Date: Sat, 03 Feb 2007 19:20:53 -0600
From: David J <boricuaholandes@hotmail.com>
Subject: All Good Things - Chapter 10

HELLO GUYS AND GIRLS!  I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter of the story
as well as y'all have in the past.  Y'all can email me or join the yahoo
group (ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/futurecanadiansgroup).

David...
-----


All Good Things
Chapter 10 -- Fireworks and the Beast

	"We're gonna be late if you don't hurry," Tony warned as I rummaged through
my dresser looking for a specific pair of shorts.

	"I'm hurrying babe.  I can't find my shorts."

	"Which ones?" he called from the living room.

	"The khaki ones."

	"Yeah.  Check the closet.  There were hanging up in there yesterday."

	"Why would they be in the closet?" I asked aloud, but low enough so that
Tony wouldn't hear me.  I searched around for a moment before finding them,
hanging upon a green plastic hanger.  "I must have been drunk when I did the
laundry."  I quickly pulled them over my hips, buttoning and zipping them in
a hurry, so that we wouldn't be late.  I quickly pulled one of my t-shirts
that I knew would get comments.  It was a black one that the graphics of an
eye, a heart, and an 11-point maple leaf to symbolize my own homeland.  Tony
had told me that it would be to celebrate "The 4th of July," but I still
felt the need to show my patriotism for my own homeland.  I grabbed my
wallet and keys and headed out of the bedroom.

	"Hey Jake!" Josh, Tony's pledge from the previous year said, greeting me.
Several of Tony's brothers had asked if I thought he was gay, but it was
hard to tell.

	"Hey man.  You the DD tonight?"

	"You know I am," Josh said.

	"Thank you.  I'll pay you for gas."

	"Ah...No problem, Jake."

	"Babe," I said, turning to my boyfriend who'd stood up from his seated
position on the couch.  "Do I have time for a quick shot of tequila?"

	"You do," he said, getting up and coming into the kitchen with me.  I
pulled the tequila from the shelf as he pulled two shot glasses down from
the cabinet.  I fixed each of us a shot and placed the bottle on the
counter.  "Cheers babe," he said, lifting his glass.

	"Yes sir," I said as our glasses met and we downed the shot, without what
are called in Auburn, "training wheels," or the salt and lime that are
traditionally served with a tequila shot.

	"One more," he insisted before we left.

	"OK," I said, grabbing the bottle and pouring another in each of our
glasses.  We downed them just as quickly and headed back into the living
room, where `Freshman Josh' was standing waiting on us.

	"Alright Josh.  We're ready," Tony said, smiling at the man who'd been his
pledge the previous year.

	We walked down the stairs to Josh's car and piled in.  As we drove the
through campus to their frat house, I thought about the previous six weeks.
We'd spent time in Puerto Rico.  I'd met Tony's parents, and was less than
thrilled by the condescending tone on his mother.  I'd started teaching my
first class, and was pleasantly surprised by the ease at which I'd settled
into that task.  I thought about my sisters wedding, which we'd attended
just three weeks before.  Everything about it was beautiful, but the most
surprising thing happened when she asked Danny and me to walk her largely
pregnant self down the aisle to her husband-to-be.  I smiled at the memory
as we drove, but in that moment, I was in tears.  At the reception, Tony
danced with Mom for several dances, until she got tired and insisted that he
and I dance.  Of course the Harpers made comments, but not loud enough for
the entire group to hear.  When we got home, there seemed to be something
renewed and re-energized about our relationship.

	Then came the morning of the party: 1 July.  In the US, it's more often
than not, just another day.  It's the third day before their nation's own
national holiday, but in Canada, it's much, much more.  Even when we lived
in Cuba, we would come home on 1 July to see family and to see the fireworks
over either Ottawa or Toronto in celebration of Canada Day.  The most
amazing thing I have ever seen were the fireworks over Parliament Hill in
Ottawa, and hearing the National Anthem being played over some random radio
station.  One feels so patriotic as kids all around run and play, waving
their Canadian flags with pride while their parents socialize with friends
and relatives.

      We pulled onto the street where the majority of the fraternity houses
are and made our way to one with a large amount of people standing outside.
Something stood out, though.  There were no American flags flying over the
building, as I was expecting.  It looked like any other party that I'd
attended at the house over the last year.  People were out front, drinking
their bottled and canned beers.  Josh parked the car in the lot immediately
behind the house.  Three of the brothers were out there waiting on us to
finally arrive.  We talked for a few minutes before we went into the house
for a drink.  In the common area of the house, there was a lot of red and a
lot of white...but no blue.  The bar was stocked with Canadian Mist and
Crown Royal, two whiskeys produced in Canada.  There was Labat and Molton's.
  I began to smile as I thought for a second that this might not be a `4th
of July' party, but I dismissed the thought quickly.  Auburn isn't the place
that normally would be known for its Canada Day celebrations.  I was sure of
it.

	I'm not a fan of mixing liquors, so I stuck to the beers.  The icy Molton's
beer washed down my throat.

	"Have fun?" Tony asked, slyly.

