Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 05:34:02 -0500
From: TJ <BiDadWriter@yahoo.com>
Subject: Love for a Lifetime, Chapter 6
Disclaimers: The following is a work of fiction. Meaning, that, the people
and events are not real, and never happened, except in my mind. All the
other usual stuff applies. If you shouldn't be here, don't read it. If
you don't like it, why are you here? Comments appreciated, flames deleted.
This chapter is my personal favorite. I've been looking forward to writing
this chapter since I envisioned the story. (Some of you guys are probably
looking more forward to the NEXT chapter, and it's coming, uh, cumming,
soon!!)
Get out your hankies, it's gonna be a sweet ride!!!
________________________________________________________
Jim continued to improve that Sunday. He was moved to a semi-private
room early that morning. When he woke up, we talked about our engagement.
We decided to tell our folks when they were all together. We got the chance
shortly after church.
Our folks all got to the new room at about the same time. Our
dads were friends again, and they told us about the shock they
got when they checked at ICU and we weren't there.
"So, Jim, do you want to tell them or should I?"
"Tell us what?" Mom Mason asked.
"This will come as no surprise to you all, but, it's official.
Timmy asked me to "marry" him, and I said yes."
Congratulations were lifted up from all our parents, and the four
of them hugged and kissed us both. My dad jumped in and asked,
"So, how do you propose to pull off a marriage? It's not legal
around here, I don't believe," he was smiling.
"Well," I started, "we've talked about that. Mom Mason has
already talked to Pastor Scott for us, and now Jim and I
will talk to him as well. We know that it can't be a traditional
marriage, so, we've decided to have a commitment ceremony. It
will have most of the trappings of a wedding, with two rather
large exceptions."
"No bride," said Dad Mason, with a big grin on his face.
"Nope, dad," Jim said, "No bride. And probably no preacher."
"Why? Can't Scott help?" my mom asked.
"Well, our church frowns on homosexuality, and we wouldn't want
to put Scott in a predicament. If he wants to preside, that's
his business. We'll talk to him. If he feels that he can't we
may just do things ourselves, we just don't know right now."
"Are Phyllis and I going to get to give you boys away?" my mom asked.
"Well, mom, we're not sure how all that is going to work. We
would really appreciate you guys helping us out. We'd like to
have some kind of service, maybe at the Masons', since their
back yard is so pretty, and then a reception or party somewhere."
"We could hire a dance band," my mom said to Mom Mason.
"And since there's no bride, we can split the cost of the service
and the reception," Mom Mason said. The two of them huddled together
in the corner of the room, planning our ceremony for us.
"Will the two of you be moving back to your respective homes?" my
dad asked.
"Well, dad," I began, "we talked about that this morning too."
"I'm guessing that's why Jim is so quiet now," said Dad Mason,
"because he talked so much this morning?"
Jim cracked a small smile, and nodded affirmatively.
"We talked about moving home, but, we've already gotten used to
being together, and being apart would be a distraction, at best.
We find that being together let's us concentrate on what is
important, instead of thinking about the other, or needing to
be on the phone all the time. Jim is going to be out of
school for at least two weeks, maybe more. To keep his grades
up, he's going to need my help, and my presence."
"I can understand him needing those things, TJ, but, wouldn't
not having to worry about the bills make it less stressful for
the two of you?" my dad asked.
"We're going to have to learn how to manage our money somehow.
We're going to be married before we go to school, so we'd better
learn to live on very little while we're close to home."
"But you're going to let us help you, aren't you," asked Dad Mason.
"Help, yes. Do for us, no," I replied. "We'll have to work that
out, but not today, I don't think."
"Well, what are you going to do about school while Jimmy Lee is in the
hospital?" my dad asked.
"I'm going to go to school, work half as much as I normally would,
and stay here at the hospital at night. We've already checked
with the nurses to make sure it was ok, and they said it would be.
As soon as Jim can come home, I may need you guys to help watch
him during the day, and the nights I have to work. The doctor
said this morning that if he recovers quickly, he will be as mobile
as a wheelchair can make him in two weeks or less. He's going to
be wearing those three casts for at least six weeks, so, dad, can
you help me build a wheelchair ramp at the house, I mean the trailer?"
