Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2007 03:07:45 -0500 From: David J <boricuaholandes@hotmail.com> Subject: All Good Things -- Chapter 17 So here's the final chapter. I've enjoyed writing this story so much, and I appreciate all of the compliments and emails that you guys have sent. I am currently working on my next story. The first chapter is on the yahoo group already, but it's going to be a while before I start publishing the rest of it to nifty and the yahoo group. I just want to get y'alls opinions on it. Anyway...I would like to take a minute to thank a few people before the final chapter opens. First off, to Joey. You are an amazing guy and a great man. I have enjoyed getting to know you for the greatness that you are!!! To Ray, you are an amazing guy. If I could, I would clone Andy Roddick for you and alter his genetic code to make him gay and into only you! You're HOT! To Cheryl, Donna, John, Geoff, Ken, Alex, and anyone else who, along the way, has proofed or edited the story, I owe you a MILLION thanks. You guys have been soooo much help in the formulation of the story, its plot and characters. Having you all help me has been such a big help! MILLONES DE GRACIAS A USTEDES!!! I hope that you enjoy this final installment of All Good Things. Please, as always, let me know what you think. Boricuaholandes@hotmail.com or via the yahoo group, ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/futurecanadiansgroup. David! All Good Things Chapter 17 -- Evolution With the exception of the cars driving up and down the road in the middle of the night, I had a great night's sleep. It was peaceful and filled with dreams of Joey. As I woke, realizing that he wasn't there, I began to think of how things were going at his sister's house. Was he sleeping well? How many books did he have to read to his nephews before they finally drifted off to sleep? I looked out the window to see that it was still dark outside. By the time I realized that the sun hadn't yet risen, I was fully awake and totally unable to return to the land of slumber. "I guess I'll just get up, then," I said, throwing the covers over the bed and walking into the bathroom. Still in a haze, I pulled down the pants I'd slept in that night and let my flow of pee from my dick start naturally. "Ahhh..." I said as the night's waste deluged from my relaxing body. The last few drops were shaken off, and I pulled the pajama pants back over my crotch. I grabbed a white t-shirt from the drawer and pulled it over my body. Stealthily, I crept down the stairs to the kitchen, so as not to wake my aunt or mother. There was a small light on above the sink, so I could still see what I was doing. "Coffee," I mumbled, walking to the pantry to grab my mother's coffee-making supplies. I yawned, despite feeling fully conscious and awake. The aroma of the coffee set into motion a flurry of thought, all happy. I thought about Joey again, but then I was going to be thinking of him a lot until I saw him again, I was sure. He'd saved me from myself so many times in the past, and I think that's why I was able to fall in love with so easily and so quickly, as compared to the time between the end of my relationship with Adán and the beginning of my relationship with Tony. My mind returned to the coffeepot as it made a gurgling sound to let everyone around know that it was coffee time. Mornings like that one, when I knew that I wouldn't have a chance to sleep anymore for a long time, made coffee a very good friend of mine, despite the fact that I didn't drink the nectar every morning. I grabbed one of Mom's mugs and poured myself a cup. It was almost as if the steam that rose from the top of the mug was inviting me to take my first sip, then a second. It seemed to wake up other parts of my body as I swallowed those first few sips. "Good morning, world," I said to myself. I grabbed one of my light coats from the peg just in the foyer and returned to the kitchen, grabbing my cup of coffee and a donut from the package sitting on the counter. It was one of those mornings where I wanted to go outside and appreciate the beauty of nature in both darkness and the ensuing light of sunrise. I stopped for a second when I looked out the door. I saw something. I shook it off thinking it was a figment of a mind that wasn't as awake as I thought. "Oh shit," I said as I realized that I wasn't dreaming. There actually was something on the porch. Rather, I should say someone. His back was facing the door to the kitchen as he lay on the swing. There's really no other way to say this without sounding as gay, but I recognized his ass. I almost slumped over myself as I chewed a piece of the donut. I walked back into the kitchen, getting a second mug from the pantry, and grabbing a paper napkin and another donut from the box. With my mug and donut in one hand and his in another, I walked out to the deck. It wasn't very cold outside, but it wasn't warm enough to have come out without a coat. `His hair's growing back nicely,' I thought as I set his mug and donut onto the small round table that sat between the two wrought iron chairs and the wooden swing. He was still sprawled there, unaware of the turning world around him, with his back facing me. He was wearing a black, fleece, North Face jacket and some jeans