Jonathan's Legacy Read online

  Marc had an inkling where this was going. “You’re going to sell the house?”

  Cody laughed. “No. Why are you so pessimistic? We’d never sell Grandpa’s house. Quite the contrary. We have an idea on how to fill the house with life.”

  “Oh?” That caught Marc’s full attention.

  “When Granddad and Grandpa first started the foundation, they spent a lot of money helping homeless children. Back then—sixty-plus years ago—there were a lot of homeless LGBT children on the streets, and given Grandpa’s experience and—as we learned in Maine—even Granddad’s past, they worked hard to get those kids off the streets.

  “But it was difficult for them to take those kids in. Even when they adopted Rick, there were plenty of hurdles for gay parents. That’s not as big of an issue anymore, and while we sadly still have street kids, being gay isn’t as common a reason why those kids are on the street. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is that a lot of those children suffered from sexual abuse at the hands of adults, be it their parents from whom they fled, or to pay for a meal, or to have a place to sleep.”

  Cody picked up on that. “Park and I want to help. We want to take in homeless kids here, give them a home and help them get back on their feet. But we can’t do it alone. We have our studies to finish, and we’d need someone to run the place. That’s why we wanted to talk to you—to see if you’d be interested in helping us out with looking after them.”

  Marc was stunned to silence. He’d never even considered charitable work as an occupation, even though he had chosen to work as a therapist because he loved working with people. More than that, he liked helping them, even if it was only with a massage or a pedicure, just as he had with Jonathan.

  “Wow, I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t you like the idea?” Worry washed across Parker’s face.

  “No, I do. I think it’s a brilliant idea. It’s just that I hadn’t given it any thought. Tell me more.”

  Cody smiled, encouraged. “We thought we could use the west wing and turn it into a home for those kids. There are four bedrooms in that part of the house, and we can renovate it so it can host up to eight kids, depending on their age. We’ll need to talk to city officials, in terms of what the children need and to make it age-appropriate. Between the three of us, there should be enough adults, and we have the full support and weight of the foundation behind us. We’ve talked to Mom and Rick about it, and they’re willing to fund your salary. We’d fund the house itself, food, and so on.”

  “I’m stunned. I think it’s a great idea. But what about special needs? Won’t those kids need help? Like nurses and counseling to get over their traumatic experiences?”

  “That’s a good point. Which is probably why we thought of you…” Parker chuckled and gave Marc a nudge. “Maybe you can talk to your shrink, see if he has any ideas?”

  “Very funny, Parker! But yes, I can talk to Adam about that.”

  “Adam?” Cody’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you on a first-name basis with your shrink?”

  “Sort of. He’s very unorthodox, to say the least. We get along. I like him.”

  “You like him?” Parker was laughing. “Don’t you tell me you’re falling for your shrink?”

  Marc blushed, “No, of course not!” But thinking about it, he wasn’t so sure. Adam was gay, and he was kind, and Marc always looked forward to seeing him.

  “You do like him,” Cody said. “I can sense it. Your heart rate went up when you talked about him. Marc, that’s awesome.”

  Marc didn’t know how to respond. Yes, he knew, of course, that he liked Adam, but did he like him? He’d only known him for a few months. Then again, he’d fallen for Jonathan a lot faster. Was he ready? Was Adam even interested?

  “I don’t think you have to worry, guys. I seriously doubt that Adam is interested in me. He made it perfectly clear he wasn’t interested in anything but a professional relationship. He’s my shrink. He couldn’t date a patient.”

  “Did he say that?”

  “Not in those words. But yeah, that’s what he meant.”

  “Oh, shoot. But still, you could talk to him. He’s coming today, isn’t he?”

  “Sure, I’ll talk to him. Do you guys have any time frame on when you want to open the house?”

  “Not really. We’d like to open it as soon as possible, but we’re fully aware that these things take time.”

  ***

  Later that day, during the party, Marc approached Adam and introduced him to Cody and Parker.

