More Summer in NYC Part II
All of those in the West Village house were awake reasonably early the following morning, although Nick was the first out of bed; by the time the others made their way down to the kitchen, he was in the middle of baking a batch of fruit pies. He had already prepared cookies and meat pies, not to mention the cheesecakes and other delicacies that resided in the fridge. He knew what a sweet tooth his fellow Warblers had, and when he had seen the cooking apples and cherries reduced in the supermarket the previous day, he had formed a plan. Certainly the sweet smell that filled the kitchen made them all smile as they watched as he prepared French toast to go with the bacon sizzling in the skillet, and the fresh rolls and croissants he had already set out on the table. As for tomorrow morning at the beach house, his intention was to enlist some assistance from amongst his fellows, possibly Flint, who had asked him for a few pointers in the kitchen, and prepare pancakes, as they were simple to make and cook, and would satisfy everyone.
The plan for the day was simple; Thad would drive himself, Nick and the food up to Port Jefferson that morning, whilst everyone else would assemble at Penn Station at lunchtime, and catch the train out together. Thad would then meet the train at the station and carry as many people as he could in the people carrier to the beach house, given that the house was a little way out of the charming town. Whilst he was engaged in this, Nick would be hiding some of the food he had brought to ensure that there was some left for Sunday. There was also the fact that not everyone would be there that night. Sebastian had to be at the theatre, and although he could have taken a late train after the second show, he had opted instead to catch an early one on Sunday morning. He would be accompanied by Skylar, who had chosen to work a shift at the diner to help out Michelle; he wasn't that keen on drunken parties. He had seen the worst of it through an uncle that had always been drinking at family gatherings, and things had never ended well, and so he was averse to that kind of event. In fact, he rarely drank alcohol at all, apart from maybe a glass of wine with a meal.
Amongst those joining the lunchtime exodus from Penn were Connor and Louis, who would be heading in from the west by train. Mitch and Gabriel were travelling via a different route; they would take the ferry from Bridgeport, along with Cameron, and then take a taxi from the ferry terminal in Port Jeff to the beach house. They would actually be the first to arrive, if the train from Boston ran on time, and if Flora dropped Cameron off without any delay on the drive down from Vermont. The chances were though that someone would end up being delayed, either by signalling or canoodling, depending on who you were talking about…
When the time came to pack the car, Nick insisted that he and Thad do it alone, as he did not trust either of the other two not to help themselves to some of it as they carried it out. Thad was sore tempted himself by some of the things that he saw neatly packed into plastic boxes as it was, but he resisted the urge to try them as he back them away in the trunk, and on the back seats, and in the footwell of them in the end. His reward for his good behaviour was two of his favourite cookies - peanut and raisin oatmeal - as he took his seat at the wheel. They were gone long before they crossed the East River into Long Island. The traffic was heavy, the sun having brought out a lot of people for a trip, but it was still flowing slowly, not snarled up and stationery. It didn't take long in the end to leave the city behind and head out into the greener parts of Long Island.
After a quick stop in Port Jefferson to pick up chicken, steaks and sausages for the barbeque later, most of which ended up being piled onto Nick due to lack of other space, Thad followed his directions to the beach house. The road gradually became narrower, and eventually they found themselves at a set of gates. Nick pressed a button on the key fob he had in his pocket, and they swung open. Thad shook his head slightly at the kind of lifestyle such things indicated. He drove up to the house, and as he approached, his eyes nearly popped out of his head as he realised just how wonderful the place actually was.
He climbed out of the car first, allowing Nick to transfer the meat onto his seat and climb out himself. He opened the front door, and the two of them then commenced to empty the car again, carrying everything through to the kitchen, Nick ensuring that all the food was stored away correctly and safely in the fridge. Then he gave Thad the full tour of the house, leaving the older man in shock and disbelief as he realised just how perfect the place was. Arriving early did allow Thad to lay claim to a good bedroom; he opted for a smaller one, that he could share with David and a couple of the others. Then he was taken down to the beach, past the crystal clear waters of the pool, to stand in awe on the sands of the private, secluded cove.
