Life After College

Chapter 25

Andrew’s POV.....

Dicky didn’t get home until late in the afternoon. When he did, he walked almost in a zombie-like daze up the stairs and to the shower. Bernie decided to leave and question him on his televised ‘death defying act’ tomorrow. Dicky came back downstairs in white boxers, his soft blue college t-shirt, and laid down next to me on the couch. His head was laid drowsily in my lap and I kissed his forehead. “Rub my head.” He murmured to me.

I chuckled. “Do what?”

Dicky closed his eyes. “Please?”

I smiled. “Oh, all right.” I gently ran my fingers through his short hair and he gave a content sigh. “Work was hell today, I figure.”

“Umhm. I assume you saw the news today.”

“I did.” I replied as I continued to caress him.

“You saw the clip of me throwing the bomb in the air.”

“I did.”

“You threw a fit when you saw it.”

“Actually, I fainted.” We both laughed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll have to admit though.........I was pretty damn scared. Having an actual live bomb in my hands with only seconds left on it’s timer is..... well.....scary. But I guess having a little fear is a good thing. Having fear would mean you would remember all the precautions and measures you’d have to make before going into something dangerous.” He yawned.

“So in your line of work, having a little fear is okay?”

“Yeah. I’m not talking about the ‘I’m sweating and am about to piss on myself’ type fear. Rather the little spark that bounces through you right before you have to go do something. It gets you pumped for what you’re about to do. If you don’t get one of those, you’re bound to make a mistake somewhere. The day I wake up for work without that, that’s the day I’ll give my resignation.” Dicky opened his eyelids and looked at me through his brown baby doll eyes. “You’d probably be glad when that day came.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, Dicky. I just........It’s hard. It was hard today to sit back and watch that clip of you throwing that bomb. It’s even harder to know that their will be more instances like that in the future. Though I’d like to just keep you locked up in the house or work in an office somewhere away from danger, I know you’d go nuts. Being the average joe was never in your blood. I knew that back in college when you opted to sign up for a class in linguistics over taking office administration.” We smiled. “It’s just that........I don’t wanna lose you. When we got together in school, you became the most important thing in my life. Children aside, you still are.”

Dicky smiled at me. “I’m not going anywhere, baby.” He yawned again. “Well, maybe to dreamland.” I laughed softly as I kissed him one time before he fell asleep.

************

I jumped awake when I heard the front door shut. I hadn’t even known I had fallen asleep. Carefully leaving Dicky still asleep on the couch, I got up and walked to the foyer. Damon was just locking the door and putting the security code in when I walked up behind him. When he turned around and saw me, he tensed up. “H-Hi dad.”

“Hello. Glad you could finally make it home.” I said sarcastically. He diverted his eyes away from me and walked passed me to the kitchen. I followed. I checked my watch. “It’s 7:45 Damon. Where the hell were you, that you couldn’t call home? I guess that cell phone we got you can’t help.”

Damon opened the refrigerator and grabbed a can soda. “I was just out with friends.”

“I don’t care. Don’t you know it’s a school nig..............Friends?”

“Yeah. I met some friends today at school and we hung out.” He took a drink.

My mood sort of changed then. I know I’m supposed to be disciplining him on being late on a school night, but.....................he’s got FRIENDS. Finally!! I sat on the stool next to the island. “Are they nice?”

“They’re okay.” He kept sipping his soda as to keep from having to say too much. And he wouldn’t look me in the eye.

I leaned on the counter and looked at him. “What are you not telling me?”

“Wha–Nothing.”

“Then why are you blushing? You also have a FRIEND friend, don’t you?”

“I........may have one.”

I squealed before I knew it. Sissy. “You’re going out with someone? Can I met her?......... Or him?”

“Dad.”

“What? Gotta be realistic here. You DO have two gay parents. We could’ve rubbed off on you.”

“You didn’t rub off on me. I am what I am based on myself only.”

“Well great. Now when do parents get to see the date?”

Damon shrugged. How cute is this! “I don’t know.”

“Well we’ve got to meet........ah.......the person sooner or later. Got to give the parental opinion you know.”

“I know.”

“Bring ‘em to the wedding this Saturday.”

“Dad, aren’t you rushing things a bit? I mean, I just met........this person.”

“That’s a good thing. That way, if we don’t like ‘em, you can end it before anybody gets attached.” Damon stared at me. “I’m joking! Geez!” I stood up and walked to my son and put an arm around him. “You don’t open your mouth to a lot of people, Damon. To hear that you’ve got friends and a prospective other is a pretty damn big deal. Can you blame me for being curious?”

He sighed. “No. I guess not.”

“And too. Because you don’t have much experience meeting new people, I want to be sure this person is not a bad one. Lets just say, I’m looking out for you.”

Damon smiled. “Thanks dad.”

“Now, speaking of wedding........you have any homework?”

