Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2017 19:42:47 +0100
From: Nick Brady <y2kslacker@mail.com>
Subject: The Rest of the Story - Chapter 1

The Rest of the Story – Chapter 1.

This is the fifth (and final) book in a series about Marco, Marty, their
adopted sons Samuel, Benjamin and foster son Brian in Tulsa Oklahoma.

Book 1 is  Marco in the Park
Book 2 is  Marco, Marty and the Twins
Book 3 is  Brian Goes to College
Book 4 is  Brian and Lanny go to Europe

Please send feedback to y2kslacker@mail.com and support the Nifty archive
with contributions at http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

Copyright 2015-2016 by Nick Brady, all rights reserved.

		-------------------------------------------

Now that Brian and Lanny were back from their adventure in Europe, they
found themselves looking ahead to the possibilities for their future. They
wondered if the relationship they found so exciting while abroad would last
in the long term, or would it fade? After their initial conversations with
their parents, they met for lunch two days later to check signals.

"Hey. Nice to see you again," Lanny told him.

"It's funny to think that this is the longest we have been apart in over a
month," Brian chuckled. "Did you miss me?"

"I did. That's the funny thing. I couldn't go five minutes without thinking
about you."

"Me neither. How are your parents taking all this?" Brian wondered.

"At the moment it's kind of the elephant in the room. Everybody is thinking
about us but nobody wants to bring it up," Lanny said. "Mom is carrying on
like nothing happened but Dad is awfully quiet. I guess he is struggling
with this thing about you and me wanting to be together."

"When you were talking to them about the trip and our friendship, was it
clear that you and I are gay?"

"I'm think so. I think Mom had figured that out, but dad, not so
much. Maybe he suspected as much, but was hoping it wasn't true. I guess
it's hard for a dad to find out his son is gay."

"But he still loves you. I mean, he didn't threaten to kick you out of the
house or anything."

Lanny shook his head. "No. Nothing like that. But he's sort of been
avoiding eye contact with me. See, he doesn't really know you, Brian. I
think if he gets to know you, he will come around. Maybe he thinks we sneak
around and wear dresses or something."

Brian laughed, "We are gay, not transsexuals. Neither of us wants to be a
girl."

"I know, but I'm not sure he knows the difference. He probably hasn't spent
a lot of time thinking about this sort of thing."

"I do think it will help if he actually gets to know me," Brian agreed. "It
would be good if he could get to know Marco and Marty better too. Neither
of them fit the gay stereotype."

"I guess there are a lot of stereotypes about being gay. Maybe some gay
guys like to be flamboyant, but the majority blend in like everybody else."

"We are like everybody else," Lanny reminded him. "Being gay and loving you
doesn't define who I am. That's only one part of me. An important part I'll
admit, but certainly not everything. It seems unfair."

"I think most people don't really understand how that works. At least we
don't get sent to the gas chamber like those poor guys in Nazi Germany."

"Well, I can't change that I'm gay, and I can't change that I love
you. We'll just have to see how this plays out."

Brian reached under the table to take Lanny's hand. "I don't think I would
change any of that even if I could. If we don't know each other after all
the time we spent together in Europe, we never will. I really love you
Lanny."

"So where do we go from here?" Lanny asked.

"I've talked to Marco and Marty a lot about us in the last two days. I
guess it's not surprising that they are a lot more understanding than most
parents would be. They gave me a lot of good advice."

"What did they say?"

Brian sat back and looked serious. "They suggested that we give things a
month or so to cool off. To see if this is like a shipboard romance or
something like that. In the meantime they would be OK with you staying with
me at our house. If we feel the same way in another month then they said
they might talk about our getting a place of our own."

"Really?" Lanny looked surprised. "Would they do that? We don't have any
money. How could we do that?"

"How are you going to pay for your college? Do you have all the money saved
for that?"

"No. You know that. My folks have said they will help me. I think they
started an education fund for me and my sister Cindy when we were
little. That's how they helped her through college. I mean, she worked
some, but they helped with most of it."

"What would they do if you wanted to go to school out of the area? Would
they help with housing?" Brian asked.

