The Scariest Thought

     Walking alone in a dark maze never knowing what awaits around the next corner, being home alone during a storm and the lights go out, or even being buried alive -while I don't wish any of these fates on myself or anyone else, there is a fate worse than death: becoming a shadow of one's former self. Being haunted this way comes from second-guessing the 'road not taken' with regret. 

      Exorcising a ghost when that ghost is self is a human's biggest challenge. Remember that any step taken is a step toward something and so a step forward. In a way, we are all shape-shifters. Shadows can't catch us if we chose not to be caught.

     "What was that?" you ask.

     "A creaking door."

     "Jeez! That gave me the willies. Where does it lead, do you think?"

     "Walk through it and find out," I say with a lascivious grin.

     Whoa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! 

     (Cue organ music.)

     

The Pick Up

“Hey, Simms, check out the guy at the end of the bar. He could be your twin!”

Simms glanced in the general direction his friend Tag indicated, but didn’t see anyone who resembled himself. “Tag, I think you’ve had too much to drink. That guy doesn’t look anything like me.”     

“Simms, I’m telling you ―where’re you goin’, man?” Tag watched as Simms sat down next to his twin. The resemblance was incredible, even side by side ―especially side by side. Tag couldn’t help but smile as he watched his friend introduce himself.

“My friend over there thinks we look alike. Sorry, but I don’t see it myself. I came over here so he could see how wrong he is. My name’s Simms, by the way,” he said as he extended his arm to shake hands. “Sorry to have bothered you.”

“No bother,” the other man said as he took Simms hand. “Take a seat. I’d like to buy you a drink.”

“That’s okay. I should get back to my friend.”

“Oh, are you two together? He can join us if he wants to. I’d like to get to know you.”

“We’re friends, not lovers if that’s what you mean. You haven’t told me your name.”

“You can actually call me Simms. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that is weird; especially since Simms is actually my last name.”

            “So, Mr. Simms, have you ever called out your own name during sex?”

            “Ah, that’s going a bit fast for me. You haven’t even bought me that cocktail you offered yet.”

“I have a feeling this choirboy look of yours is a sham. Underneath it all, you’re as bad as I am. Bartender? What are you drinking, Mr. Simms?”

“I’ll have what you’re having,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

“Well then, now we’re getting somewhere. Hine, please, and get me another while you’re at it.”

“What do you do? For a living, I mean?”

“I’m an actor.”

“Really? That must be interesting. What might I have seen you in?”

“Nothing, if you tend to blink. So far it’s only been some background work for television.”

“I have a part for you you might like.”

Just as the bartender placed the drinks on the bar, Tag took his friend’s elbow. “C’mon, man. We should go. It’s getting to be a little weird watching you sit here talking with your reflection in the mirror. You bested me. The joke’s over now. Let’s get you home.”

“No, that can’t be!” Simms turned sharply to face his new companion. There were two glasses, but only himself and Tag. “I can’t believe it! I finally meet someone interesting who’s interested in me and you run him off!”

“Simms, seriously, you need to get home and get to bed to sleep this off. There was no guy. It was only the mirror. I shouldn’t have pranked you when you’re drunk. Now let’s go.”

“Oh, all right. Let me just finsh this.” When Sims raised his glass there was a business card stuck to the bottom. In blue ink there was a handwritten note. “Call me.” Simms slipped it into his pocket without a word and got up to leave with Tag.

Blurred Vision As A Path To Clarity

     Sometimes I see a blur of something in my peripheral vision that leaves me wondering what I saw. Often it's something or someone moving very quickly. For instance, sitting on a winter's night watching television or reading a book and a brownish blur flashes by. That one is a mouse who didn't realize I was there until it was too late! Sometimes, though it's someone from the other side who is with me, but not intending to be seen. At other times, being seen is the point. 

     Yesterday provided me an interesting lesson in perception. I inadvertently went to work without my reading glasses. Until then, I hadn't realized how much my dependence on them had grown. I decided to make the best of the situation by making enlarged photocopies of  the associates' extensions directory and using the enlargement feature for emails; a button I didn't know existed. All in all, the day provided a lesson. While details are important, sometimes we also need to step back for a look at the overall picture. After all, what do details really matter without context? For one day, I was forced to see my work in a new way. My self perception was also enhanced.

     What does this have to do with my theme of synchronicity or paranormal? I was set up. I am such a creature of habit there is no way  I would have missed picking up my glasses. In fact, I felt them in my breast pocket and continued to reach for them throughout the day. The routine is this: glasses go into the breast pocket of my suit. Next the phone goes into the side pocket, then the wallet goes on the hip. I reach for my house keys as I go out the door. Before I lock up, I do a touch test to make sure everything is in its place. I know I had my glasses. Somewhere along my route to the subway, one of my spiritual guides picked my pocket so that I would have no choice by to alter my way of seeing things. Out of the blur I received new clarity.

     Normally, I don't even use the directory to connect calls. I know them all by touch. Concern over my vision blocked my sensory memory at first. As I relaxed into the day, I became more adapt though not 100%. Whoever that spirit guide was wanted me to understand and overcome an area of weakness brought about by dependency. I will continue to exercise non-reliance.

     When I returned home, my glasses had been hidden. They were not where I last used them or where I would have picked them up. I had to look for them.

