Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 22:01:57 -0600
From: Roy <roynm@mac.com>
Subject: Leith - chapter 9 - College Section

This story is entirely fictional, and any resemblances to actual persons
are completely coincidental.  Actual locations are mentioned, and are used
for 'background' only.

This story happens during the period of time when my earlier story,
'Phalen,' ends.

Many of the character's names are Finnish.  For those who wish to know how
they are pronounced, read on.

Mikko - MEEK-ko
Paavo - PAW-vo
Joel - YOE-el
Halonen - HALL-oh-nen
Leith - LEE-th


Roy
roynm@mac.com
suomalainen@mac.com


Leith - chapter 9


---------


The heavy drapes covering the sliding glass doors in Brett's bedroom cast
the room into deep shadow, but Leith could still see his cousin lying on
the bed before him.  Brett's legs were drawn back to his chest exposing
himself to his cousin who was kneeling at the foot of the bed.  Leith was
totally focused on the man before him.  Brett's smooth chest rose and fell
with each rapid breath.  His erection was lying flat against his belly, its
head resting in a pool of precum.

Leith licked his lips as he gently cupped his cousin's testicles before
running the fingers of one hand over the prominent perineum to finally
circle Brett's smooth pink anus.  With the first touch against his hole
Brett bucked his hips and gulped an indrawn breath.  Leith pulled Brett
closer to the edge of the bed and then leaned forward and firmly swiped his
tongue across his cousin's pucker.  Once again, Brett groaned and raised
his head slightly to watch his cousin.

"Damn," Leith murmured as Brett's anus began to relax and welcome his
tongue.  "This is so hot."  He licked his index finger and then ran it over
the pink opening, pausing a moment to press a finger into the hole and move
it back and forth a few times.  The groans were becoming louder and more
insistent.

"Ready," he murmured the question.  Brett nodded, allowing Leith to grasp
his ankles and spread his legs wider.

"Yes, please, Leith.  Pump me full.  I want to feel it fun down my leg when
I stand up."

"So I can lick it off?"  Leith looked down at his rock-hard erection aimed
directly at the entrance to Brett's body.  The hole was alternatively
tightening, then relaxing, almost as if it were trying to decide whether to
open wide in order to accept the intruder.  Leith smiled.  "Maybe I
shouldn't wait for it to run down your leg.  Maybe I should lick it up
. . . directly from your butt hole."  Brett squirmed but was held in place
by his cousin's grip on his ankles.

"Please," Brett whimpered.

Leith rubbed the head of his penis over Brett's anus, spreading the precum
over the smooth skin before positioning the widely flaring head directly at
the opening.  Without being asked, Brett nodded, giving permission for
Leith to begin.  He closed his eyes and his lips were set in a firm line.
He was determined he was not going to show any discomfort as his cousin
penetrated him.

Leith returned his grip to Brett's ankles and then began to move his hips
forward.  His piss slit disappeared as Brett's hole relaxed.  He pushed
slightly harder, leaning forward and dropping a glob of spit directly on
the head of his cock.  The sphincter stretched wider and Brett groaned.

"Stop?"  Brett rolled his head from side to side but remained silent.  The
perfectly smooth chest rose and fell as he took deep breaths through his
mouth.  Leith could see Brett's shoulder and upper arm muscles bunch and
flex as he reached out to his sides grabbing at the bedclothes.

Leith applied some more pressure.  The skin on the head of his cock
contrasted with the pale skin of the stretching hole that had yet to relax
enough to admit the head of Leith's penis.  Brett took a gulp of air and
made a conscious effort to relax.  The entire head slipped in and the
muscles of Brett' anus tightened around his cousin's cock.

"I feel like I'm giving birth to a horse," Brett murmured, never opening
his eyes and continuing to take deep breaths. When Brett's grip on the
sheets lessened, Leith once again began to move forward.  Half his length
was inside and the anal muscles were stretched to their maximum, gripping
his cock in a firm, hot embrace.

He noticed a tear slide down the side of Brett's face and stopped moving.
"Don't," Brett croaked.  "Don't stop.  . . .  I'm okay . . . really."
Leith penetrated no further, but reached for his cousin's nipples.  He had
already learned Brett's nipples were extremely sensitive and he wanted to
divert some attention away from his hole.

