From Losing Caleb to Losing Wes.
By the time that 2032 came along, the house swap between Beats, Elliott, Ethan and Drew had taken place. Beats' first task had been to thoroughly familiarise himself with the layout of his new home; he found living on one level strange at first, but he appreciated the fact that when the time came, it would make his life so much easier. Of course, like any house move, it did not come without its issues; at first, hearing noise from above spooked him a little, but it wasn't something that happened all that often, as Ethan and Drew were respectful neighbours.
Beats had also come to a decision as the speculation started following the house move. He had made a trip home to Zanesville for Thanksgiving that year and had surprised Elliott by telling his parents his diagnosis. There had been a lot of emotion in the trip as a consequence, but the Harpers had promised their full support when the time came. That gave the beatboxer the confidence to reveal his news to his friends; he invited Flint over first and had shown his best friend the letter, turning the day into the inevitable tearfest he had expected. With his parents and best friend now aware, he had told everyone else the news.
There had been understanding as he anticipated, and no-one had anything but love for him. There had been sympathy for his predicament, but they did not change the way that they treated him as a result. His employers at the MTA were a different matter when he informed them, as they had obvious concerns when so much of his job involved him studying maps and statistical reports and seeing what issues could arise from that. He was able to show them that he could carry on as normal for now and that he could still be a valuable member of the team even if he could not see. Matthew had also stepped up to the plate, telling the bosses that he could easily be Beats' eyes in the future, doing all of the things that required sight, whilst he concentrated on the reports and stats that could be delivered to him in audio form. It had not come anywhere near that stage yet, but it was reassuring for Beats to know that he could count on Seth's cousin when it did…
He was already proving his worth; the expansion plan that they had jointly delivered at the end of 2031 had been well received, dubbed both revolutionary and practical by those in charge. That it was also cost-effective was a massive bonus and the MTA was happy to endorse the schemes they had proposed, going so far as to reveal them to the media. The headline grabber was just as Matthew had predicted the fact that Staten Island would finally have a subway station, although the politicians there immediately requested a whole network of branch lines from that one point to every corner of the borough. Such things of course were for the future, although Beats could envisage ways to make that happen. In the meantime, the clamour was quietened down by pointing out that if such a network was built, then the famous ferry would obviously cease being free…
Jeff had found Christmas 2031 very hard, starting from the moment that the tree was placed in the hallway. He was so used to being watched in disbelief by Caleb as he decorated it with Wes that it almost did not feel right to do so without the glare of a disapproving feline upon him. It had been hard to put all the lights and garlands in place, but the actual day itself had hurt even more. His parents had been present at their table that year, with Nick's family celebrating at Grace's home; it was the first time in years that the siblings would not be together on Christmas Day. They had spent the previous evening in Murray Hill, which made up for it to an extent.
When the absence of his pet from the house had become too much, Jeff had retreated to his studio. After a few minutes he was joined there by Judy and Elspeth, who between them tried to comfort their son. The latter would eventually make a confession that came as no surprise to Judy at least, namely that she dreaded Christmas every year too; it reminded her of the little boy that she had given birth to who had been such a sweet child before he morphed into a monster as he fell entirely under the influence of her late husband; the boy that had disregarded her and come to see everything from his father's point of view. "No matter how bad a child is, their mother will always love them," she said sadly to Jeff. "I am so grateful that I managed to get you back into my life and that you accepted me, which is more than I deserved. I feel such a part of your family, but I still have a pain in my heart because of Hunter."
A few years before, Jeff would not have understood how his biological mother could have any love for the evil child she had produced, but now that his own heart ached for his beloved cat, he could sympathise with her; in fact, he realised that there was a tiny part of him that mourned the loss of the innocent little brother he had loved…
The next few months were relatively peaceful ones, with no major changes to disturb the routines that they all had created to live their lives. It was true that Nick found out that he would be heading to Geneva more often than before as a colleague had retired; indeed, in February 2032 he had to remain there for a fortnight. It had not been practical for Jeff and Wes to come with him as it was in the middle of the school semester. That period of absence was hard for both Nick and Jeff, but they were a strong couple and could survive it. They had also coped well with the fact that they were now about to be the parents of a teenager, that coming with all of the changes that they recalled so well from their own youth….
