Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2014 20:50:43 -0400
From: crazy4u <rnielsen47@gmail.com>
Subject: The Lernier Family Chapter 37, GM Relationships

Comments on the story are appreciated and may be addressed to the author,
Russ Nielsen (rnielsen47@gmail.com).  To read more of my stories, you can
find them at my story site - http://www.saskboystories.blogspot.com/

All the usual disclaimers apply. This is a work of pure fiction. Any
similarities to persons living or dead are coincidental. If it is illegal
to read this where you live, don't read it. If you are under legal age
where you live, don't read it.

This story contains descriptions of consensual sexual contact between adult
males. Passing through Nifty's main page to get here is your way of saying
it is legal for you to be reading it.

Please contribute to Nifty so we can continue to enjoy these stories!

*** ***

Chapter Thirty Seven – Rick's Mom

We both woke up early.  I felt Rick's arms tighten around me as he nuzzled
my hair.  He murmured into my hair, "Are you awake, sweetheart?"

I ran my fingers lightly over his abs, which he flexed for me, and
answered, "Yes, I'm awake.  I love waking up to you in the morning."

Rick put his hand under my chin and lifted my head up.  He captured my lips
in a loving kiss.  We rubbed noses and he pulled back, still holding me in
his arms.

I gazed into Rick's face, and noted the big dark circles around his eyes.
"You didn't sleep last night."

Rick met my gaze, and admitted, "No, I didn't.  I couldn't get my mind to
shut down."

"Julie's call upset you," I said, knowing my husband as I do.

"Yes, it did.  I really don't want any contact with my mother.  I don't
think she has changed her mind about two men being married to each other,"
Rick said.

"Babe, I don't either.  I very much doubt she has really changed at all.
Most people get old and bitter, not older and nicer.  You're welcome to
re-establish contact with her, if you think it's wise.  However, I do not
want anything to do with her, even if she kisses my feet and begs for my
forgiveness."  I was surprised at the venom in my voice.  I hadn't realized
until that moment that I harbored so much hatred for the woman who had hurt
my husband so much.

Rick gazed into my eyes, and asked, "Why do you feel that way?"

"Do you really have to ask?" I said, incredulously.  "She hurt you, Rick.
I know about the deep wounds she inflicted on your heart, the ones that are
still there.  I'm afraid those wounds will be reopened by contacting her,"
I said.  I reached up and cupped his cheek with my hand.  My voice had a
hard edge to it, as I continued, "She caused you intense pain and
suffering, Babe.  Nobody messes with my husband and gets away with it."

Rick smiled, and took my hand in his.  He gently kissed me and said, "Thank
you for trying to protect me, sweetheart.  I know that you love me and will
do your best to keep me from harm.  However, I'm sure I'll be okay to speak
to her.  If she starts getting out of line, I can always hang up."

I gave him a worried look.  "But the damage will have already been done,
Babe.  You know how sensitive you are.  On the exterior you may be a big,
tough ex-marine; but on the inside you're marshmallow soft, especially when
it comes to family."

Rick said, "I know, but that's why I married you; so you can protect me
from my big, bad momma."  He laughed, and ruffled my hair.

I swatted him lightly on the chest.  "Now you're being patronizing.
Seriously, Rick, I'm worried about what the outcome may be, as a result of
coming into contact with her.  You know you get upset every time you talk
to Julie.  What's it going to be like talking to your mother?  Unless she
has evolved to a point where she can accept us as a married couple with a
family, I don't see this as a good thing."

Rick said, "I hear you, and I am in agreement with your assessment of the
situation.  But let's play it by ear, and see what she has to say.  Okay?"

"Okay," I said, hesitantly.  I didn't like it one bit, and Rick knew it.
Instead of dwelling on it, I leaned forward and kissed him.  "We need to
get the children up and moving.  We don't want to miss our flight."

Rick sighed and said, "You're right.  I guess I can sleep on the plane."

I got up and pulled him to his feet.  I wrapped my arms around his waist,
and held him close to me.  I kissed him, and said, "Mr. Lernier, you have a
family that loves you.  We will support you and stand by you.  Never forget
that!"

Rick's eyes were bright with unshed tears.  His husband always knew what he
needed to hear.  He said, simply, "I love you."