He teased each hard nub with the tip of a forefinger.  Brett's eyes flew
open and his mouth formed a silent "O," as he inhaled sharply.  At the same
time, he relaxed enough for Leith to slide all the way in, his wiry pubes
tickling his cousin's smooth perineum.  Both men were covered in a fine
sheen of perspiration.  Leith held himself motionless, giving his cousin a
chance to become accustomed to the invader.  He could feel Brett relax and
then tighten his sphincter a few times but he didn't seem to relax.

Leith gently pinched each nipple between a thumb and forefinger.  Brett was
now groaning almost constantly, gripping the bedclothes with each hand
stretched out to either side of his body.  Another tear escaped his closed
eyes.

"Am I hurting you?"  Brett rolled his head slightly from side to side while
he bit his lip.

"My gymnast. . . .You are so beautiful," Leith murmured, grinning at the
tremulous smile his cousin returned.  "So fucking beautiful."  He leaned
forward, securing Brett's ankles back with his shoulders as he began a slow
sensuous kiss.  Brett's tongue demanded entrance to his mouth and at the
same time he tentatively began to move his hips, sliding up and down the
length of Leith's cock.  Leith took the hint and began to move his hips,
the muscles of his buttocks tightening with each slow movement.

It had been such a long time since he had done this.  Mason had never
enjoyed being fucked and Leith had missed the scorching heat of another
person's body surrounding his cock.  There was no comparison with being
sucked off.  The thought of Mason threatened to overwhelm him.  Brett was
the first person Leith had attempted sex with since Mason had died.

'*Stop*!'  His silent thought screamed through his mind.  'Now is not the
time to think of the past.  My brother is part of my past.  I want my
cousin to be part of my future.'  Brett tightened his sphincter causing
Leith's penis to respond, drawing him back to the present.  For the moment,
thoughts of Mason were banished to the background.  Brett flexed once again
causing Leith to sigh in pleasure.  Brett was milking *him* as much as he
was fucking Brett.  The rhythm they had established was leaving them
breathless.

Leith had never experienced anything like it.  In only a matter of a few
minutes he could feel the tingling in his groin signaling an imminent
orgasm.

He lay against his cousin and could feel Brett's penis pressed between
their bodies, being stimulated with every movement.

Brett broke this kiss and gasped.  "I'm gonna pop, Leith," he croaked.
"Squirt inside me."  He took a couple ragged breaths, feeling Leith's hot
breath against his neck.  "Ready?"  Leith grunted, and thrust hard, once
. . . twice . . . three times . . . and returned his mouth to his cousin's
as he felt his penis, first thicken, and then the electric jolt as the
first shot of sperm shot into Brett.

At the same time, he could feel Brett's cock begin to spasm between their
two bodies.  Leith dug his knees into the bed and thrust himself against
Brett harder.  It felt as if he were emptying himself as his orgasm swept
over him.

He felt a drip of perspiration fall from his chin onto Brett's face as he
looked into his cousin's clear blue eyes.  Brett wrapped both arms around
his cousin's shoulders and drew him close for another long, lingering kiss,
unwilling for the experience to end so quickly.

"Don't pull out," he whispered against Leith's ear.  "That was the most
awesome thing I have ever experienced."  Leith could feel him softly
chuckle.  "I swear, I could *feel* each shot.  Your cock would thicken and
then . . . I could feel it filling me."  He paused a moment and looked into
his cousin's eyes.

"So . . . that's what making love is all about?"

"Ummm hmmm," Leith's deeper voice was filled with laughter. "Of course it
helps when you love the person you're fucking." He winked when Brett's eyes
widened.

'*Mason*!  I love you!'  He remembered his words as his brother drove off
. . . to his death.

He swallowed around the lump forming in his throat, and tried to not let
his cousin see the turmoil he was experiencing.

"You love me?  You weren't doing this just because you knew it was a dream
of mine?"  Leith nibbled at his cousin's ear and forced a chuckle.  He
could feel his penis begin to slip free as he shifted his weight.

"Brett," he murmured.  He kissed his cousin on the neck.  "I don't fuck
*anyone* I don't love."

'*Mason*!'

'He propped himself up on his elbows and looked into his cousin's clear
blue-grey eyes.

"I've fucked two people.  I've loved them both. . . . you and Mason.

'*Maaaason*!'  The word was a silent wail, there one moment, gone the next,
leaving behind only an emptiness that threatened to engulf him at any
moment.

