His True Home (Gay Romance)

by Trina Solet

  Cory was sure that Teddy would start speaking soon, but he wasn't waiting for him to be a source of information.

  "I was younger than Teddy when I was left. That part of my life is a blank to me," Cory said. He almost wished it was that way for Teddy so he wouldn't have to remember the pain of being abandoned. "I'm hoping one of these days Teddy will be able to tell me about himself. But I'm not here to get answers from him about who I am and who left me. I'm here to be his family. I want him to know that family means something. That it's not just a meaningless word like it was for me."

  "That won't be hard. All you have to do is stick around forever," Alec said.

  That's exactly what Cory planned to do.

  "I'm sticking to that kid like glue," Cory vowed. "I want him to feel safe and to lose that hesitant look in his eyes."

  "He was only a little hesitant at first. Now he's curious about you," Alec said with a smile.

  "I'll be telling him who I am soon. I just didn't want to overwhelm him. I thought it would be easier to hear after we spent a little time together."

  "He'll be happy to hear it," Alec assured him.

  "I hope so."

  Cory went to look in on Teddy then to unpack his things in that small room. That didn't take long, and then Cory was back to wandering through the house. While looking around earlier, Cory had stayed out of the den. He had the impression that it was Alec's private space. Now he stood in the doorway, thinking that since the door was open he could take a look.

  What compelled him to go inside was the canvas with a male figure stretching upward as if holding up the dark blue sky. The painting looked unfinished, and Cory was sure that Alec was the artist. Cory inched toward it, but the painting revealed nothing close up. The body was indistinct and the features lacked detail. Seeing other paintings with unrecognizable men, alone and in groups, he wasn't sure if that first one was finished or not. He counted about a dozen canvases leaning against walls and the desk. Two were set up on chairs. There was an easel by the bay window, and there were paints and brushes on a small table next to it.

  The paintings weren't bad, not that Cory was any sort of judge. They always featured men but not depicted realistically, more like impressions of bodies almost as if the artists eye couldn't quite focus on any of them. One showed a crowd of men dancing naked. Cory had the urge to tuck it behind some others for Teddy's sake, but he must have already seen it. And it wasn't like that painting or any of the others were obscene. Most of the details were up to Cory's imagination, which was in overdrive. He wondered where Alec might have come across a scene like that. Maybe that was the intention, to stimulate the mind into asking questions and making up its own story. All the questions Cory wanted to ask were about Alec and his life.

  Magnetic, forceful and confident, these paintings were Alec. With their strong lines and a sense of energy and power, they were as if Alec transferred a part of himself to canvas. At the same time, by making them enigmatic and seemingly incomplete, he was leaving some part of himself out, holding back.

  Taking his eyes from what interested him most in the room, Cory noticed that the furniture in the den was old but more stately, less rustic than in the rest of the house. He could see that it served as an office not just an art studio. The laptop was on the seat of a leather armchair, and the bench under the big bay window was covered in papers as was the desk. A filing cabinet was stacked with binders. The shelves were crammed with old books. The ones that didn't fit upright were jammed in sideways on top of the others.

  Above the mess and the paintings of men, a whole other world existed. Every wall was covered with paintings, but those on the walls were completely different from the ones that drew Cory into the room. These paintings were realistic but a little clumsy. They showed skill and attention to detail but not expertise. Judging by their clarity and innocent vision, Cory thought that maybe an older kid had painted them. Most of them were paintings of trees and of Pine Hill though a few other landscapes were mixed in. They seemed familiar. At first he thought it was because they showed sights he had just seen. Then Cory realized that Teddy's drawings were based on these paintings.

  Cory had his eyes glued to the paintings until Alec came in. With a scowl, he pointed at Cory's arm. When he looked, Cory found a smudge of dark blue paint there.

  "That one was still wet," Alec said, pointing at the painting that was propped up on the chair. It was the first one Cory had noticed and the blue was from the sky.

  "I'm sorry," Cory said.

  "It looks OK," Alec told him after he examined the painting closely.

