The last dinner guests at the Haslet estate left by midnight. It was a pleasant evening and Bo enjoyed himself in spite of Sandy's needling. He and his father-in-law had a friendly chat and arranged to have lunch Monday at the Four Seasons. Bo thought Mary Ellen acted strangely the entire evening. She was still rearranging her suitcases in the sitting room long after Bo fell asleep in the bedroom.
The following morning Bo was up early, dressed and left for New York before anyone was awake. He knew that Mary Ellen and her family would not awaken before ten. Assuming the late hour Mary Ellen retired; she would most likely sleep in until noon. He made it back to the office in Manhattan by nine and immediately began work on the case he had to have ready for his meeting Monday morning.
He broke for lunch and was fixing a sandwich in the kitchen when the telephone rang. It was Mary Ellen on the other end. "Hi, sweetie, how do you feel this morning?" Bo asked.
"You didn't you say you were leaving so early. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye."
"Mary Ellen, I told you when I turned in last night that I would be leaving early this morning."
"Did you have a chance to talk to Father and Sandy last night?"
"No, but your dad invited me to lunch tomorrow. Do you know what that is all about?"
"He did say something about a partnership with the firm, but he didn't go into detail," Mary Ellen said.
"Now everything makes sense. Sandy was pressing me about the ITM Communications case that I'm handling. Maybe that has something to do with it. I'll try and call you Tuesday night and let you know what he had to say. Are you all packed?"
"Yes, thanks, I finally took mother's advice and decided to take another large bag. They're calling me for brunch, dear, I'll call you from the airport before we board our flight tomorrow.
"That was a great party Saturday night," Bo said. "I'm sorry I had to leave so early on Sunday. I needed to finished up on a new case that I had to present this morning. I don't have to tell you what's that's like."
"I don't envy you at all, Bo," Stewart Haslet said. I wanted to get together with you to talk about your joining the family firm. You're a member of the family and I think it's only fitting that you join the family firm. It doesn't look good to have my son-in-law working for the competition. Sandy and I have put together a package that we feel is fair and equitable. You have a very good record of accomplishment with the Taylors and I feel we can come up with a package that will top any package they offered you.
"What Sandy and I are proposing is to make you a equal partner in five years. We are willing to offer you a salary of $150,000 per annum with a stock option plan and percentage of any new business you bring into the firm. Naturally, all the benefits of car and unlimited expense account and a benefits package is included. Frankly, I think you and Sandy will make a great team. You don't have to give me your answer right away, but I would like to know the answer before you join Mary Ellen in Europe."
"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me to offer me this opportunity. I'm sure you spent a lot of time putting this offer together. I always respected you as a lawyer and as my father-in-law. I'm sorry Stewart, but I must respectfully decline your offer. I also feel you are wrong about my working for the competition. Your clients are not going to abandon your firm because I'm working for the competition. My loyalty and my future are with the Taylors and I have no intention of leaving. Mary Ellen is my wife. When we married, she took my name. If your family had any objections to my working with another firm you should have voiced your objections at the time."
"That's commendable and I admire your loyalty to the Taylors. My offer is not etched in stone, why don't you tell me what it will take to come with us?"
"You don't want to know, Stewart. Let's just leave it at that and part friends."
"I'm afraid I can't, Bo. As I said, we are taking this matter of your working for Taylor very seriously. We want you to join the firm and I want to know what it's going to take to get you."
Bo's face turned red with anger. He took a few deep breaths and a sip of wine before answering. "Let's get something straight, Stewart. I don't owe you or Sandy anything. I married your daughter, not your family. Maybe it would be better that I lay it out for you. If Sandy were not my brother-in-law, I would have decked him Saturday night for asking me for inside information on a case my firm is defending. In my opinion, Sandy is inept and unethical. I dislike him and I feel he is incompetent and I could never work with him. Secondly, we at Taylor do not consider you a serious competitor. If I did agreed to come on board, Sandy would have to resign. Secondly, I would expect my name would be added as an equal partner. Thirdly, I would expect a guaranteed salary of one million dollars a year and fifty percent of the stock on my first year anniversary. When you retire, the other fifty percent will be placed in a trust for Mary Ellen and our children."
"You certainly think highly of your talents, Bo. You're out of your mind if you think I would ever agree to those terms."
