The Magic Shop

2026: The final days of Ralph Scavolini

Authors note: I apologize that this took so long to post. I know I've been posting every day up until this point and that I didn't submit this yesterday. However, this chapter was too important to rush and it was necessary to look it over to make sure it was perfect. I cried when I first read this back. I hope it hits you as hard when you read it as it hit me to write it.

Michael was absolutely fuming on the cab ride over to Mercy General hospital. He had been thrown out of the company he helped Diya create. He was now unemployed, with no real prospects of finding another job. Now that he had signed a non disclosure agreement to keep his involvement with iThink’s development a secret, he couldn’t reveal to any other employer what he had been doing in his first two years since graduating from Harvard. For all anyone would be allowed to know, it’s as if he didn’t work at all.

“I should have stressed this point more” Michael thought to himself, as seethed on the car ride over.

Michael also regretted not mentioning the fact that he and Freddy would be reduced to a household with no income coming in.

“Freddy’s in school and now I’m not making an income. We’re really going to be struggling for a while, until Freddy graduates and can get a good paying job. No matter what she says, $4 million is not going to hold us over for very long.”

Finally, Michael felt hurt by the betrayal of who he considered his best friend. Diya and Michael had been friends since they were 12 years old. An old adage went that if you could make a friendship work for ten years, then it would last forever. It seemed this came into conflict with the other old adage; don’t go into business with your friends.

“If I had just kept my mouth shut when she first brought this idea of hers up all those years ago” Michael thought to himself “then none of this ever would have happened.”

Michael let out a little chuckle to himself.

“Of course, if I hadn’t brought up the suggestions and made the changes I did, iThink never would have taken off, either. God, she fucked me over so much. She downplays my work, but without my tweaks, she wouldn’t be in the position she’s in today. If iThink lifts off like a rocket, she’s going to take all the credit. Man, I got so fucked here. Ugh. Unbelievable.”

Michael knew he’d have to address this with Freddy right away, as the cab approached the hospital and let him out by the front entrance. However, he didn’t want to dwell on it for too long. There were more important things in his life at the moment; family matters for one.

Once inside the hospital, Michael made his way to the emergency room. When he arrived, he found that Freddy, nor his parents, were there. Michael went up to the secretary to figure out what was going on.

“Excuse me?” he asked. “I’m wondering if Ralph Scavolini is still here?”

“He’s not” the secretary replied. “He has a room now. 3rd floor. They will tell you which room upstairs.”

“Thank you.”

Michael made his way to the elevators and up to the third floor. When he arrived, he walked down the hall and found a visitor waiting room. Inside, Freddy’s parents were sitting quietly. Freddy’s mother was drinking a coffee and his father was reading the newspaper.

“Doug, Irene” Michael said, as he approached them.

“Michael” Freddy’s mother replied, as she got up to give him a hug. “How are you holding up, dear? Did you get any sleep last night?”

“I got sleep, but I have some bad news.”

“Oh no. Is it about your father?”

“No, thank God, but Freddy needs to hear about this right away. Where is he?”

“Here I am” Freddy could be heard answering from behind him.

Michael turned around and gave him a big hug. Freddy tenderly patted him on the shoulder and then gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“How was the meeting?” Freddy asked.

Michael nervously shook, as he turned to look at Freddy’s parents, who were eyeing him warily.

“Let’s talk privately” Michael replied. “But hello Doug, how are you?”

Michael went over and shook Freddy’s father’s hand.

“I’m doing alright this morning” Freddy’s father replied. “Can’t complain too much. I took a few days off from work to be here for you guys. I figured you could use us if you needed some advice and comfort.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you.”

Freddy’s father nodded, as Michael took Freddy to a private spot in the hall. When they were alone, Michael spoke up.

“You’re not going to believe what Diya just did.”

“What?” Freddy asked, as he gulped nervously.

“She and the board threw me out of iThink.”

“She what?!”

“Shhh!!!!”

“Sorry, I’ll try to speak quieter, but what!”

“She had a meeting yesterday with the board after I left to come down here to see my father and they agreed to throw me out. She said I wasn’t putting in the hours and hard work needed to stay on with the company.”

“Is she fucking serious? What the fuck was she thinking? She’s been your best friend for all these years. How could she do something like this? And with your father on his death bed? That’s an illegal retaliation, if you ask me. You should sue her.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? I’m sure you could sue her and they’d settle with you, at the very least. I’ve been learning about this in law school. You have a strong case here.”

“Freddy, I can’t sue her because I took a payoff to leave the company.”

Freddy stared silently at Michael, unsure of whether this was a positive or negative development.

“How much did she buy you out for?”

“Around $10 million.”

“That’s not too bad, actually.”

“That’s total shit, Freddy, especially if this company does really well. Plus, that’s $10 million before taxes. After taxes, it’s only around $4 million.”

“Still, that’s not too bad. You take the money and then go work for somebody else.”

“But that’s the other problem. To get the $4 million, they made me sign a non disclosure agreement to keep my mouth shut about the work I did at iThink.”

Freddy slapped his forehead and let out a loud groan.

“Oh, Michael. You shouldn’t have done that. You should have hired a lawyer and then taken her to court.”

“I thought about that, but iThink's board is made up of some nasty Wall Street investor types. If I went that route, which I certainly thought about doing, then I’d be suing them potentially for years in court. They’d stall the shit out of it, making me drain legal resources and money while we were broke and unemployed.”

“You could have gotten someone to work pro bono on your case until the settlement came about.”

“The settlement would likely be close to what Diya was offering me now. After the lawyer fees, commission and taxes, we’d basically end up in the same boat, with the same aggravation we’re dealing with now.”

“But signing the non disclosure agreement makes it harder to find another job.”

“If I went with the other strategy of suing them, then those board members would call up their other friends at the other tech companies and tell them not to hire me. It was either signing this non disclosure agreement and taking the payout or being blackballed from the industry and suing them with no income coming in to support us. I was in a no win situation here.

“Plus, even if I walked away without taking the payout and told other people my story, other companies would think I was lazy and wouldn’t put in the hours they’d need from me to employ me there. I’m basically unemployable now and have very little options going forward. She screwed me so badly and I’m so pissed right now. My best friend fucking me over at the worst time in my life.”

“I wouldn’t say this is the worst time in your life.”

“What the fuck do you mean—“

“Shh! Michael, volume.”

“What the fuck do you mean this isn’t the worst time in my life? I was thrown out of the company I helped found with my best friend, by my best friend, and my father is on his death bed. How can you say this isn’t the worst moment in my life?”

“What about when I almost died seven years ago?”

Michael paused for a moment and looked into Freddy’s sympathetic eyes.

“I mean, yes, you almost dying that night was the worst moment in my life, admittedly. However, that was just one bad thing. This is multiple bad things happening at the same time. This is that times a million. It’s not downplaying how horrible that was. It’s just saying so many bad things are happening for me right now and it’s bound to get worse from here. I feel horrible, Freddy.”

“Come here.”

Freddy gave Michael a tight hug, holding him with love in his embrace. They ignored the glances of doctors and nurse passing them by, as they felt comforted in each other’s arms. When they were sated, they pulled back and looked down the hall.

“We should go see your father now” Freddy said. “I’m sure he should be up from his nap by now.”

“How much is he sleeping?” Michael asked.

“Not a lot, honestly. The doctor said this morning that Ralph isn’t getting much sleep to begin with, even at home, and this hospital environment is just killing him. He takes long naps throughout the day to try to catch up, but he really needs to fall asleep at night.”

“It’s hard to do that here, but he has to try. Let’s go talk to him. Where is he?”

“Follow me.”

Freddy led Michael down the hall, past the visitor waiting area, to patient rooms. Passing by a number of very sick patients, some of them with visitors, the two of them paused outside of Ralph’s room, before they made their way inside. Freddy walked right in, while Michael used some hand sanitizer first. Passing an empty bed, they found Michael’s father lying in a bed right by the window.

“Dad” Michael said. “Dad, it’s me.”

Michael’s father slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his son. His beard was continuing to grow, now five days in, becoming less scruffy and more full and dense.

“Michael” he quietly replied. “You’re here. I thought you’d be at work today.”

“I would have been, but, well….”

Michael sat down in a chair next to his dad, while Freddy continued to stand.

“Well what, Michael?” his father asked curiously.

“I don’t think I should say. You’re not doing well right now and I don’t want to upset you anymore.”

“Come on, Michael. You have to tell me. I’m your dad. Don’t keep secrets from me.”

“I don’t want your blood pressure and vitals to spike.”

“They’ll spike if you keep agitating me by not telling me. Now come on, spill. What’s going on?”

Michael sighed, before he confessed to his father.

“Diya and the board of iThink kicked me out of the company.”

Michael’s father let out a gasp, as grabbed onto his son’s arm.

“No!” he said in disbelief.

Michael nodded his head.

“How could she? What a rotten little—“

“Easy dad. Please calm down.”

“That son of a…she was your best friend and she totally fucked you over like this? Did you tell her I was in the hospital?”

“Yup.”

“And you told her Freddy is still in school?”

“Yup” Michael lied.

“And you told her you’d be on living with no income after this?”

Michael nodded his head.

“Unbelievable. Unreal. I can’t believe it. Business, man. It really does something to people.”

Michael’s father sat up in the bed and motioned his son to him.

“Come here.”

Michael slowly went over to his father, who gave him a great, big hug. He was wearing a hospital gown, so his body was covered up more than it had been in the apartment. Michael’s father held onto his son tightly, giving him scruffy kisses on the cheek as he did so.

“I’m so sorry this is happening to you, Michael. She’s the absolute worst.”

Michael began to cry, as his father patted him on the back.

“Shh, shh. Don’t cry here. You have to compose yourself.”

“I can’t, dad. I’m very upset right now.”

“Shh, look I know, it’s ok to be upset, but we’re in a public place right now.”

“Dad, I’m allowed to cry.”

“Of course, Michael, but you want to be strong for me and for Freddy.”

“I have to—“

“Shhh. Ok, just let it out, but then get yourself together. You can cry more when you get home.”

Freddy felt his own eyes get watery, as Michael cried into his father’s chest. Michael’s father stroked his hair and gave him more kisses on the top of his head. When he felt that Michael had gotten enough of an embrace, he gently pushed his son back to sit back in his chair.

“Look” Michael’s father continued “I know you might find this hard to believe, but everything is going to be ok. Things will work out for you. When you get back, you can work on getting a lawyer and—“

“I can’t sue her, dad” Michael replied. “I took a payout and signed a non disclosure agreement.”

“How much did she buy your silence for, if you don’t mine me asking?”

“$4 million after taxes.”

“Eh.”

Michael’s father shrugged his shoulders, before he scratched at the scruff on his face.

“I mean” he continued “from a purely numbers stand point, that’s not too bad. Business is always risky. It’s a 50/50 proposition. Either it does well or it goes belly up. She probably crunched in the numbers and played odds.”

“That she did” Michael replied, as he sniffled and wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Still, it hurts on a personal level to be thrown out by your best friend and at a time like this this. She really should have waited until I got better.”

“Presuming you get better.”

“I will, Michael. This is really all a big nothing burger and a bit over the top. I’ll be out of here soon.”

“Dad, the doctors say your kidneys are risk of failing and so is your liver. Once those go, the rest of your organs will fail and you’ll die. This is serious.”

“I think they are just trying to scare you all, personally, but I’m here and I’m ready for whatever treatment options they insist upon.”

“That’s good to hear, dad, but you shouldn’t underplay this. It’s serious.”

“He’s right, Ralph” Freddy added. “The prognosis is not good. Your drinking and prescription drug use has caught up with you.”

“Who told you I did that?” Michael’s father asked. “I don’t have a drinking or a drug problem. I’m not an addict.”

“The doctor did” Michael replied.

“Well, he’s lying, because I don’t—“

“The blood numbers don’t lie, dad. Your liver numbers are insanely high and they’ve done scans of your organs. They do not look good.”

“They’re just looking for problems where they don’t exist.”

“Why can’t you take this seriously?”

“Son.”

Michael’s father sighed, as he motioned to his son again.

“Come here.”

“No.”

“Come here, I said. Don’t be difficult.”

“Dad, why can’t you take this more seriously? You’re at risk of dying here.”

“Just come over here and let me give you a hug. It’ll calm you down. You’re stressed and agitated. You have every right to be, but you have to let these things out.”

“I’ll calm down when you start taking this seriously.”

“If I take this more seriously, in your estimation, then will you come over here?”

“Yes.”

“How do you want me to take this more seriously than I already have? I’m here, in this hospital room, next to a bed which will soon have another patient in it, and I’m letting them do all these tests and I’m willing to allow them to perform any surgery or operation or procedure they deem necessary to save my life.