"I love you, too.  Now take me to our shower," I said, giving him a
lecherous grin.  "I need some loving attention from my favorite husband."

Rick laughed. "I'm your only husband."

"Yes, and that makes you my favorite one," I said, kissing him as I stroked
his male member.

Our shower was wonderful!  In my opinion, every married couple needs to
have showers like ours.  When we're done, there is never any doubt that we
love each other very much!  In fact, I'm beginning to believe that showers
were invented for couples like us!

*** ***

Mark woke up to the ring tone of his cell phone.  He picked up his phone,
and saw that David had sent him a text message.  He touched the screen and
opened up the message.  "Good morning, Mark.  We're going 2 Toronto 2-day.
Will txt you later."

Mark hit the reply button and typed, "Have fun on the plane."

A few seconds later, a reply came, "Miss you & wish you were here."

He texted back, "Same here."

He figured that David must be leaving for the airport since, it was 6 AM.
He shook his head in disbelief.  Only crazy people got up before dawn,
during winter break!  He pulled the blankets up over his head, and went
back to sleep.

*** ***

David sat on his bed with his cell phone in his hand.  Purev walked into
the room with a towel wrapped around his waist.  "The shower's all yours."
Purev noticed that David had his phone out, and said, "Are you texting with
Mark?"

"I was.  I think I woke him up," David said.  "I really miss him."

Purev said, "I know how you feel."  Purev flopped on the bed opposite
David's.  "When Idree told me he couldn't see me anymore, I thought I was
going to die.  I'm not even allowed to send him text messages, because his
parents took away his cell phone."

David said, "It's pretty bad when parents get involved in our personal
lives.  Don't they understand that we aren't their slaves?"

Purev looked over at David in surprise.  "What are you talking about?  Your
parents aren't forcing you to stop seeing Mark."

"But they insist we abide by their rules," David said.

Purev was shocked at what he was hearing.  "David, are you serious?  I
thought you could present your case for changing the rules, and they would
at least consider it.  They told me that I could do the same; since I
disagreed with the family rules on having sex before age 18."

David said, "That's true.  I guess I'm just feeling frustrated because I
want to be with Mark right now."

Purev shook his head.  David was being so illogical; it didn't add up.  He
said, "Your Dad offered to let you go home to be with Mark, instead of
going to St. Catharines with the rest of us.  How can you say you're
frustrated when you're the one who decided not to go home?"

David answered, "I felt like they wanted me to stay with them; so I decided
not to go home."

"But that's not what they said," Purev countered.  "You deduced that on
your own.  If you really want to go home, I know they'll let you.  I know
that much, even though I've only known them for such a short time."

David looked away from Purev, and didn't answer.  The silence in the room
was only broken by the sound of the ocean coming in through the open
window.  "Purev, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone, if I share
something with you."

Purev raised his eyebrows, and said, in a long drawn out way, "Okaaay.
What's this all about?"

David demanded, "Promise me first!"

Purev was surprised by the intensity of David's voice, but he said, "I
promise I won't tell a single soul."

David said, "Mark and I are having sex with each other."  Purev's mouth
fell open, and he stared in utter disbelief at David.  David laughed, and
said, "You can close your mouth now!"

Purev snapped his mouth shut.  "I don't believe you.  Why would you have
sex with Mark and not with me?  When did you do it?"

David said, "I'm not sharing all the details with you; but Mark said he
wanted to marry me when we get older."

Purev looked hurt.  "You didn't answer my question.  Why did you choose
Mark and not me?"

David realized he shouldn't have told Purev anything about him and Mark,
but it was too late now.  "I'm sorry, Purev.  I didn't mean to hurt you."

"How can you say that you didn't mean to hurt me?  You know that I still
like you, and that I've wanted to have sex with you since we first met.
Why didn't you ask me first?"  Purev was very upset, and tears were flowing
down his cheeks.  His feelings for David had never changed, despite his
pursuit of Idree.

"You were still dating Idree, Purev.  I didn't think you wanted me, because
you already had a boyfriend," David said.

Purev fought to control his emotions; and, eventually, calmed himself down.
"I'm sorry, David.  You're right.  I did have a boyfriend, when you met
Mark."  He wiped the tears off his cheeks with the corner of his bath
towel.  He stood up and dropped his towel to the floor, as he pulled out
his clothes.

