The Husband

by John Simpson

  "Damn, so much for government being a safe, secure job," said Doris.

  "What are you doing about a job?" Jeff asked.

  "Well, I have two resumes out for jobs I'd like to be hired for and hope to hear back from them this week. If they don't come through, I'll just get a job as a security guard or something of that nature. Gotta have income for bills and rent."

  "Let us think about the problem this morning and maybe we can suggest something. In the meantime, I suggest you hit the job boards again and get your ass employed." Jeff said.

  "I hope to get all of me employed, not just my ass, or that would be prostitution." Adam said with a giggle.

  "Ha!" responded Doris with a great big smile.

  When Adam and Jeff hit the office, Adam searched the usual sites with a much more open mind than he had prior to getting the news from Craig. He read several ads wanting security guards for all kinds of places, all unarmed.

  "You want another cup?" Jeff asked as he got up.

  "Yes, thanks, bud, I'd appreciate another cup," Adam replied.

  * * * *

  As Adam picked up the phone to call the two places where he'd put in resumes, Jeff met back in the kitchen with Doris.

  "So whaddya think?" Jeff asked. "Shall we invite them to stay here with us for a while? I'm sure they'll kick in for food and utilities, so I'm not worried about money. I just don't want you to feel our home is becoming a bread and breakfast for our gay friends."

  "Honey, we've got one of our friends here, what the hell is the difference if another moves in for a bit. If anything, I'll have to cook slightly bigger dinners, and like you said, I'm sure they'll pitch in, so the only cost really is more work for me and I don't mind. They have to do their own laundry and stuff and clean their bathroom. Cleaning up after you is bad enough. I'm not gonna clean for two more men!" Doris said with a slight smile.

  "Okay, I'll offer when I go back down. He's working hard on the jobs situation now and isn't going to be picky. Why don't we offer them, say, two months to get their lives all together and then they have to move into their own love nest?"

  "Sounds fair to me, honey. Will you tell him?"

  "Yeah, I'll go back down right now."

  As Jeff entered the office, he heard Adam making an appointment for an interview for one of the jobs he'd applied for, and Jeff thought good fortune would come their way soon. Adam hung up and smiled.

  "Well, keep your fingers crossed, but I just got an interview with one of the companies I applied to, and it's for Friday at one o'clock."

  "Which company did you call?"

  "One of the management companies that operates apartment complexes all over the place. They're looking for a security director. I'm qualified and hope to nail the job down."

  "Great news. Here's a bit more. Doris and I would like to invite you and Craig to live here for up to two months while you're getting your lives back together again. Then, you have to move into your own place."

  "Jeff. That's wonderful! This takes off all the massive pressure weighing us down at the moment. I can't wait to tell Craig the news."

  "Okay, there are some conditions. Doris says you guys have to keep your bathroom clean. She isn't going to be in there cleaning for you. You have to do your own laundry and keep things neat. Plus, you need to contribute towards food and utilities. Can you handle these conditions?"

  Adam jumped up, went over to Jeff, and hugged him around the neck.

  "You know, for a straight boy, you're alright! Of course those conditions are fine and the least to be expected. I'll call Craig now and tell him."

  Jeff's client line rang and his attention moved to work while Adam dialed Craig at work.

  * * * *

  Two weeks later, things were definitely improved for Adam and Craig. Adam got the job he interviewed for, and Craig had just finished moving in his clothes. Everything else went into a storage unit. The bedroom continued to be a tight squeeze, more so with two men's worth of clothing and various other items. The bathroom looked very domestic with two toothbrushes, two brushes, soaps, and different shampoos, and the guys looked at each other and smiled.

  "Our first night living together, even if this room isn't our place just yet," Adam said as he hugged Craig.

