A Decade marked, and a Letter.
The focus of everyone's attention after the big moment on TV shifted to the two couples that were celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary. By the time that Trent and Rory reached the Smythe house in Westerville on Friday evening, however, they had already marked their official date, and had celebrated very quietly with family back in Washington DC. Rory's nana had been the guest of honour, although she could hardly believe that her two grandsons had been married so long.
As part of the celebrations she had also been reunited once again with her brother, invited to the party alongside Luke, Duncan and his family. Brother and sister had not lost touch again since Nick made the connection and brought them back together a decade before; he had made several trips over to the 'old country' since, the first of which had caused quite a stir amongst the older generation in a conservative small town like Clane, many of whom had believed him to be dead. The reaction of Agnes' daughter, Rory's mother, had been a very hostile one to her uncle, and after that first time she refused to even acknowledge him again. It was not unexpected, given how she was with her youngest son. There was no danger of a rapprochement there either, but that did not matter to Rory at all. Burt and Carole were better parents to him than his own had ever been. Nevertheless, he was still glad that after the events a decade ago when his grandmother had sent his parents to the wrong Washington, the couple were still banned from entering the country.
They had received messages from everyone on the actual date, of course, along with greetings cards, but they had only seen family. Now some of them would be coming to Sebastian's place as well; alongside Agnes there would be Trent's parents and Séamus and Becca. Burt and Carole would be there too. Trent and Rory knew where the venue for the party was, but they knew nothing of what had been planned for the party. Sebastian had still been talking about renewing his vows the previous week; he had told a startled Flint that they had been granted a special licence, and that he and Dave would be having a clothing optional ceremony in the garden….
Sebastian had been joking of course, but he knew that of all of his friends, Flint was the one most likely to believe he was serious, and would also spread the word, telling all those that scoffed at the idea that they could not put it past Sebastian to do something like that. Beats had rolled his eyes as his best friend repeated what he had been told, mainly at his friend's gullibility, but then, in a moment of mischief, he had calmly told Flint that he knew all about it, and that he had been asked to get the whole thing off to a good start by performing his old solo Preppy Boy routine from his days as a stripper. After a moment's silence, Flint had shown his outrage, partly at Beats for agreeing to do it, and partly because he had not been asked to do it with him…
In the end, Trent was quite content and very relieved to discover that the house had been decorated in a very restrained and tasteful manner, and that the main focus of the celebration would be a buffet lunch, followed in the evening by music and dancing. "It will all be very child and elder friendly, with no drunkenness and no nudity. We can save that for the group gathering at Port Jeff and the beach house that Nick is hinting at in August. After all, we are parents now, responsible adults, respectable pillars of society. As such we need to show maturity and restraint…"
Of course, not all the best laid plans come to fruition, particularly when there are those that would prank others without a thought. On that night before the party, having had his visit from Trent and Rory, he had welcomed his closest family into his home for a formal dinner that was both a house warming and a celebration of the anniversary. François was also present, alone this time as his fiancé Yves could not get the time off work, not when he had already booked a vacation after his own nuptials in the fall. François was known to all those present of course, having been one of the guests at the command performance that Sebastian had given in London for royalty at the National Theatre.
Mrs Carr and Paul Karofsky were also at the table, but Sebastian and Dave's children, along with his young niece were tucked up in bed already, too young really for such a formal event. Peter, older and well trained by Dalton, had no such issues, and was even able to correct the way the cutlery had been set out for the five course feast. They had just finished the dessert course and the cheeseboard had been brought out, on which there were several good French cheeses that François had brought with him, the sort that Sebastian adored, alongside a piece of smoked cheddar, which was as exotic as Julian could handle, when the doorbell rang. They all glanced at each other then, as nobody was expected…
Sebastian chuckled, and then said, "I would not dismiss the idea that Bette has arrived in the state early and come to visit, or it is a gift being delivered in advance. I will go…" He left the table, headed to the door, and opened it with a smile…
It was the music that would bring the rest of those that had been seated at the table into the hallway, where they all stopped and stared at the sight that met their eyes. Sebastian was stood in the middle of the room, his mouth and eyes wide open, whilst a young Elvis impersonator sang Are You Lonesome Tonight? to him, all the time stripping down to a rhinestone encrusted thong. Peter alone hurried back out of the hallway, leaving his father looking concerned for his welfare, until they all heard the hysterical laughter from the dining room…
Afterwards, with Elvis dressed once more and departed, they all returned to the dining room, where Peter had stopped laughing, Sebastian clutching a card that he had been given at the end of the performance by the stripper. He handed it to Dave after reading it, and a moment later his husband smiled, then said, "Well, that figures! If it was going to be anyone, then it would be her!" He turned to the others round the table, and said, "The card is signed Satan, and the message begins with Dearest Meerkat. Yeah, if anyone was going to pull a stunt like this, it was odds on at being Santana."