"I never thought you would, Stewart. I also would not have accepted your offer if you had. You may not feel I have the talent, or the brains to run your company, but the Taylors feel otherwise. I've worked hard to get where I am today, and have earned the respect of my associates and contemporaries. I have increased my firm's business by forty percent in the last four years. My fifth year with the firm is up in three months. On my fifth anniversary, I will take over control of the firm and will be running Taylor Law firm. When that happens, the firm will be renamed Taylor, Richmond & Associates."
"Oh, so Dusty Senior is stepping down and letting you and Dusty run the firm?" Steward asked.
"Wrong again, Uncle Dustin will be Chairman of the Board of both firms, but is turning over the two firms to Dusty and me to run. Dusty takes over control of the Industrial operations and I will be running the Law firm."
"That interesting, so it's Uncle Dustin now. You certainly are in strong with Taylors."
"They are two of the finest people on the planet and they have treated me as one of the family. Dusty and I have been close friends since college. We're more like brothers than friends."
"We too are a close knit family," Stewart said. "Sandy and Mary Ellen have always been close. They are the ones that are pushing this. They are concerned about what their friends think about you working for the competition. It's been a thorn in the family's side for some time and we have never been happy with your close ties with the Taylors. I didn't realize until today, how much you disliked Sandy. You've hidden it well. I'm sure that Mary Ellen is not aware of this either. Even if he were not a factor, I have the feeling that your sympathies would still be with the Taylors. I would probably do the same thing if I were in your shoes."
"Now for the unpleasant news, Bo," Stewart said. "Mary Ellen is seeking an annulment."
"What! I don't believe this," Bo took a few minutes to regain his composure before he spoke. "You're telling me that Mary Ellen cares more about my job than she does about our marriage?"
"The marriage was contingent on your joining the company," Stewart answered. "Mary Ellen feels strongly about you joining the firm. That's why I pressed you so strongly. I'm sorry it has to be this way, Bo."
"For Christ's sake, Stewart, I still don't believe this. I'm beginning to think Mary Ellen needs a psychologist. There is definitely something wrong with her brain. Did our marriage mean so little to her that she is willing to throw it away because I refuse to join the family business? Bo shook his head, "I'm disappointed that our marriage had to end this way. But you know, Stewart, as sad as this is, it's better that I know now Mary Ellen's true feelings towards me than to find out later after we started raising a family."
"I'm sorry to vent my anger on you, Stewart. You've always been a gentleman and I respect you as a lawyer. It really is pointless to prolong this any further. I feel I've lived up to my part of our marriage contract. She can have her annulment. I'll agree to a non-contested divorce and I'll sign the papers to that effect. Let's get this over with as soon as possible. I'll have my housekeeper pack up Mary Ellen's things and contact your butler when he has them ready. What more can I say, other that goodbye."
As they walked out of the restaurant Bo said, "Thanks for lunch, Stewart. The next lunch is on me after this has blown over. There is no reason why we can't remain friends."
"That's a date, Bo. I'll contact you when I have the papers put together."
After returning to his office, Bo called his Uncle Dustin to ask if he could catch a ride home with him that evening. He then called Franklin, his houseman. He told him about his divorce and instructed him to change the combination for the security system and the locks. When that was completed, he was to ship his wardrobe to Taylor Manor, keeping just enough of his wardrobe on hand to last for a week, with suits on hand for emergency visits. He instructed him to call Stewart Haslet and arrange to transfer Mary Ellen's personal effects to Connecticut. They could remove his personal effects from the Haslet Estate at the same time. He informed Franklin he was moving back into Taylor Manor.
Uncle Dustin was waiting for Bo outside the Madison Avenue entrance to his office at six thirty. Bo greeted him and sat next to him in the back seat. "Would you close the window, Uncle, we need to talk," Bo said. Senior pushed the button that closed the window.
"What's up, Bo. You look like hell."
Bo related the story about his luncheon meeting with Stewart Haslet. His Uncle shook his head, "I've told you that family was wacky. No wonder you look beat. This must be stressful for you."
"It is. It took me completely by surprise. I thought Mary Ellen was acting strange for the past few weeks, but I attributed it to her last minute jitters over her trip to Europe. I think my pride has suffered more than anything else. If I didn't have such a heavy work load right now, I'd take some time off."
"Bo, listen to me, I want you to move back home with us. Keep your penthouse for emergencies. The kids will keep your mind off your troubles. The place has not been the same since you moved out. We all miss you."
"Thanks, Uncle Dustin, I've already decided to do just that. I should have never left. Don't mention this to Dusty, I'll tell him when we're at Disney World."
