Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 14:42:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mickey S <njmcmick@yahoo.com>
Subject: Second Wind, Chapter 20

If you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include
sex between males is illegal, or if you're not into this type of story,
please leave. This is a story of love between two men. As such there is
some sex but it is really more about their relationship.  If you're into
romance, I hope this story pleases you.

I'd like to thank my friends in the Nifty Six for their support and
encouragement, especially Tim for his advice and his editing
assistance. The author retains all rights.  No reproductions are allowed
without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at
NJMcMick@yahoo.com.

Chapter Twenty

Ben

I was surprised that I was alone when I awoke. Joey always woke up long
before me, but he'd developed a pattern over the week, regardless of which
house we were in. He'd get the coffee going, take care of anything he had
to in the bathroom, then check on Connor and take care of him. Then he'd
get back in bed with me and gently wake me up. I looked over at the crib
and Connor was standing, holding onto the side rail, looking a little
worked up. When he realized I was awake he called my name. I dragged myself
out of bed and went over to him. He reached both arms up toward me and when
I leaned in he wrapped them around my neck. I had no choice but to pick him
up. As I did I could tell by the smell that Joey hadn't yet changed his
pampers.

I looked around the room and spotted my boxers on the floor near the foot
of the bed. I held Connor with my right arm and squatted down to pick them
up with my left hand. I managed to get my feet into them and pulled them
up. If we'd been in my house I wouldn't have bothered; I would have
wandered naked through the house until I found Joey. But this was his
parents' house and even though they were five thousand miles away, I
couldn't walk down the hall naked without imagining Mrs. Napoli's face
glaring at me. I had to pee something fierce so I carried Connor into the
bathroom and held him on my right hip while I struggled to get my dick out
through the fly of my shorts. I wasn't used to peeing left-handed, but I
finally managed.

I followed the aroma of the coffee down to the kitchen and froze in the
doorway when I saw Anthony standing there. When I heard what he and Joey
were saying I nearly dropped Connor. I'm not exactly articulate first thing
in the morning and the shock of realizing that Anthony knew completely shut
down my brain. The three of us just stared at each other for the longest
time. It was only when Connor wiggled on my hips that I remembered why I
was looking for Joey in the first place.

Fortunately, Joey having to change Connor gave me a chance to have some
coffee and wake up before we all had to talk. Unfortunately, it meant he
was leaving me alone with Anthony. While Anthony had never been hostile
toward me like the other brothers, we hadn't ever talked much either. There
was usually an uneasy silence between us, that of two strangers who had
nothing in common but were forced to share each other's company. Now that
Anthony knew about Joey and me, there was a definite hostility in the
air. As we waited for Joey to return, I had to keep reminding myself that
this was the good brother.

After what felt like an hour but was probably less than ten minutes, Joey
came back to talk to Anthony. By then I had begun to wake up and clear my
head, but I tried to stay out of the conversation. This was something very
personal between the brothers and they had to work it out. It always amazed
me when family members were caught by surprise by someone coming out. How
could they not have picked up any signs? Could they be that oblivious to a
loved one? More likely, they didn't want to know so they ignored the
evidence in front of them. For a couple of months, all of Joey's relatives
had kept asking why he wanted to spend so much time with a gay guy. The
obvious answer just never seemed to occur to any of them.

Anthony's hostility was probably more due to the shock of walking in on the
two of us in bed than any real antipathy toward Joey. He didn't want his
brother to be gay and thought he could talk him out of it. It was as if
Joey's being with me was just something he'd inadvertently done and he
could be brought back to heterosexuality merely by reminding him of who he
was supposed to be. Once Anthony had run through all of his arguments, he
was forced to face that Joey was gay, and then he began to deal with
it. This was his brother, after all.

As soon as Anthony had left Joey pulled me into his arms and squeezed me so
tight I could barely breathe. He held me like that a long time. I could
feel him trembling in my arms.

"That was so hard, Ben, harder than I thought it would be. Though all of my
brothers are a lot older than me, Vinnie and John have always seemed more
like my peers, just regular big brothers. Anthony has always been as much
like a second father to me as a brother. He's the leader of my generation
of the family and I've always looked up to him and wanted his respect."

"I think he was shocked, Joey, but I'm sure he loves and respects you. Give
him time. He'll deal with this all right, I think."

"I know, it's just so hard feeling like I've disappointed him in some way,
telling him something he doesn't understand and doesn't like. I don't know
how I'm going to tell Mom and Pop."

