Unexpected Guest, Chapter 6
It was about a week before graduation when Dalton received a letter from Canada. The address wasn't his grandmother's and the person who sent it was unknown to him, though the last name was the same as hers. He opened it hastily hoping it wasn't in French.
To his relief, it was in English, and grammatically correct at that.
"Dear Dalton,
I hope this letter finds you well and happy. You seem to have rebounded nicely from your parents' heartless treatment. I wish you the best and will try to help you out some if I can.
As you can see, my name is Etienne LeClere, but my friends call me Steve. I'm your uncle, your mother's brother, and I'm sure my name has never been mentioned in your presence. I've been estranged from the family for many years, but my mother contacted me after receiving your letter. You touched her heart. She felt stricken that your mother had thrown you out for something that you had no control over. Then she began to realize how she had done the same thing to me.
Long story short, she wrote a lengthy letter asking me to forgive her and we have reconnected and reconciled. She wanted me to tell you that she would like you to visit her this summer. She would love to have your boyfriend come too, if that's possible. We'll send plane tickets for both of you if you'd like to come. Please feel free to contact me by email to work out the details. That will be much quicker than using snail mail. I'm completely bilingual, so you don't need someone to put your words into French. I will translate your responses to Mother.
With love and hoping to see you,
Uncle Steve"
Dalton could hardly wait until Shelby got home to share the news. He had hoped to go to Canada to see his grandmother while she was still alive and well, but the chance to meet another gay relative was icing on the cake. Two gay males from different generations in the same family must mean something about inheriting the tendency. There had to be a genetic cause that determined one's orientation. He'd never felt he had a choice to be anything other than what he was. He was convinced that his uncle hadn't either.
"Yes, we should definitely go to see your relatives up north," Shelby said in response to Dalton's excited question. "You should get a passport as quickly as possible. I think a birth certificate might still work for Canada, but we'll likely want to travel to other countries eventually as well."
"Um, I don't even have a copy of my birth certificate. My mother kept those things in the safe deposit box and I'm sure she won't give me mine."
"It's not a big problem. Since you were born here in Linn county, we'll go to the courthouse and get you a raised-seal copy. Then we'll have your passport picture taken at Walgreen's. We can download and print the application forms from the online site. Let's get on it quickly. We could get the photo made tonight."
Dalton fussed over his hair and worried about the zit on his cheek. Shelby purchased a tiny bottle of makeup base at the drugstore and carefully blended it to cover the blemish. At the scale of the passport photo, the zit probably wouldn't have been visible, but he wanted his lover to feel that he looked his best.
"Ms. Blanc, I want to show you the letter I got, thanks to your help!" Dalton exclaimed as he came into her classroom right after school.
"Hey Ethan, what are you doing here; I didn't know you took French."
"Uh, yeah, I speak it pretty well. Um, this is my mom. Mom, this is the guy I was telling you about."
"It's nice to see you again, Dalton."
"Wow, I didn't make the connection that you were related since you have different last names," Dalton said.
"Actually, we have the same name in a sense because "Blanc" in French is "White," Ethan's mother said. "I kept my maiden name because it boosts my credibility as a French teacher and I didn't want my students know who my children were if we ever ended up in the same building. Since we have, I'm glad I thought ahead."
"That's cool!"
"May I see the letter?"
"Oh, yeah, that's what I came for."
Francine Blanc read the letter with interest. The smile on her face grew as she got to the point of the invitation to visit.
"Your efforts to connect with your grandmother have really paid off in more ways than one. It looks like you've helped your family to reunite!"
"Yes, and it's sad that Steve was disowned in the first place."
"True, but you seem to be healing the rift by your actions. Bravo!"
"I really owe you big-time now!" Dalton smiled.
"No, I owe you more. Ethan told me about how you introduced him to Herman and they've started dating as a result. He would never have had the nerve to get acquainted with him if you hadn't intervened; would you Ethan?"
"Mom's right. I'm such a wuss!" Ethan admitted. "Now I'm going with the cutest guy in school!"
"Did someone mention me?" Herman giggled as he came into the classroom at that moment.
"No one said YOUR name," Ethan teased. "I was telling Mom that Dalton is the cutest guy in school."
"No he wasn't, Hermes!" Dalton insisted. "It was you."
Francine tried to busy herself at the computer so as not to be in the conversation, but her bemused smile let the boys know that she couldn't tune them out completely.