In the spring of 2032 there came a bit of news that surprised many of them. They were so used to happy relationships that the fact that Gabriel and his wife were divorcing was a major shock. It transpired that she had been having an affair with a younger man and had filed for the separation; the fact that she had also decided that Gabriel should have full custody of their two children led many to shake their heads. David had reached out to him at once, being the closest member of the brotherhood in terms of distance; he had supported him through the divorce, which was awkward rather than acrimonious. It came as little surprise to anyone when Gabriel announced that he would be moving into the same neighbourhood as David and Mercedes after the divorce was finalised, and they saw it as a sensible decision. They would be able to support each other and better still, the nanny that the Thompson-Jones employed was more than happy to assist with looking after Gabriel's children too…
On the day that Wes turned thirteen, Dante and Lachlan had asked their parents to meet them for dinner, along with Ty; they announced to the assembled company that they were going to be parents in six months' time. The Rosenfelds, Beats and Elliott had known that they had been talking to a potential surrogate, but the fact that it was coming so soon was a shock. The next morning Beats had popped in to visit Nick and the two of them had ended up sitting in the kitchen together, talking about how old the changes in their lives were making them feel. Nick had to admit though that being the father of a teenager paled into insignificance compared to the fact that the man that was only a year or so older than him was becoming a grandfather…
Later that day came another bit of news, namely that Mitch and Gideon would soon be fostering a child, having passed the assessment that the city insisted on for all couples; within a week though, everyone was most surprised to hear that they would actually be adopting a baby instead…
As summer came to a close that year, there were more changes brought on by the passing of time. As the new school year commenced, Wes found himself heading to school alone, firstly because he was now too old to need his papa to walk him, and secondly because Evie, being a year ahead academically, now headed in the opposite direction towards Notre Dame each morning. She had no problem adapting to the strict regime of the school, taking pride in the uniform she was wearing as she walked the four blocks to school each day. The school had no idea about her background, as her connection to the Mackenzie family had been concealed by a combination of clever rouses. The money that came to pay her fees was paid into Drew's bank account first, then onto the school; that ensured that no school bursar or accountant would wonder why Mackenzie Inc was paying for her education. Evie Symons was just another student, albeit one whose early education had taken place at a very proper English kindergarten shone through.
Wes had also had a decision to make that year and he informed his dads that he wanted to go to Dalton as they had done shortly after his final year in his current school commenced. "I will miss you both and miss being in the city too, but I can see what going to Dalton gave you both; not just a good education but a close circle of friends that look out for each other. It also gave you both confidence and tolerance for others. I might get that if I was to go to school here but I'm not sure… I will be okay there too as I will have my uncles close by, although I will need to start calling them Mr Harwood and Mr Karofsky-Smythe from now on, so that I don't embarrass myself and them by calling them uncle in class…"
Whilst they were proud that their boy would be following in their footsteps, his decision left both Nick and Jeff with mixed emotions, as they knew they would miss his presence as soon as he was gone. It would be harder for Jeff ironically, as he would now have to spend a large part of his day alone in the West Village house; that prospect did not exactly fill him with joy. He said nothing to Nick, as he knew he would have issues of his own with it; in the end, he confided in his friend and former tutor one afternoon as they worked together in her now highly successful gallery to set up another show for him. She had nodded in understanding, and then had spoken…
"Do you recall the lectures that you received whilst you were in college by guest artists, talking about their work and their inspirations? You all found them beneficial and the artists in question also enjoyed the opportunity to share their experiences and give back to the next generation coming up. I am sure that the school would be overjoyed if one of its best-known former students offered to return and give a lecture or two to the current student body. It would go down well with the students, even more so if the artist in question was prepared to do a few more intimate seminar groups too. Best of all, it would get the artist in question out of the house…"
Jeff did not need to think long about the idea and discussed it with Nick that evening. His husband was only too happy to encourage him to sign up for the program. A quick conversation with the Dean of the Art School later and Jeff was signed up to deliver the first guest lecture of the 2033/34 semester…
Thad was the first person outside the immediate family to know what Wes had decided and he set the ball rolling at once on the scholarship process. He also had it confirmed that Timothy Hart would be a freshman alongside Wes in 2033; the boy in question had arrived alongside his mother one afternoon in the early summer for a tour of the school and to meet Thad properly. Sugar had decided it was important for her son to see where he was going and also to know the man that would be in charge of the dorms he was saying in, but she had asked Thad not to tell anyone about the visit in advance.