“How much seriously do you expect me to take this, Michael? If I wasn’t serious about this, then I would have checked myself out and gone back home. I’m here, aren’t I? I’m in a hospital, far from home, getting these things checked out. I’m doing what I can to take this seriously, but I refuse to get all fatalistic about this.

“Do you want me to panic and freak out? Do you want to me start preparing my funeral arrangements right now? How much more seriously do you expect me to take this, Michael? Huh? How much more?”

“Dad, I just wish you wouldn’t downplay this so much and keep saying ‘oh this is a nothing burger’ or ‘oh this was a waste of time.’ It’s not a nothing burger and it’s not a waste of time.”

Michael’s father sighed, as he motioned to his son again.

“Come here.”

“No. Promise me you’ll stop downplaying this so much and then I’ll let you give me a hug.”

Michael’s father let out a groan, before he sighed.

“Fine. I promise to stop saying that stuff from now on. Now come here. You need a hug.”

Michael leaned into his father’s chest and let him tightly embrace him again. Michael’s father patted his son on the back and gave him more kisses on his cheeks, forehead and hair.

“Let’s be positive” Michael’s father whispered into his son’s ear. “Let’s try to stay positive and believe that this will all work out ok.”

Michael nodded, as he sought to sit back up. When he did so, he looked at his father with tears rolling down his cheeks. Michael’s father tried to lean over to wipe them away, but couldn’t get it.

“Let me wipe those away” Michael’s father said. “You shouldn’t look like such a mess.”

“It’s fine” Michael replied, as he sniffled and wiped away the tears on his own. “It’s a hospital. People expect other people get emotional here. It’s no big deal.”

“Do you need some alone time?” Freddy asked.

“Huh?” Michael replied, as he looked up to see his husband standing over him. “Uh, sure. Yes, please.”

Freddy nodded, as he walked out of the room and back into the waiting room with his parents.

“I like the beard he’s growing” Michael’s father commented when Freddy left.

“I don’t” Michael replied. “I don’t like yours either. Dad, why won’t you let the nurses shave you?”

“Thirty days, Michael. Give me thirty days and then I will let them shave this off. I just want to see it grow on my face one last time. I never got to wear it all those years, even though it’s what I always wanted to do. You and your mother used to give me so much shit about this. One day I missed a shave and your mother would go hysterical. I just want to do what I want do for once.”

Michael’s father scratched at the five days of facial hair growth on his chin.

“In like two or three days” he continued “this is going to start to look really nice. I just wish they had someone here who knew how to use a beard trimmer. With the right shaping, it would look professional and distinguished. Remember the last I had a beard?”

“Don’t remind me” Michael grumbled in response.

“Hey, don’t get all sour about it. It looked great and it wasn’t as gray as this one is now. It was practically all black, like it was the first time I grew it out in college. At work, all the younger guys gave me the deference I deserve. I really think that if I had kept it, that I’d be in charge of the construction company I work for now.”

“Tony doesn’t have one.”

“Still, the beard would have given me the edge on Tony when the old boss retired. I wish you guys had let me grow it out when that was happening. It would have made a world of financial difference for us.”

“I don’t know. The past is the past. We just have to move forward, I guess.”

“Agreed, but the point I’m trying to make is, let me having the fucking beard while I’m here, will you? I’m not in your apartment anymore, so I’m out of you and Freddy’s hair, and I just want this for myself now. Can you lay off for at least a month?”

Michael sighed, before he nodded in approval.

“Fine, but winning over mom is going to be a bigger challenge.”

“She won’t be back until after the cruise is over.”

“That’s not true.”

“What? What happened to her? Is she ok?”

“Yes, dad but…”

Michael thought for a moment, before he decided to tell a white lie.

“The doctor told her about what was happening and she got all panicked. So, she got off the cruise ship and she’s on her way back now.”

“Oh man, Michael. I wish he hadn’t done that. Now they’ve gotten your mother all worked up needlessly—“

“Ahem.”

“Ok, maybe not needlessly, but they’ve gotten your mother all upset and now she’s missing out on her vacation.”

“I told her she didn’t have to come back and that I’d take care of this, and you, myself, but she wouldn’t listen to me, so she just came home.”

“Didn’t Ann try to get her to stay on the ship?”

“She did, but mom is stubborn.”

“Heh, that’s the Galliano’s for you. Stubborn as a mule.”

“Mom says the Scavolini’s are stubborn too.”

“Heh, yeah true. Maybe it’s just the full blooded Italian in us, you know?”

Michael’s father chuckled, as he held onto his son’s hand.

“I really didn’t get to know much of your mother’s family. I knew she had a few siblings, but most of them lived so far away, that we rarely kept in touch. Still, I kind of liked that one uncle of hers, what’s his name?”

“Which one. The older one or the younger one?”

“The younger one. The one who stayed with us for a while when you were first born.”

“Oh, John.”

“Yeah, that guy! I liked that guy. He was a real help around the apartment for the time he was living with us. He allowed me to go out with the boys every once in a while. If it wasn’t for him, I’d have no social life at all.”

“I thought you had said years ago that my being born cut off your entire social life all together.”

“I mean, for the most part, it did, but John gave me permission to go out for a few drinks on a rare occasion. He was kind of like…how do I put this in a way that won’t get you all offended and stuff? He was like a Mr. Mom.”

“A Mr. Mom?”

“Yeah, like a dude who was both a dude and a chick at the same time. He liked sports like one of the guys, but he was so…sensitive, you know?”

“He was probably gay.”

“You think so? I never saw it, to be honest with you.”

“I mean, he’s been single now for almost sixty years. No girlfriend. No wife.”

“Maybe he just never found the right woman. See, this is where you and I don’t see eye to eye. I just assume that most men are straight, because they are. You see things that I miss. I probably knew more gays in school. I probably even have co-workers at the construction company who are gay and I’d have no idea who they were, because I just don’t notice these things the way you do.”

“I have an inkling of who might be gay there.”

“See, so there you go. You and I aren’t attuned to the same things. I guess it’s my upbringing and whatever, but you know, you give people the benefit of the doubt, until they said they fucked dudes or whatever.”

“Oh god.”

“Michael, I’m trying to be sensitive here, but I’m in a hospital bed and I’m not feeling so hot. Please just lay off the groaning and shit, will you? For the sake of your dad?”

“Fine.”

“Thank you.”

The two of them were silent for a moment, before Michael’s father spoke up again.

“I wanted to talk to you about something, before I pass out for another nap.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been talking to Freddy while he’s here and I really want you to do me a huge, huge favor.”

“What is it, dad?”

“Look, Michael, remember I told you that I want to try to make things right before I go?”

“I thought you said you didn’t want to talk about your prognosis or you dying.”

“I meant in general, before I leave this Earth, not necessarily right now.”

“Ok….”

“So you know you’ve been kind of nagging Freddy to go into corporate or business law when he’s done graduating from law school and passes the bar next year?”

“Yup.”

“Well, you know Freddy doesn’t actually want to do that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, he’s told me this before. He’s all like ‘I really want to be a public defender and help people,’ but there’s no money in that shit. Especially right now, with my getting the boot by Diya, we need all the money we can get.”

“Michael, I want you to do me a favor.”

“Oh dear Jesus. Here it comes.”

“Michael, I’m serious about this. Please listen to what I have to say.”

“Fine. What?”

“Michael, I know you want your husband to get a good paying job after law school. I get it. I’m of the same mindset as you on these sorts of things. However, as I’m kind of feeling closer to God these days, I have come to the very belated realization that money isn’t the only thing that matters in this world. Sometimes, you just have to let people follow their dreams.”

“Oh dear god.”

“Michael, let me finish.”

“Fine, dad. Finish what you’re going to say, though I already know where this is going and I can’t believe you’re going to ask me to do this.”

“You may be surprised.”

“I won’t be, but go on.”

“Anyways, so seeing as Freddy doesn’t really want to be doing this kind of law, I’d really appreciate it, as a sort of favor to your dad, if you would let him pursue his dream of becoming a public defender after he finishes law school.”

“No.”

“That was a quick rejection.”

“I could have said this flat out, without you giving me your spiel just now. No. We are now in a very tough financial situation. We have bills to pay up to wazoo. We have our real estate taxes and HOA fees on our apartment. We have Freddy’s tuition bills to pay. We have to pay for the car we split, since we certainly couldn’t afford to have two. We have to pay for our daily living expenses. And if for some reason you pass away, I’ll have to take on the student loan debt you took out for me to go to Harvard, since mom obviously will never be able to pay it back, ever.

“The point is that I have a ton of bills and no income to pay them. That $4 million from Diya will last us a couple of years and that’s it. Once everything is paid for and once we exhaust the settlement money, we have a big problem on our hands. If at least one of us isn’t making a good income, then we’re going to go broke and fall into bankruptcy.

“We need the money from a good paying law job. Public defenders get paid practically nothing. We can’t live on that as the only salary coming into our household. We need more money than that. Freddy may feel a passion for it, but it just isn’t feasible. I can’t grant you that promise. I’m sorry, dad, but no.”

“Listen, Michael, I get it. Everything you’re saying, with the exception of me dying and handing you the student loan debt to pay off, is true. All of those arguments are completely valid. However, there are a few things you’re not taken into consideration here.”

“Such as?”

“Your marriage to Freddy. Let’s hypothetically say you put your foot down on Freddy and tell him he has to get a good paying legal job out of law school, right? Well, presuming he can even get one of those, since he didn’t go to one of the great schools, like you had the privilege of attending, then they’ll insist on long hours, working weekends and maybe even travel. The time you’ll spend together will be almost non existent.

“Your priority is your family. Otherwise, you would have stayed at that meeting with Diya yesterday and hunkered down with them for that presentation thing on Friday. You sacrificed that, because you love me. I know I haven’t done right by you in my life. The fact that you blew them off for me is both an honor I don’t deserve and a testament to where your priorities lie. Your family is your priority.

“If you make Freddy take the corporate job, then he’ll make that his priority over you. Your relationship will strain, especially under the weight of a job Freddy doesn’t love and is not passionate about. Legal work is tough enough as it is. Wouldn’t you rather he come home at the end of the day happy to see you, then miserable and resentful that you’re making him work at a soul sucking job he doesn’t love?”

“Public defense work has long hours and weekends, too. I still won’t see Freddy that much. Might as well get the money.”

“But for the time you do spend together, wouldn’t you rather it be pleasant? Wouldn’t you rather that he come home, kiss you on the lips…”

Michael’s father shuddered for a moment, which was received with a glare from Michael, before he continued.

“Sorry, anyways, wouldn’t you rather he come and want to be with you, then to come home and hate you?”

“I mean, yes, dad, I would, but we can’t swing it otherwise.”

“Here’s an idea. You work on finding another job. Let Freddy continue with his studies. Also, start working on investing that money in the stock market. You knew people at Harvard who went on to work on Wall Street. Go call them up and ask them for some advice. That’s part of why I insisted you take the admission and go there; so you could have these people to reach out to when you needed them. Call one of those guys up, ask them for some advice and then play around with the numbers a bit.”

“The stock market is risky, plus it’s a cesspool. Look at who works in finance. People like those assholes who Diya appointed to the board of iThink. They are total scum of the Earth, bottom feeders. They are absolutely going to screw her over someday and she’ll only have herself to blame.”

“That girl is very smart. I wouldn’t be too worried about her. She’ll handle the vultures. What she will regret, when this is all been said and done, is the lack of time she spent with her family. If iThink does take off, then she’ll hardly spend any time with them at all. I highly doubt she’ll get to the end of her life and be satisfied with the amount of time she spent with her parents before they die.”

“I think she’ll live with herself, honestly. She was never really that close to them anyway. Besides, what was that you said earlier about following your dreams?”

“There’s following your dreams and then there's only following your dreams. Life is about balance. Making sure all the areas of your life get the attention they deserve. You’ll learn this as you get older or if you somehow have kids with Freddy.”

“I doubt that will happen.”

“Still, all I’m saying is, if the opportunity to raise a kid comes along someday, don’t turn it down. Besides, if you are officially forced into retirement now by Diya, then it’ll at least give you something to do at home all day when you’re by yourself and bored out of your wits.”

“I guess.”

“Just think about what I asked you, ok? You don’t have to say yes right away.”

“I’ll consider it.”

“Thank you.”

Michael went in to hug his father, before his dad passed out from exhaustion. Leaving the room, Michael made his way back to the visitor waiting area, where only Freddy was sitting.

“Where are you parents?” Michael asked.

“They went to go grab something to eat” Freddy replied, as he got up and kissed Michael on the lips. “Everything go alright in there?”

