Date: Thu, 14 May 2015 15:44:17 +0000
From: David Lee <dlee169@hotmail.com>
Subject: Family Matters, Chapter 6

Family Matters,
Chapter 6


As he contemplated what would happen after his paternity leave ended,
Landon began to worry about the arrangements he needed to make for Corbin
when he had to go back to work.  His mother would return to London
eventually, and Laura said she could help in an emergency, but was not up
to taking care of a baby fulltime.  Then too, she was considering moving to
Arizona before the next Midwest winter arrived.  With her daughter gone,
there wasn't a lot to keep her in this town and she had a sister in
Phoenix.

Both mothers thought an au pair might be the solution, but Landon wasn't
sure he wanted to trust his son to the keeping of some young woman who
might not have the child's best interests in mind.  He had seen too many TV
reports on people like that who abused the children in their care.

Michael encouraged Landon to talk to Mr. Bloomberg about working part-time.

"With your raise and my becoming a full partner soon, we're not going to be
hurting for money next year and you do a lot of your work on the computer
anyway.  Perhaps you could do the majority of it at home.  I'll bet he'd go
for it."

When Landon went into Ad Tech to talk to his boss, he took his tiny son
with him.  It wasn't that his mother wouldn't have taken care of her
grandson, but Michael had really encouraged him to take Corbin to the
office, suggesting that the baby's presence might motivate Mr. Bloomberg to
agree to their plan.

Truth be told, Landon also wanted to show Corbin off to the staff, and he
really hated to be parted from the little guy.  If Corbin was going to grow
up without a mother, he was at least going to have a father and a
stepfather who were available and involved in his life.

Landon was completely taken aback when he entered his workplace.  Everyone
was present and they all shouted: "Surprise" as they ushered him into the
conference room.  There was a banner on the wall welcoming Corbin Brooks,
lots of gifts, and loads of goodies to eat.

"It's our new tradition to have a shower for fathers as well as for
mothers," Mr. Bloomberg announced.  "We worked on this with Michael so we
could surprise you.  I hope he didn't tell."

"No he didn't, and I'm overwhelmed with everyone's thoughtfulness."

Several of his coworkers took turns holding Corbin while Landon opened the
gifts.  One of the women thoughtfully recorded the names of who gave what
to help Landon when it came to writing thank-you notes.

Michael came in about half way through the party.  He wanted to be there,
but he didn't want to look like he was playing the part of spouse.  It was
too soon after Sarah's service for it to appear that Landon had moved on.

At the end of the festivities, Landon finally had a few minutes to chat
with his boss about changing his hours.  He was pleased with the results.

"Landon, I don't care where you work from or how many hours you put in as
long as you get the jobs completed.  I have faith in you and I'm keeping
you fulltime unless you find that it's too overwhelming to keep it up.  If
you hire help with cleaning and possibly cooking, you might be able to do
all of it.  I'm sure Michael will help you."

"Uh, Michael?"

"Well, I heard some rumors and assumed you were living together and he'd be
taking part in raising your son."

"Uh, yeah, but..."

"It's okay.  I have no problem with the makeup of your family and I wish
you both the best.  He's a fine young man like you are."

"Thank you, Sir.  I'll do my best not to let you down."

"You won't let me down!  You've already proved your worth to this company.
I assume you realize that we are receiving more subcontracting work from
New York since you delivered for us during the ice storm.  I'm still deeply
indebted to you for saving my rear end.  I don't want to say: a-s-s in
front of the baby," he joked.  "Children pick up words they shouldn't at a
very early age, you know."

After the party was over, Michael helped Landon gather up the presents and
get them into his car.  He leaned in to give him a quick peck on the cheek
as they strapped Corbin into his seat.

----------

Terry Langston's Aunt Mildred paid a visit to Michael and Landon's home the
next day, ostensibly to see Corbin.  Of course, she telephoned first to
make sure that it was okay to drop in.  Lois served tea and cookies much to
the delight of the older woman.

"Lois, you are so gracious!  This reminds me of the days when life was
slower and more genteel.  No doubt you're the perfect helpmate for an
ambassador.  I'm delighted to have tea with you!"

After Mildred took a peek at the sleeping baby and general pleasantries
were exchanged, she got to the real reason for her visit.  She had heard
that Landon was looking for someone to help with Corbin and she knew a
widow in her late 50's who would be an excellent housekeeper and was the
epitome of kindness.

