Kyle Part 3 Chapter 4
Kyle, Part 3
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: This story is a continuation of the story of Kevin Foley, Rick Mashburn, and their "sons," Tim Murphy, Kyle Goodson, Justin Davis, and Brian Mathews that started in "Tim," continued in "Justin" and "Kyle," "Kyle, Part 2," and now continues in "Kyle, Part 3." It is about gay men and gay boys living and loving together as a family, and it contains descriptions of sex. The sex is never intergenerational, though. If you are offended by descriptions of gay sex, or if the law in your area forbids you to read them, please exit the story. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy it. I appreciate feedback, and you can send it to me at brew_drinker23@yahoo.com.
--Brew Maxwell
(Kyle's Perspective)
When I realized on that trip to Sarasota that it was possible that maybe someday Tim and I could have a kid or two, I got so excited. It was selfishness, I knew, but most parents were so happy with their kids when they got grandchildren that I wanted at least one of my own to make my parents happy. As hard as he'd try for me, I knew Timmy would never get pregnant, or me, either, for that matter. Now wouldn't that be a sight, if one of us did!
I knew my buddy Rick was really nervous for us to meet his mom and step-dad. I knew Rick wanted me to be in charge of the boys. He never said anything to me about it, but I knew how he was thinking.
"All right. Listen up," I had said, as soon as we were in our hotel room before we went to Rick's house. "This is a very special night for Rick, and anybody who is the least bit out of line tonight has to answer to me. And that includes you, too, Tim, although I know you won't be out of line."
"I'd like to see you whip Tim's ass," Justin said.
"Yeah? I'll whip your ass in a heartbeat," I said.
"Shut up. No, you won't, and you know it, Bubba. Besides, you think you're the only one here who loves Rick? Nobody's going to fuck up, Kyle. Not on purpose, anyway. He's ours as much as he is yours, you know, Little Rick," Justin said.
"I know. I'm sorry if I'm a little intense. Gimme a hug, stud," I said.
"You just want to rub your dick against me, Kyle. I know you, dude."
"Fuck you, asshole!"
"Yeah? Where and what time," Jus asked.
He and I laughed, and we hugged each other. Philip was officially my best friend, and I really loved him, too, but I didn't feel half the love for Philip that I felt for Justin.
"Let's talk about sleeping arrangements," I said.
"Nothing to talk about, Kyle," Jeff said. "I'm on the fold-out."
"No, you're not, Jeff," I said.
"Jeff, Kyle ain't worried about your comfort, man. This is about you and this family," Jus said.
"What are you talking about," Jeff asked.
"What I'm talking about is you sleeping with your brothers, man," Jus said. "I know you're worried about getting in bed with us naked and getting a hard-on. Well, let me tell you something, Bubba. We want you to sleep with us, and if you don't get hard by yourself, I'll make you hard. I know how to do it."
Jeff chuckled. "Yeah, I'll bet you do. I've never made love with anybody but Clay, and that's the way I want to keep it, for now," Jeff said.
"We're not talking about making love, Jeff. Brian and I know what that is, and I know Tim and Kyle do, too. We're talking about 'making brother,' man. Just getting each other off because we care about each other, not because we're in love. We care about you, man, and we want to show it. If you don't want to get off, nothing will happen. That's our first rule, and we know it and follow it. But we want you to feel good, man, because we care." Justin said it good for all of us.
Jeff started crying.
"Did I hurt your feelings," Justin asked with real concern in his voice.
"The exact opposite, Justin," Jeff said. "This is kind of the ultimate acceptance of me as an outsider, you know? Kyle, you have already been so good to me. Do you agree with Jus?"
"Hell, I wrote the script. He didn't make that up. I told him to say that," I said. I knew that was cheap, but, hey!
"Let me think about it, okay, guys? I'm so happy to have you guys. I know I haven't been very much fun during these holidays, but you have been so good to me. I hope you never know what it's like to lose somebody you love, but if you do, I hope you each find a group of guys like you all," Jeff said.