  "Did you have to hide these from social services?" Cory asked since they must have visited the place. The paintings weren't explicit, but there was a high level of sexuality and exposed skin on display.

  Alec laughed maybe at Cory's seeming prudishness.

  "Actually, I did. I put them in the secret cellar. It was dug to hide people and provisions during the Civil War, but it still comes in handy," Alec said.

  "What if they make a surprise visit?" Cory asked.

  "Out here? No way. Mom would get wind of it," Alec said.

  Cory still pictured a social worker taking notes as he or she examined the paintings disapprovingly.

  "Don't worry so much. Mom really does have things handled," Alec told him to try and calm his fears.

  "I just don't want to see Teddy dragged away from here after everything he's been through."

  "I wouldn't risk that. You worry too much," Alec told him.

  "I can't help it. I grew up at the mercy of the system." He had spent his childhood powerless against the arbitrary judgments of bureaucrats. Now he feared for Teddy.

  "Mom is the system. Have some faith," Alec said to him.

  Cory took a deep breath, knowing he had no choice but to let the matter drop. He moved on to finding out more about Alec.

  "So you live here with your mother?" Cory asked.

  "Not permanently," Alec said like Cory was making an accusation. "I'm just here till I get my shit together. Mom mostly lives at her office. It was pretty lonely until Teddy got here. My only company was a stray cat that visits us occasionally."

  "What do you do?"

  "Less than the cat. I do a little painting," Alec said with a shrug.

  "Oh, do you?" Cory couldn't help saying since that had been the source of his worry.

  "I do," Alec said archly. "And I like to spread out my canvases to dry without worrying that someone is going to brush up against them."

  "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful," Cory promised.

  "No harm done. But Teddy didn't do that even once."

  "He's small," Cory said. "So do you paint for a living?"

  "No. I'm a graphic designer. I've been doing it from here a little, just some contract jobs. You might have seen my work on boxes of whole wheat crackers."

  "Impressive," Cory said then he noticed Alec leaning in and staring at him very closely. "Hey," Cory said and drew back a little so he could breathe.

  "I was just checking the color of your eyes in this light. They're interesting," Alec said, still peering at Cory too intently for his liking.

  "Don't tell me you want to paint me," Cory said while he backed himself against the armchair.

  "Are you offering?" Alec asked. He didn't seem to mind seeing Cory trapped.

  Cory stepped sideways to give himself more room.

  "Definitely not," Cory told him. He was already picturing himself posing naked for him with a nonstop hard-on. Before some part of that became reality, Cory decided to change the subjects. "Did you paint these too?" Cory asked, pointing at the paintings on the walls.

  "When I was a kid, I did those for my dad before he died. After he got sick, I painted whatever he wanted. He mostly wanted nature paintings like those. The paintings of Pine Hill were his favorites." Alec was more serious now as he stared at the paintings. They were lit by the coppery light of early evening. He didn't seem to be seeing them though.

 
; "That was nice of you." Cory looked at the paintings again, this time with the knowledge of who painted them and the reason. He imagined Alec painting for his dying father, wanting to give him something beautiful to look at. They were expressions of a child's love for his father. They made Cory want to reach out and touch them, like he could touch Alec's breaking heart painted into every brush stroke.

  "It was the least I could do," Alec said with a sad smile. "With a patience of a saint, he taught me how to paint. He never asked for much. He was a quiet, unassuming guy. Mom more than made up for it." Alec's smile brightened at the mention of his mother.

  "That's how she got to be the mayor," Cory guessed.

  "One day, out of the blue, she announced she was going to put the name Benchley to some use. Benchleys used to run this place, mayors, councilmen, state senators, but not since the 1950's. Mom decided to continue the tradition. She lost her first election, but she won all of the others. She ran for mayor after our dad died. I think she needed to keep busy."

  Cory wondered how she managed to win a small town election with an openly gay son. He didn't feel comfortable asking about that.

  "Do you sell your paintings?" Cory asked.

