Greeting Cards

by Tinnean

  IT was an hour before Jen finally let them off the phone.

  “I’ll send you a check for my share of Mom’s gift,” Jason told her. They were chipping in for a Bose SoundDock digital music system and the iPod that would dock with it.

  Eddie said, “I’ll go to the Apple Store tomorrow and pick up the iPod—”

  “The hundred and sixty gigabyte one?”

  “No. Mom doesn’t have that many favorites, little brother!”

  “Just because you were born five minutes before me, Eddie….”

  “As soon as I get the iPod—the one with thirty-two gigabytes,” he emphasized, “I’ll load all her favorite tunes and artists into it.”

  “I’ll leave you seniors to handle that.” Jason knew better than to fight a losing battle. And besides, there was always next year if she managed to fill it up. “See you next Sunday.”

  “Not me, Jase,” his twin said. “I promised Lisa I’d spend Mother’s Day with her and her mom. And don’t worry; I already cleared it with Mom.”

  Jen, who’d been quiet while Jason and Eddie sniped at each other, spoke now. “Wow, you’re really serious about her, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “Well, just remember I get to be your best man, big brother!” Jason was close to both his siblings, but there was that twin thing. It ran deeper than most people understood.

  “I wouldn’t have anyone else.” Eddie was suddenly serious.

  “Thank you.” Jason cleared his throat. He didn’t want his twin to realize how touched he was by that. “Oh, and I get a plus one!”

  “What?” Jen gasped. “You’re seeing someone?”

  “One of those idiots you’ve been dating finally wised up? All right!” Eddie sounded pleased, and that touched him even more.

  “Who is he? When do we get to meet him? Tell, tell!”

  “Jen, I don’t want to scare him off by bringing him home to meet the family before we’ve even had our first date!”

  “But you’re thinking of taking him to Eddie’s wedding,” she said, and he groaned. He’d gotten caught up in the teasing and only thought of how things might be, not how they were.

  “Listen, Jason. Make sure you tell this guy that if he hurts you, we’re going after him!”

  “I… I love you guys.”

  “Sure you do. And we love you too. I’ve got to go now. Bye, Jason. Bye, Eddie.”

  “Bye, Jen. Bye, little brother.”

  “Bye, guys.” He hung up and rubbed his right ear. He had the best family, but they did like to chat.

  Okay, now he had to get the house ready for his guest.

  He’d need to make the bed in the guest bedroom that was just down the hall from the master. Dust, vacuum, make a list of food to have on hand for lunch—and dinner? Or would Ben prefer to dine out?

  Flowers! There was a lilac bush in the backyard, and since Mother’s Day was only a week or so away, it was already starting to bloom. He’d cut some sprays and put them in the bedroom and the dining room.

  He suddenly realized he was starved. He’d make himself some dinner, and then get started.

  DAMMIT, he should have nailed Ben down to a specific time. It had been a long night, and the morning seemed to be stretching out even longer. Everything was in order, but now he had nothing to do except drift through the house, trying to distract himself.

  Didn’t the minute hand move? He was ready to swear the clock had said ten fifteen half an hour ago.

  Okay, he’d pull out the text Dr. Hewitt suggested he study.

  No, if he did that, he’d lose track of time. Wait, wasn’t that what he wanted to do?

  He went from room to room again to make sure everything was in order. The scent of lilacs filled the house.

  Did the television screen need to be dusted again? Should he have dry-mopped the hardwood floor? What about—

  The doorbell rang.

  Oh, that had better not be Gabe with his magazine subscriptions! He stalked to the door and pulled it open.

  “You’re not—”

  “I am.”

  “Ben! How was your drive?” God, he was even better-looking than his picture!

  “It was fine. The roads were pretty empty, which is why I made such good time. I’ve been admiring your lovely house.” He gestured around. “This is the kind of house I was going to buy with Rick. Except I was going to have green shutters.”

  “I’m planning on changing the color. They need to be repainted, and I thought maybe a hunter green.”