“I guess. I’ll talk about it later.”

Freddy nodded, before the two of them sat down in some chairs. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Michael got updates from his mother on her flights back to Sacramento. Freddy’s parents spent some time with Michael’s father, to give Freddy some time to comfort Michael. Michael called up someone he knew from Harvard who gave him some pointers on investing in the stock market. When it got late, everyone except Michael’s father left the hospital for the day.

Back at their apartment, Freddy and Michael showered together before they hopped into bed. When they settled in, Michael spoke up.

“So now that I’m unemployed” he said “I have a lot more time of my hands.”

“I don’t” Freddy replied. “I had to miss classes today to be at the hospital, but tomorrow I need to go back. I’ll spend more time over there this weekend.”

“Of course. I don’t want this effecting your studies. That has to be your priority, especially since you’re going to be the only one working from now on.”

“Listen, Michael, I’m sure you’ll find another job in no time at all. You’re a Harvard graduate with good grades. Lots of people will be throwing themselves at you to get you to work at their company. As your dad said years ago ‘the world is your oyster.’”

“Not exactly.”

“Huh? How do you figure that?”

“Well, I haven’t worked anywhere else since I graduated and I didn’t do any internships while I was at Harvard. What employment experience do I have that qualifies me for much of anything? If I can’t talk about my time at iThink, then I can’t get another job.”

“Maybe expand your horizons a bit. Ever think of working for some think tank or other legal organization?”

“Ugh. That shit is soul sucking.”

“You’re telling me. That’s why I wish you’d reconsider your objection to me becoming a public defender.”

“You know? My father brought that up to me at the hospital today. Did you by any chance mention this to him?”

Freddy blushed, before he confessed to the truth.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t at the hospital. It was on the day I was watching him, before I sent him over there.”

“So yesterday.”

“Yes. God, it seems like so long ago, but it was only yesterday. Man, this has been dragging on.”

“Tell me about it, especially since it’s my father who is the one in the hospital, not yours.”

“So what did your father say to you?”

“He said I should let you do what makes you happy in life and we’d have a better marriage as a result.”

“Yup.”

“But I told him that, with my being axed by iThink, that we’d be short on cash and need you to bring in the income from a better paying law job.”

“And?”

“He said to think about it.”

“Oh.”

Freddy nuzzled his head into Michael’s shoulder.

“I hate that you haven’t shaved” Michael said, with the sounds of disgust in his voice.

“You promised to let me grow it out for a few days” Freddy replied with a coo.

“I did, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.”

“I know.”

Freddy kissed Michael on the lips.

“Does my having scruff mean I can’t get at your ass tonight?”

“I guess you can have a go.”

“Good. I could use the stress reliever that is the perkiest, most beautiful ass in the whole, wide world.”

“How would you know?” Michael asked, as Freddy ripped off his bottoms and his briefs. “You haven’t fucked anyone else’s ass, as far I as I know.”

“Never fucked another ass other than yours” Freddy replied, as he stripped off Michael’s shirt “but I don’t have to. Yours is the only one I want.”

Michael smiled, as he ripped off Freddy's shirt. Freddy leaned in and began to lick at his husband’s asshole.

“Oh my god” Michael said, as his hole contracted and he began to squirm on the bed.

“Mmmmmm” Freddy moaned, as he rimmed Michael’s asshole with his tongue. “Your butt is so tasty, especially right out of the shower. So flowery, musky and clean. The perfect combination.”

Michael continued to giggle and squirm, as Freddy stuck his tongue further and further into his husband’s ass. When he lathered it up enough for his liking, Freddy stripped off his bottoms and boxers. He had a throbbing hard on and was ready to take the plunge. Grabbing some lube from their dresser, Freddy coated up his dick and Michael’s asshole in a generous amount of lotion. When he was ready, he jammed his dick inside.

“Oh man” Michael moaned, as Freddy pushed himself deep inside of his hole.

Michael’s legs were up in the air, before they rested on Freddy’s bare shoulders. Freddy moaned in pleasure, as he moved down to get closer to Michael’s face.

“Ready?” Freddy asked.

“Yup” Michael replied with a nod.

“Ok, then. Here we go.”

Freddy started to slowly rock back and forth, enjoying the sensation of Michael’s tight hole on his throbbing dick. He quietly moaned, as he planted kisses on his husband’s cheeks. He continued to pump in and out, as Michael grabbed his hair and pulled at it gently. The two lovers wrapped their arms around each other, as their love making intensified. Soon, Freddy’s gentle thrusts turned into hard slaps on Michael’s ass.

Freddy began to pound into Michael’s hole, as his balls smacked the underside of his lover’s butt cheeks. He felt an orgasm build in his loins, as he kissed Michael on the lips. Looking deep into his eyes, his face contorted, as he let out a weak smile.

“I’m going to cum soon” Freddy hissed. “Can you cum along with me?”

“I can try” Michael replied with a throaty moan, as he started to pump at his dick.

Fortunately for them, the two lovers reached their points of no return at the exact same time. Freddy let out a loud, guttural moan, as he tensed up and shot a large load of cum into Michael’s asshole. At the same time, Michael let out a high pitched shriek, as he coated his and Freddy’s stomaches and chests in a batter of his own creation.

When they were done ejaculating, the two lovers panted into each other’s ears. Michael moved his legs down onto he bed and Freddy collapsed on top of him. They spent a few minutes in each others arms, before Freddy pulled out, which caused Michael to whimper.

“Want more?” Freddy asked, as he waved his softening dick in Michael’s face.

“No” Michael replied as he giggled. “I’m too tired for any more action tonight. Let’s just shower and go to sleep”

Freddy extended his hand and helped Michael get up from the bed. Michael felt his cum leak out onto the sheets, as moved off to head towards the shower.

“Man” Michael commented, as they made their way to the master bathroom. “I wish I could do a better job holding that all in. At least until we got to the bathroom so I could let it out in the toilet.”

“Meh” Freddy replied, as he kissed Michael on the cheek. “Don’t sweat it. It’s fine. We can always clean it up tomorrow.”

Michael nodded, as he and Freddy took another shower together. When they were done, they made their way back to bed and fell into a deep and restful sleep. Freddy had Michael held tightly in his arms, the way they felt it should be for the rest of their lives.

The next morning, Michael got up first, feeling Freddy’s tight grasp around his chest. He nudged him awake, since his husband wouldn’t let go. Yawning, Freddy loosened his grip, to allow Michael to get out of bed, before he went back to sleep. Sighing, Michael went to go take a shower and get ready to go back to the hospital.

While he had enjoyed the night in bed with the only man he’d ever really love, he felt increasingly anxious for a number of reasons. In addition to his father’s deteriorating health. his mind was clouded over the iThink showcase. If he hadn’t been kicked out of the company so unceremoniously the day before, he’d be at the convention center, bright and early, to prepare for the investor event that would change Diya’s life forever. It was to be telecasted live over the internet. Though he knew it would up his anger and stress to watch it, Michael felt he needed to see how it would go on without him.

Finishing up, Michael came back into the bedroom to see Freddy still fast asleep.

“Freddy” Michael said quietly, as he jostled his husband awake.

“Huh?” Freddy replied through a state of grogginess. “What time is it?”

“Time for you to get up and get ready for class. You’re going to be running late.”

“Uh oh. Let me get ready to go. Need a lift over to the hospital?”

“I’d appreciate that, thank you. As long it doesn’t make you late for class.”

“It shouldn’t. I’ll just be a few minutes. Get me a breakfast bar, so I can eat it before class.”

“Don’t want something a little better than that?”

“No, I’m ok. Besides, I don’t want to be running late. One of us is going to have to be working at some point.”

Michael nodded, as Freddy made his way into the shower. Michael got Freddy his breakfast bar and waited for him on the couch. When Freddy was dressed and ready to go, he left the bedroom and helped Michael get up.

“You’re not going to shave?” Michael asked, as he rubbed at Freddy’s three days of scruff on his face.

“You promised me you’d give me at least a week to try it out” Freddy replied, as he went in to kiss Michael on the lips.

“Fine, but then I want that thing off of your face soon.”

“Yes, Michael.”

Freddy went in for a longer smooch, holding Michael tightly in his arms. When they were sated, Michael reached out and rubbed Freddy’s scruffy face with his fingers.

“Not a fan of kissing you like this.”

“Eh, I probably won’t keep it for long, anyway. I just wanted to try it out.”

Michael nodded, as Freddy held his hand and walked with him out of their apartment. When they got to the parking garage, Freddy started up the car and drove Michael over to the hospital. When they arrived, Freddy stopped the car right outside of the front entrance.

“I’ll try to be over later today” Freddy said, as he went in to kiss Michael on the lips.

“Don’t” Michael replied. “Go to class and then catch up on your studies. You can come by with me tomorrow. I’ll just take a cab home later.”

“Or…you can ask my parents for a lift back to the apartment. I’m sure they won’t mind.”

“That could work too. See you later, Freddy.”

Michael got out of the car, watching as Freddy drive off to head to his classes for the day. Sighing, Michael made his way inside the hospital and signed in to see his father. After going through the security procedures, he got in an elevator and headed up to the third floor. In the waiting area, at a surprisingly early hour of the morning, were Freddy’s parents.

“Michael” Freddy’s mother said, when she spotted him walking inside. “It’s good to see you this morning. How are you holding up?”

“As best as I can” Michael replied, as he went in to give her a hug. “Did Freddy tell you yet?”

“Tell us what?” Freddy’s father asked, as he went in to give Michael a bro hug.

“Well, I got booted out of the company I’ve been working with for the last five years.”

“Oh no” Freddy’s mother said. “That’s terrible. How could they do such a thing?”

“You weren’t doing anything you shouldn’t have been, were you?” Freddy’s father asked.

“No” Michael replied. “Diya, who was my best friend and the co-founder, said I wasn’t putting in enough hours and coming to see my father in the hospital was the final straw for her.”

“Wow, that’s terrible. You really should consider suing them for that.”

“I can’t. I signed a non disclosure agreement and took a payout to leave.”

“Well that’s not so bad” Freddy’s mother said, trying to be optimistic. “How much was it?”

“I’d rather now say, but I think I was lowballed a bit.”

“Well” Freddy’s father said “if you want, sometime this weekend, you can talk to me privately and we can go over some ideas for investing the money. Maybe, if it’s not too paltry of an amount, you can make it grow so that, maybe, you won’t have to work ever again.”

“Maybe. That’s what my dad was saying and I talked to a guy I knew at Harvard who gave me some ideas. I could use some of your advice, too, Doug, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. Now, come on. Let’s see your father. I bet he could use some company.”

Michael went with Freddy’s parents to the room where Michael’s father was staying in. This time, Michael’s father had a roommate in the bed next to his.

“Oh hello” the older gentleman said, as the three of them entered the room.

“Hi” Michael replied shortly.

“Michael!” his father beamed.

“You’re in good spirits today, dad.”

Michael went over to his father in his hospital bed and received a tight and warm hug.

“It’s so good to see you, my boy” Michael’s father said, as he patted him on the shoulder.

Michael’s father gave him a big, wet kiss on the cheek, which Michael squirmed at.

“My beard is coming in” his father commented, as he scratched at his face.

“Ralph” Freddy’s father said, as he extended his hand for a shake.

“Douglas! It’s so nice to see you. How are you doing, man?”

“I’ve been alright myself. The question really is how are you doing?”

“Well, I’d like to say this is all a big nothing burger, but Michael gets his panties in a wad when I say it—“

“Ahem” Michael coughed.

“So” Michael’s father continued “I’ll say it’s as good as it can be, considering the circumstances.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about what’s going on, Ralph” Freddy’s mother said, as she went in for a hug.

“Linda. It’s so good to see you, too. Thank you for coming.”

“Of course. You’re my son’s father in law. It’s the least we could do to show support for our son and his husband.”

“When’s the last time we saw each other, anyway?” Freddy’s father asked. “It’s been a while. You didn’t show up to the wedding, for whatever reason. So, I guess it’s been a while.”

“Heh” Michael’s father chuckled nervously. “You know, I actually don’t remember.”

Michael growled quietly.

“That’s not important now” Freddy’s mother replied. “All that matters is that we’re here and we’re seeing you now.”

“Great way to look at it, Linda. Thank you.”

“Michael” Freddy’s father said “you should sit down.”

Michael nodded, as he pulled up a chair next to his father.

The parents engaged in idle chit chat for a while, as Michael was glued to his phone. After a while, Michael’s father noticed that his son wasn’t partaking in the conversation.

“Michael” his father said. “Turn that phone off and talk to your old man.”