The limo dropped Bo off next to the Taylor Corporate jet. The flight attendant took his luggage as Bo boarded the plane. He walked back to the large private compartment, removed his suit coat, and hung it in the closet. He stretched out on the lounge to wait for Dusty's arrival. He knew the traffic would be bumper-to-bumper this time of day.
Bo awoke to the sound of the aircraft engines starting and saw Dusty seated on the lounge across from him.
"Hi. You looked so peaceful sleeping there, I didn't want to wake you," Dusty said. "It's nice to gaze on your handsome face once again. Hey, I think it's great you could break away and join us. Would you like a glass of wine?"
"Why not, let's start off our vacation right."
"Be back in a minute, I want to make sure the troops are settled down. Incidentally, I've added a female bodyguard to our group. I didn't like the idea of the nanny taking the girls into the restrooms alone. It was never a problem with the boys with their bodyguards.
"Do you have a preference in wine today?" Dusty asked.
"I'll have my usual Merlot and soda, thanks."
Dusty was back in twenty minutes carrying a tray of hors d'oeuvres, a bottle of Merlot, soda and wine glasses. He set the tray down on the table that Bo had folded out from the concealed panel in the wall.
Dusty raised his wine glass, "To us. May our next ten years be as great as our last decade."
Bo touched his glass to Dusty's, "Amen to that."
Bo smiled, "I hope you didn't leave a mess for me to clean-up in South America this time. How did the trip go?"
"The trip was a huge success and I was fantastic as always. I left a few loose ends for you to take care of, but it will be a piece of cake for you. However, I strongly suggest you take along a few of your bright assistants to help you out."
"I knew it. I'm not even going to ask what you got us into this time."
"Hey, it's about time you earned the big salary you're paying yourself."
Bo smiled, "listen, you little nerd. For the job I'm doing I'm being grossly underpaid. The only reason I turned down Stewart's offer is to keep your ass out of hot water."
"Oh, fraternizing with the enemy again. The minute my back is turned you socialize with our competition. I hope you gave my warmest regards to the Clown-Prince?"
"Sorry, I forgot. As a matter of fact, Stewart took me out for a high powered lunch at the Four Seasons two weeks ago."
"Wow. Sounds like some serious apple polishing to me," Dusty chided.
"Pretty high stakes from the Haslet's point of view. I hate to admit it, but you were right about that family all along. Stewart gave me a choice. Either I resign from Taylor and join Haslet, or lose Mary Ellen."
"Christ, Bo. I can't believe the stakes would be that steep, or that Mary Ellen would have any part in something that contemptible. You're pulling my leg. This is a joke, right?"
Bo's tone was serious, "It's true, Dusty. I signed the divorce papers on Friday. For your information, my adoring mother-in-law and that snake in the grass, Sandy, orchestrated this. They felt I was working for the competition and they were jealous of my strong ties to your family."
"I'm so sorry, Bo. I thought something was amiss the last time you and Mary Ellen dropped by to see the children. However, I had no idea it was this serious. It may seem unsympathetic on my part, yet I'm delighted you're rid of Mary Ellen and that lowbrow family of hers. Her grandfather was a crook and bilked many poor people out of their hard-earned savings. That's one of the reasons my family never had anything to do with them socially."
"Why didn't you or your dad tell me about this before?"
"Hey, I may be a lot of things but I'm not a scandalmonger. Why should Mary Ellen be punished for the sins of her family?" Dusty smiled, "I feel sorry for her in a way. Her mother and Sandy have bent her to their wills. My guess is that they talked her into marrying you from the beginning."
Bo chuckled, "You're something else. In any event, I've moved my things back into my old room. I sincerely hope that you have not gotten out of hand since I've been gone. I'd hate to have to hogtie your sorry ass to the bed again. Franklin has cleaned out all of Mary Ellen's things last week. Now we both have someplace to flop if we have to stay in town."
"Pardon me for prying, but didn't you notice a change in Mary Ellen's attitude long before this. This had to have been festering there for some time."
"It's a long story, Dusty. There's a lot I've not told you about my marriage and I'm not ready to talk about it right now. I promise to tell you everything but in my own time. I feel as if a great weight has been lifted off my back and it feels good."
"I'm glad you're back, Bo, life hasn't been the same without you. I'll always be here for you, Bo, and you don't have to explain anything, you know that."
Bo smiled, "Thanks, Dusty."
"Dad never said a word about a divorce. That explains why he asked me to break the good news to you while we were on vacation. I guess he felt you would need some cheering up about now."