"Oh, I agree she is the prime suspect," his husband replied, "but then again, everyone that knows us knows our nicknames for each other, so it might well be someone else that was trying to get any negative reaction shifted over to her. In all honesty, it was mildly amusing, and no children have been left mentally scarred by the event; in fact, the youngest of us all found it so hysterical he cried with laughter. So, it never happened; we all say nothing. If we do not mention it, then the person or persons behind it will eventually be overwhelmed by their curiosity as to why there was no reaction, and will thus incriminate themselves tomorrow at the party."
All present agreed to the plan, stating they would be silent, and at least the Elvis in question had been youthful and easy on the eye…
That night, however, a text would be sent, which read, "It was hilarious, and they all suspect Santana as you expected. Do not ask about it tomorrow though; they've all agreed to stay silent in the hope of capturing the culprit that way." With the message sent, Peter deleted it and the thread linked to it from his phone, and settled down to sleep. He felt no guilt about his part in the proceedings, and in any case, he was supposed to do what a teacher asked him to. For that reason, he would not have shopped Thad for the world…
The next morning saw the household up early to prepare for the visitors that would soon be flocking to the house. Sebastian and Mrs Carr had spent the time they had had in the house since moving in well, refreshing the most tired looking of the décor, and mostly banishing the smell of fish from the bedroom that had once upon a time been Sebastian's own. It would now be a comfortable retreat for his eldest nephew when he needed to get away from dorm life at Dalton. Sebastian had always viewed that room as his sanctuary in his own high school days, which is why he had reacted so badly when his stepmother had appropriated it without a word for a home gym. Peter had been consulted over the new decoration of course, and he had chosen a very traditional style which made his uncle smile….
Thus every surface in the house now gleamed, between polish on the exposed wood, new paint where it had been needed, and a lot of elbow grease. They had not stopped inside, and the gardens, which had been overgrown, were now neat and full of flowers. Sebastian's father had been most impressed on seeing it all the day before, amazed at all his son had achieved.
The food for the buffet was coming from a caterer, although Mrs Carr had offered. It was scheduled to arrive at 11am, which was the same time as the Nixons would arrive. Naturally, they arrived together, and while Mrs Carr dealt with the food, Sebastian and Dave went out to greet Trent and Rory. The four of them chatted warmly, and this time had a guided tour of the house, which Trent praised no end, even asking when Isabelle was sending in the photographer from Vogue. Sebastian laughed at first, but then realised he would not put it past his sister-in-law to do exactly that…
The weather turned out to be excellent, so in the end most of the gathering took place in the neatly manicured gardens; they left the French doors to the dining room open, and had the caterers lay out the buffet in there. There was plenty to eat, with Sebastian having requested that they supply far more per head than they might usually have done. The atmosphere was entirely informal, which suited all of them. Bette was enchanted by the house the moment that she arrived, and insisted on being given a full guided tour, which Sebastian was happy to do. She was impressed with both the décor and the architecture, which harked back to the twenties, the house almost a century old. However, she did wonder why Sebastian made a point of showing her the room that was now for Peter, until suddenly it dawned on her.
"This was your bedroom when you were a rebellious teenage boy. There is no odour of fish at all, so I will need to ask that lovely nanny of yours exactly what she used in here. Right, so between us, how is it, being back here in your childhood home in Ohio?"