	"Sure.  Would there normally be no blue streamers at a 4th of July party?"

	"Only if we couldn't find them!" Tony said, smiling at me.

	"Tony!!!" two of the other brothers yelled at seeing him.

	"What's up, guys?" Tony asked as they walked over and shook our hands.

	"Not much.  We got that stuff you wanted," they said.

	"Good!  Is the band here?"

	"Yeah.  They're getting set up outside."

	"Cool.  We're gonna get another and head out there, if that's cool with
Jake."

	"Yeah.  That's fine with me," I said as we grabbed another beer and headed
outside.  We talked to several people as we made our way through the crowd.
Despite the fact that I'd been around most of these people a million times,
I still found myself staying close to Tony.  Several people joked about my
t-shirt as we walked around.

	Around 9, the band got fired up.  It was a hot local band that I'd heard
several places around town.  They started with a few of their songs and
continued to play without stopping until around 9:45.  They took a few
minutes break and could have been found downing several of the beers inside.
  By 10, they were ready to go again.  Tony brought us back another beer,
making my eleventh by that time of the night.

	"OK, y'all," the lead singer of the band said before the rock trio started
again, "we've been asked to play a song that I have never played in public
before."  A few of the drunken sorority girls cheered, not even knowing what
song was about to be played.  "Yeah...Thanks girls!"  He laughed once as he
picked a couple of notes on his guitar.  He began showing his guitar playing
prowess in a moment when he began to play a song that I'm sure not many
people there had heard before: O! Canada.  The way he picked the notes
reminded me of how Jimi Hendrix might have played the song, were he still
with us.  I wildly cheered as fireworks began shooting off over the house.
Red and white pyrotechnics are always fun!

	By midnight, I was drunk.  I'd had more beers than most all the brothers
there, and I was feeling the effects.  Tony was getting a good laugh at my
expense, but I didn't care.  Who would care after 19 beers?  To make a long
story short, Tony, with the assistance of Josh, took me to the car and drove
me home.

	"So how did you like the party?  Was it like being at home babe?" Tony
asked as we drove through campus.

	"I did.  It was an amazing good time, eh!"  Josh giggled.  "Did you arrange
this, Toñito?"  Tony didn't respond the question with words, but took a
moment to turn around and give me a quick grin.  "Woo hoo hoo!"  Tony
laughed as he turned back around in the front seat of the car.

	"This is so weird," Josh said, "to have my Spanish teacher drunk in the
back of my car!"

	"Ooh.  Shit.  That reminds me, Josh.  You've got an A in my class.  The
only way you're gonna bring it down is to really fuck up the final."

	"Yes!" he cheered.  "Is it cause I've done really well or because you don't
want anybody else in class to know about tonight?"

	"Both."  The three of us laughed at my drunken comment.  When we got home,
Tony had to support me as we walked up the stairs.  "I'm sorry I'm so drunk,
Tony."

	"No worries babe.  You're cute when you're drunk."

	"You still really cute when I'm drunk, too."  He laughed as he opened the
door to the apartment and guided me to the bedroom.  I got undressed and
climbed into bed.  I was asleep before I knew it, and don't even remember
Tony coming back into the bedroom to get into bed.

	I might should have mentioned this earlier, but his birthday is on 2 July,
so the next morning was packed full of things that I'd planned for him.  As
the day opened, I was running a little slowly because of the alcohol that
I'd consumed the night before, but had the plan of action in place and ready
to go.  I wanted to start things off romantically, so I fixed breakfast in
bed for him.  Omelets with Southern-style biscuits (from a can), along with
fresh orange juice were on the menu.  I cooked as quietly as I could, but
still found myself making more noise than I'd intended to make.  A short
time later, I carried the meal, atop a wooden tree into him.

	"Tony baby," I said as I held the tray in my hand.

	"Huh?  Wha?" he asked as he came to.

	"I made your fine ass some breakfast in bed, baby."

	"You did?" he said, half surprised.

	"Yep."

	"You didn't have to do that babe," he said, sitting up in the bed and
looking greedily at the tray.

	"I know.  But I wanted your birthday to be really special."

	"That is so sweet," he said as I gently set the tray across his lap.  He
took his hand and set it gently on my face.  He pulled me into his and
kissed my lips.  "This is part of why I love you."

	"Well.  Last night was part of the reason why I love you so much, babe.
That was amazing.  I just don't know how you kept it a secret from me."

	"Well.  I just wanted you to have a good time and since we couldn't go to
Toronto this weekend and stuff, I wanted to try to make you feel at home."

	"It was so cool.  I can't wait to tell Danny."

	"I wish I could have invited him down, but that might have given it away."

	"He's not very good with the secrets, sometimes."

	"Yeah."

	"Although he did keep your birthday present under wraps."

	"You bought me something?"

	"Yeah.  It's not very big or anything, but I wanted to get you something
for your birthday and to say thanks for being so good to me over these last
few months.  I'm sure that a lot of guys wouldn't have been as understanding
as you when my Dad died."

	"And a lot of guys would have crapped out when my family drama started.  So
things balance each other out."