  “Adam, these are my landlords and step-grandsons, Cody and Parker.” He laughed at his little joke. Being barely sixteen years older than the boys, he couldn’t even be their father and certainly not their grandfather, but the marriage to Jonathan had suddenly made him the stepfather of children older than him—a thought he was still coming to terms with.

  “They approached me with an idea this morning. They want to turn the west wing of the house into a small children’s home for sexually abused street children, which—I’m told—is a sad reality for most homeless kids. And they asked me to talk to you about helping them in terms of finding therapeutic resources and counseling, as most likely these kids will suffer from severe traumas.”

  Adam shook Parker’s and Cody’s hands before responding. “I see. I applaud your initiative. This is still a shame for our city, that we have so many homeless people, and homeless children in particular. I’d be happy to help in any way I can. Some of those kids have suffered severe traumas. I can only imagine what they have to go through to end up on the street.” Looking at Parker and Cody, he asked, “How come you want to do this?”

  “You know, my grandfathers were both thrown out of their houses by their parents. Granddad had to leave and go to a boarding school when his parents found out he was gay, and Grandpa, well, his parents left him to die in a forest. It was only by chance that he came upon Granddad’s cabin. It’s how they met.

  “When they were young, they used the money from an inheritance to start a foundation, and they worked with LGBT homeless children from the very start. But back then, it wasn’t possible for them to take those kids into their home. It wouldn’t have been allowed. Gay men were still seen as sexual predators, and some of the conservative groups actively tried to link being gay to being a pedophile. Eventually, they were able to adopt my uncle Rick. It was such a horrifying experience that they used a surrogate for their second child—my mom. But the homes they supported were all run as group homes, by external people.”

  Cody filled in. “We inherited this house when Grandpa died, and it’s way too big for just the three of us. And we also don’t want to sell it, as there is so much family history tied to it.”

  “I see.” Adam was pensive. “This is a great idea, and I wish you the best of luck in making it happen. There’s a lot of red tape to cut through, but given your family’s reputation and your foundation’s influence, you might just make it a reality. You can count on me to help you.”

  Parker stretched out his hand. “Thank you, Adam. We appreciate it.”

  Just then, behind them, two figures approached the gate to the back yard. Marc turned around, and he could barely believe it. “Maman? Papa? What are you doing here?” He rushed over to greet his parents.

  Adam smiled. “I have a hunch you two are behind this.”

  Cody nodded. “Yes, we flew them in. They arrived this morning at O’Hare. We wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “He’s told me about his parents. They seem to have a very close relationship. I understand his mom took Jonathan’s passing really hard?”

  Parker’s face darkened at the memory. “It was hard on all of us, to lose our grandfather on his wedding day—our own wedding day. Cody and I got married the same day in a double ceremony.”

  “Yes, I recall Marc telling me. Congratulations and—of course—my deepest sympathies.”

  “Thank you, Adam. We’re okay now, but you’re right. Marc’s mom took it hard
. At first, she found it difficult to accept that her only son was dating a man older than his parents, but she fell for Grandpa’s charm when they flew out to see them last year, and they became really close. I don’t know why, exactly.

  “Maybe it reminded her of her own mortality, or she was just horrified by how she figured Marc must’ve been feeling. Marc spent most of the winter in Belgium looking after her and only returned a few days before the burial ceremony. They’re really nice people, and I guess they missed their son. He used to work on cruise ships, and they didn’t get to see him very often.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter 7 - Building a Center, Rebuilding a Life

  “How are the plans for the house going?”

  It had been a couple of months since the birthday party, and Adam was trying to round up another therapy session with Marc.

  “Progress is slow, really slow. The city won’t allow us to have more kids than we have rooms. I get that. Every child is to have their own room. Plus, we have to build an extra fire exit at the end of the wing, and that’s taking time, plus the rooms must be handicap accessible. We should be able to get the house approved for the first kids to move in before the end of the year, though, which is good, because you know how cold Chicago gets in the winter.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. Listen, there’s something I wanted to ask you.” Adam didn’t quite know how to phrase it.