"Anyway, Dad called me Tuesday night to tell me that he plans to announce our promotions in two months. He has our new contracts ready for signatures. He wants to meet with us when we return next week to close the deal. He goes public with it at his retirement party. Yours truly will be in charge of everything. It's going to be a spectacular event. Haslets eat your hearts out."
"This is wonderful news. I must call your dad tonight and thank him." Bo looked serious, "I owe you so much, Dusty, you've made all this happen". He hugged him, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. After the party, you and I are taking a well-deserved vacation. We're taking a month off and will be spending the first week at Paradise Island to unwind. Then, two weeks jetting around South America. We'll make a few stops here and there to check on some business. Then we fly back to Paradise Island to spend the last week with Dad and the kids. How does that grab you, handsome?"
Bo smiled, "It sounds wonderful, just like old times. You're right, we'll both need a vacation. Not that I have a suspicious nature or anything, but, this sounds like a classic Dusty move. This trip wouldn't have anything to do with skipping that banquet in Germany with Erich, would it?"
Dusty chuckled, "How could you even think such a thing?"
"I thought so. I know the way that mind of your works?" Bo laughed.
Dusty, his father, and Bo, were all having a nightcap in the living room of Bo's Manhattan penthouse. "Well, Dusty, you did it again, that was a wonderful retirement party," his dad said. "I really enjoyed myself. I'm very proud of you two and I feel confident that the Taylor Corporation is in competent hands."
"Thanks, Dad, if it weren't for your help I would still be struggling."
"I've two wonderful benefactors to thank," Bo said. "I know you have heard this all before, but I can't thank you enough. If it wasn't for Dusty's support way back when, I would not be sitting here today. I'm proud to be associated with you two and to be accepted as a member of the Taylor family. You two are incredible people."
"We gave you the opportunity, Bo, but you're the one that made it happen," Senior said. "I would not have promoted you to a Managing Partner unless you had the ability. Well I'm going to hit the sack. If I don't see you in the morning, have a wonderful vacation and I'll see you in three weeks." He hugged them both and left.
"Well, Bo, I'm bushed; I'm going to hit the sack myself. Do you want me to wake you at six?"
"Please do, I'm right behind you as soon as I set the alarm and turn off the lights."
Dusty and Bo were finishing dinner at the Yacht Club restaurant. "That was the most relaxing week I've spent in a long time, Dusty. Next time reserve the yacht for the entire vacation. It was blissful to walk around in shorts all day and to be spoiled like that. It's nice not to have to answer telephones, or to read a stack of reports. It was so peaceful sitting on deck reading without a care in the world. You know it reminded me of our townhouse in Athens. We must do this more often."
"Yes, it was great not having to share you with anyone else," Dusty said smiling. Bo grinned and shook his head. "Actually Dad is the one that suggested the private yacht. He thought we both needed to get away from everything and everyone for the first week. After we finish our coffee, how would you like to hit one of the nightclubs for a change. I spoke to that cute bell captain earlier and he said the Bird in the Hand was a real nice cruising place for both straights and gays. Maybe we can both score tonight. What do you say, lover?"
"Sure, it's early and I did promise to be your escort," Bo said.
The nightclub was a first class watering hole. There was a jazz group playing in the main lounge when they arrived in the club. The cocktail lounge was off to the side of the main room. The room was tastefully decorated and quite unusual. Both the room and the bar were circular. The room was completely enclosed with floor to ceiling, one-way glass. They had illuminated the room with key accent lighting and each table was candle lit. The chairs were leather upholstered stuffed chairs. The lounge also had a separate jazz quartet entertaining the patrons. Bo and Dusty sat at the bar. They struck up a conversation with a young married couple who were celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary. Bo was engrossed in the conversation with the couple while Dusty struck up a conversation with an attractive young man seated next to him. After the young couple left, Bo joined in the conversation with Dusty and the young man. After a few minutes Bo said, "It was nice meeting you, but Dusty and I have to run along." He turned Dusty's chair around "C'mon, baby, were leaving."
As they were walking back to their condominium, Dusty asked, "Why did you give that guy the cold shoulder and rush me out of there. He was interested in me, for goodness sake."
"I didn't like the way he was coming on to you. He was much too aggressive. I'll bet the guy is a hustler. Do you think I'd let you go home with a guy like that?"
"Bo, I think you're over reacting. Everyone on this island is carefully screened I don't think that guy was a hustler."
