A Good Year at Linwood High, Chapter 12
Immediately after swing choir season wound down, rehearsal for the spring musical went into high gear. This year, the school was reviving a perennial Iowa favorite, Music Man. Why the Meredith Wilson classic has so much appeal seems ironic in a sense. It's a light-hearted tale of romance filled with memorable song, but it appears to make fun of the gullible, small-town people of River City and how easily they're conned by a flimflam man.
Declan Riley had an excellent singing voice and got cast in the part of Professor Harold Hill, leaving a hole in the brass section of the pit orchestra. Mr. Dixon implored Ashton to fill that space and bring Griffin along too. Both were thrilled at the opportunity and decided that they could squeeze the rehearsals into their schedules.
Knowing that the boys were close to a couple of percussion players, Mr. D beefed up that section to include Levi and Rhett. They were very happy for several reasons. It was an honor to be part of the pit orchestra and they would be in yet another activity with their boyfriends. Plus, it couldn't hurt their grades in band.
Several other band members would be drafted for the grand finale. It should be a memorable show.
Raymo wondered why his mother was bent on taking the family out to brunch during Lent. It wasn't that they were strict observers of the season, but they normally didn't go out for meals of that scale until Easter. When he asked her about it, she merely responded that a couple would be joining them whom she wanted Luis and him to meet and she felt it was appropriate.
Knowing his mother usually had a good reason for her actions, he didn't press the matter. Perhaps the people were influential and connected with immigration.
The four of them left church immediately after the service, not staying to socialize over coffee.
When they stepped out of the elevator on the top floor of the DoubleTree Hotel, Luis gave a gasp of surprise as he rushed across the room into the loving arms of his parents.
"When? How? Oh my God, you're really here! My prayers have been answered. Do you get to stay?"
"One question at a time, Son," Franco grinned. "We got off the plane from Texas half an hour ago. Your Mr. Navara and some ICE man named, Swanson, helped it happen. And yes, we're back to stay."
"Someone in the local immigration office had dumped our petition in the `dead-file' and it would have remained there if you hadn't gotten the original evidence to your lawyer."
"It was really Sabrina who did that," Luis protested.
"It was a lot of things coming together at the right time. I have to feel it was Divine Providence," Sabrina insisted. "I think God used all of us to fulfill his plan for you."
"Thank you, God!" Luis exclaimed, looking heavenward.
"Please forgive my lack of manners. These are my in-laws, my husband, Raymond, my mother-in-law, Sabrina, and my brother-in-law Gavin. And these are my mother and father, Angelica, and Franco Garcia, as you've no doubt figured out."
"Sabrina and I have talked on the phone," Angelica said. "I would know her lovely voice anywhere. It's nice to meet the rest of you, especially the young man who married my son."
With that, she embraced Raymo. He blinked back a couple of tears. Luis had assured him that his parents were okay with their union, but he had wondered if it was wishful thinking. Now, he knew for sure that it was real!
The maitre d signaled that their place was ready, and the six of them followed him to a table near the windows overlooking the city of Cedar Rapids.
"It looks so beautiful," Angelica exclaimed. "I've missed the clear air of this place."
"It's not always pristine," Sabrina remarked. "Don't you remember that it's been called `the city of five odors?'"
"But that's back when there was a packing plant near downtown. Things have changed in recent years."
Conversation around the table was joyful. Luis's parents shared all the good news that had come their way. There was a three-bedroom house waiting for them in West Branch were Manuel Rodrigues had his business. He had bought up a number of neglected properties in the small town and remodeled them for people who needed, and deserved, a break.
Since Franco had done some moonlighting jobs for him in the past, Manuel knew his skills and was hiring him to work fulltime for his company.
On top of that, Sabrina had started a go-fund-me page for the family. There was enough in it so far to nearly buy the house outright, but with interest rates at historic lows, it made more sense to finance and invest a chunk of it to secure their future.
Angelica needed to take only one online course to keep up her teaching certificate. It was still valid, so even before completing the class, she would be able to pick up some substitute jobs, and hopefully, a more permanent position in the fall.
"It was her ability to teach that helped keep us afloat while in Mexico," Franco told them. "I had to keep a low profile so I wouldn't be forced into the drug business."
