Hallowe’en fell on a Monday in 2016. At Brandon’s Boys group home, it was a busy time, not only that day, but the weekend before, with parties, with the boys working on their costumes and changing their minds about six times a day. When it was all over, on Tuesday morning, Aunt Barbara came to a decision. It was something she had been contemplating for some time. It was called retirement. She was now 60 years old. She loved the boys with whom she worked, but she no longer felt able to keep up the pace. Keeping up with a passel of elementary and secondary school boys was exhausting. Brandon paid well, and she had put aside a nice retirement package, so finances were not a problem. The problem was, she did not want to sever ties with Brandon and with the boys. But, well, Eric had been a downer, and the three new Wheatley boys deserved someone who had more energy to meet their needs. Hence, she decided to speak with Brandon. This was a Tuesday, and he was around. He had been around all through the previous Hallowe’en weekend in order to make certain all went well, and he had his class at the University on Tuesday afternoons.
Once all the older boys were safely shipped off to school, and the three new boys were busy in the library with their home schooling, Barbara asked Brandon to step aside, as she had something important to say to him. Brandon was astonished. He did not see Aunt Barbara as old. But she insisted. She was not feeling as well as she used to, and she could not get around as quickly as she used to, and she was always tired now-a-days. The boys deserved something better. Brandon immediately assured her that nothing and no one would be better than she, but still she insisted. She recommended that Aunt Anne – Anne Carter Payne – who was a spring chicken at 47, be asked to take her place as the live-in cook and housekeeper and so much more. The boys knew her, and that would make the transition so much easier on them. It was obvious that Aunt Barbara would miss the boys.
And so, Brandon took her seriously. He consulted with Anne Carter Payne, and found that she was now sufficiently settled with her own family that she would be willing to live at Brandon’s Boys. Her son, Greg, was now 29 and employed in a good job, as well as married with children. She would want time off to spend with her grandchildren. And her mother, thank goodness, was still in great health, and could see to the others when she was not there. So, yes, she would agree to take over the position of resident cook and housekeeper, and more importantly, boy keeper, at Brandon’s Boys. Aunt Barbara could still come in when she felt like it, and help out some, and keep in touch with the boys. She would be provided with a generous pension by Brandon.
But Aunt Barbara’s insistence on retiring as of the first of the calendar year caused Brandon to consider his own position. Brandon’s Boys, Inc., the group home for homeless and abused boys, grew out of a chance encounter with the original Daniel in the fall of 2008. That was eight years ago, now. Since then, Daniel I, Colby, Bobby I, Clarence, Leon, Gene, Spencer, Oliver, and Joe had ‘graduated’ from Brandon’s Boys. Some were more difficult than others. Some had more negative baggage to overcome than others. But all nine of those alumni of the program were great kids, and were doing well. Some were at the University, some at Madison Community College in vocational programs. Some had graduated, and were now gainfully employed, and were assets to the community. Some were gay, and some were straight. They had reacted positively to being given a fair chance in life, and were making something of themselves. Contemplating those boys gave Brandon a distinct sense of accomplishment, and reinforced his essential confidence that, given a fair chance, most people would respond in a positive manner.
Most, but not all. There was Eric. Eric was the failure who still bothered Brandon when he thought about him. Could they have done something more to make thing work out for Eric? In his more rational moods, Brandon realized that Eric was a lost cause long before he came to Brandon’s Boys. He had been so thoroughly indoctrinated by the members of the cult to which they belonged that he could never function in normal society. Not only Ken van Meter, but Aunt Barbara, and Zip Todd, and Lamar Todd, all told Brandon he had done all anyone could reasonably expect. Eric had simply refused to respond. It was the other boys who had voted to send Eric back to juvie. But he still felt bad about that.
As of the addition a few weeks ago of the three Wheatley brothers, there were now eleven boys living at the group home. Paco and Tony, at age 9, were the youngest, while Mike, a senior in high school, was the oldest. In order of their arrival, they were Mike, Freddy, Daniel II, Raman, Bobby II, Tom, Bert, Paco, and the three Wheatley boys. Contemplating all these boys, Brandon was suffused with a feeling of love. He loved all his boys. Not in the same way he loved his partner, Chris, of course, but he really loved them. He did not want to give them up.
But there was Chris. Christopher Denis Todd was now 25 years old. He and Brandon had been linked by strong bonds since the lad was 10, and those bonds simply became stronger as time passed. Brandon was convinced that he was simply ‘destined’ to be with Chris, and did not bother to investigate exactly what this meant. He and Chris were like two sides of the same coin, two pups in the same litter, two saplings of the same oak. They were in many ways so different, with Chris being outgoing and often outrageous, while Brandon was restrained, logical, ordered. But they fit together perfectly.
