A First Date and No Party Plan.
With the hectic days of the holiday season over, a new year began with a return to normal life patterns, in the main. For some, things were just a little different; Barnaby walked into his workplace on his first day after New Year with a spring in his step, and a smile on his face, a date already planned on Saturday night. He fully expected that date to continue into Sunday…
Things were also a little different for those in Maplewood, where the Pierce-Lopez house now contained a family of four. The hospital had seen no need to keep Brittany or her son in for more than one night, both of them being in the rudest of health. Much as had been the case with Aaron Wilson when his sibling had arrived, Alma regarded her new little brother with a degree of disinterest, her only question being would she have to give up any of her toys for him. When the answer was in the negative, she nodded, and went off to play. Santana had smiled, realising once again that her daughter had shades of her own temperament, and Sebastian's….
The man in question and Dave had been the first to visit and see the new arrival when they returned Alma home. No-one could miss the delighted smile on the Warbler's face when he recognised the distinctive features that he shared with Seth, Matthew and Barnaby; the family genes were strong. However, it also made him realise how short his time in the neighbourhood now was. He was due to perform for the last time on Broadway in five weeks, and all going to schedule, they would leave Maplewood for Ohio 3 weeks after that.
He had no regrets about his decision, as Dave was getting more enthused by the day at the prospect of once more having a job to go to; the last few months had been stressful for him in more ways than one… What Sebastian did not know was that Dave was now starting to worry about how Sebastian would cope with having nothing to do, and no job to keep him occupied. He had always been at his most content and happy when he was busy, and given that Mrs Carr was coming with them to Westerville, he would not even have full-time childcare duties for Elise and Frances to occupy him. Dave had quietly resolved that he needed to do something to solve that potential issue…
The first Monday of 2025 would see some frantic activity in the street in the West Village, as two men prepared themselves for their promised first official date. Lawrence had an early shift the following day, and he and Adam had decided to head out in the early afternoon for a visit to the Gallery of Modern Art, followed by a stroll down Fifth Avenue, then across to the east side of the city for an early dinner, in what was reportedly the best Indian restaurant in the city. Lawrence had spent most of his morning worrying about what he was going to wear, changing his mind on more than one occasion, wishing that his brother was at home and not in class; Dex always seemed to know what was right in terms of outfits for a date…
In the end, desperate for a second opinion, he called Jeff, and the blond headed over, making his way through the connected back gardens of the two houses, so that nobody would observe his visit, at Lawrence's request. He soon found himself looking over the younger man, dressed in a style that could best be described as smart casual; no tie on his shirt, worn under a tidy and well tailored suit, topped by a wool peacoat. Jeff appraised it, but was still glad when he heard a voice whispering in his ear…
"He looks perfect, and Adam does too for that matter. Just tell him that he looks perfect, and that in any case, Adam likes him for his character, not the clothes that he wears…"
Jeff repeated Kurt's words, albeit with a little twist of his own, and Lawrence was more than happy with that. "The thing is, that I want this day to be perfect; the first of many dates. In my eyes, Adam is perfect, and I can see myself being with him for the rest of my life… Listen to me! That sounds wrong, when this is only our first date…"
Jeff smiled, and replied kindly, "The moment that I first set eyes on Nick, I knew that he was the one, the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I didn't even know his name, but I knew… If you are meant to be together, then it doesn't matter what you say - and from the way I have seen him looking at you, it is definitely meant to be…"
Adam would arrive promptly, and he immediately complimented Lawrence on his outfit, a sentiment the younger man quickly returned. They headed uptown on the subway, and in no time they were wandering around the galleries, their coats safely stowed in the cloakroom, regarding the various pieces on display. They would both agree that the higher floors of the building had the most interest for them, as that was where they found works by artists that they had heard of, like Picasso and Warhol; who did not recognise all those tins of Campbell's Soup?