"Hey, Randy," Dad Mason said. "You and I could do that in no time
flat, either one evening this week, or maybe next Saturday. We'll
need about thirty for forty feet of two by fours..." Our dads headed
for the other side of the room to discuss building Jim a ramp.
I looked at Jim, and, through the tiredness, I could see his
love for me, and a peace that was quickly invading our lives. I
was so happy.
"What are you grinning about?" my mom asked.
"We're just so happy, and blessed," I said. "We have our families
back, and you accept us for who we are, we're going to be getting
married, our families are friends again, and the most handsome,
sweetest, kindest, most intelligent man in the world just told me
he loved me with his eyes. He didn't even have to say it out loud.
I'm so happy and content, I could bust."
"Well don't get any of that busting on my baby," Mom Mason said,
"He's been through enough this weekend, and he doesn't need his
fiancée's guts all over him too!"
We all laughed at that.
Over the course of the next two weeks, my life was very hectic.
Jim was getting better, and beginning to remember more about
what happened. He remembered running past the place where I found
him, and then, when he came back by, three guys jumped him. He
still couldn't remember what they looked like, but he was sure
that one of them was a student at school with us.
I was going to school every day, working two nights, and spending
every possible minute with Jim. Most of our friends at school
were horrified to find out what had happened. In fact, there was
a pep rally that week at school and my dad brought up the subject.
He started talking about prejudice, and hate. Somebody made a
crude comment about "stupid faggots" which got some cheers,
and jeers.
My dad stopped for a minute. He looked at the assembled students,
and then called up one of our star athletes, who was a senior.
"Charles, do people ever make judgments about you, without
getting to know you?" he asked.
"All the time, Mr. Parker."
"Why?"
"Well, some folks think I stupid because I'm a jock. Every
body else that thinks I'm stupid thinks it's because I'm black."
"Charles, what is your GPA?" my dad asked.
"Right now it's a 3.95," he responded.
"How many remedial courses are you taking?" my dad asked.
"If by remedial, you mean non-college level, none."
"In other words," my dad said, "all the classes you're taking
are the college prep classes?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you're the captain of the football team?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you work at night?"
"Yes, sir."
"And you're active in your church?"
"Yes, sir."
"So why do people think you're stupid?"
"Because I'm a black jock," he said.
"So, because they're actually too stupid, or narrow-minded, or
bigoted, they try to make themselves look bigger by making you
look smaller?"
"Yes, sir."
"Thanks, Charles."
(Before I go any further, or piss somebody off, I found out after
the pep rally that my dad had gotten Charles' permission to make
the next comment) He (my dad) turned again to face the students.
"Without that dumb nigger that just walked off the stage, our
football team would have never made the state playoffs this year.
Oh, I'm sorry, did I just offend somebody? I mean, he is a jock,
so he's dumb, and he's black, so he's a nigger, right?
WRONG!!!! DEAD WRONG!!" he said banging his fist on the podium.
"There is not a person in this room that has the right to say
anything to or about another person to cast a shadow on their
integrity. Each of you is special; each of you is different.
That's a gift you've been given. Unfortunately, there are some
of you who are too stupid to realize that, so you're wasting your
lives on drugs, and alcohol, and flunking out of school. You can
call Charles a dumb nigger if you want to, but if you do, and he
in turn beats you to a bloody pulp, you will be the one suspended,
not him. I will not punish any student who responds to this kind
of abuse any more. So all you knuckle heads out there, yeah, the
ones who think you're so cool, I'm declaring open season on your
attitude. I'm also putting on notice the young man who helped
brutalize and rape my sons lover: you will be found out, and
you'd better pray that it's the police who find you first.
There are already many students in this school who are looking
for you, with blood in their eyes. I pity you if they catch you."
Two gasps went up from the crowd. One, when dad said rape, the
other when he said lover. He continued, "Oh, didn't you students
know? The three guys that beat up Jimmy Lee Iverson raped him,
apparently repeatedly, because he was different, because he loved
another boy. Is that logical? To rape a guy because he likes
guys? No, it's not. You know who you are, young man, and you
will be brought to justice. You can take that to the bank."
At that statement, the majority of the student body erupted in a
standing ovation. The people sitting around me patted me on the
back, and Teri, who was sitting beside me, gave me a kiss on
the cheek.