	I kissed him on his cheek as he chewed a piece of the omelet he'd placed in
his mouth.  "So what else do you have planned for today?" he asked.

	"I was going to give you your gift, and then give you a thank you gift for
last night."

	"Don't worry about tomorrow.  Remember that you're going to have to deal
with my mother on the 4th."

	"I'm not worried about her.  Maybe she won't be so evil."

	"I wouldn't put any best on that one, if I were you, Jakey."

	"Oh I'm not, but I can hope for the best, though."

	"I wish I had that patience."

	"You will, babe."  I scooted onto the bed and snuggled up to him.

	"Did you taste this?"

	"Why?  Is it that bad?"

	"Here.  Try it," he said, taking a forkful and handing it to me.  It tasted
like eggs with cheese and spinach.  It wasn't spectacular, but I'd had
worse.  Hell, I'd made worse than that.

	"It's OK."

	"You underestimate yourself, babe.  This is amazing.  Will you make these
for the family on the 4th for breakfast."

	"Sure.  If Nani will let me use her kitchen."

	"I'm sure she will once I tell her HOW good this is, babe."

	"You flatter me."

	"You make me horny," he said, grinning at me after taking a forkful of the
omelet.  I had to laugh at him.

	"Well.  That was actually part of your birthday present."

	"You're going to make me horny?"

	"Well.  It depends on you actually being horny more than me making you
horny."

	"I'm always horny, Jake."

	"This is true."

	"So why don't you tell me about it?"

	"Why don't I just let you finish your breakfast and then I'll do it?"  He
thought for a second.

	"Hmmm...I'm full," he said, leaving half of his omelet on the plate.  He
winked at me as he took the glass of juice and downed it completely.  He put
the glass back on the tray.  "Ah!  That tasted good."  I laughed and took
the tray back into the kitchen.  As I returned to the room, he was lying
down on the bed with his muscular arms behind his head.

	"My God.  You really are horny," I noted after seeing the tent in the
sheet.

	"Like I said, I always get horny around you."

	"Which can't be a bad thing," I added as I lay beside him.  I wanted to
look at him for a second and explore his body with my hand.  Working in a
gym had done him a lot of good, as his abs were developing nicely.  Of
course, with Tony, it wouldn't have mattered if he'd been without the ripped
torso, he was an honorable man, who was nice.  He took the initiative and
leaned his head up and kissed me on the lips.  I didn't stop him or tell him
that this was my thing.  It was his birthday, after all, and I wanted him to
get as much pleasure out of the moment as he could.  I'd planned on sucking
his balls dry and then making him fuck me until his he shot a creamy load in
my ass, but that wasn't to happen.  He wouldn't let my lips go.  It was
almost as if they were his captives.  Not that I minded, he kissed with a
passion almost indescribable in words.  For two hours, we just lay there
making out.  His dick was dripping precum.  Gushing is a more appropriate
word to describe what his throbbing penis was doing.

	"What this what you had planned?" he asked as my hands began to massage his
ample nutsack.

	"Nope.  But I'm not going to complain..." I said as he kissed my lips
again.  I moved my hands from his balls and slowly massaged his hard penis.
I used the copious amounts of precum as a make shift lube, an action that he
thoroughly enjoyed.  I pulled back the foreskin and ran my hand along the
head for a moment.  He had to pull away from my mouth and moan.

	"Damn baby," he said as I continued to stroke his massive penis.

	"You like?"

	"Uh huh," he said, nodding his head.  "I'm........"

	"You OK?"

	"I'm gonna cum..." he said between heavy breathes as his chest heaved.

	"Go ahead babe."  His muscular midsection began to contract.  His breathing
became more erratic and heavy.

	"Oh God!" he said, banging his head against the wall.  Volley after volley
of cum shot against my face and arm, and on his chest.  He moaned as the
final few loads seemed to only drip out of the head of his penis.  I
squeezed and pulled up on his dick to get every last drop of cum out of him.
  I was tired and spent, even though I wasn't the one that had gotten off.

	"Enjoy this part of your birthday present?"

	"Yeah."  He smiled and ran his hand across my head.

	"Good.  I'm glad.  Get cleaned up, and I will get the other part of your
present ready."

	"In a minute.  I just want to lie here with you for a few minutes."

	I snuggled into him, letting his wrap his arm around me.  From my face,
there was a single gob of cum, which I greedly licked off him.  "I can
handle that."

	He closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment of pure relaxation that had
engulfed him.  For a good half hour, we lay there close to each other.  "You
know, Jake?"

	"What?"

	"That I have enjoyed this birthday more than any other in the past."

	"I'm glad, my love."

	"Alright babe.  As much as I would love to stay here, I have to get the cum
off me."

	"Alright babe.  Take a shower, and I will get the other part of your
present ready."

	"OK.  I love you, Jake."

	"I kinda like you, myself."  He smiled as he walked away from the bed, butt
ass naked to the shower.

	I pulled myself off the bed and pulled on a pair of gym shorts and a tshirt
quickly.  As I walked to the door, I put on each of my flip-flops and ran
down the stairs to the car.  I pulled out the wrapped box and ran back up to
the apartment, in time to hear the shower turn off.  "That was fast," I said
out loud.