The meaning of some of the more contemporary pieces eluded them, and Lawrence struggled not to laugh out loud as Adam described an exhibit in the Tate Modern in London; a piece of low quality paper with a rectangle drawn on it in ordinary pencil, with a companion piece next to it, of the same rectangle, but shaded in… "I could do stuff like that," the young man replied with a giggle. "It sounds a lot easier than medicine…"
"Ah, but it is probably a lot less satisfying in the long run," Adam responded. "You change lives for the better; you mend people, or at least try to. Drawing a box on a piece of paper with a pencil is something that little Wes could do…"
Lawrence nodded, then said, "Between us, modern art is something that I will never fully understand."
Adam smiled, then in a low voice replied, "Nor me… Anyway, it is time that we headed downtown a ways for our meal. I intend to see that you get a full education in the subjects of Naan, Bhaji, Pakora and Bhuna…"
"I can't wait!" came Lawrence's reply.
The meal was a great success; Adam took great care to choose dishes that would not be too spicy for the younger man's taste buds. He had experienced the hottest of curries himself, but to those that were not used to them, they could be extremely off-putting and put someone off Indian food for life. He made sure that they also had the full array of side dishes along with ordering two different main courses for them to share. The restaurant was used to such things, and were only too happy to make that easy for them. They were brought two empty plates as well as the mains, which were served in metal balti dishes, placed alongside the sides. Adam encouraged Lawrence to use his hands as well as the cutlery, and to use the naan bread to mop up the sauces, not to miss a drop.
One of the mains was a Chicken Tikka Masala, and Adam regaled Lawrence with the back story of its creation, and how it had become the most popular dish in Indian restaurants in the UK, as they ate it. Lawrence listened, then shook his head in slight disbelief. "So this dish came into being because a bus driver in Glasgow, Scotland, complained that his curry was too dry and sent it back; the chef's father was eating a bowl of tomato soup, from a can, because he had a stomach ulcer, and he suggested adding some of it to the curry to make it saucier for the man? This wonderful dish only exists because someone made a complaint? That all sounds a little far fetched for me!"
"I swear that it is true; this dish was born in Scotland, and I also believe that it was a tin of Campbell's Soup…" laughed Adam. At that moment a waiter, who had been standing close by and had overheard, nodded in confirmation; that made Lawrence burst out laughing too. "And what is worse," Adam continued when he had stopped laughing as much, "is that this dish is now extremely popular amongst young, wealthy trendsetters in India…"
Lawrence stopped laughing, and looked at his boyfriend aghast. "That is definitely wrong! That is the food culture of a nation being altered all because one man in another country said his curry was dry!"
"Exactly, but that is the way of the world in a global society. It has been happening for decades. They used to say that if Wall Street sneezed, the rest of the world caught a cold, and that has been true since at least the crash of 1929. Now we are all even more interdependent."
"That is good in some ways, but so bad in others. The globalisation of culture is something that we should all resist, at least if it causes harm to what is already there."
"And that is something we can both agree on," Adam responded.
It was still early when they left the restaurant, as they both had an early start the next day. They headed for the subway that would take them down to Union Square, and thence on to the West Village. The train was quiet enough that they could both get a seat at first, and they sat beside each other in companionable silence that couples enjoy, content to just be in each other's company. It was only as they started to walk back down Seventh Avenue that they began to chat once more, small talk until they reached the start of their street, and the door to Adam's apartment.
"I would like to thank you for a lovely evening," said Lawrence politely. "It is something that I would like to repeat, if you would like to?"
"I would definitely like that, but maybe next time you would let me cook for you? I mean, I am not as skilled in the kitchen as our mutual neighbour, but I will try not to give you food poisoning…"
"I am certain that you wouldn't do that, and yes, a home cooked meal would be great. We will just have to see when our diaries match up - perhaps we could make it a lunch date instead of dinner?"
"That is a good idea, as it gives us more opportunities," replied Adam, then continued, "In all honesty, it is just a pleasure to be able to spend time with you, regardless of the time of day."