“I can’t help it, dad” Michael replied. “I can’t help but watch the iThink showcase.”

On Michael’s phone was a live stream from the conference. It showed various shots of the convention floor, as various investors and VIP’s hobnobbed and chatted with each other. If Michael hadn’t been thrown out of the company, he’d be engaging in that very chit chat, rather than stuck in the hospital with his very ill father. It was a relief in some ways, as Michael hated those types of events. However, if the showcase went well today, then he would be screwed out of hundreds of millions, or even billions of potential dollars in revenue in the future.

“Michael, stop watching that stupid thing. It’s not good for your mental health.”

“It’s so hard, dad. If I hadn’t gotten thrown out yesterday, then I would have been at that showcase.”

“Woulda, coulda, shoulda. The point is that’s not where you are today. You’re here with your dad, who loves you very much. Now, come here. Turn that off and let me give you a hug.”

“Do you need some private time?” Freddy’s father asked.

“It’s ok” Michael replied, as he went in for a hug.

As Michael bent into his father’s chest, his father gave Freddy’s parents a non verbal signal to give them some alone time. Freddy’s parents nodded, as they got out of the room. After kissing him on the forehead, he put his hands on his son’s head to look up at him.

“Don’t think about that right now” he said. “All it’s going to do is agitate you and rile you up. You don’t need that right now. What you need is to spend some quality time with your dad, who is happy that you’re here and wants to spend time with you.”

“I’m still salty with you, dad” Michael replied. “I feel like I kinda got kicked out of the company because of you.”

Michael’s father let go of his head, as Michael sat back in his chair.

“Diya was blaming you yesterday” Michael continued. “She was saying you denied me the ability to go out to Silicon Valley with her years ago and it was outrageous of me to come see you in the hospital.”

“That girl has the wrong priorities in life, Michael” his father replied.

“It’s hard, dad, because a part of me thinks she has a point. A part of me blames you for why I got thrown out.”

“Michael, I can’t control whether or not I get sick.”

“What about years earlier? What about when Diya asked me to leave in our second year at Harvard and you adamantly refused to let me go out with her?”

“Michael, let me give you an honest reality check for a moment. First of all, I had to take out huge student loan debt to make sure you were able to go there full time without having to work. That was a big sacrifice on my end.”

“A sacrifice I never asked you to make.”

“It was a sacrifice you know I had to make, Michael, to ensure you could make something of yourself in life.”

“And how did that work out exactly, dad?”

“Your life isn’t over yet.”

“For all intents and purposes, it is. Because of the NDA I signed, it’s as if the first few years after I graduated Harvard were basically me being unemployed. I can’t talk about what I did, so no one is going to want to hire me now.”

“Of course they are, Michael. You’re a Harvard grad. Lots of people will come knocking on your door to have you work for them. You’re smart, you’re a quick learner, you’re inventive and you can handle difficult situations. You just have to give yourself time to find the right job and you’ll work again, I promise.”

“How am I going to explain such a gap in my resume? I didn’t even do any internships while at Harvard, because you considered that to be unpaid labor.”

“It is, though. It’s one of the biggest scams out there.”

“Well, with no prior work history, not even a high school part time job, I have no employable skills. No one is just going to hire me because of a degree I have.”

“Then utilize that Harvard network and have someone give you a job. It’s not about what you know, it’s who you know.”

“I’ll try, but again, what proof do I have that I’m qualified for any of these jobs they’re going to offer me?”

Before Michael’s father could answer, a loud applause could be heard from his phone. When Michael went to look at it, he saw Diya on the screen smiling and waving to the assembled gathering of investors, press and various VIP’s in the auditorium.

“Great” Michael mumbled. “She’s giving the big keynote speech now.”

“Good morning” Diya could be heard saying “or, should I say, almost good afternoon everyone.”

The room burst into applause, as Diya let out a little chuckle.

“Son of a bitch. She’s already playing that crowd like a fiddle. The cutesy laugh, the humor, the command of the audience’s attention, her volume, her confidence on stage.”

“I told you to shut that thing off” Michael’s father said with an irritated tone in his voice.

“Sorry dad. I didn’t realize it was still on.”

As Michael was about to shut off the phone, he received a call from his mother.

“It’s mom” he said, as he went to answer the call. “Mom. Did you arrive back?”

“I just got out of the airport” his mother replied “and am heading over to the hospital now.”

“No! Don’t do that until you’ve showered first. You don’t want to give dad or anyone else any germs from the airport or the plane.”

“Oh, alright. I booked a hotel room in Sacramento, so I wouldn’t have to trek back and forth from home, but I don’t think the room is ready yet.”

“Hold on one second.”

Michael left his father's room to run back into the waiting room. Once he was there, he eyed Freddy’s parents, seated amongst the other hospital visitors.

“What’s up, Michael?” Freddy’s mother asked.

“My mother just arrived back from her trip” he replied “and I don’t want her coming over here unless she’s taken a shower first. Would one of you mind letting her into your hotel room so she can shower and then come by?”

“Sure” Freddy’s father replied. “Linda?”

“Of course” she replied. “I’ll grab a cab and head over to the hotel. Would your mother mind driving me back, though?”

“I’ll ask. Mom?”

“Yes Michael” his mother replied.

“Freddy’s parents are here and Linda, his mother, will let you shower in her hotel room, but she needs you to drive her back to the hospital, since she’s going to take a cab over. Is that alright with you?”

“That’s fine. Where is she staying?”

“Linda, where you staying?” Michael asked with the phone in his hands.

“The Forest Inn” she replied.

“The Forest Inn, mom.”

“Gotcha” she replied. “Heading over there now. See you soon, Michael.”

“You too,”

Michael hung up the phone, as Freddy’s mother walked out of the waiting room.

“I’ll see you in a bit” she said.

Michael nodded, as he walked back into his father’s room. His father and the patient in the bed next to him were taking a nap. Quietly making his way in, Michael sat in the chair by his dad. He only sat for a moment, though, before his father woke up again.

“Oh” Michael’s father said, as he let out a yawn. “You’re back.”

“Go back to sleep, dad” Michael replied.

“No, it’s alright. I’m not that sleepy anyway.”

“You sure looked tired to me.”

“I’ll be fine. Listen, about what we were talking about earlier, I have this to say and then we stop talking about it, ok?”

“Fine.”

“Think about this from your perspective. How committed to iThink were you really?”

“Pretty committed, dad.”

“But here’s the thing, you didn’t have the fire in your belly the way she does. You were never that enthusiastic about it. Let’s say you totally cut me off and went to school here in Sacramento like you were originally planning to, right? When Diya came calling and asked you to drop out to go to Silicon Valley with her, would you have done it?”

“Possibly. It wasn’t like I had any loans. Worst case scenario, the company would have failed and I would continued my studies, like she would have.”

“But those opportunities may not have been waiting for you by then, just as it may not have been waiting for Diya, either. And if she insisted you stay in San Fransisco with her permanently, then what? What would that have done to your relationship with Freddy?”

“I would have insisted he move with us.”

“But you didn’t insist on that when you did graduate, so what makes you think it would have been any different if you went to Sacramento instead?”

Michael paused for a moment, as he thought about how to answer his father’s question. His father put a supportive hand on his shoulder, nudging him on to answer his question.

“I mean” Michael had to admit “I guess not.”

“Face it, Michael. This was Diya’s dream all along, not yours. You went along with it to help her out, but it was never your #1 priority, like it is for her. She has sacrificed and will continue to sacrifice so much, that she will live to regret, even if you say she won’t, the many things she gave up for this dream of hers. If she hadn’t shortchanged you so much, then you’d feel like you got out before it was too late.

“Think about this, Michael. Once Diya finishes that big, fancy speech of hers to all those people, and the stock is introduced on Wall Street Monday morning at 6:30 AM our time, her life is going to change forever. By the time this ride of hers is over, you won’t even recognize the person she becomes on the other side. Fame and money have a way of changing people, Michael.”

“How would you know?”

“Eh, I don’t know anyone personally that famous, although a guy at work got on the local news once and he became a real pain in the ass for a week afterwards. We all had to whip him back into shape after that. But from the level of fame Diya is about to come into, nope, don’t know anyone else.”

Michael sighed, as he fidgeted in his seat.

“When this is all over” Michael’s father continued “Diya is going to be an entirely different person. You won’t even recognize her from the friend you used to know.”

“But that’s part of what I regret, dad. Maybe if I had kept my mouth shut or insisted I didn’t get involved with iThink when she first approached me about it in our freshman year, then maybe we could have still been friends after this. Going into business together ruined our ability to remain friends.”

“I think you two would have had a falling out one way or the other, honestly. If it wasn’t because you felt she should give you money, then it would have been her lack of time to spend with you or how she’s about to change as a person. This friendship was a coming to an end, one way or the other. At least she gave you a parting gift, as opposed to nothing at all.”

“Thank god I made her sign that contract with the notary. If I hadn’t done that, then I really would have been screwed.”

“Probably, so you should consider yourself lucky that you are so smart and had the foresight to think ahead to do that. Trust me, Michael, some other company will see your potential and want to hire you. You have a lot to offer and any other company will be lucky to have you work for them.”

“Presuming the asshole members of the board don’t go talking to all their friends and telling them not to hire me first.”

“Cross that bridge when you get to it.”

Michael’s father yawned, as rubbed his fingers through Michael’s face.

“Mind if I take a nap?” he asked. “I’m feeling very sleepy.”

“Of course, dad” Michael replied.

Michael’s father dozed off for a while, as Michael turned his phone back on and anxiously followed the proceedings of the iThink showcase. He missed the bulk of Diya’s pitch, but reviews online showed that she had aced it. She won over the investors with humor, a breadth of knowledge and the ability to exude confidence. Many noted that they had never seen a woman be able to act like a dude in this way. She was considered a groundbreaker and a woman to watch; one that might change the world forever. The positive reviews peeved him, but what pissed Michael off the most was Diya taking credit for the things he created and developed.

“Son a fucking bitch” Michael grumbled to himself.

As a result of signing the NDA, now all of the work Michael had put in to make iThink successful, things that were crucial to its success, were being credited to Diya solely. It angered him to watch his achievements get erased so blatantly from history before his very eyes. Without the power to correct the record, he was just a nobody who had nothing to show for himself. He almost wondered if he should have left without signing the NDA and waited until the company took off to complain before he aired his grievances.

“However” he thought to himself “then I’d be seen as being a sore loser and having sour grapes.”

Sighing, Michael began to formulate a plan for how to take advantage of his financial position. As he kept typing up some numbers on his phone, he noticed in the corner of his eye that his mother had entered the room.

“Mom” Michael said, as he turned off his phone and gave her a big hug.

“Oh my god, Michael” she replied with a sense of worry in her voice. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

“I know, mom, but you’re here now.”

Michael’s father stirred awake and was surprised to see who was standing over him.

“Irene?” his father asked, as she bent down to kiss him on the lips.

“Oh my god, Ralph” she replied, giving him a tender smooch. “I got here as fast as I could. What’s going on?”

Michael’s father sighed, before he and Michael filled her in on all of the details. Michael’s mother began to sob, which both of them did their best to alleviate with their comfort. When they were done, Michael’s mother turned to her son and asked him something that had been on her mind all day.

“Why weren’t you at the showcase today?”

“Diya kicked me to the curb” Michael replied.

“Oh my god, Michael, no! How did that happen?”

“Let’s not talk about this right now, Irene” her husband replied. “I don’t want Michael stressing out now, nor myself, for that matter.”

“The gist of it is” Michael said, ignoring his father “that Diya didn’t think I put in enough work into the company and me coming to see dad in the hospital was the final straw for her.”

“Oh my god” his mother replied “that’s so heartless. Your father is…”

Michael’s mother looked at her husband, before she continued.

“Your father is not well at the moment and she basically just kicked you to the curb? With no other source of income to support yourself?”

“Correct” Michael replied.

“She knows Freddy hasn’t graduated yet.”

“Yup.”

“And you have all sorts of bills to pay.”

“Yup.”

“Wow. Unbelievable. I’d never put her as the type to do something like this.”

“I mean, she did pay me a financial settlement to leave.”

“How much?”

“$4 million after taxes.”

“Ok, so you can take that money and go find another job. That should hold you over for a while.”

“I had to sign an NDA for the money, which means I can’t talk about my time at iThink.”

“Oh Jesus. That’s not good.”

“I said that to dad.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to make this work” his father said. “You’ll invest that money, with some help from your Harvard connections, and make it grow into something respectable.”

“I hate the stock market, though. It’s so dirty and it really gives me the creeps. All the worst vultures of the world, including the board members Diya hired for iThink, work there. They smell blood and they feast. I don’t have that kind of killer instinct.”