Sebastian smiled, then said, "If I am being honest, I did feel like a fish out of water at first. I kept myself occupied at first with getting the house sorted to our taste, making it ours and not just my dad's place. At first, Dave was here most of the time as well, but then he had to start work after that, the days started to drag in, seeming so long when I had nothing to occupy my mind. I seriously considered taking up jigsaw puzzles, or sudoku, or even knitting, just to have something to do!"
"Knitting is not to be sniffed at, my dear boy. Even Olympians are known to knit between dives," interjected Bette, and knowing who she meant, Sebastian smiled and nodded.
"I'm afraid that the world will need to wait a little longer to see my knitted creations, as Thad has found me something to do. Truth is, he is not getting any younger, and he cannot manage everything that he used to, so come August, I will have a new role, as the Faculty Advisor to the Warblers at Dalton."
"Well, that does sound like the perfect fit for you, dear boy," replied Bette, before she glanced at her watch. "We've been up here too long; we had better get back to the party, or the rumours about our mad passionate affair and possible elopement will be circulating. You have a reputation to protect…"
Sebastian laughed at that, then followed his guest back out to the garden. He had other guests to catch up with when he got there, and so he left Bette alone, and in a moment she was heading directly for Thad. She whispered to him, "He needed the job, and I think that you knew that…."
Thad looked scandalised, and said quietly, "Dave and I certainly did not come to that conclusion, and I did not give up the role myself just to provide Sebastian with a job to make him feel useful again. It also is not my intention to get him involved with the productions of the Dalton drama groups this year…"
"Now something like that certainly would not suit him at all!" replied Bette, then with a wink, she headed over to speak to Isabelle…
The buffet was enjoyed by everyone, and more food would be provided later, but first there had to be speeches, kind words for the two couples, and courtesy of François, tins of Laudree macrons, much to the collective delight of them all. Trent and Rory sat all smiles as Séamus talked about their wedding day, in no small part due to the fact that Rory's grandmother kept interrupting him, anxious to add something she thought her other grandson had missed; half of the guests were struggling not to laugh every time she spoke out…
Then the floor was handed to Julian, who began, "Whereas the wedding of Trent and Rory sounds high class and sophisticated, my brother's…." He stopped, as the laughter was already raucous. Sebastian shook his head, hoping that his brother would not make a mention about Elvis having appeared the previous night. He was relieved when Julian said, "Let's just move on to the second ceremony shall we? It was much classier, at the Rainbow Room in New York nonetheless, although that was slightly spoiled by a certain former President in the end…" His speech carried on in a similar vein, making the guests laugh at times, and Sebastian blush on occasion….
The speech over, Julian suggested that they recreate the first dance, which had everyone clapping in agreement, the two couples taking their respective partners and waiting for the music. When How Funky is Your Chicken by The Jacksons suddenly began, Trent burst out laughing, nearly doubled over, as Sebastian just glared at his brother, who was trying, and failing, to look innocent. However, the music then cut to Brimful of Asha by Cornershop, and Trent was quickly back, recreating the steps from his wedding day, ignoring the stares of disbelief from the youngest there…
That dance would be the first of many, the younger people dancing most, and allowing the elders to chat. After half an hour in the company of Agnes, Bette wanted to adopt her, as she found her fascinating and hilarious in equal measure she remarked as much to Burt, and he smiled. "As we adopted Rory as our son, so she adopted myself and Carole, so you would get us all too."
"Maybe she could adopt me as a sister," Bette mused.
Burt grinned, then said, "As a much younger sister, naturally."
Bette laughed, and replied, "Spoken like a true politician; she is actually the youngest of the two of us, if only just! Still, I thank you for your compliment from the bottom of my heart. Carole is a lucky woman!"
