Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2005 14:26:42 -0800 (PST)
From: Mickey S <njmcmick@yahoo.com>
Subject: Second Wind, Chapter 40

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 all of those who have written to me during the course of
this story. Your encouragement has been greatly appreciated, especially
during those periods of writer's block. I try to respond to all emails but
I get behind now and then and a few may have slipped by unanswered. If I
missed you I apologize.

As always, thanks to 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 Forty

Ben

The day of the big party finally arrived. It had grown so much from our
original idea. At first we were thinking of it as a wedding reception
without the wedding, which was kind of weird. But once we got down to the
actual plans, it became clear what it really was, a celebration of our love
and sharing that with our families and friends.

As the guest list grew, the logistical plans for the party had to change as
well. At first, we were just thinking of Joey's family (lots), my family (a
few) and a handful of friends, maybe forty people at the most. And of
course there were some in Joey's family we were pretty sure wouldn't
come. So we figured everyone would fit snugly in the house with maybe a
little overflow onto the patio. It was going to be a buffet dinner and
people would have to eat standing up since there was no way we could seat
that many. But as we added some of my old friends from Maplewood, more
people from the bowling league and new friends like Rick and Deirdre, Jared
and Cookie, Charles and his partner, and even Judge Washburn and her
husband, it became clear that all of our guests weren't going to fit in the
house. So we talked to Mother's caterer who suggested tents for the back
yard, one to cover the patio, where the bar and buffet would be set up, and
a larger one out on the lawn with tables and chairs.

We wanted the event to be on a Saturday afternoon, but that conflicted with
the nursery's business hours. Of course, at this time of year the nursery
was open seven days a week so that didn't give us many options. We
compromised by starting at five in the afternoon, which was also closing
time for the nursery. We'd assumed that John and Vinnie wouldn't attend so
they, along with several part-timers, could staff the business until
closing. The rest of the family could leave work early for the party. I put
Lula in a kennel for the weekend so she wouldn't be underfoot. She'd love
having so many people around but there was a good chance she'd be trampled
or escape through the constantly opening gate.

The tents were set up in the morning and the catering van arrived around
four. They immediately took over the kitchen so I made sure to stay out of
their way. I had nothing to add to that part of the preparations. A woman
from the bowling league was half of a light jazz/pop duo and we hired them
to play for the evening. They arrived at ten to five to set up in one
corner of the patio.

Joey's parents and aunt and uncle also arrived a little before five with
their trays of pasta. Mrs. Napoli immediately locked horns with the caterer
and Joey had to come between them, forcefully leading his mother out into
the back yard where Pop took charge of her. By five-thirty the yard was
filling up, mostly with Napolis. Dad and Lori were among the early arrivals
as well. A few of our gay friends had arrived, mostly lesbians. The gay men
would be fashionably late, of course. Joey and I hadn't had time to really
speak to anyone, just greet them and point them to the bar, then turn to
greet the next arrivals. It wasn't quite like a receiving line, but close.

Joey nudged me and nodded toward the gate. "There's Charles with Judge
Washburn and four guys. I guess one is her husband and one is his, so the
other two must be his parents. I wonder who is who."

When Charles had called to RSVP for himself and his partner, Bernie, he'd
asked Joey if he could bring along his parents. Joey had thought that was
an odd request but since the guest list had grown so huge anyway he figured
two more wouldn't make a difference. When he told me about it we were both
confused, since Charles had told James and me at the courthouse that he'd
grown up in foster homes.

The six of them walked over to us. The judge introduced her husband and
Charles introduced Bernie. That left the one remaining black man and the
only white man as the parents, except they didn't look any older than the
others.

"Ben and Joey, these are my parents, Bill Mathews and Dan Stephens."

Everyone congratulated us and we chatted for a minute. Joey asked the
question that was on both our minds. "You guys don't look any older than
Charles. How can you be his parents?"

"It's a long story, but Charles was sixteen when we became his foster
parents and Danny and I weren't all that much older."

"So you two have been together for a long time then?"

"Almost thirty-six years," Danny, the blond, answered.

"Damn, you two have got to talk to my mother. She doesn't believe gay
relationships have any future."

"Just point us in her direction and we'll set here straight. Danny has
always had a knack for charming older women."

We chatted for a few minutes, mostly about children and grandchildren. I
went on and on about Connor, sounding more like a proud parent than Joey.

"Oh my god, I don't believe it." Joey was staring at the gate. We all
looked over and there were John, Carla and their four kids. "Not my most
tolerant brother," Joey explained. We pointed Charles and his group toward
the bar, excused ourselves and went over to greet the newcomers.

"Ben and I didn't expect you but we're glad you came."