He began to get dressed, as David said, "Remember, you promised not to tell
anyone."

Purev turned around, giving David a huge grin.  "I did promise; however,
there is a price to keep my silence."

David looked at Purev, and knew exactly what that price was!

*** ***

Later, they emerged from their room with their luggage.  Both boys looked
like Cheshire cats with huge grins on their faces.  Not only did I notice
the huge smiles, but I noted that things seemed to be different between the
two boys.  I glanced at Rick, and said, "I think that Purev and David seem
to be in a really good mood this morning."

"I agree.  I'm wondering what's up with that," Rick said, looking at the
boys, speculatively.  "They were both pretty moody yesterday.  I was
beginning to think I needed to hold one-on-one interviews with them to get
things out into the open about what's happening between them."

"I think you should still have that talk with them," I said.  "I'm not sure
what's up, but I have my suspicions."

Rick narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you think is going on?"

"I'll share my ideas with you later," I said, as the rest of the children
joined us in the hallway with their luggage.

Rick said, "Don't forget to tell me what you're thinking, Babe.  I want
your insights, before I talk to them."  He turned to our three teenage boys
and said, "Kyle, Purev and David, please help me load the suitcases into
the back of the minivan."

They disappeared outside with the luggage, while Ashley helped me get the
twins ready to go.  I asked, "Ashley, do you know what's going on between
David and Purev?"

"No, I don't; but whatever it is, I'm glad David seems to be happy," Ashley
said.  "I think they were fighting about something yesterday.  I don't know
what it was, but they weren't speaking to each other, when they went to bed
last night."

Grandma and Grandpa came into the hallway.  Grandma put out her arms, and
said, "I need hugs and kisses from my grandsons."

The boys ran into her arms and obediently gave her hugs and kisses, as
requested.  JJ said, "I love you, Grandma."

Grandpa asked, "Do I get the same treatment?"

Josh answered, "Yes, you do, Grandpa."

Grandma turned to Ashley.  "Goodbye, sweetheart.  I look forward to seeing
more of your artwork."

Ashley said, "I'll send copies of it, when we get home.  Thank you for
helping me with crocheting."

"You're welcome," Grandma said.  "I'd like to teach you how to do
cross-stitch and embroidery."

"I'd like that," Ashley said.

The rest of the family joined us, to say their farewells.  We were the only
ones leaving for the airport, since the rest of them drove their cars to
Daytona Beach.  Keith said, "We'll be driving down from Minneapolis to see
you in March."

I said, "We'll look forward to seeing you, then.  Do you know the exact
dates?"

"No, but we'll e-mail you our plans, when we know more," Kerry said.

Rick and the older boys came back inside from loading the car.  We gave
everyone a hug and a kiss, before we went outside to get in the mini-van
for the short trip to the airport.

*** ***

The flight was uneventful from Daytona Beach to Atlanta.  We had an hour
layover there.  We found our gate, and Rick stepped away to call his
sister, while I waited with the children.  The twins stood at the big glass
windows, and were occupied with watching the airplanes taking off.  The
teenagers were engaged with their video games.  I kept my eyes on the
twins, knowing their propensity to wander off, at any given moment.  It
never ceased to amaze me how quickly they could move.

Rick stepped into one of the small business lounges.  He dialed Julie's
number, and waited for her to answer the call; which she did on the third
ring.  "Hello, Rick.  Thank you for calling me back."

"What's up with our mother?" he asked, nervously.

He heard Julie take a deep breath on the other end of the line.  "Mom wants
to meet with you and your family."

"Why?" he asked.  "Has she changed her mind about how she feels about
gays?"

"No, she hasn't changed her mind about gay marriage, but she wants to meet
your...," here there was a pause, as if she couldn't bring herself to say
the word HUSBAND.  She started again.  "She wants to meet your family."

"The answer is no, Julie.  I can't trust her or her family.  I love my
husband and children too much to allow her to come in contact with them,"
Rick said.

"Mom doesn't mean to do you harm," Julie protested.  "She just wants to see
you."

"That's not true, Julie, and you know it.  Have you forgotten how Mother
sent Dad, Uncle George and Peyton to take me out of this world?  Dad said
it was his God-given duty to kill me and my husband; because we're sinners,
an abomination before God.  They trashed our apartment and left death
threats.  Since that time, we have always looked over our shoulders,
wondering if and when the next religious fanatic is going to try to murder
us.  I don't want anything to do with her or her family," Rick said.