The gathered children were also kept amused, from the very youngest, still babes in arms in some cases, through the likes of Wes and Evie, right up to Dante, with Lachlan at his side of course, both almost at the point of heading off to college now, very much in love with the other boy that had been their best friend. The two of them had spent a lot of time slow dancing, alternating the lead, and that had delighted all that saw them. There was much admiration for the way that Beats and Elliott had raised their adopted son, turning him round in those critical years, and for the fact that they were doing the same for Ty. Thankfully, both Dante and Lachlan wished to stay in New York for college, so they would continue to support the young couple for a while yet…
Sebastian had been concerned that he might disturb the neighbours if his party went on too late into the night, but he discovered, to his surprise, that the majority of his friends were thinking of heading for home by the time that 9pm came round, citing their children, and of course, their age as well. The days when they could stay up into the wee small hours of the morning and still function as normal human beings the following day were by and large well behind them…
Hearing all of that, Burt was heard to remark to Carole that the way things were heading, they would soon be the only guests left, alongside Agnes, Burt and the Carmichaels. Her response to his statement was swift. "I think the fact that they are all heading for home at this hour is a wonderful sign of the maturity of this group. They all place family above excess, and would much rather spend their time with their children than out at nightclubs and drinking. When I think what some of the people of our generation are like even now…"
In the end, Thad would be the last of the guests to leave, but only because he had been taken to one side by Trent, who regarded him with concern. "Now, I need you to be honest with me, and not bluster or divert me. Are you feeling okay? I was a little worried when I heard that you were handing over the Warblers to Sebastian, even if it is for the best of reasons, and now, seeing you today, I have to admit that I feel even more worried. I was watching, and you weren't being you. For a start, everything that you ate was as bland as it could be - plain chicken, unsalted chips, saltines. You are usually the first to have anything spicy and rich. You even eschewed the chocolate ganache cake for frozen yoghurt and fruit…"
"I am just trying to take a more healthy approach to my diet. As you will know, the metabolism slows down as we age, so I need to cut out all of the fattening stuff I used to enjoy."
"I buy that, in part, but that cannot explain the absence of spices from your diet…"
"I've had a touch of heartburn recently, so I didn't want to risk inflaming it again, much as I prefer all that sort of food. Now, I do need to get the Carmichaels home, so here is to another ten years, my friend!" Thad hugged Trent, possibly a little closer than normal, then headed off to say his farewells to Sebastian and Dave. As he went, Trent frowned; he was not completely certain, but he was sure that Thad was a little slimmer than normal. The dark thought entered Trent's head that perhaps Thad was avoiding fatty foods for another, altogether more sinister reason. Then he heard Rory calling for him, and he let that thought slip out of his mind as he went to say farewell to Bette and the Carmichaels…
The next day saw the invited guests making time for brunch, and then a catch up with friends and family that were still in Ohio, before heading back to their place of residence. Grandparents were given a chance to see their grandchildren; Santana smiled as she saw just how much her Abuela's face lit up when she met the newest addition to her family, all of her concerns about Brittany being her granddaughter's wife long forgotten…
Some of the others headed to Dalton, to spend time reliving their youth, to visit the spot where Wes was 'buried', or to check on the progress on the hospice, the building work on which had come along so swiftly in just the last few weeks, to the extent that the rafters for part of the roof had even been raised. Even in its current form, it blended into the landscape as it had been intended to, sitting on the hillside but not dominating it in any way. The Carmichaels were happy to see all of them, and invited them to lunch, their cupboards always kept well stocked for such an invasion of alumni. They would head for home relaxed after an enjoyable weekend, with the only question on their minds being exactly when Mitch would marry Gideon, in what would be the final marriage of their generation…
Nick and Jeff had intended to be amongst those heading to Dalton that day, but their plans were altered in a moment when Mrs Duval arrived out of the blue at the door of her parents' home, where Niff and Wes had spent the night. The fact that Grace was at her side made it all the more intriguing. Nick could tell that something was amiss at once, as could his grandparents, but his husband did not notice the tells that the others did. Leaving Jeff to keep Wes entertained, Nick headed to meet his mother and sister at the front door, beside his grandfather…
His mother quickly greeted her father, the said to Nick, "A letter arrived for you yesterday morning. It had been sent to our old address in Woodstock, and fortunately the same people that we sold the place to still live there. They had our old home here's phone number, and the people there were able to supply them with my new address, so they forwarded it on to me. I was working until late last night, or I would have given it to you sooner…"
She opened her purse, and took out an airmail envelope, and handed it to her son. The original address was scored out, and his mother's new address written in its place. "I had a quick look at the stamps; it has been sent from Germany, and you know what that suggests; who it is connected to," said Grace quietly.