And Chris had been less than subtle lately in indicating that he would appreciate having Brandon around more. Brandon more or less divided his time between his partner out on the Farm and Clifton, where he taught his class as an adjunct professor of theater and where he tended to Brandon’s Boys and where he looked after their son, Christopher Todd Dowling. That was another major consideration. Young Chris was only 12. He would definitely have to be considered in any plans for the future. While Brandon spent his time more or less evenly divided between Clifton and the Todd Farm in Jouett County, where he shadowed Scott MacKenzie, the general manager, and where he enjoyed the company with his Chris, Chris was almost permanently resident on the Farm. He came into town for meetings of the Board of Brandon’s Boys, and for significant events in the life of their son, and for other special occasions, but for all practical purposes Chris was resident on Todd Farm, which he stood to inherit some day.
In addition to concern for young Chris, Brandon was also concerned for Brandon’s Boys. His personal review convinced him that they were doing important work. Those boys who had graduated and those still in the program had been rescued from a life of abuse and worse, from a life on the streets, from a life which was not only hard, but was essentially meaningless. And that was important. Brandon could not simply forget it. He could not stop helping. There were many more abused and needy and desperate boys. If, as he felt inclined to do, he stepped back from his intense involvement in Brandon’s Boys, and spent more time with his partner, then both little Chris and Brandon’s Boys had to be taken care of in some satisfactory manner.
After thinking about all this for several days, it was little Chris who brought it up for discussion. It was a week after Aunt Barbara had discussed her retirement. Once again, Brandon had put in his time teaching a very popular class in the theater program at the University. He was at home, next door to Brandon’s Boys, in the house at 1324 Chestnut where he and Chris and young Chris lived when in town, with the assistance of the cook and housekeeper, Aunt Luisa Chavez. After dinner, Chris approached his father cautiously.
“Dad, is something wrong?”
“Huh? What? No. Why do you think something might be wrong?” Brandon asked.
“Well, you did not say much at dinner, and I asked you three times about spending the night with Peter this weekend, and so far, all you’ve said is ‘We’ll see.’” Chris accused his father.
“Sorry, Son. I guess I do have something on my mind. What’s this about Peter?” Brandon asked, now paying attention.
Peter was Peter Schuyler van Meter, a son of Brandon’s friend Ken, the worker in the Children’s Welfare division of the city government, and a classmate of Chris’s and fellow member of the Sibyl Ludington Chapter of the CAR. They have become great friends.
In a thoroughly exasperated voice, Chris informed his father, “I told you three times. I want Peter to spend the night with me on Friday, and all day on Saturday. We are working on a project for the CAR Christmas float, and we need a lot of time together.”
‘Have you talked to Aunt Luisa?” Brandon asked, knowing that having another twelve year old in the house might be extra work.
“Sure. No problem,” Chris proclaimed. “Aunt Luisa knows Peter. He’s okay.”
“All right. I’ll stick around, just in case you guys decide to burn the house down. But you can tell Peter it’s okay for Friday and Saturday,” Brandon agreed.
“Thanks, Dad. Now, about your other problem ....” the boy continued.
“What other problem?”
“Well, I don’t know, do I? That’s part of the problem. But for days you have been just out of it. I mean, it’s like your body is here, but your mind is on Mars or something. What’s going on?” the boy insisted.
Brandon grinned. His son was really observant, and he appreciated that. “Okay, you’re right. I have something on my mind. You know that Aunt Barbara, next door, will be retiring as of the end of the year. That got me to thinking about my own situation. Chris wants me to spend more time out on the Farm, and I think I’d like that, too. So, that’s been on my mind a lot these last few days.”
‘Dad, you already retired once. I wasn’t around at the time, of course, but you did retire as an actor. How often are you planning to do this?” the boy asked.
Brandon grinned, then attacked his son. He tickled the boy, saying, “Are you making fun of your father?”
“Oh! Oh! Stop! Stop! I’m going to pee!” Chris yelled.
So, Brandon stopped. Chris did jump up and run to the nearest bathroom. But he soon returned to the fray. “That was evil, and did not answer my question, really.”
“What was that question again?” Brandon asked.
Chris gave an exasperated sigh. “What are you up to? Why have you been moping around here and not paying attention to ME?” the boy insisted.
Brandon grinned. “Okay, you deserve an answer, as this concerns you, too. I’ve been thinking of quitting at the University and cutting back on the time I spend with Brandon’s Boys. How would you like to live more or less permanently at the Farm?”
Chris screwed up his face in contemplation. Then he decided, “Nope. That won’t work.”
“Why not?” Brandon asked.
