Date: Thu, 24 Sep 2015 11:25:40 +0000
From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com>
Subject: Family Matters, Chapter 24 - End

Family Matters, Chapter 24

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Sunday at lunch, Landon asked for a show of hands of those who felt they
were ready to make a decision on whether or not to participate in the
reality TV series on their lives as a modern family.  Only Michael's hand
went up.

"We're not obliged to let Mr. Stern know until next Saturday, so that will
give us more time if we need it.  Let's check in with each other again on
Tuesday to see what progress has been made.  Would anyone like to say why
they need more time?" Landon continued.

"Austin and I were raring to go yesterday, but then we began to have
questions.  We've been back and forth.  We drew a line down the middle of a
sheet of paper and listed the good points on one side and the drawbacks on
the other.  I think we need more time to check out what happened to the
Loud family so long ago.  It was too late to do much reading last night by
the time we did homework and, um, some other things."

"I'm not sure I could ever make up my mind," Marian said.  "It's not really
my decision because it's not my house.  Could we have three choices in
voting, `yes,' `no,' and `abstain'?"

"I suppose that would be the fairest way to vote," Landon agreed.  "I
believe it should be done by secret ballot initially so no one feels
pressured one way or the other.  However, I beg to differ with you about
its not being your decision.  You have as much at stake as anyone, if not
more.  You have two grandsons who will be impacted, as well as dealing with
interruptions in your daily routine as our chief cook, and Corbin's
caretaker."

"But I have to balance those things against helping to make a better world
for Rory, Austin, and you men for that matter," Marian responded.

"There might be other ways we could be a voice for the cause," Michael
reminded her.

-----------

On Sunday night after making sure their homework was up to date, Rory and
Austin propped up on Rory's bed and watched an interview of Lance Loud on
an old-time talk show hosted by Dick Cavett.  They were a bit put off by
Lance because of his campy mannerisms.  It seemed to them that the young
star went out of his way to make sure everyone knew he was different.

Then they watched some footage of the original show.  Again, they were
bothered by the way the family acted.  It was like they were always playing
to the camera, even when they weren't supposed to be aware they were being
filmed.

The father, Bill, in an interview some years after the show ended, admitted
feeling like he always needed to say something profound and that the show
didn't really present any of the family members as they were.

The more the boys read, the more disillusioned they became.

"It's getting late, could you take me home?" Austin sighed.

"I can, but why don't you check with your `rents to see if you can sleep
over?  You have plenty of clothes in my closet and if you need anything,
you can wear something of mine."

"I will if you let me wear the underwear you had on today."

"I will if you do the same with yours," Rory grinned.

"Deal!" Austin exclaimed.

"You are such a pervert!"

"Takes one to know one!"

After Austin got permission, via a text message from his mother, he and
Rory stripped and climbed under the sheet.  Soon, they were asleep, cuddled
together.

----------

Tuesday, Austin had dinner at Rory's house because they were going to take
what they hoped would be a final and decisive vote about the filming
project after they'd finished eating.

Marian had cooked a medium rare beef roast with several vegetables to
complement it.  She was always careful not to make anything too starchy
since her men had become fitness nuts.  That was fine with her because she
had lost a few pounds and tightened up her waist principally by eating
right and going to the senior classes at the gym a few times a week.  With
swimming season over, the boys didn't need as many carbs either.

After the men had cleaned up the kitchen while the boys had put away the
leftovers, the household reconvened in the family room.  The little boys
were playing with a few toys and Charlie in a corner where they wouldn't be
likely to pay attention to the discussion the rest were having.

"From our conversation over dinner, I assume everyone is ready to vote,"
Landon said.

A murmur of assenting words echoed throughout the room.

"I ran off the ballots on one sheet of paper and sliced them up with the
paper cutter at work today," Michael said as he passed them out along with
pencils.  "As you can see, you need only circle your answer, so your vote
will truly be secret."

Everyone marked a ballot, folded it, and dropped it in a shoebox Landon had
set on the coffee table.  He unfolded each and set them into separate
piles.  There were only two piles, and one contained a single piece of
paper.

"I think I can guess who abstained, but I could be wrong.  All the rest say
that we should NOT participate.  The family has spoken.  It's not
necessary, but would anyone care to say what led them to a negative
response?"

"Yup!" Rory grinned.  "Austin and I felt that it wouldn't show the real us.
We think we'd come off stilted like that family from back in the 70's."

"We decided having a camera in our faces all the time would change
everything," Austin added.  "It would take the `verite' out of the `cinema
verite' just like primitive tribes have been changed by contact with
anthropologists who studied them.  I read about that in one of our social
studies assignments."