They were looking at me like they wanted me to say something, and I didn't know what to say.
"Well, speaking of losing, we all need to lose some dirt," I finally said. "Jus, y'all take their shower next door. Here's the extra key. And everybody shave, too, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," Justin said as they left.
We all got prettied up to meet Arnold and Rick's mom.
*****
Rick's mom was just like Beth in New Orleans. I could tell she loved us before she ever met us, just because Rick did. Arnold, or Arnie as he told us to call him, was a whole lot nicer than we expected. Or than I expected, at least. He was talkative and funny and a good host. The lasagna was really good, and I ate me three plates full. I learned when I was about ten years old that a lady does not mind if you make a pig of yourself over her food, and that stuff was so good it was easy to do it that night. I noticed the other boys got them more than one plateful, too. I guess all of us ate pretty big most of the time, anyway.
After we went to see the Christmas lights, which weren't as good as the one in New Orleans had been, we sat around talking a long time. They were both teachers, which made me a little bit nervous at first. I mean, I knew Sarah was a principal and that he had something to do with running the school district. But it never occurred to me that they had been teachers for a long time before they got those jobs. At least they hadn't taught math.
When we went back to the hotel, I could tell Rick was really happy about the night.
"Guys, I want to thank you for being so wonderful tonight," Rick said.
"Ain't we always wonderful," I asked.
"Actually, you are, Kyle, and tonight was no exception," Rick said.
"This was kind of like an adult evening," I said.
"Yes, it was, and y'all did me proud, boys. Those etiquette lessons Kevin gave you have paid off big time. Call the front desk and ask for a wake-up call for 7:30, guys," Rick said. "We're going to Mass at ten, and you'll need time to get ready."
"Okay," I said, and we went up to bed.
Jus and Tim stripped down and got in their bed. Tim and I stripped, too, and got in bed. Jeff got in bed with us, but he kept his underwear on. I was in the middle, with Tim to my right and Jeff to my left. I spooned up to Tim and got hard in about two seconds. I reached down to find Tim's dick, and he was as hard as I was. The two in the other bed were quiet and still, so I figured they must have gone to sleep right away. In about a minute I could tell that Tim had gone to sleep, too.
"Jeff, you and I are the only ones awake," I whispered. "Take 'em off, man, and hold me, if you want to. You know it feels good to hold somebody in bed."
Jeff didn't do anything for a couple of minutes. Then I felt him squirm around getting out of those briefs. In a few seconds he put his arms around me and his head on my shoulder. I felt his hard dick against my back, too. He didn't move or anything. Then, just when I was about to go to sleep, he pressed up against me a little harder, and I heard him say "Ahhh." Then I felt his stuff, warm and wet, against my back. He must have needed that bad, I thought. I smiled and went to sleep.
The next morning, when we woke up, Jeff looked at me kind of shy or something.
"Thanks," he said.
I didn't say anything, but I smiled at him, too. I hoped he knew we all loved him and that he was our brother.
(Kevin's Perspective)
I knew Rick was both nervous and excited about all of us seeing his mom and step-dad. I really wasn't prepared for the warm reception I got from Arnie. When he referred to Rick and me getting married the year before, I was just about blown away. I figured that meant he accepted us for who we were, and that was all anybody could ask.
The kids were wonderful that Saturday night, but I pretty much knew they would be. Kyle and Justin did their two-man comedy routine, and they kept everybody laughing all night long. All of them ate a lot, and I could tell that made Sarah very happy. They kept saying how good the food was, and no cook can remain neutral toward people who ate like they did.
"This is working out better than I expected," Rick said to me the next morning right after our wake-up call.
"Yeah. Are you going to get up and run," I asked, hoping he wasn't.
"No, but I'd like some exercise, though."
"Push-ups?"
He chuckled. "You got it."
"Not yet, I haven't," I said.
"Come here," he said. He covered me with kisses and made slow and gentle love to me.
A few minutes after we had recovered, there was a tap on the door that connected our room with the boys' room.
"Open up," Kyle said. "Room service."