	He came out of the bathroom drying his hair.  The natural curl had
returned, and looked so cute atop his head.  He dried the rest of his body
as we chatted about the most random and mundane of things.  He quickly
walked into the bedroom and returned wearing a pair of boxers with little
birthday cakes on them that one of his brothers had given him more as a
joke.

	"So here you go, babe," I said, handing him the box.

	"So I know it's not a cat!" he joked.

	"Nope!" I joked.

	He carefully ripped the paper away at the seam.  "OH WOW!" he exclaimed as
he opened the paper a little bit more to realize what it was that I'd been
hiding in my car for him since the day before.  "This is amazing!  Oh my
God!"

	"Do you like it?"

	"I do like it.  It will come in handy with some school projects," he said
as he gazed on the unopened box containing his new computer.  "That and my
old computer is about to bite the dust."

	"I know."

	"And I was thinking of buying a Mac anyway."

	"I know.  You've been talking about it since April."

	"Yeah...sorry about that, babe.  I swear I wasn't trying to drop hints."

	"Damn.  I would have never bought a Powerbook for myself.  This was way too
much money, Jake."

	"No it wasn't, Tony, and I don't want to hear another word about it."

	"Yes sir!" he jokingly responded.  "Thank you so much, though."

	"I'm glad you like it," I added, watching him gaze at the box like a child
on Christmas.

	He looked at me and smiled again before ripping open the box and plugging
the computer into a wall outlet.  He giggled as he booted it for the first
time.  "This is so cool."

	For the rest of the day, we sat in the apartment while he played with his
new toy.  He seemed so excited about learning all of the inner workings of
the device and such.  He played around with the software that was preloaded
onto it and spent the whole afternoon exploring around the hard drive's
inner workings.  That evening, we packed our things for the holiday.  We
were taking a short drive up to Charlotte for the holiday to be around his
family.  With what he'd said earlier in the day, I was excited about seeing
his Dad, but less than enthused about seeing his mom.  We settled into the
bed that evening earlier than we normally do.  Of course, Tony was still
horny.  He kissed the back of my neck as he held me in his arms.  He rubbed
my abs and legs, which was the usual way to got me to give up my ass.  It's
not like I wouldn't have, but it was kinda fun to watch him squirm a little
bit, with his non-verbal begging for what he wanted.  He hit the spot,
though.  His touching quenched a thirst that I had inside.  With my own
moaning, he knew that I was ready to take what he was offering.  He reached
over and grabbed the lube from the table beside his bed.  Since it ended up
that I took him for the most part, it was a good place for the lube to be.
He pulled the sheets back and lubed up his dick and my ass.  Slowly and
gently he pushed inside me, and with slow, deliberate strokes of his hips he
sought to bring himself to the brink of explosion.

	"Oh yeah, babe," I said as we continued to make love.

	"I love you, Jake."

	"Likewise, Mr. Cisneros."

	"I'm close," he whispered.

	"Oh yeah, papi," I responded.

	"You want it?"

	"Every drop."

	He moaned a couple of times as he pushed harder into my ass.  He exhaled
deeply and that's the when the flooding of my ass began.  I felt him warm,
gooey goodness inside me.  He stopped pushing and pulling for a moment and
simply rest himself inside me.  He wrapped his hand around my waist and
cupped my dick in his hand.  He slowly stroked me, knowing that I was close
to explosion myself.

	He pulled himself out of my ass, leaving a void inside me as he continued
to stoke my penis.  Instinctively, I turned onto my back as he set up and
propped himself on to his arm.  He kissed me, drops of sweat that he'd
encountered during our sex dripping onto my face.  He kissed once more
before positioning himself differently.  His face went directly toward my
cock.  His lips found their way to the head of my cock.  He kissed it twice
and then took almost the entire thing in his mouth.

	"Oh God!" I moaned quietly.  He sucked it like a champ.  It didn't take but
a moment though to get me to the point of no return.  "I'm gonna cum, babe."

	He gave me a thumbs up and continued sucking.  I tried to hold back as long
as I could, but it was no use.  My dick had a different idea as it shot two
wads violently into the back of his mouth.  The amount of cum was too much
for him to handle and he backed off my dick as he swallowed, allowing the
rest of my jizz to flow onto my abs and into my pubes.  He licked away at
the white spots that warmed my heaving abs.  Before long, he had completely
licked me clean.  Not a single spot remained as he kissed my chest before
coming to my lips.  I could taste the hot cum on my lover's breath as we
turned to snuggle with one another to fall asleep for the evening.

	The next day wasn't anything spectacular.  Tony and I lounged around the
house as we finished the last of the laundry that we needed to do before our
trip.  Tony played with his new computer, or rather, I should say his "toy."
  By three, we were ready to start the five hour trek to Charlotte.  The
drive was pleasant, except for getting stopped in South Carolina for driving
in excess of the speed limit.  We finally arrived at Nani's house well after
the setting on the sun.  Nani and Martín were pleased to see us when we
arrived, with Nani making us sit down to eat at bite of something before we
did anything else.  Martín and Tony went off doing something outside, but
left me to tell Nani about the Canada Day celebration.  She smiled, as if I
were one of her grandchildren.

