Grayson Harrison was stunned by the curly haired blond beauty who met him at the gate at JFK late Saturday afternoon. The tight tee-shirt the young man wore perfectly displayed his powerful arms as well as his pecs and abs. But, it was the blue eyes and the boyish smile that sealed the deal for the man. For the entire drive from JFK to the opposite end of Long Island, the man had sat in the back seat, his legs crossed and his hands folded politely in his lap as he gazed at the back of Geoffrey’s head and tried to hide and pacify the raging erection in his slacks. God, he thought to himself at one point, I have to get out of Greensburg more often!
“So, Geoffrey,” the man asked as they sped east on Highway 27, “what exactly do you do for Mr. Mountjoy?”
“A lot of things,” the young man replied. “I drive him around, take care of errands for him, things like that. Then at night he fucks me silly.”
Harrison smiled at Geoffrey’s delightful honesty as well as his perfect lack of pretension. “I’m Alistair’s houseboy,” the young man added after a pause.
“Ah, I see. It must be quite exciting working for a legend like Alistair Mountjoy.”
“Oh, it is,” Geoffrey replied. “He’s an amazing man and I worship him. But, I have to say that even Alistair is flummoxed by what’s happened to Jeremy.”
“How’s the little guy doing?” Harrison asked with concern.
“Scary,” Geoffrey replied. “He’s just curled up in bed and won’t come out. He eats a bowl of soup or a sandwich and then he just curls up and…thinks, I guess. I don’t know. I do know that Rafael is beside himself and he’s becoming as big a basket case as Jeremy.”
Yes,” Harrison replied in a sympathetic voice, “I can imagine. Rafael’s always had volatile emotions. Did you see the…incident?”
“Oh, yes. Everything was going fine. Jeremy and Rafael were dancing beautifully and then, all of a sudden, Jeremy freaked out. It’s like he wasn’t there anymore, like he was someplace different and his parents were yelling at him and he was begging them to believe that he was a good dancer and a good boy. It was frightening.”
Harrison shook his head and said, “I should have seen this. I knew Jeremy was fragile. He’s incredibly strong, in many ways, but he’s been through so much that…I just hope I’m not too late.”
“I don’t know,” Geoffrey replied. “It’s like he’s just given up. He thinks he’s let everyone down and that there’s no way to redeem himself. Alistair, Conrad Hartsfeld—this famous dancer with the company—Rafael and Teddy, everyone’s tried to reach him and nothing works. He hasn’t been out of the bed, except to go to the bathroom, since Friday night.”
“What specifically did he say during the incident?”
Geoffrey looked into the mirror and replied carefully, as if he were testifying, a reaction to which Harrison was familiar, even outside the courtroom, “I don’t remember specifically, but it was something like, “I’m good, Mommy! I’m not wicked. I’m a good dancer. I’m a good boy. Tell her Daddy. Tell her I’m good!”
Harrison frowned and looked out the window. Geoffrey added, “He was looking right at one of the guys in the audience when he lost it. It was like he was looking at Andy and seeing his mother.”
Harrison nodded and asked, “Did this Andy do or say anything that could have triggered Jeremy’s words?”
Geoffrey thought for a moment and then replied, “He said, ‘Wicked’. He was complimenting Jeremy’s dancing, which for him was amazing.”
“Wicked?”
“It’s a compliment,” Geoffrey explained. “People from Boston and that area say it a lot. Andy’s one of the Daughertys. His dad is Bobby Daugherty, who’s running for President in ’72.”
“Ah. I see. So, Jeremy is from Greensburg and people in the south don’t use ‘wicked’ as a complimentary term. Is it possible that he misunderstood the intent? Is he familiar with that use of ‘wicked’?”
Geoffrey shrugged and responded, “Rafael uses it occasionally, but I get the impression that his mother’s family is from Boston.”
“So, it’s possible that Jeremy did understand that it was a compliment and not a disparaging term?”
“I don’t know,” Geoffrey replied nervously.
“Forgive me if I seem to be cross-examining you,” Harrison said with a smile. “I tend to lapse into ‘lawyer-mode’ in even the most benign of circumstances. I just want to be certain that I understand Jeremy’s state of mind at the time of the incident.”