  "Some of them. But I can't make a living at it."

  "They are in here," Alec's mom said as she came in with Teddy. "You're not trying to entice Cory to pose for you, are you? He's a good boy."

  Alec looked over at Cory as if he disagreed. Teddy ignored them and went over to stare at the new painting, the one Cory had brushed up against. He looked from the painting to Alec as if he was asking, "What's this supposed to be?"

  "He isn't a fan," Alec said.

  "You like those up there, right?" Cory said to Teddy.

  Looking up at the paintings on the walls with complete approval, Teddy gave an almost imperceptible nod.

  "Teddy has impeccable taste," the mayor said. She looked at those paintings with a hint of sadness but also pride. Then she turned to Alec. "Have you been dragging this poor, tired boy all over the countryside?" she asked him as she put an arm around Cory's shoulders.

  "Teddy and I showed him all the notable sights around here," Alec said to his mother.

  "Did you show him where you almost broke your neck? Did you show him where you almost drowned and where your brother almost cracked his head open and..."

  "Yes, all those," Alec said to stop her.

  Putting her other arm around Teddy, she said, "After those two, it's so nice to have two good boys around this place."

  "Is this bad boy making you dinner?" Alec asked her.

  "No. I have a dinner meeting at the Moynahans'. Millie wants to talk me into expanding the Founder's Festival to three days."

  "Three days of everyone being full of fried food and drunk off their ass. Why not?" Alec said with a shrug.

  "Because of the expenses that a third day won't make up in revenues, that's why," his mom told him.

  "So you have your mind made up, but you'll still let the Moynahans wine you and dine you?" Alec asked.

  "That's right," she said cheerfully.

  "That's politics for you," Alec lamented.

  "And I love every minute of it." His mom flashed them a big smile and blew them a kiss as she went to her bedroom to get ready.

  The mayor was gone as soon as she changed into a dress. Cory didn't even get a chance to let her know that he was planning to tell Teddy he was his brother. He had spent all day in anticipation of that moment. After he watched Teddy drawing under the porch light, too absorbed to notice him, Cory decided it was time. He just couldn't wait any more.

  Chapter 5

  Cory found Alec rummaging through the kitchen cupboards and grumbling.

  "I want to tell Teddy I'm his brother. I want to do it now," Cory told him. "I'd like you to be there. He knows you already, and he just met me."

  "OK," Alec agreed, stopping what he was doing. "Thanks for letting me be a part of the big moment." He took a deep breath.

  Cory could tell that he was a little nervous too so he smiled at him.

  After calling Teddy into the living room, Alec took an armchair across from him. Cory sat next to Teddy on the sofa.

  "You know I came here to see you, right?" Cory said. "I wanted to tell you why. A little while ago, this lady I know called me and told me about you. And they did some tests, and they found out that you are my brother."

  Teddy looked perplexed.

  "You know that yellow taxi, the little car that you have. It used to be mine." As soon as Cory said that, Teddy ran off to his room.

  Cory was alarmed, but Teddy came right back with the yellow taxi in his hand and offered it to Cory. He was holding it out on the palm of his hand. Cory realized he was returning it to him.

  "No. That was a long time ago. It's yours now. You can keep it," Cory told him, smiling with relief that it wasn't anything more serious that sent him running off.

  Teddy looked down at the car then held it in both hands. He had treasured it not knowing that one day it would bring his big brother to him.

  "That car is how they found me," Cory explained. "I was very happy that they did. You're my little brother."

  Teddy still looked uncertain, but he also looked at Cory in a new way. He was trying to figure out what having a brother meant.

  Alec now spoke up for the first time.

  "What do you say we celebrate the big news and order pizza?" he asked Teddy, whose eyes brightened. "OK. Let's find out what kinds of toppings your big brother likes."

  They pored over the menu together then Alec called it in. When Teddy went to the front window to wait for the delivery, Alec and Cory talked.

  "Pizza is a bigger hit than I am," Cory said.

