WATCHING BRAD
Part 164
It was a day of discovery for Justin and Jeremy. They had discovered a lot of new family they didn't know they had and they discovered the joys of wedding traditions and they discovered how much fun it was to wear a shiny, blue tuxedo with tails.
They also discovered the pleasures of a buffet dessert table. At least it was pleasurable for
them. For me and Brad. . . not so much. The first time through, we hurried them along because of the line-up of people waiting for us and selected a dessert for them. The second time through, though, we were unhurried and the boys took their own sweet time choosing for themselves.
First, they both narrowed their second dessert choice down to a piece of cake, and then they had to narrow that down to a flavour. Finally, Justin decided on a slice of cherry cake with vanilla ice cream and Jeremy decided on chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream (scooped out on the spot by a kind and patient young lady). And then they had to decide on the biggest slice and then the one that had the most cherries or chocolate in them. Ultimately, with a bit of prodding and encouragement, we finally got them to make their selections and we headed back to the table, the boys walking beside us and proudly carrying and displaying their treasured cake with ice cream and making yummy sounds the entire way.
We had just taken our seats and the twins were taking their first bit of cake when Dad's voice came over the speaker system. "May I please have your attention?" The room fell silent and I looked up and saw him standing in front of us at his table, holding the microphone in his hand. Mom was standing to his left and Bernice and John were standing to Mom's left. In front of Mom and Brad's mother, balanced upright on the table and covered with a dainty white cloth, was what appeared to be a very large picture frame. Their attention was on Brad and me.
"Theodore. Bradley," Dad began. "It is our supposition that you have questioned yourselves and, no doubt, each other as to why you have yet to receive a wedding gift from us."
"The though
had crossed our minds," I laughed.
Dad smiled at me. "It had been our wish to have given to you an answer several months ago, but circumstances were beyond our control and we did not have a proper response for you until earlier this week. Only then were we certain that we did, indeed, have a gift to give to you before the wedding. However, as it was so very close to your wedding day, we decided amongst ourselves to await this evening to give it to you."
Dad handed the microphone to Mom, who passed it to Bernice and so on until John Hayes was holding it. He continued the tale. "We decided not long after your engagement last Christmas to pool our resources to get you something we all thought you could really use and we set about trying to get it. Unfortunately, the person we asked to help us with it kept trying to give us what
he wanted to give us and not what
we wanted to give to
you. Three weeks ago, both your mothers personally did their own investigating and found someone they liked and, more importantly, he understood what we wanted. They explained our situation to him and he came through for us." With an open palm, he indicated the object Mom and Bernice were holding. "We're all very happy with the results, and we're sure you will be, too."
With that, they all circled their table and approached us at the Head Table with our mothers carrying the secret between them. They placed it, still covered with the cloth, onto the edge of the table and facing us before flipping the white cloth from the back and letting it fall to the table. Our gift was revealed, and it was, indeed, a photograph.
"Oh, Ted," Brad said, his voice filled with the same awe I felt. "
Look at it. It's
beautiful."
Mom and Bernice lifted it and held it out to us. We took it for closer examination and sat there in silence for a few moments simply looking at it. Brad ran his fingertips over the sketch. As we sat there, our parents walked around the table to stand behind us.
"What is it, Daddy?" Justin asked.
"Well, my Sonskyn," I said, "it looks like your sister won't have to share a bathroom with us anymore."
It was a computerized sketch of what would be our new bathroom, complete with a double-sink vanity, a glass-enclosed shower stall tiled in what appeared to be cobalt blue glass tiles with bands of white tiles on the enclosing walls, and what looked like a Jacuzzi bathtub. A tiny floor plan tucked neatly into the corner of the sketch indicated where the bathroom and a new walk-in closet would be.
I looked up at Mom and Dad as they approached. "An en suite."
"Indeed, my Sonskyn," Dad said to us.
"Your bedroom will be a tad smaller," Mom added, "and you'll lose a bit of the garage which you don't even use except for storage. . ."
"And we'll have to knock a big hole in your house. . ." That was from Bernice.
"But the Jacuzzi will sit two very comfortably," John concluded with a smirk and a wink to his son.
Brad shared a smirk and a wink with me before we jumped up out of our chairs to thank our parents..
* * * * *
Brad and I had to help the twins eat their second piece of cake and ice cream and, as we had promised, we took them into the bathroom to go pee, wash up, and to remove their shirt bibs and put their tuxedo jackets back on them.
They loved those jackets, putting their hands on their bellies and looking down at themselves with proud smiles and happy giggles. They twisted their torsos and heads around so they could see what the tails looked like from behind. I had been curious why they were so eager to get back into their jackets and Jeremy gave me the answer. He leant around Brad and looked at his backside, then looked up at Brad's face, his hands still on his belly, and said with undeniable pride and glee, "I look like
you again, Daddy Brad."