"I guess they would have to. We haven't talked a lot about that. What are
you getting at?"

"If I was going away to school, I would have to stay in a dorm or
someplace. My folks said that if I needed my own place while going to
school here that they might help me with that. The important thing was that
I say on track with school."

Lanny looked thoughtful. "I don't know if that would work for me or not. If
I was going away for school they might help me. Sharing an apartment with
my boyfriend might not fly."

Brian leaned back and stretched. "We're going to have to figure a lot of
this out as we go along. I suggest the best thing for us to do is try to
get your parents on board. How about we put together a slide show of photos
from our trip and get them all together to see it. That will let us tell
them all about what we saw and did so that they can see it wasn't just a
month long orgy."

"We did a lot of cool stuff and learned a lot," Lanny nodded.

"The only time our families have been together was at the park for a picnic
before the trip. How about we get everyone together for a big show and
tell?"

"Your house or mine?"

"I think my place would be better," Brian suggested. "Sam and Ben will want
to be there and you might not want to inflict them on your
parents. Besides, they're concerned about the gay couple thing. It might be
nice for them to see how normal we really are."

"That's a good idea. I expect they'll be OK with that. They want to know
more about the trip and I imagine they're curious about Marco and Marty and
how that all works out."

"How about I load all my photos onto a USB drive and give them to you to
put into a presentation. You are better than I am with that sort of
thing. Then we can go from there."

"You didn't take any photos of the gay clubs in Berlin, did you?" Lanny
asked with concern.

"Of course not. I'm not that stupid. But I got a lot of nice photos of the
museums and cathedrals wherever we went. And of Normandy and the American
Cemetery where you found your grandfather. Your dad would like to see
those. I think we should include some photos of Fredrick and his family,
since they were so kind to us. The Goldsteig Trail was beautiful and your
mom will want to know about Roth and your accident."

Lanny began to mentally organize their trip into a presentation and
narrative. "I think I could do that. Give me a little time and I'll show it
to you."

They finished their burgers and fries and sat back.

"Have you figured out what you are going to do about school?" Brian asked.

"I have. Actually, I went over to OU Tulsa yesterday and picked up a
catalog. I even found a counselor who spent a little time with me. There
are details to work out, but he mentioned a Classics degree with the
electives in Arts Education. You know, European history, humanities,
ethics, that sort of thing. Didn't you talk about something like that one
time?"

Brian laughed, "You know that's what I am doing my pre-med in, the Classics
program with pre-med electives. Are you serious?"

"Would we have some classes together?" Lanny asked innocently.

"I thought you were going to TU, the University of Tulsa, not OU Tulsa."

"They are both in Tulsa," Lanny reminded him. "Besides, I have a friend who
is going to OU Tulsa."

Brian sat for a moment then closed his mouth. "You are something
else. Would you really do that?"

"Why not? It's a good fit for me, and it lets me stay in Tulsa so my father
can keep an eye out for me," Lanny smiled. "Would you mind if I sort of
tapped into your plans?"

Brian sat for a moment as his eyes began to grow misty. "You really do love
me. You're going to make this work. I don't deserve you."

Lanny scowled. "You aren't going to start that crap again, are you?"

"No, no. I'm sorry. You will let me claim to be lucky, won't you?"

"Maybe we're both lucky," Lanny grinned as he picked up the check. "This is
on me."

Brian went through all the photos he had taken on their trip and put them
on a thumb drive for Lanny who began to combine them with his own and
organize them into a narrative of their travels through Europe. They
consulted with each other several times over the phone but otherwise did
not spend any time together for the next two weeks as part of their
agreement to take a break from things. Plans were made for a gathering at
Brian's house with Marco planning a simple meal. They decided to invite
their friends Louisa and Melissa who were curious about their
adventure. Lanny put the presentation on his laptop and brought it to the
restaurant where they met for lunch.

"What do you think?" Lanny asked after they went over it. "Any
suggestions?"

"This is awesome. With a little background music, you could put this on
TV."