  

     

     

     

Guard Duty

   He was awakened from a sound sleep by the screech of the screen door at the back of the house. Larry listened for foot falls as he reached for his glasses and the cellphone he kept on the nightstand. There it was; the squeak of the floor between the kitchen and dining room. Someone was in his house. He quietly slipped into a pair of jeans and stepped into his shearling slippers. With the .45 he kept in the nightstand he made is way downstairs.
     Larry saw the flash before he heard the shot of a gun being fired, but it wasn't his gun. The bullet grazed him as he fell backwards on the landing. Before he could make another move, Larry heard snarling, the growling, then yelling, "Get away from me!" Larry couldn't see what was happening in the shadows, but he knew the sounds of a dog attacking the intruder.
     "Get away! Get away!" the man continued to yell. "Call off your dog, man! Call off your dog!" The growling and snapping, the sounds of tearing cloth and flesh, the clicking of teeth on bone continued. Silence.
     Silence. It was over. Larry found a light switch and turned on the lights. The intruder was heaped in a soundless bloody mass that no longer moved. Whoever it was had been mauled so badly Larry couldn't discern a face. He called 9-1-1 on his way back to the bedroom to put the gun away.
     The police and the ambulance arrived within moments of each other. The officer was a friend of Larry's form Church. "Do you know this guy?"
     "Never saw him before tonight, Matt."
     "I got to tell you, Larry, I haven't ever seen a mauling this bad before. Sorry, but I'm going to have to take your dog. It's just for a couple days. You'll most likely get him back."
     "Matt, I don't have a dog."
     "I thought you had a Shepherd, or Shepherd-mix. What was him name?"

     "You mean Hawkeye?  He got a hold of the wrong end of a rattlesnake. He died about s couple months ago. I don't have another dog."

Midsummer Love

Here's a kernel of a story I'm hearing from the ether.

      With candle in hand he climbed the stairs to the attic. This was a room he visited only once each year. The room looked much like any other storage room containing various cartons of clothes, decorative objects, and furniture not suitable for use but too good to get rid of. There was a small solitary window through which the moon cast a single ethereal beam. This was reflected and magnified by the cheval mirror standing sentry nearby. He seated himself on an ottoman placed in front of the mirror. He carefully placed the candle on the floor between the mirror and him and settled down to wait. 

    His ritual had become a sort of anniversary observance for the last seven years. The commemoration wasn't due to a birthday or wedding, or even a first date. Midsummer night, however, was the first time they had met again. Seven years ago this night, Filip had encountered quite by accident his beloved for the first time after Lars had passed away. 

      To say Filip looked forward to these encounters would be a gross understatement. The two men had instantly been so close only Death could come between them. For one night, even Death was defeated. Theirs was a passion so strong they often wondered together in each other's arms if they might have known each other in another life. Now that Lars was on the other side, he was able to show Filip this was indeed true. Every year, Lars showed Filip another episode in their love affair that as it turned out spanned centuries.

       As Filip gazed at his own reflection a silvery ball began to pulse over his left shoulder and grow larger. In seconds that seemed like hours, the ball had grown into the image Filip knew so well. Lars had arrived.

Past Perfect, Future Not So Much

     I had a friend who didn't believe in much of anything except her talent for accumulating wealth. She  considered anything spiritual or paranormal as either delusion or scam. She surprised me one day by asking me if I knew of an honest psychic. I asked her what happened that caused her to seek a fortune-teller. She said she had had a fight with her only son and was taking him out of her will. It occurred to her if she could find out the name she has in a future reincarnation, she could leave her estate to herself. 

     Remembering this conversation also brought to mind a comment someone once made about people who claimed to know about their past lives. None of them ever recalled an ordinary life as a common person. They all seem to have been kings, queens, millionaires, etc. By the same token, there have been no public claims of having been a particular saint, martyr, pope or rabbi. 

   Who we were only matters for the lessons we bring with us. We all have either things we learned or things we didn't quite get and still need to conquer. The adage in the theater is that an actor is only as good as his last show, but that credential only lasts until the follow-up question is asked: 'What are you working on now?'

     My friend never did learn her future identity. Whatever lessons await her she will have to learn without her crib notes, just as we all do. Who knows, next time around, I might be a famous writer instead of a struggling one. 

     

Midsummer Approaches

     Midsummer is the most celebrated holiday in Scandinavia and other countries in the North besides Christmas. Celebrated on the Friday and Saturday between June 19th and the 24th, Midsummer is a time of bacchanalian traditions. The festivities of the Solstice include dances around Maypoles, bonfires, outdoor barbecues, and copious amounts of vodka; families and friends enjoying the longest day of the year. It is also one of the most magical. Shakespeare even wrote a play about it.
     Midsummer is also a time to beware.The bonfires originally were to meant to ward off dragons which were especially active to keep them away from the local water supplies. It was believed the dragons poisoned wells. Sprites, faeries, and daevas are also playing mischief with unsuspecting humans.
     For the Druids, this was a time when the young people of the villages drank and danced and paired off. The couple would stay together for a year. during this time, if a child was born, the couple remained together to raise the child. If there was no off-spring, each partner was free to dance around the Maypole the following year with a new partner.
     This is also a time when the passage between this world and the spirit world is open. So bonfires were like keeping the lights on. Even now it is said that if a person sits in a dark room and looks into a mirror by the light of a single candle, the people watching from the other side can be seen. This can be an amazing opportunity to re-connect with loved ones who have passed to discuss unfinished business with them. This is their chance to let the people left behind they are loved and cared for.
    

See You In The Morning, The Finale

     Back to the current task at hand, Charles asked David again what he wanted to do with the leather rig.  “Let’s donate to the Center’s rummage sale.  They’ll get some money for it and maybe it will save someone else’s relationship like it did ours,” was David’s suggestion.

     “Okay.  That about does it.  Time for you to hit the shower and get ready.  You don’t want to be late.”

     David looked sadly around the room.  “I’m sure there’s more we could get done.”

     Charles took David by the hand and led him to the bathroom.  “We’ve been through this.  I’ll keep working while you take your shower.”  He pushed David out of the bedroom and simultaneously swatted him playfully on the butt.  “Go!”