"If I *didn't* love you, I wouldn't have even considered doing this."  He
gently kissed Brett's lips.  A single tear escaped the corner of one of
Brett's eyes and left a glistening trail down the side of his head until it
fell away.

"Okay, sexy?"

Brett swallowed, a convulsive movement, and nodded.  "The absolute best
. . . *ever.*"


----------


Mikko drove his brother's car in the general direction of downtown.  Since
it was Sunday, the streets, though busy, were less crowded than usual.
'What in all hells name am I *doing?* I'm here less than twenty-four hours
and I already feel as if I'm possibly ruining my brother's marriage.  The
way Susan looked at me during breakfast made my skin crawl.  One minute she
seemed so sad, on the verge of tears the next, followed by a simmering
anger.  I can understand the anger . . .  but the sadness?'  His thoughts
were temporarily redirected to negotiating the slalom course of
construction barriers littering the street.

'No wonder Joel tried to keep his face hidden behind the newspaper much of
the time.  It was as if *she* was examining my every thought.'  He sighed.
'Damn, I don't like feeling guilty!  I love Joel.  I want a relationship
with him, whether it is sexual or not.  And, I most certainly do *not* want
to interfere with Joel's marriage.'

He thought a moment before grimacing.  'Many people would think having any
sort of sexual relationship with my *married* brother would be interfering
with his marriage.'  He heaved a great sigh as he turned into the parking
garage adjacent to the downtown office building in which his office was
going to be located.


----------


Thian tilted his head back, laughing at his twin brother's antics.  Kerin
was in the middle of their bedroom, demonstrating the difficulty he had as
a beginner being able to perform a forward straddle roll with a smooth
transition into a handstand.  Kerin, one of the best gymnasts on the
University team, enjoyed poking fun at himself and his abilities.  Thian
*knew* his brother had absolutely no trouble performing the particular
move.  His antics served more as a means of fulfilling his need to be a
comic.

On the third try, he smoothly rolled forward from his wide-legged stance,
tucking his chin into his chest and bending his elbows at the last moment
as he rolled forward.  Where the move would normally end with the gymnast
standing straight, remaining in the beginning wide-legged stance, Kerin
modified the move, so instead of ending in an standing position, he
finished, standing on his hands, rotating 180 degrees to face the direction
in which he had begun.

Andrew's applause joined his son's.  Thian looked over his shoulder and
grinned at his father.  Kerin remained in position and tried to tilt his
head to see who had joined his brother in the room.

He comically wiggled his feet.  "Hey, T!  Help!  I'm up and I can't get
down."

Andrew laughed at his son's antics and sat down on the chair vacated by
Thian who had stepped forward to 'lend a hand.'  Kerin was wiggling his
legs making it difficult for Thian to grab him.  Both of the twins were
laughing their infectious laughter.

"I am often faced with the problem of being up and unable to go down,"
Andrew chortled.  Thian turned to him and rolled his eyes at the poor joke.
"I wonder if my solution to the problem would work in this case."

"*That's* not what I *meant!*" Kerin laughed and continued to flail his
legs about while maintaining his handstand.  Thian squatted in front of his
brother and began wiggling the fingers of both hands, threatening to tickle
him if he didn't stop squirming.  Kerin shouted and managed to rotate his
handstand and begin 'walking' across the room, shouting for his brother to
keep his hands to himself.  Thian crawled after him with an evil laugh,
continuing to wiggle his fingers.  Finally, Kerin collapsed onto his
brother, with both landing in a giggling heap.

"Hey, Dad," Kerin said, brushing his hair out of his eyes and then doing
the same for his brother who was sitting next to him on the floor.  Thian
reached out and casually rested a hand on his brother's leg.  "What's
happening?  I thought you and Larry would be out on a date or something."
Andrew leaned back, stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his
feet at the ankles.

"That's what I'm here to talk to you guys about."

"Oooo, ominous sounds, T.  Did Larry cancel your date?"  Andrew shook his
head.

"No, our relationship."  Both boys were suddenly serious.  They stood and
walked to their father and rested their hands on his shoulders, one on each
side of him.  "Hey boys, no one died.  There's no reason to look like that.
In reality, Larry and I both decided it would be best not to contemplate a
long-term relationship.  We're still good friends.  As long as we're both
single, we're going to continue having sex, and whenever one of us *does*
meet someone permanent, we plan on continuing to be best friends."  He
paused a moment, looking up to his boys, first to one side, then the other.
"So, all things considered, I've come out of this pretty well.  I've met a
wonderful man.  We've had outstanding sex, and even though we won't be
living together, we *will* continue to be good friends."