"Your father is young, strong, and smart. That's the kind they try to Shanghai into helping them," Angelica added. "Once they get the men involved in illegal activities, there's no getting out. He had to dress in old, nondescript clothing and act like a lowly day-laborer to avoid notice."
"That must have been difficult to pull off!" Raymo shook his head.
"I am just a poor peon, Senor," Franco said, looking at the floor.
"He did a lot of theater in high school," Angelica grinned.
After they'd eaten their fill and Sabrina had paid the tab, they took the elevator to the first floor. The desk clerk had kept their baggage locked up in the room designated for that purpose.
"I'm ashamed to have such ratty luggage," Angelica sighed. "We had nice things when ICE deported us and we thought we'd soon be using them to return. But we ended up having to barter them for food and other necessities."
"We can get you new ones," Luis insisted.
"We'll have little need of them for a while. We don't intend to go too far from home anytime soon."
The three teenagers carried all the bags to Sabrina's vehicle, not allowing Luis's parents to lift a finger.
The trip to their new home took a little over 45 minutes. Following the prompts from her car's built-in GPS, Sabrina pulled into the drive of a lovely-looking ranch style house.
"This is larger than I imagined!" Angelica said, excitedly. It will be a great place to raise children."
"Um, I'm already an adult, or is there something you'd like to tell me," Luis raised an eyebrow.
"Unless I'm entirely mistaken, you may have a younger sibling sometime after Christmas. I was afraid to find out for sure lest it might keep us from coming back. It would look like we were creating another anchor baby."
"I should have been that already!"
"Yes, if someone hadn't destroyed our papers, you would have been."
"We weren't planning to add to our family, but in a heavily Catholic country birth control is more difficult to come by and more expensive!" Franco blushed.
"I think it's cool! I hope you're excited," Luis said.
"Very much, but, like your mother said, we didn't anticipate it."
As they walked up the steps, the door opened and Manuel came out to greet them.
"Here are the keys! You'll have to get your signatures on a few documents tomorrow, but you're welcome to move in immediately. It's rather sparsely furnished. We assumed you'd want to choose your own style. Anything you don't want can be stored in the warehouse to use in another house."
"We're happy to have a roof over our heads and places to sleep!" Franco exclaimed. "We won't need anything else for a while. This is all so wonderful!"
Shortly after a tour of the house, Sabrina and her family left to go home. She knew that her boys had a little homework to do before Monday, and she could sense that Luis's parents were exhausted from their travels. Much as they loved their son, they needed to crash in their new digs. Manuel's wife and some other ladies had made up the bed in the master bedroom and had new towels, soaps, and shampoos in the attached bathroom. The refrigerator and cupboards were stocked with enough essentials to allow the couple to decompress before they had to do anything! Angelica counted her blessings.
Rehearsals for the musical were interrupted by spring break. This was the year for the band to travel to Florida.
Ashton was looking forward to seeing some of the attractions again, but he wasn't as excited as many of his friends. He'd done Disney World and Epcot several times and had been to the NASA Space Center and other tourist destinations. He was, however looking forward to spending time playing in the surf and lying in the sun. The Midwest winter had been mild but it had been a change from what he was used to.
Rhett, Ashton, Griffin, and Levi had signed up to share accommodations at the hotels where they would be staying. Knowing they were all close buds; Mr. Dixon had no qualms about having them together. They weren't the types to break the rules against pot and booze and that was his main concern about student behavior on trips.
Having four gay boys in a room together didn't mean there would be an orgy, either. They all slept nude as they would have at home, but their sex play was discreet and strictly between partners. Granted, they weren't particularly shy about being naked in each other's presence, and they showered in pairs, not bothering to cover up as they headed for bed.
Of the four, it was only Griffin who hadn't been to a Disney theme park. Levi had been to Disneyland in California. Everyone expressed enthusiasm over the attractions so as not to spoil it for Griffin, and it always was fun.
Toward the end of the trip, Griffin said he thought he'd enjoyed the ocean more than anything else. They had all worn suits that were rather brief and had good starts on their seasonal tans.
Band members weren't the only Linwood students who enjoyed the Florida sun. Sabrina had made good on her promise to give Raymo and Luis a honeymoon in the Keys. The resort they'd chosen featured a clothing-optional beach and the boys took full advantage of it. Luis teased Raymo that he could pass for a wetback if he got dark enough all over. His remarks led to wrestling around which, in turn, resulted in happy endings for both of them.