"Don't ever repeat this," Thad whispered as he looked out to sea, "but I am so jealous of all of this. It is a dream come true that all of us have access to something like this, but in the end, it does belong to Jeff, and in many years time, the two of you could happily retire here…" Nick nodded, but couldn't think that far ahead; not when he had a flock of hungry Warblers to prepare for…
The moment that Thad left to head back to Port Jefferson to help bring the others up from the station, Nick began to hide the food that he could; the stuff that he could safely store away in a cupboard in the main, though there was a small fridge in the utility room that he moved some of the desserts to. He then began to prepare sandwiches, that he would place on platters and serve up later; he knew that in the aftermath of an afternoon in the sun, on either the beach or around the pool, no-one would be in the mood to cook - and by that he meant himself - and everyone would be hungry. He was making good progress when he heard the sound of car tyres pulling up on the gravel driveway, doors opening and closing, and then a voice that he recognised as Cameron saying "All of this! Good God!"
He couldn't help but chuckle as he placed the platter he had been working on to one side for a moment, then headed to the front door to welcome in the first three arrivals to the party. "I'm afraid that it is all of this, including the pool and the private beach out the back, Cam!" he said in greeting as he opened the door, making the older man blush at the fact that his words had been overheard. Nick smiled, and then went on, "Come in, and I will show you where you can find a room to crash out in later. I'm afraid that Thad has already claimed the smallest for himself and David. Then we can head into the kitchen to wait for the others to arrive. If you're all good, I won't put you on sandwich making duty." He escorted them through the hallway, ignoring the gasps of surprise as they made their way up the grand staircase. He chose to show them to a room that could easily accommodate five, as that would allow Connor and Louis to crash out there too, a sensible arrangement given that they were closest in age to them.
By the time that the others arrived form the station, all three of them had volunteered to help Nick with the last of the sandwich making; as Gabriel said, it was not a hassle at all, given that they would be helping to consume them later after all. It had also given them a chance to have a catch up on what was going on in each other's lives; as a result, Cameron inevitably got the worst of it, as he was being repeatedly questioned about the nature of his relationship with Flora. Gabriel knew that they had to be close, given the way that he had seen the two of them kissing when she had dropped him off at the ferry terminal.
With a sigh, Cameron said, "Okay, I admit it, we are very close. The moment that I met her I knew that she was the someone that I wanted to be close to for the rest of my life, if she felt the same way. She is smart, witty, beautiful and best of all, she doesn't care about the dark days of my past. Then there is the fact that she lives in a wonderful part of the world; I had never been to Vermont before now, but I have to say that I think it has to be the most attractive part of our nation, at least on this coast. The whole ethos and lifestyle up there is much more laid back. Yeah, we are all working so hard at the moment to bring all of those old, semi-derelict buildings back into use, but there is still a finishing time every day, and we still get to enjoy ourselves. I have to admit that her moms were a bit wary of me at first, which is as it should be; that is how any parent would feel about their daughter's new boyfriend. We are getting on great now, though; in fact, they've invited my parents up for a visit…" He stopped to swat playfully at Mitch, who had started to hum the Wedding March. "You can joke, but I would be quite happy to marry her someday, once we have both finished at school. Anyway, changing the subject, how is life living with Mitch, Gabriel? Does his snoring keep you up all night?"
"It used to, but I have gotten used to that by now…" started Gabriel.
"We sleep in next door rooms and the walls are paper thin!" interjected Mitch. "Do not even attempt to go there Cameron!" Nick couldn't help but start laughing at the interchange, as Gabriel went red as he realised he had fallen into a trap…
The descent of an entire flock of Warblers meant that the conversation was postponed. Voices were raised in greeting from the hallway, and all four of them went out to greet the new arrivals. The hallway quickly descended into a scene of unorganised chaos, as everyone greeted each other warmly, until Thad, who had been watching from the doorway with David, pulled Mr Bangy out of his pocket, and rapped the gavel hard on the door jamb, getting silence at once from everyone but Jeff, who scolded him about his paintwork. Nick smiled and shook his head, then told those that had just arrived that he would show them to the unclaimed bedrooms, or to the spots that had already been chosen for them. Jeff nodded in agreement, then stated he would head to the sitting room, where they could all meet up after everyone was settled in.
