Second Wind

If you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include sex between males is illegal, or if you’re not into this type of story, please leave. This is a story of love between two men. As such there is some sex but it is really more about their relationship. If you're into romance, I hope this story pleases you.

I'd like to thank all of those who have written to me during the course of this story. Your encouragement has been greatly appreciated, especially during those periods of writer's block. I try to respond to all emails but I get behind now and then and a few may have slipped by unanswered. If I missed you I apologize.

As always, thanks to my friends in the Nifty Six for their support and encouragement, especially Tim for his advice and his editing assistance. The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at NJMcMick@yahoo.com.

Chapter Forty

Ben

The day of the big party finally arrived. It had grown so much from our original idea. At first we were thinking of it as a wedding reception without the wedding, which was kind of weird. But once we got down to the actual plans, it became clear what it really was, a celebration of our love and sharing that with our families and friends.

As the guest list grew, the logistical plans for the party had to change as well. At first, we were just thinking of Joey's family (lots), my family (a few) and a handful of friends, maybe forty people at the most. And of course there were some in Joey's family we were pretty sure wouldn't come. So we figured everyone would fit snugly in the house with maybe a little overflow onto the patio. It was going to be a buffet dinner and people would have to eat standing up since there was no way we could seat that many. But as we added some of my old friends from Maplewood, more people from the bowling league and new friends like Rick and Deirdre, Jared and Cookie, Charles and his partner, and even Judge Washburn and her husband, it became clear that all of our guests weren't going to fit in the house. So we talked to Mother's caterer who suggested tents for the back yard, one to cover the patio, where the bar and buffet would be set up, and a larger one out on the lawn with tables and chairs.

We wanted the event to be on a Saturday afternoon, but that conflicted with the nursery's business hours. Of course, at this time of year the nursery was open seven days a week so that didn't give us many options. We compromised by starting at five in the afternoon, which was also closing time for the nursery. We'd assumed that John and Vinnie wouldn't attend so they, along with several part-timers, could staff the business until closing. The rest of the family could leave work early for the party. I put Lula in a kennel for the weekend so she wouldn't be underfoot. She'd love having so many people around but there was a good chance she'd be trampled or escape through the constantly opening gate.

The tents were set up in the morning and the catering van arrived around four. They immediately took over the kitchen so I made sure to stay out of their way. I had nothing to add to that part of the preparations. A woman from the bowling league was half of a light jazz/pop duo and we hired them to play for the evening. They arrived at ten to five to set up in one corner of the patio.

Joey's parents and aunt and uncle also arrived a little before five with their trays of pasta. Mrs. Napoli immediately locked horns with the caterer and Joey had to come between them, forcefully leading his mother out into the back yard where Pop took charge of her. By five-thirty the yard was filling up, mostly with Napolis. Dad and Lori were among the early arrivals as well. A few of our gay friends had arrived, mostly lesbians. The gay men would be fashionably late, of course. Joey and I hadn't had time to really speak to anyone, just greet them and point them to the bar, then turn to greet the next arrivals. It wasn't quite like a receiving line, but close.

Joey nudged me and nodded toward the gate. "There's Charles with Judge Washburn and four guys. I guess one is her husband and one is his, so the other two must be his parents. I wonder who is who."

When Charles had called to RSVP for himself and his partner, Bernie, he'd asked Joey if he could bring along his parents. Joey had thought that was an odd request but since the guest list had grown so huge anyway he figured two more wouldn't make a difference. When he told me about it we were both confused, since Charles had told James and me at the courthouse that he'd grown up in foster homes.

The six of them walked over to us. The judge introduced her husband and Charles introduced Bernie. That left the one remaining black man and the only white man as the parents, except they didn't look any older than the others.

"Ben and Joey, these are my parents, Bill Mathews and Dan Stephens."

Everyone congratulated us and we chatted for a minute. Joey asked the question that was on both our minds. "You guys don’t look any older than Charles. How can you be his parents?"

"It's a long story, but Charles was sixteen when we became his foster parents and Danny and I weren't all that much older."

"So you two have been together for a long time then?"

"Almost thirty-six years," Danny, the blond, answered.

"Damn, you two have got to talk to my mother. She doesn't believe gay relationships have any future."

"Just point us in her direction and we'll set here straight. Danny has always had a knack for charming older women."

We chatted for a few minutes, mostly about children and grandchildren. I went on and on about Connor, sounding more like a proud parent than Joey.

"Oh my god, I don’t believe it." Joey was staring at the gate. We all looked over and there were John, Carla and their four kids. "Not my most tolerant brother," Joey explained. We pointed Charles and his group toward the bar, excused ourselves and went over to greet the newcomers.

