Rhythm

by

John Terry Moore

johnterrymoore@bigpond.com

Story Synopsis

Part 1 ‘University Days’ Australia, 2018.  The country’s Prime Minister is part of a same-sex couple with two children.  Gay marriage was legalised in 2015, because it had finally progressed from a sex politics issue to a human rights issue.  Instead of gay people as a separate, sub-segment of ‘mainstream’ society, there was finally recognition that gay people had been part of mainstream society all along!  ***** Adam Church and Patrick Benson meet up on orientation day at a regional university in Australia known for both its academic standards and its encouragement of free spirits.  Adam is straight, Patrick gay.  They become room-mates and best friends.  They try out an unused double sculling boat.  They train hard and well and win the state title, a first for the university.  Overnight they are heroes with their fellow undergraduates and the University Eight.  Particularly The Eight, with whom they have developed a close bond.  And some months later, in the winter layoff, Adam Church understands that he is in love at last; not with a nice girl like ninety-per cent of his peer group, but with his best friend and crew mate, Patrick.  And a very good crew of two suddenly becomes a brilliant race-winning combination as the rhythm of their partnership translates into a rare togetherness in the boat.  A stunning combination of physical beauty and athletic efficiency as they blitz all before them.  Chosen to represent Australia in the 2020 Olympics, the combined forces of homophobia and a voracious local press try to derail their gold medal attempt even before they leave home.  A music video was produced, with Adam’s and Patrick’s story and visuals, and broadcast widely on television and the Internet.  Instead of two gay guys struggling under the weight of negative public opinion, they become an international civil rights symbol.  ***** Quite independently, fifty-per cent of the University Eight have also come out as same-sex attracted and form partnerships.  The Vice Chancellor, Margaret Reeve (the Dean), a noted social researcher, decides this is evidence of a societal trend underway in broader society and commits to writing a book on the subject.  Her focus is that these same-sex couples are embracing marriage whilst still at university and eight years younger on average than hetero kids.  The Dean has a wager with her fellow academic and husband Viktor that all the members of The Eight are same-sex attracted, identifies the couples and puts a time limit on it; ---- 2030!  If she wins, she gets a case of Ballantine’s, her favourite Scotch.  If he wins, he gets breakfast in bed for the rest of his life!  ***** Lance, the gigantic Sudanese seven man, becomes involved with the party animal bow man, Angelo, and they eventually marry, much to everyone’s amazement.  The two straight boys, rowing six and five, Darcy and Jacob also become a couple.  So natural and affectionate; the only people not surprised are Darcy and Jacob themselves.  At the Olympics, a nasty homophobic outburst from the US crew infuses Adam and Patrick with fury, and they go on to win their event with a record margin.  Having become the toast of sports-mad Australia, and a symbol of hope in the fight against homophobia around the world, Adam and Patrick are married at the university in the full glare of international publicity.  ***** A few months later, Darcy and Jacob marry, and it is at their wedding that the two man, Peter Finche outs himself, and effectively ends his secret relationship with the three man, Richard Nation, who, from a deeply religious family group, is later coerced into marrying Stephanie Henning.  Stephen Wu, the stroke of The Eight, marries Annette Chin whilst at university because their families wanted to merge their businesses in Singapore.

Part 2 ‘After Uni’ Annette Wu is a serial gambler; she needs to fund her addiction and is eventually killed while driving a lover’s BMW and Stephen is left to raise his two children alone.  Andrew Price, the four man, has always been his best friend; he married Amanda, but has always been there for Stephen, helping with the children’s upbringing out of friendship and because Amanda refuses to give him children of his own.  The bond between them deepens over time.  Unbeknown to most, after the eventual failure of Andrew’s marriage, he and Stephen finally made up for lost time, and became a family.  ***** Peter Finche has his former lover dumped on his doorstep by his wife.  Richard is hugely overweight, depressed and suicidal, and the old group rally around to get him well again.  After months of hard, unrelenting work, Richard recovers and the old affair is re-kindled.  So much so that they marry shortly afterward.  ***** December 2029 and they all gather at Adam and Patrick’s farm, with their children.  Adam and Patrick have twin boys and twin girls by surrogacy; Lance and Angelo have adopted an African boy and girl; Darcy and Jacob have a daughter and son by surrogacy; whilst Peter and Richard have adopted a boy from an orphanage in China.  And Stephen and Andrew have Elizabeth and Claire, Stephen’s daughters who have ‘adopted’ Andrew.  ***** Australia that year had quietly morphed into a republic; the former Prime Minister had resigned and had been elected by the people as Australia’s first President.  A much-loved couple, he and his Indian partner Praveen joined the group for the annual reunion and the launch of the Dean’s book, the study of same-sex trends in Australia, called ‘Rhythm’.  Stephen uses the book launch to propose to Andrew.  And the Dean is presented with her case of Scotch. ***** But everyone forgot about the coxswain.  The guy who steers the boat.  Julian Mitchell, son of the coach, has been in London, doing his Master’s degree.  He introduces Paul, his English boyfriend!  And so, the circle is complete!   John Terry Moore *****