"The same goes for me; you always manage to make me laugh and smile, and well, I need more of that," replied Lawrence. He then leant forward, and took the initiative, kissing Adam, their lips lingering together for a short while. Then the younger man pulled back, and said, "I think that is enough for a first date. We can kiss for longer next time, especially if we are alone at your place." Adam blushed then, and Lawrence giggled before pulling him into a hug. He wanted to be courted, and that did not seem to be an issue for Adam; unlike so many people these days, he was happy to take things slowly…
Dexter was at home when his brother came in, but he did not immediately give him the third degree as some siblings might have done. He knew that things had gone well the moment that he saw the size of the smile on his brother's face. Of course, Lawrence did sit down and tell him everything, from their time at the gallery to the wonders of the meal, including the story of the main dish's origins, which made Dex shake his head too. That done, Lawrence then said in a pointed voice, "Now we just need to find a date for you, big brother! You need to get out there! You are handsome with a good body and personality; you should have the girls clamouring for a date with you!"
"I do, but honestly, they are not the sort of girls that I want. I want a girl with whom I can hold a serious conversation, dresses in a demure fashion, and doesn't believe that they need to wear a ton of make up to be beautiful! The girls that throw themselves at me are all the exact opposite."
"Hmm, maybe I should get you a ticket to the next medical students ball," said Lawrence, only partly in jest. "There are a lot of girls in my classes that are exactly what you described." Dexter laughed at him, unaware that by doing so, he had just made his brother all the more certain that he was going to do exactly what he had just suggested….
As the end of the first month of 2025 approached, a certain air of sadness began to be felt, in particular by Jeff and Julian. The time was now rapidly approaching when Dave and Sebastian would leave the comfort of Maplewood and return to Ohio, and for both Jeff and Julian, it would be the end of an era, albeit for very different reasons. Julian was going to miss being able to see his younger brother on a frequent basis. He would not be able to just pop over and see him at the weekend, or vice versa; they could not catch up over a shared lunch somewhere in Manhattan. Yes, they could video call, but that just wasn't the same. There were moments, albeit very brief ones, when Julian felt that his kid brother was being very selfish in moving away, but then he chided himself for acting like a spoilt brat. Sebastian was putting the needs of his husband first, and that was the right thing for both of them. Taking such an adult attitude did not make the upcoming separation any easier to bear…
As for Jeff, he was sad for the ending of a chapter of their lives; he could still recall the first few months that he and Nick had lived in New York, back in the loft in Bushwick. Sebastian had arrived one day and just moved in, not by any sort of invitation really. Things had worked out fortunately, and they rubbed along well together; the bonds that had formed in the troubled times under Hunter at Dalton had made the idea of even asking Sebastian to leave unthinkable anyway. Things had been so comfortable that had Cooper not offered him a place of his own in Murray Hill, it was likely that Sebastian would have been their long-term roommate instead of Mike.
They didn't see as much of each other as they used to now, Sebastian's theater schedule making it hard to maintain the kind of social life that most people of his age had, but he had always been close by. That he wasn't going to be nearby any more had created an ache in Jeff's heart. Broadway itself would go on once his friend departed, but the lights on that street of dreams would twinkle just a little less brightly for the blond…
Nick had anticipated that kind of reaction from his husband, which made him a little surprised when as the time grew ever closer, Jeff still had not made any suggestion of a farewell party for him. He hoped that there would not be a sudden last minute plan, an almost spontaneous gathering for dozens of guests in their home, with a casual mention of what food he would need to provide…
