Date: Tue, 28 Apr 2015 13:38:33 +0100
From: Alain Mahy <amahy1957@gmail.com>
Subject: New-found Trust 9

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The magazine that had been the trigger to our success with interior design,
contacted us again to know if we had more houses, swimming pools or
landscaped gardens to show.  This time they wanted us to do it in the form
of an interview and not so much put the focus on one house or garden.  We
suggested that Andre and David would be the ones to be interviewed, as they
were the key of our success.  When the article was published we were
surprised they even had a picture of our interior design crew and the
history of the Cannoli family.  The result of this article was that more
requests came in.


*****

Months and years went by.  Christian and Nikki got married.  A beautiful
ceremony I must say.  It was during the summer and the wedding day was God
sent!  A bright golden sun in an immaculate blue sky made it all even more
memorable.  Christian wore a dark blue tuxedo and Nikki was spectacular in
her white wedding dress.  Sergio and Betty were beaming and Nikki's parents
were as proud as parents can be.  David and Andre had decorated the whole
place and the new gazebo we had installed the year before was almost hidden
under white drapes and flowers.  If that gazebo could talk, it was almost
sure Christian and Nikki would not have chosen it!  It had been the perfect
setting for some of the hottest lovemaking Daniel, Andre and I had
performed.

Our whole crew had put their money together to offer Nikki and Christian a
dream honeymoon on the Seychelles.  They were short of a few hundreds, so
the company added what was missing.  As for Daniel, Andre and I we had
given them the opportunity to have the wedding at the mansion, but also
replaced Christian and Nikki's old beaten up car for a new SUV.

The business was going fantastically.  We had the opportunity to expand
even more, but decided against it as our private life was already reduced
to almost nothing.  We even decided to politely refuse a few projects.  We
weren't getting any younger and although Andre and Daniel kept on their
routine of swimming every single morning without any exception, the
forceful competition they held at the start, was becoming more leisurely
swims.

Our sexual activities were still very hot and satisfying, but we enjoyed
even more quiet cuddling and just skin-to-skin touch.  We learned with time
that making love could be done without necessarily sucking, penetrating and
shooting our loads.  If there was one thing we knew, was that we were still
deeply in love with each other.  Even though gay marriage was legal, it was
still impossible to be legally married for us three.  We had a ceremony
where we declared our love for each other, surrounded by all of our
friends, but it had no legal power.  Nonetheless we had a contract sealing
our bond.  It had been written down by a lawyer and we all three had equal
rights.

Officer Stern and Johnny had come out to colleagues, friends and family.
Some "supposed" friends didn't accept them, but they said they preferred it
that way.  Friends who didn't accept their lifestyle were not really
friends!  When Officer Stern and Johnny decided to life together, the
tenants of my house just finished their contract and we offered Officer
Stern and Johnny the possibility to rent my house.  They gladly accepted.
I felt safer as well as I knew they would maintain the house in perfect
shape.

David was the only one who had not found his soul mate yet.  We guessed his
love for Andre was still as vivid as the first day.  Andre felt a bit
guilty about it although he was not responsible at all.  Despite that, they
had built a friendship that was the envy of anyone.  Those two had that
magical complicity that is typical for real friendship.  It was nice to
see, but we all hoped David would find someone to share his life with.
Sure enough, with all the hours he was spending at the office, it was
logical he didn't meet anybody.  A few of our clients who had been working
in close collaboration with David, had shown a definite interest in him,
but David seemed to not see it.  As he kept really professional in any
approach, it was normal those men lost any hope and disappeared quickly.
We suggested him to go on holidays, doing some cruises or discover other
countries and cultures and David did all of those things, but never came
back with a boyfriend or a lover.  David had clearly stated he was not
going for one-night-stands.  We had to wait and hope for a miracle man to
drop by!

