“Yeah, I did hear that but, with your brains, you could figure out how to build a building.”
Brian grinned sheepishly at me.
“Maybe if you taught me, but not on my own, love.”
“No, I figure you’re real good at helping people who need it. I just want to be as good at building houses for them to live in.”
Not that I’m into public displays of affection, I couldn’t help myself. I moved swiftly, grabbing Brian in my arms and kissing him deeply. After all, this was our wedding day.
Luckily, after a few moments, the doorbell rang.
I went to the door and opened it only to find, to my immense surprise, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North standing there in full costume ‑‑ crown, magic wand and all ‑‑ just like she had stepped out of The Wizard Of Oz. I was about to say something when there was this tiny squeal behind me.
“GLINDA!”
I looked down in time to see Tiger coming around me to stare at our visitor in what appeared to be sheer rapture. I almost didn’t have the heart to tell him this was my secretary, Anne. Where she’d gotten the costume, I couldn’t imagine. To this day, the 1930s musical film still remains iconic within the gay community and I was sure it would be very difficult to find any costume from the film still available to rent in San Francisco for Halloween. The story evokes the desire of many of us, after having gone to the faraway place of the Gay World and met strange and different creatures (some of them just like us), to go home and be loved and accepted ‑‑ something a lot of us have not experienced in our lives.
“Tiger, this is my secretary, Miss Anne. Say hello.”
Tiger looked at her with a somewhat disappointed look on his face.
“Hello, Miss Anne.”
Tiger held out his hand, as I’d taught him to do. Anne leaned down and took his hand in hers.
“I’m very pleased to finally meet you. I’ve seen your pictures on your daddy’s desk and wondered if I’d ever get to meet you.”
Tiger grinned up at her, giving her his winning charm. I was surprised. I’d never, ever seen him do this with a woman but, then again, I’d never seen him with Glinda, his favorite character in The Wizard of Oz.
“I’m sorry, Anne. I’ve tried to keep my private life away from the office for obvious reasons and I guess I went a little overboard.”
“I can understand your concern but do remember this is San Francisco. We are a very accepting city. Of almost anyone.”
“Well, on that note, I believe you’ve already met everyone here.”
“Hello, gentlemen. And you, too, Ted.”
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked her.
“Yes, how about scotch on the rocks.”
“Single malt all right?”
“Just fine, thank you.”
As I went behind the bar to make the drink for her, Anne was talking to Ted.
“I can’t believe both of you ended up finding someone almost at the same time and by not even leaving the office. I have to stop going out to lunch.”
With this everybody laughed.
“Well, guys, we have Anne to thank for dinner tonight. She was the one who introduced me to Paul who’s out in the kitchen with Troy getting things ready. We’ll see them later. They’re having dinner with us. In fact, excuse me a minute, I have to go see how things are going out there.”
I slipped into the kitchen where Paul and Troy were working diligently and with what appeared to be not a wasted motion. They worked together without a word, almost as if they could read each other’s minds. Maybe because they were lovers they almost could. I watched for a moment before I made my presence known by clearing my throat. They looked up then.
“Things are going fine and we’ll be on time,” Paul said, I guess thinking that’s why I was disturbing them.
“I’m sure they are and that you will. However, there’s something I want to talk to you about. I want to make reservations for my and Brian’s anniversary dinner for next year.”
Paul and Troy both looked at me like I was crazy.
“Uhh…we can talk about that later, can’t we?” Paul asked.
“Well, yes, I suppose we could, but I wanted to make sure because I know how hard it is to get reservations in a really good restaurant in this town for Halloween.”
“Restaurant?” Troy asked. “We don’t have a restaurant.”
“Yes, but you will have by then.”
“Not with my credit, we won’t!” Paul insisted.
“Well, I understand that. Anne told me about the restaurant you and your wife owned and what happened. How much do you think it would take to open another restaurant that you and Troy could run?”
“At least half a million dollars. A million to do anything of real quality.”
“So what could you do for a million and a half or two million?”
Paul and Troy looked at each other before Paul answered.
“I could create something of such elegance and quality that it would draw the best of San Francisco society. But that’s just a pipe dream. I haven’t got that kind of money and never will have.”
“If you’ll drop by my office next Monday morning, I’ll have a check for you and a loan contract for two million. The rate of interest will be five percent and the repayment schedule will commence after three years,” I stated.
“But…but…you haven’t even tasted the food!” Troy exclaimed.
I smiled at him. “I don’t need to. Just seeing how you two work together and the heavenly smells I’ve been enjoying ever since you came are enough.”
“But, Tommy, that’s an awful lot of money. Are you sure you can afford it?”
“Trust me, I can afford it. More importantly, I’d love to be part owner in a restaurant. Especially one that draws ‘the best of San Francisco society.’”
“I don’t know what to say,” Paul stated, looking at Troy and then back at me.
“Just say thank you when you pick up the check. Now, try and get everything on hold. The wedding is in fifteen minutes and you’re expected.”