"Ben and I didn't expect you but we're glad you came."

"Yeah, well, don’t read too much into it." John smiled but it was a forced smile. Vito and April saw some of their cousins and went off to join them. Carla led the younger kids to their grandparents, who were sitting at a table under the tent.

"I've been thinking about what Pop said and I guess he's right, to a degree. I don’t approve of this but that really doesn't matter, does it? I think it's wrong and you think it's right. So we're stuck there. But you're my brother, Joey, so I'm here." He turned to me. "And you'd better take damned good care of him, 'cause this is all your fault."

He stalked off toward the bar.

I turned to Joey. "Was he serious about that or was he trying to make a joke?"

"I don’t think he's comfortable enough about us to tease, so he probably meant it. But at least he's here. That's a step in the right direction."

Joey

It had been fun planning the party and Ben and I were both looking forward to it, but it wasn't so much the party itself that excited me. While we liked to get out socially now and then, neither of us was into the party or club scene. We were both homebodies and nothing was more enjoyable to us than an evening at home with James and Connor. It was what this party stood for that excited us both. This was a coming out party, of sorts. Coming out in the gay sense, of course, although everyone who was invited already knew we were gay, and they knew about our relationship as well. But it was more than that. We'd had to hide our love at first, and then face the opposition of my family as they struggled to accept or at least understand. All of our troubles weren't over yet, but our love had come through it all stronger than ever. So this day was a celebration of that love.

Ben and I were up early and spent the day fussing about the house. James was very quiet all morning and went out early in the afternoon, saying he'd be back in time for the party. He hadn't returned by the time my parents arrived with Uncle Angelo and Aunt Josie. Mom immediately tried to hijack the kitchen from the caterer and I had to take her by the arm and lead her to the tent in the backyard where the others had gone. She apologized on the way.

"I'm sorry, Joey. It's just that I'm so used to running the kitchen. I've been in charge of all of our family parties for so long."

"I know, Mom, but today you're a guest. Just try to relax and enjoy yourself."

She stopped and took my hand. "I owe you an apology for a lot more than this, Joey. I know that I've hurt you a lot over the past several months and my big mouth almost got you in a lot of trouble with Connor. I've been trying to act better lately and accept things. I thought I knew what was best for you, but I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Wow! Mom admitting she was wrong. That was a first. "I appreciate your apology and accept it."

"I was wrong about Ben, too. He's a nice man and he seems to really care about you and Connor."

"He does, Ma." I saw Ben come out the back door and speak to the bartender. "Do you think that maybe you could tell him that? You've said some really unkind things about him and though he hasn't said so, I'm sure it's hurt."

She hesitated but then turned back toward the patio. I stayed where I was as she went up to Ben and talked for a minute, her head down. Ben looked a little stunned, but then took her in his arms and hugged her. I could see her stiffen up for a second, but then she relaxed and hugged him back. I got a lump in my throat and had to blink back tears.

We'd put a note on the front door directing the guests to go around the garage and through the gate. Ben and I positioned ourselves between the gate and the patio, so we could greet people as they arrived and then point them toward the bar. It was nearly six and most of our guests had arrived when James finally came out the back door, accompanied by Jared and Cookie. As they walked over to us, James and Jared were holding hands.

"What's the story here, guys? Does this mean something?"

James blushed. "Yeah, Uncle Joey. Jared and I had a long talk this afternoon. We've decided we're going to try doing the boyfriend thing and see how it works out."

"The boyfriend thing, huh? I thought you guys were taking things slow." I pointed to their hands. "You do that and everybody's going to know about you pretty quick. Don’t forget there are a number of kids from your school here. Are you ready to come out, Jared?"

"Well, Ben, it's a big step, but I like James so much and you two guys have made me feel so comfortable about it that I think I'm ready. In fact, I told my parents last night."

"Damn, you're fast. How'd they take it?" I thought about how long I'd struggled with trying to figure out how to tell my parents.

"Not too bad, actually. My dad was shocked and I don’t think he likes it much, but Mom said she'd suspected for a while. She's gonna work on him so I think it'll all be okay. And I know they're gonna love James."

"Well, congratulations. Joey and I are happy for you both. But try to go slow and not rush things."

James rolled his eyes at Ben. "Yes, Mom."