"But that happened years ago," Julie said.

"That is true, but it hasn't changed how Mother and her family feel about
us, nor has it changed who we are," Rick said.  "Unless you're telling me
she has changed her beliefs?"

"She hasn't changed her religion, Rick.  I doubt that she ever will;
however, she does want to have contact with you and your family," Julie
said.

"I don't think that will be possible, Julie," Rick said.  "I'm sorry.  I
can't sacrifice the security of my family to satisfy the desires of a
bitter old woman who wants nothing better than to see me dead."

Julie said, "Yes, she's very bitter about what happened.  Because of you,
Dad went to jail."

"Dad did what our Mother wanted him to do.  She has no one to blame but
herself for that.  You know as well as I do that she has always ruled over
Dad.  He never did anything on his own, without checking with her first,"
Rick said.

Julie said, "I guess I hadn't really thought about it that way.  I'm sorry,
Rick.  I've always blamed you for what happened, but I see now that it was
Mother all along."

Rick asked, "Now, do you understand why I don't want anything to do with
her or her family?"

"I do; but can't you at least call her?  I think that maybe talking to her
will help her understand that she is the cause of her own misery.  Rick,
she calls me every day, complaining about how lonely she is," Julie said.
"She wants to come live with me, but I don't think I can handle having her
here.  She is so bitter about the past.  I don't need that kind of
negativity in my home."

"Neither do I," Rick agreed.  "I'm afraid that Mother has pushed away the
very people she should have helped.  Instead of threatening to kill me and
my husband, she should have opened her home to us and welcomed us.  But
that is not what she chose to do.  I will call her, but I won't promise it
will result in anything."

Julie gave Rick the number, and said, "Please give her a chance, Rick.  I
know that she doesn't deserve it, but at least hear her out."

Rick said, "I won't promise anything.  If she starts berating me for things
she has done, I will hang up on her, and that will be the last time we will
ever speak to each other."

The coldness in his voice made it very clear that he meant what he said.
Julie said, "I understand.  Let me call her, first; and let her know that
you will be calling."

Rick said, "You're going to warn her to be on her best behavior."

"Yes, I am.  Mother, sometimes, will listen to me," Julie said.  She
sighed, and said, "I'm hoping that you two can be reconciled to each other.
I know that Dad felt guilty for driving you off and never making an effort
to reach out to you.  He made me promise to try and get Mother to back down
on her determination to rid the world of her son and his lover."

"And have you been successful in that endeavor?" Rick asked.

"Somewhat.  I admit that she's pretty determined to rid the world of all
sin, but she's coming around to the fact that she can't do it all herself.
I've also pointed out that her Jesus ministered to the sinners and saved
them from themselves," Julie said.

Rick asked, in surprise, "Don't you go to church?"

"Not since Mom and Dad tried to kill you.  I knew that any church that
advocated murder was not for me.  I left that church, and I've stayed away
from all other Christian churches.  They seem to preach the same kind of
hatred toward people who don't fit their version of who is worthy of their
company.  I've found them to be full of hypocrisy.  They preach one thing,
then do another.  I guess you could say we are religious, but we aren't
members of any religious organization."

Kyle walked into the business lounge, and tapped Rick on the shoulder.
"It's time to board the plane."

Rick said, "I've got to catch a flight.  I'll let you know when I've called
Mother."

"Thank you for calling me back," Julie said.

Rick ended the call, and turned to Kyle, "Thanks for coming to get me."

"Not a problem, Dad," Kyle said, as they walked back to the boarding area
and rejoined the rest of the family.

We were able to board before everyone else, since we had little ones.  I
herded them down the jet way and onto the plane.  We had two rows near the
front of the plane.  Each twin sat in a window seat.  Kyle sat in the
middle seat next to JJ with Ashley on the aisle; and David sat behind Kyle,
next to Josh, and Purev in the aisle seat.  We sat across the aisle from
Ashley.  I took the middle seat, so Rick could have the aisle.  With his
long legs, he needs the extra room.

After takeoff, I asked, "Tell me what Julie had to say."

Rick related to me the entire conversation.  "Julie more or less admitted
that she blamed me for sending Dad to jail."