“Mr. Harrison, if you can help the little guy, do whatever you can. Everyone has fallen in love with him. He’s the sweetest kid in the world and…”
Geoffrey stopped, unable to continue. He sniffed and, embarrassed, changed the subject to the heavy, Saturday evening traffic as they escaped the city.
—o-0-o—
“Geoffrey called on the car phone,” Alistair announced to the gathering on the patio. “They’re almost here.”
“We may not have time to wait until tomorrow,” Alistair replied. “Conrad thinks he’s becoming more irrational. I think just lying there for hour after hour, with the squirrel cage in his head spinning, is what’s taking him even deeper inside himself. ”
Dylan pointed to the balcony and said, “It looks like Jeremy’s making an appearance.”
The others looked up to see the boy standing at the balustrade and staring off toward the garden. Rafael turned with alarm and said, “Watch him!”
Nervously, he jumped up and ran into the house.
“He’s not going to jump,” Dylan said.
“It was Rafael who dragged him off the balustrade last night,” Alistair explained. “You can understand why he might be a bit skittish about Jeremy and balconies.”
“Alistair, should we take him to the hospital?” Dylan asked. “I mean, this seems pretty serious to me and I’m afraid this could get worse instead of better.”
Alistair nodded and said, “I agree that there is that danger, however I want to wait until Harrison has seen him. I trust Harrison. He strikes me as one who is genuinely concerned about Jeremy’s welfare. After all, several million dollars ride on Jeremy’s emotional and mental state.”
Teddy snorted and said, “It always comes down to money, doesn’t it? The kid has a multi-million dollar trust fund and inheritance and that’s what motivates the shark.”
Alistair shook his head and replied, “I don’t get that impression from talking with Harrison. I think he’s truly concerned about Jeremy. And, to be honest, how can anyone who knows Jeremy not be concerned. There’s something about that boy that just…”
He turned his head, afraid of showing too much emotion even to those closest to him.
Dylan watched the balcony as Rafael appeared and put his arms around Jeremy’s shoulders. The younger boy appeared not to react. Rafael simply held him.
A housekeeper appeared at the French door and announced, “Mr. Mountjoy, Geoffrey’s arrived with your guest.”
Alistair nodded and said, “Shall we gather in the study while I greet our guest?”
—o-0-o—
Jeremy sat in a chair on the balcony and watched a seagull circling lazily above the house. The warm August sun was getting close to the western horizon and he closed his eyes, imagining himself back in Greensburg, sitting on a bench along the west bank of the Magnolia River, holding his Boy Scout knife. Yeah. That was the answer. He couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t do it here. It would be too much for Alistair and Teddy and…Rafael. Rafael. Oh, God. Rafael.
The only factor that had prevented him from doing it that weekend was the pain it would cause Rafael. Beautiful, sweet, wonderful Rafael. Eternity without Rafael. Could he face it? If anything could stop him from carrying out his plan, it would be Rafael and the knowledge of what it would do to him. And, Jeremy knew he had already caused the boy who loved him more anguish than he could ever be forgiven.
The boy lowered his head in his own anguish. How could he have allowed himself to let down so many people, to fail so miserably, to let down his parents, his parents! He missed them so much at that moment. He needed, he needed to feel them hug him and tell him they loved him, yet he was alone. He could never feel right again without his parents’ approval and love, and yet he knew that was impossible; it could never happen. No, he was alone. He would always be alone.
No he wasn’t. He heard the door of the bedroom open. Someone was approaching. Oh, God. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone?
Rafael knelt beside the boy and kissed his forehead.
“Jeremy, there’s someone here to see you. We need you to come down to the study. Okay?”
Jeremy didn’t respond beyond turning his head away. He had already caused Rafael and everyone else too much trouble. They should just let him go, leave him alone, and go back to their happy, successful lives. They should just forget about him.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Rafael urged. He slipped his hands under Jeremy’s arm and lifted him up. The boy sighed and let Rafael have his way. Numbly he followed Rafael into the room and toward the door as Rafael said, “We have a surprise for you. Something wonderful, Jeremy. It’s going to make you see…Well, I can’t say anything. They made me promise not to say anything, but Jeremy…it’s wonderful.”
The boy sighed as they passed through the door and into the hallway. God, why couldn’t they just let him alone, let him sit on the balcony and try to forget what he had done, what an utter and complete failure he was?