     Soon there was the sound of water running.  Charles retrieved the mysterious black bag from the closet and placed it in the center of the floor where piles of clothes had been earlier.  He called out to David, “So what about this black bag?  I know how you stash things you don’t really want to part with.”

     David shouted back over the shower, “I told you.  It’s just trash.  Forget it!  Why don’t you decide which shoes you want to keep, Mrs. Marcos!  I’ll be out in a minute.”

     Charles thought maybe shoes was a clue about the contents of that bag.  Something had to make it so heavy.  His curiosity finally got the better of him and he opened the bag to look inside.  “Oh my God!”  he shouted.  “What’s all the blood on these rags?  David, why are you keeping a bag full of bloody rags?” Charles called out in terror.

     David came running in dripping wet from his shower.  He grabbed the bag and began to shove the contents back inside.  “Goddammit, Charles!  I told you to stay out of this bag!  Can’t you ever just do what I ask?”  He continued pushing the rags into the bag.  He  started to cry.  “Just once before I die, I wish to God, you would respect my wishes!   I didn’t want you to see these.  I didn’t want to see them.  I can’t stand to ever see them.  I should have burned them in the fireplace!  Charles, I asked you to leave the bag alone.  You told me you would.  God, Charles!”  David crumpled to the floor, all the while clutching the bag tight to his body.  “I can’t deal with this.  I-I don’t deserve this!  Boops!  Boops, please come down from Heaven!  I need you!”  David twisted and turned so that he was laying on the floor in a fetal position, still embracing the bag.

     “I-I’m sorry, David.  I just thought we should take a look before tossing it into the garbage.  I thought maybe you had put shoes in it since it was so heavy.  I didn’t mean anything by it.  I promise.  This is our last day together in our house.  I certainly didn’t mean for it to end like this.”

     Charles laid down behind David and held him tightly.  “You are the best thing that ever happened to me.  I love you, David.  It’s all right, Honey.  I’m with you.  I always will be,” Charles whispered in his ear.

     David cried out to his friend Boops again as though he was unaware of Charles.  “Boops, I really need your special wisdom now.  Char-Charles has―something has happened I can’t make right.  I don’t know how to deal with this.  Please, Boops, come down from Heaven and help me!” 

     David finished his crying and pulled himself together and off the floor.  He moved trance-like, but he managed to get dressed.  When he arrived at the event Charles had been so adamant he attend, he was led into a large room.  All of his friends were waiting for his arrival.  He saw all the flowers and a table draped with a crisp pink linen tablecloth.  On it was a tray of champagne flutes filled with the Veuve Clicquot Gran Dame.  Next to the tray was a framed photograph of Charles.  David picked up a glass of champagne and downed it in one.  He set the empty on the table and picked up a second glass.  As he scanned the room, he spotted Charles in the center and proceeded to take him the glass.

     In his mind he was replaying his recurring nightmare of Charles laying in a coma.  He was glad at least that had not come true.  He looked at the only man he had ever truly loved and whispered, “Happy birthday, Sweetheart.”

     He took his keys out of his pocket and tapped his glass.  “Everybody, could I have your attention please.”  The room went quiet as all the guests gathered around David and Charles.

     “I want to thank you all for coming.  This isn’t the birthday party I had originally planned, but as Charles is fond of telling me, I have to go with the flow.  Today is my beloved’s thirtieth birthday.  So that’s what we’re here tonight to celebrate, his birthday.  I want to thank you for all of your kind cards and letters.  I promise I will answer each and every one of them.  Soon.  You’ll have to forgive me.  I feel like time and space have collapsed around me and trapped me in my worst nightmare.  I can’t wake from it.

     "You may know that I’m selling the house.  In the meantime, I have taken a suite at the Windsor Court Hotel until I can determine what comes next.

     "This afternoon, I came across the bag of rags the police gave me.  I knew what was in it, so I never opened it, not until this afternoon.  I don’t want to tell you all the gory details.  The clothes Charles had been wearing the night he was attacked had been reduced to ribbons.  His Valentino slacks, his favorite Donna Karan silk shirt, shredded and soaked with his blood.  The police told me it was the most vicious attack they had ever seen.  He was nearly shredded as badly as his clothing.

     "Y’all knew my Charles.  He was such a sweet―like a puppy, just glad to be around, living life, having fun.  He never harmed anyone.  He was always the first to volunteer whenever someone needed anything.  He didn’t deserve―they stole his Gucci loafers.  God! If they had just asked, Charles would have given them freely.  They didn’t have to―do this.  Charles was truly one of a special breed.  He was―” David had to pause here and set his jaw to stop it from trembling and to take a moment to just breathe.  “Charles was the secret ingredient in my life.  My only consolation is that I know he is with our friend Boops.  I am confident she has taken him in hand and is showing him the ropes around Heaven.”

     David then turned to look at Charles’ closed coffin draped with a blanket of gardenias.  “Loverboy, I want to thank you for everything you gave me, everything you taught me, for―for loving me―for giving yourself so completely to me.  We have never said good-bye to one another.  I am certainly not going to start now.  Instead, I raise my glass to you and say,  ‘See you, Charles.  See you in the morning.  Now, let’s everybody, have more champagne and some of these hors d’oeuvres.  After all this is a birthday  Charles and Boops came and stood next to David.  “Great speech, David.  You really ought to go into acting so you can win an award!  You were every bit as touching as Sally Fields, I swear!”

     Boops gave Charles a friendly swat and said, “Charles!  Shame on you.  You shouldn’t tease David like that; not today.  David, I’m trying my best with this lover of yours, but he’s getting all kinds of looks from my martyr friends.  They thought they had been through enough before Charles came along.”