“Then maybe this is for the best” Michael’s mother suggested. “If we can find a way to help make that money grow, then perhaps you won’t have to work anymore. You’ll have enough to be able to support yourself for the rest of your life.”

“That’s what I was saying is the worst case scenario” Michael’s father said confidently.

“If it works out” Michael replied less confidently.

“Cheer up, Michael. You’re a smart guy. You’re going to figure this out, I promise.”

Michael and his parents sat around, engaging in idle chit chat for the rest of the day. Towards the end of the evening, the doctor came in to see them.

“Mr. Scavolini” the doctor said when he arrived.

“Hi doc” Michael’s father replied.

“How are you feeling this evening?”

“Eh, could be better, like not being here. How long am I supposed to be stressing out my family for by being in the hospital?”

“That’s what I was going to talk to them about. Mind if I have a brief word with them privately?”

“Sure, sure. Go ahead.”

The doctor nodded, as he led Michael and his mother out of the room and into the hallway. Looking around to make sure no one was listening in, he spoke up.

“I’m not going to sugar coat this. The prognosis is bleak. We need to start preparing to find a kidney donor as soon as possible. Ralph’s will only hold up for a couple of more days. Once they fail, the next thing to go is the liver. Once that goes, everything else is going to shut down and then he’s basically going to die.”

“Oh my god!” Michael’s mother gasped.

“We’re going to do what we can to salvage the kidneys before they completely shut down, which is why we need your approval to perform a procedure. It’s relatively non invasive, but we needed your ok in case any complications arise.”

“Of course” Michael approved, as he put his arm around his mother’s shoulder.

“We’re going to schedule the procedure for Monday and also work on finding a kidney donor. If it goes well, he might be able to turn his health around. However, if he makes it through this, then you have to get him to give up all alcohol and find the source of where he’s getting those prescription drugs from.”

“Understood” Michael’s mother said.

The doctor nodded, as he walked away and went to see another patient. When Michael and his mother turned around, they found that Michael’s father and the other man in the room were fast asleep.

“We should get going” Michael’s mother said, before they turned to head into the waiting room.

When they peeked inside, they found that Freddy’s parents had already left for the day.

“Guess they didn’t stay around to say goodbye” Michael’s mother noted with an annoyance in her tone.

“They were probably getting tired” Michael replied, as he tried to be reassuring. “They were here earlier than I was this morning.”

“I guess. Still, it’s a bit rude, don’t you think?”

“Heh, whatever. At least they came up here to offer their assistance. They were a big help this morning in helping you get a shower before you arrived at the hospital.

“True.”

Michael smiled, as they made their way down the elevators to the parking garage.

“Thanks for taking me home” Michael said, as he got in his mother’s car.

“Of course” she replied, as she got in and started her car. “You didn’t even have to ask. You knew I was going to do it.”

Michael nodded, as his mother pulled out of the garage, paid the parking attendant and then dropped him off at his apartment.

“Do you need a lift tomorrow?” she asked, as Michael gave her a hug and a kiss.

“No” Michael replied. “Freddy will hopefully take me over.”

“If he doesn’t, then call me.”

“I will. Love you, mom.”

“Love you too, Michael.”

Michael got out of the car and headed back into his apartment. Once he was inside, he could see Freddy sitting at the table, quietly trying to cram in some studying. A moment later, Freddy looked up from his work and got up to greet him.

“Welcome back” Freddy said, as he tried to give Michael a hug.

“Not yet’ Michael replied, as he stood back. “Shower first. I’m covered in hospital germs.”

Freddy nodded, as he walked back to the table to study. Michael stripped off his clothes in the bedroom and then took a shower. When he was nice and clean, he went back into the living room and walked over to rub Freddy by the shoulders. Noticing this, Freddy got up and gave Michael a great, big hug.

“Sorry I wasn’t there today” Freddy whispered in Michael’s ear.

“Don’t be” Michael replied. “Your parents and my mother were more than enough. Besides, you need to keep hitting the books. One of us is going to have to work for a living and it’s probably going to end up being you. I don’t want you falling behind and risk failing your classes.”

“I’m coming with you tomorrow.”

“Good, but you don’t have to stay with me all day.”

“That’s not true. I have to or I can’t consider myself to be a good husband if I don’t.”

“Freddy.”

Michael sighed, as he gently dragged Freddy over to the couch. They sat down, before Michael held Freddy’s head in his hands and looked him in the eyes.

“Freddy” Michael continued “you have to make sure you don’t fall behind in your classes. You already missed a day of classes yesterday. Your big midterm exams are coming up in a month and I want you to not only pass them, but to get straight A’s across the board. You can’t do that unless you plop yourself down and get cracking on the books.”

“You managed to get through Harvard just fine” Freddy replied.

“It’s a totally different ballgame there and I put in a ton of work. I wasn’t like Diya, who is such a genius, that she just got the subject matter without exerting any effort at all. She was half assing it through the year and a half she was there and getting near perfect grades. I’m not that smart and you’re not either.”

“I bet you were about to say ‘I’m not nearly that smart,’ but you restrained yourself, didn’t you?”

Michael let out a little chuckle, as he nodded his head.

“Thank you for restraining yourself” Freddy said, as he stroked Michael’s hair. “I know it can be hard for you sometimes, but it means a lot to me when you do. I don’t like the casual put downs, as you know.”

“I know” Michael replied. “That’s why I held my tongue.”

Michael stared silently, before Freddy gave him a kiss on the lips.

“So what were trying to say?” Freddy asked.

“Huh?” Michael asked.

“You were trying to make a point and I kind of got you off track.”

“Uh…oh, I remember now!”

Freddy let out a little chuckle, before he nodded his head.

“Go on” he prompted.

“So” Michael continued “what I was trying to say is that you need to really work hard to do well in these classes. Academics don’t come so easy for you. It takes a lot of effort. So yes, I will want you at the hospital with me, but only for part of the day and not everyday. I want you to continue on as if nothing is happening, for the most part, unless my father looks like he’s about to die.”

“Ok.”

“You tired? Because I am.”

“Let me just finish up what I was working on and then I’ll join you in bed.”

Michael nodded, as Freddy gave him another kiss on the lips. Michael got up to head into bed, while Freddy went back to the table and finished up his work. Michael couldn’t fall asleep, in spite of his best efforts, by the time Freddy arrived back into the bed. Settling down next to him, Freddy held Michael tightly in his arms, before he whispered in his ear.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

“No” Michael replied.

“Want to talk about it?””

“I figured you wanted to go to sleep.”

“I do, but I can’t with you fidgeting so much in the bed. Rather than trying for hours, with you constantly moving around, I figured it’d be faster for you to get whatever is on your mind off your chest and then we’ll sleep easier.”

“You’re really observant.”

“Well, you should consider me a keeper then. Don’t want to let a man like me go to waste.”

Freddy kissed Michael on the back of his neck, before he sat up and turned on the lights. Michael sat up next to him and looked him the eyes.

“I’m all ears” Freddy said with a smile.

“I have a lot of things on my mind right now.”

“Take your time. I’m not rushing you.”

Michael let a series of sighs, as Freddy sat with a warm smile. He intended to wait as long as his husband needed to let out his thoughts. Finally, Michael was ready to share what was on his mind.

“Let’s start with Diya and the iThink conference today.”

“Ok” Freddy replied. “How did it go?”

“Good, which is bad for me. She blew the investors away. She gave the perfect speech. She said everything correctly, clearly and made not a single mistake. She was warm and friendly, but not too unserious. She had a complete command of the information and didn’t fluster at a single question anyone asked her. She was on her total A game today and the reviews were astounding.”

“So that’s a good sign for iThink then, huh?”

“Yup and that’s why I’m soooo pissed that they kicked me out literally the day before this showcase. This company is about to skyrocket. All of the Wall Street analysts I’ve spoken to say that this thing is going to lift off like a rocket when they first start selling shares on Monday. People already have their advance orders on lockdown. There’s going to a big boom.”

“So if it’s going to skyrocket like that, then why not buy some shares?”

“Pssh, of course I did that, Freddy. That’s the first thing I did the minute the Diya threw me out. I read that NDA over very carefully and I have the memory of an elephant when I concentrate. Nothing in that NDA precluded me from buying or selling any publicly traded shares of the company. It just precluded me from ever owning any private shares, which belong to Diya and the board exclusively.”

“So how much did you put down on order?”

“About $500,000 worth of shares.”

“What?! Are you serious, Michael? That’s a ton of money you put on the line like that! We could have really used that cash right about now!”

“Calm down, Freddy. I only plan to keep those shares, presuming they fill every one at the amount I locked myself in for, for a week. That’s usually the big boom period of most social media stocks. I plan to let this rise for a week and then sell it quickly on short order by Friday. That way, I partake in the boom and pull out before the bust.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Positive. I talked to that guy at Harvard and he said this was the best thing I could do. He and some of his friends predict a week long boom, a year, two year long bust and then, if the company proves profitable long term, then a slow and steady rise. I’m going to make my cash on the boom and let Diya sort out the year or two of investor uncertainty, while I rake in the immediate cash.”

“But aren’t IRA’s and stock accounts not accessible until you retire? How are you going to pull that money out when we need it?”

“Hardship exemption. I’m not working and you’re in school. All I have to say to the IRS is that we needed the cash immediately to pay off bills and expenses and they will let me have at it penalty free. It’s part of how the government structures the system to prevent personal bankruptcies, without having to bail out every American.”

“I hope this big plan of yours works. It’s a really risky strategy. If you time it wrong, then you could be out a lot of cash.”

“I think I have this, and my other get rich quick schemes, tightly planned and ready to go. I don’t really want to be in the stock market too long, anyway. It’s bound to crash again soon. Get in while the going is good and then get the hell out. Once I’ve made the amount of cash I need to safely not have to work ever again in my life, then I will put the money into a safer investment.”

“So that sounds good at least. I’m just wondering if you can give this kind of luck for your father. He really needs it right now.”

“I know. He looks like he’s in bad shape. Speaking of which, my mother came in today to see us.”

“I still can’t believe she just ended her cruise like that.”

“She had to. At least in her mind, she had to come. I told her to stay on the boat, but I knew she’d never do that. She insisted she had to be here and nothing was going to stop her.”

“It just stinks, that’s all.”

“There will be plenty of other times to take a vacation. This is more pressing.”

“True. You’re right. Speaking of your father, do you mind if I have some alone time with him tomorrow? I wanted to talk to him about something.”

“Uh sure, ok. Are you going to tell me what it’s about?”

“I’d rather not.”

Michael shrugged his shoulders, before he turned off the overhead lights.

“I’ll tell you more about what I’m thinking tomorrow” Michael said, as he yawned loudly. “I’m sleepy. Let’s try to get some shut eye.”

Freddy nodded, as he laid down with Michael and held him his arms. They dozed for a long nights sleep, before they woke up to a relatively beautiful Saturday morning. Rising awake, Freddy and Michael took a relaxing and sensual shower together, before they made their way to the hospital. After Freddy parked the car in the garage, they got in and made their way up to the third floor. No one was in the waiting room when they arrived.

“Guess we’re early” Freddy commented, as they walked towards the room that Michael’s father was in.

“Guess we’re late” Michael corrected, as he turned Freddy’s attention to the inside of the room.

Freddy’s parents and Michael’s mother stood around the bed Michael’s father was lying in. A woman sat next to the older gentleman in the bed next to his father’s.

“Oh hello” Michael said to the woman. “I don’t want to crowd this room. We can come back in a bit.”

“Nonsense” Freddy’s father replied, as he took his wife’s hand and exited the room. “You’re his son. You get priority.”

“You sure?” Michael asked.

“Positive” Freddy’s mother replied, as they went back into the waiting room.

“Want me to join you?” Freddy asked.

“Later” his father replied.

Michael held onto Freddy’s hand, as they walked towards the bed. Hovering over it, Michael’s father gave a big smile.

“There are my two sons” he said with a cheerful tone, as Michael leaned in and received a big kiss on the cheek.

“Are these your boys?” the woman asked.

“My son and my son by marriage.”

“Oh, nice to meet you boys. I’m the daughter of Ralph’s roommate.”

“Nice to meet you” Freddy said, as he shook her hand.

“Nice to meet you” Michael said. “I would shake your hand, but hospitals make me a bit germaphobic.”

“Understood” the woman replied.

“Michael dear” his mother said, as she got up and gave him a kiss. “How’d you sleep.”

“Good, actually” he replied. “I don’t want to say great, mostly because things aren’t great right now.”

“Well if you got a great nights sleep” his father said “why don’t you just say so? Somebody around here ought to and it might as well be you.”