that really did fit him well. His head lay on a black backpack that I'd bought him as we started our final year of school at Auburn. He took a deep breath and turned his body around, narrowly opening his eyes for a second before shutting them again. It wasn't a peaceful sleep for him. Though I can understand why it wouldn't be, sleeping on something a foot and a half shorter than him. He looked as if he'd been crying. His eyes were red and puffy. Just as I was thinking that, his eyes shot back open. For several seconds, they stared at me, without blinking. Those blue eyes that I'd fallen for so long ago were staring back at me. The spark that I'd experienced wasn't there though. I was, in an odd way, glad, though, because it confirmed that I was no longer in love with the man that had broken my heart a few months before. "Morning," I said after he blinked twice. "Hey," he responded, sitting up on the swing, yawning, and wiping his face. "Sleep well?" I asked, not intending to sound sarcastic, but pulling it off really well. "Not really. Is this for me?" he asked, surprised that I would have a cup of coffee and a donut waiting on him when he woke up. "Yeah," I answered. He took the cup and gulped before realizing that it was still quite hot. "Shit," he said before smiling and trying to laugh off his blunder. "Sorry." "No problem," I said calmly. "Thank you," he said as he took a second, longer, more deliberate sip of the coffee. "So why were asleep on my swing?" I asked. He didn't answer immediately, but did take another sip of the coffee. "I'm sorry. I needed to get away and this is where I ended up." "Running from the law?" I asked, jokingly. "No. Oh, no." He shook his head. "Running from demons," he answered cryptically. "You came to the right place. We don't have those in Canada," I answered, making him laugh. "Good to know." "So what demons?" I asked. "Well. Last week, my life fell apart," he answered, looking me in the eye for the first time since I'd startled him awake. "OK?" "I've been seeing this guy named Tommy." "From your birthday?" I asked. "Yeah. Same guy. Well, he and I went out last Monday night for dinner. While we were eating, I got a call from Gui and then another one from Martín. They were both hysterical. Apparently, while I was at dinner, Nani said she wasn't feeling good, so she sat on the couch. She fell asleep, and then didn't wake up." He looked again at the cup in his hand. A light trickle of tears turned into a gushing of sobbing, painful, sorrowful tears. "Well, Tommy was really cool for me that night. He stayed with me through everything." "Like any good boyfriend would do." "Right," he said, looking up for a second and then back at his mug. "The thing is, he called me the next morning and told me that I caused too much drama in his life, and that he couldn't see me anymore." "Oh shit!" I exclaimed, feeling the need to direct any anger I still had lingering in my system for Tony to the little punk. "Yeah. So Gui, Martín, and I did all the prep work for the funeral. Dad was distraught, so he couldn't help with anything. Mom was, well, Mom." He stopped his talking for a second. "I really do hate that bitch!" he said in a moment. "She fucks up everything." "I take it she reverted back to her old ways." "With a vengeance!" "Sorry." "Not your fault. She liked you," Tony said. "When she found out we broke up, she was pissed at me for a couple of days and then immediately started back on me about finding a girl and settling down." "Ouch." "Yeah," he responded. "So back to the funeral..." "Right. Well, I was for shit all week." "Understandable." "Then on Friday, the day of the funeral," he started, "I just lost it. I told everyone in my family that didn't know about me. I told them about things my Mom had done to me in the past that I'd bottled up for years. I brought out all the skeletons in the closet that I knew about. I pissed off most of my family, including my brothers. Well, the funeral went on. We buried her. I went back to the house and packed a suitcase and started driving." "Uh huh..." "Then last night, I crossed the border and came up here." "Why here?" "I don't know. I figured that you guys weren't as pissed at me as my family is." "I don't know. If you're still here when Danny gets here, make sure there's somebody between the two of you at all times." "I know. I deserve anything he has for me. To be honest, I don't know why I came up here. I mean, you hate me. Your family hates me. Joey hates me." "I don't hate you, Tony. I never did; I was just very hurt and very angry with everything that surrounded our break up. As far as the family goes, they don't hate you." "Danny does." "He's just not your biggest fan," I said. Tony gave a half-laugh. "Understatement of the century, I'm sure. I don't blame him, though. What I did...let's just say that I haven't forgiven myself for, yet." "Well, if it's any consolation, I forgave you a long time ago." "That means a lot." "And Joey did, too. He and I had a long talk about you a few months ago, and he helped me work through the last of those imported demons that I had about you." "How is he?" "He's great. He's in Vancouver visiting family." "Are you two together yet?" he asked out of the blue. "How would you know to ask that?" "It was an assumption that I