"Just remember who you are, how much love is in you and how much you love
them. I meant that when I said you were the most decent person I've ever
known. I'm sure your parents know that, too. They may forget at first when
they hear your news, but they'll remember after the shock wears off." I
gave him a tight squeeze.

"I wish you could be there when I tell them. You give me strength, Ben, but
I think your being there could make things worse."

"Hey, you're the strong one in this relationship. I'm always leaning on
you. But if you need to lean on me, I'm here for you. I'll always be here
for you, Joey, whatever you need. I'd do anything for you."

"I know, Ben, that's what helps me so much, knowing that you're there for
me. We give to each other and support each other."

Joey made a simple breakfast for the three of us. He'd only worked
scattered hours here and there all week, depending on when he could get
someone to watch Connor, so he was planning on putting in a full day at the
nursery. I had offered to take Connor for the day. After eating we switched
the baby seat from the minivan to the backseat of my Saab and Joey strapped
him in. I'd suggested it would be easier to just switch vehicles for the
day but Joey was working with John and didn't want to show up at the
nursery in my car. Just another week or two and we wouldn't have to bother
with all of this nonsense. Joey kissed Connor goodbye. I had to settle for
a quick hug. At a red light on the way home a woman pulled up alongside me,
looked at Connor in the backseat and then gave me an approving smile and
nod. I couldn't help but think of that song from Sweet Charity, If My
Friends Could See Me Now. Big sissy queen turns into suburban daddy. I
looked at Connor in the rearview mirror and he looked back and giggled. He
thought it was funny, too.

When we got home I let Lula out and, after she'd done her business, Connor
chased her around the yard a while. I let them in before he got too cold
and put him in the playpen in the family room with some toys while I did
some housework. I'd let things pile up because I'd been having so much fun
with Joey all week. Now and then I took a break in between chores to lie
down on the floor and have some fun with Connor. While I'd watched him for
an hour now and then, I'd been nervous about spending the whole day alone
with him. It was fun, though. When I'd finished my chores I made a simple
lunch for the two of us, tomato soup and grilled cheese
sandwiches. Connor's taste buds must not be very well developed because he
seemed to think my cooking was every bit as good as his father's.

After lunch I put him back in the playpen and went into my office to do
some emailing. Because my firm did accounting for businesses, the first few
months of the year weren't the nightmare for me that they were for
accountants who had individual clients, but over the years I had created my
own busy season by offering to do tax returns for my friends. I handled the
forms for many of the guys who had been at the New Year's Eve party and I'd
started helping out people in the bowling league as well. Paul always said
it could be a nice side business for me, but I couldn't see charging my
friends for help. It was too early to start filing returns but I wanted to
get emails out to everyone reminding them to get their paperwork together
so I could get to work in early February.

I finished up and went into the other room to take Connor out of the
playpen. Almost immediately he grabbed at the seat of his pants and I
realized that my worst nightmare was about to come to pass. He needed to be
changed. Joey had warned me that he probably wouldn't make it all day but
I'd been giving him pep talks, hoping to inspire him, not that he cared. I
led him into the guest room, his room, and covered the bed with a large
towel. After undressing him I put him on the towel and undid his
pampers. I'd watched Joey do this lots of times, from a distance, of
course, but this looked like Connor had been saving up to make my first
diaper change a memorable one. He must have known how I felt because he
kept laughing all through the change. After he was clean and in a fresh
diaper, I put his pajamas on him. It was past time for his nap. I lay him
down in the crib and ran my fingers through his curly black hair for a
minute, looking into his beautiful blue eyes.

"I know you got a pretty rotten deal, not ever getting to know your mother,
Connor. She was a pretty great lady, from what your father tells me. But do
you have any idea how lucky you are to have Joey as your father? He's a
spectacular human being and he loves you with all his heart." Connor just
smiled up at me. "And for what it's worth, I love you, too."

I leaned over and kissed him on the forehead and ruffled his hair one last
time. I went into my room to lie down for a little nap myself. As I curled
up on the bed, thinking about my two guys, I realized I had never been so
happy in my life.