"She's a member of St. Stephen's and I've known her for years.  I will
vouch for her 100 percent.  I would trust her with my child, my money, and
my life.  She could probably use a job.  I know she stopped working to take
care of her husband.  I suspect his long illness took a toll on her
financially as well as emotionally."

"Thank you, Mildred.  I'll give her a call.  If she's anything like you say
she is, it could be a win/win situation for all of us."

----------

Marian Thompson was a small, energetic lady who interviewed well.  Her
pleasing personality and lively step put Landon in mind of a Jenny wren.
She was willing to come in as early as they wanted and stay long enough to
prepare dinner.  In fact, she said that she could usually be there as late
as needed.  Living alone in a small unit in a retirement village through
her husband's long illness had kept her from staying current with friends.
She would welcome interaction with a family.

If Marian felt like she was facing the Inquisition with Lois, Michael, and
Landon all present for the interview, she hid it well.  She could empathize
with people who wanted to thoroughly investigate anyone who was going to be
responsible for the nurturing of their baby on a daily basis.

She was never rattled by anything that was asked or said, and she had
experience in raising children.  Her background of working as an LPN in a
hospital was another point in her favor, plus she had undergone a
background check for that job.

Corbin got into the interview when he awakened, crying his demand for a
bottle and diaper change.  The family requested that Marian demonstrate her
abilities, and she took care of his needs gently and efficiently as soon as
she was shown were the supplies were kept.

The baby snuggled up to her, erasing any doubts about problems in adapting
to yet another adult in his life.

----------

After Marian had left, everyone voice agreement that she would be ideal for
the job.

"I think she's perfect!" Landon exclaimed.  "Not only is she great with
Corbin, but she didn't so much as raise an eyebrow about two men sharing
the same bedroom.  She couldn't have missed our arrangement when she got
the tour of our house."

"She does appear to be tolerant as well as sharp as a tack," Lois observed.
"By the way, if I'm not being too nosey, do you two have any plans about
getting married?"

"I'm hoping to make your son an honest man in about a year," Michael
grinned.  "We hate having to wait to become a legal family, but we don't
think it would be proper to have even a quiet ceremony too soon after
Sarah's death even though they were in the process of divorcing.  I realize
her mother knows our situation and seems to accept it, but I don't want to
cause her any additional sorrow."

"Michael, I commend you for being sensitive to her feelings.  I suspect
your compassion is part of what attracted my son to you."

"Thanks!" Michael said, embracing his future mother-in-law.

----------

Their household was the scene of domestic tranquility during the next
couple of months.  Initially, Landon missed his mother's help when she
left, but found that Marian took up the slack quite efficiently.  He could
get his work done from the desk in the loft without interruption if he
wished, and he could spend quality time with Corbin when he wanted to.
There were also opportunities to go in to the office several times a week
so that he could keep current with his boss and colleagues as well.  Life
took on an idyllic quality that had been missing in his marriage to Sarah
during most of the past year.

Michael was awesome!  The same sensitive, gentle man who looked after his
emotional needs could be a tiger in bed when it came to fulfilling their
sexual desires.  There was never any doubt that they loved each other to
the fullest, both emotionally and physically.

Michael was also the happiest he'd been in a long time.  It was somewhat
like when he'd first married Samantha, but he would have to admit that his
feelings were deeper now.  Landon was truly his soul-mate.

----------

Falling leaves and a nip in the morning air ushered autumn in once more.
On what was to be a special night in October, Landon and Michael went out
to dinner at the Greek restaurant before the symphony concert.  When Landon
made reservations a couple of weeks ahead, he requested the table they'd
shared in February when they'd first met.  It was like a half-year
anniversary celebration for them.

Having offered Marian an attractive amount of extra pay to stay overnight
with Corbin, the men would enjoy their first completely uninterrupted night
together in several months.

Dinner was excellent.  As they had done at their first meal together,
Landon ordered the wine and Michael the saganaki.  This time, it would go
on their jointly held credit card, but it was a way to commemorate the past
and begin a tradition.

They shared a huge horiatiki salad, and both had the pastitsio for their
entrée.  They decided to forgo dessert because there would be tempting
pastries to sample later during intermission.

This evening's concert was devoted entirely to one work - Mahler's second
Symphony, The Resurrection.  It was fortunate that Landon had renewed his
season tickets because the event was completely sold out a week prior to
the performance.