"Well, I'd better go," Dalton said. "Shel is taking me to the courthouse before it closes so I can get my birth certificate."
Dalton made his exit, but not before both of his buddies gave him a brotherly hug.
In filling out the form, Shel had Dalton put down June 20th as a travel date in hopes of speeding the process along. They tentatively decided to go in late July, but wouldn't know for sure until Dalton's passport came.
Shelby felt that they could save money by driving, but then he remembered that Dalton had never been on a plane. It would mean a lot to him to fly, so Shel thought he would insist on paying for his own ticket instead of driving.
When Steve got the email about it, he overruled Shel's decision saying that paying his way was a small token of appreciation for what he'd done for Dalton by giving him a place to live and helping to set off the chain of events that had reunited him (Steve) with his mother.
Dalton agreed with his uncle. Shelby deserved any reward he would receive for saving him from living on the street, even if, God forbid, they didn't end up staying together forever.
Graduation couldn't come soon enough for Dalton. He had worked diligently to fulfill all his requirements and was pretty much marking time the last week of the term.
The project that Herman and he had done together turned out to be spectacular. Their teacher wanted permission to enter it into a national contest. The guys were flattered, and readily consented.
Dalton's other assignments were also well received. On the strength of that, he asked his teachers to write letters of recommendation for college entrance. He wouldn't need them for the community college, but he might for the university later. His teachers all gave him excellent ones.
Because he wasn't as busy with school work, Dalton asked for extra hours at the store. His manager, Mr. Fagan, welcomed the move because he had some workers who were playing "sick" in order to use the time to finish the assignments they should have been doing all along.
Shelby was overloaded with end of term grading, so he wasn't around as much. Therefore, Dalton was content to bury himself in work to fill the potentially lonely hours.
After the last final exam of his high school career, Dalton rode his bicycle to the supermarket and worked an earlier shift so that he could get off in time to surprise Shel.
The store was relatively busy with people making purchases for celebrating the Memorial Day Weekend and some parents gearing up for the graduation parties. The extra traffic made the time go quickly.
Dalton thought about the festivities as he bagged groceries. He had received a few invitations, but thought he would attend only Herman's party and Ethan's. He wasn't particularly close to most of his classmates. He felt that he shouldn't go to celebrations when he would be an outsider, and he wasn't having a party of his own to reciprocate.
When Shelby arrived home about 5:30, he was greeted by a wonderful aroma emanating from the kitchen. Since he'd come home early, Dalton had prepared an Alfredo sauce with linguine and shrimp.
"Wow! What brought this on? It smells delicious."
"Don't get too excited until you've tasted it. I'm making a recipe I found on the `net which is supposed to be easy. Shrimp was on sale at the store and I decided to try it. I thought you might enjoy not having to cook tonight."
"You are so-o-o correct! I didn't know what I was going to do. I'm really bushed. Thanks a lot!" he said as he kissed Dalton on the cheek.
Dalton had timed everything down to the minute. He had a Caesar salad (from a kit) already on the table. He took a loaf of pre-made garlic bread out of the oven just before taking up the rest of the dinner.
As they sat down, Shelby took Dalton's hand in his and bowed his head.
"Thank you God for this food and the loving hands that prepared it."
Then they dug in with gusto. As the Internet reviewers had said, it was an excellent recipe which was bound to elicit compliments. Shel's praise was effusive! Dalton beamed.
Shelby began cleaning up as soon as they'd finished, but wasn't allowed to do it alone. Dalton knew how tired he must be.
About an hour later, as they sat watching TV, Dalton brought out a key lime tart that he'd made from another recipe he'd found on the Internet. It had only three ingredients plus a graham cracker crust, and was very easy to put together but tasted special.
"If you continue to cook like this, I'll be fat as a house by September," Shel teased. "Have I told you how much I love you?"
"Yes you have, and you've backed it up with what you do for me. I don't think I could be any happier!"
"Hmm... I'm gonna have to work on that. I must think of something to raise your level of elation. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Nah, I'm content."
"C'mere and give me a kiss."
Dalton complied and found that Shel had more on his mind than a simple peck on the lips. After they'd made out for several minutes, Shelby suggested that they share a shower and cuddle in bed.
Soaping each other's body and squirming around against one another in the shower nearly caused them to blow their loads prematurely. However, Shel suddenly turned the tap so that the water was nearly cold, causing their libidos to cool rapidly.