As they split up, Thad stopped David going with them. "I have already grabbed us a room, and told Nick that Jasper and Brad can share with us. Let us take this opportunity to move our special soda out of the trunk of the people carrier, and squeeze it in to the fridge…"
David nodded in agreement, and leaving his overnight bag in the hall, he went back out to help Thad with the boxes. It didn't take long, and soon the two of them were in the kitchen, rearranging the contents of the fridge a little to fit in all the bottles. Thad decided that the best place to put it all was in the drawers at the bottom. It meant that their contents had to be moved up to a higher shelf, but it would be okay; Nick would understand. Just to ensure that, Thad moved the platters of sandwiches into the fridge too, placing them under the stuff from the drawers. This done, Thad guided David upstairs, this time ignoring the bedlam as people tried to decide who was sharing with who.
Back in the kitchen, everything looked good, as if no-one had disturbed anything. Nick would assume that the sandwiches had been placed in the fridge, but would not check on them. In reality, things were far from okay; in fact, the Head Warbler and his best friend had just made a serious error; one that could potentially turn out to have fatal consequences…
Once everyone had been allocated with a room to sleep in that night, had been given a full guided tour of the house by Jeff, and had been provided with drinks and snacks by Nick, they all moved without any hesitation to the beach, having changed into their swimming gear. They had also been provided with sunscreen at the insistence of both Nick and Thad; the latter ignored the sarcastic chorus of "Yes mom!" as he checked they were all using it.
"Guys, that isn't exactly fair. Thad is only being sensible; the last thing that any of us would want would be for one of us to end up with a severe sunburn," said Gabriel, and there were grumbled apologies all round.
It was all forgotten a few moments later when they reached the beach; some people headed straight for the water, whilst others sought out a good spot to sit or lie in and just enjoy the sunshine. Thad was amongst the latter, laughing as David virtually ripped his shirt off and after flinging it in his direction, hurtled down the beach to jump into the water with such a splash that he soaked those that had been being more careful. Within moments, water was being hurled in all directions in a mass splash fight; Thad was suddenly very grateful he had stayed where he was, with Nick, Trent and Gabriel for company.
"I look at them now, nearly all of them in their twenties, and I think to myself that at heart, they are still just a big bunch of kids. It's as if when we all get together they forget the travails of their lives and revert back to being the happy, carefree souls that we were in the happy days at Dalton…" said Thad.
"Oh, I agree," said Nick, "but that is no bad thing at all. I mean, we all had to grow up heck of a fast, and some more so than others. I mean, Trent had to go from being just another high school senior to having to cope with all of his friends going through the trials of drug withdrawal. It's nice to see them all relaxed and…"
Nick stopped as there was a shriek from the water. They all glanced over, and were shocked to see David of all people tossing Flint's swim shorts onto the beach as the young man in question chased after him; at the same time, Beats and Ethan were closing in on David in a pincer movement in support of their friend. Sure enough, David's shorts promptly landed on the beach beside Flint's just a few moments later.
Nick and Trent looked at each other, then started to laugh; Thad just shook his head sadly, as Gabriel's eyes began to almost bulge out of their sockets. Thad smiled, then said, "I wouldn't worry about it Gabriel. I think that we are perfectly safe as long as we stay up here; so are the others as long as they don't get too close. There is no harm in a spot of skinny dipping anyway, particularly when it is a private beach."
"To be honest," came Gabriel's reply, "that isn't what is confusing me. It's the fact that they are making no effort to cover themselves up that's got me wondering…"
"Oh, that's easy," said Trent. "No-one is bothered because it is nothing that we haven't all seen before really, particularly if you happen to be Jeff…"
Once Gabriel had got through his coughing fit, it fell to Nick to explain what Trent meant; the whole story of how two years ago, all of the Warbler's that had sung under Wes and were still in contact at the time, had posed for Jeff, without any uniform, in a recreation of a group photo that had been taken after Kurt had joined them.
"Didn't that leave you with quite a few gaps though? I mean, Mitch would have been absent for a start - and Cam for that matter…"
"We had substitutes; guys that Jeff suggested and we all agreed on. For a start, Rory joined me," said Trent.