After that pep rally, Jimmy Lee began getting visitors. Lots of
visitors. The nurses just took it in stride. Two days later,
one of the "hoodlums" turned himself into the police. He said
that he, his 19 year old brother, and another teenage guy from
their neighborhood had been partying all night, saw Jimmy Lee, knew
about him, and decided to have some fun, but that things got out
of hand. The subsequent arrest, and trial of these three put the
guy who confessed in juvenile hall for the rest of the year, but
the other two guys went to jail for twenty years each, neither
eligible for parole for fifteen years. It was a small victory,
but we celebrated that spring.
Three days before Christmas break, Jimmy Lee came home, albeit, in a
wheelchair. The ramp our dads had built was perfect, not too
steep for getting him in or out of the trailer. They had also
re-arranged the furniture to make it easier for him to get around,
including moving our bed into the living room. That Sunday morning,
when we went to church, we got a lot of nasty stares, but we also
got a lot of hugs, and kind comments from people who said they
had been praying for us. All in all, it was a good day.
Jim's mom sent us a live Christmas tree, and several boxes of
decorations. My folks gave us an early Christmas present by paying
our rent for three months. Jims folks did the same, so our rent
was paid through the end of the year. That freed up some of my time,
so I could be home more, and freed up our money, so we could get our
family Christmas presents.
Jims mom came and got him to take him shopping for me, and then
stayed at the trailer with him so I could go shopping for him.
Christmas day proved how much we thought alike, as we had each
bought the other a pinkie ring as an engagement ring. Each was a
solitaire diamond, and both of us had engraved our initials, and
the actual date of our engagement in the rings. It was almost spooky.
We woke up, at our house on Christmas morning, and for the first time
in weeks, just lay in bed, holding each other. We spent the rest of
the day visiting our respective families. My folks for lunch, and
his for dinner. We all had a wonderful time, and we knew that
healing was finally coming.
The week after Christmas, Jim got the cast off his arm, and
the second week of January, he got his leg casts off. His golf
rhythm has never been the same, but he still shoots a mean 18.
The rest of the spring was spent studying, and preparing for our
commitment ceremony, which was planned for Saturday, June the 19th,
a week after graduation.
We both graduated in the top ten percent of our class, and when
each of us walked to receive our diplomas, my dad handed them to us.
Those were the only two he passed out.
We had been to Pastor Scott for pre-marriage counseling, like he
would do for a heterosexual couple. It was very helpful, and not
always easy. We learned things about each other we didn't know,
but we grew closer than we'd thought possible.
The magic day finally arrived. We each spent the night at our
own parents' houses, so that we wouldn't see each other before
the ceremony.
The ceremony was set for 5pm. It was to be followed by a sit down
dinner reception at the country club where Jim and our dads
played golf. Surprisingly, the guest list was over 100, and they
almost all showed up!! It was amazing. Our grandparents came
and supported us, even if they disagreed with our lifestyle. They
figured better to be a part of something you don't agree with, than
to be completely excluded.
I don't want to sound like some blushing bride, but I had dreamed of
this day every since I knew in my heart I wanted to spend the rest
of my life with Jim. There had been countless hours of determining
just what to say, and do. We thought it was going to be special, a
celebration of who we are, our commitment to each other, and our families
commitment to us. It promised to be a great day.
Jims' mom insisted on us getting invitations. It took a while
to find a printer who agreed to what we wanted. In a simple, white
card with two rings intertwined on the front, the inside read:
Mr. and Mrs. Randolph Timothy Parker, Sr.
and
Mr. and Mrs. Bradley James Iverson
proudly invite you to join them at the commitment ceremony
of their sons,
Randolph Timothy Parker, Jr
and
James Lee Iverson
on Saturday, June 19, 1982 at 5 o'clock in the evening.
Reception following at the XXXX XXXXX Country Club hall
after the ceremony
(Sorry, not giving away where we live. Privacy, and all that stuff)
The cards were beautiful, and included a RSVP for both the ceremony
and the dinner. Out of all the people we invited, only four declined
to come, and three of those were because of out of town vacations
that had non-refundable deposits.
Like any "joining" ceremony (wedding) we had to pick colors and a
theme. We wound up with navy blue and kelly green (hey, it was
1982 for pete's sake!! What do you expect from two preppies?)