They walked down the hallway and Rafael began to pull him. “Oh, sweetheart, hurry. You’ve got to hear this. You just have to.”
Jeremy sighed heavily and walked faster, though the effort was painful. Walking down the stairs to the atrium, he could hear voices. They sounded excited, happy, even joyous. What in the world could be happening that would be happy and joyous? Didn’t they understand the agony he was in? Didn’t they comprehend the way he had completely failed and let them down, the way he had betrayed his parents?
He wanted to collapse to the floor beside the koi pool, but with superhuman effort, he allowed Rafael to lead him to the study.
He froze when he entered and saw Grayson Harrison sitting in a chair near the reel-to-reel tape player mounted in the wall. Alistair, Conrad, Teddy, and Dylan were seated around the room. Teddy was crying and Conrad was smiling at the boy.
“M-M-Mr. Harrison,” Jeremy stuttered. “W-w-what are you doing here?”
“I came to see you, Jeremy,” the man replied kindly as he stood. “Teddy and Alistair called me and we’ve discussed your situation. It’s pained me deeply to know how you’ve been hurting, Jeremy. They’ve discussed what happened and…”
“Oh, God!” Jeremy cried. “Aunt Jane doesn’t know, does she? You didn’t tell Aunt Jane? Or Benji? Please! Please! Don’t tell Aunt Jane or Benji! Or Brian! Oh, God, I couldn’t stand it if Brian knew! Please!”
Rafael wrapped his arms around the boy and hugged tightly, interrupting him and explaining, “They don’t know, Jeremy. We’re the only ones who know. It’s okay, but you’ve got to listen to what Grayson has to say. It’s wonderful and it’s going to turn everything around!”
“Rafael,” Alistair said kindly. He stood and walked over to Jeremy, placing his hands on the boy’s shoulders and explaining, “We called Grayson to see what responsibilities we had about notifying your aunt about what had happened and he told us that we didn’t have to do that just yet and that he had something that could help you see things in a new light. Why don’t you come over here and have a seat between the speakers.”
Jeremy numbly followed the man to the empty chair. He reached out and shook Harrison’s hand before sitting down. Harrison smiled and said, “It’s such a joy to be able to give you this gift, Jeremy. You’ve given all of us quite a scare, young man, but I think now that we can put all this behind us.”
Jeremy sighed. Was this all it was? The executor of his parents’ estate giving him a pep talk? Why would they think Mr. Harrison was important enough to make Jeremy stop hurting?
“Let me explain, Jeremy,” the attorney said, seemingly reading the boy’s thoughts. “Your father came to our law firm to execute his will rather than using his own firm so as to avoid any conflicts of interest. And about a week before the accident, he came to me to make a change in the will. He loved you, Jeremy. He loved you very much. Both of your parents did.”
Jeremy’s eyes grew moist, but he fought the urge to cry again. He had already cried so much that he couldn’t imagine he still had any tears left.
“Jeremy, when making changes to a will, it is the practice of our law firm to tape record the interview so that if there are any challenges, the intentions of the testator can be made known.”
The boy froze.
Harrison met and locked onto Jeremy’s eyes. “I interviewed your father that morning. I tape recorded our conversation. What you are about to hear is your father explaining the changes he wanted to make in his will and why he wanted to make those changes. You deserve to hear this, Jeremy, and I hope it will make clear to you how deeply your parents loved you and how proud they were of you.”
Jeremy trembled as he whispered, “My…father?”
Harrison nodded and asked, “And your mother. Are you ready?”
Jeremy swallowed and with the briefest of nods, whispered, “Yes.”
Harrison smiled as Teddy blew his nose and Alistair reached over and pushed a button on the tape player.
After a couple of seconds, the lawyer’s voice could be heard on the tape.
“Interview with Grant. W. Fenwick regarding the last will and testament of Grant W. and Charlotte J. Fenwick, Friday May 15, 1970 at ten-oh-eight Central Daylight Time in room 1218 of the firm of McDonald, Breckenridge, Harrison, and Fowler, 401 S. Fourth Street, Greensburg, XX 3X104. I am Grayson M. Harrison, partner in the firm of McDonald, Breckenridge, Harrison, and Fowler. Would you state your name please, your date of birth and your place of residence?”
Jeremy gasped as he heard his father’s voice, strong, commanding, yet compassionate, reply, “I’m Grant William Fenwick, of 1415 Somerset Drive, Greensburg, XX 3X107. I was born on October 17, 1929.”