  "And it's not even good pizza," Alec told him. "It's from Thompson's. It's one of the worst pizzas I've ever had. As a kid, I used to love it. Just like Teddy, I didn't know there was such a thing as a bad pizza. I used to fight my brother for the last slice."

  When the car with the pizza arrived, Alec handed Teddy the money.

  "Pizza is on you," he told him.

  A teenaged girl with big, pink headphones on her head brought the pizza.

  "That's Trish Thompson. She delivers for her granddad. Don't expect her to say hi, or smile, or acknowledge your existence in any way," Alec said as the girl freed the pizza from the bag.

  Teddy paid her and she handed Alec the pizza. As Alec carried the pizza box into the kitchen, Teddy didn't take his eyes off it. Once they each had a plate with a slice of pizza, Alec asked, "What's the procedure?"

  Teddy touched his slice of pizza with his finger then nodded.

  "That's right. Touch it then bite it. That's so you don't burn the roof of your mouth like you did that first time," Alec reminded him.

  Teddy looked grave as he agreed with another nod.

  After tasting it, Cory had to admit that Alec was right about the pizza. It wasn't good at all. But it was the first pizza he and Teddy were sharing as brothers so it was perfect.

  After dinner, Alec announced it was nutrition time. He made a fruit salad with bananas, apples, and grapes then he ruined it by mixing in strawberry yogurt. Teddy ate this so called dessert eagerly. Alec served himself fruit without the yogurt, but Cory got the version with yogurt. He forced himself to eat every bite while wondering if Alec was a sadist.

  "OK, Teddy, it's time to clear the table outside," Alec told him.

  It was dark out. Cory could see insects buzzing around the porch light. Teddy went out to the back porch and scooped up the crayons and stuffed them back into the box. A lot of them were broken and didn't fit properly any more. He then gathered the papers into a messy stack, which he held against his chest. Seeing Cory watching him, he stopped and stared at him.

  "Put those away. I want to take a picture of you guys," Alec said.

  Teddy went to his room and Cory waited. When Teddy came back, Alec told them to stand by the fireplace. Cory put his arm around Teddy's shoulders. He didn't need anyon
e to tell him to smile. He couldn't stop himself from grinning like a fool.

  After taking the picture and showing it to them on his phone, Alec went and printed up three copies. He gave them each one and set the third one on the mantle next to the Benchleys' family pictures. Alec had put the word brothers at the bottom of the picture.

  "You know what it says?" Alec asked Teddy.

  Teddy mouthed a B but wasn't sure about the rest. Alec read it slowly while pointing at each letter. Teddy read it silently several times, and Cory felt like he might cry.

  As Teddy was getting ready for bed, Cory went up to Alec.

  "Thanks for doing that."

  "I almost didn't think of it. I should have started snapping pictures the second you told him. No, the second you arrived," Alec said.

  "This one is great. Thank you. It's my first family picture."

  "You'll have many more," Alec predicted.

  At bedtime, Teddy got ready by himself as soon as Alec told him it was time. There was only one exception. Teddy waited for Alec to supervise him as he brushed his teeth. After Teddy went to his room, Alec and Cory lingered in the hallway.

  "When he got here, he didn't know how to brush his teeth," Alec told him.

  Cory tried to imagine what kind of life Teddy had lived. He was lost in thought when Alec nudged him. Together they went to Teddy's room.

  When Alec and Cory stepped in, Teddy was clearing the drawings from the other bed. He was making room for them to sit.

  "What do we do now?" Cory asked as he sat next to Alec on the bed across from Teddy's.

  "Tell him a story," Alec said.

  Put on the spot like that, Cory at first drew a blank. Then he decided to keep it simple.

  "When I got into town, I didn't know which way to go. That's when I met a man who keeps his teeth in his pocket."

  With the covers pulled up to his chin, Teddy nodded.

  "Everyone knows about Mr. Hummel and his teeth. That's not a story," Alec said.

  Cory glared at him for being such a harsh critic over a bedtime story, his first one too.