WATCHING BRAD
Part 198
"Please don't tell me," Brad said as Jeremy climbed back up into his chair at the table. "You're waiting for me at the restaurant, right? . . . No, I didn't forget. I sorta got sidetracked."
A million thoughts flew through my brain in that single moment which followed those words. Waiting at the restaurant? A date? Had Brad met someone? A new friend? Something more? And then, in that same moment, I realised how silly I was being. Brad had cried himself to sleep over me. He had given up what was most dear to him to prove himself to me. Besides, if it
was some secret lover on the other end, Brad certainly wouldn't be talking to him right there surrounded by his family.
Of course I was just being silly.
Jeremy tugged on the sleeve of Brad's T-shirt and Brad looked down at him. "Who is it?" he asked his Daddy Brad.
"It's your Uncle David," Brad told him, politely tilting the phone down and away from his mouth. To me, he added, "I was supposed to meet him and Brook for lunch today in Oshawa."
"Can I say ‘hi'?" Jeremy asked excitedly.
"In a minute, okay?" he smiled. Into the phone, he continued, still smiling. "Yeah, that was Jeremy. That's kind of why I forgot. I'm back home again with Ted and the kids."
Even Dad looked up when David's ‘woo-hoo!' screamed through the earpiece. Brad cringed and grimaced and yanked the phone away from his ear as David's excited chittering continued to ring out. I could only imagine the startled reactions of the staff and diners in the restaurant.
"Yeah," Brad continued when he could finally get in a word or two. "Came back Friday night, not long after I talked to you. . . . No, we're back together. I'm here to stay." He looked at me and smiled happily but I couldn't help noticing that his eyes seemed to be saying to me, "At least I hope so." To David, he said, "I'll fill you in later, okay? Look, Jeremy wants to say ‘hi' to you."
"Me, too!" shouted Justin.
As the twins talked briefly with their uncles, Brad glanced at Mom and Dad and quietly asked, "Do you mind if I invite them over this afternoon? They drove all that way to see me."
Dad actually looked shocked that Brad would even ask such a question. "This is your home, Bradley," he said, "and you are our son-in-law. Our permission is not required for you to invite your friends over to play."
"Thanks," Brad replied and turned his attention back to the twins. He seemed completely oblivious to Dad's little joke.
Dad looked at him for a few moments longer, then turned his eyes to me. He smiled innocently and winked mischievously. It was clear to me that Dad was happy to have Brad back as well and that things were, indeed, getting back to normal. My mind momentarily travelled back to that Thanksgiving weekend when we had driven to Crystal Beach and Brad was introduced to them for the very first time. I suddenly recalled the way Dad had looked at Brad as if he were a gold digger and treated him as such, despite the fact that I really had very little gold to dig. He had been against our relationship from the very first moment, but, over that weekend, Brad had worked his magic on Dad just by ‘being Brad' and he had worked his way into Dad's heart just as he had worked his way into mine. I recalled how happy I had felt back then and how much I was in love. As I looked at him that Sunday as we sat at the dinner table, the way he was smiling his happy, chipped-tooth grin at our sons and the way his sparkling green eyes looked at them with such unmitigated adoration, that I was even happier and even more in love with him now than I had been that day when he had first met my Mom and Dad.
At that moment, I never, ever, wanted to be out of love with my Bradley Nelson de Villiers Hayes.
Mom and Dad and Lindsay left soon after lunch to meet up with John and Bernice Hayes and proceed to the craft show. Bernice would join Mom and my daughter, and John would keep Dad company. If I knew
them, they would make plans to meet up with the ladies at some later time and then head off to find a hardware store and talk shop for an hour or three.
David didn't need directions to the house in the country. Brook had no idea how to get there but David had proven himself with his ability to remember directions. "I just have to go someplace once," he had said to us one time, "and I can get there again any time I want." He proved it once again when he drove confidently into the driveway as we waited on the front lawn for them to arrive. I noticed the difference in David right away as he and Brook climbed out of the car and walked toward us across the lawn. They walked hand-in-hand. Brad noticed it as well and uttered a quiet ‘ooo' as the twins scrambled to their feet and ran to greet their uncles. If they noticed the difference, they didn't let on.