made." "Yes. Everybody's been joking about the two of us being together for months now, but it was just made official last night when his four-year-old nephew asked us to clarify what we were to each other. Mom is the only person who officially knows, and that's just because she overheard part of the conversation." "Ah," he smiled. "He's worthy of you." "I don't think that I'm worthy of him, but I'm coping with that," I smiled. "You're a great guy, Jake. Maybe this time, you'll be happy in the end." "Who knows?" I said, fondly thinking of Joey and knowing in the back of my mind with greater certainty than I'd known with Tony that I would, in fact, be happy in the end. I guess I was trying to keep from completely crushing his ego. I guess I'd gone soft, being that he was actually in front of me. "I'm sure you will. Your last boyfriend really fucked things up," he said, looking at his mug again. "Yeah," I said, "he did, but at least he's got the balls to admit his mistake." He looked at me and smiled another half-smile before returning to looking at things in the distance and back at his mug. "So why didn't you call me to tell me you were in town?" "Would you have answered?" "I don't know. It would have depended on my mood, I suppose." "Cool..." "You should have at least tried, though." "Yeah. I'd been awake for almost three days, though, and I wasn't thinking clearly." "Understandable." "Tony?" Mom asked, coming out onto the porch. "Morning, Mrs. Henry," he said, slightly afraid of the reaction that she might have at seeing him there. "When did you get in?" she asked politely. "About three this morning," he answered, looking at his mug. "That would explain the screeching breaks I heard in the middle of the night," I said. "Yeah," he said. "Did you sleep out here?" she asked in a tone that was meant to set him at ease. Mom seemed to know that something wasn't right. She also knew that I hadn't called and invited him up. "Yes ma'am." "Why didn't you call Jacob? Or the house?" she scolded. Tony shrugged his shoulders, still not making eye contact with the formidable woman before him. "I've had some bad things happen over the last week, and I'd been awake for three days and just wasn't thinking." "Well, baby, come inside then and get warm. It's a bit chilly out," she said, waving her arm for us to follow her. "Thanks Mrs. Henry." "Call me Susan!" she insisted, as we walked into the house. "Alright, Susan." "So what brings you to Toronto?" Mom prodded as she flicked on the lights in the kitchen. "Well. Some things happened last week, and then Friday I just started driving. My car just kind of brought me here." "Everything OK? Does your family know you're here? You did tell Nani, didn't you?" "Mom..." I said, trying to let her know that that was part of why he had made the trek up north, to get away from family. "Actually, Susan, Nani passed." "Oh, dear! I hate to hear that. She was a wonderful woman." "Yes ma'am," he said to Mom. "Then the guy that I was seeing dumped me because he couldn't handle the stress of things, and at the funeral, I pissed everybody in my family off. So I just started driving and ended up here. So no ma'am. They don't know where I am." "Oh. I do hate to hear about Nani, though. Is there anything I can do to help you out?" she asked, very sweetly given what had happened between the two of us. "No ma'am, but thank you very much," he said, looking up and smiling at her as he took a seat at the table. Mom brought the coffee pot over and set it on a warming thing, along with a mug for herself. "Actually, I'm sorry for just showing up. I'll leave in a few minutes and get a hotel or something." "Nonsense," she said, refilling his cup. "It's a holiday, and you are invited to stay and have lunch with us. Granted, you will have to help out with getting things ready, but you're more than welcome." "Thank you, Mrs. Henry, but..." "If you'd like, you can take a nap in the guest room until people start arriving. I had the bathroom down there redone, so you can use it to freshen up as well, if you'd like." "That is really very sweet of you, given the past. I appreciate your kindness," he said, looking up at her, as if he were about to cry again. "Not a problem," she said, rubbing his back. "Mrs. Henry..." "Ugh!" she started to correct him. "Susan. I want to apologize for causing you guys so much heartache. I really fucked up with Jake, and I know that you hurt you guys, too. I really am very sorry," he said sincerely to my mother. Mom looked at me before responding. "I appreciate that you said that. It means a lot to me to hear." "Is it OK if I use the bathroom?" he asked, looking at us. "No Tony, you have to pee outside," I said, sarcastically, forcing him to smile and laugh for a second. "What if it's number 2?" he shot back. "Then you have to do it in the neighbor's pool," I answered, getting another laugh. "That's not a problem, Tony," Mom answered, smiling at me, but still trying to keep that motherly tone. "Actually, why don't you go rest for a bit. You look awful. Given the circumstances, though, I understand," she added. "Thank you, very much." "Not a problem," I added, smiling at him. He walked down the hall to the spare bedroom quietly sniffling from the hours of crying and then sleeping outside in the weather. Mom and I didn't