"I can't believe that," I said.  "It's so illogical."

"She didn't want to admit that our parents were in the wrong," Rick said.

"It's kind of twisted, if you ask me," I said.

Rick took my hand in his and said, "It is, but it's the kind of thinking
that comes with religious fanaticism.  Most religious people are rational
and reasonable; however, there are a good number of them who are irrational
and unreasonable."

"You mean those who belong to the professional Christian crowd.  You know,
the ones who do it for the money and power," I said.

"Yes, that's who I meant.  However, there are those who are not paid
preachers that are just as fanatical.  They are whipped into a frenzy by
their preachers and pastors; then go out and commit murder, lie, cheat and
steal all in the name of their God," Rick said.

"Rick, you are beginning to sound like me," I said.

Rick laughed, "You are starting to rub off on me.  I'll have to watch
myself, or I'll turn into a carbon copy of you."

I punched his shoulder, "Watch it!"

Rick leaned over, and whispered in my ear, "I love you, Babe."

I turned my head, and met his lips for a quick kiss.  The steward stopped
at our row, and said, "Thank you for being open about your relationship.
It makes it easier for the rest of us to be out and proud when we see how
happy you are."

Rick grinned, "You're welcome."

I had to admire the slim, dark haired steward.  He had jet black eyes under
heavy black eyebrows.  His honey colored skin was set off by the white
shirt he wore.  He wore diamond studs in his ears and had a killer smile!
He caught my gaze, and I laughed, "You look good."

He grinned, and said, "Thank you.  I hope I find someone as handsome as you
two are."

He continued down the aisle, leaving us to ourselves.  Kyle leaned forward
and looked over at us.  "Do you guys need a room?"

Rick grinned at our son, and said, "Don't think so, at least not right
now."

The rest of the flight was uneventful, which is the way I like it!  We
landed in Toronto on time, and made our way to baggage claim.  We picked up
a rental car, and drove the short distance to St. Catharines.  I gave a
sigh of relief as we pulled into our driveway.  Rick glanced at me and
said, "Welcome home, Glenn."

I smiled at my husband and took his hand in mine.  "Thank you for bringing
me home."

We quickly unloaded the car, and took our gear inside the house.  The
children went their separate ways, leaving me and Rick in the front room.
Rick asked, "Where did everyone go?"

I said, "The twins are playing with their trains in the family room.  David
and Purev are helping them construct a major railroad.  Kyle and Ashley are
in Kyle's room, watching a DVD."

"It sounds like it's just you and me," Rick said, putting his arm around my
shoulder.

I smiled up at my lover, and said, "I think we should take advantage of our
few minutes alone."  I knew that the phone call to his sister had upset him
quite a bit.  I've found that the best way to help Rick is to have sex and
lots of it!  He knows it, too; so I'm sure he won't resist my suggestion.

Rick nodded his head in agreement.  "Let's check in with the teenagers, so
they can keep an eye on the twins for a little while."

We walked into the family room, and David looked up at us.  "Will you keep
an eye on the twins for a bit?" Rick asked.

David nodded his head.  "Sure Dad."

Purev grinned broadly at us.  He knew what we had in mind.  "I'll tell Kyle
not to interrupt you."

I laughed, and said, "You don't have to do that.  We'll poke our heads into
Kyle's room on our way to ours."

Purev nodded his head, and turned back to help JJ with his portion of the
railroad track they were assembling.  We climbed the stairs to our room.  I
poked my head into Kyle's room, and said, "We're going to be occupied for a
bit.  David and Purev are watching the twins."

Kyle smiled, and said, "Gotcha!"  He gave us the thumbs up sign.

Ashley smiled, and said, "We'll listen for any problems with the boys."

"I'm sure they will be fine, but thanks for keeping an ear out," I said.

I rejoined my husband in our room.  I closed and locked the door, as he
approached me.  He took me into his arms and kissed me deeply.  "I love
you," he said.

"I love you, too.  Now show me how much you love me," I said, pulling him
toward our bed.

He growled like the big cat that he becomes when he needs some real loving.
I didn't have to wait long for him to pounce!

*** ***

We lay in each other arms, having satisfied our need for each other.  I ran
my hands over his chest and down over his well-defined abs.  I felt him
shiver under my touch, and I asked, "Are you cold, Babe?"