"Landon and I agree," Michael said.  "We were afraid that we would try to
make statements we felt were `significant' but would come off as sounding
contrived."

"We also considered the effect it would have on the little ones," Landon
added, inclining his head toward Corbin and Ryan who were busy getting
Charlie to shake hands.  "Our baby would probably mug for the camera, and
his new bro has had enough instability in his life without the disruptions
of a camera crew for weeks on end.  There's also the extra stress it would
put on Marian."

Marian smiled at the outcome.  "I agree with the family's decision, but if
the boys had wanted it, I didn't want to stand in their way.  I can
understand why they would like to bring a message of hope to other teens."

"We can still do that, but in other ways," Landon reassured her.

-----------

Due to the time difference between the Midwest and the West Coast, Landon
took a chance that he might be able to get in touch with Eric Stern right
away.  The call went through, and he explained the outcome of their family
vote.  He pushed the `speaker' button so the family could hear.

"I rather expected that is how it would go," Eric said.  "I've talked to a
couple of other families like yours and they expressed reservations too.
I'm going to revise the project to be a series of interviews instead of the
cinema verite format.  It will allow participants to get their views to the
public without all the hassle of having a camera in their faces for long
periods of time.  The audience would still get a peek into how the family
operates.  Do you think your family might be interested in doing something
like that?"

"Funny you should ask, because we were just discussing that idea," Landon
said.  "From the nodding heads in this room, I believe everyone would
consider it.  We would want to have a say about the content, I think."

"Great!  I'll keep in touch."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later," Landon signed off.

"Well, my beloved family, I believe this could work out like we wanted it
to."

----------

As the end of the school year approached, several details needed attending
to.  Marian took Ryan to get him officially registered for kindergarten in
the fall.  She had entered his name in the district records as soon as he'd
come to live with them.  She wouldn't have known about the amount of
competition for places in the program if Jenna hadn't alerted her to it.

School officials tested Ryan for readiness and found him to be quite
advanced for his age.  Part of his achievement reflected his natural
abilities, but some of it was due to having Rory and Austin playing
educational games with him.

Because of their help, he had a good sight-vocabulary and could read simple
sentences.  He also did well with elementary math exercises like adding and
subtracting numbers from one to 10 and counting to 100.  He felt quite
proud of himself when the tester praised his good work.

----------

For the older boys, spring term brought the PSAT tests to evaluate their
readiness for college, which would start in a little over a year.  They did
well too, and Mrs. O'Grady thought their scores might make them eligible
for some scholarships to help defray expenses.

Before summer vacation began, there were projects to finish and final exams
to pass.  Since their schedules were nearly identical, Rory and Austin
worked and studied together.  That turned into a good opportunity for them
to strengthen the ties of their union while honing their skills for the
tests.

Shortly before finals week, Rory and Austin got calls from the manager of
the city swimming pools.  Their applications had been accepted and they'd
be working as lifeguards in the summer like they had hoped.  The news was
both good and not quite so good.  They were assigned to the same pool in
their quadrant of the city, but they wouldn't be working together for the
most part.  At times, their shifts would overlap by half an hour, but that
was it.

However, they would work together in the mornings three days a week
teaching beginners.  That was really great!  Rory hoped that either Austin
or he would be able to teach Ryan.  He knew his little brother would do
better for them than with a stranger.

----------

Grandma became Ryan's part-time chauffeur once the summer schedule began.
He was excited about learning to swim because his big brother was an
excellent swimmer and he wanted to be just like him.  Rory was flattered to
be his hero, but felt that he needed to be a perfect role model and hoped
he could live up to Ryan's expectations.  He worried sometimes about what
would happen to their relationship when Ryan became old enough to
understand the full meaning of the term "boyfriend" as it applied to
Austin.  At this juncture, the little boy simply accepted the relationship
without questioning it.

Marian often took Corbin to the pool along with Ryan so he could splash in
the kiddies' pool.  Fortunately, it was located close to the shallow end of
the large one so that she could keep an eye on both of them.

Whichever of the teens was off duty when Marian was there would give extra
instruction to one of the boys while Marian watched the other.  Ryan would
likely pass the beginner level before the summer was over.  Little Corbin
was quickly becoming acclimated to the water too.  He wasn't afraid to duck
his head under after the boys showed him about blowing his breath out to
keep from sucking water back in.  Rory thought the toddler could become a
really strong swimmer someday if he could become comfortable in the water
this early.  They also wanted him to learn from the beginning not to hold
his breath.  The head instructor at the pool had told them of how many
young children drown from fainting in the water because of holding their
breath too long.

