Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2017 01:37:33 +0000 (UTC)
From: Wombat <bungala_wombat@yahoo.com.au>
Subject: 'The Old Valley Road Hotel #80' {Wombat} ( MM SciFi Anal Size Musc Biker ) [ 80 ! ]
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The Old Valley Road Hotel.
By Wombat.
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Any constructive comments are appreciated.
I'm at 'bungala_wombat@yahoo.com.au'.
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Dear Nifty Readers,
If you enjoy this story or others on Nifty, please send a generous
donation to Nifty.org at 'http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html' to help
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Thank you all, Wombat
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Chapter 7 - 'A Rainy Day' Part 20.
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Part 80: The Revenant
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After take-off, he watched a couple of movies then slept for most of
rest of the journey to Singapore.
Arriving at Singapore's Changi Airport the following afternoon and
after passing through customs and immigration, he was conveyed in a
white Daimler limousine to the Raffles Hotel. He felt like royalty
riding through the streets of Singapore. He resisted the temptation
to give onlookers the royal wave as perfected by Queen Elizabeth. At
the hotel he was given the suite in which Ernest Hemingway had stayed.
It was named the 'Ernest Hemingway' suite.
After a shower and then an enjoyable dinner in the hotel dining room,
he settled into the Long Bar and ending up drinking too many Singapore
Slings while chatting merrily with a group of Americans.
The Singapore Slings were expensive but Ellis did not care. He had
money to burn. He bought the Americans at least several rounds of
drinks. He could not remember how many.
Sometime after midnight, the Americans announced that they were going
to bed and departed. Ellis felt a little lightheaded after all the
alcohol he had drunk but he made his way to his suite without
incident. It had been a very long time since he last had too much to
drink. He tumbled into bed and slept in late the following morning.
He spent the rest of the day just bumming around the hotel. He took
in breakfast, morning tea, elevenses, lunch, high tea and dinner.
After dinner he migrated to the Long Bar again. The Americans were
not there but he had a few Singapore Slings nonetheless, not nearly as
many as he had the previous night.
The next few days he spend ordering a few suits from a bespoke tailor,
visiting the Jurong Bird Park, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the
Singapore Zoo, strolling along Orchard Road, taking a ride in a bum
boat, lunching at the many stalls and eating places and just strolling
around the city. Each morning he would have a good hard workout in
the hotel's well-equipped gym and each evening he would go for a
lengthy run around the city before dinner.
He was impressed how clean the city was, not like London where you had
to watch your step because of all the dog shit littering the
footpaths, particularly in Mayfair. In Singapore the footpaths looked
as if you could eat off them.
After his week in Singapore he boarded his plane home. When he
arrived at Sydney's Kingsford-Smith Airport after the eight-hour
flight, he was met by his father.
At first he did not recognise his father. He saw an old man anxiously
scanning the passengers disembarking from the flight from Singapore
and noted the man's resemblance to his father. Then he realised that
seventeen years had passed since he last saw his father who would now
be in his early seventies. He was shocked to see how much his father
had aged.
He went up to the old man and asked, "Are you looking for Ellis de la
Mare?"
The old man looked at him anxiously without a flicker of recognition.
"Yes, I am. Why?" he replied.
"Hello, Dad. I'm Ellis."
The old man's mouth dropped open in surprise. Then he recovered
himself and offered his hand.
"My goodness! You're huge."
Ellis pulled him into a hug.
During the hug his father ran his hands over Ellis's broad back
feeling the solid mass of muscle. When they loosened the hug, Ellis's
father kept his hands on Ellis's upper arms feeling the thick strong
muscles.
"Goodness me, it is you, Ellis. It's really you," he said wondering.
"But you've grown so big and strong and muscular. You were so much
thinner when you left all those years ago and now you've really filled
out and you've grown into such a big strong man now. I just can't
believe it. I can hardly believe how much you've changed."
"A lot's happened since I last saw you, Dad. It's been a long time."
"I'll say! Seventeen years! Martha's going to get a real surprise
when we get home. We had no idea that you've grown so big and strong.
You should've let us know."
"Well, I guess I didn't think it was all that important. I've been
like this for years and kind of got used to it."
"Not important! Ellis, I didn't recognise you because you've changed
so much."
"I had trouble recognising you, Dad. You're a lot older and greyer
now than you used to be."
"It's been seventeen years since we last saw you, son, and both Martha
and I have aged. Many years have gone past. Things have happened.
Babies born and people died and children growing up. I've been
retired for years now, a grandfather many times over and I'm even a
great-grandfather now with one baby great-grandson. And Martha and
I've been praying for you every day."
"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate that."
"Anyway, son, let's get cracking. The car's in the car park. Bit of
a hike, I'm afraid. How will you go with all that luggage?"
"I'll be right, Dad. I can manage. I've managed this far."
"Yes, I suppose you have, my boy. I suppose you have."
When they arrived at Ellis's parents' house in Pymble, his mother was
beside herself with excitement at seeing Ellis after the long time he
spent away. She was amazed to see how much bigger he had become. She
could not get over the difference and she kept saying things like how
nice it would be to have a big strong young man about the house to do
all the heavy jobs his father was unable to do.
That evening they had a special meal she had cooked to welcome Ellis
home.
The following Sunday was the First Communion for one of Ellis's
nieces. Ellis's parents made it clear to him that his attendance at
the church service was required. The niece was Bridget, the seven-
year-old daughter of one of Ellis's sisters. The service was held at
the local parish church of the Sacred Heart at Pymble. Bridget looked
so pure and virginal clad all in white with her First Communion dress
and veil. Ellis forbore from any comment.
He went up and received the Blessed Sacrament of the Transubstantiated
Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. His childhood training
clicked into place and he received the sacrament as if he always had
been, even though he had not been inside a Catholic Church the whole
time he had been away.
Coming back from Communion he had the feeling of being a complete
fraud. Here he was pretending to be a good Catholic for the benefit
of his parents and family as if he had attending Mass every Sunday the
whole time he had been away. He felt empty as if he were just a
hollow shell. Nothing happened when he received Holy Communion.
He had not told anyone in his family that he was gay. The only
exception was his great-aunt whom Ellis had found very supportive.
She had said nothing and nothing was mentioned in her will about
Ellis's different sexuality but Ellis could not help but feel that the
old lady had left all her estate to Ellis because he was gay and to
spite all the rest of the family who were busily sucking up to her,
giving her lots of unwanted advice and telling her what to do. She
had told Ellis that he was the only one who was a true companion to
her in her old age.
A party to celebrate Bridget's First Communion was held at his
parents' house. All the family and friends gathered there.
Virginia, Ellis's sister and Bridget's mother, greeted Ellis with,
"So, the Prodigal Son has returned home at long last."
"No, not prodigal," replied Ellis. "I have not spent my capital.
It's still intact."
She looked him up and down and said tartly, "Obviously the life of the
idle rich agrees with you. So you're the big muscly he-man now."
"Whatever."
