale backed out of the parking space, giving the horn a small toot as he put the car into forward gear.

After being assured that Joey and Forrest had everything they needed, Frank and Doris, along with the others got into their cars and left, telling the boys they would see them at church in the morning..

Mitsy was ready to go back upstairs. She was hungry. The condo was in good shape, dishes had been washed and either put away or boxed up for the caterer to pickup. The men had folded the chairs and tables and put them out on the landing next to the elevator.

"Dude, that was an awesome wedding. They can call it anything they want, but in my book our Dad's got married," Forrest said.

"Yeah, it was pretty incredible. Did you see the loot people bought them?" Joey asked.

"Pretty awesome stuff. There's a lot of money on that table," Forrest agreed.

Joey was looking through the gift book where Susan had written down the gifts and the names of those who gave the gift. "Wow!" Joey said. "I'm really proud of our Dads. I think this shows that a lot of people really love and respect them. They should be so pleased."

Forrest was still looking at the collection of gifts, agreeing with Joey.

• • • • • For those who are interested, the following people signed the guest book:

Marty and Chris Williamson, Jason Williamson, Kevin Williamson, Martin and Jeanine Williamson, Doris and Frank Bastian, Chuck Abbott and Susan Bastian, Doug Oliver and Becky Bastian, Tom Bryant and Eddie Thompson, Matt Bryant Thompson, Leland Stanton, David Perkins, Ray Evans and John Sterling, Don and Renee Albrecht, Greg DeFazio, Fr. George Tikker and Paul Rathborne, Gerald and Sherry Myers (she works for Don and Craig), Alan Zimmer and Jeffrey Fields. * * * * * Dale and Craig arrived at the Casa de el Rio at 6 o'clock. He was glad Craig was navigating, as San Antonio streets were strange in that area of town. The way they twisted and turned, it was almost like they had simply paved over the cattle trails of years gone by. One could see where their destination was, only to find that the street turned into a one-way going the opposite direction when they were a block away. Marty had given Craig directions as to how to find their destination and it was easy for them to drive directly to it.

He drove into the driveway and a fellow, probably in his late-40's, stepped out of the side door to greet them. "Are you Mr. Bastian and Mr. Richards?" he asked.

"Yes," Craig replied, starting to get out of the car.

"I'm Dwight Fortney. Welcome to our home, there is a parking space for you behind the house; I'll meet you there with the luggage cart."

Dale drove on around the building and parked in the one available space. There were five other cars parked in the small area between the main house and what had probably been a carriage house in a former time. Dwight was right there with a cart and shook hands with the two men, making sure he had their names right. "Welcome. You are just in time for our happy hour. I'll show you to your room and then maybe you would like to join us. It's very casual here and what you are wearing is just fine." The cart was soon loaded with their two suitcases and garment bags. There were two wrapped packages on the cart. Dale didn't know when the second box had been put in the car; he hadn't noticed it before. "If you gentlemen will follow me," Dwight said, taking them to an elevator just inside the back door. There was barely enough room for the three men and the small cart. Soon the door opened and they stepped out into the 3rd floor hall. Dwight led the way to the front of the house. Craig was surprised that the hall led to a stairway and he could see into the area where people were gathered for happy hour on the first floor. Dwight opened a door on the right, but left the luggage in the hallway. The room was beautiful, containing a king-sized bed, love seat and two wingback chairs. In one corner was a small fireplace. The door next to it led into a huge bathroom. In that room was a large open bath and shower that had water jets on the sides. It was easily large enough for both men to sit side by side. Dale's first thought was, 'Another king-sized bed. Why do people want to sleep in a bed you can get lost in?' He and Craig liked to cuddle in their queen-size bed at home. Dwight made quick work of showing them where the controls were for the bath and how to pull the folding glass doors shut when using the shower or sauna.