"You big bully; you nearly froze me to death!"
"Are you spoiling for a spanking?"
"No, I'll be good, Daddy. Please don't spank me tonight; I want to be cuddled."
"Oh Baby, what am I going to do with you?"
"Whatever you want, I guess."
They may have started by merely cuddling, but their mutual needs led to a rapid escalation of their actions. Before the evening was over, they had brought each other to awesome climaxes. It made Dalton realize that he was even happier than he'd been earlier when he made the statement that he didn't know how he could be happier.
Dalton's graduation ceremony was held on the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend. Shel drove him to the civic auditorium at the designated time, about an hour before it would begin. By being early, Shelby not only got a pretty good spot in the parkade, but also secured a prime seat for observing everything, overlooking the row where Dalton had said he would be sitting.
Shel had charged his phone overnight and brought along an auxiliary power pack so he could make video clips without the fear of running out of juice. He wanted to preserve every moment of Dalton's graduation much like a doting parent might. Since his lover sometimes called him "Daddy" in jest, he believed that it was worthwhile filling the void left by what Dalton's family should have done.
Sitting above the choir, stage-right, in the first row of spectators, Shelby had a good vantage point. Early in the playing of Pomp and Circumstance, he spotted Dalton in the center aisle turning in his direction. As if some higher power had intervened, Dalton's seat was in the row directly below Shel's. Shelby was trying to think of how to get his lover's attention, when Dalton looked up toward him with a big grin and a tiny wave. Shel captured that moment too.
He also recorded every time Dalton stood along with others who were recognized for various academic achievements. It seemed to Shel that it happened often enough to count for an aerobic exercise session. The kid had done well!
After the choir numbers and speeches were over, the new graduates walked across the stage to receive their diplomas and shake hands with a school board member. Shelby caught every step that Dalton made after his name was called.
They found each other easily after the end of the ceremony in a prearranged spot behind the bleachers almost directly under where Shelby had sat. Dalton had already gone to the table to pick up his real diploma (having received only the cover on stage), and was ready to go.
"Let's stash your cap and gown in the SUV and you can put on your suit jacket. I've reserved us a table in the restaurant at the top of this building by a window so we can look over the city while we enjoy our lunch."
"Oh man, that's awesome!"
"Well, it's the least I could do for you since you declined having a party."
"It's a whole lot more than you should have done. I know the prices are steep up there."
"No, it's what I need to do to help make this your special day."
"I know this may sound mushy, but I mean it. Every day with you is special to me!"
Shelby hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Whoa, isn't that risky?"
"Nope! You're an adult and you've graduated. It's nobody's business that we're a couple!
"So I was right!" Herman exclaimed as he and Ethan rounded the corner. "Congratulations on two levels. Shelby, you will come to my party, won't you?"
"I'll be there if you like."
"I did address the invitation to `Dalton and friend'."
"You'll come to mine too?" Ethan chimed in.
"Sure. I want to be anywhere Dalton wants me to be."
"That would be EVERYWHERE I go," Dalton grinned.
The top-floor restaurant was beautifully appointed and the view of the city from their window-side table was quite pleasant. Dalton felt comfortable in the environment since he was appropriately dressed. He ordered what Shelby suggested, although his copy of the menu didn't show the prices of items. He was afraid that his meal might be terribly expensive.
"This is a once in a lifetime moment," Shel grinned, sensing his boyfriend's thoughts. "I want it to be unforgettable in every way."
Dalton simply nodded and smiled. He had already expressed his feelings in private, and felt that repeating them in public would be out of place.
They ate leisurely while enjoying the atmosphere and excellent service. When they had finished, Shelby paid their bill with a credit card so that Dalton didn't see the total. He left the tip in cash which he quickly stuffed in the check folder so that Dalton wouldn't see that either.
"Oh, I want to pick up a gift certificate for Wally while we're here. I feel like he deserves something special for all the help and advice he's given me. Do you mind if we stop by his house to drop it off?"
"That's fine with me. He's a good friend. May I put some money toward it?"
"Perhaps in the future you might, but right now I want you to let me do it, please."
"Okay."
The guys shed their jackets and ties the minute they got to the parkade. The late spring weather was unusually warm and they'd been dressed up quite long enough.
When they arrived at Wally's house, Shelby pulled a remote from the console and pressed the button. Wally's third garage door went up smoothly revealing a charcoal colored Corolla with a sign taped on the trunk lid. It read, "Congratulations, Dalton!"