“Thank you, Mr. Fenwick. You are requesting to make a change to your last will and testament filed June 24, 1966. Is that correct?”
“It is.”
Jeremy’s hand slowly rose to his mouth as his lips trembled. Silently, he mouthed the word, “Daddy.”
“And what is the change?” Mr. Harrison could be heard to ask.
“I want to make certain that if anything should happen to Charlotte and me, Jeremy will be able to continue his ballet training. I know that trust funds have been established for him and his older brother, but I want something specific to fund his training should I or his mother or both pre-decease him.”
“And, why is that?”
Grant Fenwick could be heard on the tape taking a deep breath before he replied, “Because Jeremy is the most amazing dancer I have ever seen and it would be criminal if he were forced to give up his training for any reason. My son is gifted and I know that he has the talent, the potential, and the motivation to achieve anything he wants. To be the greatest ballet dancer in the world is his ambition and dream and I intend to ensure that he has every opportunity to achieve that dream.”
Jeremy’s lips parted as he stared at the tape player.
“I want to set aside a certain amount in a separate fund to pay for his training at any school to which he can be admitted. Right now, it would appear that he’ll be training at Ballet Academy of America. He’s been accepted to their Summer Program and I have absolutely no doubt he will be accepted to train full time with them. Jeremy is an amazing and talented dancer.”
“Yes, he is,” Harrison could be heard to reply. “I’ve seen him in Peter Pan and The Nutcracker. He’s truly gifted.”
“He is and I don’t think he realizes just how proud of him his mother and I are. Jeremy has put his heart and soul into being a brilliant dancer and I couldn’t be prouder of him.”
Jeremy was staring at the tape player in shock, his mouth open, tears flowing down his cheeks. Teddy was openly sobbing with emotion. Rafael wrapped his arms around Jeremy, sniffing and holding his own sobs inside.
“Grant, I have to ask these next questions so that there is no confusion about your feelings and intentions in the event that anyone should, for any reason, challenge these changes or your intentions in making these changes.”
“I understand completely.”
“Grant, is Jeremy a homosexual?”
Everyone in the room gasped at the question, including Jeremy, who almost choked.
“I don’t know,” Grant replied firmly, “and frankly, Scarlet, I don’t give a damn.”
Conrad chuckled and Alistair smiled as Jeremy stared at the tape player.
“Do you fear that ballet training may cause Jeremy to become homosexual or expose him to influences that some may consider unhealthy or inappropriate?”
“I do not believe ballet training will turn my son into a homosexual. Will he be exposed to dangerous influences? Probably, but he’ll be exposed to dangerous influences no matter what field he enters or whatever kind of training he pursues. You and I both know what kind of hazing athletes face, in particular football players. Which is worse? Who knows? What I do know is my son. I know Jeremy is a strong and decent boy. I suspect he is probably going to be homosexual, if he isn’t already. I assume he was born with those tendencies. Am I disappointed? Yes. I admit it. I love my son and I would die for him. Do I fear what he might face from society because of his homosexuality? Yes. Do I want him to live a normal life, marry, have kids, take over my law practice? Of course I do. What father wouldn’t?”
Jeremy cried out, but Rafael hugged him and said, “Listen to him, Jeremy.”
“However, I know what kind of soul, what kind of character Jeremy has. As I said, I would give my life for him. I want him to be happy. I admit that like most men, I was disgusted and revolted by the thought of homosexuality, but when you see your son may be that way, it forces a father to think, to consider the reasons, to make an effort to understand. No one turned Jeremy the way he is, if he is that way. It wasn’t the devil, as Charlotte’s idiot brother-in-law would probably say. This is just the way things turned out. This is just the way Jeremy is. I accept that. I love him and I accept it. I don’t understand it. We all know that boys go through a stage, but if this is more than a stage I accept it. We both do. So, if anyone should challenge this particular change in the will on the grounds of Jeremy’s supposed immorality, let them know that I understand full well that Jeremy may be homosexual, though he might not. It’s irrelevant. I want him to be happy. I want him to pursue his dream and if that is to be a ballet dancer, then so be it. Would I prefer he was playing football? Sure. Wouldn’t most fathers? But, this is his dream. If he wasn’t as good as he is or if this was just some passing fancy, I would never have permitted it, but Jeremy is both gifted and driven. I know very little about ballet, but I can tell you that he’s got it. He’s amazing and he will continue his training, no matter what. I want to ensure that he has the opportunity. I want Jeremy to achieve his dream. Charlotte does, too. Oh, Grayson, you should have seen his mother’s tears of joy as we watched him in Nutcracker. She is so proud of him.”