He pointed out the light dimmers, telling them to feel free to light the candles around the two rooms. The armoire contained both a TV and VCR. "Here is a list of movies we have available at the desk downstairs. Feel free to ask for any you might want to view. Craig scanned the list. There was everything from Broadway musicals, to old classics, some fairly current movies, which were mostly comedies, and an extensive list of porn. Dwight brought their luggage in, hung up the garment bags and set the two packages on a table. It was then that Dale noticed some flowers and a bottle of champagne on the desk. Dwight pointed to them. "I believe these are from your sons." He smiled. "I know this is your honeymoon... You have children?" he hesitated. Dale and Craig had big grins on their faces. Craig spoke, "Yes, two boys, 17 and 14, both going on thirty, and before you try to figure it out, Dale is 25 and I'm 28. Long story, but maybe we can share it with you during happy hour. "I'll be anxious to hear it. Linden and I have adopted boys of our own. They are both in college now." Dwight turned to the door. "Come on downstairs after you freshen up. You can meet my partner and the other guests who are staying with us at this time." He handed two keys to Dale telling him that they would allow them into the house from either outside door as well as their room. He walked out and shut the door behind him. Dale and Craig were immediately in each other's arms, exchanging kisses. Dale broke the kiss. I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a happy hour. We haven't had very much to eat all day and it's starting to catch up with me. He gave Craig another kiss. "I hear you. I had two muffins for breakfast, a Mickey Dee's burger that I really didn't want for lunch, a piece of cake and some mints and nuts at the reception. That's hardly our usual food requirements," Craig laughed. "Well, let's wash our hands and faces and join the others for snacks and drinks downstairs." * * * * * Joey and Forrest were trying to decide what to have to eat. They hadn't had much to eat all day, either. There were several dishes of leftovers in the refrigerator as well as some cold cuts. They could have sandwiches later if they wanted them. Joey found two blocks of cheese in the dairy drawer and put out a box of Triscuits he found in the cabinet. "Why don't you pour me a Ginger Ale and you get whatever soft drink you want," he told Forrest. "What, no martini or scotch for us?" he kidded. "No bro, but I have an idea. How 'bout going out to get something to eat and then take in a movie. I think there are several films showing that I haven't seen," Joey said.

"Sounds good to me. What kinda food are you thinkin' about?" Forrest wanted to know.

"Well, there's Tony D's, the Chinese buffet, a barbecue place out south, fast food of various kinds There's the A&W drive-in, they have good burgers and there's a new steakhouse called the Texas Sizzler. I haven't been there."

"I like Tony D's. They have a great selection of all kinds of things and I love their Italian salads," Forrest answered.

"Dude, that's more than okay with me. We probably eat there more than all the other places put together," Joey said, giving his brother a high-five.

"Okay, we got that settled. What about movies? It's been a long time since I've been to see anything," Forrest asked.

Joey retrieved the morning paper from the magazine rack. He hadn't had a chance to look at it or work the word puzzles yet. He opened it to the theatre ads. "Okay at the multiplex they are showing these and they are all $5 admission." He read off "Bird on a Wire", "Dances With Wolves", "The Hunt for Red October", "Kindergarten Cop", "Memphis Belle" and "Three Men and a Little Lady". The Palace is showing "Days of Thunder" and the Lone Star is showing "Back to the Future III".

What do you think is the funniest?" Forrest wanted to know.

"Well, Goldie Hawn and Mel Gibson are in 'Bird on a Wire'. That should be really good." He continued, "'Dances With Wolves' stars Kevin Costner. Its gotten good reviews. Then 'The Hunt for Red October' stars Alec Baldwin. He's a hunk. 'Kindergarten Cop' has Arnold Schwarzenegger in it. 'Three Men and a Little Lady' has Tom Selleck, Ted Danson and Steve Guttenberg, all hairy guys. I think 'Memphis Belle' is a war story involving a B-29 that made multiple bombing raids over Germany in World War II. 'Days of Thunder' is a Tom Cruise movie about auto racing and 'Back to the Future' has Michael J. Fox in it."

"They all sound good to me. You choose," Forrest said.

"Well I'll vote for the Goldie Hawn/Mel Gibson movie. Mel may not like gay people, but he's got a really cute butt," Joey laughed.