"Sebastian was an obvious person to substitute in, and he persuaded Dave to join him," continued Nick. "Then we got Sam, Mike and even Kurt's brother Finn involved. It was all very tasteful…"
"So what you are telling me," said Gabriel, "is that there is a naked group portrait of the Warblers in existence, in Jeff's portfolio?"
"Yes, along with several solo ones of various people; mainly me, of course, but also a good few of Seb, Mike and Wes," said Nick, in a matter of fact tone. "It was all begun in the essence of getting Jeff a good start on his portfolio, getting him comfortable with drawing the human form, so it wasn't that big of a deal to any of us. In fact, of the guys here, apart from yourself, Connor, Louis, Mitch and Cam, only Seth, Colin and Edward haven't posed for him in dishabille."
Gabriel shook his head with a wry smile, then looked up and saw that there were now more than two pairs of shorts discarded on the beach; in fact, only Connor and Seth were still clothed. "Well, what can I say; maybe Jeff can show me that picture someday, just to satisfy my curiosity; and maybe, just maybe, I might pose for him… Right, by the look of it, it is skinny dipping season down there. Well, as they say, if you can't beat them, join them…" He stood up, dropped his own swimwear where he stood, then charged off down the beach to head into the water, leaving his three erstwhile companions laughing. He proceeded to make as big as splash as David had, much to everyone's delight, and whilst they were all distracted, he made a beeline for an unsuspecting Connor…
A minute or so later, Seth had run back out of the water and had thrown himself down next to the other three. "I'm just shy, I guess," he said in explanation. "I mean, I wanted to join them, but my parents always went on and on about modesty, and how nudity was a sin when in the presence of others… When I was a kid, they used to make me swim with a vest on, and Dalton always informed my parents that I still did whilst I was there. The problem is now I am an adult, and I don't want to be the odd one out anymore…"
"Look, when you're ready, I'll head down with you and we will do it together, okay," said Nick. "Until then, we can just chill here, and we will let you in on a little Warbler secret…"
Seth looked at Nick with curiosity; a few moments later he was listening in shock as he heard all about the world of naked Warblers… Not long after Nick had finished, with Trent's assistance, telling him the story of Jeff's drawings, Seth had stood up, and told Nick that he was ready. He and Nick had then walked down to the sea together, their swimwear left with Thad and Trent, getting a chorus of approval from those that were already in the water. After a while splashing around, Nick had pulled Jeff over to one side and whispered a suggestion in his ear; ignoring the comments that were being made at their secrecy, particularly the shout of "Wanky!" from Flint, which earned a laugh, Jeff had to agree with Nick that it was only right and fair. He made plans to approach people and see if he could add nine more drawings to his sketches, assuming that the guys in question were willing to pose for him. Nick was sure that given the way that Colin and Edward acted, it would probably only be eight more he had to do as they would insist on posing together. All that, however, was for another day.
After a couple of hours, everyone had moved from the beach back to the pool, as they had all started to feel thirsty and hungry. The move had been made all the more promptly when Thad announced that whilst they had been driving cross country, he and David had stopped off to buy them some special drinks. The only thing was, they would be handing them out Russian Roulette style. They would see no labelled bottle, just be given a cup to taste, if they dared. "It's moonshine! They must have picked up various types of local moonshine!" Beats stage whispered, making them all chuckle. Thad just shook his head, and motioned to them all to head back towards the house. It took no time for them all to be gathered at the poolside, most of them dressed again, but some staying naked, including Seth. No-one seemed to care one way or the other about it now, and the once shy young man was now actually revelling in being unclothed amongst his peers.
It took a few minutes, but eventually, David and Thad had set everything up. They called Beats up to join them first, the others laughing as they knew exactly why he had been chosen for that honour. He was handed a shot glass with a dark brown liquid in it and as everyone watched, he drank it down in one go - and promptly gagged. He grimaced, but managed to swallow, before saying "What in the name of all that is holy was that? It was chocolaty at first, but then there was a kick of something else after it that was just wrong…" Thad nodded, and then handed Beats the bottle . He went pale, and then just shook his head. "What kind of diseased mind would make a Chocolate Bacon soda!? In fact, what kind of sick people would actually buy it and give it to someone?"