Nick nodded, then his face paled. "Please tell me that he hasn't moved there? It isn't actually a vile letter from him, is it?"
"Nope, he is still in Minnesota, or so I believe. It could possibly be from some of his family over there though; he has a few distant cousins from what I recall," said Mrs Duval. "Quite why they would be writing to you I do not know, but it does seem the most likely reason for the missive…"
Nick looked at the envelope that was now in his hands thoughtfully. After all that his father had done to him, and said to him and Jeff, his first instinct was to immediately reject the letter and place it, unopened, in the trash. He had no connection after all to these people other than his father, having never met his paternal grandparents; they had died in an accident before he was even born. Grace had a few faint memories, recalling a stern faced man and a jolly woman, but there was no telling how they would have reacted to him, and how his sexuality would have gone down with them. At the same time, however, he was also conscious that all those that had been involved in some way with getting the letter to him had worked hard to achieve it, and yes, he was curious as to why those German relatives had chosen to write directly to him, and not to his father. Then again, they might well have written to both of them…
"I'll admit right now that I am more than a little tempted to just tear this in half, and throw it away; it is a link to him after all. However, it is a part of my heritage and background, no matter how small. That was the reason that I studied German at school, as you did too, Grace, ignoring Spanish and French. And okay, I do want to know what they want to say to me as well…"
"That is a very good reason to open it," said Mrs Duval from the sidelines. "The fact is that your father's family were estranged from the rest of the family that remained in Europe. From what I can recall, your father's grandfather left his homeland in the late thirties because he was very anti-Nazi; the rest of his family, if not fully committed, were nonetheless happy to comply with the new regime that had taken over. It was the safest choice at the time, and I don't think that you can blame them for doing so. The other thing is that, given that, the fact that someone over there made the effort and conducted all the research to find out your name… They have to have gone through the whole family tree down from your great-grandfather."
Nick nodded, but he was fully aware that the letter could be like Pandora's Box; once opened, they would all have to live with the consequences from the contents. Something inside could potentially alter everything for them all. He took a deep breath, then began to carefully open the envelope…
Mrs Duval would head out to fetch Jeff to join them about ten minutes later, and sent him to the room where his husband and his sister now sat alone, the entertaining of Wes now passing to herself and her parents. There was something in the way she spoke that made Jeff hurry to the sitting room of the neat Ohio home, and there he found his husband sat on the couch next to Grace, who was now studying the contents of the letter herself. Nick looked lost in thought as he entered, but he smiled as soon as he saw his husband, motioning him to come and join them on the sofa.
"Are you okay, Nicky? Your mother said that you wanted me to join the two of you as you had received an interesting letter… Can you tell me what it says, or is it private?" asked Jeff as he sat down and took his husband's hand.
"I would happily let you read it for yourself, my love, but it is in German, so I'm afraid that to your eyes it would be gibberish. It is from the youngest son of a distant relative of my father - third cousin once removed, if my parlance is correct…" Nick paused then, and looked at his sister, who nodded in agreement. "So, the young man in question is 19, and lives with his parents near Baden Baden, in the community of Hauenbernstein; it is literally a few miles from the border with France. He has been doing research into the history of his family, and he has, after a lot of digging, found out about the familial link to me. His great grandmother is still alive, and she is the niece of my great-grandfather, his eldest brother's daughter. She can recall her father and his brother and sisters arguing about my direct ancestor; she can recall her dad saying that he had made his choice and was now dead to them. Apparently he wrote first to my beloved father, and the letter was returned to him unopened. So he decided to try me instead…"
"What does he want?" asked Jeff, and Grace burst out laughing at the tone of his blunt statement.