We had the ceremony at the Mason's house in the back yard. The
magnolia trees were their beautiful deep green, there was a trellis
we rented and covered in magnolia and gardenia flowers, and lots of
greenery. We were going to go so far as to buy a trinity candle,
but, with the wind the way it is, we knew it wouldn't stay lit,
so we figured out something original to show how our two families
were merging.
Both of us had two "groomsmen" and our fathers both acted as best men.
The groomsmen doubled as ushers. Pastor Scott had talked with
Pastor Jenkins about being a type of "master of ceremonies" as a
friend, not in the office of pastor, and making that clear to the
assembled people. Pastor Jenkins agreed that it would be ok. We
had Teri and Susan man the guest register, and, except for our moms,
they were the only females included in the ceremony, except for
Caroline. She and Fred sang a duet of "Always and Forever" during
the prelude time. And, except for that song, all the other prelude
music was "DJ'd" by Fred. It was all classical music that Jim
and I both liked. (We both preferred country music to the disco/dance
music fad that was the rage in the early '80's)
Finally, the moment I had been waiting for arrived. We had decided
to stay apart from each other all day, and even when the folks and
I got to the Iverson's house, Jim and I were kept from each other.
Our moms took this tradition of not seeing each other so far as to
go out opposite sides of the house from each other. This not being
a regular wedding, we entered a little differently. We chose Aaron
Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" to walk in by. It is a grand,
majestic piece of music, and ends on a high, expectant note. Our
groomsmen walked in one at a time ("Fanfare" is a four minute song,
and I wanted the whole thing to play. David, my former piano
instructor, took over manning the stereo for Fred from this point out).
Then, our moms walked around the opposite corners of the house from
each other, and met at the back of the seating area. Jims' mom
was beautiful in a navy blue, tea length dress made of satin. There
was some kind of netting that covered the top part of her dress that
set it of beautifully. She wore a corsage of orchids, like my mom
did. My mom wore a similar dress, sans the netting, but of kelly
green. Both our moms had their dresses tailor made for our wedding,
and they both looked spectacular. They waited at the back of the
seating area, as Jim and I came around the back of the house.
We had both elected to wear white, identical tuxedos, with white
bow ties, cummerbunds and shoes. We both had our mizpahs out, over
out shirts. We walked and stood behind our respective moms. Our
dads walked out with us, but walking behind us. Where the groomsmen
wore kelly green bowties and cummerbunds, our dads wore navy blue.
When the six of us were at the back of the seating area, we turned
and headed up the aisle. Since there was no bride, the "congregation"
was not asked to stand, but they did, I guess out of respect. It was
VERY touching.
When we got to the front of the seating area, our respective moms
turned and kissed their son, and then each kissed the other son, and
they sat down. Jim, our dads and I headed up front to Pastor
Scott. Our dad's took their respective places beside us guys.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Pastor Scott began, "we are gathered here
today with friends and family, and before God to witness something
unusual. While I am not here as a pastor, or as an official of the
state of North Carolina, I am here as friend and counselor to two
fine young men who have decided to commit themselves, one to another.
We have talked, at length, about commitment, about the struggles any
couple would have, and, the special struggles they will face. I am
satisfied that they are approaching this decision soberly,
and confidently."
"This ceremony is not a wedding. It is a unique celebration of love
between these two men. They have decided to spend their lives
together, and want to proclaim to their friends and families their
friendship, and deep, abiding love for each other. So we, their
friends and family, are gathered today, to witness, and to share in
this special moment."
"At this point in a wedding, the question would be asked about who
gives this bride. But no bride is being given. However, consent,
and blessing are being given by both families."
At this point Jim and I turned and faced our respective dads.
Pastor Scott continued, "For TJ's 17th birthday, Jimmy Lee gave him a
special present. Actually, a present for both of them. The
necklaces you see them wearing are special things. They are mizpah.
The inscription on the front, broken by they jagged line you see
reads "The Lord watch between me and thee while we are away from
each other."
Jim and I reached up, and undid the clasps of our necklaces
and took them off.
"Brad and Randy have come to grips with the unusual nature of their
sons' relationship, and support their sons' decision. They support
their boys, and love them, unconditionally."
Jim and I reached up, and fastened our respective necklace around
our dads' necks, and together we said, "God watch between you and me,
dad, while we are apart from each other."