There were many other gay men around them, but no one hit on them once they saw their matching wedding bands. There was, however, a bit of flirting. Neither guy got jealous.
Back at school after break, there were only about six weeks before graduation. In that time, a lot of things took place. The musical opened on the first Friday in May and played to a packed house at every performance, but it nearly didn't come off like it was supposed to. There was a bit of unplanned drama a few hours before the Wednesday evening dress rehearsal. The musician who was to play the piano part of the accompaniment had an emergency appendectomy. Mr. Dixon was to the point of tearing his hair out. He assumed he would have to direct the orchestra from the keyboard and that was one more stress he could do without!
Hearing about the problem, Griffin told the band director that he thought his father, who was an excellent pianist, might be willing to fill in on short notice. Knowing that Griffin was sometimes given to exaggeration, Mr. D had his doubts, but he called Terry anyway. Terry said he would show up right after an early dinner and look over the music.
He had played the piano part a couple of years earlier for an amateur theater group in Arizona. Since he was familiar with the music and was a good sight-reader, he'd give it a try.
Terry experienced butterflies at the beginning and missed a couple of notes, but he settled down quickly as it all came back to him. By opening night, two days later, his performance was flawless. Mr. Dixon was thrilled!
Shortly before the final number of the show, while the audience was focused on the actors, several members of the orchestra slipped out of the pit to change into the old uniforms which had been stored for the past five years when the current ones had been purchased. They joined about thirty of their peers who were similarly clad.
When the entire "River City" band came down the center aisle playing Seventy-Six Trombones, the audience rose to its feet applauding. The cast and their accompaniment took several bows. Then Mr. D took a mic and quieted the house. He explained how Griffin's father had graciously consented to fill in for the original pianist, whose name was in the program notes, had fallen ill. He asked Terry to take his own, separate bow. Again, everyone in the room, including the cast, gave him a standing ovation, clapping for an extended time to show their appreciation.
Griffin was probably the happiest person there.
Prom was the second weekend in the month. Raymo and Luis thought they might skip it since they were already a married couple. However, both of their mothers encouraged them to attend. It would be a fun, formal affair and since they hadn't had a big wedding with a dance and all, it was something which could substitute for that. So, they changed their minds and agreed to do the whole dinner, dance, and all.
There was never a doubt as to whether Carson and Brianna were going. They were doubling with Megan and David. William offered to rent a limo for the couples, but they all thought Carson's convertible was a better choice.
Shawn Swanson was taking Chloe as his date. Ever since they'd been sort of thrown together at homecoming, they had been seeing each other regularly.
On prom night, Declan Riley and Brett Hanson showed up with a pair of girls whom no one else knew. They were from another area high school, and Declan's date was Brett's cousin. Some of their peers wondered about the arrangement.
A highlight for several of the kids was when the DJ played a few salsa numbers. As one might imagine, couples like Carson and Brianna, Dave and Meg, Raymo and Luis really tore up the floor. They were joined by a few others who had attended the gay/straight alliance party in the fall. Some of the other kids were envious of their skills.
It was a memorable affair and no one got picked up for drunk driving and hopefully, no one ended up pregnant!
There were several soccer games in May which involved Brianna and Carson. Their siblings, parents, and friends turned out to support them. Soccer didn't have the following football and basketball did, so having some faithful fans in the bleachers was much appreciated.
The same was true of tennis, baseball, and softball. Some of the younger kids tried to attend those games too.
Graduation occurred on the weekend of Memorial Day. Like a number of the larger schools in the area, Linwood held their ceremony at the US Cellular arena in downtown Cedar Rapids. It was one of the few venues around large enough to accommodate the host of friends and relatives who wanted to attend.
Concert band had a big role in the event. Not only would they play the traditional Pomp and Circumstance to accompany the seniors as they entered but they would back the choir in a couple of numbers and provide music for the recessional. Since Declan, as a senior, would be processing with his classmates, Ashton would assume a greater role in the brass section than usual.
A ceremony involving over 400 graduates might have dragged on forever, but Dr. Manson was adept at moving things along. He kept his remarks very brief, allowing the three valedictorians to be in the spotlight.