“I did too” Freddy added, as he extended his hand to Michael’s father.

“Come here, Freddy” Michael’s father said, as he pulled him on top of him and gave him a big hug. “Your beard is coming in really nice.”

“Thanks. Yours is too.”

“Just a day or two more and this thing will be an actual beard and not just scruff on my face.”

“It’s still going to look awful” Michael’s mother commented while crinkling her nose. “Plus, it’s gray now, so you look so old, like you’re older than me. You’re ten years younger than me, Ralph, but no one would ever know that by looking at you.”

“So what? People always gave us shit about our age difference for years. Now, no one will say anything because they’ll never notice the difference.”

“I’m surprised mom didn’t just bring in a shaver and remove it herself” Michael said with a chuckle.

“I would have” his mother replied “but the doctor specifically said not to touch his face and to let one of the nurses do it.”

“I don’t want them touching it” Michael’s father said with a growl, as he rubbed his scruff with his fingers. “Irene, I don’t know how much longer I have to live. Just let me grow out the damn beard. It’s bad enough I can’t be in the bed with you while this going on. Let me have the pride and joy of my manhood on display please.”

“I really think you shave it. It looks terrible. Michael, don’t you agree?”

“I do” Michael answered with a sigh. “I tried to tell him, but you know how he is.”

“Hey” Michael’s father said. “Your husband loves it and he was inspired to grow his out because of me.”

Freddy chuckled, as he rubbed the now four day growth on his face.

“That looks terrible too” Michael’s mother commented. “Michael, how come he didn’t this morning?”

“I told him not to!” Michael’s father replied loudly.

“I figured I try it out for a few days” Freddy said, as he scratched at his face. “I probably won’t keep it for very long.”

“It looks good on you, son. Michael will learn to love it.”

“Never” Michael replied with a chuckle.

Freddy put his arm around Michael’s shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Awww” Michael’s father commented.

“Are you being sarcastic?” Michael asked, as he moved Freddy’s arm away.

“Nope. Totally serious. I think you two look good together.”

Before Michael went to sit down, Freddy grabbed him gently by the shoulders.

“Ralph” Freddy said. “Mind if I have a private chat with you?”

“Sure son” he replied.

Michael looked nervous, as he went with his mother back to the waiting room.

“Need some privacy?” the woman asked, as she got up from her chair. “I was going to go get some lunch.”

“That would be great” Freddy replied. “Thank you.”

The woman nodded, as she left the room. When it was just Freddy and his father in law, Freddy closed the curtain, blocking the old man in the other bed from looking at them. Sitting down in the chair, Freddy looked deep into the eyes of Michael’s father.

“Was that really sincere back there or was that sarcasm?” Freddy asked.

“Totally, 100% serious show of support” Michael’s father replied.

Freddy cocked his eyebrows, but Michael’s father did not flinch.

“I’m not lying to you, Freddy. I’m telling you the truth.”

“What’s with the 180, Ralph?”

“Freddy, why do you keep calling me by my name like that?”

“Because that’s your name. Why wouldn’t I call you that?”

“Because I’m your father.”

“In-law. You’re my father in law and not a very good one at that.”

“Freddy, look.”

Michael’s father sighed, before he continued.

“Freddy, I get it. You and Michael have every right in the world to be mad at me for the things I’ve done in the past to hurt you. It hasn’t been easy for me, especially since you’re such a great guy. You’re the type fo guy everyone at my job likes. All the men I know who have met you give you rave reviews, saying how cool you are, how kind, how easy going and sporty you are. You’re an awesome guy and an amazing man.

“If I had a daughter, you would have been the perfect husband for her and you’d have my absolute blessing to marry her. But Michael isn’t my daughter, Freddy, he’s my son. If you were Francesca, I’d be so happy that he was lucky to marry a wonderful girl like you, but you’re a guy. That’s what has always been the hold up for me.

“But as I’m entering what is likely my final days, I’ve been coming to the incredibly belated realization that my personal beliefs mean not a lick of shit, pardon my French. What matters is that, when I leave this Earth, that two things occur. One, is that Michael will be with someone he loves and he is. And two, is that I can seek closure from where I can get it.

“I can’t close every loose end in this little old life of mine. All I can do is close the loose ends that are in my direct control to close. Frankly, what I think of you and Michael means nothing. At the end of the day, by law and, admittedly, by my personal affection for you, you’re my son and I love you. I’m not saying that because Michael rode my ass on that, although he has, many, many times before. I’m saying it because it’s the truth and it’s how I really feel about you.

“You’re my son by law, but also in my heart. I also know you thought that I was trying to push you away because of what you did when we were in the bed together, before you and Michael went off to college.”

“Yeah. That’s kind of why I didn’t want to be lying on the sofa bed next to you and why I didn’t want to be touching your beard and body hair like that. The last time I did it, you totally freaked out on me and Michael says it’s part of why he feels he has a strained relationship with you.”

“No, no, no. I wish he didn’t feel that way. Look, that day was really all my fault. Michael was totally right as, admittedly, he is a lot, and he certainly loves to brag about it.”

“Tell me about it.”

“You get the ‘I told you so’ treatment a lot, too?”

“Of course. All the damn time.”

“Heh, we’re both in that club then.”

Freddy and Michael’s father chuckled over their shared experience with the man they both loved in different ways.

“So anyways” Michael’s father continued “you know he was right and we shouldn’t have done that. I guess I just thought it was a way for us to bond on a personal level. That birds and the bees conversation with Michael was so awkward, because I didn’t really know how to address it with him, so really, I didn’t. I figured our masturbation session was my way of showing him the ropes on how to get off, but it seemed like you and my son already figured all of that out already.”

“I would say so” Freddy replied with a knowing smirk.

“You devilish little imp, you.”

Michael’s father ruffled Freddy’s hair, who let out a little giggle.

“You’re probably very familiar with my son in that way, aren’t you?” Michael’s father asked.

“I am” Freddy replied confidently.

“You don’t need to go into details. I get it. I just have to say that I made a mistake and I’m ready to move on from it.”

“I made a mistake, too. I should have kept my hands to myself. I guess I was horny and was thinking with my dick, as I tend to sometimes.”

“Men do that, Freddy. Any man worth his weight in salt has let their dick do the thinking from time to time. It doesn’t mean being unfaithful. It just means being a horny little animal. Boys will be boys, you know?”

“I guess. So, about that time.”

“You don’t need to apologize for it. You were just curious, that’s all. I was just a little startled by it and I freaked out on you. You didn’t really do anything too invasive. I think you just wanted to feel me up. It’s understandable. In fact…”

Michael’s father sat up in the bed and motioned Freddy closer.

“You can feel my face now, if you want to. I see you checking me out. Go ahead, it’ll be fine.”

“You sure?” Freddy asked nervously.

“Positive. Besides, I need someone who actually appreciates beards to give me an honest opinion on how it’s coming along. I haven’t been able to look at myself in a mirror in a couple of days.”

Freddy reluctantly reached out with his hand and stroked the beard of his father in law. It felt less scraggly than a few days before, as the patches began to fill in, and the grayness of it was more apparent. He still didn’t think it was as good as the time he felt it on Ralph’s bed, but he felt it was coming along nicely.

“Well?” Michael’s father asked, as he placed his hand on Freddy’s. “What do you think?”

“Coming along nicely” Freddy replied honestly. “It still needs some time to grow, but I think in a few days, this is going to be a real beauty.”

“If your mother in law lets me keep it that long. She’s practically ready to come in here and shear it off. Speaking of which, can I touch you?”

“Sure, Ralph.”

Michael’s father rubbed his hand through Freddy’s four days of scruff on his face.

“Pretty good, actually. It’s interesting. Your hair is kind of a dirty blonde, but your facial hair is brown.”

“It has some blonde highlights in it” Freddy replied, as he moved his hand from his father in law’s beard and took Ralph’s hand off of his own.

“Beards can be multi colored. Mine was pitch black, but now it has some grays and whites. It makes me look like a distinguished gentleman. A man with years of experience, which I have. A man who has seen some shit, which I also have. If your mother in law wasn’t such a pain in my ass about it, this would have been on my face now for like twenty five years.”

“Well, you have it now, and hopefully can keep it until it gets to that really full stage.”

“I hope so. Listen, before you bring everyone back in here, there’s one thing I wanted to ask of you.”

“Uh sure, what is it?”

“Well, remember I mentioned the idea of everyone making mistakes in life?”

“I do.”

“Well, I want you to grant me a kind of dying wish. I don’t like calling it that, but I want you to promise me you’ll do this after I pass.”

“Ok, sure. What is it?”

“So when I die, your husband, my son, is not going to handle it well. Even though I’ve hurt him, I know he loves me and cares for me deeply. Even though he doesn’t always say it, I know what he feels on the inside, in his heart. So when I pass, it will seem, at first, like he’s totally composed himself and gotten his stuff together. He’ll be calm at the funeral and everything will seem to be perfectly fine. But trust me, Freddy, things will not be fine.

“He tends to internalize really bad things and doesn’t always let them go when he should. He may not do it the day of, or the week after, month or even year after. However, someday after I die, he’s going to lose it and snap. He’ll probably do something to you, or your mother in law or somebody else he cares about that he’ll deeply regret.

“He won’t be thinking logically, just as I didn’t by letting you masturbate with me on my bed that time, or you when you rubbed my nipple. However, he’ll do something that might even test the strength of your marriage. I want you to promise me that you’ll find it in your heart to forgive him when he does it.”

“What do you think he’s going to do?”

“I couldn’t say, but I know him too well. When he holds things in too long, he snaps. He and I have had many fights where, when he’s built up so much anger, he snaps at me and says things I know he doesn’t mean. If I didn’t know this about him, being as I’ve been with him pretty much everyday since he’s been born, save a few weeks here and there, I’d be so hurt and upset with him. But I understand and know who he is. If I didn’t, then his cutting me off would have been the last straw.

“When I said to him I’d throw him out if he didn’t go to Harvard, I didn’t really mean it, but he took it as a legitimate threat and it damaged our relationship for a while. I wish, in hindsight, I had told him the truth, but I really felt that going to that university was such an important thing for him to make a better life for himself. In hindsight, I wonder if I made a mistake in forcing him to go.”

“So you weren’t just insisting he go as a means of splitting us apart?”

“Well, that may have been a part of what was on my mind, but overriding it was the hope that he’d meet the right people and build a network that could make him successful in life. In hindsight, there was also a part of me that was living, or wanted to live, vicariously through him. I never got the opportunity, because of my financial situation, to go to Harvard. I got accepted, but couldn’t afford it. I didn’t want money to be the reason he didn’t go. That’s why I took out the loans. Maybe I should have let him just go to Sacramento, like he wanted. Really, his life would have ended up the same anyway.”

“The same, without the student loan debt.”

“True. You’ve got a point there, especially since he’s now likely to take it from me to pay the rest of it off after if I die.”

Michael’s father sighed, as he looked up at Freddy with tears in his eyes.

“Please promise me you’ll forgive my son for whatever he does to you. I need you to promise that to me, so I know things will be ok between you two when I die.”

“It depends on what he might do.”

“I’m not saying like if he murders someone, but like if he cheats or does something else stupid or says something he doesn’t really mean. Please put aside whatever anger you’re feeling at the time and just find it in your heart to forgive him. I’ve had to do it many times and I do it because I love him. If you love him, like you say you do, then you’ll forgive him too.”

Freddy sighed, before he nodded his head.

“I promise that I’ll forgive him, as long as it isn’t too serious. I couldn’t forgive it if he murdered someone in cold blood or raped someone. I could, however, forgive a lot of other things, even if they might be heinous, as long as I felt he was genuinely remorseful.”

“He will be. That I know about him.”

Michael’s father let out a sniffle before he continued.

“Maybe you aren’t ready to call me dad, yet. Maybe you can’t say what I’m about to say to you, but I love you son. I love you Freddy.”

Freddy nodded, as he got up to head back into the waiting room. While Freddy and his father in law had a heart to heart chat, the rest of the parents and Michael had a deeply personal conversation amongst themselves.

“It’s amazing that you’ve been so committed to being here for your father” Freddy’s father said.

“I do love him” Michael replied “even though he’s done a lot of things to hurt me.”

“It’s amazing that he just bolted out at the last second like that” Freddy’s mother said. “On the eve of your wedding to my son, just telling you he didn’t approve of it and leaving town. No wonder you were such a wreck that day.”

“Honestly” Freddy’s father said “if I had done that to my son, I’d never expect to hear from him again and he’d be right to totally cut me off forever. What a cruel, heartless thing to do to your only child.”