Pastor Scott continued, "Jimmy Lee and TJ have worked on their own vows,
and have brought each other a token of their love, and commitment.
Guys."
We had decided that, because of what Jimmy Lee wanted to say in light
of the attack, that I would go first. We faced each other, and
joined both of our hands.
I started, "James Lee Iverson, you have been my best friend since
first grade. You have always loved me, and protected me, lifted
me up, consoled me, and made me feel good about myself. You have
been there when I needed you. You are so dear to me. All I am is
yours. My possessions, my dreams, and my heart. I freely give
myself to you, my life partner. I promise to love you, care for
you, in sickness, and in health, whether we are rich or poor, in
good times and bad. You are my completer. I submit myself to you,
as your mate."
There was sniffling everywhere, including Jim and me. He looked
into my eyes. I could see the tears, but the shining I saw was the
incredible love he had for me.
"Randolph Timothy Parker, Jr., you too, have been my best friend
since first grade. You know me better than I know myself. You try
to meet my needs, and wants, before I express them. You are
selfless, and caring, honest, and full of integrity. You have
cared for me in sickness, and in health. You have been there when
I needed you. When others wouldn't come, you were there. You
saved my life, physically, and emotionally. All I am is yours.
My possessions, my dreams, and my heart. I freely give myself to
you, my life partner. I promise to love you, care for you, in
sickness and in health, whether we are rich or poor, in good times
and bad. You are my completer. I submit myself to you, as your mate."
David started the soundtrack for "One Hand, One Heart" from "West
Side Story" and Jim and I sang to each other:
Jim: Make of our hands one hand
Tim: Make of our hearts one heart
Together: Make of our vows one last vow
Only death will part us now
Tim: Make of our lives one life
Jim: Day after day one life
Together: Now it begins, now we start
One hand, one heart
Even death won't part us now
As the music faded, and the tears streamed down Jims' and
my faces (and, apparently, most every other face in the crowd)
Pastor Scott spoke again.
"Jimmy Lee and TJ have also brought tokens of their love and commitment
to each other. The rings, please."
Our dads handed us the rings.
This time, Jim went first.
"Like a circle, with no beginning, and no end, so is my love
for you. This ring is perfect today, no blemishes, no dents or
dings, and no inscriptions. Today, our love is perfect, no blemishes,
no dents or dings, just beginning to be inscribed. I give you
this ring, as a token of my undying love. Wear it to show all
persons that my heart is yours," and he slipped the ring on my hand.
It was my turn now, "My love for you is also without beginning,
without and end. This ring is without beginning or end. My love
for you, and your love for me, is a precious thing. Gold, pure
gold is too fragile to stand along. It is tempered with strength
from other sources. You and I draw our strength from our families,
but our love for each other is precious, and pure. There are no
blemishes, or scratches on this ring today. As we go forward in
our life together, we will be bumped, and scraped, and our rings
will be the physical reminder or our love, our commitment, and
the story of our lives. I give you this ring, as a token of my
undying love. Wear it to show all persons that my heart is yours,"
and I slipped the ring on his finger.
I looked at Jim, and he looked at me. That moment is etched
indelibly in my mind. The smell of the freshly mown grass; the
gardenias, the setting sun; my life's companion, looking at me
with such love. It was, and is, a magic moment in my life.
Pastor Scott spoke again. "Jimmy Lee and TJ have made vows to each
other, pledged themselves to each other, and have exchanged rings,
as tokens of their love, and promises. There is one other commitment
they have made, with their families blessings. In honor of both
families, they have merged their surnames together, legally.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure, and honor, to
present to you, James Lee and Randolph Timothy Parson. You may kiss
your companion."
We gave each other a chaste little kiss. The crowd, who were a
little unsettled, seeing two guys kiss each other, stood and
applauded. It was magic.
When the applause finally died out, Pastor Scott spoke once again,
"There will not be a recessional for this ceremony. You are dismissed.
The Parsons' and their families are staying behind a few moments to
have some pictures taken, and you are welcome to stay as well. The
reception is waiting, and the ceremony participants will be along
shortly.
Getting all the pictures we wanted took longer than I expected, but
this kind of photo opportunity doesn't come around everyday. Finally,
all the pictures were taken. Jim and I took the Mustang to the
reception, and our folks drove themselves. Fred and Caroline rode
with us.