	"It sounds like an amazing time," she said.

	"Oh it was!  I had a blast, especially when the band started playing O
Canada!"  Nani laughed at my enthusiastic recounting of the story.  "And
Tony did all of it for me.  He planned it, had his brothers get Canadian
liquor, everything."

	"He really does love you a lot, Jake."

	"I know.  And I love him so much."

	"It's an amazing thing when you find someone who truly loves you.  It was
that way for me and Jorge.  The first time I met him, I thought he was the
most annoying person on the planet.  He kept asking me to go to a dance with
him, and I kept refusing.  Well, one day, I finally gave in and went to a
dance with him.  With the first whirl around the dance floor, I knew that I
wanted to marry him and live in love with him forever."

	"I wish I could have met him."

	"In a sense you have.  If you take Gui's stubbornness, Martín's niceness,
and Tony's heart, you have him," she said, losing herself in thought for a
moment.

	"Hey Nani," Martín said.  "It's ready."

	"Gracias baby," she said as she stood from the table.  I looked at her in
amazement.  I hoped in that moment that when I was her age, I could think so
highly of Tony, the man who had, more than anyone else, captivated me, my
thoughts, and my dreams.  She went to the fridge and pulled a large
container out.  "Jake.  Will you go get the box out of the freezer."

	"Yes ma'am," I said standing and heading to the large freezer in her
garage.  It was heavy.  It took up an entire shelf.  It must have weighed at
least75 pounds.  As I carried it back into the kitchen, Nani had cleared a
space on her counter to prepare the whole pig that was in the box for the
barbecue.

	"Right here," she said, patting the large metal pan in on the counter.  I
set the box down and began to open it.

	"Can we put on some music?" I asked.

	"Well.  There is a record that I usually put on when I am doing this.  Go
find the Celia Cruz one and put it on."  The moment it started, I felt like
I was back in Cuba.  There is a certain way that Cuban music affects the
soul.  It makes you want to dance.  It makes you want to smile.  It makes
you want to be around family and loved ones.  I returned to the kitchen.
"This reminds me of being a girl in Cuba," Nani said with a smile and
certain swing in her step.

	We talked as Nani split the backbone of the pig to get it ready for the
roasting.  She seemed happy, in a way that I hadn't seen in the whole time
I'd known her.

	The front door creaked open in a second, but then stopped.  "Nani's
roasting a pig!" Gui exclaimed as he came into the house.

	"Yes.  She is roasting a pig," Nani answered as Gui came into the kitchen
from the front door.  Gui hugged his grandmother as he continued to prepare
the pig for the mojo that it would marinate in over night.  "Actually, you,
Tony, and Martín will doing it in the morning."

	"Nice," Gui said.  "Hey Jake."

	"Hey man.  How's it going?"

	"Good.  Do you remember María?"

	"Yeah."

	"She's coming tomorrow."

	"Really?"

	"Yeah.  She couldn't make it home for the holiday, so she's coming down to
visit me."

	"Who is this María?" Nani asked.

	"She's a girl that I met when we were on vacation.  She's really sweet," he
told his grandmother with a sparkle in his eye.  I recognized it.  Nani
recognized it.  He was in love.

	"I'm sure she is a wonderful girl."

	"She is great, Nani."

	Tony and Martín came back into the house as Nani was spreading the mojo
over the pig.  We talked about random things until Nani was finished with
the pig.  Gui said that was staying that night, if it were OK, and Nani said
it was fine, but warned him not to stay up too long, since the three of them
had a long day tomorrow with the preparation of the pig.  Tony and I went to
bed shortly.  We were both tired from the day, and I wanted to be well
rested when Tony's parents and some friends that Nani had invited got there.
  I slept soundly next to Tony that night, but I didn't dream, which was
odd.  Nani woke us all up around 5:30, since the pig had to be roasted for
five to six hours before lunch.  We dragged ourselves out of bed.  Gui and
Tony got the fire started as Martín and I finished helping Nani get the pig
read for roasting.

	Around 7, the other Cisneros, Magda and Jorge (Tony's father) reared their
heads.  Jorge was quick to greet everyone there, including me, with loving
father/son hugs.  Magda coldly greeted Tony, but acted as though here other
children were angels.  Nani was another person that seemed to be on her hit
list.  I, in her eyes, wasn't even there.  Tony was pissed by the way she
was acting, but for the sake of his grandmother, didn't say anything.  Later
that morning, a host of other family members from the Charlotte area began
arriving.  Nani's sister, Elena, arrived along with her grandsons around
11:30 after a short flight from Miami.  Her grandsonds, Mario and Nestor,
were around mine and Tony's age, and were very accepting of the situation,
despite Magda's obvious disgust with my very presence.  Elena, Nani, Magda,
and I ended up in the kitchen as Jorge gave the others a quick lesson on how
to properly roast a pig.  The lot of them were crowded around the makeshift
caja china (a grill customarily used to roast pigs for special occassions),
drinking beers or sodas or something.  Elena and Nani were getting along
well, standing at the counter fixing a dish known in English as Moors and
Christians, a mixture of rice and black beans.  Magda quietly stood over the
stove making plantain chips.  Elena and Nani were including me in the
conversation, or at least trying to.  They joked with me, telling me about
when Tony was a little boy.  One funny story from his youth involved him, on
the beach in Miami with the family, taking off his diaper and running into
the water, completely naked.