"Do you love him, Dad?" Thian pulled up a chair and sat down facing his
father.  Andrew didn't have to think to respond.

"No, not really.  I had pretty much convinced myself that I did, but the
two of us talked the other night and we both came to the conclusion that
what we feel for each other isn't really love." Andrew sighed and then
squeezed his sons' hands.  "Sorry to put a damper on your fun, guys, but
you'll probably be seeing more of me as I hang around the house."

"Yeah, well . . . "  Kerin considered his words.  "You've gotta jettison
that beat up old bathrobe you hang around in at times like this."  Andrew
raised his eyebrows, wondering to *what* bathrobe his son was referring.

"And those horrendous bunny slippers," Thian added.  "I mean, one's pink!
The other one's brown.  It looks like you stepped on some poor unsuspecting
. . . thing, and couldn't shake it loose."  He gave an expressive shudder.
"Besides, they don't go with the cigar and cup of cold coffee you haul
around."  Kerin snorted and picked up the routine.

"Why the cigar, Dad?  You don't smoke!"  Thian shook his head as if
envisioning his poor wreck of a father.  Andrew turned as Kerin once again
began speaking.  "At least carry around a can of stale beer and wear a
plaid hat and a tattered old undershirt like respectable people who are on
the down-and-out wear.  Then your poker buddies won't wonder why you're
hauling around that ball of brown fur on your foot.  They'll think you shot
it rather than stepped on it."

Both Kerin and Thian couldn't contain themselves any longer.  The only time
they had ever seen their father looking anything but perfect was when he
and Larry had tried running one time.  Then, besides the sweat and being
bent over at the waist trying to catch his breath, he looked damn good.

"Thanks boys," Andrew laughed along with them, imagining himself in a pair
of bunny slippers and a tattered undershirt.  "I love you both, more than
you can know."  He stood and drew them into a hug, welcoming their strong
arms around him.

"Now, all you need to do is find the right *single* guy to love," Kerin
said.  "T and I are already taken."


----------


Mikko got out of the car and followed the signs indicating a bridge
spanning the street to the adjoining office building was nearby.  Thoughts
of Susan, his brother and the boys faded as excitement took over.  'This is
where I'm going to make a new life!'  He looked around at the grey concrete
garage and amended his thought.  'Well, not *here* exactly.'  He passed
through the tunnel following another man a few feet in front of him.  The
man was tall and slender and walked with a confident stride.  He was
casually dressed in a pair of tan slacks and crisply ironed white shirt.
He was carrying a heavy looking briefcase and a small white bag from which
the fragrance of freshly baked pastry wafted.

The man casually saluted the security desk attendant and pressed the call
button in the elevator lobby.  Mikko stood nearby and returned his smile
and morning greetings.  Before they had a chance to say anything else the
elevator chimed and the doors slid open.

"Twelve please."  Mikko responded to the other man's look of inquiry.

"Same here."  The man studied him for a moment.  "Do you have a meeting
with someone on twelve?  I didn't know anyone was planning on being in the
office today."  The elevator doors parted and they both stepped out.  One
side of the lobby was taken over by a floor-to-ceiling glass wall with the
name of a law firm emblazoned in gold letters across half its width.  The
image was one of conservative-old money values.  The other side of the
lobby was nothing more than a temporary plywood wall, painted to match the
surroundings. Mikko grinned at the person's puzzled expression.

"No, I'm not here for a meeting."  He gestured toward the plywood wall.
"I'm here to see my new office."  He smiled.  "Not much to look at is it?"
Mikko looked from side to side.  "Perhaps I could set up a desk out here."
He nodded toward the glass wall and the reception room beyond.  "From the
drawings I've seen, our office is certainly going to contrast with yours."
He lowered his voice as if someone might overhear.  "I have to say, I've
never seen so much polished wood.  What happens if one of those trees in
your lobby has the audacity to lose a leaf?"

"It happened once." The other man laughed in the voice of a light tenor.
The corners of his dark blue eyes crinkled in amusement and Mikko found
himself captivated by the wonderful smile, the perfect teeth, *and* the
playful dimples which appeared whenever he laughed.  "The trees didn't last
out the day."  He nodded toward the reception room and the two trees.
"Those are fake.  The partners are pretty rigid."  He shrugged.  "I've
gotten accustomed to it."