"Yeah, well, don't read too much into it." John smiled but it was a forced
smile. Vito and April saw some of their cousins and went off to join
them. Carla led the younger kids to their grandparents, who were sitting at
a table under the tent.

"I've been thinking about what Pop said and I guess he's right, to a
degree. I don't approve of this but that really doesn't matter, does it? I
think it's wrong and you think it's right. So we're stuck there. But you're
my brother, Joey, so I'm here." He turned to me. "And you'd better take
damned good care of him, 'cause this is all your fault."

He stalked off toward the bar.

I turned to Joey. "Was he serious about that or was he trying to make a
joke?"

"I don't think he's comfortable enough about us to tease, so he probably
meant it. But at least he's here. That's a step in the right direction."

Joey

It had been fun planning the party and Ben and I were both looking forward
to it, but it wasn't so much the party itself that excited me. While we
liked to get out socially now and then, neither of us was into the party or
club scene. We were both homebodies and nothing was more enjoyable to us
than an evening at home with James and Connor. It was what this party stood
for that excited us both. This was a coming out party, of sorts. Coming out
in the gay sense, of course, although everyone who was invited already knew
we were gay, and they knew about our relationship as well. But it was more
than that. We'd had to hide our love at first, and then face the opposition
of my family as they struggled to accept or at least understand. All of our
troubles weren't over yet, but our love had come through it all stronger
than ever. So this day was a celebration of that love.

Ben and I were up early and spent the day fussing about the house. James
was very quiet all morning and went out early in the afternoon, saying he'd
be back in time for the party. He hadn't returned by the time my parents
arrived with Uncle Angelo and Aunt Josie. Mom immediately tried to hijack
the kitchen from the caterer and I had to take her by the arm and lead her
to the tent in the backyard where the others had gone. She apologized on
the way.

"I'm sorry, Joey. It's just that I'm so used to running the kitchen. I've
been in charge of all of our family parties for so long."

"I know, Mom, but today you're a guest. Just try to relax and enjoy
yourself."

She stopped and took my hand. "I owe you an apology for a lot more than
this, Joey. I know that I've hurt you a lot over the past several months
and my big mouth almost got you in a lot of trouble with Connor. I've been
trying to act better lately and accept things. I thought I knew what was
best for you, but I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Wow! Mom admitting she was wrong. That was a first. "I appreciate your
apology and accept it."

"I was wrong about Ben, too. He's a nice man and he seems to really care
about you and Connor."

"He does, Ma." I saw Ben come out the back door and speak to the
bartender. "Do you think that maybe you could tell him that? You've said
some really unkind things about him and though he hasn't said so, I'm sure
it's hurt."

She hesitated but then turned back toward the patio. I stayed where I was
as she went up to Ben and talked for a minute, her head down. Ben looked a
little stunned, but then took her in his arms and hugged her. I could see
her stiffen up for a second, but then she relaxed and hugged him back. I
got a lump in my throat and had to blink back tears.

We'd put a note on the front door directing the guests to go around the
garage and through the gate. Ben and I positioned ourselves between the
gate and the patio, so we could greet people as they arrived and then point
them toward the bar. It was nearly six and most of our guests had arrived
when James finally came out the back door, accompanied by Jared and
Cookie. As they walked over to us, James and Jared were holding hands.

"What's the story here, guys? Does this mean something?"

James blushed. "Yeah, Uncle Joey. Jared and I had a long talk this
afternoon. We've decided we're going to try doing the boyfriend thing and
see how it works out."

"The boyfriend thing, huh? I thought you guys were taking things slow." I
pointed to their hands. "You do that and everybody's going to know about
you pretty quick. Don't forget there are a number of kids from your school
here. Are you ready to come out, Jared?"

"Well, Ben, it's a big step, but I like James so much and you two guys have
made me feel so comfortable about it that I think I'm ready. In fact, I
told my parents last night."

"Damn, you're fast. How'd they take it?" I thought about how long I'd
struggled with trying to figure out how to tell my parents.

"Not too bad, actually. My dad was shocked and I don't think he likes it
much, but Mom said she'd suspected for a while. She's gonna work on him so
I think it'll all be okay. And I know they're gonna love James."

"Well, congratulations. Joey and I are happy for you both. But try to go
slow and not rush things."

James rolled his eyes at Ben. "Yes, Mom."