----------

After school was out, it wasn't all work and no play for the guys.  Several
days a week, there was no one at home at the Bank's house since Jennifer
was taking two classes at the university to keep up her certification.
This gave the boys a place to sun nude in the backyard which was surrounded
by a tall privacy fence.  They were careful to use sunscreen to prevent
getting burned, applying a higher SPF number to the parts of their bodies
which were exposed to more rays when they were lifeguarding, and a lower
number on their butts and other places which weren't normally bare.  Of
course, the heavy-duty stuff was used to protect their privates from
sunburn.  Helping one another apply it became a game which usually ended in
the outflow of bodily fluids.

Sometimes, they invited Thad and Paul to join them, which was therapeutic
for Thad and Rory.  Thad still had quite a bit of anger toward his deceased
father.  Rory could empathize because of how he felt toward Ralph.  It was
good to be in a situation where they could let their feelings out, knowing
no one would sit in judgment on them.

The more Austin was around Thad, the more he found him to be a sensitive,
considerate guy.  In past years, he'd always seen him as a stereotypical
jock who expected the world to revolve around him.  Austin realized that he
had been prejudging Thad on the basis of being a football player instead of
really getting to know him.  Austin now had no qualms about Rory's plan to
be a place kicker on the football team in the fall.  He knew Thad wasn't
going to be hitting on his boyfriend because Thad was a gentleman, and he
also had Paul.

----------

Ryan would have liked having Rory and Austin at his beck and call every day
now that school wasn't in session.  He came to accept that it wasn't
possible because of their jobs.  Grandma took him to the pool at times when
they were on duty so he could see that for himself.  She encouraged him to
play with boys his own age too.  That's why she had him in a play group.

Marian had originally felt a bit out of place being a generation older than
most of the moms in the group.  However, there was another grandmother of
similar age who was also raising a five-year-old.  In that case, the lady's
daughter had lost custody because of drug use, and neglect of the boy.  The
two women found they had a lot in common.

In addition to being supportive of each other, they often served as
resources for the younger women who didn't have mothers nearby or who
didn't want to ask their own mothers for advice on child-rearing.  The
ladies felt good about being useful.

----------

Eric Stern contacted the family in the third week of June to see if he
could set up an interview with them before July.  He emailed a list of
topics he would like to cover.  He included samples of the kind of
questions he would likely be asking so they would have time to consider
their responses.  Landon and Michael checked with everyone's calendar and
decided it would be doable.  The plans for their July wedding were pretty
much in place, and barring some unforeseen snag, should come off on
schedule.  So, they gave the go-ahead.

Mr. Stern did part of the interviews with them as a family, but also wanted
some sessions with Michael and Landon by themselves.  He chose to do the
same with Rory and Austin.  At times, Ron, Jennifer, and Mildred Langston
were included because they were considered to be a part of the extended
family.

In addition to the informal sessions, he planned to weave in details from
the extensive notes about the family that Jennifer had provided.  He would
have a narrator work bits and pieces into the story when they edited the
footage they'd shot.

After asking permission to come back to discreetly film parts of the
upcoming wedding, he and his crew went back to California.

----------

Lois and Lloyd Brooks arrived from London in the late afternoon on the
first day of July.  They were tired from their long flight and the effects
of jet lag, but perked up when they saw their son and two handsome
teenagers waiting for them beyond the security checkpoint.  Landon escorted
them to the baggage claim area after introductions had been made all
around.

They had all visited on Skype, but this was their first time of meeting
face to face, since Lois had left several months before Rory came to live
with Landon and Michael.  Lloyd and she were quite impressed with the boys'
manners, as they insisted on carrying the luggage to relieve their tired
guests of the effort.

Marian had a light meal ready for them when they arrived at the house.  She
knew that they'd probably want a bite to eat before taking a rest to
rejuvenate.

----------

It was several hours before Lois and Lloyd came back downstairs again.  By
that time, the rest of the family had eaten dinner and were scattered
around the house.  However, everyone assembled in the family room to get
better acquainted.

It was nearly Corbin's bedtime, but he wanted to stay up to meet his
grandmother.  He wasn't the least bit standoffish with her or Lloyd.  Lloyd
probably got the warmest welcome because he sat down on the floor to play
with the boys.  For awhile, he had Corbin on one side and Ryan on the
other.  He did his best to spread his attention equally between the two.

Charlie got right in Lloyd's face, wanting to be noticed too.  Lloyd loved
the whole scene!