Still smiling, he extended his hand in greeting.  "I'm Larry Weston.  I'm
one of the attorneys who work in this center of conservatism."  He gestured
toward the glass-enclosed office.  "Since you don't have much to look at on
*your* side of the floor, would you like to join me for a cup of coffee and
a pastry?  For some reason I bought two cream-filled confections dripping
in chocolate and powered sugar, this morning.  Did I mention the shaved
toasted almonds?" He licked his lips in anticipation of biting into one of
the cream-filled delights.  "I must have known I'd meet someone who looked
like they could use a cup of coffee and a sugar fix."  Mikko laughed,
appreciating the strong warm handshake as well as the hint of chest hair
showing at the open collar to the shirt, the laughing eyes and flashing
dimples.

"Sure, I'd love to join you.  I noticed the fragrance of the pastry when
you were ahead of me in the tunnel.  I can spot a sweet roll a block away.
By the way, I'm Mikko Halonen.  The firm I work for has leased the other
half of this floor and I've been sent here to see that the place gets built
and start hiring some attorneys.  I don't think anyone from your firm would
want to apply.  The firm I work for seems like it's exactly the opposite of
yours.  It's pretty casual.  If you still had those nasty trees with real
leaves I'd suggest someone bring them over to my office.  They'd feel right
at home."

Larry ran his card key through the slot and punched in a security code on
an adjacent keypad and then flipped on a couple lights before heading down
a corridor talking over his shoulder.

Mikko was transfixed by the way the slacks cupped Larry's butt.  He could
see the large muscles bunch with each long stride he took down the navy
blue-carpeted hallway.  He spoke over his shoulder as he walked.

"Mikko's an unusual name," he said, entering a large break room and heading
for the granite counter and highly polished coffee maker.  "What's its
origin?"  He looked to his right and smiled when Mikko leaned against the
counter and watched the coffee's preparation.  Mikko crossed his legs at
the ankles and looked around the room before returning his gaze to his
host.

"I'm Finnish," Mikko answered Larry's question about his name.  "My name
roughly translates to Mike, but I'm proud of my heritage and opted to keep
my real name.  Both of my brothers did the same thing.  Very few people
pronounce the name correctly, but I'm accustomed to it by now.  I answer to
almost anything."  He grinned, thinking of the difficulty some people had
pronouncing the simple name before he realized Larry had gone silent while
he was daydreaming.  When he finally looked in Larry's direction, he was
staring at him with a strange expression.

"Is something wrong?"

Larry shook his head and smiled, once again flashing the dimples.  He
flipped the switch to start the coffee maker and motioned toward one of the
nearby dark wood tables, inviting Mikko to have a seat while they waited
for the coffee, whose fragrance was already filling the room.  'This man
knows how to make coffee,' he thought, remembering his comments to Susan
earlier in the morning about how willing he was to run away with anyone who
could make a decent cup of coffee.  He had to admit, Larry was much more
desirable than Susan, *and* it appeared he could make coffee as well.

Larry was still smiling as he set the pastries on the table, each on a
white china plate accompanied by a heavy white linen napkin.  'Cloth
napkins in a law firm lunch room?'  He shrugged at the thought and looked
back at Larry's captivating smile.  'I could grow to enjoy seeing this man
smile.'

"No, nothing's wrong."  Larry answered his earlier question.  "It's just
that this is the second coincidence today."  Mikko gave him a puzzled look.
Larry leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out.  He rested one arm
on the table and turned slightly to speak to Mikko.  The fabric of his
slacks now conformed closely to the substantial mound of his crotch.  Mikko
tore his eyes away as Larry began to speak.  "Two coincidences.  First, I
bought two rolls instead of one, almost as if I *knew* I'd meet someone to
share the second one with.  *Now,* you tell me you're Finnish."

"I attended my son and his partner's welcome home party last night.  They
just returned from Finland.  Jeff, that's my son's partner, is Finnish.  He
grew up there, actually, and came here to go to the University.  All my
life, I never knew anyone who was Finnish.  Now, I know two people."  Larry
looked over his shoulder and saw the coffee had finished brewing.  Mikko
watched as he stepped across the room and poured a couple cups.