     “Honey,” David heard Charles say, “Boops is right.  I shouldn’t joke with you today, but how else would you know it’s really me?  Anyway, thanks for dressing me in my tuxedo.  I knew you wouldn’t forget.  Wow, they did a great job with hair and make-up too.  Where were these people when I was alive?”

     “David, I wish you could see Charles in his resurrection splendor.  He is  more beautiful than ever.  Now if resurrection could just do something about that mouth of his!” Boops said with delight.

     Charles looked to the others like he was standing there next to the coffin alone, smiling and drinking his champagne.  They couldn’t begin to fathom the conversation that was taking place.

     “David, we have to go back now.  Boops and I sneaked away so that we could let you know we’re alright.  I loved being with you today.  Don’t worry, David.  Time passes quickly when you’re having fun, so you have to get out and live your life so we have plenty to talk about when you get here.  Boops and I will be waiting for you.  See you, my love.  See you in the morning.”

See You In The Morning, Part 7

     David shot Charles a look that froze him in his tracks.  “Sir.  I am sir to you, Pup,” David ordered.

     Charles noticed how David was dressed for the first time.  “What’s with the get-up, David?” he asked.

     Once again, David eyed his lover sternly.  “I thought I told you to address me as sir, but only when I give you permission to speak.  Do you understand English, Pup?”

     This new attitude of David’s was alarming to Charles.  He was actually starting to feel a little afraid of David.  “Y-yes.”

     “Yes, what?” David shouted.

     “Yes, I understand English?” Charles replied.

     “Are you asking me or telling me, Pup?” David pressed.

     “Telling you?”

     “If you’re telling me something, Pup, why does it sound like a question?”

     “David, you’re scaring me.  What’s going on?”

     Speaking with a clinched jaw, David answered, “I will tell you one last time, Pup.  You are to address me as sir.  You are not allowed to ask questions.  You are only to speak when I give you permission to speak and do what I tell you to do.  Do you understand that?  Comprende?”

     “Yes, sir.  David, please, tell me what this is all about.  I am so sorry I hurt you, but I can explain ―.”

     “Shut up!  I have had about enough of your insubordination, Pup!  I thought you were finally getting smart, but I was wrong.  I don’t like being wrong.  Now drop trou and hit the floor!”

     “What, sir?” Charles asked.

     “You said you understand English.  I’ll say it again.  Strip off your clothes and get on the floor on all fours, Pup!  Are you deaf now, too?”  David paused to watch Charles who was trembling so much he could barely unfasten his jeans.  His lower lip was quivering.  “I said now.  Hands and knees on the floor now!”

     Charles did as he was told even though he was on the verge of tears.  “David, I mean sir, why are you acting this way.  I can explain, if you ―.”

     “Shut up.  Shut up.  Shut up!  I didn’t ask for comments.  I’m in charge here and the sooner you realize that the better things will go for you.  Now lick my boots.”

     Charles sat back on his haunches.  “I am not going to lick your boots, David, sir.”

     “You what?  I’m not interesting in what you think you will or will not do.  You will follow orders and you will lick my boots clean.”

     Charles was now really scared and could barely whisper, “Sir, there’s something on your boots.”

     “That’s the point, genius.  If they were clean, I wouldn’t need you.  You will lick my boots now and you will tell me you like it.  Would you prefer a taste of this?” David asked as he cracked his whip in the air.  “Now get busy!”

     Charles realized he had no choice if he wanted this to end.  He very cautiously extended his tongue to the toe of one of David’s boots.  He touched his tongue to the brown substance that coated the leather and raised up on his knees.  “It’s chocolate!  You fucker, the shit on your boots is fudge!”  He started to stand up, but David pushed on his shoulders to force him back down to the floor.

     “I said you would like licking my boots.  You’re not finished yet.  Keep licking while I give your ass a taste of this whip.”

     “Sir!  Permission to speak, sir.”

     “The Pup has permission to speak.”

     “Sir, I’m following orders, but you’re going to whip me?” Charles cautiously inquired.

     “What I said is that I’m going to give your ass a taste of this whip.”  David then pulled off the handle casement revealing a dildo that he dangled down to Charles.  “This is the taste I have in mind.”

     Charles grinned broadly in relief as well as happiness.  “Oh, hurt me, sir.  If you don’t take me soon, I’m going to spew all over this floor!  David, I really do love you.  I am so, so sorry I hurt you.  I didn’t mean to.  I thought you might like to play with me with him.”

     David knelt down in front of his lover and grabbed his shoulders.  “I know you meant well.  You just caught me off guard.  I thought you’d brought a trick home and I almost died.”

     “I caught you off guard!  After what you just pulled on me?” Charles exclaimed.

     “Did you hate it?” David asked tenderly.

     “You scared the shit out of me, man!” Charles replied.

     “You didn’t answer the question, Pup!”

     “It was so hot!  Sir, can we go upstairs now?”

     Taking Charles in his arms and pressing him close to his body,  David replied, “Oh, yes, Pup!  Oh, yes!”

See You In The Morning, Part 6

     Arriving home from work early, David called out, “Charles, I’m home.  Honey, are you here?” He turned on a couple lamps in the darken living room as he proceeded to the bedroom.

     “David?  I’ll be right there.” 

     “If you’re in the bedroom, stay where you are.”  David moved faster than he spoke and was turning on the bedroom light before Charles had time to respond.  “Whoa!  What’s going on, Charles?  Who is this?” David demanded as he tried to take this all in.  “Never mind, “ he shouted.  “I don’t give a shit!”  Approaching the stranger he tossed him some clothes he pickup from the floor and threw them at the guy. “You!  Get dressed and get out of my house!”  David watched as the panicked young man scrambled to get dressed and ran out of the room.  When David heard the front door open and slam shut he re-directed his attention to Charles.  “I  can’t talk to you right now.  I’m going for a walk.  I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.  I don’t even care whether or not you’re here when I get back.”