I then turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving our two caterers utterly speechless.
Chapter Eleven
“Tommy, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?”
“I will.”
Matt had asked this of Brian first and now I had given my assent as well. Then Matt had us join hands and say to each other, repeating after him, “In the Name of God, I take you to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.”
Then Matt asked for the rings. The rings were simple bands but they were platinum. Ted handed him one ring and then Brian turned to Tiger, who was standing there in his baseball uniform/costume and looking thoroughly taken by the ceremony.
“Hey, guy. Time to give Uncle Matt the ring.” Brian smiled down at our son.
Since baseball uniforms as a rule do not have pockets, I wondered where Tiger had found to carry it. I had a very difficult time keeping a straight face when he reached down and pulled one of his baseball cleats off and fished the ring out from inside of it. He then handed it to Matt.
“Thanks, Tiger,” Matt said, winking at his nephew.
He placed them on the prayer book he was using for the ceremony and said, “Bless, O Lord, these rings to be signs of the vows by which these two men have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Brian and I exchanged rings with the words, “I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of God.”
Matt finished the service by placing his hands on both of our heads and blessing us and our marriag
e. Having not wanted a religious ceremony to begin with, I was shocked at the fact this brought tears to my eyes. I truly felt married to Brian. Especially with Matt and all our friends standing around us while it happened.
“In all the years of being a priest, I’ve never had to say these words ‑‑ you may kiss the groom!” Matt laughed, as did everyone else, except Brian and me. He took me in his arms and kissed me deeply, the way only Brian can.
As Brian kissed me, everyone broke out in applause. If it hadn’t been for that, I don’t know how that kiss would have ended but Brian and I pulled apart and blushed furiously at getting carried away like that. Each of our friends came up to us, hugged and kissed us and wished us a long life and long happiness together. Anne added something else.
“I’ve never seen two men kiss before. It was incredibly moving. Much more tender than I would have guessed.”
“It isn’t always.” I laughed.
“No, I wouldn’t guess it would be.” Anne walked away, chuckling to herself.
At that point, Troy called us to the table for dinner. The dinner was as wonderful as I had hoped it would be. Compliments flew around the table addressed to both Paul and Troy. They both blushed at the approbation but Paul raised his hand for attention.
“I want to thank all of you for your kind words. However, there is a major food critic sitting among you that you are not even aware of ‑‑ a critic who is tougher on chefs than anyone.” With this, Paul turned to Tiger. “So tell me, Tiger, how’s the food?”
It took a few moments to get Tiger’s attention as he was too busy devouring a piece of the rib roast. He finally looked up for a moment and said, “It’s really good!” and then went right back to eating. The whole table broke up laughing.
“Well, there’s the critique I wanted most to hear.” Paul chuckled.
At the end of the dinner, Paul and Troy brought out champagne and a beautiful, small three-tiered wedding cake with two grooms on top. I noticed the cake was decorated with strands of icing that looked like ropes of lily of the valley. It was, without doubt, the most beautiful cake I’d ever seen.
“We thought you’d like to know, Tommy, that not only is the cake chocolate, the icing you see is white chocolate as well,” Troy announced.
This brought grins around the table and a cheer from Tiger.
“Well, what would you expect on Halloween?” Troy asked rhetorically.
Everyone called for Brian and me to cut the cake together. We did so while Anne took pictures of us. She had brought her digital camera and had taken pictures during the wedding. We hadn’t wanted a professional photographer because we felt it would be too intrusive but Anne wasn’t intrusive at all. My favorite picture she took was the one of Brian and me feeding each other pieces of cake.
It was a long time, however, before I ever saw those pictures.
After he had his cake, Tiger went to his room to play with his video game before he left with Ted for his house. I was surprised, but Troy and Paul had cleaned up and did all the dishes in less than an hour so we were bidding them and Anne good-bye when Ted and Dalton went to get Tiger. Matt, Brian, and I were just saying good-bye when a yell came from Tiger’s bedroom. Ted came out of his room, screaming for me to get in there on the double.
I ran for his bedroom with Brian and Matt right behind me. We rushed into the room to see Tiger laying on the floor, completely without motion, with Dalton kneeling over him.
“What happened?” I asked frantically.
“We found him like this. He’s breathing but I can’t rouse him. Has he been sick?”
“Tiger? No! He’s as healthy as a horse. At least he was.”
I didn’t know what to do. Here I was a grown man, responsible for a son, and I didn’t know what the fuck to do. Fortunately, Brian seemed to be able to think clearer than I could. He already had his cell phone out and was dialing 911. He gave them our address and asked them to send an ambulance. He then reached down and lifted Tiger into his strong arms and laid him on the bed. Tiger was pale, too pale, and his breathing was shallow.
We only waited a few minutes, though at the time it seemed like hours, for the ambulance. When it got there, a crew of young male paramedics worked busily on Tiger; taking his blood pressure, starting an intravenous line, putting him on oxygen and asking questions, most of which we couldn’t answer. Brian stood there with me, holding me in his arms.