Thad's first impression of the boy was favourable; in fact, he would go so far as to say that Tim Hart could be the poster child for the benefits of raising a son in the Bible Belt. He was well turned out, polite and had a formality about him when he was amongst adults that was refreshing; he had called Thad Sir from the moment they met and continued to do so for the whole visit. He was also a handsome boy with an athletic physique that had been created by a mix of good diet, Little League and swimming. Thad asked if he had any questions after the tour, and he asked about the Warblers straight away, explaining that he had been a part of the choir at his father's church for some time and that he loved to sing. When asked to sing a little for him, Thad realised that he still had the pure treble of a boy, but he could tell that would not be the case for much longer.
Then Tim had asked him a number of questions that tied into the zero-tolerance policies that Dalton was famed for; that he asked so many seemed to indicate to Thad that he had perhaps been bullied in school already or even that he had a personal secret that he did not wish to come out in a small town where attitudes would be less tolerant. Then came questions about the dorm arrangements, particularly if he would need to share a room.
"Yes, I am afraid so; single rooms are limited in number and tend to be kept for seniors or those arriving mid semester. It is normal for a freshman to be allocated an older roommate as a mentor, but the way things will be next year has forced my hand and I will not be doing that for you if you decide to come. There is another freshman arriving next year that I feel would be a much better match as a roommate for you, firstly as he is also a scholarship boy and secondly as his parents are friends of your parents. In fact, the room we are currently in is the one that I intend on allocating to you both…"
As her son nodded, Sugar had smiled, trying her best not to laugh; she had seen the number 36 on the door after all. She hoped that her son and Wes would become good friends in the room that the latter's parents had shared almost two decades ago… Thad would also inform Nick and Jeff of his choice of roommate for their son when he came to Dalton, and both agreed it was a good thing for them both…
"Even with the zero-tolerance policy in place, there can still be difficulties when people discover that someone is present at a school on a scholarship; the fact that the scholarship in question ties them both to a dark moment in Dalton's history would make it even more of an issue for some," Nick said sagely to the Head Warbler. "Tim will be a good roommate as he will be in the same position, so to speak."
"I will still give them both an older mentor, and I have the perfect candidates that will be Juniors the year they arrive – as you know, we have a pair of twin brothers in the Warblers at the moment and they room together, so that makes them the right choice for Wes and Tim. They might share a room, but they are far from insular and introverted…"
"I actually recall meeting the twins last year when we came to Dalton for graduation day and they seem like good people," responded Jeff. "Of course, the fact that they are identical in appearance must cause a lot of issues for you all as staff."