Ben

Joey and I refilled our wineglasses and looked around the yard, trying to decide if we should continue to greet the latecomers as they straggled in or begin to mingle. It looked like nearly everyone was already there. The younger kids were playing at the back of the yard. The teens were gathered in one corner of the large tent. On the patio, Mother and Sam were chatting with Dad and Lori. Mother and Lori hadn't met before, though they'd heard a lot about each other, mostly from me. I think the last time Mother and Dad had seen each other was my college graduation. The adults in Joey's family were under the big tent. I noticed my coworker Carla and her partner Georgette talking to Pop and Mrs. Napoli and I wondered if that was their first experience with a lesbian couple. The two families were keeping separate as we expected, but when we made up the seating chart, Joey and I had assigned all of the parents to one table, so they'd be forced to spend some time together.

Our gay friends were on the patio hanging out near the bar. I noticed Paul and Rick deep in conversation. I thought they would make a nice looking couple, although Rick was older than Paul's usual type. I had no idea what Rick's type was. Earlier, I'd noticed him having a few words with John. Things looked really tense between them but fortunately they only spoke for a minute before moving on. Angie arrived with a nice looking guy with short brown hair. She introduced him as her boyfriend Ethan. When he mentioned they were looking for an apartment in Morristown, I suggested they talk to Charles and his group.

It was getting late and Becky hadn't arrived yet. I was wondering if I should call her when she and Glenn finally showed up, accompanied by a sulky looking teenage girl. Glenn introduced her as his daughter, Karen. She looked bored already so Joey grabbed his niece Carole and asked her to take Karen over to the other kids and introduce her.

"I'm sorry we're so late, Ben. Karen had to try on every pair of jeans she owned before finally settling on the first ones she tried."

"Well, you should be able to identify with that, Beck."

"I think God is getting even with me for all of that teasing last fall when you were scared of Connor and trying to get used to him. But I'd take a toddler over a fourteen-year old girl any day. Karen's generally a sweetheart but she can be miserable when she starts to pout."

"What the hell is that, Becky?"

I looked over at Joey and saw he was pointing to her left hand. On her ring finger was a huge diamond. "You've been holding out on me, girl. You're engaged!"

Becky and Glenn both looked embarrassed. "Yeah, Glenn popped the question Thursday night."

"You've been engaged forty-eight hours and you didn't tell me?"

"This is your big day, Ben. Yours and Joey's. I was going to wait until after the party. I wasn't even going to wear the ring but I just couldn't bear to take it off."

We all exchanged hugs and kisses and congratulations and I fussed over the ring for a minute.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, Glenn. Becky can be quite a handful."

"Oh, I think I know her pretty well at this point, Ben. She's not so tough."

"I don’t know. If you think that then maybe you don’t know her well enough. We'll have to talk."

"You'd better watch it, Ben, or I'll have a little talk with your husband as well. I think I've got more dirt on you than you've got on me."

I thought about that for all of three seconds.

"You're right, Beck. Maybe Glenn knows all he has to."

Joey

While we were taking to Becky and Glenn, the caterer announced that the buffet was ready, so people could line up for food. It took a while but everyone got plenty to eat. At our table we had Becky, Glenn, Karen, James, Jared and Cookie. And Connor, of course. Mom had been watching him most of the afternoon and wanted him to eat with her but we insisted. He was a major part of our immediate family. As we ate we talked about how the party had grown but how well it seemed to be going.

"I can't believe the turnout. Nearly all of the people Ben and I invited came."

"That's because everybody is so happy for both of you. They know what you've been through and wanted to celebrate with you." Becky reached across and squeezed my hand. I thought back to last November when she and I had had lunch and she gave me advice. It seemed like years ago.

"Well, almost everyone is here. We know one person who won't show up."

I knew James was talking about his father, but he didn't sound as sad as he usually did when we were talking about Vinnie. I tried to cheer him up, anyway.

"You never know, James. I didn't expect your Uncle John and he showed up."

"Well, Dad won’t be here. I told him not to come."

"You did? When did you talk to him?"

"This afternoon. I went over to the nursery to see him."

"What brought that on?"

"Well, Ben, he and I haven't really talked since I moved in here. All of our communication has been though my mom. And, of course, I've heard about some of his conversations with Uncle Joey. I just thought it was time I found out where his head is."

"And what did you find out?" I was curious as to whether Rick's or Pop's talks with him had made any difference.

"He started in on the same old stuff, that being gay is wrong, it's sick, I was destroying the family and I had to change. I told him that he didn't know what he was talking about, that I'd always looked up to him and thought he was a good person, but that he was talking from ignorance and bigotry. I told him that I didn't know what his problem was on this subject, but it was time that he grew up, did some reading and listened to others."

"I'll bet he didn't like that."