Now, with the month coming to an end, and barely a week left before Sebastian gave his last performance, he decided that he needed to bite the bullet and just ask his husband. As is often the case when such plans are made, his journey home that night was disrupted; he arrived at Grand Central to discover delays on both the Times Square shuttle and the '7' Train, and worse, similar issues with the 'L' Train down at Union Square. He knew then that whatever happened, he would have to walk across town at one end of his journey or the other; he decided therefore to jump on board a '5' Train down to Union Square. If he walked to Times Square, he could discover that a fault had developed on the southbound train there…
If the signalling gods had it in for Nick that night, so did the weather gods, as no sooner had he stepped out of Union Square station than the snow began to fall; not heavily, but just enough to be annoying and uncomfortable with the gusty wind. Nick was dressed for the weather, naturally, but it was tiring battling against the wind which seemed to be constantly in his face as he headed west. By the time he reached home, he was feeling a little sorry for himself; not even hearing the announcement as he walked past his usual subway stop that there were delays on all lines serving the station could raise a smile…
It was a relief to get inside his warm home and hang up his coat; he then headed down to the kitchen, where he was greeted by husband and son. Caleb did look up at him from his bed as he came into the kitchen, but seeing that it was just Nick, he quickly hunkered back down again in the warmth. Jeff had made soup that evening, a vegetable broth that soon warmed Nick up inside; then there was quiche, again handmade by his husband. Nick began to be suspicious that at any moment he was going to receive a request to make party food. It did not come however, and after cake for dessert, they settled into their usual domestic routine; Nick helped his son with a homework problem, whilst Jeff stacked the dishwasher…
Eventually, it was time for Wes to head to bed; Jeff volunteered to supervise, and left Nick to just relax in his chair by the fire. As he sat there quietly, Caleb woke up, and after eating the food left for him in his bowl, he sauntered over to the fireside, and jumped up onto Nick's lap. That was unusual, but Nick could not complain, and he let his eyes half close….
It was a surprise when he opened them to see Jeff sitting there in the other chair, Caleb now on his lap, grinning at him. "You must have had a hard day, Nicky; you've never fallen asleep after dinner before! It might be the weather, because Wes was very tired too, and almost as soon as he was in bed, he was sound asleep… Anyway, it's good that you're awake now, because we need to discuss Sebastian's leaving party…"
"How many am I catering for?" asked Nick, doing his utmost to suppress the urge to groan. "I will need to know for planning, as I might have to start on the baking soon."
Jeff looked at him for a moment, then said, "Nicky, you aren't catering for anybody. We have just been invited to it, all three of us. It is being organised by someone else, and they are hosting it in the Plaza Hotel…"
By the time that the first day of the second month of the year arrived, Sebastian was starting to wonder if some of his closest friends were upset with him. He had been expecting an invitation to come to the house in the West Village, or indeed, to the Spotlight Diner, one evening later that month; to be told it was just for a quiet drink or an intimate lunch or dinner, to mark his departure from the Broadway stage, and then of course, find out it was a huge party…
Now it was the 1st day of February, he had just over a week of performances left to give, and there had been nothing said, no requests for his attendance made. He was equally certain that if he mentioned his fears to Dave then he would point out that there was a three week period after his last show, and something short notice might be being planned for then. However, that seemed unlikely; no matter how secretive they were, he always knew when his Warbler friends were planning something, and there had not been so much as a sniff of anything going on…
He headed to the theater that Saturday feeling a little down in the mouth, and he was so caught up in his thoughts that he failed to notice that Santana was standing at his side on the railroad platform until the train pulled in. They boarded the train, and sat next to each other; they had barely got settled when she turned to him and said, "Okay meerkat, I bite. What is up with you? I mean, I am used to Brittany going into what someone once called a fugue state, but not you. Are you having second thoughts about moving back to Ohio?"
Sebastian sighed, then replied, "No, it is nothing like that; I am not regretting my decision for an instant. It's just… have you heard any whisper of any kind of gathering in the West Village or at the diner in the next week or so?"