"When they arrived it did, but then their voices broke in the first month they were students here and it all became simple. Arnold came out of it with a beautiful tenor voice, but Arthur became a bass. All of the teaching staff know that if there is ever any sort of confusion, they just need to get them to sing; try as hard as he might, Arthur can get nowhere near the high notes that his brother manages effortlessly. Sebastian in particular loves the fact that they can only be told apart by singing; he is also considering being sneaky in the next show choir competition and using lights and movement to have them replace each other halfway through a performance for the sheer contrast in voices. Obviously, I will need to ask them if they would be happy to be mentors, although I can't anticipate any issues there, and I intend to allocate Wes and Tim the room next door to theirs, so that they will be close at hand in Room 35 should any problems arise…"
Nick laughed at the notion that his son would be one of the two new occupants of his and Jeff's old room next year, whereas his husband was far more practical and asked that they should not tell Wes for now. After the phone call, Jeff wondered out loud if their son would find the loose floorboard in the closet in the room, below which there was still a piece of paper on which he had written the words 'Jeff loves Nick' as a sophomore; the one on which Nick had then written 'Nick married Jeff' several years later. He also hoped that Tim had been raised to be as tolerant as their own son, because he was absolutely convinced that Wes was gay, even if Nick had pointed out that it was still much too soon for that to be absolutely certain yet and that plenty of boys had gone into high school without having had a serious crush on a girl who turned out to be straight.
It was not a conversation that they had even considered having with their son so far, although they both knew that they would have to give him the traditional 'Birds and Bees' chat before he went to Dalton. They had decided many years ago that the talk would be a group effort and that meant that they would have it on a weekend. It was not something they were particularly looking forward to. Jeff could recall his conversation with his dad, and how both of them had been the colour of a London bus by the time it finished. Nick had never had that chat with his father and so sex ed classes at Dalton had been a revelation for him, and thus one of the worst classes he had ever sat through. He did not want his son to experience the embarrassment he had that day…
If Nick was being honest, the thing that he dreaded most about that conversation was that Wes might start to ask about girls and to be frank, he had no experience there, nor did Jeff for that matter. Most of what he had been taught at Dalton had slipped his memory by now. That could be an issue because it was hardly the kind of conversation that you brought outsiders into, even if they were close friends. The two husbands had broached that subject between them when they had planned how they would tell Wes. "If it does come to it, who would we ask in any case?" Jeff had asked.
"Well, Cooper is a relative by marriage, but we all know what his reputation with woman was before he settled down with my sister, so he would hardly be an appropriate person to do it," Nick replied. "Mike or Artie might agree to do it, but it would not be an easy thing to ask casually in a conversation." They had closed the topic then, but it would have to be addressed again soon, because Wes was now in his teens, which meant he would be influenced by urges and hormones like never before…
By the time that Christmas came, the moment of the tricky conversation had passed, and it was nowhere near as awkward or traumatic as Nick and Jeff had feared. That was one of the joys of living in the age of the internet and in there being more enlightened health classes in schools. Wes knew most of the basics already and all that his two dads needed to do was correct a few of the erroneous assumptions that their son had come to from a combination of those two things. They had not asked their son about his sexuality, and he had not been forthcoming with anything either.
That chat had been followed shortly after by Wes going for his first full physical at the doctor's office. Although it was not strictly an entry requirement that he had one before he arrived at Dalton, he would have one there each year as part of the school's health care regime, and so they decided he should get used to what would happen during one when they would be around to deal with any worries afterwards. Wes had agreed but had requested that they did not send him to a doctor that he knew; in the end, it was a doctor recommended to them by Ollie Harwood that conducted it. Jeff had found his own first physical examination quite traumatic, and he hoped that his son would not feel the same way about his. However, Wes had known what to expect from his father and with the patient, gentle way that Ollie's colleague carried it out, the experience was a positive one.