"So, where are you guys going for your honeymoon?" Fred asked.
"Like we'd tell you," Jim said. "I have no desire to have my
bed short-sheeted, or have rice in the bed, or some such nonsense
as that!!"
"It was worth a try," Fred said, through giggles.
We finally got to the country club. In 1982, the beer and wine legal
drinking age was 18, so Jim and I had champagne fountains flowing,
and wine served with dinner. There was "wedding" cake, and we hammed
it up when we cut the cake. There was an open bar for everyone
before the meal, and dinner was served promptly at 7pm. Dinner was
either grilled tuna steak, or a ribeye, with string beans almandine,
potatoes Dianne, a fresh veggie medley, toasted garlic bread, and
chocolate soufflé for desert. Of course, those having the fish were
offered a choice of iced tea, or white wine, and those of us who had
steak, got iced tea or red wine.
The dancing band played softly the whole evening. It was a seven
piece jazz combo Jims mom had found. They were great. This
may sound corny, but Jim and I did dance to the first song,
which we chose. It was Anne Murray's "Could I Have This Dance."
Could I have this dance
For the rest of my life?
Would you be my partner,
Every night?
When we're together,
It feels, so right.
Could I have this dance,
For the rest of my life.
I'll always remember
The song they were playing
The first time we danced
And I knew.
As we swayed to the music
And held to each other,
I fell in love with you.
I'll always remember
That magic moment
And I held you close, to me.
As we swayed together,
I knew forever,
You're all I'll ever need.
The song is a waltz, and Jim and I had practiced long and hard
how we would dance to this song. We were both pretty good dancers,
and we were able to change back and forth leading without anybody
being aware that we had changed. We gave everybody a good show,
and we had a blast.
Next, our dads came and danced with us, first dads and sons, then
"dads" and "sons", until our moms cut in, and danced with us. After
that, the dance floor opened up, and everybody danced.
At one point, I nudged Jim and pointed out Fred and Caroline.
"I've seen that look before," he said.
"Really? " I asked. "Where?"
"Right here, in the eyes of my man," he responded as he leaned
over and gave me a quick kiss.
I just smiled. I think even our parents realized that Fred and
Caroline had fallen hard for each other. I heard my mom mention
to Mom Mason "I wonder what kind of wedding they'll want?" and the
two of them just giggled and moved on.
Just before 9pm, my dad signaled a toast.
"The Masons, and we" he gestured at my mom, "would like to thank
you all for being a part of this special day. I would like to
propose a toast, to our sons. TJ, Jimmy Lee, we, your parents, have
watched you grow, from babies into young men. We have not always
agreed, and will not always agree, with your actions and your choices,
but we love you. You are sons any parent would be proud of. If we
have caused you grief, or hurt, we're sorry. If we have brightened
your days, we are glad. We have been, and will continue to be
blessed by God in the two of you. We are happy for you, and very
proud of you. You are men of integrity, high moral fortitude, and
character. May your days, and nights, be filled with love,
happiness, joy, peace, and fun. May you grow closer as every day
passes. Bless others, as you have been blessed, and never, never
forget your way home. Salud!!"
"Salud!!" Was echoed all around the room. Jim and I were in
tears. As soon as I drank to the toast, I went and hugged my dad.
Jim joined right in for a three-way hug.
Jims' dad stood and said, "Jimmy Lee, TJ, there is nothing I could
add to Randy's toast to express our," and he gestured at Mom Mason,
"thoughts and feelings. Randy and I flipped a coin to see how this
would go. He got the toast, I get the surprise." Jim and I
looked at each other, and then at his dad.
"Ladies and gentlemen, some of you may not know this, but Jimmy Lee
and TJ have both been accepted at UNC-Chapel Hill under full
scholarship. They will be living off-campus, but not in the
apartment they thought they were going to be living in. There is a
small artist's community next door to Chapel Hill, called Carrboro.
Nice neighborhoods, close to the college. TJ, since you're the math
whiz in your household, how about you coming here and reading this
for me."
"Yes, sir, dad," I said.
He handed me a fairly thick document, which I glanced over, until
I saw the following words: Deed of Trust.
"Oh, my gosh!!! Is this what I think it is?" I asked.