Rick looked at me and laughed. He got up, still naked just as I was, and let them in. They had, indeed, ordered room service, and they brought in coffee, juice, and pastries for everybody. Jeff and Tim had on their underwear, but the rest of them were as naked as we were.
"It's time to get up, lovebirds," Justin said.
All five of them still had damp hair from their showers. It had been a month or so since I had seen any of them naked, and Kyle was the only one who still had anything close to a tan line remaining. The hair on Kyle's chest was particularly noticeable in its dampened state.
"What time did you guys get up," I asked.
"We got up when the cock crowed," Justin said.
"Whose," Rick asked.
"Let's give it a rest for right now, okay," I said. I thought it was way too early to start the puns. "What are you guys doing naked," I asked.
"What are you doing naked," Kyle asked in return.
"Let's eat," Justin said. They set the two trays down, and they started serving.
"This is a nice surprise," I said. "I've never had breakfast in bed before."
"We could make this happen every Sunday," Kyle said.
"No. Let's just keep things the way they are," I said.
After we finished eating, we sent that bunch packing to get dressed for church, and Rick and I got cleaned up and dressed, too.
We met Rick's mom and step-dad at the church, and we all sat together for Mass. Sarah seemed especially proud of her grandsons, and she made a special point of introducing us all to the priest when it was over. The guy didn't look like he was a whole lot older than Rick and I, and he had done an amazingly good job with the homily on that Holy Family Sunday.
The reading from the Old Testament had been about reverence for fathers, and he had chosen that theme as the basis for his homily. He made passing reference to foster fathers in connection with saying that the Church considers St. Joseph to be the foster father of Jesus but that foster fathers can be real fathers in every sense except the biological. When he said that, Rick's mom, who was sitting to his left, grabbed his hand and held it tight. He grabbed my hand, too. Sarah took out a tissue and wiped her eyes.
"Do you know Father Jerry? He's our priest and our friend in Emerald Beach," Brian had said to the priest after Mass.
"No, I'm afraid I don't," the priest said. "What's his last name?"
"Taylor. Jerry Taylor," Brian said. "He's about as old as you are, Father."
"Jerry's from Boston, Buddy. He's not from around here," Justin said.
"Oh, yeah," Brian said.
"Maybe I'll get up there some day, and you guys can introduce us," the priest said.
"You'd like him," Brian said.
"Sarah, you seemed a bit emotional during the homily. Did I say something to upset you," the priest asked.
"Not at all, Vince. Quite the contrary, in fact. My son Rick, and his partner Kevin, are foster fathers, and these are their sons. What you said touched me deeply because of that," Sarah said.
"Oh, my," Vince said. "I'm glad I said that. It wasn't part of my original outline. The thought just popped into my head as I was speaking. Congratulations, Sarah."
"Actually, only three of these guys are foster sons. Those two"--Rick pointed to Tim and Kyle--"are honorary foster sons."
"That's extraordinary," Vince said. "I'd like to get to know you guys sometime."
"Come visit us, when you can." Rick actually gave the priest one of his business cards. I wondered if there would be any follow-up to that.
"You have a friend who's a priest," Sarah asked Rick as we were walking to our cars.
"Yeah, a very good friend," Rick said.
"I'm pleased to see that you and Kevin are back at church," she said.
"Yeah, well, you know," Rick said. "Fatherhood and all."
Sarah smiled. It was pretty clear that she approved of everything about us and our family.
*****
It was 11:30 by the time we got away from church, and it was time for--what else?--another meal. I wasn't particularly hungry, but I suspected I knew some guys who were. We went to a really nice place for a brunch buffet. It was $20 a head, and we got our money's worth, and then some.
After brunch, we went to the Ringling Circus Museum. That place was on a 66-acre estate on Sarasota Bay that John Ringling and his wife Mable had donated to the state of Florida. It's one of several attractions on the property, the chief other one being a very prestigious art museum that is the official art museum of the state.
We followed Sarah and Arnie's car and parked next to them.