"What time does that movie start?" Forrest asked.

"Unn... oh here it is. 8:20 so we've got plenty of time."

Doris and Frank ran their errands on the way to their house, dropping off the flowers at the church and the florist shop. Susan and Becky were staying at Frank and Doris' house. Chuck was living in the house he and Susan had rented and Doug Oliver stayed with him.

Doris had fixed two different casseroles that had to bake before they ate. It wouldn't take long to toss a big salad and fix some green beans to finish out the meal. All of them immediately changed clothes when they arrived at the apartment.

Doug went with Chuck to change his clothes and freshen up. When he came out of the bedroom Chuck asked him if he wanted a brew. The affirmative was spoken and Chuck tossed Doug a Coors. They sat down in comfortable chairs and Chuck flipped on the CNN channel.

Doug spoke up. "I never ever in my wildest dreams thought that I'd go to a wedding for two men." He laughed, "Let alone the fact that they are probably going to be my brothers-in-law."

Chuck had to smile. "Well, I don't even think about stuff like that. I love those guys and I know that if I ever needed help with something, they would be the first to arrive and Joey and Forrest would be right behind them."

"Are they gay, too? I guess it stands to reason they would be after being exposed to Dale and Craig's way of thinking," Doug reasoned.

Chuck saw red but held his tongue. "I honestly don't think a person has a choice about being gay. Maybe environment might have something to do with it, but I've heard about gay men raising children that were perfectly straight. Believe me, I'd rather have Dale and Craig for parents than some straight people I've met who are so bigoted that they get nasty and toss their kids out on the street."

Doug said, "What do you mean?"

"You saw the young fellow that's about 16, blond hair? He was there today."

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He's from Austin. His father caught him and another boy having a roll in the hay. His father was so mad he beat Matt pretty badly, cracking a couple of ribs and even kicked the boy when he was lying on the floor. The father physically threw him out. The boy went to the neighbors' house for help and that person took him to the emergency room since he was bleeding badly. He ended up in a foster home here in Williamsport. His parents didn't want him back in their house and signed away their parental rights, essentially abandoning the boy. Tom and Eddie are now his new parents. Matt adores them and from what I understand his personality has really bloomed since becoming part of their family." Doug was dumbfounded. "I can't imagine someone giving up their children, no matter what they might have done." "Well, it happened," Chuck told Doug. "For whatever reason." "Bummer," Doug said. He was a little shaken by what Chuck had told him.

Dale and Craig hurriedly unpacked their luggage and took their good clothes out of the garment bags to hang in the closet.

"That tub sure looks inviting," Dale said as he washed his face and hands.

"Dr. Bastian will allow you to try it out after a while and see if it soothes you," Craig teased.

"Or maybe we can try it out together?" Dale said with a leer. "Hee hee!! That's the best idea I've had since I said 'I do' a little earlier this afternoon."

"Well, at least you don't seem to be nervous about losing your virginity this time, like on our first honeymoon," Craig teased. They both had a big laugh about that. The men exchanged a kiss and then made sure they had their room key before going down the stairs to the lounge area.

"Ah, here come the newlyweds now," Dwight said as Dale and Craig entered the room. Several of the men clapped.

Another man walked up. "Allow me to introduce my partner, Linden Freeman," Dwight told the men.

They shook hands. "Welcome to our home. We hope you will be comfortable here and if you need anything, please tell us. Our home is yours," Linden told them.

Dwight asked, "May I take your drink orders?"

Craig noticed that there was a bottle of Beefeater Gin on the bar, so told Dwight to fix his on the rocks with a squeeze of lime. Dale said, "That is fine with me, but I want olives."

"No vermouth?" questioned Dwight.

"It's obvious to me that these men don't want to ruin good gin," one of the guests said.

Several of the men laughed.

Linden said, "I'd like to introduce our other guests. This is Robin Copeland and his partner, Jon Russell. They are from Corpus Christi and spend a weekend with us about every two months. We've known them ever since we opened this place about 10 years ago." They stood and shook hands with Dale and Craig.