"Yeah, it's the first time I really stood up to him, but he's being so pig-headed. He's just not acting like the dad I've loved my whole life. I think he was shocked that I talked back to him. He didn't say much after that. I told him that I loved him but if he couldn't accept me then he was going to lose me. And then I said that if he couldn't behave himself then he shouldn't come here tonight, that no one wanted him here with his attitude." He shrugged. "That's pretty much everything."

I was so proud of him and I told him so. "You have really grown up in the past few months, James. You took the initiative and tried to get a dialogue going with your father, and it sounds like he was the one who came across as emotional and you kept your cool."

"Yeah, I was nervous when I started, but it really wasn't hard. Living here with you and Ben, and talking to you, watching you and learning from you, I'm really getting a handle on what being gay is all about. And Dad just keeps spouting the same old dumb things. He just hasn't got a clue. It's almost sad."

"It is sad. He's missing out on so much by keeping his mind closed."

"Well, I'm not giving up on him. I'll keep after him but in the meantime I'm getting on with my life." He suddenly looked shy. "Of course, that means I might have to stay here longer than we all thought. Would that be okay with you guys?"

Ben got up and hugged him. "You don’t even have to ask that. You're family."

I thought about all of the talks Vinnie had had lately. With Rick, with Pop, and now with James. He didn't seem to have changed any, but maybe they were having a cumulative effect. There was one person who hadn't tried to get him to change his attitude, though. John. He seemed to have more influence over Vinnie than I ever knew. Maybe now that he was beginning to accept reality and at least tolerate Ben and me, he could do something. I decided I'd talk to John the next time I saw him at work. It couldn't hurt.

Even without Mom in charge there was plenty of food, and most people made more than one trip to the buffet tables. The caterer had suggested a break before dessert to give the meal a chance to settle. Ben and I made the rounds of the tables, trying to spend a little more time with everyone. When the caterer caught my eye and signaled that they were about to put the dessert out, I grabbed Ben's hand and led him to the patio. When the band finished the song they were playing I took the microphone and asked for everyone's attention. The crowd gradually quieted down.

"When Ben and I started planning this party, we talked about having some kind of commitment ceremony or maybe just exchanging vows, but we’re both on the shy side and we figured everyone already knew what this was all about and how committed to one another we are. But even though I'm not one for speeches, I thought we should say a few words to all of you." I turned to Ben and he was giving me a bewildered look. We hadn't planned this; I was just winging it.

"First, thank you all for coming today and sharing our joy. You are all special to us and we love having you in our lives. Mostly, I just want to say a few words about this guy standing beside me. Before I met Ben, I thought my life was pretty much over, that the best days were behind me. I had a wonderful family and the most beautiful little boy in the world, but for the most part I was just going through the motions each day. Then Ben came along and woke me up and gave me new life with his love. I've hit a few rough spots over the last several months but Ben has always been there for me, supporting me and loving me. But I don’t just love Ben for what he's done for me, I love him for who he is -- a sweet, kind, generous loving man with the biggest heart in the world. A few of you have had some problems understanding and accepting the changes I've gone through this past year, but if you have any doubts that this is for real and a good thing, think about where I was a year ago and where I am today. The difference is Ben." I turned and looked into his beautiful green eyes. "Thank you for loving me, Ben Donnelly."

Ben took the microphone form me. "This isn't fair. Joey didn't tell me that we were going to make speeches." He took a deep breath and looked around the yard. "As many of you know I wasn't doing so well myself at this time last year. I had my parents, whose love and support has always been there for me, and a wiseass best friend who has never let me down, but I was lost. I had no idea who I was, what I wanted or where I was going. And then I met Joey, someone I wasn't even looking for. He gave me love and support and direction. But I discovered that you can't have just one Napoli. It's a package deal and a pretty big package at that. And that took some getting used to, but Joey was there for me every step of the way. The best parts of that package are a son and a nephew that I have come to love very much." He turned and looked at me. "You have completed my life by giving me things I never even knew I wanted. I will love you forever."

From somewhere near the back of the big tent came the tinkling sound of a knife or fork tapping a glass. Others picked up on it and the sound grew. My nephew Tony called out, "C'mon guys, that means you're supposed to kiss."

Ben set the microphone down and took me in his arms. Our lips touched softly in a light kiss, then pressed together and parted. For a moment we were both lost in our passion. By the time we broke apart the sound of silverware on glass had been replaced by applause. We turned and looked at the crowd and they were all on their feet clapping. Ben nudged me and pointed toward our table. There was Connor, sitting on James' shoulders, laughing and clapping like crazy. Ben put his arm around my waist and pulled me close.

Life is good.

The End.