"No, I'm just enjoying the feel of your touch on my skin," he replied,
guiding my hand lower.

He threw his head back and moaned with pleasure, as I continued to caress
him.  He pulled me on top of him and said, "Please fuck me."

His request struck at my heart strings, as his tone of voice almost begged
me to make him mine.  He looked so vulnerable.  I knew he was still hurting
inside and wanted me to make him feel loved.  I repositioned myself and
kissed him as I complied with his request.  I did and said everything I
knew how to communicate my deep and abiding love for him.  After we both
came, we rubbed noses and I whispered in his ear, "I love you,
Mr. Lernier."

His eyes sparkled with unshed tears and he wrapped his arms and legs around
me, holding me tight against his body.  He left me no doubts that he wanted
and needed me!  I looked deeply into his eyes and said, "You will always be
my sweetheart."

Rick smiled and he said, "Thank you, Babe.  You always know what to say and
do to make me happy."

"That's my job," I said, smiling back at him.  "Do you think you're up to
talking to your mother?"

"Yes, I think so.  As long as you're on the line with me, I think I'll be
okay," Rick said.  "I don't want to talk to her by myself.  I want to know
that you're there, and can back me up when she starts to get nasty."

"I think she is going to be on her best behavior; because your sister will
have told her to watch what she says to you," I said.

Rick stared into my eyes for a long moment, before he said, "Maybe you're
right.  There's only one way to find out."

"Let's get a quick shower before we go downstairs and make that phone
call," I said.

I rolled off of Rick and stood up.  I grabbed his hand, and helped him to
his feet.  I led him to our en suite and turned on the shower, adjusting
the temperature.  I pulled him into the shower with me, and held him close
as the warm water cascaded over us.  He kissed me deeply.  We came up for
air, and I said, "Keep that up and we won't get out of the shower for a
long time."

He grinned at me, and asked, "So?  Don't you love being fucked in the
shower?"

I smiled, and shook my head in disbelief.  "You have a one track mind
today."

His grin broadened.  "And is there a problem with that?"

For an answer, I moaned with pleasure, as his roaming hands caressed my
bare skin.  My eyes practically rolled back in my head; the sensations in
my body were so intense.  Rick pressed his advantage and captured my lips
in a passionate kiss.  He knew he had me right where he wanted me!

*** ***

We dried each other off and dressed in khaki pants, white long sleeved
t-shirts, with dark blue wool sweaters.  We added cordovan penny loafers to
complete our outfits.  I kissed Rick, and said, "Let's get this over with,
so we can move on and enjoy the rest of our holiday."

We went downstairs to the living room, and sat on the couch side by side.
Rick took out his cell phone and dialed his mother's number.  It rang twice
before she answered.  Rick put the phone on speaker, so we could both hear
what she said.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello, Mother," Rick said.  He sounded stiff and formal.  There wasn't any
warmth in his voice.

"Hello, Rick.  You sound kind of distant," she said.

"That is because I have you on speaker phone.  My husband, Glenn, is here
with me," Rick answered.

"Oh," she said, as if she hadn't expected Rick to have me on the line with
him.

"Julie said you wanted to talk to us," Rick said, bringing the conversation
to a head.

"Yes, I wanted to hear your voice," she said.

"Well, you've now heard my voice," Rick said, not being very
conversational.  I squeezed his hand to let him know I supported him, no
matter what he said to his mother.  Rick glanced at me, and smiled.  I saw
a wicked gleam in his eye, and wondered what he was going to say.

"Glenn and I are married, and we have five beautiful children," Rick said.

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.  I started to speak,
but Rick put his finger to my lips, and shook his head.  She finally asked,
"Are they all yours, or are they adopted?"

"The three oldest are adopted.  The twins are my natural born sons," Rick
replied.

She sighed, and said, "So the Lernier line continues."

"Yes, it does," Rick said, with great pride in his voice.

"Your father would've been proud to know you have twin boys," she said.
"Where do you live?"

"Our home is in Ontario, Canada," he replied, intentionally leaving out the
city where they lived.  "We are Canadian citizens."

"Oh," she said.  "I thought you lived near Julie."

"We have a house near her, but this is our home," Rick said.

Hearing Rick tell his mother that this is home made my day.  I smiled up at
him, and whispered, "I love you."