"Look, baby, I don't want to see you get hurt and I got bad vibes from that guy. Trust me," Bo said. "I didn't like the way he had his hand on you. He was out of bounds. I'm surprised you let him paw you like that."
"To tell you the truth, I wasn't even aware that he was touching me. He said he was a pediatrician and we were talking about some of the new medications that have been developed for children. He was a very interesting guy. If I didn't know better I would think you were jealous."
They walked into the lobby of their building and took the elevator up to their floor. Dusty entered in the code to open the door. Inside, he punched in the code on the alarm as Bo closed the door behind them. Bo walked up to Dusty, took him in his arms, and kissed him tenderly. He held him, pressing him close to his body. "I'm in love with you, Dusty, and I didn't want any guy touching you from now on."
Dusty put his arms around Bo's neck and pulled him to him, kissing him passionately. "They won't as long as I have you. Do you know how long I've waited to hear you say you love me?"
Bo put his arm around Dusty's waist and led him into the bedroom. He took his time undressing Dusty until he was standing before him naked. "You are breathtakingly beautiful." He caressed him tenderly and kissed him. Dusty slowly undressed Bo and led him over to the king-size bed. They explored each other's body and made love, falling asleep wrapped in each other's arms.
The sun was streaming in the windows when Bo awoke. Dusty was asleep nestled next to him. He kissed him on the cheek and lifted Dusty so that he was lying on top of him and began rubbing his back. Dusty moaned softly and opened his eyes. He kissed Bo and forced his tongue deep into his mouth, exciting Bo even more. Shortly, Dusty and Bo brought each other to climax.
When their breathing returned to normal, Bo said, "God, you're sexy, my love. Dusty, will you marry me?"
He could feel Dusty's body shaking, "What's wrong, baby?" He lifted Dusty's head and saw he was crying. The tears were rolling down his face. He licked them away and smothered him with kisses. "It's all right, sweetheart, you cry as long as you want. We have all the time in the world now.. They both drifted off to sleep again.
Dusty woke up still wrapped in Bo's strong arms. He made a move to disengage himself, but Bo tightened his grip on him. "Where do you think you're going?" Bo asked, as he kissed Dusty lightly on the lips.
Dusty kissed him on the forehead, "I have to empty my bladder and take a shower. I don't want to wet the bed, as much as I would love to lie on this hot, sexy body of yours all day."
"A shower sounds like a good idea. I'll join you," Bo said. "That is unless you've become modest all of a sudden."
"You've got to be kidding. If I were, that ended last night. How could I be modest after you've explored ever inch of my body. I just hope I can pee looking at that thing of yours hanging there in front of me."
Bo laughed as he followed Dusty into the bathroom, "You better get used to it sweetheart, because you're going to be seeing it every day from now on". They climbed into the shower and washed each other. The process took much longer than usual because of the hugging and kissing. They dressed in shirts and shorts and headed out to the kitchen for breakfast. Dusty prepared breakfast while Bo squeezed the orange juice and set the table on the patio for breakfast.
Dusty fixed each dish and carried them out to the table. He sat down and said grace. Bo reached across the table and took Dusty's hand. "Before we start, I would like to know your answer to my proposal last night. Will you marry me?"
"My God, Bo, I accepted you this morning before I broke down. I thought I shouted it loud enough for our neighbors to hear?"
"Baby, you didn't say a word; all you did was cry. Why do you think I'm asking you now?"
Dusty looked into Bo's big blue eyes, "Of course I'll marry you and I will be proud to be your partner for the rest of our lives. You have been in my heart since we first met in the fraternity house and my love for you has grown stronger every year since. I guess the emotional shock was just too much for my nervous system to absorb at one time. Right now, I'm on cloud nine and my feet have not touched the ground. I've never been so happy."
Bo smiled, "Thank you, my love, you've made my life complete." Bo poured champagne into the two glasses then raised his glass. "To my beautiful lover and spouse on this, the first day of our married life. May our marriage last and our love for each other continue to grow."
Dusty touched Bo's glass and took a sip of the wine. "To you, my handsome gentle giant, I will always love you and willingly give you my heart, my body and every worldly possession I have. With you at my side, I'm convinced we will be happy. We will walk hand in hand into eternity together."
Bo smiled and touched Dusty's glass. They emptied their glasses, reached across the table, and kissed. "Now we can eat this wonderful looking breakfast as our first meal as a married couple," Bo said and he stared lovingly into Dusty's eyes. "You look radiant this morning and more beautiful than you have for the past week."