“I really tried to reason with him” Michael’s mother said in her defense. “I begged him not to do it. I pleaded with him. After the wedding, I even threatened to file for divorce. But he just wasn’t getting off his high horse. There was nothing I could do except to be there for Michael on his wedding day.”

“I mean for christ’s sake, Irene” Freddy’s mother said “our own slacker son got off his lazy, bum ass to show up in town for the wedding.”

“Granted” Freddy’s father said “we told him not to show up, but he showed up anyway. He doesn’t show up for anything and even he showed up with the intention of going to the wedding. We did put our foot down and say he couldn't attend when he got here, but he at least intended to show up.”

“He’s just fallen on hard times” Michael’s mother said. “I’m sure, with some space, he’ll pick himself back up again.”

“I doubt it” Michael said.

“Michael.”

“You don’t need to scold your son” Freddy’s father replied. “He’s very insightful on these things. Josh has just been a complete disaster. Dropped out of school, wouldn’t get his GED, now has a drug problem. Rather than listening to us and getting his stuff together, he packed up his meager belongings and goes out to LA, thinking he can make it in show business.”

“Totally delusional” Freddy’s mother added. “When we offered to take him home, he totally rebuffed us. He insisted he’d make it on his own, without our help.”

“Psh. Good luck with that. He’ll come crawling back someday.”

“I just hope he actually comes back and doesn’t die of an overdose.”

“That’s so cruel” Michael’s mother said. “You know, I had a problem like Josh’s growing up, but I was able to turn my life around. Perhaps Josh just needs some structure.”

“He doesn’t want our help” Freddy’s father said gruffly.

“We’ve offered many times” Freddy’s mother added “and he just flat out refuses our help. We can’t keep trying forever.”

“Just be patient” Michael’s mother said. “I’m sure he’ll turn his life around. Give him some time.”

“Well. we can’t wait forever” Freddy’s father said.

“We won’t take him in once we hit our old age” Freddy’s mother added. “We’re not getting any younger, here. Once we hit our retirement age, that’s it. We’re not taking him in in our golden years.”

“I’m not either” Michael spat out. “I don’t want Freddy to be bringing him and having him crash at our place for an indefinite period of time. He will, if I don’t put my foot down. He’ll say ‘you let your father stay with us,’ but my father isn’t a drug addict.”

“I think you should show some compassion” his mother said. “If he did come to you, I hope you wouldn’t flat out turn him down without a good reason. You don’t want his death weighing on your conscious.”

“Won’t be on ours” Freddy’s father said.

“Nope” Freddy’s mother concurred. “We tried and did our best. Our conscious is guilt free.”

“He’s not even my actual brother” Michael added. “The only person who is going to end up being there for him no matter what is Freddy.”

“Freddy is a great son” his father said.

“We’re so proud of him” his mother added. “He really turned his life around. He was in the dumps when his track and field dreams died. You really helped him get his stuff together.”

“You helped too” Michael replied humbly. “I didn’t do it alone.”

“Without you” Freddy’s father said “it wouldn’t have been enough. You’re a good egg. We like you a lot.”

Freddy’s father put his hand on Michael’s shoulder in support.

“So” he continued “did you want to go over my ideas for what I think you should do to invest the money? I was talking to my colleagues about it and we brainstormed about it over the phone.”

“I think I have a plan in mind” Michael replied “but thanks though.”

“You sure you don’t want to just let me give you my spiel?”

“I spoke to some people I know from Harvard and they helped me plan this out.”

“They probably know what they’re doing” Freddy’s mother replied. “I guess Ralph putting in that money will pay off in some way, at least.”

“If it works out” Freddy’s father said “then yes, it might pay off.”

“But that’s what I mean by my father loving me” Michael said. “He hasn’t been the most supportive father in law to Freddy, but he’s been such a supportive presence in my life. He took out loans and he’s been working very hard to pay them off. It’s probably what brought him to this point right now.”

“I mean, that’s part of what I’m worried about, Michael. You see, if, not that I want it to happen, because I hope he recovers from this, but if he dies, the debt isn’t just going to disappear. It passes on to the next of kin. That means your mother and you, Michael. If your mother doesn’t take on the payment plan, then guess what is going to happen?”

Michael sighed, as his mother rubbed his shoulders tenderly.

“Son of a bitch” Michael muttered to himself. “He insists I go to Harvard and agrees to pay my way. Now, I’m going to have to finish paying it off myself, even though I never wanted to go there in the first place. Son of a bitch.”

“Well it’s a good thing you got that check from Diya when you did” Freddy’s mother said, trying to put a positive spin on things. “You can use some of it to just pay off the rest of the balance outright and then it’s no longer hanging over your head anymore.”

“Michael” his mother said “you don’t have to do that. I’ll keep up the payment plan for you. Your father promised you that you wouldn’t have to pay for it, so I’ll do my best to make sure it gets settled.”

“You can’t do that, mom” Michael replied. “You’re going to have a ton of other debts piling up from this. Even if dad survives, the medical bills are going to be astronomical.”

“Maybe they’ll finally get the health care law enacted. That way, I don’t have this burden on my shoulders.”

“Even if they get it passed in time, presuming those assholes can ever get their shit together, there’s funeral costs and the fact that you’re going to have to go back to work. At your age, finding a good paying job is almost impossible.”

“I’ll manage, Michael.”

“I don’t want you to just manage, mom. I want to make sure you don’t have to do that or sell the house. I’ll just suck it up and pay off the rest of the debt. I plan to set aside a quarter of the money for immediate expenses and for paying off the debt, should I need to, and then invest the rest.”

“What’s your financial goal?” Freddy’s father asked.

“$10 million, at least. That should get me through to the rest of my life, presuming Freddy gets a job that pays a decent salary.”

“Well, as I’ve said, if you need any financial planning help and help sorting out your taxes, then you can always call me. I don’t charge for family.”

“Thank you, Doug. I appreciate that.”

As Freddy’s father nodded, Freddy came into the room.

“I’m going to head back home to study” he said. “You mind taking Michael home, Irene?”

“Sure” Michael’s mother replied.

Freddy nodded, as he made his way out of the waiting room.

“He looked quite sad” Freddy’s mother noted. “I wonder what that was all about?”

Freddy’s parents shrugged their shoulders, as they headed back into Ralph’s room. Michael sat with his mother for a moment, before they went to join them. The rest of the day was spent with idle chit chat, before the doctor showed up later in the evening.

“We have the procedure scheduled for this coming Monday” he said to Michael and his mother. “11 AM.”

The two of them nodded, before they left for the evening. Michael’s mother dropped him off at the apartment, before she called it a night. Making his way into the apartment, Michael noticed Freddy working furiously at the table.

“You left early today” Michael noted.

“I wanted to catch up on my work” Freddy lied in response.

“You looked kind of sad when you left.”

Freddy ignored this comment, as he continued working on his studies. Michael went into the shower to clean off, before he came out and sat across from him at the table.

“What did my father say?” Michael asked.

“I’d rather not talk about it” Freddy replied.

“We shouldn’t keep secrets from each other. Tell me what he said to you.”

“No.”

“Don’t make me ask him when I see him tomorrow.”

“If you ask him, then I’m telling him about what you told me happened to him in college.”

“Freddy, that was supposed to be a secret.”

“I don’t want to talk about what we discussed and I don’t want you asking him about it either. Either you respect my wishes on this or I’m telling him that you told me this.”

Michael got up and stormed back into the bedroom. Freddy paused for a moment, before letting out a loud sigh. Closing up his books and shutting off his computer, Freddy made his way back into the bedroom to see Michael lying on the bed.

“I’m ready for bed” Freddy said. “You aren’t going to push me away, are you?”

“Depends” Michael replied.

“Then I’m going to sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Wait.”

Michael got up out of bed and grabbed onto to his husband.

“Please don’t leave me” Michael said. “I’m sorry I pushed you on this.”

Freddy sighed, as he gave Michael a hug.

“It’s ok” he said. “Just please stop pestering me about this.”

“Ok.”

Freddy went to take a shower, before he joined Michael in the bed. The next day at the hospital was relatively uneventful, filled with idle chit chat, Freddy’s father treating everyone to lunch and Ralph’s roommate raving about what a cool guy he was. When it was over, everyone went home, except for Michael’s father. They all did their best to try to get some sleep, worried about the procedure that was to come.

The following day, the day of the procedure. Michael got up bright and early. He had asked his mother to pick him up, so that Freddy could get to his classes on time. Once he was showered and dressed, Michael leaned onto the bed and kissed Freddy on the lips.

“See you later” he whispered, as he left to head outside.

In front of the apartment complex, Michael saw his mother parked in front a hydrant. She looked nervous, as he got inside of her car.

“Ready?” his mother asked.

“As ready as I can be” Michael replied.

Michael’s mother took him to the hospital and parked in the garage. When they got upstairs, they found that Ralph was already out of the room.

“His procedure was bumped up a few hours” a nurse on the floor told them, when she was asked where he was.

“When was somebody going to tell us this?” Michael asked with an irritated tone in his voice.

“I apologize that you were not informed, but it’ll be an hour more and then they’ll give him some time to recuperate. He’ll be back in the room by about 12 in the afternoon.”

“Oh great.”

“You can have a seat in the waiting room until then.”

Michael and his mother went to the visitors waiting room and sat next to each other. Michael’s mother began to worry in her thoughts, while Michael was primarily glued to his phone. At a certain point, Michael’s mother commented on this.

“Why are you staring at your phone for so long?” she asked.

“I’m watching the iThink stock” Michael replied, as he pushed some links on his phone’s screen. “My order was filled to capacity, thanks to a favor from someone I knew at Harvard. I got it at its lowest offering possible, so now I’m watching to see how fast this things rises.”

“How is it performing so far?”

“So far, amazing. It’s gone up ten dollars a share since this morning.”

“So how much have you made so far?”

“About $200,000 in the span of a few hours.”

“Wow. That’s unbelievable.”

“That’s how these types of stocks work. There’s always a ton of buzz when it first gets listed on the stock exchange and then there’s a buying frenzy. Once the biggest investor firms and the banks start having their second thoughts, that’s when the stock tanks. My goal is to ride this out the point where I think the second thoughts are coming.

“The guy I’ve been talking to from Harvard says Friday, just before lunch, is when he expects this fall to occur. That’s when a lot of firms have their big power lunches and they talk about what they’re thinking and feeling. When they’ve shared their doubts, that’s when they go on their selling sprees.”

“Isn’t that a form of insider trading? You could get in trouble for that.”

“It’s not insider trading unless I have direct knowledge of a company’s potential problems or failures. I’m not with iThink anymore, so I just go by my gut instinct. They might try to go after me, but they won’t succeed.”

“Suit yourself. I just thought I’d warn you.”

“Thanks mom, but my bigger worry now is selling it at just the right time. I’m keeping an eye on it, in case I have to sell it earlier than my original plans.”

Michael kept watching his phone, as his mother watched the clock on the wall. Time seemed to stand still for her, while it raced quickly for Michael. Finally, a nurse came into the waiting room just before the afternoon began.

“Michael and Irene Scavolini” the nurse called out.

“That’s us” Michael’s mother replied, as he motioned her son to get off of his phone and walk up with her.

“Good news. The procedure was a success.”

“Oh thank god.”

“We still don’t know if it’s going to help turn his situation around, but there weren’t any complications and he seems to be in good spirits. He’s back in his room if we want to come in to say hello.”

“Of course.”

Michael’s mother whispered into Michael’s ear.

“Turn the phone off.”

“I will in a second” Michael replied.

The three of them walked into the room to see Ralph talking with his hospital roommate.

“Was it painful?” the old man asked.

“Nah” Michael’s father replied. “It was a piece of cake. Hopefully, it’s the end of it, though. I don’t want them doing anything else unless they have to.”

“Ralph” his wife said, as she ran over and gave him a hug.

“Hi Irene.”

Michael’s father kissed his wife tenderly on the lips.

“I’m ok, dear. I knew everything was going to be alright.”

“You’re not out of the woods, yet” Michael replied, as he turned off his phone and gave his father a hug. “They still need time to see if this procedure saved your kidneys or not.”

“Be positive, Michael. I want no negativity in my room today. Only good thoughts.”

“I’m positively sure you need to shave” Michael’s mother said, as she rubbed her husband’s beard. “Why can’t you let the nurse get rid of this.”

“Honey” Michael’s father replied, as he held her hands to his face “just let it grow for 30 days and then I promise you I’ll get rid of it. Besides, you’t not sleeping next to me right now.”

“I am” the old man chimed in.

Michael’s father laughed, as his son sat next to him.

“So where are your husband’s parents?” Michael’s father asked. “And where’s my other son?”