Assuming that their guests would be hungry again and knowing that her
family had a perpetual appetite, Marian set out cold cuts, cheese, bread,
crackers, chips, a veggie tray, and a variety of sodas on the kitchen
countertop for everyone to snack on.  It was welcome indeed.

----------

Corbin wasn't happy when it was time for him to go to bed, but he didn't
make a big fuss.  Ryan wanted to stay up longer too, but Rory told him he
had to take his bath in two minutes if he wanted his help because Austin
and he had to get to bed in order to be up early to give swimming lessons
in the morning.  Wanting their attention at bath-time, Ryan went upstairs
willingly.

After the little ones were bedded down, and Rory and Austin had gone down
to sleep, the adults got to visit a bit longer.

"You have a really lovely family," Lloyd exclaimed.  "Lois had raved about
Corbin and Marian, and I know from Landon's emails that the boys are all
doing well, but having not seen them all with my own eyes, I wondered if he
was being entirely realistic."

"I didn't exaggerate, did I?" Landon beamed.

"Not a bit!  From what I've seen, Son, you're a very lucky man."

"I am, indeed.  On top of that I have this awesome husband-to-be," he said,
placing an arm on Michael's shoulder.

"I agree," Lloyd smiled.  "I wish everyone could be so fortunate."

----------

When Marian went out to tidy up the kitchen, Lois followed her to help.

"Thank you for taking such good care of my son and his family, dear lady,"
she said.  "I hate being so far away, but knowing you're here makes me rest
easier."

"I love helping them out, but it goes both ways.  They are a big aid to me
in the raising of my two grandsons.  It's especially great for Rory to have
them in his life since he's gay."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"Didn't Landon mention it?"

"No, he probably thought it wasn't particularly important.  Being gay
doesn't dictate every aspect of a person's life."

"So, you didn't pick up on how close Rory and Austin are?"

"Well, I can see that they are very good buddies, but no one told me they
were lovers."

"You have to be proud of Landon for not spreading gossip, even when it's
true!" Marian smiled.  "He and Michael are really great guys!"

----------

Once their sleeping patterns adjusted to the Midwestern time zone, Landon's
parents spent a lot of time with the family.  They were happy that they'd
decided to come back to the US early enough to have a good visit before the
wedding, instead of arriving last minute and seeing little of the men
before they left for their honeymoon.

Their young grandsons enjoyed them more and more as they had opportunity to
be read to and played with.  While Rory and Austin didn't exactly fall into
the category of grandsons, they got along with Landon's parents very well
too.

Rory arranged for pool passes so that Lois and Lloyd could observe them
teaching kids to swim.  The guys loved showing off their skills to Landon's
parents.

----------

Landon and Michael had long ago decided to have a very small wedding.  In
the beginning, they had thought it would be enough to simply go to the
courthouse and have a judge sign the papers and make the pronouncement.
However, as their family grew, they felt it would be nicer to have a real
church wedding.

Because the Episcopal Church had recently voted in favor of performing
same-sex ceremonies, they decided to have it in the chapel of
St. Stephan's.  It was a beautiful setting and would accommodate their list
of friends and family comfortably.  Being on church property would also
provide a gracious space for a reception in the large parlor afterwards.
Having it in the early afternoon, there would be no need for a sit-down
meal which would cut down on the cost and make it a less formal event.

In each invitation, they had included a slip of paper which read, "The
pleasure of your presence is the only present we desire.  If you find it
difficult to abide by that, you are welcome to send a small gift to the
charity of your choice in our names."

In combining their belongings, they had ended up with more household goods
than they needed, and they really did want their wedding to be a
"no-obligation" type of event.

They also wished to have their extended family members participate as fully
as possible.  They chose Rory and Austin to be their attendants.  Ryan and
Corbin carried pillows with the rings pinned on.  Landon's mother lighted
his candle, and Marian did the honors for Michael's since his mother was
deceased.  Their fathers ushered, and Aunt Mildred oversaw the guest book.
The only one without a job was Charlie, and the guys thought that he
wouldn't feel slighted as long as he got to have the run of the yard in
their absence.

Every detail of the ceremony came off as planned.  The grooms had been
concerned about Corbin's part, but with Ryan holding his hand as he toddled
down the aisle, he performed beautifully.

Fr. Tom included all of the traditional elements that he used in the
marriages of hetero couples.  It turned out to be a beautiful ceremony; one
which was recorded in full detail by the professional cameramen from Eric
Stern's operation.

After the reception, the new husbands flew off to a resort in Belize.

---------

On a Saturday night in early August, the interview segment of the
Brooks/Day family aired on the ABC network to a huge audience.  Even Eric
was surprised at the estimated number of people viewing his second program
in the series.