"This is Steve Harrison. He's from Austin and teaches Finance at the University of Texas." Steve shook hands with the men.

"These men are from Shreveport, Louisiana. They are on their honeymoon, too. This is Bart McCord and Wilmer Goodwin." They stood to shake hands and offered their congratulations, which were returned.

The other two men stood as Linden introduced Lloyd Hardesty and Allen Logan. They appeared to be in their middle-30s. They shook hands and also offered their congratulations. Dale and Craig immediately felt at ease with all of the men, who were dressed as casually as they were.

"Have a seat," Dwight said as he handed them their drinks. "There are snack foods on the buffet, so please help yourselves." There were two love seats that were not occupied. Craig sat in one as Dale went to fix a couple of plates of cheese and crackers, fruit, raw veggies and some dip

As Dale sat down, Bart asked, "So did you guys have a ceremony of some kind?"

"Yes," came the answer from both men. "Our parish priest helped us put together a ceremony, choosing readings, vows and prayers. He celebrated a Eucharist for us and we had about 26 guests present in our home," Craig said. "It was really very meaningful to us and beautiful, too," Dale added. "That's great. You fellows must be Episcopalians?" Wilmer wanted to know. "Yes, our parish priest is openly gay and his lover is our organist/choirmaster. Their being gay in a non-issue at St. James in Williamsport," Craig told the men. "I've heard about them and the fact that your membership is increasing. Our priest has mentioned it. He's not gay, but is very supportive of us and we have a few gay members in our parish, but most go to St. Mark's Cathedral, where they have an excellent music program," Wilmer replied. The men talked about a number of things, while having a couple of rounds of drinks. They were interested to hear about Joey and Forrest as well as Saber Computers and their jobs. Robin and Jon were officers for a Savings and Loan Company that had been in Jon's family from the beginning and with the death of his parents, he now owned the controlling shares. Bart taught history at Centenary College and Wilmer was working on his masters' degree in computer science, so he was most interested in the computer company Dale and Craig owned. Lloyd was the City Manager for Pasadena, Texas and Allen worked in mission control for NASA. Craig told Dwight that he needed to confirm their dinner reservations at LeMondulet, a fine French restaurant on the river walk, about 3 blocks from the inn. "I can do that for you. Jimmy, the maitre 'd is a good friend. What time is your reservation?" Dwight asked. "Eight-thirty," Craig replied. "We need to freshen up and change clothes," he added. "That place has relaxed their dress code considerably and it made a big increase in their business. I'd ditch the Levis, but slacks and a sweater are perfectly acceptable," Linden agreed. Dwight came back from the office. "Your reservations are confirmed," he told the men.

Dale and Craig excused themselves to go to their room.

"We start serving breakfast a 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, but there is coffee and juice available before that, along with the Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas newspapers. Tomorrows specialty are breakfast burritos, but you can have Belgian Waffles, too," Linden told them.

"Thanks," the men said, starting up the stairs to their room.

Greg was pleased to see Forrest and Joey waiting for a table at Tony D's. "Are you guys by yourselves?" he asked.

"Yeah," Forrest told him.

"Okay, I'll have a table for 2 in about 5 minutes. The people are finishing their dessert and always want their check as soon as they've shoveled in the last bite, he laughed.

The boys noticed the couple. They each had to weight at least 300 pounds... and Greg was right, they were eating with great gusto. They looked at each other and giggled.

A few minutes later as he seated them at the table, Greg pointedly asked, "What kind of soft drinks can I get for you guys this evening?"

They hadn't expected to be served any wine and actually were relieved that Greg didn't ask.

"I'll have a Ginger Ale," Joey told him.

"Make it water for me," Forrest said.

"Coming right up," Greg said as he handed them each a menu.

They were looking at the selections when Greg returned with their beverages. "Would you like the Italian salads tonight?"

"Yeah," Joey replied. "We haven't eaten much today and we're hungry."

"I'd better bring you the serving bowl size, then," he smiled. He knew that both boys seemed to have bottomless stomachs.