  "I know; I'm very happy that at last we're where we belong. I just wish today hadn't also been my last day at work for the IRS. Everyone looked really sad packing up their personal stuff and saying goodbyes. The abysmal atmosphere reflected the same ole thing. Everyone promised to stay in touch and meet for lunch sometime, but you know no one will stay in contact. Those kinds of plans between co-workers never seem to actually happen with any job center that shuts down. People just scatter all over the place and lose contact."

  "You'll find a new and exciting job, I just know. You got brains, looks, and personality. Companies like that combination along with experience. From what you've told me about the jobs you've applied for, you've got the background for any of them," Adam said.

  "Boys, dinner!" Doris yelled.

  "Come on, let's go eat. I wanna give them the good news about getting the job and starting in two weeks." Adam said as they left their bedroom and headed to the table.

  "Getting settled in?" Jeff asked.

  "Sure are. Having Craig with me is good for me, thank you both once more," Adam replied.

  "Yes, let me add my thanks to Adam's also," Craig said. "You saved our bacon, and now we have a little breathing room. I still can't believe I lost my job at the IRS due to site closure."

  "Speaking of which, I'm happy to announce I got a job offer today." Adam said with a broad smile.

  "Congratulations. Where, doing what? Tell me, tell me." Doris practically screamed.

  "I'm going to be the Director of Security for Wintergreen Apartments, Inc. They operate a total of fourteen properties throughout the region, and I'll be supervising around sixty-eight security officers. I begin in two weeks, and I'm kinda excited as the company has an excellent reputation."

  "Great news, Adam, I'm really happy for you. I know being unemployed was really wearing out your nerves," Jeff said.

  "You have no idea," Adam said. "So, no problem at all on money issues while living here. In fact, I'd like to give you a little more than just what you're asking for so we feel like we're contributing to the house in a more beneficial way."

  "We'll talk about money later. Right now, let's eat!" Jeff replied.

  The conversation carried itself along with happy feelings, the food tasted great, and Craig helped to clean up afterwards as Adam and Jeff sat in the living room watching the news. When they were finished, Craig joined Adam on the sofa, and Doris lay down on the other sofa with her head in Jeff's lap. Everyone was relaxed and pleasant as they watched the evening television shows.

  Chapter Four

  They all went to bed a little later than usual since Friday night had arrived. When Adam looked over at the clock in the bedroom, the time read just before one. As Craig snuggled into him preparing to sleep, both guys were jolted awake by an argument between Doris and Jeff. They tried to ignore the raised voices, but Doris and Jeff left the bedroom and went down into the living room, which made ignoring the conversation all the more difficult since they heard every word.

  "You do realize that I didn't do this on purpose or something, ya know? The very last thing a guy wants to hear from the doctor is what we just read in that letter. And why the hell did you wait until after one in the morning to open the damn mail? I could have at least called the doctor to confirm what we read and to see if there is anything that can be done!"

  "Jeff, I've been very busy today, and the mail just didn't seem important at the time. I had a full day, we had Craig move in, and I had dinner to cook. I frankly forgot all about the damn mail. But, that's not the issue! We've been trying to have a baby for two years now and have gotten nowhere. I've been torturing myself wondering what the hell is wrong with me and why my eggs weren't fertile, and all along I wasn't the proble
m, right? You were shooting blanks. This means I'm never gonna get to have a child of my own."

  "Well, you can always leave me for a man who's got active sperm, ya know! If you wanna be like a cow and just have calves, find another bull in the field!" Jeff said angrily.

  "You know damn well I would never leave you over this! I love you and thought you loved me until you just suggested I leave you to go fuck another man!"

  Silence reclaimed the house, and then Adam and Craig could hear Doris sobbing. Jeff had gone downstairs into the basement area, leaving Doris alone. They heard him slam shut the door to his office.

  "Should we go out to her?" Craig asked.

  "Oh, hell no! The last thing we should do is stick our noses into something so very personal. Jeff is so beautiful and hung like a mule, and yet he gets stuck with shooting blanks. See, if you're too perfect, karma makes up for it by fucking something important up!"