“We were just seeing our guests to the door when Ted and Dalton came back to his room to get him ready. He was going to spend the night with them. They found him lying on the floor. None of us saw what happened. We just found him like this and called you when we couldn’t wake him up,” I tried to explain.
“Did he say anything about not feeling well tonight or any dizziness?” one of the paramedics asked, taking notes on a tablet computer.
“No. We were having a party and Tiger was running around, very happy,” Brian said.
“Does he have any allergies?”
“No. He’s been checked for that when he was younger,” I answered.
“I just wondered with all the flowers.”
“Oh…that. That was the reason Tiger was so happy. Brian and I got married tonight and Tiger was Brian’s best man.”
I was blushing furiously at telling this part of my personal life.
“Oh, so that’s why Father Matt’s here.”
“Well…only half. He performed the wedding for us but he’s my older brother. How do you know Matt?”
“I’ve seen him at the hospital a number of times when we bring in somebody who’s in his congregation or from the counseling center.”
“Oh, yes. I never thought of him that way. I only know him as my big brother. Is our son going to be all right?” Brian asked.
“It looks like we’re ready to transport him. We’re taking him to the UCSF Children’s Hospital. That’s the best hospital for anyone his age,” he said, reassuringly.
“Can we ride on the ambulance with him? I don’t want him to wake up without us being there.”
“That’s no problem.”
“He calls Brian ‘Dad’ and me ‘Daddy’.”
“Kids are great. I hope my lover and I can adopt,” he said, giving me a wink.
I took a close look at the young paramedic and actually noticed what he looked like. Well, of course, if he’s young, muscular and cute in San Francisco, why would I assume he’s straight?
The paramedics who had been working Brian lifted him and put him on a gurney. Matt came over and told us he’d meet us at the hospital and to not worry. Ted and Dalton came over and both hugged us, not really saying anything ‑‑ not really having to. However, I’d never been hugged by a Marine before. Man! Are they strong!
I slipped off my black robe and wig. Fortunately I had a T-shirt and jeans on underneath. I grabbed a jean jacket out of the closet. Brian had to go get out of his toga and pull on pants and a shirt. He left the sandals on, however. I grabbed a jacket for him and we followed the paramedics and the gurney with Tiger on it, still out of it and not appearing to be coming around anytime soon.
All I remember about the ambulance ride is sitting on the side next to the gurney with Brian, his arms around me, and my praying to God to not let Tiger die. I didn’t know what I would do if that happened. When we got to the hospital, they took Tiger into emergency and Brian and I had to go to the registration desk to do paperwork for the insurance and such. A few minutes later Matt arrived.
“How’s he doing?”
“We don’t know. They took him back to the treatment area while they sent us here to fill out paperwork.” I noted the growl in my voice as I said this. I was angry at this bullshit. I didn’t need this now. I wanted to see my son!
“I’ll go back. They let me in all the time. I’ll find out what’s going on and get the doctors to bring you both back.”
With this Matt was gone. We just finished with the paperwork when he returned with a young male nurse who told us to follow him ba
ck. We walked through the trauma area, seeing kids of all ages, infants through teenagers. We arrived at a cubicle where another nurse, a woman this time, and a female doctor were waiting for us.
“I’m Doctor Rebecca Coleman. Please call me Rebecca.”
“I’m Thomas Atherton and this is my partner, Brian Baldwin.”
“Which one of you is the father?”
“We both are,” I said.
“Okay, let me put it another way, is either of you the biological father?”
“Does that matter?” I asked.
“Yes, it can, if we need to test for tissue compatibility.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think of that. Yes, I’m the biological father.”
“What about the mother? Is she available?”
“She’s in Boston somewhere. I could have her here if it’s necessary.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know about that. Right now, your son is in a coma. We don’t know why. We’re running some blood tests and then we’re going to do a CT scan. I have my suspicions about his condition but I want the tests to give me some answers.”
“What do you think it is?” Brian asked.
“Right now, I’m not willing to say. Has your son complained of headaches lately?”
“No,” I answered but Brian interrupted me.
“Yes, he has had a couple in the last few days. I gave him some ibuprofen and they went away. I just figured it was from all the stress that’s been going on.”
“But you never told me,” I said to Brian.
“I didn’t think it was anything to worry about. I’m sorry.”
“It really shouldn’t usually have been anything to worry about,” Dr. Coleman said. “The first thing we have to do, however, is to find out what is causing the coma.”
“So you don’t know what’s wrong with him?”
“No. There are many things that could cause this. Without tests, we won’t know for sure. We’re going to take him to have the CT scan now. You could go with him, but you can’t stay in the room with him because of the risk of radiation to you. I’d suggest you go to the parents’ waiting room and I’ll come get you when the tests are done and the radiologist has had a chance to read them.”
Rock Paper Scissors Page 17