He gave me a quick kiss, then asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing alright.  I fell and broke my hip last month, so I've been laid
up a bit.  I've had a lot of time to think about what I've done with my
life; and I decided I needed to try to mend our relationship, before it's
too late," she said.  "After your Dad passed, I realized that life is too
short to hold grudges.  I've lived with the hate in my soul for a long time
now.  Julie tells me I'm a bitter, nasty old woman.  She made me mad the
first time she said it; but it set me to thinking, and I recognized the
bitterness inside of me was of my own making."

 She paused and coughed.  It sounded like she was going to cough up a lung.
After the coughing fit passed, she continued, "Rick and Glenn, I apologize
for my behavior.  I treated you poorly, and I took my religious fervor too
far.  I know it's too late to make up for everything that has happened; but
I hope we can at least talk on the phone.  I don't expect you to visit me.
I can only imagine how you feel about this old woman, and the trouble I've
caused."

"Julie said you still won't accept the fact that I'm married to Glenn,"
Rick said.

"Well, I can't change facts, Rick.  You're legally married, and I can't
dispute that.  I don't agree with it, and I still hold to the belief that
marriage should only be between a man and a woman.  However, I can't force
my religious beliefs on other people.  That is where I made my mistake,"
she admitted.  It was obvious from her tone of voice that it pained her to
admit that she had been in error.  "It's taken me a long time to figure out
that I was only injuring myself, with all the hatred and intolerance I felt
toward you and Glenn."

"So far I've heard how your hatred and intolerance affected you.  Have you
given any thought to how it impacted us?" I said, trying to keep the
loathing I felt toward this woman out of my voice.  "Do you have any clue
how deep the wounds are that you and your family inflicted on my husband?
Do you have any clue what it's like to see the person you love the most in
the entire world suffering because his family has rejected him?  Let me
tell you, I deal with the results of your rejection of Rick every day of my
life; because those injuries still haven't healed despite the passage of
time.  You come to us now, telling us how you've finally discovered how
much your words and actions damaged YOU, without even a simple
acknowledgement of the pain and suffering you caused us."

Rick put his arm around my shoulder, and leaned over to whisper in my ear,
"It's okay, Glenn.  Let it go."

Before she could answer, Josh and JJ ran into the room followed by David
and Purev.  It was obvious the twins were super excited.  JJ took my hand
and said, "Daddy, come and see our train track!  You'll love what we did
with the train station."

Not to be outdone by his twin, Josh took Rick's hand, and said, "Dad, we
built lots of bridges, and David helped us create a special railroad town
inside a mountain."

Rick smiled and said, "Slow down a bit, boys.  We're talking to Grandma on
the phone.  Please say `hello' to Grandma."

The twins chorused, "Hi Grandma."

She said, "Hello, boys."

I said, "Tell her who you are."

The twins each introduced themselves.  My mother-in-law asked, "How old are
you?"

JJ said, "We're going to be 5 years old in a couple of weeks.  Daddy says
we will be old enough to be on a soccer team."

Josh piped up, "Yeah, we're going to be on the best soccer team ever!"

Rick said, "My adopted son, David, is here with us, along with a good
friend, Purev."

David said, "Hi Grandma, this is David."

"I'm Purev.  It's nice to talk to you Ma'am."

We didn't hear anything on the other end of the line; so I said, "JJ and
Josh, go with David and Purev into the kitchen.  You can have milk and
cookies, while you wait for me and Dad to finish talking with Grandma."  I
wanted to make sure she knew we weren't going to have an extended
conversation.

JJ clapped his hands, and said, "Yeah, let's go, Josh."

The twins raced each other out of the room.  David and Purev followed at a
more sedate pace.  We heard them getting the cookies out of the cookie jar,
and the fridge opening and closing.  We also heard the sounds of crying
coming from the speaker phone.

Rick asked, "Mom, are you okay?"

She answered, with a choked up voice, "Yes, I'm fine.  I was just overcome
with emotion, listening to your boys.  I wish I could be a part of their
lives."

I looked at Rick, waiting for his response.  He met my gaze, and said, "I
have no objections to renewing contact with you; however, I don't think
we're anywhere near ready to trust you not to attempt to harm us, or our
children.  Past history indicates that we should be very cautious about
opening any correspondence with you, or your family."