He reached over and flipped a page, pointed to a spot and said,
"Start reading here,"
"Consisting of all the land and parcels located at xxx xxx street
(again, you don't need to know where we live, sorry!!) registered
in the county plat book number, (again, privileged info)." I looked
up at him and said, "You guys bought us a house?"
Jim stood up and said, "They what?"
Dad Mason said, "Your parents and Phyllis and I tried to think
what would help you two out the most, and, keeping you from being
distracted from your studies is what you need the most. We know
that the biggest bill you could have would be rent. We know that
you, TJ, have money in a savings account, and you know that Jimmy Lee
is getting his trust money. That should take care of everything
except incidentals, so if the rent is taken care of, neither of
you needs to work a part time job. Guys, go to school, put all
you have in your degrees, only work if you want to, but most of
all, enjoy being together. This house is not much. It is a two
bedroom, one bathroom bungalow, with a screened in back porch, and
a fenced in back yard. We four went up five weeks ago, looked it
over, and paid for it. Do us proud, and become well known,
respected in your own right. Become rich, and then take care of us in
our old age."
Jim said, "Dad, I don't know what to say!"
"Don't say anything, son. You guys are going to have a rough life.
You will face much persecution, and struggle. We just want to make
things as easy for you as we can."
Jim took his glass, and raised it, and said, "Ladies and
gentlemen, to the four most wonderful parents we could have asked
for. " He took my hand, and continued, "We love you, and we
thank you. Salud!!"
"Salud!!"
Then our grandparents stood up. Jims' granddad said, "Boys,
we've talked to each of you, and both of you about our feelings.
We love you both, very much. We do not necessarily agree with your
life choice, but we will support you the best we can. The eight of
us have been in contact quite a lot lately. We know that you're
planning on going down to our summer cottage for your, uh, honeymoon,
I guess you'd call it. Well, here is a little gift for the two of
you, from the eight of us," and he handed Jim an envelope.
Jim opened it up, and his hand went to his mouth, as he gasped.
I looked over his shoulders, and could not believe my eyes.
Round trip airline tickets to Cancun, Mexico, and reservations
for a week at a resort.
"This is too much, gramps," Jim said, as tears started to
flow down his cheek.
"This is our way of helping you to get your life together off
with happy memories," he said.
"Just your being here, and this whole day is happy memory enough!"
Then Jim told the assembly what we had been given.
I picked up my glass and said, "To our grandparents!! May God
return blessings to you all, a hundred fold, for your generosity!
Salud!!"
"Salud!!"
We mingled with the crowd a little longer, but, soon, it was time
for us to leave. We had made reservations at a bed and breakfast
thirty miles away for our first night together.
We went to the locker room to change into our traveling clothes.
"I love you, Mr. Parson," Jim said to me.
"I love you, Mr. Parson," I said back.
We kissed, deeply, rubbing our hands all over each other. That
kiss, like all of Jims kisses, took my breath away.
"Uh, Jim, honey. We'd better stop, before I ravage you right
here in the middle of the locker room. And although we can do
that now, I really don't want an audience the first time."
He laughed and let me go.
"Are you happy?" he asked me.
"Deliriously!" I said.
"Me too!" he said as he grinned.
Every one went out with us to bid us farewell. We got the birdseed
thrown at us, as we headed for...oh man!!!! They had ROYALLY decked
out the Mustang. I looked for my dad, and he was doing his best to
look innocent, but I knew better. And, I guess it was appropriate.
They used blown up condoms instead of balloons. The car was covered
in toilet paper, cans drug along behind us. There was a big sign
attached (reinforced and tied to the back, I found out at the car
wash) that said "Just Committed". We've still got that sign,
carefully folded up in our picture album of our commitment ceremony.
Our guests and Jim and I were the only ones that understood
that sign. Jim and I got several strange stares before we made
it to the car wash where together, we cleaned the car up before
heading to the bed and breakfast.
It had been a wonderful, beautiful, emotional day. But the night
had not even begun!!!
______________________________________________________
**Sniff, Sniff** my box of Kleenex has run out!!! I'm writing this
story, and the trip to Cancun surprised me!!! I wasn't expecting
that from the grandparents!!
Well, what do you think so far? Try not to bust your zippers
waiting for Chapter Seven!! After this build up, I hope you're
not disappointed!!!
Later,
TJ