Nick was so proud of the young man that his son was growing into; he was a considerate, gentle soul that did well in his academics, and participated in sports, even if he did excel at them. However, it was becoming clear to Nick that his son's true passion was in the kitchen. He spent time there alongside his father every weekend, always ready to try something new. He was good at bread making, had mastered both sweet and savoury pastry, and was increasingly becoming more skilled at cake making than his father could ever hope to be. Jeff saw this and it was apparent to him that their boy would end up in a bakery; Nick was not entirely supportive of that idea, as he felt that it was better that their son get a good all-round education and then enter one of the professions. Jeff did not disagree with Nick, but at the same time he could see that eventually father and son might clash over it…
That Christmas also saw a clash between Mitch and his husband Gideon, brought about by the latter's attitude towards the care of the son they had adopted in the fall. He had been as keen as Mitch on having a child when they had discussed the topic before, but now that it was a reality, he seemed to have completely changed his opinion on the topic. Almost as soon as the baby had arrived in their home, Gideon's working day had lengthened, but Mitch had accepted it as an inevitable part of his career as an assistant to a magazine editor. However, he had then bumped into Isabelle whilst out in the city a few days before Christmas, and she had made a chance remark that changed everything. According to her, Gideon had volunteered to stay later even although she herself was going home; it was clear that his husband was using it as an excuse to stay away from his husband and child…
Mitch was angry, but more than that, he was upset. His initial reaction was that he wanted to call his husband out straight away, but then he realised that such a move would be doomed to failure. Instead, he called his in-laws, and then Isabelle; he explained the situation to them all and asked for their help. Suddenly Gideon found himself threatened with being frogmarched by security out of the building each night if he did not head home on time; the following day his father had called him for a chat, but had not mentioned anything specifically about Mitch calling, just wanting to check in with him and how he was coping with a baby in the house.
The response he got had obviously not been satisfactory, as the next night Gideon arrived home on time to find his grandmother sitting in the lounge with his son, with Mitch nowhere to be seen… The conversation that followed was not a comfortable one for the young man, as it was part lecture and part interrogation. The upshot of it was that his grandmother was able to discover just why Gideon had turned his back on his son and hence his husband so abruptly. To her horror, her grandson despised the child as it was taking Mitch away from him constantly and robbing him of his husband's love. His grandmother had sympathised, but had then made one very valid point to her grandson, namely that one of the reasons why Mitch had so little time for him was that he was not helping out with the care of their child…
The first day of 2033 saw the announcement of the engagement of Peter Smythe and his long-term girlfriend Constance; she had agreed to the engagement on the proviso that, like Adam and Lawrence, there was to be no talk of a wedding until she had graduated from medical school. A few hours later, with Lawrence now within touching distance of his own graduation from medical school, he and Adam proudly announced that they would be marrying in the summer, provisionally in late July. In fact, they would actually be getting married twice…
Having looked into the costs, they had concluded that it would be much too expensive to fly all of Adam's extended family over to New York for a couple of days, let alone accommodate them all. The plan now was that they would fly over to England, accompanied only by Dex, his partner and their father, and have a quiet civil partnership ceremony in a venue close to Adam's home village. That Lawrence and Dex's dad would be there did come as a surprise to some, but there had been a rapprochement between Lawrence and his father, encouraged by Adam; although they would never be close, they could now occupy the same room without the son walking out.
After that ceremony, they would all fly back, accompanied by Adam's parents and his grandmother Joan to have a second wedding ceremony in Manhattan. It was also likely that Adam's sister and her family would come across too, but that was as yet unconfirmed. It would be a tiring affair for the two grooms, but it would ensure everyone was able to attend. Adam also pointed out to Dex that he could give the same best man's speech twice and hardly anybody would know.