There was laughter at his face, screwed up in horror and disgust - but surprisingly there were a few takers when Thad passed the bottle round, even gamely taking a sip of it himself. "We need to keep some of this for Sebastian," said Ethan, as he shook his head at the taste. "He and Skylar can't be lucky and miss out on this!"
That got even more laughs. Ranch Dressing flavour, first handed to the unlucky Edward, did not, but Sweetcorn was judged as being okay in a small dose, as was Cucumber. The Candied Bacon flavour left Connor retching, but the Maple Syrup flavour handed to Seth was judged as acceptable. As for the Coffee flavoured soda, it went to Flint first, and the self-confessed coffee addict had to be forced to pass the bottle on. "It's like an iced coffee made without the milk," he stated. "I could actually drink all of that, but would probably end up bouncing off the walls all night afterwards as a consequence of all the caffeine."
Unsurprisingly, the chocolate flavour went down well, but the final flavour, which ended up going to Jeff, didn't. He approached the liquid with concern, and when he tasted the Buffalo Wings, he knew that he had been correct in just taking a tiny sip. "I'm hoping that no real meat was used in making this," was all he said to Thad as he handed him back the glass; when Thad revealed the flavour, his comment made sense to all the others.
Nick decided that now would be a good time to fetch out the jugs of iced tea and fresh lemonade that he had in the fridge; they would cleanse their palettes before he served up the sandwiches. He headed back inside with Seth at his side as a willing helper. He opened the first fridge, and brought out the pitchers, which he placed on the table that stood just inside the doors out to the garden. Then he opened the doors to the other fridge, pulled out the first platter of sandwiches, and then froze as he realised something was wrong.
Seth was startled when Nick suddenly yelled "The idiots; the clueless assholes! It's ruined! It's all ruined!" He walked over to Nick, who was standing there with the platter of sandwiches in his hand, shaking his head in disgust. Then in a calm and controlled voice, Nick said "Seth, can you go and fetch Thad and David for me? Tell them it's urgent and I need to see them right away…"
Seth nodded and disappeared; in a moment, the other two were walking into the kitchen, Seth having opted to stay outside by the pool, where he knew it was going to be safe… "So, guys, your sodas. You put them in this fridge, yes?" began Nick.
"Err, yeah," said David, looking confused.
"And you put it in the now empty drawers in the bottom, underneath all of the sandwiches?"
"Yes," replied Thad, who was now starting to realise that something was wrong.
"And placed the raw meat from the drawers, in the bags from the store, onto the shelf above the sandwiches? The shelf from which those bags have been dripping blood and lord knows what all else over all of the sandwiches? Of course, it is partially my fault for not covering them with film, but then I didn't imagine that two people could be quite so stupid! Where were the two of you on the day we touched on basic food safety at Dalton? The day that they told us that raw meat always had to be kept in the bottom of the fridge, never above other cooked or fresh foodstuffs? I shudder to think what might have happened if someone else had come in to fetch these sandwiches. They might not have noticed the contamination and just blithely set them out to be eaten. The fact is we can't risk eating any of them, not now. After all, none of us want a food poisoning outbreak on our hands, do we?"
After Nick had finished making his statement, there was silence for a moment, and then a contrite Thad replied. "We just didn't think, Nick. We were in such a rush to get everything into the fridge before everyone came back downstairs, and in our haste we plain forgot the most basic and simple rules of food hygiene. Judging by the amount of sandwiches I can see, you obviously spent a lot of time making them. All that work and expense for that matter in preparing them, and in a moment of stupidity, David and I have ruined it all. I am assuming that we don't have more bread and fillings to replace all of this?"
"We have more bread, but that is intended for breakfast time tomorrow; we have more fillings, but a lot of the meats and salad vegetables were intended to provide lunch tomorrow," said Nick, still mad at the two older men in front of him, even if their heads were hanging in shame and they looked heartbroken.
"Right. I assume that there is a supermarket of some kind in Port Jefferson, or nearby, and not just that butchers? I haven't had anything alcoholic to drink, so what I will do is drive there, and replace at my expense everything that has been spoiled. I'll just go and grab the car keys and put on a few more clothes. It's the very least that we can do," Thad finished, looking pointedly at David.