     Charles was crying.  “Please, David.  I can explain.  Please don’t hate me.  Let’s talk.  Please don’t leave,” he pleaded.

     “I already told you.  I cannot talk to you.  I cannot stand the sight of you.  If I were you ― I thought we had something here!”  David ran out as Charles flung his body to the floor and cried inconsolably.

     The next thing David knew, he was sitting with Boops in her living room.  Boops had poured them each a scotch.  “David, I don’t know what to say.  I was afraid something like this might happen.  Remember?  I asked you how you would handle a broken heart.  Charles loves you, in his own way.  I have no doubts about that.  You know that’s true, don’t you?”

     David looked like the air had been sucked out of him.  “I don’t know what I know or what to believe anymore, Boops.  All I can think of is walking into our bedroom and finding him with some other guy in our bed.  God damn him, Boops, if he was going to cheat on me why did he have to bring it into our home?”

     Boops sipped her drink.  “Knowing  Charles, he probably thought this was about being honest.  I don’t mean to pry into your personal business, David, but had you ever talked about having a ménage a trios?

     “One time he mentioned that he knew other couples who did it sometimes.  They told him it made their relationships better.  I told Charles I didn’t think I could handle it.  He asked me to think about it.  I told him I would, but it was never brought up again.”

     “There’s your answer, David. Charles probably thought that if he went ahead and set it up, you would go along with it, and possibly have a good ol’ time.  Have you never had a threesome before?”

     “Sure, Boops, but not with anyone I was in love with.”

Boops took a thoughtful sip of scotch and then asked very sensitively, “Did you enjoy it, David?”

     “Of course, but that’s beside the point, Boops.”

     “No, David, that is precisely the point.  Sometimes sex is simply about the pleasure.  It’s playful and not concerned with any sentiment.  Why do you think it is that you could have fun with some guys you didn’t care about ―who I’m guessing you most likely didn’t even know― but you can’t get into the same mindset with Charles plus one, or three?

     “Because, Boops, Charles is the only man I desire.  He is the only man I need.  I thought he felt the same about me.  I know he often does things without taking the time to think them through.  He’s like a pup sometimes, but I thought ―.”

     “David!  You keep prattlin’ on about what you thought.  What do you feel?  Do you still want him?  Did this endless love you profess have a stroke and die just like that? she asked with a snap of her fingers.

     “Honey, I have loved that guy since the Halloween night we met at your party.”

     Boops saw the pain and pleading in her friend’s eyes.  “In that case, David, you have to find a way to deal with this and move passed it.  This is chapter two of your fairytale, David.  You decide how the story continues or if this is the end.”  Boops paused here and drew back in her chair.  “Let me ask you this, David.  If you had a puppy that messed on one of your beautiful carpets, would you send him to the pound?”

     “Of course, not, Boops.  I’m not a heartless ogre for chrissakes!”

     “So you’d keep him and train him to do better.  Is that right?”

     “Right.  It just takes patience and discipline,” David replied.

   Boops smiled one of her wicked smiles.  “Discipline, huh?  That sounds like something requirin’ black leather now, don’t it?”

     David was finally smiling again.  “Boops!  You’re awful!  Wise and wonderful to be sure, but awful!  I believe there are a lot of martyrs in Heaven eager for your arrival.  How did you get to be so smart?

     Boops rose to fetch the scotch bottle and poured herself and David another drink.  “I’m older than you for one thing.  For another, I had some help.  Charles phoned to tell me he had really messed up and hurt you very badly, so I should expect your imminent arrival.  I had time to go through my bag of tricks.”  She put her fingers to her lips, and said, “Sorry, I guess that was a poor choice of words.  Think about it, David.  You two deserve each other.  You both show up in the tackiest Halloween costumes, not to mention the trashy behavior in other people’s gazebos.”

     “You’re absolutely right, my Darling.  I think I know a way of giving the Prada Princess exactly what she has coming to her.  She wants spice?  I’ll warm her up!  Do you think that leather shop a few blocks from here is still open?”

     Playfully Boops said, “God, I don’t know, David.  Second Skin is only the leather shop in the Quarter and it’s not even nine o’clock yet.  What do you think?  Get your butt over to Saint Phillip Avenue right now!  Buy something divinely butch and then get home and commence obedience school.  Do you want  me to come with you?  I adore that shop!”

     “No, Boops, I’ll be fine on my own.  I certainly don’t want those guys thinking I have to have my mother pick out my gear for me.  They’d think I’m a bottom.”

     “Oh, yes!  Remember to buy a cap.  The guy with the cap is the one in charge.  I wish you’d let me go with you, but I understand.  If you see a guy that looks like a bald member of the Village People, that’s Frank.  Tell him Boops sends her love and he should come around to see me.”

     David stood up to leave and gave his friend a hug.  “Thank you, Boops.  I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”

     “That’s what I’m here for, David.  Call me in the morning.  I want a full report!”

     Later that night, David arrived home in his newly acquired dominator drag.  When Charles heard the front door open, he came running downstairs.  “David, you’re home!” he cried.  “You’ve come back!”