say anything until we heard the door close behind him. "You OK?" Mom asked, bringing to the realization that I had been starting off into space. "Yeah," I answered. "It's just been a long day already." "I understand." "I need to talk to Joey," I said. "What time is it?" I asked, straining to look at the clock on the microwave. "6:30." "Damn. It's 3:30 in Vancouver." "Right. I would wait a bit to call him, then. You should call your brother, though. I would really rather not have him lose his temper this morning," Mom said. "Yeah. I was going to do that in a bit, too." "Is that your phone?" she asked. I listened carefully for a second and heard `O! Canada!' playing in the living room. "Yes ma'am. I'll be right back," I answered, walking from the kitchen to the living room as the song began to play a second time. "Hello?" I answered. "Jake?" the voice asked. "Gui?" I asked. "Yeah. How are you, man?" he asked, in both a friendly and polite tone. "I'm good. How are you?" "Not too good, but I'm livin'," he answered. "Living's better than the alternative," I said, momentarily forgetting why Tony had come to my house in the middle of the night. "True. Listen. I need to tell you something and then ask you a question." "Go ahead." "Nani passed away last week." "I heard. I'm so sorry to hear about that, Gui. Is there anything that I can do for you?" "That kind of answers my second question, but no, not right now. I may need to call you at three in the morning just to talk or something, though, if you don't mind." "Not at all. You'd do the same for me," I said, sitting on the couch. "So what was your other question?" "I was going to ask if you'd heard from Tony." "Yeah. He came up in the middle of the night last night and fell asleep on our back porch." "Oh, shit! Is he OK?" "Yeah. He's fine. We didn't know he was here until I woke up and found him outside." "Oh, goodness. For some reason, I figured he was headed that way. Did he tell you what happened?" "Just that he lost it at the funeral and said some things that pissed everybody off," I answered. "Well, he pissed Mom off. Everybody else was OK," Gui stated. "He told Mom exactly what he thought about some things, though." "Uh huh..." "If it's cool, though, I really don't want to go into it...again. María and I have had a thousand conversations about it since that afternoon." "That's fine," I responded. "As long as he's OK, though." "Yeah. He's fine. Mom made him go lie down for a bit before lunch." "I hope your brother doesn't get pissed." "I'm going to talk to him in a little bit. Once I explain what's going on, he'll be fine. Do you want me to tell Tony that you called?" "Please. María and I may come up there and get him later this afternoon, if we can get a flight." "I'm sure it won't be a problem. It's a holiday up here, though, so be careful." "Alright, man. Listen, I'm sorry for all the shit that happened between you and Tony." "It's OK, Gui. It's all water under the bridge," I said, smiling. "Call me when you get up here, and I'll come and get you from the airport." "That'll be cool. Thanks, Jake. For everything." "Not a problem, Gui. Not a problem." "OK. Well, I'm going to run. Have a good day." "You too, Gui!" "Alright. Bye." "Ciao." I hung up the phone and sat on the couch for a second. The sun had only barely started to rise and sent rays of sunshine into the room, and yet I'd dealt with more than I normally do in a full day. I was again tired and could have easily crawled upstairs to my bed and gone back to sleep. As I sat there, I thought about how I was going to tell my brother what was going on. Should I start out with the "OK. So don't get mad..." line? Or Should I just tell him what's going on and let him handle it in his own way? I had no doubts about my brother's sensitivity to the situation, but I also had no doubt the he meant what he'd said in the past about beating the shit out of Tony should he ever see him again. The joys of having an over-protective little brother! After realizing that I'd fallen asleep, I popped back up and looked at the time on my phone. An hour had passed since I got off the phone with Gui, and it had now become the time to call Danny. To avoid Tony feeling uncomfortable should he overhear the conversation, I walked from the living room, through the kitchen, where Mom was still sitting, quietly reading the morning paper, through to the patio. I opened the phone and stood there for a second. `It's got to be done to avoid problems,' I thought to myself as I scrolled through the list looking for Danny's number. "Hello?" he answered, still obviously asleep, after four long rings. "Hey. I need you awake." "Can it wait?" he asked. "No. I need to tell you something, and I need you to be completely awake and coherent," I added, having begun to pace around the stone patio. "OK. Since you're being so insistent. Let me pee," he said. "I'll be right back, baby," he told Matilda as he stepped out of the bed. With me on the phone, he walked right into his bathroom and started to pee. He groaned a couple of times and then finally flushed the toilet. "Let me put on some shorts," he said, setting the phone down for a second. "OK," I responded, not sure if he'd heard me or not. "OK. So I'm awake. What's going on?" he asked, after walking from the bedroom into the