Due to the length of this work, there was an intermission after the first
movement, and the audience was encouraged to applaud between it and the
following movements because of the interruption.

When the house lights came up, people flocked to the café area for
dessert.  As the men had expected, there were many choices.  They opted for
the baklava which complemented their earlier dinner.  Instead of coffee or
a cola, they chose club soda for its more neutral taste.

Because this was their favorite Mahler symphony, they enjoyed the concert
even more than most.  As the last notes of the final movement died away,
the audience arose en masse, applauding and yelling bravos.  It was obvious
that Landon and Michael were not alone in their appreciation of the stellar
performance.

----------

Following the awesome concert with full orchestra and talented soloists,
backed by a choir of 150 voices, the men walked the few blocks to the
parking garage attached to the recently renovated downtown hotel.  After
retrieving their small overnight bags from the trunk, they headed for the
check-in desk.

Their room on the 14th floor overlooked the city toward the north.  There
was just enough moonlight to make the world look beautiful as it reflected
off the tiny lake in the middle of the downtown area.

A young man from room service tapped on their door moments after they
arrived.  He bore a silver tray with two brandy snifters filled with ice
along with a small carafe of Bailey's Irish Cream which he split between
the two goblets.  After receiving a generous tip, he made a kind of quick
bow and left the room, wishing them a pleasant night.

It was too chilly to enjoy their drinks out on the balcony, but everything
took on a romantic cast when they turned off the lights and opened the
heavy drapes to take in the view below.

They propped up on the bed closest to the window, placing their drinks on
the nightstands on either side of it.  They began by kissing between sips,
but soon undressed one another and lay skin to skin under the top sheet.

One thing led to another, and before midnight, both men had made passionate
love to the other and experienced a couple of orgasm each.

----------

"Mornin' Honey," Michael grinned.

"Mornin' Babe."

"Wow, you really know how to plan a romantic evening.  If I weren't already
in love with you, I certainly would be after last night."

"Oh, you sweet-talker; you know that flattery will get you almost
anywhere."

"Only almost?"

"No, I take that back," Landon admitted, licking Michael's left nipple.

"Careful, or you'll miss breakfast."

"Why don't we order something light from room service and then shower and
see what comes up.  We don't have to check out until noon."

"Sounds like a good plan to me!"

----------

Marian couldn't miss the look of contentment on the faces of her employers
when they returned home shortly before noon.  She had lunch ready for them
minutes after they arrived and they managed to eat it before Corbin woke
up, hungry, of course.

Michael jumped up to take care of their son before Landon or Marian could
make the move.  He felt he needed bonding time with the infant because he
was often away from the house more than anyone else.  He didn't want Corbin
to think of him as a stranger.

"Since you sacrificed your weekend for us, we want you to take two days off
this week, with pay," Landon told her.  "Michael is taking tomorrow off so
I can go into Ad Tech for a meeting, and I'm taking off Tuesday completely
to stay home with Corbin."

Marian was going to protest that she didn't need the time off, but realized
that she really needed to rest.  She had empathy with older people who
were, for whatever reason, raising their grandchildren when they were
already near retirement age.

She didn't object when the men said that her mini vacation should begin
immediately so she could go home to have a nap.

----------

Before they fell to sleep that night, Landon and Michael again recounted
the ups and down of the past half a year.  Michael expressed his undying
gratitude to Landon for offering to share his table on that fateful
February evening.  Without his gesture of kindness, they wouldn't likely
have become soul-mates and partners.

They felt blessed, and they looked forward to getting married, possibly in
another year's time.  It would be fun to do it on the second anniversary of
their initial meeting, or close to it, but they doubted they could wait
that long.

They drifted off, as they often did, with Michael spooned against Landon's
back.

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Author's notes: Thanks to the following who emailed since last posting: Jim
L, Mike D, Tony W, Wayne, Ott H, Bill K, Walt S, Tony F, Dick M, Mendy D,
Ash T, Peter M, Tom A, Trish R, Jake C, Jim W, Nick ?, Lance C, Felipe C,
Zero, and Paul R.

Trish asked a question of me.  She wanted to know if I would change any
character from my stories if I could to a rewrite.  I don't think that I
would.  I still feel bad about allowing Ted Dye to take his own life, but
I'm not sure I could have prevented it...

Please remember to donate to Nifty if you have the funds and the
opportunity.

Peace and love,

David