  “Seriously? Can I help?”

  “If you want.” Although Jason could think of other things they could do instead. “Oh, please, come in, come in! Let me take your case.”

  “Thanks, Jason. I brought enough for today and tomorrow. I hope that’s okay?”

  “You bet!”

  Ben stood in the doorway for a moment. Jason felt incredibly awkward. Should he shake Ben’s hand? Kiss his cheek? Usually he had family come to stay, and there had never been any need to stand on ceremony, but with a guest—with Ben….

  Jason’s fingers lost their grip on Ben’s case.

  And then Ben reached for him and he fell into his arms. Ben’s body was solid and…. Was something nudging his groin? Jason’s heart began a rapid thud.

  “This is so precipitous.” Normally Jason took at least a couple of hours before he got physical with some guy. He didn’t want Ben to think he was a slut.

  “What is?”

  “We’ve only just met.” He stepped away and held out his hand.

  Ben gave the slowest, sweetest smile. “I don’t mind.”

  “You know something, Ben? Neither do I!” He stooped to grasp the handle of Ben’s case and gestured for him to enter. “Let me just take this to your room, and then I’ll give you the grand tour.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Jason raced up the shallow flight of steps and into the room that would be Ben’s. Neat as a pin, the midmorning sunlight just starting to filter into the south-facing windows. He nodded, put the case beside the dresser, and hurried back to his guest.

  “THIS house has four levels. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are on the entry level. And a half-bath.” As he spoke, he led the way down to the next level. “Here we have my study, which was the smallest bedroom originally. There’s also a full bath, and at the end of the hall is the laundry room.”

  “How many bathrooms does this house have?”

  “Three and a half. We’ll… uh… we’ll be sharing one. I hope you don’t mind?”

  “I don’t mind.”

  Sweet! Jason cleared his throat. “This is the lowest level. It has another spare bedroom, a really large living area, and another full bath.”

  “This is unbelievable! If you wanted, you could put in a kitchenette and convert this level to an income suite.” Ben stared around in obvious amazement.

  “Well, my sister and her husband use it when they come to Wooster. They live in Greenedale too.”

  “You have a sister? That’s right, you mentioned her in your first letter.”

  Ben remembered that? What a great guy. “Yep. And a twin brother.”

  Ben looked wistful. “I’m an only child.”

  “If I ever have kids, I’d want more than one.”

  “You would?”

  “Sure. If the kids have two parents who’ll gang up against them, it’s only fair they have their own backup.” Oh shit. Maybe he shouldn’t be bringing up kids so early in their… friendship.

  But Ben just smiled. “That sounds like a good idea, and this place would be perfect for kids.”

  “Except for the bedroom down here. I should have made this one my study, but I wasn’t exactly thinking of a family when I set it up.”

  “How could you afford a house like this, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  “My first master’s was in finance, and investing was part of my thesis. By the time I was finished, I had enough to buy this house.”

/>   “Your first master’s?”

  “Yes. I’m working on my second right now.”

  Ben shook his head. “You’re so smart!”

  “Uh….” It always made him feel uncomfortable when people made a big deal of his intelligence. It was as if he was special because he had brown hair or because his name was Jason. His IQ was part of what he was, so what difference did it make? “The main sleeping level is up this way.” He took Ben’s hand and led him up three short flights of stairs.

  Ben’s hand was rough with calluses. What would it feel like stroking over Jason’s body?

  He licked his lips. “This will be your bedroom.”

  “Nice.” Ben admired the chair rail, the beadboard wainscoting, and the crown molding. “Who did the work here? And please don’t tell me it was you.”

  “Well, it wasn’t; I’ve got two left thumbs.” It was known and accepted in his family that, if it wasn’t between the pages of a book or on a computer screen, then Jason was hopeless, so he didn’t take offense. He was curious as to why Ben would say that, though. “But why not?”

  “What would you need me for?”

  “Ah, Ben, I’m pretty sure I could come up with something.” Jason couldn’t resist. He leaned toward him and kissed him. It was supposed to be just a little peck on the cheek, but Ben turned his head at the same time, and their lips met.