"That'd be cool," Joey smiled back. Greg disappeared to the kitchen. Forrest quickly decided what he wanted and was ready to place his order when Greg returned.

One of the bus boys brought them each a salad bowl, a basket of breadsticks along with silverware and napkins. A few minutes later he returned with a serving bowl of Italian salad.

They started on their salad and had just served themselves when Greg returned to their table. There were no people waiting to be seated, so he squatted down by their table.

"That was a beautiful ceremony that Dale and Craig had this afternoon. I really appreciated being invited to share in the joy of the occasion."

Forrest spoke up. "Yeah, me and Joey were talkin' about that earlier. They can call it whatever they want, but in my book, they got married."

Greg put his hand on Forrest's shoulder and squeezed it. "Looked that way to me, too, bud. I hope if I ever find a person to share my life that I can have a ceremony like the one today."

"I hope so, too," Joey told him.

Greg stood up. "Have you gentlemen decided on what you want to eat this evening?"

"Chicken Saltimbocca for me," Forrest said. "I really like that."

"I think the Chicken in Hunter Sauce for me," Joey told him.

"Okay, I think we have enough of that left," he grinned as he wrote it down. "I'll bring it out after you guys are through with the salad. Do you need any more?" he questioned, noticing that there wasn't much left in the serving bowl.

"I've had enough salad," Joey said. Forrest indicated the same.

"Okay, I'll bring your meals in a couple of minutes. How about more breadsticks?"

"That would be great," Joey said.

The bus boy brought another basket of breadsticks about the time Greg arrived with their meals. The food was good and both Joey and Forrest seemed to inhale it. Then they ordered Spumoni for dessert.

Greg marveled at how much the two young men could eat and hoped that they were active enough not to start gaining weight.

There was a long happy hour at Frank and Doris' house that evening. Everyone was reveling in the way the ceremony had gone off without a hitch and how good all of the men looked. Frank was glad that he'd arranged for someone to videotape the ceremony, using two cameras. He hoped they would do a good job of editing the tape and that the sound would be good.

Finally it was time to eat and they sat around to visit afterward. About 10 o'clock Chuck and Doug went back to the house Chuck and Susan were renting to spend the night.

Dale and Craig walked to the restaurant holding hands. If there were any negative thoughts from others out walking, they weren't aware of it. It just felt good to hang on to your lover's hand. Dale had been to San Antonio once when he was in high school and then the river walk was something they only saw from street level. They hadn't been allowed to descend the stairs to get to water level, nor was he aware the banks were solidly lined with businesses, hotels and even some condos.

Craig had been to the river walk area twice. He and Don had driven down to look at the new Hilton Hotel, as their client was interested in recreating the lobby bar for a project that never happened. He had been enthralled at what had been accomplished years ago and then the new part of the river walk had been extended to a new hotel built about 3 blocks away.

The restaurant was easy to find and the Maitre 'd greeted them as they arrived at the door. "I understand that congratulations are in order, gentlemen." Craig and Dale thanked him. They decided that Dwight must have tipped him off. They were seated immediately. He escorted them to their table telling them that Philippe would be their waiter tonight. A quick glace around the room confirmed what Linden had said about casual clothing. The people wearing suits and long dresses were definitely in the minority. Philippe was a good-looking young fellow and Craig guessed that his name was really was "Phillip", but it didn't make any difference. He immediately put them at ease when he introduced himself, then said, "Congratulations gentlemen. There is hope for the rest of us, now."

Dale and Craig smiled and echoed each other in their thanks.

Philippe described the special entrees not on the menu, answering several questions they had. He handed them each a menu and took their drink orders.

Craig ordered martinis 'up' for both of them. The bartender rolled a small cart to their table and mixed the drinks, carefully stirring instead of shaking the gin. They had just barely "cheered the other, touching the rims of the glasses when Philippe returned to their table.

"May I get you an appetizer while you are perusing the menu?"

"That would be fine, what would you suggest?" Craig asked.