Joey

I felt like I was spinning my wheels all day, working and getting
nowhere. Margaret, our bookkeeper, had been off most of the week. Her older
sister lived in Florida and was in poor health, so Margaret had taken some
vacation time to go visit her. None of the family was any good with the
books so she had instructed us to just keep track of the daily receipts and
expenses and leave the information in as orderly a fashion as possible on
her desk and she'd take care of everything when she got back. My brothers
hadn't been very organized all week so I was trying to put her desk in
order. Normally Pop would have covered for her but I didn't want him coming
home to a nightmare of paperwork. By quitting time I had at least put
everything in neat, somewhat logical piles on her desk and had finished the
payroll for the week, but I hadn't been able to get much of my other work
done.

Ben and I spent a quiet evening at his house, enjoying our last night
together. I made slow passionate love to him and we fell asleep in each
other's arms. It was just the way I wished every day could end.

Sunday afternoon Anthony picked Mom and Pop up at the airport while I got
the house ready for their return. I hadn't exactly made a mess but Mom was
a neat freak so I didn't want her to have to go to work the minute she got
home. Besides, most of the family would be coming over to welcome them
home. I spent the last hour or so preparing all kinds of food to nibble on.

When they walked in the house I wondered why we hadn't thought to send them
on this vacation long ago. They looked years younger and more relaxed than
I could remember seeing them. They went on and on about the trip, both
about the country and the relatives they had met. Both of them had cousins
there and of course the cousins had families of their own, so they were
immersed in family the whole time. Even Pop talked far more than usual.

There was a steady stream of visitors, both family and friends, for the
next couple of days. I went to bowling Monday night and to Angelo's with
Ben after that, but Sunday night and Tuesday night were pretty much open
house parties at home. It was a festive atmosphere but every now and then,
especially when I looked at Anthony, I wondered how and when I was going to
be able to bring up the subject of my relationship with Ben. Tuesday night
Mom made it clear to everyone that she wanted to try to get back to her
regular routine the next day and I decided that maybe by the weekend
everything would be back to normal and I could find some time to talk to my
parents.

Wednesday afternoon was my turn to close up at work. During the busy ten
months of the year the whole staff worked right up until closing, but in
the dead of winter there wasn't much point in everyone staying until six. I
had everything ready to go and was hanging out at the counter at ten to six
when Angie walked in.

"Hey, stranger, this is a surprise. I haven't seen you since Christmas
Eve."

"Yeah, I've been pretty busy. I was hoping to catch you before you went
home."

"You just did. I'm closing up in a few minutes. What's up?"

Angie was hesitant and seemed a little uncomfortable.

"Um, your mother was in the salon today for her weekly wash and set."

"Yeah, I know it killed her to miss last week although apparently one of
her cousins took her to a beauty shop in Naples that she didn't think was
too terrible."

"She told me about it. She talked about the trip a lot, but she talked
about you and me even more."

I groaned. "She's got a one-track mind and just won't give up no matter
what I tell her."

"Maybe I wasn't discouraging her enough a while back, but after we talked
last month I've tried to tone down her hopes about us."

"I've been planning to have a long talk with her soon, anyway. Then she
won't be bothering you anymore, I hope."

"Yeah, I think you'd better talk to her." She halted for a moment, like she
was debating what to say next. "Do you remember Barb Fisher from high
school?"

I thought for a minute. "Medium height, fairly chunky, short brown hair?"

"That's her, except now she's slim with long blonde hair. And she's Barbara
Collins now."

"Okay, so what's she got to do with you and me?"

"Well, she does manicures at the salon and she was working on the woman in
the chair next to your mother this afternoon. Your mother was going on and
on about how she couldn't understand why something wasn't developing
between you and me. All of a sudden, Barb butted in with, 'Maybe you should
ask his boyfriend'."

"What? What did she mean by that?" I couldn't imagine that anyone knew
about Ben and me. We always made a point of keeping our distance and
watching what we said when we were in public. And we didn't go out that
much anyway.

"Your mother and I both asked that same thing at the same time. Barb
explained that her brother-in-law is gay and he was visiting last week. She
and her husband took him out to a local gay club one night where she said
she saw you and your boyfriend."

Ben and I hadn't been out in ages so when Becky and Glenn offered to
baby-sit Thursday night we jumped at the chance. We'd gone to the club for
a couple of hours, had seen a few of Ben's friends and had a pretty good
time. I was frantically trying to remember if we'd done anything
incriminating. That was the one place we didn't worry about how we were
acting because we just assumed everyone else there was either gay or cool
about the issue.

"Yeah, I was there with Ben on Thursday. You know that Ben and Becky and I
go there now and then. She must have jumped to conclusions, seeing me there
with a guy."