We all walked hand-in-hand back to the hall where the catering staff was still clearing the tables and moving the furniture around. Lindsay was waiting for us, ready to whisk away her brothers so friends and family members could take more photos, and the twins were always ready to have their pictures taken. That left Brad and me to ourselves for a little while.
Brad looped his right arm in my left and leaned against me. He took a deep breath, held it for a few moments, then let it out slowly. "They call me ‘Daddy Brad'," he said softly, almost dreamily and to himself.
"Yes, they do," I smiled to myself.
"I like that," he said. And then, "You don't mind, do you, Pops?"
"You're their father now, too. Why should I mind?"
"Well, it's not legal or anything. Shouldn't they wait until I adopt them?"
"I think they've waited long enough for us, don't you? We might not be able to give them everything they've always wanted, but I certainly won't take away what they finally have. The boys believe you're their father now, and I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell them you're not."
Brad turned to face me, his arms going around my waist and my arms going around his back. We'd kissed each other enough during our meal, but that was for everyone else's benefit. This time, it was for our benefit alone and we made the best of it.
Our kiss finally ended and an overly-dramatic, weary, exasperated voice beside us said, "Finally." We turned our heads toward the voice. "Didn't you get enough of that during dinner?" Nathan asked.
Brad and I laughed, then released each other so we could hug our friends. I reached for Nathan and Brad hugged Barry. As I clutched Nathan to me, I whispered to him, "Thank you so much, Nathan. You've made this the best day ever for us."
Nathan hugged me back. "It was my pleasure, my friend. After everything you've done for us, it was the least I could do. Besides, I enjoy that kind of challenge."
Brad and I traded places. Barry's hug was monumental to say the least. I felt as though I were being squeezed in a vice and hoped that my ribs could withstand the pressure. Nothing broke, thank goodness, except for my boutonniere which Barry managed to squish between our chests. He did his best to fluff it back up, but I fear it would take several splints and plaster casts and minor surgery to get it to look like a flower again.
With the hugs and the ‘thanks' over and done with, it was time for me and Brad to get down to some serious business with our friends.
"Look," I began. "Brad and I have been talking and we'd like to ask a huge favour from both of you."
"Anything, Ted," Barry said. Nathan readily concurred.
"We would like to ask if you. . . both of you. . . would be godfathers to our sons?"
Now, I would have expected Nathan to be the one to crack, but he somehow managed to maintain his composure. Surprisingly, it was Barry who broke down into tears, grabbing me into another bear hug which ultimately turned my boutonniere into compost material, then quickly moving to Brad to give him another hug as well. Nathan was much more gentle and much more sentimental in his hugs.
"I take it that means ‘yes'?" I asked.
"We would be honoured, Ted," Nathan said, working hard to maintain his composure with each word. "But why us?"
"Why not?" I asked in turn. "Warren already has Lindsay, and our parents are getting to the age where they shouldn't have to raise another family. You like the boys and they both like you. And we love you and trust you."
"Thank you," they both said as one.
"But you have to promise to keep them together," Brad said. "No matter what happens to us or to you, they
have to stay together."
"Oh, yes! Of course, Bradley!" said Nathan quickly and emphatically. "We wouldn't
think of separating them." He looked at me eagerly. "Do they know?"
I shook my head. "We wanted to ask if you would do it first."
"Can we tell them?" Barry asked as he wiped moisture from his eyes and cheeks with his fingertips. If he was trying to hide his excitement, he wasn't doing a very good job of it.
"Sure."
Before I could even begin looking for the twins, Barry turned around, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted in his best ‘official policeman's voice', "Justin! Jeremy!" It was no surprise that everyone in the room immediately hushed up and turned to face the booming voice. "Over here, guys!"
From out of the crowd came the voice of our older son: "Coming, Uncle Barry!"
We couldn't see the boys, but we could follow their progress through the crowd by delighted stares of our friends and family as our sons ran through and past them. They broke through the throng directly in front of us and eagerly allowed their uncles to pick them up. Nathan held Justin in his arms and Jeremy rested comfortably in Barry's huge arms.
"Do you know what a godfather is?" Nathan asked them.
Both boys shook their heads ‘no'.
"It's like a special uncle," Barry told them. "They get to buy you presents all the time and take you places and buy you things and spoil you and. . ."
I watched as the look of astonishment swiftly filled the twins' faces and I hastened to wipe it off them before they became a permanent fixture. "Oh, no they don't," I assured them, bringing Barry's excitement to a rapid halt as the astonished looks faded away. "They're just special uncles who will look after you the way Brad and I do."
"Oh," Justin said, and then he smiled at Nathan. "Are you my special uncle?"