On weekends, the mansion was always full of activities with friends.
Officer Stern and Johnny were regular guests and becoming very good
friends.  Sergio and Betty were also a couple that came over on a regular
basis, just as Christian and Nikki.  There were always people around us and
even if sometimes we longed to be just the three of us, we enjoyed the
company and the sincere friendship that we had with the people surrounding
us.  It was always pleasant and joyful.  It got even more joyful when Nikki
announced she was pregnant.  We were a bit worried about having to miss our
office manager as we called her, but we were overjoyed with the coming of a
new human being in our circle.  Her pregnancy went well but the delivery of
the baby was a bit more difficult.  Nonetheless, little Jeffrey arrived on
May 1st.  Labor day!  Literally!  That little bugger was going to be
spoiled by the grandparents and by us.  We just knew that.  What we didn't
know was that only six months later she announced yet another pregnancy.
When she was about five months pregnant she announced that the scan had
detected she was carrying twins!  That announced a whole lot of work more
for the couple.  When they were born, Ashley and Audrey were the cutest
babies we had ever seen.  They were clinging to each other from day one.
It was clear they would be very special to each other.

We installed a kind of nursery in one of our spare guest rooms.  It would
make life a little easier on Nikki once she started work again at the
office.  We had already hired help for her to allow her to dedicate as much
time as possible to her children.  She and Christian were so grateful.
Betty, the busy grandmother looked after them during the day and finished
her work at home after that.  Nothing was too much for Betty who had a
sincere friendship with Nikki's Mum.  When those two had something on their
mind, it was impossible to interfere.  Andre had been chosen as godfather
of Jeffrey.  Daniel and I were both godfather for each of the twins.

Before we even realized it, the children were running around the house and
the garden.  Christian and Nikki had had the fantastic idea of learning
them to swim at a very early age.  Even as babies, they took their children
with them into the water.  It was incredible to see how those children got
used to the water and not be afraid of it.  Whenever they had the chance to
jump in the pool, they did it and it took no time at all for us to stop
worrying when the children were next to the pool.  It was David who had
most problems with his nephew and nieces being next to the water, but he
soon learned there was no reason for it.

The terrace table became too small for our gatherings.  It was David who
found a provider who had a huge table coming from a convent.  It was a bit
over our budget, but the benefits were huge as we could sit easily with
fifteen people.  The bougainvillea at both sides of the terrace had grown
so much over the years that they formed a kind of canopy over the table.
It was nice to sit in the shadow during the hot summer months. Actually,
all the threes, plants and flowers had grown to maturity and our garden was
so beautiful.  Andre and David had put a lot of hours in maintaining the
garden and we couldn't thank them enough for it.

One weekend we had one of our family gatherings again.  David was late,
something we were not used to.  After about half an hour, Andre started to
be really worried and when his cell phone rang, he almost entered in a
state of panic.  The caller's ID was a number and so, not someone from his
contact list.  It was the general hospital telling him that David was
involved in a car accident and that they had found Andre's number as the
one to call in case of emergency.  We all wanted to get in our cars and go
to the hospital, but thought having about fifteen people arriving at
Emergency Room would be too much.  In the end, Andre went with Sergio and
Betty and promised to call as soon as he would have any news.

About an hour later it was my cell phone that rang.  Just as they arrived,
Sergio and Betty had to sign a form allowing the doctors to take David into
surgery.  They had to sign it, as they were the next of kin.  The surgery
lasted over three hours.  David had several broken bones and a spine
injury.  That was what the doctors tried to fix in the operating room.

When the doctor came out of surgery he came towards Andre, Sergio and
Betty.

- The operation went well.  Of course, we will have to wait to see how his
body reacts to the medication.  We had to block several vertebrae on a
temporary base so that he wouldn't hurt himself by moving too much.  His
left leg and his left arm are in a cast.  All the pieces of glass from the
shattered front window have been removed from the dozen of wounds in his
face.  He will have to stay immobilized fro a couple of weeks.  Once we see
he can't increase the damage, we'll take off the blocking of the vertebrae
and send him to rehabilitation.  For the moment he is still asleep and will
be transferred to recovery.  For a day or two, or three, we will keep him
in ICU.  There is no life threating danger, but the slightest inappropriate
movement could condemn him to a wheelchair.  There is nothing you can do
for the moment.  I can let you in for a few moments, but very short.  After
that I would suggest you to go home and let him rest.  You will be able to
visit him in the morning.