He inhaled deeply as Larry handed him the steaming cup centered on its
white saucer.  It was the fragrance of friendship in Mikko's mind, and he
suddenly felt as if he had made a good friend.  He held the coffee up in a
toast.  "Kippis." (KIP-pis) (cheers)

"Kiitos," (KEE-tohs) Larry responded, thanking him for the toast and
drawing a surprised smile from Mikko.  Immediately, Larry held up his hands
as if surrendering.  "Don't get any ideas.  I know the words for yes and
no, and the one you said.  In fact, Jeff toasted a bunch of his friends
using that word, last night."

Both men settled back to enjoy their coffee and pastry.  "You said you've
been in town for less than twenty-four hours.  Did you arrive from Finland?
You don't have the same accent Jeff has."

"No, I arrived from exotic Chicago.  I moved out here with my son."  He set
the cup on the table and wrapped both hands around it as he stared into its
dark depths.  Larry's smile faded as he saw the transformation overcome the
man across the table from him.

Mikko spoke without looking up.  "I volunteered to set up our new office
because I wanted to get away from Chicago."  He took a deep breath and
released it slowly.  "My wife and oldest son were victims of a botched bank
robbery, and Leith . . . that's my youngest son, and I couldn't stand being
in Chicago any longer.  When the company asked for a volunteer to relocate,
I grabbed at the opportunity."  Larry bowed his head, feeling the pain in
Mikko's monotone description of what brought him to Phoenix.

"Leith's going to be a freshman at Arizona State.  He was planning on
joining his brother at Purdue . . . "  Larry could hear Mikko swallow and
then clear his throat.  "But, that wasn't to be."  He looked up with a
crooked grin.

"Sorry to drop that on you, but you'd find out sooner or later.  It's part
of my life, and my son and I are both dealing with it."  Mikko looked at
his empty plate and toyed with a few of the crumbs with his fork as Larry
fought with himself trying to think of how to respond.

"Damn," he was finally able to croak.  "I'm sorry a tragedy brought you to
Phoenix." He paused a moment.  The only sound was the distant hum of the
air conditioning system.  "I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost my son.
He and Jeff were gone on their vacation for three weeks and I found I
missed him more than I could have imagined."  Once again he cleared his
throat and glanced across the small table and caught Mikko dabbing at his
eyes with the napkin.  Mikko seemed embarrassed to have Larry see him
caught in an emotional moment, but before he could say anything, Larry
jumped in.

"It's not a problem.  Don't worry about it."


----------


Joel looked up from the afternoon newspaper as he heard his oldest son and
nephew come into the room.  "Hey, men."  He winked and smiled broadly.
"Good to see you both . . . so soon."  Brett blushed, aware that his father
was alluding to a comment he had made earlier in the day when he told his
father that he and Leith wouldn't come out of the bedroom until he was no
longer a virgin.  Leith turned to Brett and rubbed his hand across his
shoulders, smiling at his uncle.

"I take it everything went well?"  Brett's blush darkened, but he nodded
and joined Leith on the sofa facing his father across the large low table
in the middle of the room.  Brett moved closer to Leith, sat up straight
and gave a slight upward jerk of his chin, a nervous habit he had failed to
control.

"More than well, Uncle Joel," Leith smiled, once again looking toward
Brett.  "Outstanding . . . awesome.  Mr. Studly, here . . . "  He broke off
his sentence as he saw his Aunt walking into the house from the back yard.
He quickly changed the conversation.

"Where's Dad?"

"He decided to drive downtown and take a look at his new office building.
He left right after breakfast, so I imagine he'll be back soon.  In fact, I
expected him back before now.  I hope he hasn't gotten lost and ends up
wandering around town trying to figure out how to get home."

Susan set her bags on the entry table and came into the living room,
smiling a greeting at her son and Leith before she leaned over and kissed
her husband.  "He's got a cell phone, Joel.  He's not a child.  If he's
lost he knows our number."  She shook her head in exasperation.

Leith took the few steps him from his aunt and gave her a brief hug and a
kiss on the cheek.  Joel couldn't help but compare Leith, his black-haired
nephew and his slender blond wife.  Brett was much like his mother, though
he lacked the strong personality that usually made her the center of
attention in any situation.  Susan was a woman who wanted to be in control
of things.  Brett was more reserved.  He tended to be a loaner, a trait
Joel hoped Leith might be able to change.

Brett had always been conscious of being the shortest person in a family of
tall individuals.  'Still,' Joel thought.  'Five foot eight isn't *that*
short for a man.'  Leith wasn't that much taller than his cousin, but like
Susan, he seemed taller just because of his personality.