“Well, I have a worksheet in Spanish class that I have to work on.”

I brushed it off. “Oh, your father can help you with that when he wakes up.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the living room. “I wanna talk about how excited I am about the wedding.” I squealed again. I really need to work on not doing that.

************
(THE WEDDING).........

I believe I was more nervous on this wedding than the other. Then, we were young and in love and were starting a life together. Now, it’s been fifteen years and there are two children and a number of shitty things that have occurred. I don’t think I have to tell you what one of them are.

We decided on having the wedding at the nearby community church. They approve of gays there and we had attended a few of times on Sundays. Our colors were cream and gold. But of course when finding the right flowers, there is no such thing as a gold flower. So when decorating the alter, we had large arrangements of yellow roses and magnolias. Down the middle aisle, small posies with the same flowers were tied with yellow ribbon to the pews. The rug going down the aisle was of a smooth cream material.

“It’s filling up fast, Uncle Drew.” Sofia said to me as she walked one of the back rooms I was getting dressed in. She was helping me get ready, while Damon was helping Dicky. She came home Friday afternoon and shocked us all with a new look. She was blonde! But I liked it. She reminded me of Scarlet Johanssen. She had on a cream dress with gold details with her hair pulled into a sweep. Hers was like my cream three-piece suit, complete with cream vest with gold print and gold tie. Damon wore a black three-piece suit with gold vest and tie, which was similar to Dicky’s black three-piece suit, cream vest with gold print, and gold tie. Damon was Dicky’s best man and Sofia was my.......... maid of honor.

“I feel like I’m gonna faint.” I told her as she helped me put on my vest.

“Well don’t.” She smiled as she buttoned the vest. “We already had to wait until you stopped sweating before we could even start to get you dressed.” I laughed. We were quiet for a while, focusing on the task at hand, when I saw Sofia wipe a tear from her eye.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh um, nothing.”

I walked to her and placed her face gently in my hands. “It doesn’t look like nothing.” With my thumbs, I wiped her tears away. “What is it?”

“I’m just......so happy for you guys. And happy that you took me into your home when I know you probably weren’t looking for another child to raise. You’ve cared for me more than I was cared for at home. Especially as father figures. When I’m with you and Uncle Richard, I feel safe. Even when I was living at home, I felt more wanted with you two. I wanna thank you for being there for me and letting me into your home. You didn’t have to do that.” We both started to get misty eyed.

“Honey, you don’t have to thank us for anything. We love you. Always have.” I hugged her close to me.

“C-Could I ask something?”

“What is it?”

“Is it.......is it okay if I can call you and Richard, my Dad?”

Though she couldn’t see it, I smiled from ear to ear. “I’d love for you to. I was waiting a long time for you to say that.”

She laughed and hugged me tighter. “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, hon.”

************

Dicky’S POV.......

Boy was I nervous. I wanted to go see Drew and talk to him, but he sent instructions by Sofia that we were to not see each other until it was time for the ceremony to start. What was the point in that? If he’s afraid of me seeing him in his suit, it would be hard for me not to be able to picture it, because we have the same thing, except mines black and his is cream.

I was sitting on a chair with my head down and my hands nervously rubbing together, when I heard the door open. I lifted my head and saw Damon closing the door. In his hands was a camcorder, which he turned on. “And here he is..... The man of the hour..........one of them anyway. Lets zoom in and watch as he begins to sweat bullets.” Damon walked up close to me with the camera in my face.

“Damon, what are you doing?”

“I’m bouncing between you and Dad on who is the most nervous about the wedding.”

“Yea? Well, how do I stand?”

“Not too good. I just came from Dad’s room a few minutes ago. I’ve got a clip of him pacing around, going over his vows. He even broke into tears when I gave him your ring to give to you.”

I smiled. “Wow. I’m behind. Maybe I should go into a crying fit and start blubbering.”

I saw the lense in the camcorder zoom in to my face. “Yeah, yeah. Do that.” Damon looked into the eyepiece, waiting.

“Ummmm.....no.” We laughed. “Speaking of rings.........did you get mine from the jewelry store?”

“Yeah. I picked up yours too.” He opened the black velvet box and handed me the ring. I took it and put it in my pocket. Damon shut off the camcorder and pulled up a chair next to me. “Though you’re not as spastic as Dad, you still look nervous.”

“I am. A lot.”

“Why?”

“Well, we had good times together in our fifteen years. We’ve also had some bad and some very bad. I’m nervous because I want whatever I did wrong then, to be all done right in the next fifteen years. I want this one to be better, you know?”

“I know. And whatever happened back then, only makes you and Dad’s relationship more stronger. It had to have been because you’re still together now.”

“Yea.” I sighed. We never told the kids about what happened in New York and they’ve never asked about it. I looked at my watch. “Showtime, bud.”

TBC.........

Next chapter, the wedding begins and the parents meet Damon\'s friend. R&R.