Ben

Joey and I refilled our wineglasses and looked around the yard, trying to
decide if we should continue to greet the latecomers as they straggled in
or begin to mingle. It looked like nearly everyone was already there. The
younger kids were playing at the back of the yard. The teens were gathered
in one corner of the large tent. On the patio, Mother and Sam were chatting
with Dad and Lori. Mother and Lori hadn't met before, though they'd heard a
lot about each other, mostly from me. I think the last time Mother and Dad
had seen each other was my college graduation. The adults in Joey's family
were under the big tent. I noticed my coworker Carla and her partner
Georgette talking to Pop and Mrs. Napoli and I wondered if that was their
first experience with a lesbian couple. The two families were keeping
separate as we expected, but when we made up the seating chart, Joey and I
had assigned all of the parents to one table, so they'd be forced to spend
some time together.

Our gay friends were on the patio hanging out near the bar. I noticed Paul
and Rick deep in conversation. I thought they would make a nice looking
couple, although Rick was older than Paul's usual type. I had no idea what
Rick's type was. Earlier, I'd noticed him having a few words with
John. Things looked really tense between them but fortunately they only
spoke for a minute before moving on. Angie arrived with a nice looking guy
with short brown hair. She introduced him as her boyfriend Ethan. When he
mentioned they were looking for an apartment in Morristown, I suggested
they talk to Charles and his group.

It was getting late and Becky hadn't arrived yet. I was wondering if I
should call her when she and Glenn finally showed up, accompanied by a
sulky looking teenage girl. Glenn introduced her as his daughter,
Karen. She looked bored already so Joey grabbed his niece Carole and asked
her to take Karen over to the other kids and introduce her.

"I'm sorry we're so late, Ben. Karen had to try on every pair of jeans she
owned before finally settling on the first ones she tried."

"Well, you should be able to identify with that, Beck."

"I think God is getting even with me for all of that teasing last fall when
you were scared of Connor and trying to get used to him. But I'd take a
toddler over a fourteen-year old girl any day. Karen's generally a
sweetheart but she can be miserable when she starts to pout."

"What the hell is that, Becky?"

I looked over at Joey and saw he was pointing to her left hand. On her ring
finger was a huge diamond. "You've been holding out on me, girl. You're
engaged!"

Becky and Glenn both looked embarrassed. "Yeah, Glenn popped the question
Thursday night."

"You've been engaged forty-eight hours and you didn't tell me?"

"This is your big day, Ben. Yours and Joey's. I was going to wait until
after the party. I wasn't even going to wear the ring but I just couldn't
bear to take it off."

We all exchanged hugs and kisses and congratulations and I fussed over the
ring for a minute.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, Glenn. Becky can be quite a
handful."

"Oh, I think I know her pretty well at this point, Ben. She's not so
tough."

"I don't know. If you think that then maybe you don't know her well
enough. We'll have to talk."

"You'd better watch it, Ben, or I'll have a little talk with your husband
as well. I think I've got more dirt on you than you've got on me."

I thought about that for all of three seconds.

"You're right, Beck. Maybe Glenn knows all he has to."

Joey

While we were taking to Becky and Glenn, the caterer announced that the
buffet was ready, so people could line up for food. It took a while but
everyone got plenty to eat. At our table we had Becky, Glenn, Karen, James,
Jared and Cookie. And Connor, of course. Mom had been watching him most of
the afternoon and wanted him to eat with her but we insisted. He was a
major part of our immediate family. As we ate we talked about how the party
had grown but how well it seemed to be going.

"I can't believe the turnout. Nearly all of the people Ben and I invited
came."

"That's because everybody is so happy for both of you. They know what
you've been through and wanted to celebrate with you." Becky reached across
and squeezed my hand. I thought back to last November when she and I had
had lunch and she gave me advice. It seemed like years ago.

"Well, almost everyone is here. We know one person who won't show up."

I knew James was talking about his father, but he didn't sound as sad as he
usually did when we were talking about Vinnie. I tried to cheer him up,
anyway.

"You never know, James. I didn't expect your Uncle John and he showed up."

"Well, Dad won't be here. I told him not to come."

"You did? When did you talk to him?"

"This afternoon. I went over to the nursery to see him."

"What brought that on?"

"Well, Ben, he and I haven't really talked since I moved in here. All of
our communication has been though my mom. And, of course, I've heard about
some of his conversations with Uncle Joey. I just thought it was time I
found out where his head is."

"And what did you find out?" I was curious as to whether Rick's or Pop's
talks with him had made any difference.

"He started in on the same old stuff, that being gay is wrong, it's sick, I
was destroying the family and I had to change. I told him that he didn't
know what he was talking about, that I'd always looked up to him and
thought he was a good person, but that he was talking from ignorance and
bigotry. I told him that I didn't know what his problem was on this
subject, but it was time that he grew up, did some reading and listened to
others."

"I'll bet he didn't like that."