"Whatever indeed," she said and flounced off.
She ignored him for the rest of the time. His other sisters did not
speak to him at all. They ignored him.
Leonard or Leon, his elder brother, came up and shook his hand warmly.
He was pleased to see his younger brother after many years away and
complemented him on his magnificent physique. Leon was a successful
businessman now with many interests. He was married with six children
and he had put on weight. He was quite portly now and looked his age.
Sometime later, Leon came up to Ellis and took him aside out of
earshot of everyone else.
"Look, Ellis, I've got a proposition for you," he said.
"Oh yeah," replied Ellis sceptically.
Leon laughed and said, "It's not your money I'm after. It's your
body."
"This is getting better by the minute."
Leon laughed.
"Look, keep this strictly to yourself, please," he said. "I don't
want anyone else to know about this."
"OK."
"Ellis, I've bought an interest with some mates of mine in a gay
nightclub in Darlinghurst and we've been having a bit of trouble there
recently, like fights and things. We need a big strong fellow like
you to keep order. Are you interested?"
"No, Leon, definitely not. I'm definitely not interested."
"Too gay for you, eh?" laughed Leon and elbowed Ellis in the ribs.
"You certainly are solid muscle. People would take one look at you
and back off."
"Yeah, whatever. But I certainly don't want a job as a bouncer."
"OK. Just thought I'd ask. I guess you don't have to work."
"Not as a bouncer anyway."
Leon looked at Ellis pensively. He seemed lost in thought briefly.
He said, "You know, Ellis, you've really stacked on a heck of a lot of
muscle. You're a lot bigger that our brother Barry used to be and, as
you should remember, he was a very big boy. His muscles were the envy
of every other boy in the school."
"Goodness me," replied Ellis. "I'd hardly thought about him while I
was away."
"Yeah, well, we've been praying for his departed soul every Sunday.
And we've been praying for you too, Ellis. May God be thanked that
you're back home again fighting fit and in excellent health. I've
been missing you, Ellis and I'm really glad you're back home again."
"My sisters aren't."
"That's their problem," replied Leon. "It's so good to see you
again."
His eyes were damp. He gave Ellis a long hug.
Things had changed in Australia while Ellis had been away overseas.
When he had left Australia in 1967, Harold Holt, the successor to the
long-serving Prime Minister Robert Menzies, had been Prime Minister of
a Liberal Party government. Not long after Ellis had arrived in
India, Holt had disappeared while swimming in the surf south of
Melbourne. He was succeeded by John Gorton and then Sir William
McMahon. McMahon was in turn defeated by the Labor Party under Gough
Whitlam. The Whitlam government instituted radical changes in
Australia that greatly upset rich people and big business as well as
arousing the ire of President Nixon of the United States. The Murdoch
media empire campaigned vigorously against Whitlam and the Labor
Government. Then the Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the
Whitlam Labor Government and the Liberal Party under Malcolm Fraser
won government with a landslide in the ensuing election. People said
that at least the Whitlam Government did not suffer the fate of
President Allende who was killed during the military coup in Chile in
1973 that was engineered by the CIA under orders from President Nixon.
That coup resulted in a military dictatorship under General Pinochet
that ruled Chile for seventeen years. The Fraser Government in
Australia lasted until the 1983 elections when it was defeated by the
Labor Party under Bob Hawke, who was the then serving Prime Minister
when Ellis arrived back in Australia. All this was remote to Ellis
was in the United Kingdom for most of that time.
After about three weeks staying at his parents' house tolerating the
good Catholic atmosphere, Ellis could not stand it any longer. His
bedroom had a prominently placed picture of Jesus displaying his
bleeding Sacred Heart with a crown of thorns wrapped around it. Ellis
found it most irritating that his parents kept treating him like a
child even to the extent of reminding him to say his prayers.
He said to them that he was well and truly an adult now nearly forty
years old. He had been independent of them ever since he left home
nearly twenty years previously. He had been living overseas for
seventeen years.
He visited the real estate agent, Bernard Bassett, who was looking
after his rental properties. He wanted to see if Bernard had any
places available for him to move into.
Bernard was one of Ellis's great-aunt's faithful retainers. Aged in
his early sixties, he had managed her rental properties for many
years. Now he worked for Ellis. He knew Ellis's family well and went
to the same church in Pymble as Ellis's parents.
Only one place was free for Ellis to move into. It was a large
penthouse that occupied all of the topmost two floors of a tall
multistorey apartment building on the waterfront of Sydney Harbour in
Elizabeth Bay.
It had been vacant nearly a year. It had been left fully furnished
when the previous tenant, a Mr Long, decamped back to Singapore after
the failure of his business ventures in Australia and he had left a
mountain of debts including more than two years' worth of back rent
owing to Ellis for the Elizabeth Bay penthouse.
Ellis went with the real estate agent to look over the penthouse. He
liked it. The place looked as though Mr Long had departed leaving
behind most of his acquisitions including an extensive art collection
on the walls and all the furnishings.
The luxurious penthouse was splendid. It was right on the waterfront
of Elizabeth Bay with excellent views. It was about half a kilometre
(500 yards) from Kings Cross and Potts Point.
One feature that intrigued Ellis was that the penthouse had two
entrances, one for each level. Each entrance was the only one that
opened onto the two lift lobbies, one on top of the other. One
entrance opened onto the living level and the other opened onto the
upper level that was occupied by the bedrooms. Ellis remarked that
feature would be useful if one wanted to get rid of a girlfriend in a
hurry if the wife came home unexpectedly. Bernard gave a thin smile.
The furnishings were in keeping with the penthouse. They were of an
equally luxurious standard. The living room was well furnished with
very comfortable seating, a high quality hi-fi stereo with a
professional stereo amplifier, turntable, large serious-looking
speakers, an impressive looking tape deck and cassette deck and even
one of the new compact disk players. For the stereo was a collection
of vinyl records, cassettes, CDs and a few tapes. Filling one corner
of the living room was an enormous (cathode ray tube) television set
with a screen supposed to measure 36 inches. Dominating the living
room was a big black Yamaha grand piano.
However, the view from the living room far outshone the interior with
its views on three sides looking out over Sydney Harbour, Elizabeth
Bay, Rushcutters Bay and the Garden Island Naval Base. High floor to
ceiling windows that extended the full two floors allowed an
unobstructed view of the surroundings. A wide balcony ran around the
outside of the lower floor. On the end facing Sydney Harbour Bridge
was a set of outdoor table and chairs complete with shade umbrella.
Ellis asked Bernard if the furnishings in the penthouse were all his.
The agent replied that that all the contents were his because they
were in the penthouse owned by him and had been abandoned by Mr Long.
They would be recompense for the rent owed. Bernard also informed
Ellis that Ellis owned the cars left in the parking station in the
basement of the apartment building. In addition, Mr Long had signed a
document signing over to the owner of the penthouse all the contents
of the penthouse and the garage in the event that the rent was not
fully paid up. Everything in the penthouse belonged to Ellis.