"Thank you, Aunt Susan."  Leith continued to hold her hand.  Joel could see
that Susan was moved by the sincerity of Leith's greeting.  "For your
understanding about . . . last night . . . and about me needing some time."
She looked at him with troubled eyes and then reached out and ran her
fingers over his unruly hair and then brushed her fingertips over his cheek
without saying a word.  He seemed puzzled by her actions, as was Brett, who
was finding it difficult to hide his surprise.  Finally, Susan grinned.

"We'll have to talk about things at a later time, Leith.  Joel tells me
someone you considered special is no longer in your life."  She noticed how
his expression immediately clouded and his grasp on her hand tightened.  In
the background she was aware of the sound of Joel hastily folding the
newspaper and standing.  If she had doubted her husband's assessment of
Leith's condition, the instantaneous reaction to her words banished the
thought.  She rested her other hand on top of his and tried to convey her
apologies.

"My condolences, sweetheart.  Something like that's never easy."  She
looked to her son, standing slightly behind and to the right of Leith.
"I'm glad Brett has been there for you."  She smiled warmly as he stepped
past Leith and embraced her, resting his head on her shoulder.  Leith moved
back a step and glanced at his uncle getting a puzzled shrug.  Neither of
them understood why Susan was treating Leith as she was, though Joel had a
good idea.

"Thank you, Mother . . . for understanding, about me." She kissed him on
the cheek and held his hand.

"Honey, I *don't* understand, but I will learn to accept.  There are some
things in life one can't change."  She sighed.  "I've always known one's
sexual orientation is one of them.  I just never thought I'd experience
things first-hand."  She noticed how his smile had faded and his expression
was returning to the stony facade she was accustomed to.

"Now, don't get all serious on me, Brett."  She tilted his head up with a
finger under his chin.  "You've done nothing wrong."  Her hand brushed
gently across his cheek.  "It makes me happy to know that you'll not have
to hide such an important part of your life when you're around me."  She
smiled a little wistfully.  "I don't want my son to spend his life hiding
from me." She stepped back and spoke to both Brett and Leith.

"Be yourself, guys."  Then she smiled and sat down on the arm of her
husband's easy chair, gesturing for him to sit. "Just break me in gently,
okay?"

Brett laughed, drawing her immediate attention.  He put an arm around
Leith's waist.  "You mean I can't kiss him in front of you, Mom?"  Susan
stared at her son with her mouth open in surprise.  She caught the startled
look Leith turned on Brett out of the corner of her eye and she heard her
husband snort in the background.

"Is this *my* son speaking?"  He nodded and smiled broadly, the corners of
his eyes crinkling.  "I *like* the change!"

"Me too, Mom.  For the first time in my life I feel . . . free."  He threw
his arms out to his sides and giggled slightly.  "I'm not hiding anything."
He looked at Leith and then back to his mother.  "It feels really good."

"Did you do something to bring about this change in my boy, Leith?"  He
shrugged.

"I don't think so.  At least not that I know of."  Brett nodded and pulled
Leith close.

"He was part of it, but Mom, *you* and Dad also had a big part.  You're
accepting me.  I was always afraid . . . you . . . wouldn't."  Before she
could respond he turned the starving-boy face on her.

"I don't suppose there is any breakfast left?"  She shook her head.
"Lunch," he asked, his voice rising.  Again, she shook her head.  "Dinner?"

"Nope, she laughed.  "Why don't you guys go out to eat.  You've missed
three meals and I don't think I have enough food in the house to feed two
teenage boys three meals at once!"  Brett and Leith kissed Susan on the
cheek and then hugged Joel.  Brett was almost bouncing on his feet he was
so anxious to leave.  He grabbed Leith's hand and began pulling him toward
the door.

"C'mon, handsome.  I know of a great all you can eat place.  You need to
put some meat on your scrawny bones."

Leith laughed, being dragged along.  "Scrawny!  *You're* the scrawny one."
Susan and Joel heard something they had never heard, a totally carefree
laugh from their oldest son.



~To be continued~



Thank you for taking the time to read my work.  I've been amazed at how
many of you have contacted me about 'Leith' and my other story, 'Phalen.'
I *always* welcome your email and enjoy hearing your thoughts.  If you
would like me to send a pic of the character(s), please ask.

Best wishes,

Roy Reinikainen
roynm@mac.com
suomalainen@mac.com