She said, "I understand.  I know if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't have
called.  I have to thank you for taking the time to talk to me.  I think
this call has been a good first step."

Rick ignored her comment about this call being a first step.  He had no
intentions of moving forward with a full normalization of relations with
her; not after all she had done.  "We will have to let you know if and when
we might be ready to do more than a phone call," Rick said.

She replied, "I am happy you called.  I hope you will call me again."

Rick said, "Goodbye, Mother."  He ended the call, and put his cell phone
back into his pocket.

"I'm proud of you, Rick," I said.  "You handled that very well."

Rick pulled me into his embrace and kissed me.  "I had you by my side, and
that is the only reason I made it through that call."

"Do you think she is really sincere?" I asked.

Rick replied, "I'm not sure.  Knowing my mother, and her religious views, I
would say, no, she's not being sincere.  I think there must be an ulterior
motive that is pushing her to contact us.  Otherwise, why would she contact
us?"

"I'm glad to hear you express those thoughts, because I was thinking the
same thing," I said.  "I didn't want to offend you by insinuating that your
mother was being less than straight forward with us."

Rick rubbed noses with me, and said, "I wouldn't have been offended, even
if you had told me you thought she was outright lying to us."  He paused to
think for a moment, before continuing, "Now that I think about it, I think
she was lying to us.  Julie never mentioned that my mother had been laid
up."

"Didn't your cousin, Peyton, mention his family was stirring things up
again?" I asked.

"Yes, he did," Rick said.  Peyton married his boyfriend, Jonathan, a few
years ago, and they moved to Boston.  "Peyton said his family doesn't know
that he's married to Jonathan, or his father would have sent a posse to
Boston to murder them, just like they attempted to do to us."

"Given that piece of information, I suggest you leave things as they are
between us and your mother.  I found it strange that she made a point of
letting us know that she knew we lived near your sister," I said.

"I think we had better call Jeff, and let him know to increase the security
around our house in Virginia," Rick said.  Rick gazed into my eyes, and
asked, "Are we being too paranoid?  I know it's hard for us to forgive
mother and her family for what happened; but shouldn't we give her a second
chance?"

"No, I don't think we're being too paranoid about our safety.  If Peyton
hadn't mentioned that his family was still having issues about gay marriage
and homosexual activity among the family, I would've said that we needed to
stand down, and allow her to have contact with us," I said.

Satisfied with my answer, Rick released me, and said, "Let's get some
cookies and milk."  He took me by the hand, and led me into the kitchen
where we found the boys had demolished all of the cookies.  "Where are my
cookies?" Rick asked, in mock horror.

JJ laughed, and Josh giggled.  "We ate them all," David said, grinning at
his Dad.

"Well, I think that all of you can help bake some chocolate cookies to
refill the cookie jar," I said.

JJ said, "I get to mix the dough."

Josh said, "I get to crack the eggs."

David said, "I'll read the recipe, and help measure out the ingredients."

I looked over at Purev, and asked, "And what are you going to do?"

Purev grinned, "I'm going to supervise the whole operation."

Rick laughed, and said, "You will have your hands full, Purev."

Purev said, "I'm used to it."

Rick said, "We'll leave you men to your baking."

We left them in the kitchen, and moved into the family room.  Rick took a
seat on the couch.  He spread his legs wide, and indicated I should sit
between them.  I joined him, and leaned back against his chest.  He wrapped
his arms around my waist, as he nibbled on my earlobe.

"You taste good," Rick said, as he kissed the base of my neck, sending a
shiver of pleasure down my spine.

I replied, "I like it when you do that."

Rick murmured into my ear, "I like doing it."

It felt good to have Rick's arms around me.  He seemed happy and unaffected
by the phone call to his mother.  I had been very worried about it; because
every other contact with his family had only resulted in more pain and
suffering for him.  Rick wanted to have a relationship with his family so
much that it hurt when they didn't meet his expectations.  Maybe the
contact with his mother would convince him that leaving things the way they
are would be much better than the alternative.  Most of all, I wanted Rick
to be happy.  I wasn't sure I could put aside my anger and forgive her for
what she and her family had done to the most important person in my life;
but I was willing to try, if it meant making Rick happy.  I pushed aside my
worries and I relaxed in my husband's arms.

*** ***