The four bedrooms on the upper floor were luxuriously furnished. The
master bedroom had a big soft very comfortable king-size double bed.
Attached were a big fully equipped en-suite bathroom like the one
Ellis had in the Dorchester Hotel and also a dressing room with a
walk-in wardrobe. The other three bedrooms had en-suite bathrooms.
As well there were two guest bathrooms, one upstairs and one
downstairs. All the bathrooms were equipped with bidets. The
bathroom attached to the master bedroom was remarkable in that it had
two of everything, two hand basins, two toilets, two bidets, two
showers but only one bath. One shower was in its own alcove recessed
into the wall while the other was encased in a glass shower screen.
A study and a library on the upper floor looked out towards
Woolloomooloo, Garden Island, Sydney CBD and Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The interior walls of the library were lined with books.
All the rooms on the upper floor had floor to ceiling windows as well.
These windows were furnished with thick curtains.
The parking station below the apartments covered four basement floors.
Four parking spaces came with the penthouse. In two spaces were the
cars left by Mr Long. These were a dark green current model Mercedes-
Benz 500 SEL and a bright red V8-engined Ferrari 308 GTS
quattrovalvole (four valves per cylinder) which had the removable
targa top. The agent offered to transfer the registration of the cars
to Ellis who was delighted to accept.
Ellis moved into the penthouse as soon as he could manage. Living
there was like living in the Dorchester Hotel only better. He decided
he would use the master bedroom for himself.
He renewed his New South Wales combined car and motorbike driving
licence and cruised around Sydney in the Mercedes. He felt safer in
the big solid-feeling car because he had not driven a vehicle in
thirteen years. He had not needed to either in London or at Findhorn.
The Mercedes felt very different from the Ambassador he drove in
India.
He tried starting the Ferrari but with no success. In frustration he
ended up getting it towed to a garage that specialised in Ferraris and
was recommended by Bernard. He was told that it would take at least a
month to go through the car and make the necessary adjustments and
repairs.
Driving the Mercedes around Sydney, he was amazed how much the city
had changed in the seventeen years he had been away. Old buildings
had gone and new skyscrapers had taken their place.
He had to be careful negotiating the big car through the narrow
streets. The heavily trafficked Darlinghurst Road through Kings Cross
was particularly challenging.
There was a gym on the ground floor of the apartment building but it
was too lightweight for Ellis's requirements. He noticed that most of
the users were women.
He found a heavy duty hard-core gym for men only. It was fairly close
by in Kings Cross. It was called the Sparta Gym. When he had a look
inside, he saw that most of users were big heavily muscled-up men who
were quite nonchalantly hefting heavy weights. The heavy metal music
pounding through the speakers added to the muscular feel of the place.
What made it even attractive was that none of the big musclemen wore
any kind of top when they were exercising. Ellis enjoyed the sight of
all those hot sweaty muscle-packed torsos glistening in the gym
lights. Not only that, but there was a decent sized swimming pool in
which all the big muscular men swam naked. It was definitely his sort
of place, even better than the gym in Earls Court. He very quickly
shed his top and was accepted as one of the guys. Many admired his
powerfully muscled physique. A number of the men made approaches to
Ellis but he turned them all down. He did not say why.
He did not feel comfortable driving the big Mercedes to the gym. He
thought that the guys at the gym would consider him to be a rich
wanker if he turned up in the big luxury sedan. Instead he walked or
ran to the gym. After a heavy workout, it felt good to relax in the
warm water of the swimming pool. It was big enough and deep enough to
swim in and Ellis often swam a few laps.
Ellis was interested to discover that many of the men who used the gym
worked as bouncers for the nightclubs in Kings Cross. Big, powerfully
muscled men, they were too.
As well as going to the gym daily, he went on long runs around the
surrounding districts, either west and around the botanic gardens or
south and east to Darling Point and Double Bay.
He looked through the art collection hanging on the walls of the
penthouse. There were paintings by Brett Whiteley, John Olsen,
Margaret Preston, Gladys Reynell, Margaret Hopton, Ian Fairweather,
Margaret Olley, John Brack, Albert Namatjira, Grace Cossington Smith,
Harold Wray, Jeffrey Smart, Bruce Wyndham, Arthur Boyd, Russell
Drysdale and Carlos Camorro.
The works by Carlos Camorro attracted his interest. One was a
striking portrait of a powerfully muscular naked man with curly black
hair riding bareback on a massive great big white stallion rearing up
into the air with front hooves flying. The man's fist punched the air
joyfully. All the muscles on both man and horse bulged with power.
Another was of the same man that exuded virile potency and power. The
man was naked and Carlos obviously delighted in painting the beautiful
and awesomely muscled he-man who looked so tanned and healthy. His
huge muscles bulged with power and strength. All his muscles were
tensed, huge and bulging. His powerful arms were outstretched. His
mighty long fat cock hung down between his mighty thighs. It looked
beautiful. His whole body looked beautiful.
There was a portrait by Harold Wray of the same man with a strikingly
beautiful woman. It was titled 'Mr and Mrs Kursky' and it depicted
both the man and woman naked. The woman was sitting on a hand-made
chair made of eucalyptus wood while the man stood next to her. In the
distant background was a rugged mountain range. The portraiture of
the naked persons was subtler than the Camorro paintings. The people
looked as though it was the most natural thing in the world for them
to be naked. Ellis speculated that the picture was a parody of the
conventional Victorian portrait of husband and wife. Wray had
depicted the powerfully muscular magnificence of the man and the
shining ineffable beauty of the woman.
A third work by Camorro portrayed the well-known artist Hal Wray.
Ellis admired the magnificent muscular nude man with long brown hair
and a full-face beard down to his chest. All Hal's muscles were shown
bulging with power. Hal looked like an ancient warrior king in the
nude.
A number of the paintings were by Bruce Wyndham. One had a strong
impact on Ellis. Entitled 'The Sinner', it portrayed a young,
beautiful, muscular and naked blond man praying fervently before a
cross supporting an image of the tortured Christ. It intrigued Ellis
to note that the young man had an erect penis. He felt some kind of
kinship with the young man.
A second was of shearers at work shearing Merino sheep. In the
foreground was a shearer shearing a ram. The shearer was a powerfully
built and dark-haired man clad in a blue singlet and blue jeans. The
muscles on his strong arms bulged powerfully as he ran his clippers
over the supine ram to remove its fleece.
A third picture was of a group of builders erecting a building.
Strong fit tanned lean and muscular young men working only shorts and
big work boots were busy putting up the frame, climbing ladders and
scaffolding and affixing the wooden wall panels of the building. It
was a busy painting with many splendid specimens of manhood working
hard with their muscles bulging.
The fourth showed a well-built man standing on a diving tower
preparing to dive into a swimming pool. He was wearing the briefest
of thongs bright purple in colour. Ellis considered that the subject
was much more muscular than the usual swimmers build.