"Whoa, what's this?"
"It looks like a car to me," Shelby joked.
"No, I mean is this for me?"
"Yes. I'm sorry it's not a new one, but it doesn't have many miles on it and it's been well maintained."
Dalton hugged Shelby tightly the minute they got out of the SUV. Then he ran to check out his present. He wasn't sure of the age of the car, but it looked new to him.
Shelby handed the remote and the envelope containing the gift certificate to Wally who had heard the garage door and had come out to see Dalton's reaction.
Wally thanked him for the gift, saying that it wasn't necessary, but would be put to good use.
"Are you sure it isn't new?" Dalton exclaimed, bringing their attention back to the major event of the moment.
"It's eight years old," Wally said. "Mother realized that she wasn't competent behind the wheel anymore and gave up driving last winter. It's still in good shape, so I agreed to sell it to your guy."
"Here are the keys," Shelby offered. "It's registered, insured, and ready to roll. Where are you going first?"
"Our home, I guess. Maybe we could drive it to Herman's party this afternoon so I can show it off."
"Home."
Shelby reflected on the word as he followed the little gray sedan back to his, their, home. He loved hearing Dalton refer to it in the plural possessive. It was a subconscious realization of belonging. Maybe they shouldn't wait four years to get married. Living together, as a couple, felt quite natural already.
After they'd changed clothes, they went back outside to admire Dalton's new treasure. He inspected nearly every inch. Shelby had already done that when he bought it, but joined his young lover in the activity too.
Besides checking out where everything was under the hood, Dalton carefully read the first several pages of the owners' manual to find out how all the features worked. Shel smiled as he observed the joy in Dalton's eyes.
"You've spent way too much on me, Shel. You've known me less than three months and, wow..."
"I've known you emotionally and spiritually for over two years, unless `Sam' was a figment of my imagination. That's actually a lot more intimate than having you in my bed."
"You really DO love me!"
"Of course I do. Even though I still don't `know' you in the biblical sense, I'm totally committed to you. Did you feel otherwise?"
"No, but it's hard for me to wrap my head around the notion that I'm worthy of it."
Shelby held him closely, looking into his eyes.
"Dalton, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You are worth more than all the material goods in the world."
Then he kissed away the salty tears of joy that his words had prompted.
Herman's party was a fairly small gathering on the family's deck and patio. There was a volleyball net set up on the lawn, but it didn't get a lot of use. Mostly the kids congregated on the patio and the adults sat on the deck.
Shelby divided his time between the groups. He was acquainted with some of the teachers who were present because of seeing them at conventions, but he didn't really know anyone well. Mostly, Dalton wanted him nearby, so that is where he stayed. He blended well because the majority of the recent graduates didn't know that he was a teacher, and his youthful appearance made them think he was about their age.
At one point, nearly all of the young men went out to the street to admire Dalton's car. They appeared to be excited for his good fortune. A few of them had cars, but those tended not to be in such pristine condition.
Neither of them was hungry after returning home from Herman's celebration. They sat out on their patio drinking iced tea and relaxing. It had been a busy day and they didn't have the energy to do much more at the moment.
Eventually, Dalton moved his lounger closer to Shelby's and held his hand. There wasn't any conversation between them because none was necessary. Every once in awhile, Dalton would look at his boyfriend and beam. Shel, of course, would return his smile.
A little later, Dalton made sensuous gestures with his tongue. Shelby didn't miss the implication and returned those as well. That led to a session of serious tongue sucking which, in turn, led to the bedroom. Dalton's graduation day ended as he had dreamed it would. He fell asleep in his lover's arms, satisfied emotionally and sexually.
Author's notes: I believe these are all of the people who emailed since last posting: Ott H, Tony W, Geoff S, Bill K, Wayne, Larry S, Dick M, Mendy D, Tom A, Tim M, Jim W, Jim L, Jeremy R, James H, Walt S, Zero, and Paul R.
Below are a few links I thought you might find interesting.
http://www.edgemedianetwork.com/entertainment/celebrities/news//188628
bulging selfies.
https://www.facebook.com/XplicitNationMedia/videos/897589420296422/
https://www.facebook.com/305140869535098/videos/901999979849181/
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/cruz-jindal-and-huckbee-join-multiple-speakers-who-want-gays-put-death
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