  Time slowed, and the kiss continued. One of Ben’s callused hands caressed the back of Jason’s neck, while the other hand cupped his ass.

  “I love kissing,” he whispered against Ben’s lips. None of his boyfriends had ever had a mustache, and Ben’s was like silk. All the sensations were driving him crazy.

  “So do I. Rick never cared for it, though.”

  “What, not at all?”

  “No.”

  Jason pulled back and stared into Ben’s brown eyes. “So when was the last time you were truly kissed?”

  “Hmm.” Ben seemed to be giving it serious consideration. “About two minutes ago?”

  How could Rick treat Ben that way? Jason really wanted to kick that miserable son of a bitch’s ass. “Would you mind if I helped you make up for lost time?”

  “When do we get started?”

  THEY wound up spending the rest of the morning and half the afternoon on the spare bed. “Do you… do you mind if we just make out?” Ben asked. “Rick’s the only lover I’ve ever had….”

  “It’ll be my pleasure.” Most of the guys Jason had… dated… wanted to hop into bed two seconds after “hello”. This was nice. No pressure, no rush, just a leisurely exploration of each other—mouths, bodies. It was nice.

  That was, until Ben’s stomach rumbled. “Sorry. I was too excited to eat breakfast.”

  “And now I’ve made you miss lunch. You should have stopped me.”

  “It was worth it.”

  “Well, I don’t want you wasting away from lack of nourishment. I was going to suggest we go out to eat, but I think I’d rather roast a chicken for dinner.”

  “And you can cook too? Jason Prescott, will you marry me?”

  Of course Jason knew he wasn’t serious; it was too soon. But one day…?

  He took Ben’s hand and led him down to the kitchen.

  “What can I do to help?” Ben asked.

  “After we’ve had lunch, I’ll put the chicken in the oven and you can wash the lettuce for the salad, if you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not a problem. I’m not the best cook, but I wash a mean head of lettuce.”

  “Awesome.” Jason took out the makings for sandwiches. “And then I’d like to show you the backyard. There’s a stream, oak trees, a willow….”

  WHAT an amazing, kickass weekend! Ben had been blown away by Jason’s house and the surrounding land, and they’d tramped all over the property; dinner on Saturday had turned out to be one of the best meals he’d ever prepared, and afterward they’d gone dancing at a club Jason knew—and holy majoly, could Ben dance!—and on Sunday they’d gone to the movies to see The Avengers and then to T.G.I. Friday’s for an early dinner before Ben had to drive home.

  They hadn’t done more than kiss, but it had been enough.

  Ben wanted Jason to spend next weekend at his place, but he’d had to say no. It was Mother’s Day, and he was going home to be with his mom.

  “Okay.” Ben had smiled, but Jason could see how sad he was, and not because they wouldn’t be together. “How about the week after that?”

  “That’ll be great.” Jason had an idea, though. He hadn’t been able to get Ben a job, but….

  As soon as Ben’s taillights had vanished into the dusk, Jason went back into the house and called his sister.

  “Jen, is Fred around? Can I talk to him?”

  “Sure.”

  Within a minute or so, his brother-in-law came on the line. “Hey, Jase. What can I do you for?”

  “I need a favor, Freddie. You’re really good with computers.”

  “Yes.” That was putting it mildly. He ran the computer lab at Howe College in Greenedale.

  “Would you be able to find an address for me?”

  “Uh…. Do I want to know why?”

  “I just want to send my friend’s mother a card, but it’s a surprise, and I don’t want him to know.” Jason was going to write the woman and give her a piece of his mind.

  “In that case, sure.”

  “Cool. Here’s the deal. All I know is the last name—”

  “Easy peasy.”

  “Would you let me finish? My friend’s mother lives in DeKalb, and the name is Haggerty.”

  “Oh, that makes it even easier. After all, how many Haggertys live in—did you say DeKalb?”

  “Yes.” There was silence for a long time. “Freddie? You still there?”