The fifth was entitled 'The Demolition Expert'. It depicted a big,
very muscular man of bodybuilder proportions clad in a yellow hard
hat, skin-hugging blue jeans, big well-worn leather boots but no shirt
or top. Every bulging muscle of his magnificent torso and arms was
painstakingly portrayed. Slung over his shoulder was a formidable-
looking sledge hammer. The man had a satisfied smile on his face.
Behind him was a pile of rubble. Ellis reflected that the man
portrayed had a very similar build to his own.
Through the building management, Ellis arranged to have someone come
in to clean and do all the housework. A Mrs Brcic, a large cheerful
middle-aged woman with bright red hair presented herself as his
housekeeper. She said Ellis should call her by her first name,
Marica. Ellis noted that she was about the same height as he was.
She was a big robust well-built woman. He was happy to have her come
and work for him. She told Ellis she was a Croat. She was definitely
not a Yugoslav. She wanted nothing to do with that nasty Communist
state of Yugoslavia.
Marica was a willing and hard worker. She even made Ellis's bed daily
and changed the bed linen weekly. She put all the clothing and bed
linen through the washing machine and drier as often as necessary. To
Ellis she was a treasure. She came in daily and kept the penthouse
spotlessly clean. She even cooked for him. To his delight, he
discovered he enjoyed Croatian cuisine and it suited his dietary
requirements. He was working out daily in the gym at Kings Cross.
Ellis asked Bernard about retrieving the rest of his belongings from
the house he lived in before going overseas, the house that belonged
to his late great-aunt and was currently leased to the American
family. Bernard agreed to ask the tenants. He got back to Ellis a
couple of days later and said that he would take Ellis to the house
the following weekend.
Bernard picked Ellis up in his BMW 733i sedan. On the way there,
Ellis asked Bernard about getting the artworks in his penthouse
valued. Bernard suggested he talk to Roman Kuzniewski, a well-known
art dealer, valuer and art gallery owner. He was young but was very
knowledgeable.
Ellis said he knew Roman. They were in the same class together all
the way through school.
"You know he's gay these days," said Bernard conversationally.
"No, but that doesn't bother me," replied Ellis. "As long as he knows
his stuff."
"Oh, that he does, most definitely. I don't suppose him being gay
would bother a big strong man like you."
"No, of course it doesn't. Anyway, it'll be good to catch up with him
after all these years."
"You know he's living with another man, a big strong fellow taller
than you."
"I wouldn't hold that against him," laughed Ellis.
"I don't. But it does seem rather unusual even these days when
anything goes and Christian morality has gone out the window."
They arrived at the house that had belonged to his great-aunt and in
which Ellis had lived before he went overseas. Bernard introduced
Ellis to the American family living in the house, Carl and Beth Hansen
and their adult daughter Yvette. They were delighted to meet their
landlord and said how much they loved the house. Beth apologised for
occupying the house. They did not know Ellis was coming back from
overseas so soon. Ellis brushed the apology aside saying that his
decision to return was a last minute decision.
The family were very grateful that they were allowed to drive the old
Morris Oxford. Carl said that the car had real style that one didn't
see in modern cars. Ellis replied with a laugh that they were very
common in India. They masqueraded as Hindustan Ambassadors and Ellis
had owned one while he was in India. When he left India, he sold the
car to the wife of a friend of his and she really liked it. He was
happy that the Morris was being driven regularly and he would not
dream of taking it from them.
They went to the garage and Ellis saw that the car was immaculately
well kept. Its paintwork gleamed as if it were new and the car's
interior was spotless.
At the back of the garage he spotted under a tarpaulin his old 650 cc
Triumph Bonneville motorcycle that he had bought before he left for
overseas. He was delighted to see it although it was dusty and the
tyres were soft. All the fuel had evaporated from the fuel tank.
Carl confessed he had considered riding the motorbike but Beth would
not allow it. Beth said that Sydney was a big city and the traffic
was scary especially as everyone was driving on the wrong side of the
road. She was not prepared to let her husband risk his life riding a
motorbike in Sydney's hair-raising traffic. After all, Sydney was
much bigger and busier than Wallingford, Connecticut where the Hansens
had lived previously.
Ellis asked if he could come around again with a car and trailer to
collect the motorbike and Beth promptly invited him around for lunch
the following Saturday. Ellis accepted.
Bernard recommended a motorcycle repair workshop that specialised in
British motorbikes. They would get it roadworthy again and the shop
was in Darlinghurst not far from Elizabeth Bay.
The house had been properly maintained in Ellis's absence and it was
much the same as Ellis had left it. The garden was neatly kept. A
gardener came in weekly and Beth liked doing the gardening as well.
Most of the clothes that Ellis had left behind were now far too small
for him. Beth said she would donate them to charity. The few items
of clothing and other belongings he wanted to keep, Ellis packed in
Bernard's BMW. Ellis and Bernard had afternoon tea with the Hansens
and afterwards Bernard drove Ellis back home.
Ellis found it very difficult to find clothes that fitted comfortably
on his muscular body. He looked in the department stores and men's
wear stores around Sydney but with little luck. Those shirts that
fitted his broad shoulders flapped loosely around his waist. Trousers
and shorts were hopeless. Those that fitted his waist were far too
tight over his thick powerful legs. He found a Vietnamese tailor in
Kings Cross, a Mr Huynh, who was willing to make up any clothes to fit
Ellis's uncommon shape.
Ellis telephoned Roman and invited him around for dinner. Roman was
delighted to hear from Ellis and offered the services of his boyfriend
to cook the meal. Ellis gratefully accepted the offer as he had very
little experience in cooking and he was going to obtain the services
of Marica for the evening.
Roman turned up with his boyfriend Bill Gould early the next
afternoon. Both men were wearing jeans and close-fitting white T-
shirts. Roman was the same age as Ellis and shorter. He was a slim,
lean, neatly built man with angular East European features, straight
neck-length blond hair pushed back from his high forehead and clear
steely blue eyes.
Bill was a big, ruggedly handsome, unshaven man with a mass of wavy
dark brown hair and a thick bushy dark brown moustache. He had a
powerful muscular build similar to BJ. His big thick muscular arms
were spectacular. He was taller than Ellis and several years younger.
Ellis liked his big dark eyes.
Ellis was wearing a red tank top and blue denim jeans.
When they arrived, Ellis hugged them both. He was overjoyed to see
Roman again and delighted to meet Bill.
When they were inside the penthouse, Roman said, "So, Ellis, you would
like me to cast my discerning eye over the collection of the departed
Mr Long Phat Wang".
"I didn't know he'd died," replied Ellis.
"No, he hasn't. He just shot through back to Singapore in one hell of
a hurry leaving a trail of debts behind him."
"Sounds like a choice character."
"He seemed all right to me, quite charming in fact but that was a few
years ago when I last cast my eye over his collection. I didn't bring
Bill with me then. That time I did a valuation for insurance
purposes. It was worth over half a million dollars back then and I
see he's acquired a few more in the meantime."
"Golly, what's it worth now?"
"Dunno. Wait until I've had a look."