Dusty smiled, "You bring out the best in me, Baby, or maybe it has something to do with all that love you've been feeding me?"
Bo laugh heartily, "If that's the case, I'll make sure the well never runs dry. What would like to do today?"
"First we'll make reservations at The Chateau for dinner. Then we'll walk along the beach until we find a secluded area where we can sunbathe and make out for a few hours. Then we're back here for lunch and a nap."
"Good thinking. You must have been reading my mind. I like the part about coming back here for lunch and a nap. We can't neglect our beauty treatments, right?
Bo packed a small bag with a large pump-up air mattress, bottled water, suntan lotion and beach towels. He changed into his beach wear and waited for Dusty to finish his call to New York. After Dusty had changed, they rented an electric car and headed for the beach. Parking the car, they walked along the beach until they found the spot they were looking for. Bo pumped up the air mattress and spread out the towels on the mattress. They applied lotion to each other and lay on their backs to tan.
"Was everything okay at home?" Bo asked.
"Dustin has a sore throat and lost his front tooth, but other than that everything is just fine. Looks like I'll have to head out to Brazil for a few days when I return, but that's par for the course."
Bo reached over and took Dusty's hand. "I'm really a lucky guy, I don't know what I would have done if you'd married what's-his-name. You've missed out on a lot of years of loving baby, but I plan to make up for the lost time from now on." "I'm curious, when did you realize you were attracted to me in a sexual way?" Dusty asked.
"It really started when we separated. I never realized just how much our lives were intertwined. It struck me when I began to live alone. We really had a unique life together when you think about it. How many people do you know that can not only work together, but live together seven days a week for over nine years and still get along. Frankly, I had a tough time adjusting. It would have been much worse if I didn't work with you and your dad every day. It was a traumatic experience for all of us. God, Dusty, we were a family."
"The trouble was I was very confused after our sexual experience that last night of our vacation, before I moved into my penthouse in Manhattan. Not because it was wrong, or anything like that, but because of the nagging doubts I had about myself. I liked having sex with you. I've never had sex with another adult male before. After that, I decided to see a psychiatrist. You see, I couldn't accept being a homosexual. I wanted to marry Mary Ellen and have children. As much as I loved you, your dad and the children, I didn't want to live that kind of a life style. It was totally against everything I believed. With the doctor's help, I convinced myself that the feelings I had for you were temporary in nature and would change after I became more involved in an ongoing relationship with Mary Ellen. The doctor encouraged me to spend more free time with her and less time with you and the family."
"Initially my heavy work schedule and the social activities that Mary Ellen had planned for me kept me busy. I was not able to dwell on our separation too long. However, that was all to change shortly after my marriage. Gradually, things started to change for the worse in our marriage. Mary Ellen changed. She wasn't the same woman I courted. I was exposed to a very different woman. She made it quite clear to me that socially I was beneath her and that it would take years for me to raise to her social level. After all, I came from generations of low class dirt farmers. She thought she would use my humble beginnings to whip me into shape. That attitude was in response to my unwillingness to drop everything to participate in her rounds of social events that consumed our time in the beginning."
"I quickly tired of the never-ending rounds of parties, the endless dinner parties, the nightclub hopping. I longed for the quite evenings we spent together. I couldn't keep up the hectic pace. I still had hours of work. My studies and my work were starting to suffer. After three months, I stopped it all and laid the law down. I could only party on Friday and Saturday night. If she wanted to party that was her business. I wanted no part of it. You'll never know how many times I wanted to be with you and the kids. My life with Mary Ellen was not as wholesome when compared to the times we spent together over the years."
"I yearned for those times once again. I knew that I was in love with you after that trip to Disney World with you and the kids. I finally accepted the fact that I was a latent homosexual. It was time to face you, to explain how I felt about you. You don't know how many times I wanted to approach your father to tell him the truth. However, I had to be sure about myself. Do you understand, Baby?"
"Of course I understand. It's not easy to come out of the closet so late in life. You know I felt the changes in our relationship. I felt a closeness with you that was not there before. You showed your affection in so many ways. I caught you staring at me, much more than ever before and I liked that feeling.
"Did you really think Dad would think any the less of you because you are gay. My God. Dad knows I'm in love with you and he's told me that he wished you had married me instead of Mary Ellen. You never convinced him that we weren't lovers for all those years. Sweetheart, I want to call Dad to let him know our good news."
"That's a good idea. Somehow, I don't think this will come as a big surprise to him. He had us all figured out from day one. We just didn't know it."