Grayson pushed the button and said, “The rest of this is simply the legal discussion of how to set up the fund and how much, but this was the part I wanted you to hear, Jeremy.”
Jeremy’s entire body was trembling.
“Jeremy, we weren’t able to get this incorporated into the will before the accident, so I couldn’t use this as evidence to force your uncle to let you continue your training. But, when Teddy called and told me what had happened and what you’ve been feeling, I knew you had to hear this. I made a copy of this cassette for you to keep.”
He handed the cassette to Jeremy, who grasped it with shaking hands.
“Jeremy, your parents were very proud of you. They weren’t ashamed of you in any way and they wanted you to be as good a dancer as you want to be. They wanted you to be happy, Jeremy. They loved you. You aren’t wicked, Jeremy. You’re a good boy, a gifted boy, a glorious boy, Jeremy.”
Jeremy looked at him with tear-filled eyes and the lawyer touched the boy’s face gently with the tips of his fingers, adding, “Son, your parents wanted you to fulfill your dreams because they are your dreams. They wanted you to fulfill your destiny, whether that was dancing, designing skyscrapers, or running a chain of hot dog stands because they’re your dreams and they’re what you want. Their love for you wasn’t based on you fulfilling their hopes and dreams beyond you pursuing your dream. They loved you unconditionally. I wish my own parents had been as understanding as yours. You’re a very fortunate boy, Jeremy. You had very special parents who loved you and wanted you to be happy and to fulfill your potential and achieve your dreams, Jeremy. Your dreams, Jeremy. Your dreams.”
Jeremy lost all control of his emotions at that moment. He turned, desperately grasped Rafael and gave vent to his love for his parents, his grief at their loss, his relief, his joy, his love. Conrad and Alistair knelt before him. Teddy stood behind him. Dylan leaned on Rafael and kissed the top of Jeremy’s head.
Jeremy Fenwick now knew the truth.
—o-0-o—
Jeremy Fenwick leapt through the air with grace and ease and landed perfectly before performing a series of chaînés tournes, turns on alternating feet as he crossed the stage until he came to the center and threw one arm triumphantly into the air, curving the other down toward his hip, and turning his feet out, one before the other. The audience, all seated in the first few rows of the Schuyler Theater at Ballet Center applauded loudly, many rising to their feet as he stood on the stage he had dreamt of performing on for years. He felt such joy that he could have danced again and again without batting an eye. He was on the stage of the Schuyler Theater! At Ballet Center! Standing where Alistair Mountjoy had stood when receiving his ovation for Ode to Life. Jeremy Fenwick had arrived.
Slowly, Jeremy gracefully bowed, and turned to walk across the stage, with a quick glance out the corner of his eye at the table in the orchestra in front of the first row, where sat three judges and the Artistic Director of the Ballet of America. Alistair gave him a wink and a smile and Jeremy returned it. He walked toward Rafael standing in the wings, awaiting him.
“Jeremy! You were fantastic!” the teenager cried as the boy ran into his arms. Several other dancers stood nearby, shaking arms and legs or stretching as they awaited their turns to walk out on stage.
Jeremy simply grinned and nodded before he replied, “Yes, I was.”
Rafael laughed and lightly bopped the boy on the head. Then they kissed and held each other tightly before a prim-looking woman in a severe suit approached with a clipboard.
“Mr. Fenwick, please proceed to the dressing room. You may change into your street clothes and then report to the table outside the door at the end of the hallway, please.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the boy replied politely and confidently. He took Rafael’s hand and strode confidently, even authoritatively, toward the back and to the men’s dressing room. Rafael kept glancing over at him with pride as they walked and when they arrived in the crowded room, with other boys either putting on or taking off their tights and other accoutrements, Jeremy finally relaxed. Other boys watched as Jeremy smiled at Rafael and pulled his face down. Boldly, in front of everyone in the room, Jeremy kissed him for several seconds and then declared in a strong and confident voice, “I love you, Rafael.”