"Do you know, Ellis, that Mr Long Phat Wang has a brother called Long
Phat Kok?" asked Bill with a grin.
"Oh yeah?" replied Ellis sceptically.
"Yes, he does," said Roman, "and Mr Long Phat Kok is in the
aphrodisiac manufacturing business."
Ellis laughed. "You haven't changed, Roman, not one bit. Pull the
other leg, mate. It plays 'Waltzing Matilda'."
"That's true, Ellis," said Bill. "He went into business with a bunch
of Australians and he's making aphrodisiacs from a traditional
Aboriginal herbal recipe. Apparently the company is going gang-
busters in China and the rest of East Asia and the Australian share-
holders are raking it in from the profits."
"And the reason the Australians got involved was to stop the slaughter
of wild animals like rhinoceroses for their horns and tigers for their
penises and other animals for their body parts supposed by traditional
Chinese medicine to have aphrodisiac properties," put in Roman. "They
wanted to make an aphrodisiac that really worked and drive the
traditional remedies off the market and so protect the endangered
species."
"Can you get it here?" asked Ellis.
"No, not unless you get a mate to bring it here from Singapore or
Kuala Lumpur or somewhere like that," replied Bill. "Apparently
there've been too many old fellows taking the stuff and dropping dead
in the arms of their lady or gentleman loves."
"Why?"
"Dunno. Blood pressure goes through the roof and the old guys burst a
blood vessel I guess," replied Bill with a laugh.
"Bill, did you go to Saint Innocent's?" asked Ellis. "Your name
sounds vaguely familiar. Didn't you do well in sports like athletics
and rugby?"
"Yes, I did," replied Bill. "I was a few years behind you and Roman.
I remember you, Ellis, as one of Roman's scaly mates, the guy with the
French-sounding surname."
"Yeah, Bill was so big and hunky and muscular even in his early teens
I couldn't take my eyes off him," put in Roman. "Shame I couldn't
take you to bed then, Bill."
"Even though we were being screwed cross-eyed by the older boys," said
Ellis. "How long have you two been together?"
"Ages, I reckon," replied Bill.
"I've been lusting after Bill since I first clapped eyes on him at
school," said Roman. "But Bill and I've been together formally for
sixteen years."
"Golly, that's a long time!" exclaimed Ellis. "You two must've
started soon after I went away."
"Yep, we did and Roman's one sweet fuck," said Bill putting his big
strong arm around Roman.
Roman leaned up against Bill and planted a lingering juicy kiss on his
lips. Bill wrapped his arms around Roman.
After a few minutes Ellis gave a deep sigh. Bill reminded him very
much of BJ. Feelings of sadness and loneliness arose within him.
Roman and Bill turned and looked at him.
"You alright?" asked Bill.
"Dunno," replied Ellis wearily. "I can't help it but you, Bill,
remind me very much of my ex-boyfriend back in London. I miss him
like hell."
"Why did you break up?" asked Roman.
Ellis sighed. "Sorry. Can't tell you now. I'm a bit emotional right
now," he said.
Bill opened up his arms to Ellis.
"Come and have a hug," he said.
Ellis went over and was enfolded by Bill's big arms in a warm hug.
Roman joined in the group hug. The smell of their bodies was a heady
comfort for Ellis. Tears filled his eyes. He became aware of two
hands roving over his body feeling his muscles and that he was
enjoying being felt up. He relished the closeness of the other two
men and he took comfort in knowing that they too were both gay.
"You're really muscly these days, Ellis," murmured Roman. "You've
turned into quite a solid hunk in your old age."
Ellis pulled Roman into a tighter hug. "Thanks," he murmured.
After several minutes Ellis said, "I guess, Roman, I'd better get you
to do what you came here to do. But thanks for the hug, fellas. I
needed that."
"It's a pleasure," said Bill.
"It's always a pleasure to get up close and personal with a good-
looking muscle hunk like you, Ellis," declared Roman. "You look
really impressive with all that muscle you've put on. And you feel
bloody impressive with all that solid muscle. You're bloody
marvellous. You're so much different now from what you used to be. I
almost didn't recognise you."
They separated.
"Well, I suppose I'd better take a look at these paintings of yours,"
said Roman and drifted off to look at the artworks.
Bill saw the grand piano. He smiled. He inspected it and lifted the
keyboard lid.
"Bloody nice piano. Do you mind if I have a go?" he asked.
"Sure. Go for it," replied Ellis.
Bill sat down and played a Beethoven sonata, the little sonata number
20 in G major.
When he finished, Ellis clapped and cheered.
"You're bloody good," he declared.
"Thanks," replied Bill. "The piano needs a tune though."
He recommended a piano tuner that Ellis could get to come and tune the
piano.
"Got any wine to go with the meal?" asked Bill getting up from the
piano.
"Oh shit, I forgot to get any. Sorry, guys," exclaimed Ellis.
"I don't count turning water into wine among my abilities so I guess
we could make do with water," laughed Bill.
"Oh shit, sorry. Look, I could nick out and get some from a local
bottle shop. I don't know the area that well yet but I'll try and
find one with decent wines."
"Don't bother," said Roman from across the room. "We'll make do with
water and pretend we're all good Catholics who've signed the pledge."
"Fuck that for a joke," declared Bill. "Look, Ellis, I'll go with you
and we'll see what we can find. Dinner will be late but we'll cope."
"We'll take the Mercs out for a spin. Hang on one cotton-pickin'
minute. Bernard the real estate agent said something about Mr Long
leaving a wine cellar full of wine downstairs in the bottom of the
building. I guess we'd better go and check it out."
Bill grinned. "Good move, mate."
"Let's hope Mr Long's taste in wines is as good as his taste in art,"
Roman called out. "There're some nice ones on the wall here, Ellis."
"Otherwise we'll just have to make do with a cask red," laughed Bill.
Ellis grabbed a bunch of keys. He and Bill took the lift down to the
bottommost basement five levels below ground level. They negotiated
their way past storerooms through locked doors to the wine cellar left
by Mr Long.
When they entered the wine cellar, they saw the walls lined with racks
filled with hundreds of bottles. Bill's eyes opened wide. He
whistled.
"Quite a collection he has here," he said.
He reached over to one of the racks and pulled out a bottle at random.
He looked at the label.
"Penfold's Grange Hermitage 1971, no less," he said reverently.
"Probably a bit young to drink now but glorious nonetheless."
He replaced the bottle and pulled out another.
"Here we go. 1961. We could drink that now. It'd be brilliant.
Let's see what else is here."
"It's cold in here," remarked Ellis.
"As it should be," replied Bill. "Wine should be kept between 10 and
15 degrees C (50 to 60 deg F) and this feels ideal. It's a bit
towards the cool end, I think, but that's fine."
"I'm cold," said Ellis and wrapped his arms around Bill's waist.
Bill quickly replaced the bottle in the rack and hugged Ellis who
started weeping quietly into Bill's chest.
"What's the matter, fella," Bill asked quietly and stroked Ellis's
hair.