Santana looked at him, then chuckled. "So that's it! Well, I am sorry to say that I have not had any word of anything like that where you have been specifically mentioned. Then again, I am not exactly at the centre of the social whirl at the moment. I have to admit that having a newborn in the house seems to be much more time consuming and exhausting the second time around. And before you reply, if you make any cracks about my age, then your last performance on Broadway will be yesterday…"
She winked, and Sebastian had to smile. "I guess that I am just being silly; everybody has such busy lives, and my leaving isn't that much of an event in the grand scheme of things…"
"But even so…" quipped Santana, and Sebastian nodded, a hang dog look on his face. She suddenly felt sorry for him, and wrapped an arm around him. She did not expect him to snuggle in quite as close as he did though, nor to see tears in his eyes…
An hour later, and Santana was in her office at NYADA, making an urgent call. She repeated to the person on the other end of the line exactly what had just happened on the train; they were sympathetic, but they refused to put Sebastian out of his misery quite yet. Santana thought that was quite a hard nosed decision in the circumstances, but nonetheless she admired them for it. The call over, she started on the task that had brought her in to work on a Saturday afternoon; she had fallen behind with her lesson planning and administration work for the classes she had to teach next semester. Leave was much shorter for maternity when you were not the mother…
There were moments even now when she wondered if she would have agreed to a second child had she been consulted beforehand even now. However, they were brief, as the moment that she saw Brittany with her son, she realised that she had never seen her wife looking so fulfilled and happy. All of those maternal instincts that were expected had come in force, and the bond that existed between mother and son was all too apparent. Indeed, she was now beginning to wonder how her wife would cope when the time came for her to return to work. Brittany was reluctant to even leave her son alone with her, so leaving him with a nanny might be an even more insurmountable obstacle. Still, there was nothing that could be done about it for now. Whatever Brittany chose to do about her job would have her full support…
As Santana worked, Hilary was waiting outside the door of the apartment building that would soon be her home in the Upper East Side. She had been having some work done before she moved in officially, and had asked her brother to meet her so she had a witness as she inspected what had been done so far. The contractor had told her it was almost finished, but she wasn't so sure… She had arrived quarter of an hour early, and had taken a stroll around the neighbourhood, and had been pleased to find both a Morton Williams supermarket and the Butterfield Market within a few minutes walk. She liked her new address all the more as it had similarities with her aunt's home across town. It was still in the Eighties after all, only on an East Street, rather than a West…
However, as time progressed and Barnaby had still not arrived, her smile began to fade, and went entirely when a glance at her watch showed her that he was now a good twenty minutes late. She used to be able to set her watch by her brother's almost obsessive punctuality, but in the last month it had started to slip, particularly at the weekends. His whole ethos and approach to life seemed to have changed too. He did seem happier, that much was true, but she had no idea as to what lay behind the complete change of some aspects of his character. She decided that today was the day that he would explain himself, assuming that he eventually arrived…
She was on the point of giving up waiting for him however when she heard the sound of a car horn blaring; looking up, she saw her brother, looking more than a little dishevelled, and very red-faced, running across the street and incurring the wrath of the motorists. She stared for a moment, as taking such risks was so unlike him; she wondered what on earth was going on with him. At once, her mind filled with all of the worst possible horrors; he was embroiled with the mafia, and on the run, or he had become addicted to drugs and was fleeing a dealer…
And then he was at her side, panting a little from running, his glasses slightly askew on his face. "I am so sorry; I slept much longer than I meant to, and then the subway was delayed, and then every crosswalk that I came to was saying don't walk…"
Hilary nodded, now all the more concerned if anything. "Barnaby, I could accept the whole sleeping late thing, but brother dear, your new place is less than 5 blocks from here, so I fail to see why you would be using the subway… On top of that, why on earth did you not have the kindness to call me and tell me you were running late?" She paused, noting that her brother's face was now even brighter red, this time with embarrassment; in his haste to explain, he had incriminated himself, revealing that he had a secret… "You will tell me the whole truth later, from the start; for now, though, we need to head in before the contractor leaves for the day. By the way, you've buttoned your shirt up wrong, and I am pretty sure that your sweater vest is inside out…"
With a gesture of her head, she headed for the door of the apartment building, her brother following meekly behind her, his head bowed. They entered the elevator, and in the short time that they had, Barnaby quickly slipped off his coat and scarf, then pulled his sweater vest off over his head, turning it right side out in the process. As Hilary held his coat and scarf, he rebuttoned his shirt, then slipped his sweater back on just as the door to the elevator opened. Hilary handed him his coat, and he put it and his scarf back on. Sighing, he followed her, knowing that shortly he would have a bit of explaining to do, and he thought that it was probably best for him to tell her the whole truth…