There are three things that our customers seem to order more than the others. I would suggest baked Brie served with fresh garlic toast rounds, grilled tomatoes with artichokes or perhaps you might enjoy baked mushrooms stuffed with cheeses.

Craig looked at Dale, raising his eyebrows in question. "I think I'd like the baked Brie."

"Then bring that for us," Craig told the waiter.

Dale was looking at the menu. The dishes were listed with French names, but thankfully the descriptions were in English. He was hungry and everything sounded good, he thought as he took another sip of his martini. Craig was studying the menu intently, too.

Finally Dale closed his menu and laid it aside. "What did you decide on?" Craig questioned. He had been idly looking around the room. There were six other male couples among the diners.

"The Braised Stuffed Breast of Veal with Pommes Galettes and a mix of grilled vegetables," Dale said proudly. He was getting better at this. "What about you?"

"The Lamb Chops Chausser with Pommes Anna and peas," he replied.

Dale said, "That sounded good to me, too, but I've not eaten lamb before. Remember, we're from beef country."

"You can have some of mine to taste," Craig told his lover. Dale had always eaten anything put in front of him and seemed to enjoy it.

About that time, the sommelier arrived at the table. He and Craig discussed the wine and finally decided on a slightly chilled white Chardonnay.

Philippe immediately returned to the table to take their order, starting with a crème potato and leek soup, a sorbet for a pallet refresher and then a baby spinach salad with oranges and a raspberry dressing, ending with fruit and cheese with coffee. They didn't want to overeat, but this sounded like every dish would go together with the others. Craig told Philippe that they would like another martini and again, the bartender came to the table to make it up for them.

Finally they were starting to relax after their big day and discovered they were holding hands across the table. There was no embarrassment like there might have been a few months before. They were secure in their relationship and today's ceremony had been their goal from the very beginning. The fact that they had now added Joey and Forrest to their household was the ultimate blessing. They had made each other's life complete and now the boys had been an extra benefit as they had enough love to share with both Joey and Forrest. And, they knew the love for all of them had been and would be returned many times each day in the future.

The meal was unhurried. There were several times one of the male couples passed their table on the way out. All of them nodded their heads and smiled at the others. The meal progressed with unhurried service. Philippe was an excellent waiter and they lacked for nothing in the way of service. After the fruit and cheese with their coffee, Craig settled the bill and they walked back to the bed and breakfast, holding hands.

Joey and Forrest loved the movie "Bird on a Wire". There were a lot of shots of Mel's butt, both with and without briefs. They enjoyed elbowing each other every time there was a butt shot on screen. Some of the crotch shots weren't bad either.

Later after they returned to the condo, Forrest let Mitsy out and they both followed her down the stairs so she could take care of her needs. It was a chilly night, but clear and a lot of stars were visible even with the streetlights around the property.

They climbed the steps, Mitsy leading the way back up to the condo.

It had been four hours since they'd had dinner and they hadn't eaten any snacks at the movie. Joey said, "I'm going to strip down to my boxers and then raid the kitchen. "Sounds like a plan, my man," Forrest said in agreement. They went to their bedroom and soon their clothes were in the laundry hamper. Joey went to the kitchen where there was plenty of food they could have for dessert.

"Hey Forrest, do you want some cake or other things left from the reception?"

"Sure!" Forrest was in the kitchen immediately. There were Petits Fours, wedding cake, nuts and mints left. "Do we have any ice cream?" he asked.

Joey replied, "There's always some vanilla in the freezer. Are you thinking cake and ice cream?"

"Works for me. Do you want some Ginger Ale to go with it?"

"Yeah," Joey said. He got the ice cream out while Forrest went to the bar to pour them each a soft drink.

They carried their dishes into the living room, Joey sitting on the love seat and Forrest taking a chair on the other side of the coffee table. It wasn't long before their desserts were gone. Forrest stood up. "That hit the spot. Do you want any more?" he asked Joey.

"No, just needed something to hold me until tomorrow morning," was the reply.