  They heard the doors to the liquor cabinet open, the clink of ice and a drink being poured and then the sound of Doris going up to her bedroom while sniffling and closing the door. The house became quiet once again.

  "What about Jeff? Should you go down and see if he's alright?" Craig asked.

  "No. Jeff's pride is probably in a shambles. He's angry, and he just had a fight with his wife whom he loves very much. I doubt very much he wants to see me at the moment."

  "What should we do?" Craig asked.

  "As far as the conversation they just had, we're gonna act like we slept through the whole thing. You understand? We didn't hear shit. This way Jeff can at least maintain some pride, and Doris doesn't have to feel like she has to explain to us about what's going on. If they want us to know, they'll tell us. Okay?"

  "Yeah, you're right. Okay, that's the way we play our reaction to any questions should one of them ask us if we heard anything. I just hope Jeff is okay."

  * * * *

  Peace had descended upon the house once more, and both men eventually fell asleep. They woke up to a quiet house the next morning. They got up, showered, dressed, looked at each other, and gently opened the door. They weren't sure what they would find or how their friends would be. They walked down to the kitchen like nothing had happened the night before.

  "Good morning, all," Adam said in a cheery voice.

  "Hello, boys. Did you sleep well?" Doris asked in a low voice.

  "Both of us hit the bed, and we were out in an instant. I started to say something to Craig and fell asleep while whispering. Moving does that to me," Adam said, hoping it was convincing.

  "Where's Jeff?" Craig asked.

  As he finished asking the question, Jeff swung around the corner and headed upstairs, obviously un-showered and without saying a word to anyone in the kitchen.

  "Your question has been answered," Doris said. "Sit down, boys, and I'll fix bagels. Here's the coffee; pour your own."

  "We're gonna be out this morning since I have to go into my new office and sign some paperwork so they can run their checks and stuff before I start. I also have to have a urine test to make sure I'm not a druggie. We'll be back after lunch sometime," Adam announced. Craig looked surprised because he hadn't heard about the plan.

  "Oh, okay. Your leaving for a bit will give me time to do some housecleaning without worrying about disturbing your job hunt, Craig. Your office is open on a Saturday for paperwork, Adam?"

  "Yeah, all I have to do is see the on-duty supervisor to get what I need to begin the process of becoming an employee."

  "Well, the company seems to wanna make it easy for new hires, which is good."

  "Okay, great," Adam said. "We should be gone for about three hours I would think, which will get us home just after noon."

  Jeff came down just as they were finishing their coffee.

  "Morning, honey, the boys were just telling me they slept like logs last night as soon as they hit the pillows. Isn't that nice?"

  "Oh? Yeah, wish we all had slept like that."

  "Well, we're off to take care of things. Be back this afternoon," Adam said.

  They got wallets and keys from the bedroom and headed out the door.

  * * * *

  Doris watched the car pull away, and she turned to Jeff and said, "They're gone." They began to talk this time, instead of screaming.

  "I haven't slept all night, Doris. I've given this whole thing a lot of thought and have been struggling with the knowledge that I'm the reason we can't get pregnant. I did a lot of research on my condition on the internet last night, and there really isn't anything we can do about my problem."

  "I know there isn't anything we can do. We can always adopt though, honey. This isn't the end of the world."

  "When we got married, I promised you I would give you anything you could ever want. You've wanted a baby since we were married, and a baby is the one thing I can't give you. Yes, we can adopt, but you won't have the actual experience of giving birth, of bringing life into this world, which you've wanted for so long. I'm so hurt by this realization," Jeff said, tearing up.

  Doris got up and went over to her husband and sat in his lap. She put her arms around his neck and hugged him.

  "Honey, I'll be all right," Doris said. "The most important thing in any marriage is that we love one another. That hasn't changed for me. Has there been a change for you?"