living room, shutting the door behind him. "Danny. Tony's here." "WHAT?!?" he yelled. "Why the hell is he there? Let me get dressed; I'm gonna beat that motherfucker to a bloody fuckin' pulp!" "Danny! Calm down! There's a reason." "Did you invite him?" he asked. "Do you THINK that I invited him?" "OK. So why is he there?" "His grandmother died last week, and in the process, the guy he was seeing left him, and then he thought he pissed off his family. He said he just started driving and ended up here." "OK..." "When I got up this morning, he was asleep on the back porch." "OK? Do you think he came to try to get you back?" "Nope, and after the conversation I had with Joey last night, it won't." "You two finally together?" he asked. "Yes," I answered proudly. "Good, cause he knows if he ever fucks with you, it's his ass," Danny said. "I love you, Danny. Thanks for being the best little brother a guy could have." "I love you, too, Jake-o." He stopped for a second. "Is Tony OK?" "I don't know. He's dealing with a lot of stuff right now. I hope that is, but I can't say for certain." "I hate to hear that about Nani, though. She was a classy lady," Danny said sagely. "Listen, tell him that if there's anything he needs from me, to let me know. Despite the fact the he fucked you over, he's still been there for all of us a lot. We, at least I, owe him that much." "Thank you, Danny." "Not a problem. Have you talked to Joey, yet?" "No. He is in Vancouver." "Ouch. I forgot about that. And it's just after 5 there, right?" "Yeah. I'm going to call him in a bit." "Cool. Well. I'm awake now, so I'm going to go wake up my girlfriend," he said, following it with an evil laugh. "Alright. See ya later." "Ciao, hermano." I sat there for a second, pondering the morning. What had happened? What was going on? Why had HE come HERE in a moment of distress when he could have easily ended up someplace else? Despite the hour, I needed to talk to Joey. If there anyone that could have helped me to make heads and tails of the situation, it would be him. I dialed the number programmed in my phone. It rang once, then again. "Hello?" Conner said, answering the phone. "Conner. This is Jake." "Hey Jake. I'm still gonna come play with you," he said. "That's one of the reasons I was calling. Just to make sure of that!" he giggled. "Is Joey awake, yet?" "No. He's asleep on the couch. He looks funny," Conner said. I smiled. "Would you do me a favor and wake him up, please?" "Hold on." He walked over to where Joey was. "Joey," he said with the phone still at his head, "Wakey, wakey." It was cute that he was acting so seriously. "Huh?" I heard Joey say. "Who's on the phone?" "It's your boyfriend," Conner said. "Jake?" Joey asked. "Uh huh..." Conner answered. "Hold on, Jake. He's awake." "Alright," I said. "Thank you." "You're welcome," I said as Conner handed the phone to Joey. "Morning, gorgeous. How is the finest man alive?" "I don't know. How are you?" I asked. "I'm great. I was just dreaming about you," he said. "Oh, really? Was it good?" "I'll tell you later. It was about Saturday night." "OH!" I said. "As long as they were good thoughts." "GREAT ones!" he said. I heard Conner giggle in the background, but I wasn't sure why. "I'm sorry for waking you up so early." "It's fine," he said. "You actually called at just the right time. Conner just got up a few minutes ago. He's playing with his trucks." "Oh!" "Everything OK?" he asked. "It's been an eventful morning," I answered honestly. "I woke up this morning, and Tony was asleep on my back porch." "On your back porch?" he asked. "Yeah. When I found him, he told me that he came up here because he couldn't think of anywhere else to go." "Oh, no. Is he OK?" "His grandmother died last week, and then the kid he was seeing dumped him the next morning." "Oh, shit! Poor guy! I'm gonna go outside for a second." He gave some instructions for Conner to sit on the couch quietly while he went outside. I heard the door squeak open and then closed behind him. "So is he OK?" "I don't know. He said he hadn't slept since Friday." "Damn. Well babe, just make sure that he's OK." "You are amazing, Joey." "Nah. You are, though." I smiled. "You were worried that I'd be upset weren't you?" "Yeah, a little." "Well, I'm not. He needed a great guy to help him with some stuff, and I can think of no greater person." "My God! You are amazing, Joey. I love you." "I love you, too, gorgeous." He stopped for a second. "You know there's something I really love about you." "What is that?" "That you're willing to put aside your differences to help him out. That speaks very highly of your character." "You are going to make me cry like a little girl." "I'd rather make you cum like a big man," he whispered. "That would be nice, too." "Yes. It would." "Ay, papi," I said. "Yeah. Well, my nephew is pressing his face against the door waiting on me to come in and play with him." "Alright. Go play with him," I said, smiling. "And you go make sure Tony's OK. If he wants, take him to the gym later." "When I talked to his brother a few minutes ago, he was talking about him and his wife coming to get Tony this afternoon." "Oh, OK. Let me know if he needs anything from me, OK?" "I shall, love." "Alrighty. Have a good holiday!" "You too. Tell Conner I said hi." "I will. Bye." "Bye," I