Family Matters, Chapter 6
As he contemplated what would happen after his paternity leave ended, Landon began to worry about the arrangements he needed to make for Corbin when he had to go back to work. His mother would return to London eventually, and Laura said she could help in an emergency, but was not up to taking care of a baby fulltime. Then too, she was considering moving to Arizona before the next Midwest winter arrived. With her daughter gone, there wasn't a lot to keep her in this town and she had a sister in Phoenix.
Both mothers thought an au pair might be the solution, but Landon wasn't sure he wanted to trust his son to the keeping of some young woman who might not have the child's best interests in mind. He had seen too many TV reports on people like that who abused the children in their care.
Michael encouraged Landon to talk to Mr. Bloomberg about working part-time.
"With your raise and my becoming a full partner soon, we're not going to be hurting for money next year and you do a lot of your work on the computer anyway. Perhaps you could do the majority of it at home. I'll bet he'd go for it."
When Landon went into Ad Tech to talk to his boss, he took his tiny son with him. It wasn't that his mother wouldn't have taken care of her grandson, but Michael had really encouraged him to take Corbin to the office, suggesting that the baby's presence might motivate Mr. Bloomberg to agree to their plan.
Truth be told, Landon also wanted to show Corbin off to the staff, and he really hated to be parted from the little guy. If Corbin was going to grow up without a mother, he was at least going to have a father and a stepfather who were available and involved in his life.
Landon was completely taken aback when he entered his workplace. Everyone was present and they all shouted: "Surprise" as they ushered him into the conference room. There was a banner on the wall welcoming Corbin Brooks, lots of gifts, and loads of goodies to eat.
"It's our new tradition to have a shower for fathers as well as for mothers," Mr. Bloomberg announced. "We worked on this with Michael so we could surprise you. I hope he didn't tell."
"No he didn't, and I'm overwhelmed with everyone's thoughtfulness."
Several of his coworkers took turns holding Corbin while Landon opened the gifts. One of the women thoughtfully recorded the names of who gave what to help Landon when it came to writing thank-you notes.
Michael came in about half way through the party. He wanted to be there, but he didn't want to look like he was playing the part of spouse. It was too soon after Sarah's service for it to appear that Landon had moved on.
At the end of the festivities, Landon finally had a few minutes to chat with his boss about changing his hours. He was pleased with the results.
"Landon, I don't care where you work from or how many hours you put in as long as you get the jobs completed. I have faith in you and I'm keeping you fulltime unless you find that it's too overwhelming to keep it up. If you hire help with cleaning and possibly cooking, you might be able to do all of it. I'm sure Michael will help you."
"Uh, Michael?"
"Well, I heard some rumors and assumed you were living together and he'd be taking part in raising your son."
"Uh, yeah, but..."
"It's okay. I have no problem with the makeup of your family and I wish you both the best. He's a fine young man like you are."
"Thank you, Sir. I'll do my best not to let you down."
"You won't let me down! You've already proved your worth to this company. I assume you realize that we are receiving more subcontracting work from New York since you delivered for us during the ice storm. I'm still deeply indebted to you for saving my rear end. I don't want to say: a-s-s in front of the baby," he joked. "Children pick up words they shouldn't at a very early age, you know."
After the party was over, Michael helped Landon gather up the presents and get them into his car. He leaned in to give him a quick peck on the cheek as they strapped Corbin into his seat.
Terry Langston's Aunt Mildred paid a visit to Michael and Landon's home the next day, ostensibly to see Corbin. Of course, she telephoned first to make sure that it was okay to drop in. Lois served tea and cookies much to the delight of the older woman.
"Lois, you are so gracious! This reminds me of the days when life was slower and more genteel. No doubt you're the perfect helpmate for an ambassador. I'm delighted to have tea with you!"
After Mildred took a peek at the sleeping baby and general pleasantries were exchanged, she got to the real reason for her visit. She had heard that Landon was looking for someone to help with Corbin and she knew a widow in her late 50's who would be an excellent housekeeper and was the epitome of kindness.