Forrest took their plates and forks to the kitchen, then refilled their soft drinks. He started to return to his chair when Joey said, "Hey, ya wanna try something sexy?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, I want to try something I've seen our Dads do and it always looked pretty sexy to me. Dale would sit on the corner of the love seat and put his right leg up and under the back pillows like I'm doing now. Then Craig would sit with his back to the pillows and somehow they worked around so they could kiss each other and I think there was a lot of fondling going on, too," Joey told Forrest.

"Hey dude, yer makin' me horny just thinkin' about it," Forrest said as he put their glasses on the table and settled into Joey's embrace. They were soon locked into a kiss and both were as hard as rocks. Joey rubbed Forrest's nipples, then moved on down toward the waistband of his boxers, sticking his fingers through the fly.

"Aagghhh... Oh God, I'm cumming," Forrest said as he broke away from the kiss.

That triggered Joey's release. His boxers were soon soaked with cum, too.

"Dude," Joey panted, "we are a total mess. I've never cum that much before. You are awesome."

"No more so than you. I hope we didn't ruin the loveseat."

Forrest carefully stood up, then helped Joey stand up, too. There didn't seem to be any stains on the fabric.

"Come on, let's go take a shower," Forrest said.

"I have a better idea. Let's use that cool shower in our Dad's bedroom. I'll go get our towels and washcloths. There's shampoo and soap like we use already in there," Joey suggested.

"Shall we rinse our shorts out in the shower?" Forrest asked. He hated to put them in the laundry hamper as they were well starched.

"That's probably a good idea. We can wring them out and hang them up to dry on the towel racks, then put them in the laundry when they are dry. Go on and I'll be right there," Joey said.

This was Forrest's first time to use the shower, although he'd looked at it before and wanted to try it, but hadn't asked.

Joey shut the glass door and quickly explained that there were four showerheads, each with its own on/off control. "This is the master control for setting the temperature and it has to be turned on before you get any water out of the others. Craig said that the ones in the new house will have individual hot and cold controls," Joey said while adjusting the water temperature to about body temperature. "Each showerhead can be changed to different water patterns or even a massage," he added.

They made quick work of rinsing their boxers, slipping them off, wringing them out and repeating the action again. Joey arranged them on a towel rack where the washcloths were usually hung. * * * * *

Craig let them into the darkened inn with the key he'd been given. They walked up to the third floor with their arms about each other's waist. He unlocked the door to their suite and closed it behind them. The lights in the room were dimmed, there was soft music playing and the bed had been turned down with mints placed on the pillows.

They immediately started helping each other out of their clothes, kissing and licking newly exposed flesh as it appeared. Soon they were down to their boxers and socks, their lips locked together. Both were hard and starting to ooze precum.

Dale wanted Craig to open the package he'd brought, so broke the kiss, telling Craig, "Don't lose my place, I'll start there when I come back."

Craig realized that Dale was picking up one of the wrapped packages. "Bring the other one, too."

Dale came back from the table, handing Craig his gift and holding the other. "Okay, let's open them at the same time." He hoped that Craig would like what he'd bought.

They weren't careful about removing the wrapping paper; they wanted to get back to where the kisses had stopped.

Obviously, both gifts had come from the same place: The Gentry Shop. Probably Brad had waited on both of them.

Dale had his gift open first and separated the tissue paper. Inside was a red short kimono-style silk robe with three pair of matching shorts in the form of a pair of boxers, a bikini-style and a red silk thong. He laughed as he held them up.

"Open yours," he said, both of them laughing.

Craig separated the tissue in his gift box. As he pulled it open, he had an identical gift, except in an ivory color. They both thought that was funny.

"Brad must have really enjoyed waiting on us. I went in to buy underwear for myself and he suggested this for you," Dale said.

"Somewhat the same story for me," Craig said. "I went in to buy a long-sleeved polo shirt and he just had to show me the new underwear they had received." They discovered that they had been in the store on the same day, which made the story even funnier.

"At least put the robe on," Craig said, putting his on. It was a beautiful silk paisley pattern on an ivory background. Dale's robe was a plain red silk.