  “I’m here. So… uh… this guy is a friend of yours?”

  “Yeah. Can you do it?”

  “I’ll see what I can do and get back to you as soon as I can.”

  “Thanks, bro. I owe you. See you next week.”

  “That you will.” They hung up, and Jason tugged thoughtfully on his lower lip.

  Now, did he want to send Ben’s homophobic mother a card or a letter? And just how thick did he want to lay it on?

  Chapter 15

  JANE HAGGERTY turned the lavender envelope over and over in her hands. Who could be sending her a card from Wooster?

  If it had been from Greenedale, she’d have hoped it was her boy. She still looked for cards when Mother’s Day and Father’s Day rolled around, even though Richard had made it very clear that Benjie no longer wanted to have anything to do with either her or his father.

  But Wooster? They didn’t know a soul from that town.

  Well, staring at the envelope wouldn’t open it. She slit the flap and took out the card.

  “With deepest sympathy”? No one in the family had died. Was this some kind of a sick joke?

  Oh God, could something have happened to her Benjie?

  She fumbled the card, finally opening it.

  Dear Mrs. Haggerty,

  First off, I should tell you that no one you know has died. The sympathy isn’t for that, it’s for what you’ve done.

  I’m a friend of your son, Ben. You may not be aware that he worked for an electric company in Greenedale and that, before he was laid off, he did quite a bit of work for Howe College. Yes, he’s out of work—the recession has hit everyone—but don’t you worry about him. He’s got friends who have his back, and he doesn’t need anything from you, except the love you refused to give him.

  Mrs. Haggerty, do you have any idea how devastated he was when you and your husband tossed him out of your life like so much garbage?

  What? Jane grabbed for a chair and sat down, her heart pounding so hard she wasn’t sure if she was having a heart attack. What was this young man talking about? It had taken almost a year, but she and Charlie had finally learned through Richard’s guardians where he was, and they knew Benjie would be with him. Only whe
n they’d called, Richard had told them Benjie was happy with him and that he’d said he never wanted to see them again.

  It had broken their hearts, but if that was what their son wanted….

  Parents are supposed to love their children unconditionally. This means even if they fall in love with someone who’s the same sex as them.

  But you didn’t do that. When you learned your son was gay, suddenly you no longer had a son.

  Last fall, Ben’s partner of almost eight years left him. Did he have family to go to for comfort? No, he didn’t! He had to struggle through the loss—and yes, it was a loss, as real as the death of a loved one—all on his own and at the holiest, most joyous time of the year. In the end, he turned to a complete stranger for comfort. Oh, not sex, and if that was where your mind jumped to, then shame on you! You don’t know your son at all, and maybe it’s for the best you’re estranged.

  Ben just needed someone to talk to, and I’m pleased to say that honor fell to me.

  I’m writing you now because next week is Mother’s Day. I’d take Ben to spend the day with my mother, who has no problem with the fact that one of her children is gay (and that would be me, just to clarify things) but doesn’t Ben deserve to be with his own mother?

  Please give this some thought. I’m including my phone number. If you don’t want to have anything to do with your son, please let me know. I’ll find some way to keep from him what little regard you have for him.

  On the other hand, if there’s an ounce of love left in your heart for Ben, call me so we can arrange a reunion.

  Yours sincerely,

  Jason Prescott

  PS This won’t mean anything to you, but happy No Socks Day anyway.

  Jane read the letter over again. Her Benjie no longer had that miserable Richard Preston in his life? Oh thank God! But oh, the wasted years!

  She picked up the phone and called her husband at work. “Charlie! Great news!”

  Chapter 16

  JASON was a little nervous to be meeting Ben’s mom and dad. He’d laid it on a bit thick—okay, a lot thick, since Rick had actually walked out in September—and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get away with it. Still, Ben had been alone at Christmas. But when Mrs. Haggerty had called him, she’d been so pleased that Ben was no longer with Rick Preston that she hadn’t even called him on some of the things he’d written.