See You In The Morning, Part 5

     “Earth to David; Earth calling David.  Can you hear me, David?” Charles shouted through hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone.  “I lost you there for a few minutes, Sweetheart.  Where did you go?”
     “Sorry, Charles.  I was just remembering something Boops said to me once.”
     “I bet it was about me.  Did you tell her everything about us?”
     “No-oo, I didn’t tell her everything.  What makes you think it was about you, anyway?  Is your ego that big, or are you that insecure?”
     “Whenever you had your private visits with her, it was usually to discuss me, weren’t they?”
     “Not exactly, not all the time.  There are things between us that I consider too sacred to share with a friend, even a close friend like Boops.”
     “Like what, for instance.  Tell me something about us that you never told Boops.”
     “Okay.  For instance, once when we first met she tried to find out what you were like in bed.  She made a comment in such a way as to dare me to contradict her.”
     “Oh, yeah, what did she say?” Charles demanded.
     “She said she bet you were like a boy in more ways than one.”
     “So she thought I’m poorly equipped!  I hope you set her straight,” Charles huffed.
     “I did no such thing.  I told her that was nothing she needed to be concerned with because I was satisfied.”
     “Satisfied?  You never told her that I’m hung bigger than you?”
     “Charles, that’s something I would never breathe to a living soul,” David said assuredly with a grin.
     “Never mind!”  Charles scowled.  “Enough of idle talk.  We still have quite a bit to get done before you have to get ready to go out this evening.  Speaking of which, here is your tuxedo, but I can’t find mine anywhere.”
     “Perhaps it’s at the cleaners.  You’re always forgetting to pick things up and I never know what you’ve dropped off,” David offered by means of explanation to change the subject.
     “I just hope it hasn’t been lost. I love that tux.  You bought it for me to attend the Metropolitan Opera.  That was my first trip to New York, remember?  You know I’ve always said that I want―”
     “Yes, Charles!  I know what you’ve always said about that goddamned tux,” David snapped.  “We’ll find it, okay?”
     “No need to get your panties in a wad, Muriel!  At least you have yours to wear tonight” Charles replied.
     “Baby, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to go off on you like that, especially to now.  Now about tonight―”
     “How many times do I have to go through this with you, David?  You have to go.  You’re going.  That’s the end of it!” Charles stated emphatically.
     “But there’s so much to be done here.  I hate the thought of goin’ out and seein’ people without you.”
Charles wrapped his arms around David and pressed him to his heart.  “Don’t be silly, Loverman.  You and I have gone stag to things before; business functions where our relationship would not have been deemed appropriate.  It’s just how things worked out sometimes.  This is a very special night.  I don’t mind, David.”
Pushing away, David spat, “But I do!  Especially this time.  I mean it, Charles.  Please don’t make me leave you.”
     “David, c’mon now, really!  A lot of trouble has be gone to and a lot of money spent on this party.  You should want to go.  It means a lot to me to know that you’ll be there with people you know.”
     “But, Charles―” David pleaded.
     “No, buts!  I’m perfectly fine here.  I’ll do what I can to finish up and then will probably go on to the new place.”
     “No!” David protested.  “I want you here when I get home!”
     “David, my love, I said I will do what I can here and check on things at the new place.  I will see you in the morning.  Period, end of discussion.”
     Realizing that there was nothing to do but give in David replied, “Okay, fine.  Let’s not spend the rest of our afternoon arguing.”
     Triumphantly, Charles cheered his lover’s surrender.  “That’s the spirit!  Besides, you know I’m right.  Who was it who said you never say no to me without a gasp of astonishment?  Did I miss the gasp?  Do it again for me so I can hear it,” Charles teased.
     “Rule one about arguing: no gloating.”
     “My God, David, where would we be without your rules.”  Charles continued separating clothes from a large pile.  “What about these sweaters.  They’re nice but I don’t want them anymore.  Do you want to keep them or should I put them in the donation box?”
     David was busy with sorting of his own and so responded without looking up.  “Cashmere, silk, or wool?” he asked.
     “Wool,” Charles answered.
     “Donation box,” David said.  As Charles pitched them individually into the box, one of them caught David’s eye.  “Wait a minute,” he said as he stood and walked over to the carton.  He picked up the sweater in question and sniffed at it.  “I’ll keep this one.”
     Seeing David sniff at the garment sent Charles into laughter.  “You look like you just took a hit of poppers!” he finally managed to exclaim.  “Let me take a whiff of that!”  Charles grabbed the sweater back and smelled it.  “I should have known: Obsession for Men.  Shouldn’t it have been called Obsession with Men?”
     David just laughed and shook his head, “It was your sweater and your cologne.”
     Charles dismissed the accusation.  “Whatever.  Keep it, if you want to.  What about these jeans?  Do you want to sniff at the crotches first?”
     “Cunt.” David replied.  “Let’s only keep the thirty-one inch waists.  Those would be mine.  Yours you can do with―”
     “And you called me a ―.  Wait a minute.  What did you just call me?” Charles demanded to know.
     David flashed an innocent smile and said quietly, “I said we should only save the thirty-one inch waists and you can do whatever you want with the rest of them.”
     Charles wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. “No, no, no.  There was a c-word in there somewhere and it wasn’t Charles!”
     David acted oblivious to what Charles had said and continued as though he hadn’t been interrupted. “Doctor Phil says if we don’t keep our larger clothes, we won’t expand back into them.”