said as I closed the phone. By the time I got back into the house, Aunt Freda was up, but only barely. She looked like she'd literally rolled out of bed, put on her robe, and walked down to the kitchen. Her hair wasn't fixed, but then again, mine wasn't really either. With everything that had gone on that morning, it hadn't really occurred to me. There was little said between the three of us, though I know that my mother wanted to ask questions, since damage control had been taken care of for the morning. "Did you talk to Joey?" Mom asked, breaking the silence of the room. "Yeah." "What did he think?" "He told me to make sure that he was OK, and to take him to the gym if he wanted to go later." "Who are we talking about?" Freda asked upon realizing that we were talking. "Tony," Mom and I answered. "Tony? Your ex?" "Yeah," I responded. "He's here?" she asked. "Yeah. When I got up he was asleep on the back porch," I said. "Wow. Why didn't he call or something?" "I dunno," I answered, taking a few seconds to tell her what had happened. Like the rest of my family, she was concerned about how he was doing. She wanted to go wake him up at one point and just give him a hug. It was going far differently than what I'd expected upon first seeing him outside on the swing. Perhaps I was the only one that had a problem with him still, and the rest of them could see that he was just a man that had made a mistake that changed the lives of everyone around him, in both his family and mine. Did I still hold a grudge against him? If I did, how would this affect my relationship with Joey, with its freshness and newness? Could I even have closure with Tony, when it took me so long to get over Adán? With the morning waning, Mom got up to get the holiday lunch together. She wasn't doing the traditional turkey and stuffing with all the sides and fixins (as Tony would have said). She decided to change it to roast chicken with potatoes, a vegetable medley, and lavish desserts that had all been hand made by either her or my aunt. Danny and Matilda were the first of the family to arrive, as Jane and Jean-Marc had gotten a late start leaving Ottawa that morning and had been caught in some traffic between the two cities. After quick hugs and greetings, Danny went hunting for ex-boyfriend. He was gone for nearly an hour. We all knew that he was in the room with Tony, and that he'd woken Tony, but none of us wanted to disturb the two of them. Jane and Jean-Marc arrived, having no knowledge of Tony's arrival at the house. They came in asking all kinds of questions about the truck in the driveway. As Mom and Freda monopolized the baby, I explained what was going on. Just as with all the other members of my family, they were concerned about him and if he were doing OK. Jane asked how I was taking it, and, of course, I told her that I was fine. Knowing the situation made things a lot easier to handle. The room we were all in went silent as we heard footsteps coming down the hall from the guest bedroom. There were two sets of them. Danny was the first to appear around the corner, holding Tony up. It wasn't that Tony wasn't able to hold himself up, but that he needed the support that Danny had to offer him. The two of them were as if nothing had happened between Tony and me. Jane and Freda were sweet as they went over to hug him and attempt to console his wounds. "Does everybody know?" Tony asked, looking at me. "Pretty much," I answered. "You alright?" "I guess." He sat at the table for a second. "Is there a place where we can talk for a moment in private?" "Yeah. Come on," I said, waving him out of the kitchen, which had become way too crowded for my comfort anyway. I walked toward Mom's office, with him lagging a second behind me. I entered the room first, letting him come in and take a chair. He sprawled out to get comfortable, something that I'm sure was eluding him. "Did you get any rest before my brother barged in?" I asked. "Not really. I peed, washed my face and then slept for about thirty minutes. Then I just popped up awake and started crying." He stopped. "Jake. I'm so sorry for coming up here and ruining your holiday." "You're not ruining my holiday, Tony," I tried to convince him of this. "I know that things haven't gone smoothly for the two of us over the last few months, but I assure you that it's OK for you to be here." He looked off into space, with a sniffle in his eyes. "God! What have I done?" he asked. "I've alienated EVERYONE in my life over the last six months." "Not everyone." "You, my grandmother for a little while, Tommy, Gui, María, Martín...Mom and Dad, your family, Josh and about half my frat brothers." "You haven't alienated your brothers, Tony." "You don't even know what I said to them. I was mean and evil and hurtful. I told things about Gui that he never wanted anyone to know. I violated his trust in me, and now his marriage is probably on the rocks." "What if I told you that it's not?" "I would probably say you were lying to me." "Right after you went into the guest room, he called me." "Shit! Did you tell him I was here?" "Yeah. I wasn't going to lie for you, Tony." "SHIT!" "He's not mad at you, I assure you." He stood up and began pacing the floor of the office. "SHIT! He's going to come up here and kick my ass." "No, he's