"That's what I thought, but when I told her that you and Ben were just
friends she said that most friends she knew didn't spend half the evening
with their tongues down each other's throats."

Oh, damn! "She must have been mistaken. Maybe she saw Ben and me earlier
and then she saw two other guys who looked like us kissing later."

"That's what your mother said." Double damn! I forgot about Mom. What did
she think of all of this? "Your mother kept insisting that she had to be
wrong, that her Joey would never do anything like that. Barb was just as
insistent that she knew what she saw. It was starting to get ugly between
the two of them until I finally got Barb's attention and signaled her to
stop. Then I changed the subject back to Italy, but it was pretty tense the
rest of the time your mother was there."

I had been thinking about how to raise the issue with Mom and Pop the next
weekend, but it looked like the decision had been made for me. Mom might
not have wanted to believe Barbara and would have defended me against her
accusations, but she couldn't ignore them. I wondered what kind of
reception was awaiting me at home.

"It's true, isn't it, Joey? Ben is your boyfriend," Angie said after a long
silence.

"Yes, Angie, he is."

"At least now I know why I never stood a chance with you. Were the two of
you together all along? I feel pretty foolish."

"Please don't feel foolish. At first Ben and I were just friends. It kind
of snuck up on both of us. Once I realized my feelings for him, I tried
hard not to mislead you, but I wasn't ready to come out either."

"Well, I can't say I understand it, but, looking back, there does seem to
have been a special connection between the two of you. I hope it works out
for you. I really mean that. You're a great guy, you've been through some
bad times and you deserve to be happy."

"Thanks, Angie. That means a lot to me. And I know it's going to work out
with Ben. We love each other very much."

Angie gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek. "Good luck when you get
home. Knowing your mother I'd say you're in for a rough evening."

Angie left and I closed out the cash register and locked up. I was tempted
to skip going home and run right to Ben. I knew if I did that I'd have to
call home and let them know and that would be just as bad as going there,
so my little fantasy escape didn't last long. On the short ride home I
tried to convince myself that I could handle this. After all, I'd been
standing up to Mom on a daily basis my whole life. But it was never on
something as important as this. The things she challenged me on and
complained about were usually nonsense, insignificant little details she
liked to blow up out of proportion. I couldn't imagine how she'd blow up
something so big it didn't need any amplification. And Pop. He never argued
or yelled, but just one quiet word of disapproval from him could shake my
whole world. I loved them both so much and needed them to love me back,
always.

I pulled into the driveway, shut off the engine, took a deep breath and got
out of the car. I'd been trying to avoid thinking about this moment for
months and now it was here. I went in the back door, expecting to see Mom
in the kitchen, getting supper ready to put on the table. There were a
couple of pots on the stove and I could smell food, but no one was
around. I went into the living room and found them, Pop sitting up in his
recliner, Mom in the middle of the couch, her hands folded in her lap. They
both looked up at me as I walked into the room.

"Joey, your mother heard something very disturbing today and I think we
need to talk about it."

I thought it was a good sign that Pop was starting us off. He was a lot
calmer than Mom, though the fact that Mom wasn't her usual self didn't bode
well. I sat in a chair facing the two of them.

"I know, Angie stopped by the nursery just before closing." I looked around
the room. "Where's Connor?"

"He's upstairs in his crib with some toys. I thought the conversation might
upset him if things got out of hand."

"There's no reason for things to get that bad, Pop. We're all adults
here. Let's just talk."

"No reason? You didn't hear what that girl was saying about you in front of
everyone at the salon. I wanted to slap her. I've been telling you and
telling you that people would begin talking about you if you kept
associating with that man. People always want to believe the worst about
others."

Could it be that Mom still didn't believe it, that she was that much in
denial? For a split-second I saw a chance to talk my way out of this but
immediately pushed that thought out of my mind. If I did that it would be
blatant lying, which would make coming out later so much harder, and it
would have to be much later. This had to be done and there would never be a
better opening.

"Well, sometimes what people see is the truth, Mom. They don't have to use
their imagination, it's all right there in front of them."

Mom looked down at the floor and spoke more quietly. "I know, Joey. I
didn't want to believe it but she was far too positive and went into too
much disgusting detail."

"It's not disgusting, Ma. Ben and I love each other."

"Love? Have you lost your mind?" So much for any thought of a quiet
talk. "This isn't you, Joey. Don't you think I know my own son? I've
watched you every day of your life. I've seen you with Jenny. You were
happy with her for years."