"Yeah, it's the first time I really stood up to him, but he's being so
pig-headed. He's just not acting like the dad I've loved my whole life. I
think he was shocked that I talked back to him. He didn't say much after
that. I told him that I loved him but if he couldn't accept me then he was
going to lose me. And then I said that if he couldn't behave himself then
he shouldn't come here tonight, that no one wanted him here with his
attitude." He shrugged. "That's pretty much everything."

I was so proud of him and I told him so. "You have really grown up in the
past few months, James. You took the initiative and tried to get a dialogue
going with your father, and it sounds like he was the one who came across
as emotional and you kept your cool."

"Yeah, I was nervous when I started, but it really wasn't hard. Living here
with you and Ben, and talking to you, watching you and learning from you,
I'm really getting a handle on what being gay is all about. And Dad just
keeps spouting the same old dumb things. He just hasn't got a clue. It's
almost sad."

"It is sad. He's missing out on so much by keeping his mind closed."

"Well, I'm not giving up on him. I'll keep after him but in the meantime
I'm getting on with my life." He suddenly looked shy. "Of course, that
means I might have to stay here longer than we all thought. Would that be
okay with you guys?"

Ben got up and hugged him. "You don't even have to ask that. You're
family."

I thought about all of the talks Vinnie had had lately. With Rick, with
Pop, and now with James. He didn't seem to have changed any, but maybe they
were having a cumulative effect. There was one person who hadn't tried to
get him to change his attitude, though. John. He seemed to have more
influence over Vinnie than I ever knew. Maybe now that he was beginning to
accept reality and at least tolerate Ben and me, he could do something. I
decided I'd talk to John the next time I saw him at work. It couldn't hurt.

Even without Mom in charge there was plenty of food, and most people made
more than one trip to the buffet tables. The caterer had suggested a break
before dessert to give the meal a chance to settle. Ben and I made the
rounds of the tables, trying to spend a little more time with
everyone. When the caterer caught my eye and signaled that they were about
to put the dessert out, I grabbed Ben's hand and led him to the patio. When
the band finished the song they were playing I took the microphone and
asked for everyone's attention. The crowd gradually quieted down.

"When Ben and I started planning this party, we talked about having some
kind of commitment ceremony or maybe just exchanging vows, but we're both
on the shy side and we figured everyone already knew what this was all
about and how committed to one another we are. But even though I'm not one
for speeches, I thought we should say a few words to all of you." I turned
to Ben and he was giving me a bewildered look. We hadn't planned this; I
was just winging it.

"First, thank you all for coming today and sharing our joy. You are all
special to us and we love having you in our lives. Mostly, I just want to
say a few words about this guy standing beside me. Before I met Ben, I
thought my life was pretty much over, that the best days were behind me. I
had a wonderful family and the most beautiful little boy in the world, but
for the most part I was just going through the motions each day. Then Ben
came along and woke me up and gave me new life with his love. I've hit a
few rough spots over the last several months but Ben has always been there
for me, supporting me and loving me. But I don't just love Ben for what
he's done for me, I love him for who he is -- a sweet, kind, generous
loving man with the biggest heart in the world. A few of you have had some
problems understanding and accepting the changes I've gone through this
past year, but if you have any doubts that this is for real and a good
thing, think about where I was a year ago and where I am today. The
difference is Ben." I turned and looked into his beautiful green
eyes. "Thank you for loving me, Ben Donnelly."

Ben took the microphone form me. "This isn't fair. Joey didn't tell me that
we were going to make speeches." He took a deep breath and looked around
the yard. "As many of you know I wasn't doing so well myself at this time
last year. I had my parents, whose love and support has always been there
for me, and a wiseass best friend who has never let me down, but I was
lost. I had no idea who I was, what I wanted or where I was going. And then
I met Joey, someone I wasn't even looking for. He gave me love and support
and direction. But I discovered that you can't have just one Napoli. It's a
package deal and a pretty big package at that. And that took some getting
used to, but Joey was there for me every step of the way. The best parts of
that package are a son and a nephew that I have come to love very much." He
turned and looked at me. "You have completed my life by giving me things I
never even knew I wanted. I will love you forever."

>From somewhere near the back of the big tent came the tinkling sound of a
knife or fork tapping a glass. Others picked up on it and the sound
grew. My nephew Tony called out, "C'mon guys, that means you're supposed to
kiss."

Ben set the microphone down and took me in his arms. Our lips touched
softly in a light kiss, then pressed together and parted. For a moment we
were both lost in our passion. By the time we broke apart the sound of
silverware on glass had been replaced by applause. We turned and looked at
the crowd and they were all on their feet clapping. Ben nudged me and
pointed toward our table. There was Connor, sitting on James' shoulders,
laughing and clapping like crazy. Ben put his arm around my waist and
pulled me close.

Life is good.


The End.