"She's a member of St. Stephen's and I've known her for years. I will vouch for her 100 percent. I would trust her with my child, my money, and my life. She could probably use a job. I know she stopped working to take care of her husband. I suspect his long illness took a toll on her financially as well as emotionally."
"Thank you, Mildred. I'll give her a call. If she's anything like you say she is, it could be a win/win situation for all of us."
Marian Thompson was a small, energetic lady who interviewed well. Her pleasing personality and lively step put Landon in mind of a Jenny wren. She was willing to come in as early as they wanted and stay long enough to prepare dinner. In fact, she said that she could usually be there as late as needed. Living alone in a small unit in a retirement village through her husband's long illness had kept her from staying current with friends. She would welcome interaction with a family.
If Marian felt like she was facing the Inquisition with Lois, Michael, and Landon all present for the interview, she hid it well. She could empathize with people who wanted to thoroughly investigate anyone who was going to be responsible for the nurturing of their baby on a daily basis.
She was never rattled by anything that was asked or said, and she had experience in raising children. Her background of working as an LPN in a hospital was another point in her favor, plus she had undergone a background check for that job.
Corbin got into the interview when he awakened, crying his demand for a bottle and diaper change. The family requested that Marian demonstrate her abilities, and she took care of his needs gently and efficiently as soon as she was shown were the supplies were kept.
The baby snuggled up to her, erasing any doubts about problems in adapting to yet another adult in his life.
After Marian had left, everyone voice agreement that she would be ideal for the job.
"I think she's perfect!" Landon exclaimed. "Not only is she great with Corbin, but she didn't so much as raise an eyebrow about two men sharing the same bedroom. She couldn't have missed our arrangement when she got the tour of our house."
"She does appear to be tolerant as well as sharp as a tack," Lois observed. "By the way, if I'm not being too nosey, do you two have any plans about getting married?"
"I'm hoping to make your son an honest man in about a year," Michael grinned. "We hate having to wait to become a legal family, but we don't think it would be proper to have even a quiet ceremony too soon after Sarah's death even though they were in the process of divorcing. I realize her mother knows our situation and seems to accept it, but I don't want to cause her any additional sorrow."
"Michael, I commend you for being sensitive to her feelings. I suspect your compassion is part of what attracted my son to you."
"Thanks!" Michael said, embracing his future mother-in-law.
Their household was the scene of domestic tranquility during the next couple of months. Initially, Landon missed his mother's help when she left, but found that Marian took up the slack quite efficiently. He could get his work done from the desk in the loft without interruption if he wished, and he could spend quality time with Corbin when he wanted to. There were also opportunities to go in to the office several times a week so that he could keep current with his boss and colleagues as well. Life took on an idyllic quality that had been missing in his marriage to Sarah during most of the past year.
Michael was awesome! The same sensitive, gentle man who looked after his emotional needs could be a tiger in bed when it came to fulfilling their sexual desires. There was never any doubt that they loved each other to the fullest, both emotionally and physically.
Michael was also the happiest he'd been in a long time. It was somewhat like when he'd first married Samantha, but he would have to admit that his feelings were deeper now. Landon was truly his soul-mate.
Falling leaves and a nip in the morning air ushered autumn in once more. On what was to be a special night in October, Landon and Michael went out to dinner at the Greek restaurant before the symphony concert. When Landon made reservations a couple of weeks ahead, he requested the table they'd shared in February when they'd first met. It was like a half-year anniversary celebration for them.
Having offered Marian an attractive amount of extra pay to stay overnight with Corbin, the men would enjoy their first completely uninterrupted night together in several months.
Dinner was excellent. As they had done at their first meal together, Landon ordered the wine and Michael the saganaki. This time, it would go on their jointly held credit card, but it was a way to commemorate the past and begin a tradition.
They shared a huge horiatiki salad, and both had the pastitsio for their entrée. They decided to forgo dessert because there would be tempting pastries to sample later during intermission.
This evening's concert was devoted entirely to one work - Mahler's second Symphony, The Resurrection. It was fortunate that Landon had renewed his season tickets because the event was completely sold out a week prior to the performance.