There was of course the question of who Adam's best man would be; he had asked Sam to do the honours, as his co-star and screen husband, and he had agreed, but only in Manhattan. He had a busy work schedule that year and could not take time off to fly over to London even for a couple of days. The solution to the issue came from Sam; the man that Adam asked to travel to London with him was surprised at first, then when the reason he was being asked was pointed out, he was only too happy to agree. As Sam had pointed out, had Mason not taken on the role of Bert in Mary Poppins, then Adam might never have agreed to return to New York to star alongside him and thus would never have potentially met the love of his life…
Jane had no issue with Mason heading over to London for a few days for the wedding but declined the chance to join them, as her home life was too hectic. She also suspected that however hard they tried, the wedding would not avoid being the centre of a media frenzy. Adam was a main cast member of one of the world's biggest sitcoms after all, and the village he lived in had also gained a fair amount of attention since it had become one of those places that had been a location in a Bond film. The quintessentially English nature of the community had made it very much the star of that film and had opened the door to other things. A very popular TV drama had subsequently filmed there; the fees from that and the film had been used by the Parish Council to refurbish the Village Hall, repair the church roof and even provide extra things for both the school and the old folks' association…
Those weddings would be the big social event of the year in the circle of friends; when the Manhattan one came it was reported on in Vogue, with a full set of photos; Adam knew that would please his grandmother greatly, and he was right, her face a picture when she was included in one of the shots. She would be able to return home and boast to the ladies in the W.I. non-stop, as who else in her circle of elderly ladies had a grandson whose wedding had made the pages of Vogue? One of them did have a niece that had made the pages of Tatler with her wedding, but that was hardly the international highlight that Vogue was…
The photos taken on that July day were full of happy faces, but the truth was that Nick was putting on a smile for every day; he was now dreading the fact that in just a few weeks, his son would be heading off to school in Ohio and would remain there until Thanksgiving. He was worried equally that his boy would suffer from homesickness but say nothing, or worse, would love life at Dalton so much he would never want to come home. His grandparents had pointed out that they were close to the school if there was an emergency, and his mother had done the same; that did not make Nick feel better. He was still so conflicted about the whole thing…
He was also aware of one other fact, namely that had it not been for Hunter and all he had done, then Wes would not have been going to Dalton. He and Jeff were not poor by any means, but even with the generous discount offered to alumni of the school on fees for their sons, the school would not have been affordable. He kept that to himself for two reasons, namely that Jeff would be upset that their boy was going only because his brother had attacked them all and that Wes was looking forward to being a Dalton boy so much. He had been able to try on a uniform when he and his dads had gone to Ohio on the annual graduation pilgrimage and seeing their son attired that way had sparked emotions for both of his dads….
Jeff had spotted the sadness in his husband and how much it was growing as each day went by, but he also knew that they had agreed to let Wes choose and had to respect his decision to go. However, he understood why his husband felt the way he did, and suspected that august would be an emotional minefield at home in the West Village; worse, he would be the one left to deal with the damage that a misjudged word from either Nick or Wes might cause…
Trent had also sensed the underlying tension at the wedding, as he had listened to Wes talking animatedly to several of his uncles about being a Dalton student. He had seen Nick standing behind his son and the expression on his face as he too listened; he realised that the smile on his face did not match the expression in his eyes… He saw the anxious way that Jeff was acting too around his husband and son, as if he was on edge all the time; as if he was waiting for the moment when Nick finally snapped…
He knew that the subject was a tricky one, as he and Rory had also had the conversation about their own children; they were growing up fast and the time would soon come when they would also be eligible for the scholarship. Neither he nor Rory had anything against the idea of a boarding school education in general, but it was the distance that troubled them. Trent knew about that first hand, when he had been at Dalton and his own family had returned to Georgia; when everything had happened with Hunter and Trent needed his family around, that distance had seemed like billions of miles, as if they were on the moon… As a result, they had left the question undecided for now, although the idea of following Nick and Jeff's example and allowing the children to decide had been strongly favoured, although he was not so sure watching them now…
However, Trent's keen eye had also spotted another issue in the room, and that seemed to concern Thad. They had all been supportive of his decision to embrace the culture and beliefs of India and to make their diet part of his daily regime. There had been jokes about the faint yellow tinge to his skin from all the turmeric he consumed, but now it wasn't a faint tinge and worse, his eyes seemed to be yellowing too. Trent was convinced that eating so much turmeric could not be the cause of that, nor could that diet be the reason that he appeared much gaunter; in Trent's judgement, Thad had lost weight. He knew better though than to ask questions about those things to the Head Warbler's face, but he strongly suspected that he was keeping something secret from them all…