“Well, I’d like more time with the horses, but there are other things to consider. I’m at St. Rose, and I won’t be graduating for a while. I’m in CAR here. I’m in scouts here. I like the kids out at the Farm just fine, but most of my friends are here, so it’s a no go, Dad,” Chris proclaimed.
Up to that last part, Brandon had been preparing to respond about the school, the CAR chapter, and the scout troop in Jouett County, but he could not counter Chris’s assertion that most of his friends were in Clifton.
“Hmmm. What am I going to do with you?” Brandon teased.
“You could just go off with Dad Chris, and leave me here,” the twelve year old suggested.
“Oh, no. In less than a week, you’d drive Aunt Luisa over the edge. That won’t fly,” Brandon quashed that idea right away. He considered. “There are two possibilities, assuming I did spend most of my time on the Farm. One is your mother, and the other is your grandparents.”
“No, not Mom. Please,” Chris responded.
“Why not?”
“Because that would mean I’d be living with Sandy,” Chris announced. Sandy was his elder half-sister. “Sandy is evil. She always tries to persecute me.”
“Persecute you? How?” Brandon asked.
“She acts like she knows everything, and is always telling me what to do. She totally ruined my last CAR meeting by just taking over and deciding what our float would be and telling me what I should be doing and not doing. She does that a lot. She’s a total dictator,” the boy asserted.
Brandon suspected a bit of sibling rivalry there, but he decided not to push the issue. “What about your grandparents?”
As Brandon’s father was dead, and he had no contact with his mother, that meant the Todds. Biologically speaking, young Chris was the son of Brandon Dowling and Helen Todd, sister of Chris Todd.
“Oh, Grandma and Grandpa would be great,” Chris decided. “But, you won’t leave me all alone, will you?” the boys asked, some insecurity coming out.
“No, of course not. Chris and I will be at the Farm. I’ll still come into town, just like Chris does now. There will be meetings of the Board, and family events, like your graduation from St. Rose, and just everyday visits. I just was thinking of spending more time on the Farm, not of abandoning you, Son.”
Brandon held our his arms, and Chris rushed into them. Father and son hugged.
“Okay. I guess I could do with less of you and more of Grandma and Grandpa, as long as we still were a family,” Chris decided.
And so, Brandon spoke with the people he regarded as his in-laws, his Chris’s parents and young Chris’s grandparents. They were delighted to think about having young Chris with them on a daily basis. Their home across the street, at 1327 Chestnut, was spacious, and, although they were always taking in what were called ‘strays,’ there was always room for one more. Young Chris already had a firm place in their hearts.
There was a room on the second floor of the house of Zip and Sandy Todd, across the street from the house of Brandon and Chris. This was a good sized room, 24 by 18 feet, with an en suite bathroom. It had been the room of Sandy’s grandmother for many years, but since the death of ‘Gran’ Sandy had not felt right about assigning it to anyone else. But, a grandson? That was something more than a mere guest or even a foster child. Chris was shown the room, and was delighted with the idea of having his own bathroom. Besides, he and his grandparents got along just fine. Of course, he dramatized the situation. If his fathers were going to abandon him, he proclaimed, wrist to forehead in melodramatic gesture, then he would gratefully accept the generosity of his grandparents. Brandon swatted his behind, but agreed to the arrangement.
But, even with Chris settled, there remained the matter of Brandon’s Boys. Brandon had no intention of simply pulling out. He had invested not only money, but passion and interest, in the boys and the program. Boys needed help. And so, he gave considerable thought to the possibilities of drawing back. He never considered abandoning the commitment entirely. Rather, he thought about something like his partner’s present situation. He would remain a member of the Board. He would come in for Board meetings and for significant events in the lives of the boys, such as graduation from high school. He would remain committed financially as much as at present. The boys need never fear having no future, no support, either now or after high school. Brandon’s boys were his boys.
But, in addition to the change from Aunt Barbara to Aunt Anne as the resident cook and housekeeper, and, in effect, the mother-in-residence, there would have to be someone to take his place as the father-in-residence. Someone who would be available on an on-going basis to advise the boys, listen to their problems, and encourage them when they felt down.
Brandon gave a good deal of thought to this aspect of the situation. He listened to the boys when they talked about him, and about the people they liked and did not like. Over time, one possibility presented itself. That was Ben Spalding.
Benedict Joseph Spalding was now 38 years old. He was a practicing psychologist, and the person who had interested himself in the affairs of Brandon’s Boys more or less from the beginning. He was also gay, and that gave him a special insight into the issues which led to the rejection of many of the boys who came under Brandon’s care. He was the counselor who met with all the boys when they came to Brandon’s Boys, and helped them cope with the issues which had landed them there in the first place. He was also a member of the Board of Brandon’s Boys.