"I think that he wants to extend the olive branch that was never offered in the period after the Second World War ended, reading between the lines. He says that his great-grandmother deeply regrets that there remained an estrangement in the otherwise tight-knit family, although I don't think that there was any attempt at a reconciliation on my great-grandfather's side either. She is now in here early nineties, and she would like to hear that we can forgive the sins of the past. He even hints that we should go over to Germany and meet them…"
"I take it that they aren't Nazis any longer?" asked Jeff.
Nick looked shocked at his husband's words, but Grace spoke before he could. "It isn't such a terrible thing to ask; right-wing nationalism has been as much, if not more of an issue, over there as it was here, and particularly under he that shall not be named…"
Nick nodded, then said, "He actually sounds like a really nice kid, and well, reading between the lines, he would seem to have a boyfriend. There is too much casual mention of a Matthias for him to be just a friend…"
"Well, that is certainly a positive, assuming your correct," admitted Jeff.
"And then there is the other thing," said Grace, teasingly. "Go on, little brother. Tell Jeff what the family business is…"
Nick looked daggers at his sister, then said, "Not that it's important, but they run a konditorei business, one of the best in Baden Baden, or so he says…"
Jeff looked confused, then said, "I have no idea what that is, but it sounds dangerous…"
"Only to the waistline," replied Grace. "A konditor meister is a person that specialises in the baking of cakes; a patissier for want of a better term…"
"Wait," said Jeff, grinning now. "Do you mean…"
"Yeah," said Nick with an equally broad smile. "It appears that I come from a long line of master bakers…"
Jeff couldn't help himself, and he burst out laughing then, knowing just how much his father-in-law liked to boast about how the law had been in the blood of the Duval family for generations; if that was the case, then it had to come from his mother's side of the family tree...
"If you are thinking what I am, dear brother-in-law, then it is definitely time that I started to do some research into our family tree on my grandmother's side. As for my paternal grandfather, well he was a lawyer, but as to his father, well that remains a mystery," said Grace, who secretly hoped that there were no lawyers on the maternal line either.
Nick smiled, then said, "Well, I think that I am definitely going to reply to this young man, Fritz, just to show him that the younger generation of the Duval family has the common courtesy that our father lacks. I'm grateful that I kept up with my German writing and grammar after school, otherwise writing a sound reply might be tricky. I will still probably head down to see one of my colleagues in the German section of the UN, and ask them to proof read it. I don't want to send off a missive that is full of glaring errors that show my ignorance. As for going over there… Well, there was talk of sending someone over to Geneva for a few days for a meeting, and if I asked, and was chosen to attend, then it might be easy enough to combine that with a few days vacation, which would allow me to head on to Baden Baden. From what Fritz says in his letter, and from what I have found in a quick search on Google, it is a very attractive and historic city. Now, naturally, I would not wish to go alone, and it would be a family affair. It might even be an idea to head home via London, and spend a few days there, catching up with old friends…"
Jeff's face had lit up as he realised that he and Wes would be going with Nick on any trip to Europe. He had loved the scenery around Geneva on his first visit, and if Baden Baden was as beautiful… Then on to London, where he might be able to meet up with his royal friend, unless of course she was at Balmoral with Her Majesty; she still went there every summer, even now at the age of 99. Once Nick knew the dates, he could contact Kensington Palace… Then he suddenly realised that Nick was talking to him…
"We aren't definitely going yet, Jeffie, so don't start planning in your head. It all depends on whether the trip to Geneva is still deemed essential. The UN, like everyone else, is doing all it can to reduce its carbon footprint, so if the meeting can be done online, then it will be…"
Nick watched his husband's face fall a little again, and he did feel a little mean about it, but the fact was that he had been trying to push attending the meeting onto one of his colleagues; it was right before his summer vacation, and he had been considering that they might head to one of the beach resorts further south, or go up to Niagara Falls, and into Canada. Even the idea of two weeks in Port Jefferson at the beach house was tempting. Now that he had a reason to justify going to Europe, things had changed, but he would need the meeting to be held first. There was no other way he could justify taking them all across the Atlantic…