"Why do the signs say this is the FSU-John and Mable Ringling Museum," Kyle asked.
"FSU has its performing arts center here," Sarah said. "I'm not exactly sure how the university and the museum are related, but this is supposed to be the largest university/museum complex in the country."
"FSU. Isn't that where you go down in Gainesville, Jeff," Justin said.
"God, no," Jeff said. He was about to launch into a litany of the differences between the two schools that any student at either one knew by heart.
"He goes to the University of Florida, dummy," Kyle said. "He's a Gator, like me."
"Heaven help you, son," Arnie said to Kyle with a grin.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm a Seminole, Kyle," Arnie said.
"That don't make you bad," Kyle said. "It just makes you half-assed."
"I don't know what you mean, son," Arnie said. He knew Kyle was teasing him, so he wasn't offended. Arnie knew it was bad form to get offended when Gator and Seminole fans teased one another.
"You know, the FSU Semi-holes. Ain't that half-assed," Kyle asked.
Arnie laughed. "Very good, Kyle. Is that original?"
"No, sir. I think it's pretty old. I've heard it all my life."
"It's very old," Sarah said. "He just got his master's and Ph.D. there, Kyle. He's not a real Seminole like Rick and Kevin and I are. But we're glad he's on our team, aren't we, boys?"
"I didn't think he was real fond of our team," Justin said, deadpan as always.
It took Arnie a second to get it, but, once he did, he howled. He threw his arm around Justin's shoulder and gave him a kind of half-hug.
"Good one, son," Arnie said.
"Should I call you Doctor Jacobs," Kyle asked.
"You can, but I'd much rather you call me Arnie," he said.
"A lot of the people I know are doctors," Kyle said. "I'm surrounded by 'em."
"Like who besides me," Arnie asked.
"Both of Kevin's parents are doctors and Tim's dad is a doctor," Kyle said.
"Oh, really," Arnie said.
The Circus Museum was fun. It was like the Mardi Gras museums we had recently been to. There were lots of programs and documents, but there were also a ton of masks, some of the old-time circus parade carts, photos of some of the side-show attractions, and a lot more.
"Rick, have you told the boys about Flying High," Sarah asked.
"No, Mom. You tell 'em," Rick said.
"Flying High is the name of the FSU circus," she said. "It's the only university in the country that has its own circus. Really."
"Jeff told me the whole thing is a circus," Kyle said.
Jeff grinned at Kyle, and I sensed an affection between the two of them I hadn't really noticed before.
"It's a circus of learning and joy," Arnie said, "filled with many gay and happy people."
"You might want to switch, stud. Sounds like you might have a chance there," Jus said to Jeff.
Arnie laughed, and Rick and I joined him. I suddenly felt completely at ease with Arnie, and he certainly appeared to be at ease with us.
"Arnie, I heard you tell Kyle you went to FSU for graduate school. Where did you go for undergraduate," Tim asked, changing the subject.
"I went to Tulane University in New Orleans. Did you see that campus when you were there?"
"Yes, sir. We passed by it when we were there a few days ago. Is it a good school," Tim asked.
"It's a very good school, Tim," Arnie said.
"Cool. I'm thinking about going there," Tim said. "And then to medical school there, too."
"Well, Tulane would be an excellent choice," Arnie said.
*****
Sunday night we went to see The Music Man at the Asolo Theater, another FSU-related entity. The music and plot portions of that play were superb, and the boys enjoyed it thoroughly.
"That play was pretty cool, Rick," Justin said.
"It was different from Cats, wasn't it," Rick asked.
"Yeah, this one had regular words, not all singing," Jus said.
"That's a pretty famous play, guys," I said. "Do y'all want to take music lessons and form a band?"
"Only if I can play the flute," Justin said.
"This one never stops, does he," Arnie said, laughing.
"Kevin says I can't be corriged," Jus said.
"You can't be what?"
"He's incorrigible, Arnie," Rick said. "And he's too quick for us to even see it coming, most of the time." He was laughing, too.