In addition, Ben had a committed partner. This was Gabriel Valderama. While Ben was a Ph.D. and a so-called professional, Gabriel was a plumber. He was a very good plumber, and took great pride in his abilities in that field. Ben fully appreciated his partner. They had been together in one form or another since high school. He knew that Gabriel was just as fulfilled and just as complete a human being as he. While society might make a distinction between a ‘professional man’ and a ‘manual worker,’ they were both doing what they liked, and what their natural talents indicated. And so they lived in considerable harmony in an apartment building not far from Brandon’s Boys called the Kenilworth. Ben had been, from the outset, one of the most understanding and helpful members of the Board of Brandon’s Boys.
Several years ago, Ben and Gabriel had themselves taken in a troubled teenager named Martin John Sotomayor. That was in 2006. Martin had since graduated from the University, and had a job with the Social Welfare Department of the City, helping others like himself. He also was involved in a serious relationship with his own partner, Tris Caldicott, and the two of them had set up in an apartment of their own.
All things considered, when Brandon decided to go ahead with the project of withdrawing from the day-to-day affairs of Brandon’s Boys, it seemed like Ben would be the best choice of someone to be available to the boys on an on-going basis. Hence, he discussed the matter with Ben during the month of November, especially after reaching a tentative agreement with his son. As it happened, Ben was also considering his role in Brandon’s Boys. He was quite upset by his failure to achieve any results with young Eric Raglan last spring. As a result, he was determined to do more for troubled boys. Brandon thus caught him at an appropriate time.
Discussions ranged over a multitude of topics, but essentially Brandon wanted Ben to take his place as the man on the spot when boys had problems. He promised continued financial support, and continued personal involvement, but at a reduced level, as he would be living at the Farm with his partner, Chris, not in town next door to the boys.
When Brandon also mentioned the plan for young Chris to live with his grandparents, the matter of the future of the house at 1324 Chestnut, next door to Brandon’s Boys group home, was raised. One of the items discussed was the possibility that Brandon would rent that house to Ben and Gabriel. That would secure the position of Aunt Luisa as well. Maria Luisa Chavez was also getting on in years, but without the stress of dealing with energetic boys every day, she was quite content to continue serving as cook and housekeeper for some time yet.
And so, an agreement was worked out. When the current academic year came to an end in May of 2017, Brandon would cease to be an adjunct professor of theater, and would move more or less permanently to the Todd Farm in Jouett County. He would continue on the Board of Brandon’s Boys, and his name would continue to be that of the organization. The boys would continue to have a regular connection with Todd Farm and the horses. Some of them would work there in the summers, and all of them would experience the healing relationships which horses could impart. If any of them, like Raman or Daniel II, exhibited a special attraction to the horses, that, too, would be encouraged as before. But Brandon would retire from his day-to-day involvement in Brandon’s Boys which had been part of his life for so many years.
To take up the slack, Ben Spalding would increase his involvement. He and Gabriel would rent the Dowling house next door to Brandon’s Boys, and would be available on an on-going basis. As the boys seemed to be more or less equally divided between those whose future goals involved a university education, and those who were more vocationally oriented, this worked out well, too. Gabriel could serve as a model for those interested in an artisan future, whereas Ben could act in the same capacity for those of a more professional bent. Most importantly, both of them agreed to be available to the boys. Moreover, their adopted son, Martin Sotomayor, became involved, and agreed to also serve as role model and confident to Brandon’s boys. He was now working for Social Welfare, and might become professionally involved with such boys in the future. He would know where to refer difficult cases.
Aunt Luisa would remain as cook and housekeeper at the Dowling house after Ben and Gabriel moved in. Aunt Anne took over the primary role in the house next door, but Aunt Barbara would show up for time to time, simply because she was hooked. She liked the boys, and she liked the work being done there, so she would stay around, but on a volunteer basis, as she felt up to it.
Young Chris Dowling moved into the room assigned him at his grandparents’ place across Chestnut Street. He continued at St. Rose of Lima Parochial School, at his CAR chapter, and at his scout troop. But he saw his dads most weekends. Either one or the other or both of them came into Clifton, or he went out to the Farm. Chris was, after all, an enthusiastic horseman. By spring, he was training for entrance into a long list of competitions during the up-coming season.
Brandon Dowling informed Peter O’Grady, the Chairman of the Department of Theater at the University, that he would no longer be available as a faculty member after the current academic year. He did this prior to the Christmas holidays, thus giving Peter plenty of time to adjust class schedules for the following fall term. Brandon had enjoyed being a teacher, but it was not his primary interest. That was Chris Todd, which would now absorb more and more of his attention.