When the salutatorians were asked to stand and be recognized, Ashton and Rhett were proud to see their siblings in the group. In fact, they knew quite a few other kids as well - Raymo, Luis, Declan, Chloe, Dave, Megan, and Shawn.
The sophomore boys were invited to quite a few parties. Obviously, those who had sibling graduating would attend those. But, beyond that, their friends from band and the gay/straight alliance extended invitations too.
Carson's celebration at Havel House was widely attended on Saturday afternoon, as was Brianna's across the street on Sunday. It was difficult for the kids to make all the rounds, but they did their best to at least drop in to touch base with friends.
The seniors did their share of reminiscing about their final year at Linwood. It was as much about the changes in their lives as it was about classes, sports, and other activities.
Raymo and Luis had, perhaps, the most monumental experiences in getting married and being reunited with Luis's parents. However, there were other things which touched their lives. Given the fact that Luis no longer needed to help support his parents, the two guys would be able to go to the university instead of starting at junior college.
Carson and Brianna were attending the University of Iowa together in the fall. Megan and David had been accepted there too. They would be able to carry on their friendship.
Declan and Brett would be rooming together in the dorm next year. Both were going into music education. >From the way the two had hugged after the graduation ceremony, Ashton and Rhett thought they might be a lot closer than they'd admitted while in high school.
In news outside of school, Luis's parents found out from the ultrasound that they would be having twins! It was too early to tell the gender, but that didn't matter. So far, the prognosis was that there were two fetuses which were developing normally.
Luis was thrilled for them and was pleased about another turn of events. Geraldo and Dolores Nunez were on the receiving end of some benefits too. Sabrina had talked to Manuel about rewarding them for what they'd done for Luis. Manuel offered them a remodeled home in West Branch at a very reasonable rate and hired Geraldo to be on his building team. It was at much higher wages than he'd been making at the meatpacking plant in Postville and working conditions would be preferable! He was delighted to have the opportunity.
For the undergraduates, there was another week of school left. It would consist of final exams and the days would be shorter. Although they'd enjoyed the past year, all were looking forward to summer and freedom from the usual routine.
Because of how their tests were scheduled, Ashton and Rhett were finished by Wednesday. They celebrated by having a sleepover at Havel House. Instead of staying up late playing video games, they shared a bath in the antique tub and went to bed early, which doesn't imply that they got to sleep earlier than usual.
Griffin's last final was on Friday, the same day his brother would finish middle school. He awoke with a big smile on his face. His life was so different from what it had been 12 months before. Today when he looked at himself in the mirror, it wasn't to face the fact that he was gay. It was to rejoice in knowing what that meant. He was out and proud, and he had a boyfriend. Despite a rough patch back in September, life had gotten steadily better!
As he was about to head down the stairs for breakfast, his father called up to have him roust Nolan out of bed. The request reminded him of the first day of school in the fall when his mother had said something similar.
This time, he knocked and was quickly asked to enter.
Nolan was wide awake and climbing out of bed nude, displaying his morning erection without embarrassment.
"It looks like you're already UP!" Griffin teased.
"Up and at `em," Nolan grinned, thrusting his hardon like a light-saber.
Griffin laughed. "You're one horny bugger. Should I take a last-day-of-school photo of you like this?"
"Go ahead. If you take off your clothes, we could do a naked version of the one we did together last fall."
"I don't have time, but it's a thought - maybe later this afternoon. If you hurry, we can at least do a pose similar to the one we did on the patio in August. It would be a reminder of a great year."
"Next year should be even better now that we're with Dad and I'll be at Linwood with you!"
"Yup! With no "mama-drama," it really could be."
---------------------------------END--------------------------------
Author's notes: I hear from the following people recently. I hope I haven't omitted anyone. The list includes, Tony C, Ott H, Jim M, John L, Randy Mac, David C, Frank K, Tim T, Bill T, Les E, Walter S, Kevin K, JLF, Mendy D, James M, Dave C, Tom K, George D, JH, Jim W, Roger L, and Gordon.
Thanks to David (Boxerdude) for editing this chapter.
Thanks to Nifty for providing this free venue.
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If you enjoyed this tale, I'd love to hear from you. Please write to me at: dlee169@hotmail.com . Please put the title of the story in the subject line in case your email ends up in my junk box!
I'm not sure when/if there will be another story. I need some time off.
If something comes up, I'll send a notice to those on my alert list.