Andre and David's parents went in for a few moments but were then ushered
out of the recovery room.  When they arrived at the mansion, they updated
us.  Meanwhile, Officer Stern had contacted his colleagues to have more
news.  A woman who had suffered a heart attack while driving drove the car
that had hit David's.  An involuntary spasm in her leg had probably pushed
the accelerator down and that explained the high speed with which she had
hit David, causing the injuries he suffered.  The woman was still alive
when the paramedics arrived, but had died on her way to the hospital.
Officer Stern had all the necessary information concerning the woman and
the insurance company.  He had given instructions to call the woman's
insurance company, but also David's.  The medical bill of David's stay at
the hospital and the rehabilitation had to be covered.

The gathering at the mansion was suddenly overshadowed by this event.  Even
the kids understood there was something happening and were a lot quieter
than usual.  No one was hungry anymore, except the children.  Nikki took
care of them as Betty was still in a kind of shock.

The following morning Daniel Andre and I went to the hospital.  Betty,
Sergio, Christian and Nikki would go in the afternoon.  The visits in ICU
were limited anyway.  David was awake and softly smiled when he saw us.  He
asked if we knew more about what had happened.  We told him what Officer
Stern had discovered.  He had a single tear coming down his cheek when he
heard the woman of the other car had died.  He was in hospital and worried
about the woman's family.  As the doctor saw us, he came over and updated
us about David's condition.  The only thing David was worried about was the
project he was working on.  We tried to reassure him, but he went on giving
instructions to Andre to finish up the work he had started.

Three days after the accident, David was moved from ICU to a normal room.
He would be tied to his bed for several more days so he wouldn't be able to
move and damage himself even more.  We organized rounds to visit him.  As
he couldn't move it was important to have familiar faces around him, apart
from the nurses and doctors.  Andre could finish the project David was
working on, following the instructions he received.  David insisted that he
would transfer everything to his iPad, so that he could see the final
result.  It was not a question that he didn't trust Andre, but, as he said,
each project was a baby of his and he wanted to see it.  Andre transferred
the finished project and took the iPad with him at his following visit.  He
showed it to David who was really happy about Andre's work, but still
changed two minor details.  While he was doing that, a male nurse came in.
David saw him and suddenly had a bright smile on his face.

- Andre, this is nurse Jefferson, Andy for his friends ... Andy, this is
Andre, my best friend and boss.

- Leave the boss thing out, please, said Andre and shook Andy's hand.

- Don't tell me David is working here!  Andy said.  This is a hospital and
not an office.

David immediately went into defense mode.

- No Andy, I am just watching at a project I was working on and that Andre
had to finish for me.  You want to see it?

Andy leaned over and watched the project on the iPad and was impressed, but
insisted that this was a one-time exception.  David was not supposed to
work, even if it was just overlooking someone else's work.

- You will be able to do so when the doctor gives his permission, although
I don't think he will do so soon.  The good news is that I overheard him,
telling my chief that the restrains would be taken off tomorrow!  Then the
hard work will start David.  Rehabilitation can be a bitch!  Now I have to
go on with my tasks.  I'll drop by later.

Once Andy left the room, Andre looked at David's face and the smile was
still there.

- He is quite nice looking, isn't he? Andre asked.

- Yes, he is, said David blushing, and very pleasant as well.  He is really
taking care of me as much as he can.

When Andre told us about Andy, we all three had some hope in our eyes.
Would it be that something positive would come out of all this?  We
wondered and hoped for a positive answer to that question.