Nick sighed, then said, "That's is really appreciated, Thad. I'm so sorry that I snapped at you, but if it hadn't been me that came in to fetch these; well, half of the others wouldn't have noticed, and before anyone knew what was happening, the majority of these would have been consumed and the damage would have been done potentially. As for your plan - well, I think that you would struggle to find the supermarket in Port Jeff, even with your Satnav. It's not the biggest either, so it would be better to head through town to Setauket and the Stop and Shop there. It's easier to park there too. I'm going to come with you and maybe pick up a few extras whilst we're there. In the mean time, David could sort out the food here, and make replacement sandwiches. I will get Jeff and Trent to help out, before the ravenous hordes begin to descend on you. Just try and make sure that there is something left for me and Thad, okay?"
David gave Nick a salute in agreement, and then the latter ran off to fetch the other two boys. Left alone, David turned to Thad and said, "We really screwed up there! We could have made every single one of them sick because we just didn't take the time to think properly."
"Fortunately for all of us, Nick has his head screwed on. Honestly, he should be training as a chef though, not a lawyer," Thad replied. "Anyway, let's see if we can find the garbage bags and start disposing of these…"
"Actually, there is a composting bin for waste food that all of it can go in," said Jeff, standing on the threshold with Trent. "Don't worry, the fact that the Head Warbler and his deputy nearly poisoned all of us will go no further than me and Trent. Anyway, Nick has gone to get dressed, and will be ready whenever you are Thad. David, Nick has decided that we are to set up a sandwich making buffet instead of actually making piles of sandwiches, as it will save time. Nicky heard a few stomachs rumbling when he came out to fetch us, and knowing what they are all like about food, he decided time was of the essence. I also know what he wants on his own sandwiches, and I am sure that you, David, know what Thad likes, so we can make their's up and set them aside." David and Thad both nodded, then Thad ran off to get dressed to drive back into town.
The supermarket when they got there was fairly quiet for a Saturday afternoon, and they quickly found everything that was required. Nick placed sufficient quantities of bread and rolls in the cart as Thad pushed it, along with butter, cheese, salads and a selection of cooked meats. For his part, Thad added bagels and croissants, and several large packs of chips, as he anticipated that the supply Nick had felt adequate might turn out to be anything but when the late night munchies hit. He knew how Warblers could be after all. To that end he also insisted on heading down the candy aisle to add packs of everyone's favourite confections, along with plenty of chocolate. At the cash desk he refused to allow Nick to pay for anything; after all, it wasn't his fault that there had been a culinary disaster, and he had placed all the additional stuff in the cart as well.
Then it was back along the road to the beach house, the two of them singing along in harmony to the songs playing on the radio. Nick's initial anger had completely dissipated by now, as Thad had been so contrite, as had David in his own way. His penance Nick guessed had been trying to control the tide of hungry young men at the buffet table, all the little more bronzed than before from the sun; a tan that was all over in most cases. Thad replaced all the food and more besides, so he couldn't stay mad. Well, as long as there were a couple of well filled chicken and bacon sandwiches, on wholemeal bread, with mustard mayo, waiting for him; if not, then he would not be happy at all…
After they had finished unloading the car and restocking the fridge in a once more empty but still, to Nick's surprise, clean kitchen, the two of them sat down together at the table to eat their sandwiches. They had been made up and placed carefully in the cleaned fridge to keep them from spoiling. The others, having all eaten and then cleaned the place at Jeff's instruction, had headed back to the pool, were they were all laughing, joking and as Warblers, singing.
Thad smiled as he heard them, then said "It still sounds better than anything else to my ears; the sound of all of us harmonising together. Beats doing his stuff as ever, but being assisted by Connor; he was the 'Beats' of my freshman year after all. You know, Wes would have loved this so much. It was the sort of thing that made his heart feel light, and helped him forget all the bad stuff in his life. I think that was why he loved us all so much. We were his family; the people that he could trust; the people that cared for him…"
"And you were the one that he loved the most, Thad; his little one," teased Nick, making the other man blush. "He still does love all of us, protecting us from harm as much as he is permitted to do by all the angelic laws. He is our guardian angel." Thad nodded in agreement, and unbeknownst to the two of them, the angel in question nodded in the room next door, smiling broadly. He would announce his arrival formally at the barbeque; for now, he was quite happy to indulge in a spot of eavesdropping…