not, Tony." "SHIT!" "TONY! Sit down and shut up for a second." He looked at me, surprised, but complied. "He is worried about you. He's worried about Martín. He's not pissed at you. He said that María and he had talked about things all weekend, and that everything was fine between them." I put my hand on his shoulders, "You're going to have to trust me on this one, OK?" "Alright." "Now, inquiring minds want to know..." "What Danny and I talked about?" "Yeah." "We had a talk about us. I told him what happened, exactly. I told him that it was all my fault and that I took full responsibility for it." He stopped. "He told me things about what Adán had done to you that I didn't know, and I understood where you were coming from and why you did the things you did." "Yeah..." I looked away from him for a second. "I need you to know that I am sorry for what happened." "I know. I forgive you, Tony." "Thank you," he said as he started to cry. "Would Joey try to kick my ass if I tried to give you a hug?" "No. He actually was more concerned about how you were." I stood and held out my arms. He took me into a strong, long hug. "So we can be friends now." I contemplated the question for a second. "Yeah. Friends." "B. F. F.!!!" he said sarcastically, making me laugh out loud. "I'm only kidding." "I know, Tony. That's so not something you would ever say." "Damn right!" "And Tony, for what it's worth, you're going to be OK. A lot of people have probably told you that, and it's the truth." "I know. It's just going to take time." "Yeah. I seem to remember you telling me that a couple of times a while ago," I told him. "So what else did you and my brother talk about?" "Well...you might have to go with me to the airport." "They're coming?" he said, less than enthusiastically. "If they can get a flight, they're going to come up." He didn't seem too excited. "But, look at it this way. You're on neutral ground!" Tony laughed again. We stopped and looked at each other for second. "Thank you, Jake. Sorry." "Not a problem. Stop apologizing!" "Yes sir!" he said. "So we're going to go to the gym later," I said. "Ugh! Do we have to?" "Not if you don't want to," I said. "But I'm going. Joey's been working me out a lot lately." "OH REALLY!" he said. "Mind out of the gutter, Antonio!" "OK...OK..." he said, raising his hand. After talking for a bit longer, the two of us went back out to the family. There were some last minute preparations for lunch. I went up to get a quick shower and a change of clothes, and in my absence, the rest of the family arrived. Kate and her boyfriend came, as did Pete and Tom. There was a little confusion on their parts, but they rolled with the punches that were being thrown. It ended up being a good for everyone there. At least that's the way that I saw things. Danny was actually the person that surprised me the most, joking with Tony as if he'd never been pissed off at him. Perhaps the talk they'd had that morning had done them both a world of good. All in all, the day wound into a quite spectacular event. By the time everyone left the house, leaving just the four of us there, I was ready to go back to bed! I'd been up over 14 hours with NO rest except for the hour long nap I'd taken waiting on the best time to call Joey much earlier in the day. Tony was also about to pass out on the sofa in the living room. We'd not heard from Gui and María, so it was assumed that they hadn't gotten a flight up that afternoon, either because of such short notice or because it was a holiday in Canada. "Why don't you go to bed, Tony," Mom suggested. "That would probably be best," he said, smiling at my mom. "Yes. And don't worry about getting up in the morning. Sleep as long as you need and want," she said. "I'll make sure Jake puts fresh towels and everything in there for you." "Thank you," Tony said, standing and stretching before giving Mom a big hug. "You're welcome, Tony." He gave each of us a big hug before walking to the guest bedroom. I went to bed shortly after trying unsuccessfully to reach Joey a couple of times on his cell phone. I assumed that his nephews were keeping him busy, either that or they had done something with or to his phone. Either way, I would be talking to him soon enough, as his flight was due back later in the afternoon the following day. Entering my room, I pulled off the shirt and pants I was wearing. I adjusted my package in the cute little briefs I was wearing and climbed into the bed. I must have fallen asleep as soon as I hit the pillow and then slept so deeply and so soundly that I don't even remember the dreams I had, if I dreamt at all. The one thing that I do remember about that day was that some advice that my aunt had given me months before was right. She'd said, basically, that, sometimes, a good thing will end up being a fiery pile of shit on the front doorstep of a hated enemy. Sometimes, though, a good thing is like a caterpillar. It spends it's time scampering around the earth building a pretty good life. Then, just when the world might think its life is to come to an end, it wraps itself into a tightly woven cocoon. During this time, the caterpillar morphs into something far more spectacular than what it was before: a beautiful butterfly. In my mind, that's what happened with me and Tony. We were content to spend