David went through yet another scan.  It seemed that the blocking of his
vertebrae had been the best decision of the doctor.  The blocking finally
been taken out and the David would not be restrained anymore to his bed.
He was advised to move as less as possible and to do it only with the
supervision of the physiotherapist or a nurse.  To David's delight, Andy
was appointed to him for most of the day or whenever he was on duty.
During the visits Andy was introduced to all of us, one by one.

Andy had been right.  Rehabilitation was a bitch.  It was a bitch because
David wanted to do more than what he was instructed.  After each session he
was totally exhausted and often had to ask for a painkiller.  Andy tried to
calm him down during the exercises, but David was stubborn.  During one of
the sessions Andy asked him why he always tried to do more than instructed.

- I want to be able to walk and to run as soon as possible, to chase you
through the hospital corridors!  David answered.

- You'd better ask for a wheelchair then!  Andy told him with a smile.

It took the physiotherapist and the nurses about six weeks to have David
stand on his feet and make baby steps.  At the end of the tenth week, David
could walk without crutches, but still couldn't run.  It took him another
four weeks before he could increase the speed bit-by-bit on the treadmill.

It was clear that Andy and David felt something for each other.  We could
see it in their eyes and the way they were when in each other's company.
Andy's dedication to David was surpassing what was professionally requested
from him.  We could notice they were touching each other more and more.
The looks they exchanged were leaving no doubt at all.  When the doctor
announced David was going to be released the following day, there was a
kind of sadness in David's eyes.  I knew what to do.  I went in search of
Andy and asked him if he could be available the next day as to accompany us
when we took David home.  His face was an open book.

- Don't tell David, it will be a surprise for him, I said.

We agreed to meet by the car.  We would get David and bring him down to the
parking space.  There David would see him.  We did as agreed and in his
room David looked really sad.  He had hoped to see Andy before leaving.
But when he saw Andy standing next to our car, he almost jumped out of the
wheelchair.  Once passed the exit door, David carefully stood up and walked
over to Andy.  They hugged.  When I invited Andy to come over to the house,
David had the most incredible look on his face.  He just beamed.  We had
arranged for David to stay at the mansion till he was completely recovered.

We arrived at the mansion and family and friends were waiting for his
arrival.  It was clear David still felt insecure on his both feet, but he
tried to hide it.  We sat down at the table that was already covered with
food and drinks.  Andy sat next to him and although they tried to be very
discreet, we could see they were holding hands.

- You know Andy, I said, now that David is out of the hospital and no
longer officially in your care, the hospital ethical policy that a nurse
cannot be involved with a patient, is not valid anymore.  This means that
if you want to kiss David, you are welcome to do so.  I am sure he won't
mind and neither will we.

They looked at each other and ever so slowly we could see their faces
coming closer to each other till their lips finally met for the first time.
We gave them a round of applause and they were blushing, but the smile on
their faces said it all.  They seemed really happy.  Maybe he felt a bit
awkward at the start, being in the middle of such a group of friends and
family, but Jeffrey, Ashley and Audrey had a natural way to make him feel
at ease.  They were constantly all over him.  Andy knew how to act with
children and the immediate love he showed them was rewarded with the same
feelings.  He became very quickly a familiar face around the house.  David
had never seemed so happy.

One evening, when Andy had a night shift, David sat with us in the garden
after he had been swimming for over an hour.  Swimming was good for him as
he put some lost strength in his back and in his legs.  He looked a bit
sad, but that was only because he had been so used to have Andy around
almost 24/7.

- You look sad David, Andre said, anything wrong?

- No, nothing is wrong at all, he answered.  It is almost to good to be
true.  We confessed our love for each other and we want to get old together
as Andy says.  I love him so much, but at the same time I feel guilty
towards you Andre.  I vowed to love you all my life and I have the
sensation that I am cheating on you!

- That is nonsense, Andre said.  You know from the very start that I was
not in love with you.  I love you like a brother.  I appreciate you as a
co-worker.  I can't imagine my life without you.  But you have the right to
love and be loved.  Andy is giving that to you!  Andy is giving you what I
can't!  It is not because you love Andy that you love me less or vice
versa.  Please, don't feel guilty!  There is absolutely no reason for it.
You are not losing me and I am not losing you.  We are friends and that
will never change.