Sarah and Arnie followed us back to our hotel, and Rick and I had a drink with them in the bar. The boys told everybody good night and thanked them for a great day. Then they went up to their room.
"I can't remember the last time I had this much fun with a group of kids," Arnie said. "It's at times like this that I miss being in the classroom."
"They are fun, aren't they," Rick asked.
"Rick, I must admit, I had some reservations about your whole arrangement. I've never been around gay men, at least not that I knew were gay, but you and Kevin and the boys just all seem so normal," Arnie said. "I'd go anywhere with you now--or with just them, without you and Kevin."
"Thanks, Arnie. I appreciate that, man. My family means everything to me, and it's good to welcome you as its newest member," Rick said.
Arnie seemed genuinely touched by that, and he leaned over and hugged Rick.
Sarah got huge tears in her eyes, and they started cascading down her cheeks.
"Thank you, son, and thank you, Sweetie. You don't have any idea how happy I am right now," she said.
Rick started to tear up, so I spoke for him.
"The same goes for us, Sarah and Arnie. Thank you, man," I said. Arnie and I got up and hugged.
The waiter brought our drinks just as we were sitting back down.
"Is everything okay," he asked.
"Everything's cool, man," I said. "You'd never be able to know how cool, in fact."
"Okay. Just checking. Let me know if you need anything." He winked at me, and with that he was off. I was certain he was gay.
"Your team," Arnie asked.
"Definitely," Rick and I said in unison. Everybody laughed.
*****
We were all in the lobby by seven o'clock the next morning, as instructed. Our fishing trip started at 7:30, not that they would have left without their only passengers. Rick knew where the marina was, and we met Sarah and Arnie there at 7:20.
The captain of the boat, Bob Sikes, gave an explanation of what was going to happen, and he went over some rudimentary safety rules. We would have a thirty-minute wait before we could start fishing because it would take us that long to get to the first reef. Rick and I had asked the boys to wear their long sleeve shirts we had given them for Christmas, and we had ours on, too. We were all wearing jackets, so nobody had noticed them.
"Mom and Arnie," Rick said, "we haven't really talked about when we were going to exchange gifts, so Kevin and I brought yours from us with us this morning. When you open them, I think you'll see why."
He presented the gifts. Arnie seemed a little confused about us having a gift for him.
"Open them together, and then we'll tell you the story," Rick said.
They opened their gifts. The looks on their faces were hard to read. I figured they were just a bit confused.
"Thank you, boys," Sarah said. "These are lovely."
"Yeah, thanks, guys," Arnie said.
"Okay, boys. Show 'em," Rick said.
All seven of us took off our jackets.
"Well, for heaven's sake," Sarah said. I could tell she was still confused.
"Mom, Kevin and I gave everybody in our family--his parents, his brother and his wife, some of our close friends at home, Tim's dad, Kyle's parents, everybody--these same shirts. Did you notice what they say?"
"'Crew of The Clay,'" she read.
Rick spoke for us. "The Clay is Kyle's boat that he got for his birthday last month. When he got the boat, he named it that in memory of his older brother, who died in October. Jeff was Clay's boyfriend and partner. These shirts are our way of symbolically uniting all the people we love."
"Son, that's beautiful," Sarah said, and the waterworks started up again. She hugged Rick and me.
"I'm sorry to be so emotional, but I just can't help it," she said.
"Don't worry about it," Jus said. "Rick makes us cry all the time, too."
That made all of us laugh.
"If you don't watch yourself, mister, I'm going to throw your ass off this boat," Rick said.
"See what I mean," Jus said.
Arnie laughed some more; then he and Jus and the others drifted away.
"This has been an amazing visit," Sarah said, when they were out of earshot. "He really likes the boys. In fact, he's talked about them since we left you last night."
"They're pretty hard not to like," I said.
"Oh, but he was fully prepared not to like them," she said. "I think he expected them all to be like our waiter in the bar last night."
"We have a couple of friends who are like that, but not this crew," Rick said.
"Obviously," she said.