"The hard part was trimming it down to a reasonable length. I tried to pick
out a few highlights from all the places we visited. One cathedral looks a
lot like another, but there are some things that are special for each
one. The same is true of museums. I did quite a few of Normandy and
Granddad's grave because I knew that would mean a lot to my father. The
photos of the time we spent with Roth were really very beautiful in the
mountains and on the trail. I left out the ones you took when I was in the
hospital so I wouldn't upset my mother. Are there any I have left out?"

"What about those naked pictures I took of you in the hotel room?"

"The what? I didn't see any like that! Did you do that?" Lanny asked
anxiously.

Brian laughed. "No. I just wanted to see your reaction. Marco told me one
time never to take a photograph I didn't want to see on the internet by
surprise. I took his advice."

"That's good advice. I have a fear of that sort of thing. You had me
worried for a minute."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't joke about stuff like that. The presentation looks
really great. Thanks for putting it together, Lanny."

The gathering was planned for Saturday evening and they agreed that Lanny
would bring Louisa and Melissa with him. That way, they could take them
home afterwards and perhaps speak to them privately.

Marco made a nice chef's salad and a plate of sandwiches, set up coffee,
iced tea and sodas and put them on the dining table as a sort of simple
buffet. This would free both Marco and Marty to talk to their guests rather
than being distracted by serving a meal. Sam and Ben were reminded of their
company manners and they waited for their guests to arrive. First was Lanny
with Louisa and Melissa. The girls were animated and looking very
pretty. Shortly afterward Frank and Nancy arrived with a pie. While the
families had met at the picnic before the European trip, they looked at
each other in a different way now that the relationship between Brian and
Lanny had turned more serious.

"Nice place you have here," Frank said.

"Thank you," Marty replied. "When Brian joined us we needed a little more
space and moved here. We really like it."

They all sat in the living room and made casual conversation until Lanny
connected his laptop to the flat screen TV and declared it was time for the
show. "Are we ready?" he asked.

"You have the floor," Marco told him.

Lanny began. "We sent a few of these photos home in some emails, but I
think most of them will be new to you. As you know, we started our trip in
Edinburgh, Scotland. There was a neat old church on top of this mountain."

It took nearly an hour for Lanny to narrate their trip across Scotland,
England, France, Germany and Holland. The emphasis was on the historical
significance of the places they visited. Frank was obviously touched by the
photographs of Lanny at his grandfather's grave in Normandy. There were
photos of Fredrick and his family, photos of their trek on the Goldsteig
trail with Roth, and of their drive up to Amsterdam.

While Brian and Lanny appeared in some of the pictures, the message was
clear. This was a serious search for understanding and appreciation of the
beauty and history of Europe. No doubt they had enjoyed the trip, but they
were intent on making the most of their time there and had crammed as much
into the journey as possible. They had not wasted their time.

Nancy was concerned about Lanny's injury and wanted to know more about
Roth. "Who is that red headed boy?"

"That's Roth. He was a friend of Fredrick's family and took us hiking,"
Lanny explained. "He is a super sharp guy and we got to know him pretty
well. When I sprained my shoulder he and Brian looked after me so we could
complete the hike. Then he drove us up to Berlin and we went on to
Amsterdam by ourselves."

Lanny's narrative was frequently interrupted by questions to which both
Lanny and Brian responded. Sam and Ben asked so many questions they were
given a stern look from Marco. When he concluded, Lanny sat cross legged on
the floor in front of the TV and let out his breath.

Frank nodded thoughtfully. "I can see that you got a lot out of that trip,"
he said to Lanny. "Did it live up to your expectations?"

"Oh yes. I loved every minute of it. We got to see so much. It was so great
having Brian with me. I guess I would have enjoyed it by myself, but I
think it would have been kind of lonely. Having a friend along made it a
lot better. We could talk about what we saw and share ideas and
impressions. We got a lot more out it together than either of us could
alone. We made a good team, and to tell the truth, it made it safer, too."

Was there any time when you felt unsafe?" Marco asked. "You said you never
had any real problems."

"We really didn't," Brian responded. "Except for Lanny's sprain, everything
was fantastic."