Ellis could not speak. He continued weeping. Bill said nothing but
wrapped his arms tighter around Ellis.
After a while Ellis's weeping died down.
"Sorry. I didn't mean that but I just couldn't help it," said Ellis
tearfully. "Bill, you just remind me so much of my ex-boyfriend,
sorry."
"It's all right, Ellis. Don't worry about it. Do you want to tell me
about it?"
"I just loved BJ so much. I never loved anyone so much as him. He
was just the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me and it all
had to go bust."
Tears ran down Ellis's face as his story spilled out.
When he had finished, Bill was full of sympathy.
"Ellis, there's one thing I must make clear," said Bill gently
afterwards. "I love Roman and there's been no-one else significant in
my life. He is the only man for me. I'm not interested in getting
sexually involved with anyone else particularly with the risk of AIDS
and it sounds like you're very likely to be carrying it. I'm sorry
but I simply cannot afford to take the risk with someone like you,
Ellis. You're one big sexy hunk of muscle but it sounds like you're a
walking time bomb. I couldn't live with myself if I infected Roman.
It would be just so horrible. Quite a lot of our friends have died of
AIDS over the past couple of years and it really is a dreadful way to
die. It's decimated the gay community here in Sydney."
"Shit, that's horrible. It certainly scythed through in London and I
hear it's even worse in America."
"Yes, it certainly is. Mind you, Ellis, you certainly don't look like
you've got it. You look as fit as a mallee bull. I reckon your arm
muscles are at least as big as mine. How big are your biceps?"
"Twenty-one and a half inches (55 cm)."
"Your arms are bigger than mine. You really are one big sexy hunk of
muscle and you feel just so good, just so hard and strong and solid.
Damn, you're tempting but I must be strong, for Roman's sake if no-one
else's," said Bill with a grin.
"Thanks for the appreciation."
"It's my pleasure, you big sexy guy. Anyway, let's see what else Mr
Long's left for you."
Bill pulled out the bottle of 1961 Grange Hermitage. Then he went
through the rest of the wine racks and pulled out a selection.
"My God, he's got some good stuff here!" exclaimed Bill. "Look, 1965
Henschke's Hill of Grace! That's certainly worth drinking."
"Let's get lots. I feel like getting drunk tonight."
"Not too drunk, mate. Good wine's bloody wasted when you're pissed.
You might as well get onto a cheap cask red. And I intend to cook up
a real treat for you tonight. I don't want you getting too pissed or
else you won't appreciate it."
"OK. Point taken. I'll just get a little bit drunk then."
Bill laughed. "Mind you, with all that muscle on you, Ellis, you
could drink a hell of a lot and still stay upright. However, once you
pass a certain point, good wine is totally wasted. And so is good
food."
"Oh, God, I love you," declared Ellis.
Impulsively he threw his arms around Bill and hugged him tight. Bill
almost dropped the bottles of wine he was carrying.
Eventually Ellis let him go. Bill was satisfied with his selection of
wines for dinner. Ellis took some of the bottles to lighten Bill's
load. They took the lift back up to the penthouse.
Bill uncorked the reds to breathe and put the whites in the
refrigerator. He set to work in the kitchen. He did not want any
assistance.
Ellis drifted off and found Roman who was working his way through the
art collection with a clipboard in hand. Roman willingly gave Ellis a
running commentary on the paintings Ellis had inherited.
Ellis asked about the Camorro paintings.
"It's interesting that Mr Long has acquired them because the Camorro
works usually cater for the gay market. Was he gay?" asked Roman.
"I don't think so," replied Ellis uncertainly. "I think Bernard the
real estate agent would have said something if he was. In fact I seem
to recall him saying there was a woman living with him, a Chinese
woman and Bernard thinks she wasn't his wife."
"Interesting. Come to think of it now, there was a Chinese woman
around when I was here last time but she stayed well in the back-
ground. I hardly saw her. I wasn't sure who she was or what she did
and I didn't ask. I certainly wasn't introduced to her."
"That bloke in Camorro's paintings, the one with all those huge
muscles and the black curly hair, he's also in the Wray painting. I
assume he's Mr Kursky, the other half of Mrs Kursky."
"Yes, he's otherwise known as Major Peter Kursky, one of the bravest
men to have fought in the Vietnam War never to have been awarded a
Victoria Cross. He's quite a man, I hear."
"Yeah, he sure looks it. I assume Camorro was gay from the way he
paints."
"He certainly is. He is one of those incredibly big muscle dudes with
gigantic muscles and he'd be a bit taller than you but his physique
would dwarf Bill's and yours too."
"Really? What's the nature of his relationship with Major Kursky, the
man with those magnificent muscles?"
"They're lovers. And they've been lovers for years, virtually since
the time Carlos Camorro first came over here from Argentina to escape
the generals after the military coup there."
"Isn't Kursky married?"
"Yep, and he's the father of a horde of children."
"What about his wife?"
"I understand she's cool. Apparently their relationship is pretty
open and Peter Kursky has lots of lovers, like dozens."
"What about the risk of nasty diseases like AIDS?"
"Don't know. There's some story going around that all those guys are
immune not just to AIDS but everything else too. But I don't know
anything about it or even whether or not it's true. I hear that guys
who get themselves fucked by one of that crew become immune to
everything too and grow huge muscles as well. Many of the guys are
members of a motorcycle gang, the Roadknights, I think. Anyway,
they're all big and really tough hombres."
"That'd be useful," Ellis grinned. "Just imagine it, being able to
fuck around without any worries of catching something nasty. It'd be
wonderful. Yeah."
He sighed.
"Look, as far as I'm concerned, it's just a fairy story until proven
otherwise," declared Roman. "I certainly wouldn't go playing around
on the strength of it."
"Sure. OK, then, what about the Wyndham paintings? I get the feeling
that there's a certain homoeroticism about them too. What do you
think?"
Roman laughed, "That's not surprising since Bruce Wyndham is gay."
"Oh," smiled Ellis.
"Mind you, Wyndham doesn't cater just for the gay market. There's a
strong straight market too, especially amongst those who're into the
romantic myth of the robust working class, like, you know, the trendy
chardonnay-sipping cafe socialists."
Ellis laughed and said, "Roman, I get the impression you're a cynic."
"No more than you, my friend."
They looked at the other paintings and Roman gave a dissertation on
each one. Ellis was impressed by what he had acquired.
When they had finished, Ellis asked, "OK, how much are they worth?"
"If you want a definite figure, I'll have to do some research and give
you a written estimate. But right now I'd say there'd be close to a
million dollars' worth hanging on these walls."
Ellis whistled. "That's a lot."
"Well?"
Bill announced that dinner was ready. He had already set the dining
table for three in the dining room.
It was an excellent meal, a most memorable meal. The food and wine
were wonderful.
While they were drinking the port after dessert, Bill suggested that
Ellis tell Roman about the breakup with BJ. Ellis did so. The story
spilled out. Ellis was close to tears when he had finished. Roman
was very sympathetic.