It was time to start fishing then, so we all got set up by Bob. He had room for five people to fish at a time, so we divided up by couples to work the poles. Jeff was with Justin and Brian. Naturally, Kyle caught the first fish, and he got it on deck without any help from the captain.
"You've done this before, haven't you," Bob asked Kyle.
"Yes, sir," Kyle said.
"Do you know what kind of fish this is," Bob asked.
"Yes, sir. It's a grouper, ain't it," Kyle said.
"That's right. Are you guys saving fish or throwing them back?"
"Mom, how much room do you have in your freezer," Rick called out.
"Not much, I'm afraid, but some," she called back.
"I guess we can keep three or four, and throw the rest back," Kyle told him.
"Let's keep the first few, then," the captain said. He went off to tend to the fish.
Kyle gave the pole to Tim after he set up his bait for him.
"I want to catch me a groper," Justin said.
"In your dreams, stud," Kyle said.
That made us all laugh.
"Mom, do you see what we mean about them saying stuff they probably shouldn't say," Rick asked.
"I think it's cute, Rick. They obviously care a great deal about one another, too," she said.
"Cute, and funny as hell," Arnie said. "Are Justin and Kyle like that all the time?"
"You haven't seen a tenth of what they're capable of," I said.
We fished that reef for a couple of hours, and everybody in the party hauled in at least one grouper. We caught a couple of red snapper, too, which miraculously happened to be within the tight size guidelines that the state set for those fish. Bob was keeping the fish alive in a well he had on the boat, and he released a couple of grouper to keep those.
When that petered out, we moved to another location further out. Kyle was letting Tim do most of the fishing on the pole they were sharing, but he caught the first fish at the new spot, too, an amberjack.
"How do you do that so consistently, Kyle," Arnie asked him.
"He spits on the bait, Grandpa," Brian said.
Arnie's eyes got big.
"He didn't mean to say that, Arnie. He just slipped up," Justin said, by way of apology for his boy.
"What did I say," Brian asked.
"You called him grandpa," Jus said.
"Arnie, I meant to say," Brian said.
"You can call me grandpa any time you want to, son. I'm honored," Arnie said.
"Thank you, God," Sarah said, but only loud enough for Rick and me to hear her.
*****
The fishing trip was a great success, and "grandpa" and "grandma" had a wonderful time, not to mention the kids. The Gulf was beautiful, and the weather was perfect. By noon the only one with a shirt on was "grandma," and I noticed a few pink shoulders, despite the sun screen the captain had provided.
That night we had our family Christmas with the Jacobses. Rick's Mashburn grandparents were there, as well. They were old and much more feeble than I had realized they were. Mr. Mashburn had Parkinson's Disease, and it had really affected his mind. They didn't stay very long at all, but they seemed delighted to see me again and to meet the boys.
We had drinks and hors d'oeuvres before dinner, and I noticed that Jeff, Justin, and Kyle got treated there with drinks the same way they had been in New Orleans. Kyle pulled Arnie aside to talk to him in private, and then Arnie took him and Tim to a room in the back of the house.
"What's going on with them," Rick asked when Arnie had returned.
"They said they needed a computer. Kyle had a laptop with him, but he said he needed a CD burner. I've got one on the computer in the study. He didn't say what he was going to do. I guess it's safe to let them use it, isn't it," Arnie said.
"It's safe, Arnie," Rick said.
"He asked that we not exchange presents until he was finished. He said he needed half an hour," Arnie said.
"Ole Flash is at it again," Justin said. "This ought to be good."
"I'm intrigued," Sarah said.
"We know what he's probably doing, Sarah, but we can't tell," I said.
True to their word, Kyle and Tim came out from the study and re-joined us in the den in thirty minutes.
"Did you get it done, Flash," Justin asked Kyle.
"Shut up, man," Kyle said.
We opened gifts at that point. We had contributed to the Empty Stocking Fund in their names, so all Rick and I had left to give were cards. They seemed to appreciate that.