Andre went over to David and gave him a huge hug and a kiss on his
forehead.  David clung to him for a moment and then smiled.

And so life went on.  The presence of Andy at our gatherings was wonderful.
He had such a wicked sense of humor that it was impossible to make the
difference between him being serious or joking.  Most of the time it was
joking indeed.  Before we even realized it, Sergio reached the age of
retirement, but he said he was far too young to retire.  Betty nonetheless
wanted him to as she wanted to have some quality time, just the two of
them.  She wanted to do things they had never time or money to do in the
past.  She desperately wanted to make a cruise in the Caribbean.  We
offered them just that as a retirement present.  We joked about them going
on a cruise and Betty coming back pregnant.  There was no risk she said as
after David's birth she had done the necessary as to not be ever pregnant
again, but she admitted she still found Sergio very sexy and loved the
intimacy they shared.  It made us think of course.

Daniel, Andre and I were not yet at the age of retirement, but we thought
about it.  We actually thought more about doing things we had never done
and which were still on our list of "things to do".  We had everything we
wanted and had work an incredible amount of hours and days.  We had earned
quite some money but almost never had time to spend it.  Our three personal
bank accounts showed nice figures, as well as our joined account.  The
business was still flourishing.  We started to think about selling the
business and with what we could get for it.  We were financially secure
even if we reached the age of hundred years.  Harvey, our bank manager, had
seen to it, suggesting good and safe investments.  It was to him that we
turned to when our mind was made up about selling the business.  We let him
know what we wanted for it and he said he would keep his eyes and ears
open!

It took him about two months to find a suitable candidate, who was
financially strong enough to take over.  We had put some specific
requirements for the sale.  If those requirements were not met, the deal
would not be sealed.  The most important one was of course that all
personnel had to be kept for at least two years.  We wanted our crews to be
assured they didn't lose their jobs.

Archie Ferguson was the candidate Harvey introduced us to.  Archie was
about thirty-five years old and had already several businesses.  All of
them were making profits.  Harvey assured us he was a good and honest
businessman.  His other businesses were known all over the state and his
reputation was spotless.  He had asked Harvey to find him a business that
was doing a good job and his price range was exactly what we asked for
ours.  He came over several times and met the crew at the office.  Then he
met the other crews.  He looked over our accountancy and asked for bank
details to have a total view.  We gave Harvey our permission to give him
the figures he needed.

Harvey warned us that Archie Ferguson was not a man who decided quickly.
He was a man who thought things over carefully and looked at all the pros
and cons.  We were not in a hurry and therefor we were surprised when
Harvey called us only a week later to confirm Archie Ferguson's take over.
It took some time to have all the papers ready and signed.  The transfer of
money was easy enough as Archie Ferguson and we had our accounts in the
same bank.  Once everything was done, our office was moved to Archie
Ferguson's building in the center of town.  We had offered to work together
for a few weeks as to introduce him to our providers and clients, but he
said he had experience enough and wouldn't need us.  So, suddenly we were
free to do what we wanted.  The profit of the sales was divided in three
and each of us got that amount on our personal account.

That night, we cuddled up together in bed.  It felt a bit weird that we had
not to discuss any business related subject.  The only subjects we would
have to talk about were our friends and what we would do with our now free
time.  As we always did with important decisions, we each took a piece of
paper and a pencil and wrote down what we wanted to do.  Traveling came
first on each list, although the destinations were different.  We were
about to discuss that when we realized we had all the time in the world to
visit the three destinations.  The same was with the rest of the list.  We
had time to do it all.  I was a bit surprised to see that none of us had
mentioned any sexual activity, but then again, we could do it wherever and
whenever we wanted, although it was not a priority on whatever list.  We
loved each other and being in each other's presence was enough for us.  We
were happy.


All comments welcome at    amahy1957@gmail.com