"Nobody can know everything about another person, Mom. There are things we
often don't even admit to ourselves."

I went into a long explanation of my feelings for Jenny and my attractions
for other guys going back to high school. I'd had to explain to so many
people that it was almost like playing a record, though I tried hard to
make them understand. Mom kept shaking her head, occasionally waving her
hands in front of her face as if to ward off my words. Pop just stared
across the room into space.

"The doctor was right. After Jenny's funeral, he wanted you to see a
psychiatrist. I kept telling him, 'My Joey's not crazy, he'll be fine after
a while.' But maybe you should have talked to someone."

"I'm not crazy, mom. Sure, I was grief-stricken then and I'll always miss
Jenny, but I've been able to move on, thanks to Ben. I've found love again
and I'm happy."

"Love" Happy? What you're doing is unnatural and sick. And a sin. You know
what the Church says about it."

"Yes, I know. And I also know that good people disagree about all kinds of
things that the Church teaches. If everything were so clear-cut there would
still be only one Christian church. Personally, I believe that love is the
most important thing our religion teaches us, and love is never wrong."

"This isn't love, Joey, it's lust. I just don't know how you could choose
something like this."

"It is love, Ma. I was in love with Jenny so I know what love is, and
that's what I feel for Ben. We don't choose who we fall in love with. It
just happens, if we're lucky."

"Lucky? This will destroy your life. And Connor's, too. Have you stopped to
think about how this will affect your son? He's just an innocent baby and
you're exposing him to this sordid lifestyle."

"Ma, there's nothing sordid about any of this. Ben is a good person and he
loves Connor. And Connor loves Ben."

"Well, I just won't have it! I know you're an adult, but we're your parents
and this is our house. You are not going to see Ben again, ever. Tomorrow
morning I'm calling Dr. Peretti to have him recommend a good therapist. And
you're going to have a talk with Father Vittorio. You were happy with
Jenny, you can be happy with another woman if you set you mind to it. You
obviously don't know what you're doing so it's up to us to keep you from
ruining your life. Tony, say something! You're his father, you tell him."

We both turned to look at Pop. I thought I'd done a pretty good job holding
my own against Mom's ranting but I was shaking inside. I wasn't getting
anywhere with her and I didn't know how much longer I could deal with
this. Pop was always so much less emotional and more rational. Maybe he
could calm things down.

Pop had a pained look on his face and didn't say anything for a long
time. When he finally spoke up, my hope faded.

"The only thing I've ever wanted for you is to be happy, son. You were so
happy with Jenny and then when we lost her you were devastated. It tore my
heart out to see you like that. I know you've been so much better lately
and you seem happy, but I can't imagine that there could be any future in a
relationship like this. All my life I've been told it was wrong and so has
everyone else. A life like that would bring all kinds of pain and
hurt. You'd be rejected and hated by people. So I have to agree with your
mother. A more normal life is what would make you happy in the long run."

"Then it's settled. I'll call the doctor in the morning and you'll go to
church, Joey. They won't miss you at the nursery for one day. We're going
to take care of you and make this right."

We all sat in silence for a few seconds but that was all it took for me to
make up my mind. I got up and went upstairs without a word. I picked up
Connor and clutched him to my chest. He worked his magic on me and after a
minute I stopped trembling. I set him down on the bed and went into the
guest room, grabbing a large suitcase from the closet. I opened the case on
my bed and began packing a few changes of clothing and some bare
necessities for both Connor and me. I went into the bathroom for a few more
things. The last thing I packed was the wooden box of memories from my top
drawer. I closed the suitcase, picked Connor up and placed him on my left
hip and grabbed the case in my right hand. I took one last look around the
room.

"Okay, boy, time for us to move on."

When I got downstairs Mom and Pop were still talking in the living
room. They looked up and their eyes widened when they saw the suitcase.

"What are you doing? Where do you think you're going?" Mom got up from the
couch.

"Obviously I disagree with both of you about what is right for me and what
will make me happy. But I agree with one thing you said, Mom. You are my
parents and this is your house. You have some say over my life as long as I
live here. So I'm leaving. Connor and I are going to Ben's house."

"You're not walking out on us and you are certainly not taking my grandson
to that man's house."

"I know this has been a shock to both of you, Mom, and you're upset. I hope
that when you calm down and have a chance to think about what I've said
you'll feel differently. In the meantime, it's better if we're not in each
other's faces all the time. As you said, I'm an adult. And Connor is my
son, so he goes where I go."