“I love you, Jeremy,” Rafael replied with a knowing grin.
Behind them, they could both hear a twelve-year-old boy exclaim in a stage whisper, “That’s Rafael Colón! They just kissed. Right there in front of everybody!”
Rafael grinned at the boy and said, “Yes, we did, and we went through a lot to have the chance to do that.”
Jeremy smiled at the boy, a slim youth with jet black hair, pale skin, and the bluest of eyes. He extended his hand and said, “I’m Jeremy Fenwick. From Greensburg.”
“Tim Hanson. From the City,” the boy replied. “So, are you and Rafael…you know…like…”
“Boyfriends?” Jeremy finished the question for him.
Tim nodded and Jeremy declared, “Yes. Rafael is my boyfriend. I live with him and I love him. He’s the best dancer in Ballet Academy and the most beautiful. Don’t you think?”
“He is beautiful,” Tim replied with a blush.
Rafael grinned and said, “I’ll be down the hall. Go shower and change and we’ll meet Conrad and Teddy.”
Jeremy nodded and watched as Rafael gracefully walked out one of the doors. He turned and smiled as he saw the rise in the front of Tim’s tights.
“He has that effect on me, too,” Jeremy said with a giggle.
Tim blushed and smiled before he asked, “So, are you two…you know…gay?”
Jeremy nodded and said proudly, “Yes, we are.”
“I, um, well…” Tim stammered. “I am, too.”
“Cool!” Jeremy replied. “A lot of guys here are. You won’t be alone and you don’t have to pretend anymore. It’s all cool here.”
“Really?” Tim asked as he looked at Jeremy with surprise.
The boy nodded and said, “This is the greatest place in the world. You’re going to love it here.”
“If I get in,” Tim replied. “I didn’t get into SAB and I’m scared I won’t make it here.”
Jeremy put an arm around the boy and asked, “Have you danced yet?”
The boy shook his head and Jeremy said, “Alistair Mountjoy is one of the judges, but don’t let that scare you. He wants more boys in the school, though they have to be good. Don’t be scared. Just imagine Alistair hugging you when its all over. He’s not the scary and intimidating man everyone thinks he is. We all love him. He’s wonderful and supportive and encouraging and all you have to do is dance your best for him. Don’t be scared or nervous. They don’t expect you to be perfect. They’re looking for potential.”
“Timothy Hanson!” the woman with the clipboard announced as she entered the room.
“That’s me,” the boy said with a shaky voice.
Jeremy leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Merde.”
The boy grinned and whispered, “Merde to you, too!”
Tim hurried out the door as Jeremy watched his cute butt and felt a surge in his tights. He already felt like a veteran in front of the other boys in the dressing room, but he paused and remembered his first week in New York, the two months prior to his arrival in New York, and the tape recording of his father expressing his thoughts about Jeremy and his dreams. It would have been all too easy for that day to have never happened. With gratitude and love, he walked to his locker and began to undress.
—o-0-o—
Conrad, Teddy and Rafael stood in the west aisle of the giant auditorium discussing where to eat dinner as Jeremy gazed about the historic hall, admiring the elegant carving and painting of the proscenium and imagining all the seats occupied on an opening night, the conversations of the audience members, the sounds of the orchestra warming up, the ushers rushing about. He looked at the wings and imagined the dancers preparing to appear on stage. He imagined Alistair moving from dancer to dancer, giving each a pep talk, hugging them, letting them know how proud he was of them. Someday, he would be one of those dancers. He knew it now. It wasn’t just a dream.
Alistair was conversing with the other judges. Parents and their dancing offspring milled about, waiting for their official notifications. Jeremy watched him nod and then look at them. He smiled and waved and Jeremy waved back.
“I think they’re done,” the boy declared.
Rafael turned and watched Alistair make his way up the aisle toward them. Teddy grinned as he saw the smiling face and said, “I think you were accepted, Jeremy.”
“You think?” Rafael replied with a grin. “After that performance…man, Jerm, I really think you did better than I did.”
Jeremy shrugged and Teddy smiled at him.
“What happened to the shy, modest boy who was always denying that he was any good?”
Jeremy smiled and replied, “I realized how good I really am…and how many people love me.”