Late in the evening, Roman and Bill departed.
Ellis contacted the piano tuner, a Mr Walton whom Bill had
recommended. The man came and got the piano into its proper state of
tune. When he played it afterward, it sounded noticeably better to
Ellis.
The next weekend Ellis borrowed a trailer from his brother and hitched
it up to his Mercedes. Leon complimented Ellis on his vehicle. He
owned an enormous ten-year-old Mercedes Benz 600 Pullman, one of the
so-called 'Gothic Castle' model like the one Arjuna owned. It has
been big enough to accommodate all his six children but they had grown
up. His eldest son had married and was the father of a baby boy.
Ellis teased Leon about being a grandfather and Leon took it all good-
naturedly.
Afterwards Ellis went to his late great-aunt's house, retrieved his
motorcycle and had lunch with the Hansens. He took his motorcycle to
the garage recommended by Bernard.
He discovered the bidets in the en-suite bathroom attached to his
bedroom. He found that he could adjust the nozzle so that it could
shoot a solid jet of water straight up his arsehole and thrum against
his prostate. It felt so good that he could sit and masturbate on the
bidet with a strong jet of hot water shooting vertically up into his
anus washing out his rectum and stimulating his prostate
energetically. It was not the same as having a cock up his arse but
it would suffice. Ellis had considered buying a dildo but did not
feel the need any longer.
Another trick was to get the jet of water shoot up and hit him on the
perineum, the sensitive sweet spot between his cock and arsehole just
behind his balls. That was very stimulating too. It was enough to
get him thoroughly excited. Cold water worked as well.
He invited Roman and Bill around again for dinner and to get Bill to
try out the piano after it had been tuned. Bill was delighted with
the piano. He launched into a recital of several Beethoven sonatas.
He drew much applause from Ellis and Roman.
"You know," ventured Roman, "your piano sounds nearly as good as our
Steinway. There's certainly not a huge difference I reckon."
"Who cares," declared Bill.
He launched into a robust rendition of the Rachmaninov Prelude in G
minor. Ellis was thunderstruck. He marvelled at Bill's skill and the
power of the piece. Bill's hair flew in all directions as he attacked
the piano with vigour and caused it to fill the gigantic living room
with sound. The prelude was a robustly rhythmic piece of music
indeed. It was the first time Ellis had heard it and it was soon to
become a favourite.
Bill declared that he had better get on with cooking the meal. Roman
informed Ellis that he had valued the art collection at $920,000.
Ellis whistled when Roman told him. He received a detailed listing of
the value of each painting.
Roman accompanied Ellis down to the wine cellar to help choose the
wines.
On Christmas Eve Ellis attended Midnight Mass at Saint Mary's
Cathedral in central Sydney so that he could tell his parents honestly
that he had gone to Mass. The cathedral was within walking distance
so Ellis walked there and back. It was a warm evening so he wore a
short-sleeved open-necked shirt with slacks.
After receiving Holy Communion he had that same empty feeling as he
had after Holy Communion in the Church of the Sacred Heart in Pymble a
few weeks previously. He wondered if he were a complete fraud and he
no longer belonged in the Catholic Church. He reflected that he had
virtually excommunicated himself by staying away from the Church for
so long and leading a life that would be regarded as a life of sin by
the priests and most Catholics. He thought of Bernard Bassett, his
parents and siblings who all attended Mass regularly every Sunday.
Was he the black sheep of the family?
Walking back through Kings Cross early on Christmas morning after Mass
was an unnerving experience. He was accosted by a number of people of
both sexes offering their bodies for his enjoyment. He was appalled
by how seedy, needy, malnourished, desperate and unattractive the
people offering themselves were. Back in London he had come to know a
number of prostitutes of both sexes operating in the Soho area and
they were all healthy, fun and attractive people, real people. He was
dismayed to see the depths into which these people in Kings Cross had
sunk.
Ellis spent Christmas Day with his parents and siblings. The
proceedings were stiff and uneventful. His sisters barely spoke to
him even though he had bought presents for everyone. He felt like an
interloper at his family's gathering.
His mother sensed his unease and tried to comfort him with the words:
"Don't worry, darling. You've been away for seventeen years and
everyone has just grown up and got on with their lives without you.
I'm afraid not all of us in the family are like the family of the
Prodigal Son in Jesus' parable."
Ellis was not comforted.
The following day was Boxing Day and the start of the Sydney Hobart
Yacht Race. Ellis found he had an uninterrupted view of the start of
the race from his penthouse. He opened a bottle of Australian
champagne and drank a few glasses. With the champagne he ate some
mince pies that Marica had made for him. He toasted the start of the
race in champagne and watched as the yachts sailed out through the
Sydney Heads into the Pacific Ocean on their way south to Hobart.
Roman and Bill invited him to their New Year's Eve party. They lived
in a big, rambling and architecturally significant house in Mosman
overlooking the beach on Hunters Bay in Sydney Harbour. The house had
been built in the 1930s and designed by Walter Burley Griffin, the
American architect who had designed Canberra, Australia's capital
city. The house was Burley Griffin's essay into art deco
architecture.
The party's theme was come-what-you-feel-like and many people turned
up. Ellis wore a sky blue tank top with a pair of tight white jeans
that he had retrieved from the old house. He teamed that with a pair
of black leather boots.
All sorts of people turned up, gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight,
transsexual, intersex. Some people even declared themselves openly as
queer. Some party-goers wore ordinary clothes, some wore fancy dress
and some wore amazing costumes worthy of inclusion in the Sydney Gay
and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade.
A woman asked Ellis what he had come as and Ellis replied he had come
as the Prodigal Son. She laughed and asked what the story was. He
replied that it was a long one and he did not want to bore anyone with
it. She was a blonde woman aged in her late thirties. She introduced
herself as Sue and then propositioned Ellis. She confessed her
disappointment when he told her he was gay. She said he looked like a
real masculine hunk and told him that she was a real heterosexual
woman looking for a real man with real muscles. She confessed when
she saw him drive up in a current model Mercedes-Benz S-Class, she
thought to herself here is a real man with money.
Roman introduced Ellis around to most of the people but Ellis found it
impossible to remember all the names.
In February the workshop had finished reconditioning Ellis's
motorbike. Ellis was delighted to be riding his bike again and he
soon reacquired his bike riding skills riding around the less hectic
parts of Sydney. As his confidence grew, he rode on busier roads
further afield around Sydney. In time he went riding on the twisting
roads through the Blue Mountains.
Roman was keen to renew the friendship with Ellis as was Ellis with
Roman and Ellis liked Bill very much. Ellis often went to dinner and
parties at Roman's and Bill's house. A frequent topic of discussion
at the dinners was about the latest people to have died of AIDS in
Sydney. The disease had sliced through Sydney's gay community.