     “Planning a new diet, Sugar?  Why?  You’re already sexy and trim as you are.”  Then the light went on in Charles’ brain.  “Hey, are you saying my jeans are too big for you?”
     “Get with the times.  They aren’t’ called ‘diets’ anymore.  The new term is ‘lifestyle change.’  For the record, I never said you’re fat.  I just need to remember that there is no comfort for me in food.  That’s all.”
     “Sometimes, my love, you worry me,” Charles said.
     “I worry you?  Mister Pot, are we to understand you have evidence to present to this court?” David was clearly surprised at the notion he ever caused anyone a moment of worry.
     “Actually,” Charles began as he walked over to the dresser.  He pulled open one of the drawers and felt around in the back of it until he found the evidence he sought.  Presenting a thong he asked, “Remember this, Sweet Cheeks?  Three weeks of a personal trainer, though let us keep in mind it was only two one-hour sessions per week, and you were ready to strut your stuff on the beach.  You seemed to forget New Orleans has no beaches.”
     “We have a pool.”
     “Oh, pul-leeze, Louise!”
     “We went to St. Croix that winter.  There was a clothing optional beach at our resort.  I looked great in that, too.  I wondered where it had gone.  You were just jealous and didn’t want to share the spotlight.”
     “David, like you said earlier, it isn’t always about me.  Hiding this was about saving you from yourself.  Sometimes less is more, and sometimes less is too much.  If you’re going nude, do it.  Don’t wear a slingshot!”  His partner’s ego was obviously deflated, so Charles changed the subject.  “We’re off-track again.  We need to stay on the highway to job done.”
     “You’re right of course.  I’ll be right back,” David announced as he exited the bedroom.  Charles could hear him pattering down the hall.  When David returned he was wearing a fiberglass boot cast and walking on crutches.
     “What on earth are you doing, David?” Charles inquired incredulously.
     “I’d love to help you and then go out tonight, but you see, my bad leg is acting up,” David moaned.
     “Shame on you, Baby Jane, makin’ fun of my unfortunate confinement due to my sports injury.
     “Sports injury?” David chortled.  “We went to Gay Night at the Strike ‘N’ Spare.  You slipped on the lane and followed your ball into the gutter.  Talk about karma!  Sports injury my ass!
     “Bowling is a sport!  I broke my ankle!  Sometimes you are heartless, David, heartless!”
     David was still laughing when he broke into a song from the musical Funny Girl, “Do for me, buy for me, lift me, carry me ―”
     Charles tried to be unamused.  “Listen, Fanny Brice, I told you I hated to ask you to do everything for me.  You said you didn’t mind!”
     David smiled contritely and kissed Charles on the forehead.  “I didn’t mind.  I’d have given my life for you, Antoinette Perry, if ever given the chance.  I just thought since we were telling exercise and fitness stories, we should include you is all.”
     “Alright then.  I get points for being a trooper and going ahead with our plans.  You thought we should cancel.”
     “That’s because, Charles, I didn’t realize you were capable of such an award-winning performance as the brave little invalid.”
     “Funny, David, that you didn’t back away when my bad leg put us at the front of the boarding line.  And, Nurse Cratchette, you didn’t refuse any of the extras we got form the flight attendants, again, because of my bad leg.  So don’t tell me I’m not the ideal patient.”
     “You were absolutely brilliant, you Highness.  You had that muscle-bound surfer carrying you to and from the beach, while his boyfriend carried your towel, umbrella, cosmetics satchel, and cocktail,” David humorously recalled.
     “If you please, David, tell the court what, if anything, you carried?”
     Very seriously, David answered, “My towel and my cocktail.”
     “Where was your sunscreen, David?”
     Sheepishly, David answered, “In your cosmetics satchel.”
     “I see,” sighed Charles.  “So, Joan of Arc, don’t act like you didn’t also benefit from the pain and suffering caused by my bad leg!  Imagine, profiting from a helpless invalid.  Have you no shame, sir?”
     David howled with laughter on hearing this.  “What-ev-ah!  We need to get back to business here if you plan to push me out the door on time.  What’s next?”
     Just then Charles spotted a large black trash bag sitting in the far corner of the room and walked over to it.  “David?  What’s this?  I don’t remember seeing this trash bag before.”
     David shot an alarmed glance in Charles’ direction.  “That?  It’s just trash.  What else could it be?  I’ll take it out with me when I go out this evening.  We have plenty to attend to without worrying about that.”
     Charles wasn’t giving up.  “It looks like there’s a lot of stuff in it.  Maybe we should double check to make sure ―”
     “Leave it.  Leave it!” Charles demanded as he grabbed the bag and deposited in the closet.  “Don’t give it another thought, Charles.  I told you it’s nothing but trash to be thrown away.  I’ll take care of it!”
     “Fine.  What about these?”  Charles asked holding up black leather chaps and arm bands as though they were totally distasteful to him.
     David grinned form ear to ear.  “Yeah, baby.  My favorites.  Remember, Slaveboy?’
     “Ha-ha-ha.  You thought you were so fuckin’ funny!”
     “You didn’t laugh at the time; neither of us did.  When I came home that night and found you in bed with that other guy, I thought I had lost you.”
     Charles threw the leather items to the floor.  “Lost me?  I thought you were going to kill me.  I only brought him home to spice things up.  I thought you were getting bored with me.  We had talked about having a three-way, so it wasn’t like I had brought some trick home.  You really freaked!”
     “Sure, we talked about it, Charles, but nothing was ever decided.  It would have been nice to go prowling for mister-in-the-middle together.  Before we did that, however, I thought we needed to figure out some ground rules.  Instead, I walked in on your own little scene.”