  “What?” Marc looked over, and noticed Adam had begun to blush. In the two months since the birthday party, their weekly sessions had changed character. It was less of a therapy session and more of a weekly chat, and while Marc looked forward to those chats and to seeing Adam, he was fully aware that he was developing feelings for him, but he wasn’t sure if Adam felt the same.

  “I don’t really know how to say this. So I’m just going to say it straight out. I don’t think we should continue our sessions.”

  Marc was shocked. “What? Why?”

  Adam put up a hand. “Please, Marc, hear me out. There are really three reasons for it. First of all, you’re good, you’ve worked through your depression and that alone is enough to stop seeing me. It’s not really professional of me to keep you coming here every week, and I couldn’t possibly keep invoicing you for it. In fact, I haven’t, not since your birthday. Secondly, I’m really interested in working with you on the project with those street children. I admire the work your family does, and having been on the receiving end of your generosity, I feel it’s only right for me to pay you back.”

  “Receiving end? What do you mean?”

  “Oh, that’s a long story. I’ll tell you someday, but please let me finish. Thirdly, and this is the most difficult part of it all for me, I, uh, I have feelings for you. I look forward to our weekly sessions, and it’s totally unprofessional and highly unethical for a therapist to fall for his patient. That alone is reason enough to stop seeing you. Now I’d be happy to refer—”

  He didn’t get any further. Marc flew up from his chair and kissed him, adding a, “Shhhh! Say no more…”

  After breaking the kiss, Marc said, “You know, I don’t remember when it happened, but I realized it at my birthday party. I saw how you interacted with my family, with my parents. And that morning, the boys had been teasing me about you, and I kind of realized, looking at you, that I, too, had begun to feel something for you, probably for some time. I just hadn’t realized it.”

  “So you’re not mad?” Adam asked.

  “Why would I be mad?”

  “That I can’t see you anymore, professionally, I mean. I hope, though, after this—” Adam touched his lips, as if to feel the lingering sensation of Marc’s kiss “—I’ll still get a chance to get to know you.”

  Marc smiled. “Of course. I mean, I had a hunch—since we’ve barely talked about me and Jonathan for a month now—that you were fine with my progress. I just didn’t know how to bring up my feelings. I know how important your professional ethics are to you.”

  “Wow, what a relief. I have to say, though, even now, it feels strange. My professional self is in uproar. It’s not kosher to fall for a client, to say the least.”

  “Are you Jewish?”

  “No, why do you ask?”

  Marc laughed out loud. “Then why give a shit about whether it’s kosher or not?” And he kissed Adam again. “Listen, since it’s Friday, why don’t you come to the house tonight? I’ll make us dinner.”

  “Are we going to be alone, or will we have the boys chaperoning us?”

  “Would you mind? It is, after all, their house. I honestly don’t know what they’ve got planned. I just, uh, I’d kind of like to sit next to you and talk to you. To be able to be absolutely open and honest. I don’t think I could talk that way in a restaurant.”

  “But it would be fine to talk around the boys?”

  “No, of course not, but who says we have to be in the same room? The house is huge, and I could show you the progress we’re making on the renovations.” He had a pleading look on his face. “Please, Hwan?”

  “Hwan? Really? Nobody outside my family uses that name…” Adam chuckled.

  “I like it, and I like what it stands for. You’ve been shining brightly onto my life for the past few months, and you’ve been an invaluable help.”

  “Thank you, Marc. It’s been my pleasure to help you, and yes, I would love to come to the house tonight. Is seven okay? Can I bring some wine?”

  “If you insist. We have a fairly extensive wine cellar, and tonight, I was thinking more along the lines of beer.”

  “Beer?”

  “Yeah. I’ll make you some Belgian food, and I figured we could drink Belgian beer with it. Don’t you like beer?”

  “Sure, I love a good beer. Why don’t you let me get that?”