Due to the length of this work, there was an intermission after the first movement, and the audience was encouraged to applaud between it and the following movements because of the interruption.
When the house lights came up, people flocked to the café area for dessert. As the men had expected, there were many choices. They opted for the baklava which complemented their earlier dinner. Instead of coffee or a cola, they chose club soda for its more neutral taste.
Because this was their favorite Mahler symphony, they enjoyed the concert even more than most. As the last notes of the final movement died away, the audience arose en masse, applauding and yelling bravos. It was obvious that Landon and Michael were not alone in their appreciation of the stellar performance.
Following the awesome concert with full orchestra and talented soloists, backed by a choir of 150 voices, the men walked the few blocks to the parking garage attached to the recently renovated downtown hotel. After retrieving their small overnight bags from the trunk, they headed for the check-in desk.
Their room on the 14th floor overlooked the city toward the north. There was just enough moonlight to make the world look beautiful as it reflected off the tiny lake in the middle of the downtown area.
A young man from room service tapped on their door moments after they arrived. He bore a silver tray with two brandy snifters filled with ice along with a small carafe of Bailey's Irish Cream which he split between the two goblets. After receiving a generous tip, he made a kind of quick bow and left the room, wishing them a pleasant night.
It was too chilly to enjoy their drinks out on the balcony, but everything took on a romantic cast when they turned off the lights and opened the heavy drapes to take in the view below.
They propped up on the bed closest to the window, placing their drinks on the nightstands on either side of it. They began by kissing between sips, but soon undressed one another and lay skin to skin under the top sheet.
One thing led to another, and before midnight, both men had made passionate love to the other and experienced a couple of orgasm each.
"Mornin' Honey," Michael grinned.
"Mornin' Babe."
"Wow, you really know how to plan a romantic evening. If I weren't already in love with you, I certainly would be after last night."
"Oh, you sweet-talker; you know that flattery will get you almost anywhere."
"Only almost?"
"No, I take that back," Landon admitted, licking Michael's left nipple.
"Careful, or you'll miss breakfast."
"Why don't we order something light from room service and then shower and see what comes up. We don't have to check out until noon."
"Sounds like a good plan to me!"
Marian couldn't miss the look of contentment on the faces of her employers when they returned home shortly before noon. She had lunch ready for them minutes after they arrived and they managed to eat it before Corbin woke up, hungry, of course.
Michael jumped up to take care of their son before Landon or Marian could make the move. He felt he needed bonding time with the infant because he was often away from the house more than anyone else. He didn't want Corbin to think of him as a stranger.
"Since you sacrificed your weekend for us, we want you to take two days off this week, with pay," Landon told her. "Michael is taking tomorrow off so I can go into Ad Tech for a meeting, and I'm taking off Tuesday completely to stay home with Corbin."
Marian was going to protest that she didn't need the time off, but realized that she really needed to rest. She had empathy with older people who were, for whatever reason, raising their grandchildren when they were already near retirement age.
She didn't object when the men said that her mini vacation should begin immediately so she could go home to have a nap.
Before they fell to sleep that night, Landon and Michael again recounted the ups and down of the past half a year. Michael expressed his undying gratitude to Landon for offering to share his table on that fateful February evening. Without his gesture of kindness, they wouldn't likely have become soul-mates and partners.
They felt blessed, and they looked forward to getting married, possibly in another year's time. It would be fun to do it on the second anniversary of their initial meeting, or close to it, but they doubted they could wait that long.
They drifted off, as they often did, with Michael spooned against Landon's back.
Author's notes: Thanks to the following who emailed since last posting: Jim L, Mike D, Tony W, Wayne, Ott H, Bill K, Walt S, Tony F, Dick M, Mendy D, Ash T, Peter M, Tom A, Trish R, Jake C, Jim W, Nick ?, Lance C, Felipe C, Zero, and Paul R.
Trish asked a question of me. She wanted to know if I would change any character from my stories if I could to a rewrite. I don't think that I would. I still feel bad about allowing Ted Dye to take his own life, but I'm not sure I could have prevented it...
Please remember to donate to Nifty if you have the funds and the opportunity.
Peace and love,
David