Nathan smiled back. "Would you like me to be?"
"And me, too," Barry hastened to add.
Justin's head bobbed up and down as he nodded his assent. He was immediately joined by his brother's nodding head.
"Then let's start by giving you both a great big hug," Nathan said.
We assured Nathan and Barry that it would all be made legal when we got back from our honeymoon. Truth be told, my attorney, Al, was already working on it for us. Come Monday morning, he would also set into motion Brad's adoption of the twins.
We all sat down, the boys sitting in their uncles' laps, and were soon joined by Bill and Warren. Brook and David were with them and I noticed that they were now holding hands with each other most of the time. They both gave me and Brad a kiss on the cheek, thanking us for bringing them together before they each pulled up a chair and sat down in front of us. Bill retrieved his own chair and sat beside Warren.
David and Brook looked an unlikely couple, what with the difference in height and all. David's almost-white hair contrasted nicely with his own dark tan and Brook's black hair and milk chocolate skin, but that didn't seem to bother either of them. They may have looked an unlikely couple, but they most certainly made a handsome one, and they looked most happy and completely comfortable with each other.
"Think I'm gonna be putting a pile of miles on the ol' speedometer," David said with a sly and mischievous grin.
"I wonder if Greyhound gives out frequent flyer miles?" Brook pondered.
"Bien sur. Perhaps you should try to make it through the weekend first, mes amis," Warren said. "You have to be careful with this ‘love at first sight' thing. It might sneak up behind you and bite you on the a. . ." and, with a quick glance at the twins, amended his choice of words: ". . . bum."
"Yeah, right," I joked. "Like biteable bums isn't the first thought that went through your head when you saw David and Brook."
"Shhhhh!!" Warren shushed me, then held up one flattened hand as if to prevent Bill from seeing Warren's other hand pointing at him. "Not with
him here!" my friend whispered loudly and dramatically. "He doesn't suspect a thing!"
We all laughed, and then it happened. The twins suddenly ran out of steam and their crash and burn was swift and complete within seconds. One minute they were bouncing on their uncles' laps and laughing and clapping and the next minute they were climbing into our laps and straddling our waists. Justin looked up at me, his eyes drooping more and more with each passing second. His lips pursed and I bent my head down to kiss them. I knew what was coming.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the same thing happening with Jeremy and Brad.
"Nitey-nite, Daddy," Justin said to me, then he curled his head to one side and placed his cheek against my shoulder and immediately plummetted into that Neverland of Sleep.
* * * * *
As wedding receptions go, ours wasn't particularly unique or exciting. It was just a regular, everyday, run-of-the-mill reception. Nothing particularly fancy. Nothing particularly extravagant.
Terry had offered to take the boys up to bed and stay with them, but we insisted that she remain at least until she'd been able to enjoy a dance or two. "There's lots of people here to hold them," I assured her, "and they're gone for the night. Brad and I will take them up to bed later and you can go with us then."
"I really don't mind," she insisted.
"I know you don't, Terry," I told her. "But we do. You're staying." And that ended it.
"We have to get her something really special from England," I told Brad after Terry had left us to join our parents once more. "Mom already gave me a list of things she thought might be good choices. Things Terry wouldn't be able to get here in Canada. She gave me lots of great ideas for the kids, too."
Of course, that got Brad all excited again about going to England in the morning.
Eventually, the tables and chairs were moved to the sides to make room for a dance area in front of the Head Table. That had also been cleared away and reset with our wedding cake which we would be cutting later on that night.
The time soon came for our ‘First Dance'. Since Bill and Warren would not be dancing, they offered to hold the twins for us. Warren had suggested it, but I was very concerned that Justin might hurt him. Warren said he could handle it, but it was only after Bill assured me that Warren would be fine that I relented and gently set Justin into place against his chest. Justin didn't even stir and settled easily into place. Likewise, Jeremy settled undisturbed into place on his Uncle Bill's chest. I have a feeling we could have laid them in front of Jeff's speaker system and they wouldn't have budged. They were dead to the world. Their day had been long and full, but I think it was the best day they'd ever had. It most certainly was mine.
Of course, Brook took the stage and the microphone. With the hall lights dimmed romantically, Brad and I took the centre of the floor as camera flashes danced off our sparkling white jackets and our periwinkle vests and bow ties. Our photographer and his assistant circled us, snapping photos and shooting video. The music began and Brook began to sing. For the third time since we met, Brad and I danced publically to
Unchained Melody, and it was just as exciting and romantic this time as it had been the other two.
We held each other close with Brad's left hand clutched in my right hand and trapped between our chests. Our free arms encircled each other's back and our heads were tilted forward, the left side of my face nestled warmly against Brad's face. We swayed and danced and lost ourselves in each other, alone with the music and Brook's deep, romantic, resonating voice, and with Brad's familiar smell in my nostrils. The song and the moment was only for us.