  "No, not in the least. Why would my problem change my love for you?" Jeff replied.

  "Exactly. Now since there isn't any way for a pregnancy to occur, let's move on from the subject," Doris said.

  She went to get up, but Jeff held onto her. He suddenly had a distant look in his eyes, and Doris finally asked, "Jeff, are you alright? Are you losing it over this situation?"

  "I just had an idea, but I don't know how you'll feel about what I've come up with. I may not be able to give you a baby, but what about a sperm donor?" he asked.

  "A donor? Oh, I don't know about that. The idea of going into a doctor's office and getting some stranger's sperm and putting the stuff in me is a little yucky for me."

  "What if someone we know, and practically love as family, donates?"

  "Family? Who?"

  "Adam. He's good looking, intelligent, has a good personality and great body from what I can tell. We'll need to talk to him about family medical history, including mental history, but this is a possible solution, don't cha think?"

  Doris felt stunned. In the first place, she had never considered having a child using another man's sperm. But to use Adam's?

  "Are you serious?" she asked.

  "Yes."

  "But if being gay is genetic like medicine believes, we run a good chance of having a gay child. Have you considered that?"

  "Doris, I would like my child to be heterosexual like us, but if we had a baby who grew up to be gay, then so be it. The important thing is that he or she is healthy. A gay child is really of no concern to me. Are you concerned?"

  "No, but men usually don't take a gay son or daughter very well, especially a son. This would be your child even if Adam donated his sperm. Are you sure about this?"

  "Absolutely. Now, from what I understand, there is no way in hell Adam could deliver the goods the old fashioned way, we'd have to do this in a clinic if Adam agrees. 'Course, even if he could get an erection for a woman, I couldn't let another man fuck you."

  "Artificial insemination is the only way I'd agree to the impregnation anyway. Let's sleep on the idea, and we'll talk again in the morning. This is a major decision, plus there are rights Adam would or would not have to take into consideration. He would be the biological father. Would that give him rights?"

  "Good question. While they're out, I'll call our attorney and see what he says."

  As Jeff headed down to his office, Doris sat at the table and thought about two things: having a baby and having a baby using someone's sperm other than Jeff's. Could she deal with the reality of such knowledge?

  She also felt concern for who they were going to ask to be the donor. How would Adam feel ab
out knowing the baby would be his as well? Could he walk away and never look back? What would Craig have to say?

  As she cleaned up from breakfast, Jeff returned to the kitchen.

  "Well, he would have certain parental rights, which he would have to sign away with the court. The lawyer says he can draw up paperwork, which would make the situation pretty tight for us, but there is always a chance that should he try and revoke the agreement, we might have a situation on our hands."

  "Well, let's not speculate. Let's talk to both Adam and Craig tomorrow since Craig will have something to say about his partner being involved in this. Again, I wanna sleep on this whole thing tonight. One thing though… We do not tell our parents about this, understood?"

  "Yes, dear."

  * * * *

  As Craig sat in the waiting room, Adam filled out paperwork in an office, his office to be, and met people he hadn't already met. He received the address of a medical clinic where he had to go and give urine for the drug test, and a copy of the company personnel handbook.

  As they were driving to the clinic, Adam shouted out, "Hot damn!"

  "Oh my God, you just scared the shit outta me. What's up?" a perplexed Craig asked.

  "Well, the manual states in here the company has a same sex benefits clause that says if we get married here in New York, you can get all the benefits that my wife would ordinarily get. They even refer to you as a husband. This means you don't have to worry about getting a job that has medical benefits because I can put you on mine. The book also says coverage is effective for both of us thirty days after I start. This is wonderful!"

  "Well, this is good. You're going to work for a company that, at least on paper, is civilized and believes in equality. This looks like the place here," Craig said as he pulled into a parking lot for a group of low-rise buildings. The name Horizon Medical had been emblazoned upon one of the buildings, and Adam headed in to take care of that part of his employment process.