  “That would be very kind. I’m not sure what I can get here in Chicago. Back home, I’d get us a Saison from a local brewery in Liege, but here, you’ll most likely only get a Stella.”

  “Stella? I’ve heard of them. I’ll see what I can do. See you at seven, then?”

  “Seven it is. I look forward to it.” There was an awkward moment of silence. “So this is it? I’m officially done here?”

  “You are!” Adam smiled, the two of them hugged and exchanged another kiss before Marc left the office, happier than he’d been in a long time.

  ***

  “Can you pass me the mussels? I have to say, Marc, these are absolutely amazing.” Cody was smiling.

  The four men were sitting around the large oak kitchen table at the house, where Marc had spent the afternoon preparing some specialties from back home. “moules frites”—clams with French fries—considered by many to be one of Belgium’s national dishes. Cody was going for his third helping, and he devoured the mussels with gusto, as did the others.

  “I’ve never had this before. This is amazing,” Parker said. “I had no idea you could cook so well. Had I only known, we would’ve put you to work a lot sooner.”

  “It wasn’t a secret, but you weren’t around when Jonathan and I came back after the accident. At least, you weren’t here long enough. Once you’d left for Albuquerque, I grew tired of all the Chinese takeaway and began to cook for us. Sometimes we’d cook together, but mostly it was just me here in the kitchen.”

  “Yeah, Grandpa wasn’t a big chef. That had always been more Granddad’s domain.” Parker smiled at the memory. “You know, I’m glad we can talk about him without you going into hyperdrive every time. I have to hand it to you, Doc, you did wonders with this one.”

  “Thank you, Parker, and please, call me Adam.”

  “Adam it is, Doc!” Parker laughed out loud.

  “Is this a family thing?” Adam smiled, defeated.

  “So, how did you get this beer?” Marc asked. “I would’ve never thought you could get this here in Chicago.” He looked at the bottle standing in front of him, proudly displaying La Biére Liègeoise: the seal of pride of any beer made in Marc’s home city.

  “Well,�
� Adam smiled, “after you left, I searched the web and found a bar in Boystown that specializes in foreign beers. I called them and told them that I needed Belgian beer for a date with someone really special. Normally, they wouldn’t sell it like this, but they made an exception when I told them about you. Do you like it?”

  “Oh, yeah, I love it. I haven’t seen this in years. We used to drink this all the time when I was in school, before I left Belgium. My parents are more wine drinkers, and they never have beer at the house. So when Jonathan and I were over there last summer, and when I went back this year, I never even thought about drinking beer. You know what it’s like, when you’re with your parents. You keep drinking what they drink, you revert into the little boy they still see in you. Heck, sometimes I’m almost expecting my mom to serve me fruit syrup again, just like I drank as a boy.” Marc laughed at the memory.

  “I’m glad you like it. There’s more in the fridge.”

  Parker was curious. “So, am I understanding this correctly, you’re dating each other now?”

  Adam blushed. “Not that it is any of your business, but yes, we are. This is officially our first date.”

  “Wow, that’s awesome,” Cody said. “Don’t worry about Parker. He’s a bit juvenile when it comes to such matters.” That earned him a playful punch from his husband, who continued to question Adam.

  “So, tell me, Doc, erm Adam, isn’t that unprofessional? To date a patient?”

  Adam blushed some more. “He’s not my patient anymore. In fact, he hasn’t been, officially, for a couple of months.”

  “So,” Parker continued, unabated, “are you telling me this has been going on for two months?” Looking at Marc, he said, “No wonder you’ve been so upbeat recently. You’re in love!”

  “Would that be a problem?” It was Marc’s turn to blush now.

  “Not at all. I know you loved Grandpa, and I know you felt miserable, but you’re young, and I think it’s amazing that you’re able to move on. I’ll still tease you, though, Step-Grandpa!” Parker got up and gave Marc a big, heartfelt hug. “I think it’s great. Right, Cody?”