Oh, my love, my darling,
I've hungered for your touch
a long, lonely time.
And time goes by so slowly
and time can do so much.
Are you still mine?
I need your love.
I need your love.
God speed your love. . . . . to me!
The song ended and, as our friends and family applauded and cheered us, Brad and I kissed.
It was obvious that Jeff, our impromptu DJ, had played at weddings before. He announced a mother/son dance and Brad and I retrieved our mothers, leading them by the hands to the centre of the circle of guests where we danced to Bette Midler's
Wind Beneath My Wings.
The next dance featured an original recording of
In The Summertime by Mungo Jerry, a bouncy and light-hearted tune which was just perfect for me to dance with my daughter whist Brad danced with Terry. Shortly after we began dancing, Brook and David walked hand-in-hand into the circle and began dancing with us. Moments later, our parents joined us, and then other guests as well. Soon the dance floor was full of people laughing and dancing and having a lot of fun together.
It was just before nine o'clock. Brad and I were sitting once again and holding Justin and Jeremy. Lindsay sauntered up to me looking decidedly spent. As she stepped beside me, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close. "You look tired, Sweetheart," I said, and then I kissed her forehead.
She nodded.
"Okay," I said gently. "We'll just do one more thing so you and Terry can join us and then we'll take you and your brothers up to your room so you can go to bed." I stood up and took my daughter by the hand as I carried Justin in my other arm. As Brad and Jeremy followed us, I led her onto the dance floor where I spoke to Brook for a moment. He nodded and headed for the DJ table with David in his wake as we moved toward the Head Table.
A few moments later, the song ended abruptly and Brook's voice came over the speakers. "Your attention, please. Could we have all the single ladies on the dance floor? Single ladies only, please."
I released Lindsay's hand and sent her back to the floor where she joined Terry. The voice of the inimitable Carol Channing singing
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend began to play and I made certain everyone was ready. I turned toward the table, picked up the two bouquets in my free hand, counted out loud to ‘three', then tossed them over my shoulder. I turned around in time to see Terry hoisting Lindsay into the air in time to catch one of them. Kelly, a young lady who works with me and who had used her car to help look for the twins when they were lost, caught the other.
As the rest of the group applauded and cheered, the music faded into silence and was replaced by Freddie Mercury and ‘Queen' singing
Another One Bites the Dust. Brook called the single men forward, then grabbed David's hand and dragged him onto the floor as well.
I knelt down on one knee as Brad lifted his left leg and rested his foot on my raised knee. Between the two of us, using one hand each, we succeeded in raising his pant leg to above his knee - high enough to reveal a black garter wrapped around his thigh. As Brad held onto my shoulder for balance, I used my free hand and my teeth to pull the garter down his thigh and over his knee. Then, slipping my thumb beneath it, I pushed it down his lower leg. He lifted his foot so I could tug it over his shoe. Of course, whistles and cheers and applause came from everyone - gentlemen and ladies alike.
As I stood up again, Brad tugged his pant leg down, much to the disappointment of many of his admirers. I handed the garter to him and he took between his teeth and held it firmly there. Hooking the other side with his thumb, he stretched it forward until I could hear the elastic and lace crinkling with the strain. He closed his eyes and I turned him to face the guys in front of him. Then, releasing the garter from his teeth, it catapulted off his thumb with all the precision of a ten-pin bowling ball being shot out of a home-made slingshot made from a Y-shaped tree branch and a piece of bicycle inner tube.
The garter dropped limply to the floor right in front of us with the gentlemen (and I use that word loosely!) converging upon it like members from both football teams piling onto a lost ball. Brad and I had to move to the side to avoid being unintentionally tackled by them.
Mark emerged the victor, coming to his feet with the garter tightly clasped in his hand and doing a victory dance such as you might see beneath the goal posts in the end zone after a final-second touchdown pass.
* * * * *
Terry took Lindsay into the washroom to change while Brad and I changed the twins. Their suite was large with two full-sized beds. Lindsay and Terry would share one and the boys would sleep in the other.
"I can't believe it," Brad said as he lifted a very limp Jeremy so he slip off his jacket and shirt. "This morning I woke up plain, ordinary Brad Hayes, and tonight I'm your husband and I'm their father."
I glanced at Brad, delighting in the look of pride and happiness in his face, and it filled me with the same pride and happiness. I had it all. Someone who loved me as much as I loved him, children who adored me and depended upon me for everything in their lives, and family and friends who loved us and supported all of us.
I was standing on top of the world and a whole new life lay ahead of me. . . of us.
Life was good.
To Be Continued
It is how such a wedding should and can be! The bigotry is slowly retreating; in some places faster than others. Thank you once again Neil.