	"Why don't we talk about something else?" Magda asked as she stood over the
stove, refusing to face them.  Elena made a face where Magda couldn't see.

	"We are just trying to tell him about his boyfriend.  I'm sure he could
tell us stories about himself if you would be more comfortable with that,"
Elena said and Nani agreed.

	"I don't want to hear them," she stated.  "Es tanto que tengo que estar
aquí en el mismo cuarto que él."  (It's enough that I have to be here, in
the same room with him.)

	"Magda...¿Por que no te lo gusta?" Nani asked.  "He has always been polite,
nice, and very good to your son.  He flew him to Toronto when you through
him out of your house.  He even took the expense to fly his grandmother and
brothers to Toronto so that he could see them on Christmas day."  If there
is anything that I've learned in life, it's that you don't purposefully piss
off a Latina, even if they're wrong.  It's just something that's not
done...or at least that shouldn't be done.  "His family has been better to
your son than you have over the last six months..."

	"Stop it!" Magda siad, turning around to face Nani and Elena.  She was
pissed off.  She walked over to Nani and put a finger in Nani's face.
"Cállate vieja."  (Shut up old woman.)

	"Magdalena, I may be an old woman, but you might want to consider taking
that finger out of my face.  I will rip it off your body."

	"If I were you, I would be more concerned about where he is going to go
after he dies.  If they go on, the two of them will rot in hell."  She
looked at me.  "You made him this way, your punishment will be even worse."
She pointed and looked at me.  "Te detesto.  Eres demonio!"  (I hate you.
You are a demon.)

	I didn't know what to say.  In my life, I had never encountered someone who
felt so strongly about homosexuality in regard to their religion.  Sure,
there were the Harpers, but they would have never said something like that
within a mile of my mother.  "Jacob.  Take another round of beers out to the
men, please," Nani instructed.

	"Yes ma'am."  There was no way that I was going to argue with her.  I
grabbed some beers for the six men outside and placed them on a tray.  I
grabbed three miniature bottles of tequila as well, for myself an whomever
else might want one.  I carefully carried the tray to the sliding door,
which the men had left open.  I set the tray on the table.

	"This is why I love my boyfriend..." Tony said upon seeing me carrying the
tray.  I smiled as I walked back to close the sliding door leading into the
house.  As the door clicked, it all started.  I heard Nani yelling at
Magdalena, and the latter trying to argue with her.  "Did you bring one for
everybody, babe?"

	"Yep," I said as he came over and gave me a hug.

	"It'll be OK.  I promise," he whispered in my ear, seeming to know why I'd
come outside.

	"Who's the tequila for?" Gui asked as he came over to get the beers for
everyone.

	"They're for me," I answered honestly.

	"Oh!" he said, noticing that I'd closed the door.

	"So she's being a bitch," Gui said as I came over to the place around the
faux caja china where they were all assembled.  I swallowed the liquor in
one of the miniatures and set the bottle on a table where their empty beer
bottles were.  I opened the second and then looked at Jorge.

	"It's OK.  You can say it," Martín said.  "I could tell she was going to be
trouble because of the way she was treating you and Nani this morning.
That's part of the reason why I stayed out here.

	None of us saw María come around the side of the house in the backyard.
"Hey fellas!" she said.

	"Hey babe," Gui said as he broke from the circle as he went up to his
girlfriend, who looked ravishing in a summer dress with silver shoes with
heels and her long, flowing black hair.

      Jorge, Nestor, and Mario each said "Damn" under their breath as the
two of them hugged and kissed gently.  As their kiss broke, I made sure to
notice her facial expression.  She kissed him and then looked deeply into
his eyes.  I was so happy to see that she felt the same way about him as he
obviously felt about her.

	"So how did you know we were back here?" Gui asked as they continued to
stand with each other.

	"Well.  I walked up to the front door, and there were two women screaming
at each other, but I saw your car, so I assumed that it was like when my
mother and grandmother argue and all the men go outside."  She giggled.  "If
I ever act like that, you have my permission to tell me."

	"I wouldn't though," Jorge joked as he walked over to the couple.

	"Babe.  This is my dad, Jorge."

	"Mucho gusto, Jorge.  Me llamo María."

	"El gusto es mío," he said, kissing her hand very gallantly.

	"And babe.  You know Tony, Jake, and Martín."

	"It's good to see you all again," she said, smiling and waving at us.

	"This is my cousin, Nestor."

	"Mucho gusto."

	"I don't speak Spanish, but I don't think you cussed me."

	"No.  I just said it was a pleasure to meet you."

	"Oh!  It's nice to meet you too," he said, shaking her hand.

	"And this is Mario."