"Well," Lanny shrugged, "There were a couple of times that I was glad Brian
was with me. Most people we met were really nice, but there is always a
knot-head somewhere. There was this time when we were in a hostel and some
guy started to give me a hard time. Brian stepped up and the problem went
away. It's better to travel with a friend."

"I think people everywhere are pretty much the same," Brian suggested. "We
were respectful of the people we met, and they generally responded to us
very positively. There were very few exceptions to that."

Marty suggested that they take a break, help themselves to the snacks on
the dining table, then reconvene in the living room. When everyone was back
in a comfortable seat, the discussion began.

"So, you guys got to be real close friends on that trip?" Frank asked
coolly.

Brian sensed some hostility and answered quickly. "Yes sir, we did."

"More than just friends, actually," Lanny said, shining a light on the
elephant in the room.

Frank's eyes narrowed a bit. "How's that work?"

Brian spoke out. "It's like this. Lanny and I barely knew each other when
we started on that trip. Fortunately, we discovered that we like a lot of
the same things and we got along really great. I don't know about Lanny,
but I've never had a friend that I feel I know as well, or trust as much. I
like being with Lanny and when we start classes in a month, We think it
would be cool to be roommates. That's how that works for me."

"So, you guys want to be roommates is all? Just buddies?" Frank asked
slowly.

"That's right, Dad. We are good buddies and we like to be together," Lanny
said steadily, looking Frank directly in his eyes.

"So where's that go?" Frank inquired.

"I guess after a year or so, we will either grow closer or get sick of each
other," Brian answered honestly.

"So then what happens?" Frank pressed the point.

"I guess we'll figure that out when we get there," Brian responded
diplomatically.

"It's like this for me, Dad," Lanny spoke firmly. "Brian and I really care
about each other, and we want to be together."

"I guess, then you boys can be as close as you want, right?" Frank asked in
an unpleasant way.

"Let's quit dancing around the real issue, OK?" Lanny said firmly. "I'm
gay, Dad, and so is Brian. We fell in love with each other while we
traveled across Europe, and we want to see where this will go!" Lanny was
shaking. "I'm sorry Dad. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it's
the truth."

Nancy nervously got to her feet and began to gather up empty paper
plates. "Let me help you with this, and I brought a pie if anybody's
interested."

Louisa and Melissa had listened quietly as the drama unfolded. "Yes. Let us
help you with that pie."

The three women cut the pie and put pieces on plates to be served in the
living room. Marty put on a fresh pot of coffee, and there were a few
takers on the bathroom. Sensing conflict, Sam and Ben took their pie and
retreated to their bedroom.

When they were all back together, Marty stood and cleared his throat for
attention. Marty was rather an imposing figure at his current age of thirty
eight. Tall and still slender, his light brown hair showing a little gray
at the temples, he looked the part of a corporate manager, and exuded a
sense of authority.

Marty began, "I really enjoyed your presentation, Lanny. It seems to me
that you were both serious students on an extended field trip. I think our
investment in Brian's education was well spent. But we already knew that."

Marty cleared his throat again. "Since the conversation has turned to
curiosity about the future of their friendship, I would like to try and
clear the air a little. As all of you know, Marco and I are a same-sex
married couple. We are gay, and we love each other. Being gay was not a
decision on our part. It was the hand we were dealt. When we first met and
realized that the relationship might have a future we started living
together. We wanted to be sure that we were right for each other. It turned
out that we really fit, and we have been very happy together for just over
fourteen years now. Am I right about that Marco?"

Marco nodded and smiled from where he sat.

Marty continued, "I tell you this to explain why we are fine with these
guys living together, as roommates, good friends, or as a committed
couple. What we want for Brian, is for him to be happy and to live up to
his potential. I suspect that is what you want for Lanny too. Can we agree
on that?"

"Of course that's what we want for Lanny. What parent wouldn't?" Nancy
spoke up and gave Frank a stern look. "You're a good boy, Lanny. I know you
have a good soul and I love you no matter who you are or what you do."

Hearing the issue put so directly, Frank sat back in his chair. "Look, I'm
sorry. This is hard for me. Give me a minute to get my head around all
this, OK?"