Rafael turned and kissed Jeremy’s forehead before Alistair walked up and declared, “Jeremy, you earned the second highest score ever in an audition for Ballet Academy.”
Jeremy looked at him with shock as Rafael exclaimed, “Are you serious?”
Alistair nodded and said, “On the scale we use, with three hundred being perfect, you earned two-hundred-ninety-one, one point below the all-time highest.”
Rafael grinned and asked, “You know who won two-hundred-ninety-two?”
“You?” Jeremy asked.
Rafael shook his head and said, “You beat me, Jeremy, by two points. I got two-hundred-eighty-nine. Conrad’s got the record for the highest audition score ever and you almost beat him.”
“I beat you?” Jeremy exclaimed with dismay.
“Yes, you did,” Rafael replied. “And, you deserved it. All that work you did paid off.”
Alistair extended his hand and said, “Jeremy, you were magnificent. Absolutely magnificent and that performance this afternoon is only going to be the first of many on that stage. May I be the first to officially welcome you, Jeremy David Fenwick, to Ballet Academy of America.”
Standing erect and proud, Jeremy shook Alistair’s hand and replied, “Thank you, Alistair. Thank you for…everything.”
The boy’s voice quivered slightly and then he recovered and looked at Teddy and said, “And, thank you, Teddy, for everything.”
“Little One,” Teddy said softly as he hugged Jeremy.
Jeremy looked to the side when he heard cheering and crying about the auditorium as the other applicants were notified of the results of their auditions. Jeremy saw Tim Hanson jumping up and down as his mother tried to hug him. Their eyes met and Jeremy grinned at him as Tim waved back happily.
“So, where are we going for dinner?” Rafael asked.
“I have reservations at this nice little Italian place off Broadway,” Alistair replied. “I haven’t been there in twenty years, but I thought it might be a nice place to celebrate Jeremy’s audition and acceptance.”
Jeremy glanced up at Teddy, who smiled at Alistair and nodded. “I think that would be a wonderful place to eat” he replied. “Just as long as there’s no Samuel Barber afterward.”
Alistair nodded and smiled, responding, “If there are any tears tonight, they will joyous and not sad.”
Jeremy grinned at Rafael and leaned up to kiss him.
“Je-re-my!” the teenager exclaimed as he pulled away.
“What? I can’t kiss you in the middle of the Schuyler Theater?” the boy demanded with a grin.
“Someone might see us,” Rafael replied with a grin.
“I don’t care anymore,” Jeremy replied. “I am who I am and I don’t have to feel ashamed anymore.”
Alistair placed a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder and said, “I’m so proud of you, Jeremy.”
“I am, too,” Teddy added.
Rafael grinned and nodded.
“Kiss me, you beast,” he cried and Jeremy grinned. The boys shared a long, loving kiss in front of everyone in the theater.
“Now, let’s eat!” Jeremy declared. “Then we can celebrate tonight.”
“Just don’t celebrate too late,” Alistair warned, leading the group up the aisle. “The two of you have class at seven-thirty in the morning at the Manhattan School for Student Professionals and new student orientation at Ballet Academy is at two in the afternoon. You get to listen to me inspire the next generation of dancers.”
“I’ll try not to fall asleep,” Jeremy replied.
Alistair swatted Jeremy’s butt and the boy yelped and grinned. The man swatted Rafael as well and the teenager howled in protest, “What did I do?”
“It’s for whatever you were thinking!” Alistair replied.
“I was thinking that I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Rafael declared, wrapping an arm around Jeremy’s shoulder.
“No, I’m the luckiest,” Jeremy replied. “I had parents who loved me and gave me the chance to be me, I have friends here in New York who weren’t willing to let me ruin my life, I have a boyfriend who I love more than anything and I’m training at the best ballet school ever and…”
He stopped and Rafael turned around. Jeremy smiled at him and said, “I’m a dancer because of you, Rafael. I’m alive because of you. I’m happy because of you. I owe you everything, Rafael. I love you.”
Rafael’s eyes misted and Jeremy added, “Someday, I’m going to create a dance to tell our story.”
“You can call it the Dance of the Wicked Boys,” Rafael replied with a grin, “except with ‘wicked’ in the positive sense.”
“The Dance of the Wicked Boys,” Jeremy repeated thoughtfully. “I like it.”
Teddy sighed happily and softly whispered to himself, “And they all lived happily ever after.”