Brad, who had been sitting cross-legged, simply rocked forward slightly and rose easily to his feet. He offered his hand to help pull me to mine and I accepted his help without comment or objection. By the time I was standing beside Brad, Justin and Jeremy were pulling David and Brook by the hand toward us. We were greeted with their usual hugs and kisses on the cheek before we took them into the house.
"So, David," I said. "What's with the hair?"
"Blame it on Brook," he replied quickly with what can only be described as a scowl on his face. "He says he wants the drapes to match the carpet."
"And I didn't want him bleaching the carpet, too," Brook added just as quickly.
"It sucks, but it's the closest thing to natural that I could find in a bottle," David explained as he swept his fingers through his coiffure. "It'll have to do until the real colour grows in again."
I liked it, actually. His hair was now a light medium brown and was tinged with a soft auburn hue which could only be seen when the light hit it from the right angle. It certainly gave him a more mature appearance and didn't make him look any shorter.
"I hate it," David said, "but Brook likes it better this way and he threatened to deport me if I didn't change it."
"Honestly, David, you looked like the result of a Yeti/Sasquatch weekend at the Château Laurier," Brook grinned widely. "Besides, I don't laugh when I see you naked anymore, do I?"
Justin and Jeremy knew what ‘naked' meant and covered their mouths with their hands and tittered lightly at that one. Neither Brad nor I hid our chuckles and titters. Personally, I found it exceedingly funny. Not the ‘naked' part. I was imagining a tryst between a Yeti and a Sasquatch.
Like the rest of us, both David and Brook were suitably dressed for the warm, summer afternoon. Brook looked stunning in the crisp white loose tennis shorts, baggy T-shirt, and socks which complimented his dark skin so nicely. He wore a pair of black sandals with shiny silver buckles and rivets. They looked as though they had been polished and buffed. In contrast, David wore a tight pair of neatly-hemmed, denim cut-off shorts. From the back, they clearly showed that David was wearing some sort of bikini briefs beneath them and that he carried no wallet in his pocket. From the front, they subtly showed that he dressed to the right. His sleeveless, white T-shirt which, I believe, is known in the vernacular as a ‘wifebeater', was just as tight and formed to his sculpted abs and his well-formed pecs, each peaked with the tiny, rounded nubs of his nipples. He, too, wore a pair of black sandals, but was otherwise barefooted.
Brad and the twins entertained our guests in the livingroom as I prepared a pot of coffee and poured some juice for Justin and Jeremy. I joined them after I'd switched on the coffee maker, carrying a plate of cookies and cakes and tarts and the glasses of juice for the boys. Justin and Jeremy interrupted their Lego Block castle building long enough to grab a raspberry jellyroll each and to kneel at the coffee table to eat them. It was fun watching as they carefully unrolled their jellyroll bit by bit and bite by bite and I was suddenly reminded that I used to do the exact same thing. I reached for one which Brad and I shared. Together, we unrolled it as the twins were doing and we broke off and ate one bite at a time. Jellyrolls are just as much fun to eat now that I'm all grown up as they were when I was a kid.
David, meanwhile, was munching on a home-made peanut butter cookie and explaining to us how he had kept himself busy the past week or so. "I've been phoning every construction company in the phone book and handing out my résumé to anyone who would at least consider sponsoring me."
"Any prospects?" I asked.
"Not many," David replied as he broke off a small piece of cookie and popped it into his mouth. "I get the feeling that I need an ‘in', like if I knew someone or if they were specifically looking to sponsor someone. And if they're not hiring, they won't even consider it. But I'm not giving up. I'll find a sponsor somewhere."
"I'd sponsor you," Brad said, "if Baie Dankie was up and running."
"I know you would, pal," David replied with a pleasant smile, pursing his lips and tossing Brad a friendly, silent kiss. "I'm not particularly worried at the moment, though. I still have enough savings to keep me going for awhile and let me carry my share of the expenses. Right now, I'm more concerned with finding a way to stay here in Canada."