Mom started across the room toward me but Pop grabbed her hand and stopped
her.

"Let him go, Rose. We all need some time to calm down."

I turned and walked through the kitchen to the backdoor as fast as I could
while trying not to look as if I were running away. I put the suitcase in
the back of the van and strapped Connor into his seat, then got behind the
wheel and backed out of the driveway. I gripped the wheel tightly and drove
very slowly and carefully, hoping I could hold it together for the five
minutes or so it would take to get to Ben's, praying that he would be home
when we got there.

I said a prayer of thanks as I pulled into the driveway and saw lights on
in the house. I unfastened Connor and grabbed the suitcase. Ben wasn't
expecting me so I had to ring the doorbell. When he opened the door, Connor
rushed past him to get to Lula. Ben looked down at the suitcase and then
into my eyes. He held his arms out and I rushed into them and completely
fell apart.

Ben

I'd been missing Joey all week. Ten days of living together and I was
hooked. Sunday afternoon I caught up on housework and I did some reading in
the evening. Monday was bowling and then our hour at Angelo's. It felt like
I hadn't seen Joey in a week when it had actually only been thirty-some
hours. Becky came over as usual Tuesday evening and that was great, except
that I still missed Joey. I knew he was catching up with his parents but by
Wednesday I decided that I had to see him before the weekend. I was nuking
a frozen dinner when the doorbell rang. Lula beat me to the door and was
impatiently waiting as I opened it.

I was surprised to see Joey standing there. When Connor pushed past me I
looked down and saw the suitcase, then looked back up and saw the pain in
Joey's face. He collapsed against me and burst into tears. I held him in
the open doorway while he let it all out. Connor turned away from Lula and
came back to grab Joey's leg.

"Daddy?" I looked down and saw the confusion on Connor's face. I didn't
want to let go of Joey but I quickly loosened my grip on him, bent down and
scooped up Connor with my right arm, pulling him into a three-way hug with
his father. Joey put his arm around Connor and immediately started to get
himself under control and his crying subsided into sniffles. I directed him
through the doorway and took his suitcase, closing the door behind us.

"They found out."

I nodded. That was the obvious explanation. He didn't say anything else so
I put an arm around him and led him into the family room. He took off his
coat and Connor's and they sat on the couch while I went into the kitchen
and poured us each a brandy. I was chilled from standing in the open door
and I was sure he could use a bracer. When I got back Connor was on the
floor playing with Lula. I sat next to Joey and handed him a glass. He took
a sip and sighed.

"It was horrible, but I don't know that I expected any better." He went
over the entire story, starting with Angie's visit to the nursery, as we
sipped our brandy. When he finished he shrugged. "So I guess that's it."

"Well, it sure could have gone better, and I know it was a painful
experience, but I think there's room for hope. As you said, a good part of
their reaction was due to shock. Look how Anthony reacted the other day. He
hasn't exactly done a one-eighty, but he did calm down a lot once he
thought it over. Your father's main concern is your happiness, so that's a
good sign. His issue is whether you can be happy in a gay relationship, and
that's something we can talk to him about and work on. Your mother's
opposition is more basic, but you know she loves you, so maybe she'll
soften over time."

"A long time, I'm sure. You don't know Mom. She's opinionated and
stubborn."

"She also loves you." I put my arms around Joey. "I know it's easy to say
everything will be all right, and it probably won't be for a long time, but
I don't think it's as bad as it seems. They didn't throw you out, after
all. We'll get you through this, Joey."

"You're putting a much better spin on this than I am. I hurt them both so
much with this news. I could see it in their eyes."

"You hurt them? Yeah, I suppose you did, but they hurt you, too.  You hit
them with news they didn't like or understand and they were reacting to it
emotionally, without any real thought. But they're your parents. They're
supposed to love you unconditionally, and I think that once the shock has
worn off they'll remember that. It may take a while, but this will work
out."

"Can Connor and I stay here until then? I know I should have called instead
of just appearing on your doorstep but there wasn't time and I wasn't
thinking very clearly."

"You know you don't have to ask. You can stay here forever if you
want. Nothing would make me happier, although I wish it were under other
circumstances."

We sat on the couch in silence and watched Connor for a while. I held Joey
in my arms the way he usually held me.

"It hurts so much, Ben, being rejected like that."

"I know, baby. I wish I had magic and could make it all go away."

Joey turned and kissed me lightly on the lips. "You do have magic. You're
doing just fine."


To be continued...