our lives together before `the event.' Then, just as it looked as if our happiness would be completely shattered, we wrapped ourselves in the cocoon of love that only our families and friends could provide for us. When we did finally see each other again, it was as if the cocoon were broken wide open, and the `butterfly' that was our friendship began to emerge. He left my home the next day with his brothers after a very long conversation about what they meant to each other. He returned to Charlotte where, like was his style, he picked up the pieces of his life and moved to make himself a stronger, better person as a result of his experiences. Over the next few months, our friendship flourished. He came to Toronto for Christmas that year, along with Gui, Martín, and María, who was expecting their first child. Around my birthday the next year, he met a man named Ken, an English teacher from the Charlotte area. They hit it off immediately and began dating. Tony confessed to me later that he felt an instant connection to the man, and that while `love' wasn't instantaneous as it had been with us, he felt it stronger than he'd ever felt love before. Two years later, after a long, slow courtship, they were married in the back `garden' of my mother's home, being that they couldn't marry in North Carolina. It was a symbolic gesture, but, to them, it was SO much more. I was happy that he'd ended up happy in love with a man that did so much for him. As for me, after that fateful reunion with Tony, I realized that everything in the future would be OK. Joey and I found our love growing deeper and deeper every day. About a year and a half after we started dating, officially, we bought a small house in the town of Ajax, a hamlet still considered part of the Greater Toronto Area. Like Tony, we were married in my Mom's back yard a few months after that. Cameron and Conner were the ring bearers. When their mother, Joey's sister, was killed in a freak car accident, they came to live with us, since all of their family, both maternal and paternal, lived in Toronto. Joey ended up being one of the greatest dads that any child could have hoped for. He was fun, gentle, firm, supportive, and fair. Danny and Matilda took a trip to Las Vegas between US Thanksgiving and Christmas that same year of my reunion with Tony. Three guesses what happened! When they got back, wearing rings, we weren't very surprised. What did surprise us, though, is that they came back with twenty-two million dollars US in winnings! Like they needed more money! Using this, along with the nearly eight million dollars each of us had gotten from our grandparents' and father's estate, they purchased a modest home in the Etobicoke area for a modest 1.6 million dollars. I was so happy to see that my brother was happy. And the children they later produced were so cute! I'm not partial, though! Not in the least! Jane and Jean-Marc were divorced a few months after Danny's triumphant return from Vegas with a new bride. There were differences they had with each other that couldn't be reconciled. Jane never explained what those differences were, nor did I put my nose where it didn't belong. Their son, though, wanted for nothing, as both of them, despite personal differences, strived to be the best parents possible. They both eventually remarried, and Daniel (or Danielito, as Danny would call him) ended up a Leaf's fan, like his VERY happy uncle. Pete and Tom were happy, for the most part. They had their differences from time to time, but were both willing to take the time to make work what they had. Kate, on the other hand, wafted from boyfriend to boyfriend over the course of a couple of years. She finally decided that, like her brother, she was gay. She settled with a wonderful girl named Donna. A few months after `the reunion,' Freda met a man named Jon. The two of them hit it off almost instantly and started dating a few weeks later, during the month of November. Mom also met a man, a wonderful guy named Carlos. He was much younger than her, but did she complain about that? No! (Let's just say that if they'd gotten married, and I were single, I'd have called him `Daddy' in a MINUTE! Joey and Tony said the same thing, though!) Our friend Ray, who'd become a precious and intricate part of our circle, ended up with a string of boyfriends that are currently on a list awaiting extermination. The man he did meet, though, named Roger, was a dead ringer for Andy Roddick, although Ray insisted that Roger's dick was at least three times the size of Andy's. "How did he know that, though?" was the question on all of our minds. This has been the story of some good things: love, friendship, compassion, family, heartbreak and heartache, good times, and bad times. If you leave this story with anything, know that without the bad, you can't have the good. Without the ugly, you can't have the beautiful. Without ignorance and innocence, you can't have enlightenment. When something happens, it happens for a reason. Roll with the punches; sometimes they're good, and others are not so good. How you deal with them determines what kind of person you become as a result of your actions. Also, remember to take the chance on love. Sometimes it can be a truly amazing thing that will fill you with pride and joy immeasurable.