They gave Rick and me a magnificent crystal ice bucket from Tiffany's, and they gave each of the boys a book and some gift certificates to a fast food restaurant. The kids acted like they really liked their gifts, whether they did or not. They had also made a hefty contribution to a local charity in the name of the Foley-Mashburn family.
"Now this is from all of us boys," Kyle said. "It's not really much, but we hope you like it."
He started playing a slide show that was on his laptop, and it was pictures of us at the museum the day before and of us fishing that day. He had brought his digital camera along, of course, and he had gotten some remarkable shots.
Kyle did a running commentary on the slides.
"This is that big statue with the dick," he said, referring to the copy of Michaelangelo's David at the museum. "This one's all over the place. I saw one just like it someplace in Europe, but it was white. Italy, maybe."
Arnie was sitting on an ottoman in front of Sarah's chair, and he started laughing so hard I thought he was going to fall off onto the floor.
"Just show the pictures and shut up, Little Rick," Justin said.
"Did you call him Little Rick, Justin," Sarah asked.
"Yes, ma'am. He is Little Rick. You can't take these two boys anywhere," Jus said.
Arnie laughed at that, but Sarah got a happy look on her face and a very big grin.
"They think alike, Grandma. They can read each other's minds," Tim said.
"Mom, it's unbelievable. Did you know I had an identical twin who is eight years younger than I am," Rick asked. "Well, there he is."
"Shut up and watch the movie," Kyle said to Rick.
We focused on the pictures but we were anything but silent. The photos were very, very good, and somebody had a comment about almost every one of them.
When it was over, Arnie asked, "Kyle, did you save that on my computer. I want that slideshow."
"Yes, sir, and here's a CD with it, too. I made two copies of it, one for you and one for us to keep," Kyle said.
"You're really quite a good photographer, son," Arnie said. "Do you have a Web site with your work?"
"Naw, but I've thought about it. Maybe soon," Kyle said.
"Kyle, that would be a way of sharing pictures with my parents, too, you know? And with all the friends? I think you should do it," I said.
"I might. I just don't know how to do it," Kyle said.
"I do," Jeff said. "I'll help you. I think it would be a great idea, Kyle."
"I'll think about it," Kyle said.
We had dinner after that, and then we got ready to leave.
"I wish this visit was just starting," Sarah said as we were leaving.
"I know, Mom. It's been fun, hasn't it," Rick said.
"I can't tell you when I've had more fun, Son. Sons, I mean," Arnie said grabbing Rick and me around the shoulders on either side of him.
"We'll be back, and you're going to come see us, too, now, aren't you," I asked.
"Absolutely, Kevin. We'll be there. Don't worry about that," Arnie said. Then, in a move I would never have predicted, he gave each of us a short peck on the cheek.
*****
"Kyle, I think you were right," Rick said, as we were driving home the next day.
"About what? Spitting on that bait? That doesn't work. That's bullshit," Kyle said.
"No, about Arnie never knowing any gay guys like us," Rick said. "Sunday night, while we were having a drink after you guys went to bed, he even said we were just so normal."
"And he was talking to you," Jus asked.
"Watch it, mister," Rick said.
"That's Mister Sweetheart, to you. I'm fixin' to change my ways." Jus was trying to do an imitation of Gage, but it just wasn't working.
Everybody laughed.
"Are we going to play Best and Worst," Brian asked. "I want to go first. My best was the fishing," Brian said. "I had never caught a fish before, and they kept one of mine. A redfish. That was awesome."
"Yeah, fishing," Justin and Tim both agreed.
"My best was the play. Call me a drama queen, but I'm a sucker for it," Kyle said. "I'm the boy with the nicotine stain on his index finger."
We all laughed.
"I have to agree with Kyle," Jeff said. "The play was the best, and he is the boy with the nicotine stain on his index finger."
"I've got a surprise for you, Bubba. That wasn't a nicotine stain, and it wasn't my index finger, either," Kyle said.
"Gross," Tim said, and all five of them laughed.
"There's a story here we're not getting," Rick said.
"I know, and are you as glad as I am that we aren't getting it," I asked.
He laughed. "Yeah."