	"Mi María," he said, extending his hand and smiling.  "Nice to meet the one
that finally tamed my cousin."

	"Oh.  He's still in training," she joked.

	"Would you like something to drink, babe?" Gui offered, willing to put
himself in the middle of his grandmother and mother to get her something to
quench her thirst.

	"Can I have a beer?"

	"Of course," he smiled at her as we walked inside.  As he slid open the
glass doors we heard the women still going at it.  Gui returned quickly with
two beers in hand: another for himself and one for his girlfriend.  "Don't
be surprised if my mother comes out here in a second and tries to act like
you're her best friend," he warned María.

	To Gui's credit, he correctly predicted his mother's next move.  She walked
outside after wiping her eyes and fixing her hair.  She looked at me and
then raised her nose as she walked over to María.

	"I am Magdalena Cisneros," she said, taking María's arms and gently kissing
her cheek.

	"María Carvallo.  Mucho gusto, señora," María politely said.

	"Oh!  Llámame Magda!" Magda insisted.  "Tuviste buena vuelta?"  (Oh!  Call
me Magda.  Did you have a good drive?)

	"Sí Magda."  (Yes, Magda.)

	"Bueno.  Me alegre de oír éso."  (Good.  I'm glad to hear that.)  María
chuckled and smiled.

	Nani and Elena made their way outside after a moment.  Nani had been
crying, which pissed me off a bit, since I knew that she'd been defending
me.  She didn't say a word to Magda, but introduced herself and carried on a
brief introductory conversation with María.  María knew with whom she was
going to ally herself as soon as Magda began to try to pull her into the
family foray.

	"Do you like roast pig?" Nani asked María.
	"Sí.  Pero no he tenido puerco tan rico en mucho tiempo," she exclaimed as
Nani cut a piece of the pig to hand to her.  She was enthusiastic about the
food, as if it were something she'd been used to in the past, but hadn't had
a chance to savor in so long.  (Yes, but I've not had any pork this tasty in
a long time.)

	"Bueno.  Tambien tenemos muchas cosas más para comer.  Vas a comer con
nosotros, verdad?"  (Good.  We're also having a lot of other things to eat.
You are going to eat with us, right?)

	"Claro, señora, si está bien contigo."  (Yes ma'am, if it's alright with
you.)

	"Claro que sí bella.  Pero me llamo Nani, OK?"  (Of course, beautiful.  But
my name is Nani, OK?)

	"Sí, Nani."  She was much more courteous to Nani than she had been to
Magda.  After a few minutes, Nani cut large portions of the pig off, but
left most of it on the grill.  We found ourselves piled into her dining room
and living room.  The `jovenes' as we were called all planned on sitting in
the living room, while putting the adults in the dining room.  It was nice
to simply laugh and drink and hang out with Tony and his family.  María even
got into the whole thing when the boys started talking about football.  The
beast didn't rear her ugly head except to offer everyone some of her banana
and chocolate empanadas, everyone that is, except for Tony and me.  Her
ugliness was getting on my nerves.

	"So we're going back to my place later to watch the fireworks," Danny
announced, "would you all like to come over and see them?"

	"Sure," Tony said as `La bestia' (the beast) came into the room.  There was
a resounding affirmative response from the rest of the people in the room.

	"Hmmpf...avec les pédés..." Magda said as she returned to offer everyone
else another empanada.  I was getting angrier and angrier as I thought more
about the word that she'd used.  (With the faggots...)

	"Did you say something Mom?" Gui asked innocently.

	"Oh no.  I didn't say anything...." she said, looking at me for my
reaction.

	"Gui.  Pédé is the French word for fag," I said, looking directly at her.
Everything in the room stopped.  For a moment, there was no eating.  There
was no speaking.  Everyone was amazed that she'd said that.  Between the two
of us, there seemed to be a staring contest.

	"That was uncalled for, Mom," Gui said as he got up to throw out his plate
and the remaining empanada.  Tony was so pissed off that he looked like he
was about to cry.  Martín returned to the empanada, quietly chewing as he
tried to stay out of the staring contest between his mother and me.  I'd had
enough of her shit, and I wasn't about to stand for her condescending tone
around me anymore.

	She slapped María's shoulder as if looking for an ally in the room.  "Él
está enojado porque no le ofrecí una empanada."  She laughed as she looked
at me.  Was this going to convince me to say something to her?  Was this
going to provoke me into action?

	"There really not as good as my mother's," María said.  "She uses a more
bitter chocolate, which is more what me and my gay brother prefer."  She put
the remainder of the empanada down on the plate, and stood.  "And
furthermore, if it hadn't been for Jake and Tony inviting their brothers on
their vacation, I probably wouldn't have ever met Gui."  She looked at
Magda, "I should at least say thank you for the attempt."

	I was impressed.  Tony was, too, though, letting loose a slight chuckle
that didn't please his mother.  María stood there in pure Puerto Rican style
and waited for Magda to respond.  When she didn't, she walked past her to
put her plate in the kitchen.  "I think it's time for us to go home, Magda,"
Jorge said, wisely pulling his wife toward the door.  We all stood up and
gave him a big hug as she stood in the doorway with her purse.  As when they
had arrived, he made the rounds giving everyone a hug.  I made my way to the
door, where Magda stood, looking at me.