He had begun two weeks earlier with the enchanting story of Devon Cook and
Jade Matson who, along with Jade's grandmother, Dyani and their two sons,
Jayden and Dakota, had captivated the hearts of America.  That had proved
to be a smashing success, and it looked like tonight's numbers might top
it.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I'm your host, Eric Stern, bringing
you the second in our series of exploring the American family in the 21st
Century.  Tonight we'll meet Landon Brooks and Michael Day, along with
their extended family and a few friends.

As I told you last time, my wife and I have been happily married 24 years
and have three children.  You may remember that my motivation in making
this series is to expose the `Gay agenda' for what it is; a desire of a
number of people in this minority to be treated like everyone else.  They
aren't looking to turn your children gay as some misguided people have
suggested.  What they want is to experience equal opportunity in the
workplace, the chance to live in partnership as spouses, and the
possibility of raising their families in a loving environment.  In other
words, the American Dream.  Since the Supreme Court decision in June, this
is now a reality!

Before we view tonight's installment, I want to thank all of you who took
the time to email, tweet, or write a letter.  I'm happy to report that the
responses we received were overwhelmingly positive.  A number of you
expressed how your opinion of same-sex marriage had changed by observing
scenes of a gay wedding and the love expressed by the couple involved.

We did get some hate mail, but that's to be expected, I'm afraid.  It's
taken a long time for the nation to move away from the racial
discrimination that led to events like "Bloody Sunday" fifty years ago, and
we're certainly not out of the woods in that area either.  However, despite
the events in Ferguson, Missouri, and other places recently, the future
looks more promising on that front too.

Now, I invite you to turn on your recorders in case you want to go back and
have a second look later.  There are many important lessons to observe in
the next hour."

----------

The extended family, including Aunt Mildred, Ron and Jennifer, along with
Thad and Paul, who were spending the night, watched in rapt attention on
the large-screen TV in the basement rec room.

When the first commercial came on, Marian invited them to fill up their
plates with the array of snacks she'd prepared for the screening party.
During various breaks, the teens, in particular, went back for more
goodies.

Everyone applauded the definition of "family" that Landon and Michael had
come up with together.  It resonated with all of them that the concept of
family included people who were related by factors other than DNA.

"Our family, for the most part, is an assembled group who are united by a
stronger force than the happenstance of birth." Landon had summed it up at
the end of the episode.  "We have a bond that's like superglue.  It's
called LOVE!"

----------

It was bedtime soon after the party had wound down and the leftovers put
away.  The four teens lounged in boxers in the basement rec room after
their showers, still talking about how cool the show had been.

"I think it's awesome that you got the message out that it's okay to be
gay," Paul smiled.

"Me too, and I'm really happy to have been in a couple of the scenes," Thad
added.  "The concept of openly gay guys with gay friends has to have sent a
positive message to kids who feel like they're the only ones in the world
with those feelings.  I'm proud to have been a small part of it."

"I am too," Paul agreed.  "You know I used to lust for you at a distance
before you got the balls to come out."

"Yeah, I grew balls only to have to surrender them to you," Thad joked.
"Let's go to bed before we get too tired..."

The boys retreated to their own beds to show their appreciation for their
boyfriends.  Exactly what they did would remain a private matter.

----------

Landon and Michael were in their bed about to celebrate their union once
more too.  But before they did, they spent a little time reminiscing,
recounting the twists of fate that had taken them from being two strangers
sharing a table in a Greek restaurant to becoming a 21st Century American
family.

"It's like Eric said in the introduction, we have reached the American
Dream!" Michael remarked.  "Now let's enjoy one of the more intimate
aspects of that dream while the kids are asleep."

"I love you, Michael!

"I love you too, Landon!

--------------------------------End------------------------------------

Author's notes: Thanks to the larger than usual number who responded this
week.  The list includes: Ott H, Wayne, Chandra B, Mike D, Dave F, Jim L,
Nick S, Tony W, Geoff, Swill Nick, Trish R, Douglas and Lawrence, Mendy D,
Paul R, Harry T, Jeremy R, John L, Marc A, David T, Bill K, Jim W, Tom A,
Bill T, Martel D, David A, Silent R, Zero, Walt S, Dick M, and Paul F.  As
always, I hope I didn't omit anyone.

I have a few new story starts in my head and will try to get one going for
posting soon.  It could be within the next week or so.  If you're on my
"alert" list, you should receive the info when something is up.

As NPR begins its fall pledge drive, don't forget Nifty if you have the
cash to spare.  Someone has to help fund free services...

Until next time, be kind to others and help bring peace and understanding
to the world one person at a time.

David