. ~ .

See You In The Morning, Part 4

     “I couldn’t believe we won that contest!” Charles was still clearly delighted.

     “How could we not?”  David asked.  “Your make-up was smeared and I had a big jizz stain on my crotch.  Everyone there knew what we’d been doing.  We got the porn vote, not for actually having the best costumes.”

     “That’s what made these the best costumes, Silly!” Charles protested.  “Anyway, we won!  That’s what counts.”

     David snickered and shook his head.  “Yeah, right.  We won a  molded cherry jello penis with canned whipping cream sprayed on the tip of it so it trailed down its balls.   What a prize that was!”

     “Cheer up,” Charles encouraged.  “You also got the best piece of ass you ever had!”

     “From under a pink skirt, says who?” David toyed.

     “Says you!  Listen, Mona Macho, don’t knock the pink skirt.  All the best things in life are pink.  You won me and I’m the best thing that ever happened to you, so far!” Charles pointed out.

     “No, Sweet Boy, you’re the best thing that’s happened to me period, or ever will.  You’ve never let me forget that either!” David countered.  He wanted to desperately to kiss his lover at that point, but stopped himself.  “Do you remember our second date, Charles?”

     “Of course I do.  It went about the same way as the first time we met only we were here, no one interrupted us, and I wasn’t wearing a dress.”

     David laughed and then commented, “And on the third date, I asked you if the difference in our ages bothered you.  Your reply was to ask me if I was rich.”

     “I remember,” Charles admitted.  “You said you did all right.”

     “Then when I asked if you did all right, you coyly rubbed against my crotch and said, “I think I do all right.  You’ve always had a way when it comes to changing the topic of conversation.”

     “What I was saying was that age wasn’t a worthwhile topic for discussion, David.”

     “I realized that later on, but you did give me pause at the time.  I was quite smitten with you, but I didn’t want to be thought of as a sugar daddy.  I didn’t really think about being twenty years older.   I was only forty-five, you know; still a young man, so the subject of money bothered me some.” 

     “So how did you get over it?”

     “I discussed it with Boops, of course.”

. ~ .

     When David opened the gate to Boops’ front garden, she was waiting for him on the veranda.  “So nice of you to call, David, and to drop by for a visit.  I don’t get to see as much of you since introducing you to Charles, not that I’m jealous you understand.”

     “You’re right, Boops, it has been too long since we have been together just the two of us,” David replied as he gazed upon the high tea that had been prepared for him.  “I have to say, my dear, those tarts look mighty fine.”

     “Well, sit down, David and allow me to play mother.  Try not to drool on my newly painted floor.  They’re pastry tarts, David, not young men for hire!” the lascivious redhead cajoled.  “Speaking of the human variety of tarts, though, how do you like my friend Charles?  Isn’t that kid something else?”

     “He and I have been keeping company though I don’t understand why,” David carefully answered.

     “Why?  I’ll tell you why, David.  It’s because Charles is a sexy and interesting young man.”

     “He is also cocky, opinionated about everything and extremely high maintenance,” David argued.

     “God, David, don’t hold back just because I introduced the two of you.  Tell me how you really feel about him!”

     “Okay.  Well, he’s handsome, as you well know.  He can be charmin’ in kind of an offbeat way.  I guess you’d say edgy.  He’s a total princess and totally irresistible.”

     “Sounds like he’s the answer to your prayers, David.  However, I have to ask, other than screwing like rabbits, is there a basis here for anything other than an affair?”

     “Sure, Boops.  It’s surprising how much we have in common.  He enjoys going with me to art museums and galleries, even though he doesn’t understand why there are never any pictures by Tom of Finland.”

     “Can’t fault the boy for that, David.  I’ve often wondered that myself,” the old woman quipped.  They both laughed at that.

     “We both like going to concerts, though he prefers Beyonce to Beethoven.  When it comes to cuisine, I cook; he eats.”

     Boops chuckled as she commented, “It’s amazing what the difference a decade or two can make, isn’t it?  Your other men friends have generally been your age or older.  Being the daddy is a new role for you, David.”

     “He makes every thing fresh again.  I like visiting his world and he seems to be comfortable in mine.  Boops, I think I could give this young man my heart.”

     Boops leaned forward and placed her hand on David’s knee.  “I don’t think your heart is yours to give, David.  It sounds to me like Charles has already helped himself.”

     “I’ve asked him to move in with me, Boops.  We’re going to celebrate with a trip to New York City.  I’ve booked a suite at the Four Seasons.  I’m going to take him to a Broadway show and an opera at the Met.  He wants to take me out dancing at as many discos as we can find.”

     “Whoa, Cowboy!” Boops exclaimed.  “Don’t you think you might be movin’ just a tad too fast?”

     “This could be my  happily ever after, Boops.  I don’t want to waste a single moment of it,” David explained.

     “And when he breaks your heart, David, what then?” Boops cautioned.

    “I’ll deal with that if and when it happens.  Right now we’re just on page one, ‘Once upon a time, in a fairyland far, far away.”

     “I know you believe that, David.  You’re flyin’ high now, but a broken heart―”

     David interrupted her, “Like I said, I’ll deal with that later.  For now, I just want to enjoy being in love with this man.”

     “Damn it, David!  Why couldn’t I find a straight version of you instead of the dogs I let follow me home?”

     “Maybe, Boops, if they had really been like me, they wouldn’t have been challenging enough for you.  I remember full well your stories about Shitty Father, for instance,” David consoled.

     Boops threw her hands up in the air and leaned back in her chair.  :Oh, Honey, that one only got lucky  because there was a war on.  You know, WW Two, the big one.  He was going to war and I just couldn’t bear for a beautiful man like that die a virgin.”

David lowered and tilted his head in disbelief that the man was a virgin.  “Oh, alright, I couldn’t bear the thought of a man who packed his jeans like he did  going off and getting himself shot before I could see what that package was all about.  Who knew the sonofabitch would survive to come home to be my awfully wedded husband?  We had to elope before he shipped out.  What if I discovered I was pregnant after he was gone?  I was a good girl, you understand, just willing to do my part for the war effort.  That way I was covered.  But what a mistake he turned out to be!  Thank goodness he had the decency to die and leave me a wealthy widow.”  She paused to survey David’s response.  “Don’t look at me like that, David.  Some men are just easier to get along with from the Great Beyond.  I did have his child to raise, you know, so the life insurance came in handy, along with this house and the Cadillac.  Not too bad a deal from a man who was all cherries and not much stem.”