"You could always marry Brook," I said jokingly, but David took it more seriously than I expected.
"In time, maybe," he replied quickly, "if we decide it's the right thing for us to do, but not just to make me a Canadian. If anything," he added with a sincere glance toward Brook, "I think I'd rather become a Canadian first before I even consider marriage. That way, no-one would question my motives." He paused then, staring deeply into Brook's dark eyes and slowly chewing on his piece of peanut butter cookie.
"That's so sweet," Brook said finally and then leaned forward to share a rather lengthy, passionate, and closed-eyed kiss with his lover. He was chewing peanut butter cookie when the gurgling and steam-hissing coffee maker brought the kiss to its ultimate end. I couldn't help but notice that, as David leaned back in his chair once more, his cut-offs seemed to be a little bit tighter. I noticed something else, though. When David looked at Brook, he had the same glint in his eyes that Brad has when he looks at me. I knew then that David's feelings for Brook were the same as Brad's feelings for me.
Brad and I left them with the twins as we prepared the coffees and set them on Mom's favourite silver serving tray. It had wavy edges and was engraved with an elaborate leaf pattern. Brad carried the tray and I carried the juice for the boys and we all went outside into the back yard to enjoy the warm afternoon breeze. Brad and I sat opposite David and Brook with the tray and juice sitting on a round, wrought-iron patio table. Justin and Jeremy took off for the swings and jungle gym.
"I've been studying when Brook is at work, too," David continued as if the conversation inside the house hadn't been interrupted. "Go ahead. Name a province."
"Ontario," Brad said immediately.
"Too easy," he grinned. "AKA Upper Canada and one of the original four provinces in the Dominion of Canada. Ontario is the third-largest province after Quebec and British Columbia, but it's the most populous at almost thirteen million. That's almost twice the population of Quebec alone. Toronto, which was once called York, is the capital of Ontario and is Canada's largest city with a population of two and a half million. It's central to both the GTA and the Golden Horseshoe, but it's
not the capital of Canada. That's Ottawa. See? Too easy. Now give me something a little tougher."
"Newfoundland," I said.
David's smile grew even wider. "
Now you're talkin'!" he said as he sat up straight and prepared himself. "Newfoundland was the last province to join Confederation. That happened in 1949. But it was actually the first place in North America to be settled by Europeans. I'm not sure how to pronounce it, but it was at ‘Lancee Ox Meadows'. Newfoundland has a population of only a half million, but that's still more than PEI and all three territories combined. It's capital city is St. John's, which is often confused - even by Canucks - with Saint John, which is in New Brunswick."
David's face scrunched up in concentration then and he paused for a moment before adding, "I must remember to Google ‘Canuck' and find out where that came from." He looked up at me hopefully.
My hands went up in self defense as I chuckled out loud. "Don't ask me," I told him emphatically. "I haven't got a clue!"
David laughed and shrugged, then said, "I can name all the prime ministers, too. Wanna hear? Sir John A. Macdonald, Alexander Mackenzie, Macdonald again, Sir John Abb. . ."
Brook cut him short. "I think you're going to make a very fine Canuck, David," he said abruptly but light-heartedly. "Now shut up before
they deport you!"
"Aw, we wouldn't do that," I said when the laughter died down. "At least not until he finishes a few little jobs I'd like him to do."
David sat up in his chair, forgetting about his Canadiana and looking all excited and rubbing the palms of his hands together. "Great! What do you want me to do?"
"I was hoping you and maybe Mark might be able to clear out the back yard at the house," I told him. "You know, take down the chain link fence and the pool, dismantle the swings and dig out the concrete, and the remove the wooden fence and deck around the hot tub. Dad said it would be a good idea to move it all out of there and bring it here before they start demolition and construction, just so nothing gets smashed."
"Sure," David agreed. "I'd love to!" Inspiration seemed to hit him then. "Oh, hey! Have you decided on a construction company to build the house yet?"