True to his promise, the kisses resumed where they left off. Finally, they walked to the bed, shed the new robes and rolled toward the center, wrapped around the other. First one would be on top, then they would roll again and the other would end up in full body contact. That was the only thing a king-size bed was good for; there was plenty of room to roll around.

After a long foreplay Craig wasn't sure he'd ever been this aroused. He indicated to Dale that he wanted him inside him, spreading his legs and wrapping them around Dale's waist.

"Let me get you ready," Dale told him. Craig released his hold and Dale stripped the precum they were both producing, added some saliva and slowly worked one, two and then three fingers into Craig's tunnel. By this time Craig was bucking on the bed, so Dale hurriedly prepared himself the same way, shucking his foreskin back and pressing his cockhead against Craig's sphincter, which was ready and open, he entered easily.

Craig could feel Dale's penis as it slid into him. His first impulse was to impale himself on the hot rod, but he savored the feeling of slowly being filled. Dale was certainly a master when it came to making his lover purr appreciatively. Soon he was all the way in and held that position for several minutes as they kissed. Finally Craig started the rocking movements to slowly make their way toward a climax.

Intercourse just kept getting better and better for the two of them. They were able to read each other's thoughts and adjust their lovemaking actions to make the other feel fantastic. They frequently stopped just to enjoy the intimacy of each other's body. There was no hurry to achieve climax and maybe the alcohol helped make their sexual act last longer. Whatever it was, this would be lovemaking to be remembered.

Finally after coming almost to a climax several times during the hour they were coupled, Dale realized that he had passed the point of no return. His kisses intensified and Craig picked up on the signals they knew so well. He was on the brink of an explosion, also. Their mouths were locked together and it almost seemed they were breathing for each other. Dale felt a twitch in his cock that signaled he was ready. They wrapped their arms even tighter around each other and Craig felt Dale go even deeper. His own sphincter spasmed as his first salvo of hot cum painted their stomachs. That's all it took. Dale seemed to cause an earthquake in Craig and they both released torrents of cum onto and into the other.

They came down from their nirvana slowly. They couldn't get enough of each other but nature forced an unwilling uncoupling of their bodies from each other. Hanging onto each other Dale rolled onto his back, Craig lying on his body.

They awoke the next morning on their sides, facing each other and more than slightly glued together. Dale looked at the clock. It was 6 a.m. They carefully pulled away from each other, got out of bed, peed, brushed their teeth and took a shower. Craig laid towels on the bed and they crawled back in to make love again, this time Dale being the recipient of Craig's offering inside his body.

At 7:30 they got out of bed, having a leisurely shower and washing the other. By 8 o'clock they were dressed so they could go to mass a little later and went down the stairs for breakfast. Linden and Dwight were both in the kitchen and Robin and Jon were the only ones at the table.

All four of the men had smiles on their faces, probably from sexual athletics, also.

Shortly afterward Bart and Wilmer joined them. They visited at the table, talking about various things. The other four men were interested in the report of the fine food at LeMondulet.

Breakfast was delicious and not over-filling, the seasonings being just right.

Dale and Craig said they were going to church and Linden suggested that Christ Episcopal Church was right around the corner. Wilmer and Bart asked if they could go along, too. Of course, that was fine with Dale and Craig.

As they were leaving, Dwight reminded them that they would be serving cocktails at noon and brunch would be at 1:00 p.m. * * * * * Author's Note: I appreciated all of the emails your sent regarding Chapter 10. It's great to know that so many of you are continuing to enjoy the story. I enjoyed hearing all of your comments. I've made a good start on Chapter 12, but don't know if I'm going to have it ready for release before I leave on the 16th to spend 10 wonderful days in the Chicago area. So, please bear with me if you don't see it in two weeks.

I'll get it posted when completed. My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon ("Dukes of Windsor"), who has taken time to help me catch obvious errors. Also to Randy Smith of San Juan Capistrano, who has been a loyal reader from the very beginning. Any comments are appreciated and you can reach me at TulsaAuthor@hotmail.com. Thanks, David.