Ellis told his story and received much sympathy. He wondered how long
he had before he fell ill. That was a predicament shared by many of
Roman's and Bill's friends. People often said they envied Roman and
Bill being in a stable long-term relationship in which they were
completely loyal to one another. Ellis reflected ruefully that many
people had said the same thing about him and BJ in London. He hoped
fervently that there would be no nasty surprises in store for either
Roman or Bill like there had been for him. Nevertheless Ellis went to
many parties and he frequently rode his motorbike to them.
Ellis's motorbike was the subject of much comment from Roman's friends
because he was the only man they knew who rode one. Ellis was
regarded as an exotic hunk. Several commented that the gloriously
hunky film star Marlon Brando rode a Triumph motorbike like Ellis's in
the film 'The Wild Ones'. They said that Ellis resembled Marlon
Brando but was even better looking and much better built. Brando's
recent film 'Apocalypse Now' set in Vietnam during the Vietnam War was
a vivid memory for many.
After the return of the motorbike the Ferrari garage finished work on
Ellis's Ferrari. At first he drove the car gingerly around Elizabeth
Bay, Double Bay, Point Piper and Vaucluse. As he became more
confident and more familiar with the Ferrari, he enjoyed its
nimbleness and responsiveness as he drove it further afield around
Sydney.
Ellis started corresponding with Theodora again and kept her up to
date with his activities. She wrote back regularly.
Ellis's older brother Leon started inviting Ellis to lunches with him
in the City. They were tete-a-tete lunches in a top-class restaurant.
Most diners wore business suits but Ellis often wore a short-sleeved
casual shirt with slacks but none of the staff ever gave any
indication that Ellis's dress was inappropriate. Leon did say to
Ellis that some of his acquaintances were wondering who the muscleman
was that he was lunching with. One even asked if Ellis was Leon's
favourite hit-man. Ellis laughed out loud when Leon told him that.
The reason Leon gave for these lunches was that he did not want to
lose contact with his brother. He was well aware of the antipathy
that Ellis's sisters held towards Ellis over the will. Most of them
refused to speak to Ellis, still after all these years. Leon had
noticed the difficulty during the family gathering at Christmas and he
was very worried that Ellis would sever contact with the rest of the
family perhaps even more so than when Ellis was overseas. Leon was
also aware of the lack of closeness between Ellis and their parents.
Ellis understood that Leon was desperately keen to maintain contact
with Ellis.
Leon was very interested to hear about Ellis's adventures overseas so
Ellis gave him a very much sanitised account of his activities over
several lunches. Leon had only made short business trips overseas.
He had been to London many times but he had no idea how to get in
contact with Ellis. His wife did not like flying so he had not taken
his family overseas except on cruises to New Zealand or the Pacific
Islands. One summer holidays he had taken the family on a round-the-
world cruise. The family did not like Britain and Northern Europe
because it was the middle of winter over there and it was very cold.
His children thought that the Mediterranean was OK but only just.
They had limited tolerance of cathedrals, art galleries, castles and
other tourist attractions. They had felt honoured, however, to
receive the Christmas blessing from Pope Paul VI in Saint Peter's
Square in Rome. Leon had heard later that his youngest daughter had
been boasting at kindergarten when she was three years old that she
had been blessed by the Dope. Ellis broke out into peals of laughter
when Leon told him that with a chuckle. Leon said it was one of the
joys of parenthood.
One mild evening Ellis was leaning on the railing of the balcony
running around his penthouse admiring the lights of Sydney and the
quietly moving waters of the harbour. He became aware of beautiful
music emanating from one of the apartments downstairs. He stayed on
the balcony listening to the music until it ended and some different
classical music came on.
Burning with curiosity, Ellis took the lift a couple of floors down
and found the apartment from which the music was coming. He pressed
the doorbell button and the music stopped. The door opened and a thin
balding bearded man of middle age and average height wearing steel-
rimmed spectacles peered out nervously at Ellis's bulky form.
Ellis smiled warmly at the man and asked what the beautiful music was
that he had been playing a few minutes earlier. He really liked the
music and would very much like to hear it again.
The man replied that he had currently playing on his stereo
Beethoven's sixth symphony in F major, the 'Pastoral'. He said that
Ellis must be referring to the previous movement, the slow second
movement. He smiled and introduced himself as Doctor Geoffrey Bland.
He invited Ellis to come in and sit down.
When Ellis had made himself comfortable, Doctor Bland was delighted to
put on the recording of the symphony again. He loved the music and
never tired of listening to Beethoven's works. He told Ellis he was a
self-confessed Beethoven freak.
When the symphony had finished, Geoffrey poured Ellis a port. Then he
put on Beethoven's fifth symphony in C minor. Ellis was blown away by
the powerful drama of the work.
Afterwards they stayed talking until late in the night. Geoffrey said
that he was a medical specialist in immunology. He did a lot of
research work as well as seeing patients. He did not ask Ellis any
questions about his job, background and so on. He seemed happy to
accept Ellis as he was. Ellis told him that he had moved into the
penthouse at the top of the building.
Finally Geoffrey said regretfully that he had work to do and patients
to see the following day and he must go to bed. Ellis departed.
He saw Geoffrey frequently after that and they became firm friends.
They often ate at one of the local restaurants. Geoffrey said that he
was a bachelor. He joked that 'he was too busy being a doctor'.
Ellis bought the complete set of Beethoven symphonies on CD and
delighted in listening to the music on the regal stereo that he had
inherited from Mr Long. This began his love for classical music.
Geoffrey enjoyed guiding Ellis in his exploration of classical music.
He introduced Ellis to many other composers such as Bach, Brahms,
Schubert, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Mahler, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and Haydn.
Now and then Geoffrey came up to Ellis's penthouse. The first time he
arrived, his eyes lit up when he beheld the grand piano in the living
room. He sat down at it and rattled of a quick Bach prelude.
"By God it's a lovely piano," he announced when he had finished.
"It's certainly a lot better than the old upright my mother gave me
that I've got downstairs."
Geoffrey played another Bach prelude. He continued and gave Ellis a
recital of a number of piano works by Schubert, Bach, Beethoven and
Mendelssohn. Ellis applauded. He praised Geoffrey's skill as a
pianist.
"It's only a hobby," Geoffrey demurred. "It keeps me sane."
"You're bloody good," declared Ellis.
Geoffrey delighted in coming up to the penthouse to play the grand
piano.
As their friendship grew, Ellis let Geoffrey know that he was gay and
told him of his previous relationships with Sashi and BJ. He
explained that it was likely that he was carrying the AIDS virus
because of BJ's infidelity. Geoffrey was very understanding but made
it clear that he was interested in nothing more than friendship.
Ellis was grateful to accept their relationship as platonic. Geoffrey
joked that he himself was a confirmed asexual.
Later that year Geoffrey said that tests for the AIDS virus were being
trialled in Australia and suggested that Ellis be a test subject.
Ellis jumped at the chance to end the uncertainty he had been living
with ever since the showdown with BJ the previous year.
He presented himself at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) and had
a big syringe full of blood taken from his arm vein for the AIDS test.
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Continued in Part 81.
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