	"May I talk to you outside?" I asked, opening the door and stepping onto
the porch.  She followed me out.

	"Well are you happy?  You've turned my entire family against me."

	"No ma'am.  I'm not responsible for that.  That's your fault," I said as
she shut the door behind her.

	"If you hadn't come into Tony's life, none of this would be happening.
Tony might have found a good girl or something," she stated in a snobbish
tone.

	"I doubt Tony would have found a girl, Mrs. Cisneros, but I do know that
you're treating him like shit.  I can handle you talking to me any way you
wish.  I have an uncle that is exactly like you, and I've been dealing with
him for years.  But your son, Tony, is one of the greatest men alive.  He is
kind, charming, romantic, beautiful, and thoughtful.  Did you know that he
gave me a portrait of me that he'd done himself for Christmas?  Did you know
that when my father died, he was there to hold on to me until I stopped
crying?  He is one of the greatest men that I have ever known, and you're
going around treating him like he's less of a person than you are.  That's
not right."

	"He is less of a person.  He's a fag."

	"Look lady.  I don't know you; you don't know me, but we both love Tony for
the man that we know that he is."  She looked away, angrily.  She knew I was
right, but wouldn't have ever admitted it.  "And you will never have to
worry about seeing me again, because if you're gonna be there, I won't.
Like I said, I've dealt with people like you all my life, but I won't deal
with you ever again."

	"Stupid faggot," she said as she grabbed a cigarette out of her purse and
lit it.  "You don't get it.  You are going to hell, straight to hell.  The
minute you lured my son into your bed, you condemned him to hell too, so
forgive me if I'm not going to bend over like my senile mother-in-law and
kiss your ass."  She turned away from me again and started to walk down the
stairs.  My muscles were tensing, and I felt my face flushing with a bright
red color.  I was so angry at her that I could have pummeled her into the
ground, but that wouldn't have solved anything, and I probably would have
been deported instantly.  I couldn't think of anything to say in response.

	"Ma'am.  I never expected you to kiss my ass, but I do expect you to treat
your son like the man that he is.  If you can't do that because you're too
petty to realize that you're wrong about him and his fate in the afterlife,
then you can go off and fuck yourself."  I turned immediately and walked
inside the house.  Jorge was right there at the door, about to come out
himself.  He hugged me once more and then let me go.  I ran right to Tony,
who dragged me into the room we'd slept in the night before.

	He rubbed my back as I cried into his chest.  "It's OK, baby."

	"I have always tried to be nice to people.  I've always tried to treat
people with respect and courtesy.  I just don't understand why she's such a
bitch to me.  I know she's your mom, and I'm sorry for calling her that.  I
just can't understand why she acts like this around me."

	"It's OK.  You summed it up.  She's just a bitch."

	"I'm so sorry for all the drama.  You know I detest situations like this."

	"I know, baby."

	"She makes me so angry though.  It's almost like I'm a firecracker."

	"Here, Jake," Nani said as she and Elena brought a drink into me.  "Tengo
orgullo en tí."  (I'm proud of you.)

	"Gracias."

	"Lo que hiciste toma mucho coraje."  She kissed my forehead and left the
room.  Elena smiled as she followed Nani out and left Tony and me in there
for a few minutes alone.  (What you did takes a lot of courage.)

	"Ugh!  I said as I downed the soda."

	"What?  You OK?"

	"Yeah.  I'm just ready to go watch fireworks."

	"Your discussion with my mom wasn't enough?" he said, smiling and winking
at me.

	"I love you, Jake.  And thanks for defending my honor.  This is what I
really love about having you as a boyfriend."  He kissed my forehead.

	"I love you, Tony, and you would have done the same thing for me."

	"A million times over."

	He hugged me for a few seconds more.  Gui and María invaded the room next,
though, after a minute, to tell us that everyone was leaving for his
apartment to watch the fireworks from his apartment complex.  We drove
ourselves and Nestor in the BMW, while Gui, María, Martín, and Mario rode in
Gui's SUV.  As we set off from Nani's, the plan is that we would go back to
Gui's apartment, watch the fireworks, and then bring Mario and Nestor back
to Nani's house for the night.  After we got there, though, the drinking
began, and I soon found myself in a drinking contest with Nestor, to see how
much tequila could be consumed over the course of the evening.  Before we
were too drunk, but well after the setting of the sun, the fireworks began.
Fiery streamers of red, white, and blue flooded the sky.  Despite my level
of inebriation, I could still enjoy the fireworks, in the arms of my
beautiful boyfriend.

	The day had been one filled with anger and resentment, but ended on such a
good, positive note.  As I looked into the Tony's eyes, they reflected the
fireworks in the sky.  The day ended just as the month had begun, with me in
the arms of the man that I could have sworn in that moment I would be
spending the rest of my life with this amazing man before me.  As we went to
sleep on Gui's air mattress that had been set up in the living room, I
hugged him greatly, thankful that we had each other to get through those
rough times that couples often face.