"Come on, Dad. You really didn't notice that I was different from most
other boys? Is this really such a big surprise?" Lanny asked.

"Now Frank. We've talked about this," Nancy said quietly.

Frank took a deep breath, held it for a minute then slowly let it out,
looking at the floor. "OK, OK. I give up. I'm sorry Lanny. I'm just an old
red-necked Okie and this sort of thing is hard for me. Yes, I do want you
to be happy. No, I can't live your life for you. Yes, I can accept you and
Brian being roommates, and," Frank raised his eyes from the floor and
looked directly at Lanny, "and, yes, I do love you, son – no matter what
you do, I'll still love you. You go and figure out what seems right for
you, and I'll support you."

Nancy put her hand on her husband's arm and smiled, "Oh Frank!"

Lanny resisted the impulse to leap to his father and hug him. "Thank you
Dad. Thank you so much! I love you too. You've always been like my personal
hero, and I wanted you to be proud of me. This has been hard for me too,
because I figured you would hate me if you knew I was gay. I tried not to
be, really I did, but I just can't change who I am."

Frank hung his head. "I'm sorry kid. I tried to be a good father. How can I
hate my own son? You can't change who you are, so I have to change how I
think about it. I'm sorry, Lanny." Frank stood up and held out his arms. "I
love you, son."

With no more encouragement, Lanny took his father in his arms and wept as
they held each other tight. The others sighed with relief at the release of
tension.

Louisa stood and asked cheerily, "Would anybody like more coffee? What can
I get for you?"

"I'll take another cup. Milk and sugar please," Marco replied.

Nancy stood and said pleasantly, "None for me, thank you. This has been a
good meeting. Lanny, your presentation was very nice. I agree with Marty
that you boys got the most out of your trip and we are very proud of you
both. I do hope that we all understand each other better after tonight. I
wish you both all the best, and so does my hard-headed old husband." She
laughed and took Frank's hand. "Let's go home, honey."

Frank stood and laughed. He went around the room, shaking everyone's hand
and thanking them for the evening. When he came to Brian, he stopped. "You
seem like a fine young man, Brian. I hope you don't think I have anything
against you personally. If Lanny loves you then I'll just have to love you
too," and he gave Brian a brief but sincere hug.

After Frank and Nancy had left, those who remained were exhausted after all
the tension.

"Well!" Melissa laughed. "Welcome home guys! This has been quite an
evening. Are you two OK?"

"I'm fine," Brian assured her. "I hate drama, and I really hate trying to
sneak around and hide what I know is right and good. This was kind of
tense, but I think we got past some things tonight that will make it easier
for Lanny and me to work on our own issues. I feel like we are freer now
that we kind of had it out today. This was a good thing."

All eyes went to Lanny. "This was pretty heavy for me. Confronting my
father about my sexuality is something that I have dreaded for as long as I
can remember. I never thought it would play out in a group like this, but
really, I think that made it easier. It would have been tough to do this
alone. Maybe you guys were like referees, to make sure we all played
fair. Look, my father is a good guy, but like he said, this is hard for
him. I understand that. I guess it was hard for us all. But did you see how
he came around? He showed me today that he really does love me, and I'm
very relieved."

Now Brian stood. "I think we need to get these girls home. You ready,
Lanny?"

They got in Brian's Santa Fe and started off, Louisa in the front with
Brian, and Melissa in the back with Lanny. "I think maybe we need to ask
you how you feel about all this?" he asked the girls.

"I was proud of both of you," Louisa told them.

"I'm relieved that you feel that way," Lanny said. "Brian and I would never
have met if it were not for you. Did you suspect that we might end up as a
couple?"

Melissa took Lanny's hand, "I have to admit I suspected that Lanny might be
gay. We have been really good friends for a long time, but there was never
anything sexual between us. It always made me wonder."

"You've been such a great friend," Lanny told her, "I didn't really expect
that Brian and I would end up falling in love. I was afraid you would feel
rejected."