"No, but that will be up to Grant, our contractor," I told him. "Why?"
"Well, I already told you I think I might need an ‘in' to get someone to sponsor me. This could be my ‘in'. Think I might be able to meet with this Grant guy?"
"You could probably go with us when we sign the contracts," I said. "Anything else we can do?"
David shook his head back and forth. "No. Just get me in to see Grant. The rest is up to me." He sat back in his chair fell silent as he looked down at the ground at his feet. I could tell that he was already thinking and planning.
I thought back to that scorching hot day not so long ago when David sat behind our home, his elbow resting on the table, and challenging Barry to an arm wrestle. I remembered the unexpected power in his body and the Barry's surprise when he realised just how powerful that little man truly was, and I remembered everyone's admiration of David. I had never seen such determination in anyone as I had that day. I remembered that he had almost killed himself in his efforts to best Barry or (as was the case, I believe) to at least force a stalemate. I had little doubt that David's determination would succeed again this time and I had the distinct impression that I was looking at a future Canadian citizen.
Over the next hour or so, Brad and David, who were really just kids at heart, designed and constructed an extremely elaborate Hot Wheels track in the back yard, beginning at the outlook platform of the jungle gym and making its way down the slide to the ground and beyond through a series of hills, ramps, jumps, tunnels, curves, and loops. It was a marvel to behold and it was fun to watch both Brad and David being as wide-eyed with amazement and giggling with as much excitement as the twins.
"I think that's what I like so much about him," Brook said, obviously talking about David. "There's no denying his masculinity, but he can so easily resurrect his inner child whenever he wants. Much more easily than I." He paused a moment and watched as David lifted Justin so he could set one of the Hot Wheel cars on the track, and then he smiled at their joy and laughter as the car hit the first jump and crash-landed in the sandbox. "I've never met anyone like him," he continued, "and he's not at all my type. I'm more attracted to someone like Brad or Barry. But damned if I'm not falling in love with David." Brook looked at me then. "Is that stupid?"
I shook my head ‘no'. "There's no accounting for who for who you fall in love with, Brook," I told him. "I mean, look at me and Brad. I was happily married for years and I've never even looked at another man or considered having sex with a man until Brad came along. But there was something about him that made me fall in love with him and made me want to give myself to him. I still haven't figured it out, but it just seemed natural for me to be in love with him."
"That's how I feel about David," Brook continued. "It seems natural."
"He's told us he thinks he loves you, you know."
"Oh, I
know he loves me. I knew that the night you introduced us at the reception. He loved me even back then."
"Are you sure it wasn't just lust?" I asked. "I mean, you're more than his type from what he's told me."
Brook shook his head. "No, Ted. It was love." he replied. Then he leaned toward me and said quietly, "May I ask you something?"
"Sure," I said just as quietly.
"Do you think I'm crazy for falling in love with him?"
"
Are you falling in love with him?"
"Oh, I already have, Ted." Brook said matter-of-factly. "Head over heals, in fact."
"But you just said. . ."
"I know what I just said and I know what I've been telling you all along, but I was lying to you then mainly because I was lying to myself as well." Brook looked over at David and I saw in his eyes the same look that I'd seen in both David's and Brad's eyes, and I thought for the briefest of moments if I had that same look in my eyes when I looked at Brad.
"I thought I was lucky enough falling in love the first time, Ted. When we broke up, I was devastated. I was terrified to fall in love again. I didn't think I could go through the pain of breaking up again. But I fell in love with David even before I was ready for it, and now I'm wondering if I'm crazy for letting it happen again." He glanced at the little group of merry-makers across the yard playing happily with their toy cars. He sighed deeply and then he continued. "That night at the reception, when I invited David to came back home with me, I expected it to be a one-night stand, or at most, last the week until he went back home to the States and we'd never see each other again."
"I know," I told him. "You've said that before."
"Yes, I know, but I didn't tell you what really happened that night, and I think I need to tell you now before I convince myself that David's not the right man for me."
To Be Continued