"Don't be silly," Melissa replied. "You're a really cute guy. When we first
started going out, I confess that I thought about the possibility that
things might get romantic, but we were just friends and it never went
beyond that. I didn't think that you found me unattractive, so I guessed
that there might be another reason. If I am really your friend, I should
want you to be happy. If Brian is the one for you, then I am happy for
you. Don't worry about me. I won't end up an old maid."

"What about you, Louisa?" Brian asked. "You and your family have been so
kind to me. You even taught me how to play tennis. I was sort of in denial
about my sexuality. You made me realize that if I was not going to fall for
someone as smart and pretty as you, then I wasn't going to fall for any
girl. I sort of agonized about that. I really didn't want to hurt you."

Louisa smiled. "Melissa and I have been best friends for a long time. We
talked about you guys and guessed that you might not be attracted to girls
in a romantic way. You and Lanny are such neat guys and we wondered if you
had something in common. All we did was bring you together. Apparently, we
guessed right. As for the tennis, that was my father's idea. He really took
a shine to you. We all did."

"So, you really aren't disappointed in me, in us?"

"Not at all. This turned out great!" Louisa laughed and sang a bar from
Fiddler on the Roof – 'Match make, match maker, make me a match....'

When Brian and Lanny returned to Brian's house they were joined in the
living room by Sam and Ben. "Are you and Lanny going to be boyfriends?" Ben
asked.

"Kind of looks like it," Brian replied. "Are you guys OK with that?"

"Sure," Sam shrugged. "We like Lanny. Why wouldn't we be OK with that?"

"You guys are cool," Lanny sighed. "I'm beginning to get a really good
feeling that this is all going to work out like it's supposed to."

"It's getting kind of late," Brian pointed out. "Do you think you might
want to, uh, stay over tonight?"

Lanny grinned, "Let me call my mother and let her know. I guess we have a
green light."

Lanny excused himself to call his mother and returned in a few
minutes. "Can you loan me a toothbrush?"

"Better than that, I can give you one. Just leave it in the
bathroom. Hopefully, you can use it often," Brian said.

"I think you know that you have our blessings," Marty told him. "Take your
time and focus on your studies. If this is right for you guys, you will
know it. You are always welcome here, Lanny. Consider yourself part of the
family."

"Are you adopting me too?"

"Maybe Brian has," Marco smiled.

The six of them devoured the rest of the sandwiches and Nancy's pie, then
got ready for bed. Sam, Ben, Brian and Lanny went upstairs to their
bedrooms.

Sam and Ben laid on their beds and discussed the day.

"Lanny's father wasn't very nice," Ben said.

"It's like Lanny said, this wasn't easy for him. Not everybody is cool with
guys having boyfriends," Sam reminded his brother.

"Is everybody in this house gay?"

"Daddy, Papa, Brian and Lanny are. I'm not sure about you and me, Ben said.

"I guess we're still figuring that out," Sam told him. "Right now, almost
everything makes us horny."

"You horny now?" Ben asked.

"Maybe," Sam replied.

Ben got up and checked the door, then returned to lie beside his twin
brother and begin the private game they had played so many times. Life was
good for these boys.

In Brian's room, he and Lanny were alone together for the first time in
weeks. Brian turned to him, "Do you think your father is cool with us being
together?"

"Probably not really, but he won't make a big fuss after today. That's
close enough."

"This was a little tense tonight, but I think we're on track. I really
appreciated Marty's little speech. That sort of set the scene for
acceptance."

"Your dads are awesome."

"They are, and so are you. It took a lot of courage to stand up to your
father like that," Brian said.

"That's been a long time coming. I was glad to get it over with. Mom was
cool too. It's like this is supposed to work out for us."

"At least it gives us the chance. I guess it's up to us to work it out."

Lanny put his hand on Brian's thigh. "This is the first time we have had a
chance to be together in a while. Should we take advantage of it?"

"Of course. Want to take a shower first?"

"I could see doing that. Is it private up here?"

"Oh yeah. Sam and Ben have one of the bathrooms and I have the other. Marco
and Marty have a bedroom and bath downstairs. We all respect each other's
privacy. You ready?"

"You know it," Lanny grinned.

They went in to shower and then came back to renew their friendship. It was
as good as ever.

----------------------------------

To be continued.

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