“Freddy is in class” Michael replied “and his parents were taking the day off to rest. They’re a bit tired and said they’ll be back here tomorrow.”

“How long did they book that hotel room for?”

“Until Wednesday. Then they plan to play it by ear. If it seems like you’re turning around, they are going to go back home. If you don’t turn around, then they will extend their time here. It all depends on how you’re doing.”

“That’s very nice of them. It’s a shame I never really got to spend much time with your in-laws.”

“That was within your control, but whatever.”

“Why don’t you two talk for a bit” Michael’s mother said. “I’m hungry and want to get something to eat. Want me to bring you guys something back?”

“A beer” Michael’s father replied.

“No! No alcohol.”

“I was just kidding, Irene. Just get me a tuna fish sandwich, please. Michael, what about you?”

“A salad” Michael replied quietly. “I’m not overly hungry right now.”

“Ok” his mother said, as she let the room.

When his mother was out of sight, Michael turned to look at his father.

“I hope you don’t mind” he said, as turned his phone back on “but I want to continue watching the iThink stock.”

“Why would you want to do that now?” Michael’s father asked. “That’s only going to lead to needless agitation and stress.”

“Not with the plan I’ve been working on.”

“Ah, that’s my boy. I knew you’d think of something. You’re smart. You always find a way to dig yourself out of a hole. So, what’s the plan?”

“I spoke to the guy I talk to at Harvard and had him help me get $500,000 worth of shares when iThink opened this morning. Every share request was filled, so the plan now is to ride the initial high and sell it before it comes crashing back down to Earth.”

“That’s pretty risky” his father said, as he scratched at his now salt and pepper beard on his face. “What if you don’t time it right?”

“The guy gave me the run down” Michael replied. “Basically, long story short, these stocks tend to boom quick and then there’s buyers remorse by the end of the week. He said the absolute perfect time to sell is 11:59 AM EST. That’s right before a lot of these big investor firms have their weekly power lunches and they all discuss their thoughts for the week.

“iThink is sure to come up and they are all likely to express their doubts about it. Once they get back to work, or maybe even before, if they are glued to their phones, they’ll order a sell off. If I can time the sale to right before that sell off, then I stand to make a lot of cash.”

“That’s a really good plan, if you ask me. Just make you time this right. How much have you made so far.”

“So far” Michael replied, as he looked at the latest numbers on his phone “a little over $250,000.”

“Wowee” Michael’s father replied with a smile, as he continued to scratch at his beard “that’s a nice bit of change for a days work. It takes me like 2 to 3 years to make that kind of cash. You could make a real killing if you decide to become a stock broker.”

“Ugh, no. This stuff causes me all sorts of anxiety and stresses me out. I just plan to make enough money to cash out penalty free on a ‘hardship’ exemption and then invest it in a fixed annuity investment. The goal is to put around $10 million at a fixed rate, inflation sliding 4% dividend account where Freddy and I are guaranteed a minimum ‘income’ that’s taxed at a lower rate.”

“Hmm, interesting. Still, if you’re making the killing you are right now, why not keep at it?”

“Because the ride eventually ends and I don’t want to be holding the bag in the end when it does.”

“This bull ride has been going on for a while. It may not end right away.”

“Better to be safe than sorry. The bear is coming soon and I don’t mean you.”

Michael laughed, as he rubbed his father’s bearded face. Ralph roared playfully at his son, while they shared a father son bonding moment. After smiles were exchanged, Michael’s face got serious.

“Dad?” Michael asked.

“Yeah son?” his father replied.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

“Do you remember the last name of the guy Barry?”

“You didn’t tell anybody about that, did you? Because I’ll kill you if you did.”

“No” Michael lied, surprisingly well. “I just wanted to see if I could track this guy down.”

“What’s the point? He’ll never face charges anyway and even if I said something, nobody would believe me.”

“Can you just try to remember? I’d like to help you resolve this.”

“Let me think.”

Michael’s father closed his eyes and let out a hmm sound. He thought for a minute, before he opened his eyes again and gave an answer.

“For some reason” he finally said “I think the last name was Levin or Lou Allen or something like that. He was an artist. I never kept in touch with him, so I have no idea how to find him.”

“I’m going to do some research” Michael replied “and then I will get back to you.”

“Up to you, but again, I don’t think anything is going to come of it.”

Michael rubbed his father’s beard and looked at him deep in the eyes.

“Let me try.”

“I will, Michael” his father replied, as he held onto his son’s hand on his face.

In that moment, Michael’s mother returned with the food in a bag.

“I hate that they don’t sell bags anymore” she commented, before taking out the food. “It’s so inconvenient. I get that it’s better for the environment, but still, it’s a big pain in the ass.”

“Thanks mom” Michael said, as he took the salad that she handed him.

“You’re the best” Michael’s father said, as he took his tuna fish sandwich. “A real meal for a real man.”

Michael’s father let out a fart and chuckled. Michael and his mother groaned loudly, as they covered their noses.

“PU” Michael said, as he left the room to go back into the waiting room.

“I’ll sit with you for a bit” Michael’s mother said, as she plopped herself down next to her husband. “I already ate.”

“Thanks Irene” her husband replied.

Michael’s father ate his tuna fish sandwich, as Michael ate his salad alone in the waiting room. While he ate, he stopped checking the status of iThink’s stock and began to do a search for the man who had sexually accosted his father in college. He tried for about an hour, but found that his efforts were not successful.

Giving up after a while, Michael spent more time with his father and mother, before heading back to his apartment for the day. When he arrived home, he saw Freddy continuing to cram his studies on the table in the makeshift dining room.

“How was the procedure?” Freddy asked. “You never called me to give me a status update.”

“Sorry” Michael replied. “It was a busy day, but fortunately it was successful. We just have to wait and see whether it saved his kidneys or not.”

“Good to hear.”

“I mean, it’s not like you care, but whatever.”

Freddy stopped focusing on his studies and looked up at Michael.

“What do you mean?” Freddy asked.

“Well” Michael replied “to be honest, you wanted him out of here and you’re not exactly close. As you said, he blew off our wedding and, as your father said to me, I’d have every right not to speak to him ever again.”

“Well, maybe I was a little hasty in saying all that stuff. Really, I don’t hate your father, but he has hurt me a lot, not just you.”

“I know and I’ve told him this many times in the past.”

“He keeps calling me his ‘other son.’ He may be my father in law, but he certainly doesn’t act like a dad should. I’m not calling him dad. No way, no how. He’s lucky I speak to him at all, considering what he’s done to me and to us.”

“Is that why you didn’t come by at all today?”

“No, Michael. It’s because I had class. You’re the one who is like ‘one of us has to work.’”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just wanted to ask, that’s all. Listen, when you’re done, I wanted to ask you something in bed.”

“Sure, I’ll be there in an hour.”

“Ok.”

Michael rinsed himself off and then laid into bed, this time butt naked. An hour did pass, before Freddy came into their bedroom.

“You’re naked” Freddy commented with a smile.

“That I am” Michael replied with a wink.

“Does that mean what I think it means?”

“It might.”

Freddy smirked, as he stripped off his clothes and then smothered himself on top of Michael. He kissed him passionately on the lips, as their erections began to touch.

“I don’t think I can go for a whole ride tonight” Michael said.

“Oh” Freddy replied with disappointment in his voice.

“Let’s just rub each other off. Is that ok?”

“I guess. Can we at least frottle?”

“Sure.”

Freddy smiled, as he grabbed some lube from the dresser and rub his dick into Michael’s. They rubbed into each other for a few minutes, before Freddy whispered into his lover’s ear.

“I’d prefer to be doing this into your ass.”

“Not tonight” Michael replied. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Are you sure I can’t get you to change your mind?”

“I’m close.”

Michael thrust aggressively, before he shot his load on himself. Freddy grabbed his dick and stroked it quickly, before he shot his load into the one that Michael already made on himself. Exhausted, Freddy laid down, as their man juices coated their bodies.

“When can I fuck you again?” Freddy asked.

“I’ll let you know” Michael replied. “Let’s come down from this high and then I want to ask you something that’s a bit of a boner killer.”

“Ah, ok.”

Freddy and Michael panted, as they calmed themselves down. After a few minutes, Freddy rolled off of Michael and began to rub the cream on his stomach.

“I’m sticky” he commented with a giggle.

Michael smiled briefly, before he spoke up.

“I need your help with finding someone.”

“Uh?” Freddy said with a confused tone in his voice. “How can I help more than a quick web search?”

“At your law school, you have access to a bigger database of people, with records that the average person can’t access. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind helping me track someone down.”

“Let me guess, that guy your father said—“

“That’s the one.”

“Sure. Have any idea what is last name is?”

“My father said it was something like Levin or Lou Allen.”

“That’s not particularly helpful. Say, maybe your father remembers the address or the newspaper the ad was in.”

“Hmmm. You know, that’s not a bad idea. I’m going to ask him about that tomorrow.”

“You do that and on my break between classes, I will do some research for you.”

Freddy gave Michael a long, tender smooch on the lips, before they showered again and then went to bed for the night. The next day, Freddy went to class, before Michael’s mother took him to the hospital. When they arrived, the nurse on the floor gave them a good prognosis.

“So far, so good” she said. “He seems to stabilizing, but we’ll still need a few days to monitor him just to be sure.”

“Great news!” Michael’s mother exclaimed.

“Mom?” Michael asked. “Can I talk to dad privately for a couple of minutes, before you come in?”

“Sure.”

Michael nodded, as he made his way to the room. The old man in the bed next to his father’s had his daughter with him again.

“Hello” she said.

“Hi” Michael responded, as he made his way over to his dad.

“I got to see myself in the mirror today” his father said, as Michael went in and gave him a hug. “I got to see how my beard is coming in. It’s the first day that it’s past the scruff stage and into the beard stage. It’ll only get fuller and thicker from here on out. Smoother too.”

Michael’s father rubbed his bearded face, proud of what his Italian lineage blessed him with genetically.

“Give it a feel” his father prompted.

“I’d rather not” Michael replied.

“Come on, your boyfriend loves it. He’ll be so excited when he sees it. Speaking of which, where has he been the last couple of days.”

“He’s been focusing on school. He’ll be back here again on Wednesday.”

“Ah, ok. I can’t wait to see him. Tell my other son I say hello when you go home tonight.”

“I will. Listen, I had some questions for you.”

“Oh?”

“About.”

Michael leaned into his father’s ear and whispered to him quietly.

“About Barry.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” his father asked with a frown.

“Freddy had an idea for how to track this scumbag down.”

“Couldn’t find him with his last name, huh?”

“That might not be his last name, though. We had the idea to either figure out the address you were staying in when this happened or the newspaper ad you said you used to read to find the apartment.”

“Ugh. Wow, that’s so long ago. I don’t know if I’d remember that.”

“Try.”

“It’s so painful for me to talk about, Michael. I wish you’d just let this go.”

“It’ll make me feel better if you help me do this.”

“Ugh. Well, if it’ll make my son feel better, then the paper I used to read when I was younger was the Sacramento Weekly. It was probably sometime in like August of 2000. Maybe it was July. Sometime right before I started college that fall.”

“That narrows things down significantly.”

“I couldn’t begin to tell you the address, though. I have no idea where it was.”

“You said the ad was for a place to live in for free?”

“Yup, the only one in there.”

“That’s very helpful. Thank you dad.”

Michael pulled out his phone and texted Freddy the information his father had given him.

“Who are you texting?” Michael’s father asked inquisitively.

“Freddy” Michael replied. “He has access to a more extensive record of things at school. He’s going to the library to look it up and see if we can track down this son of a bitch.”

“Wow. Freddy’s doing all of this for me?”

“Well, more for me, not for you.”

“Wait a second, you didn’t—“

Michael’s father growled in his direction.

“You son of a bitch! I told you not to tell anyone else about this!”

“What’s going on?” the woman at the other bed asked, as she turned to look at them.

“Uh” Michael’s father replied, composing himself quickly. “Nothing. Everything is fine over here.”

“Doesn’t sound like it” the old man commented.

Michael’s father tried to calm down, as Michael continued texting with Freddy. A few minutes later, Freddy gave him a good piece of news.

“We have a lead” Michael said to his father.

“I wish you hadn’t told him that, Michael” his father replied. “I told that to you in confidence. I didn’t want for it to get around to everyone.”

“I just told Freddy so he could help me help you find this guy.”

“You didn’t tell your mother, did you?”

“Nope. Only Freddy.”

“Please don’t say anything to anyone else, you understand me? I’m already mad at you for telling Freddy. I don’t want this getting around to people. It’s very embarrassing and uncomfortable for me to talk about.”

“I won’t tell anyone else. You will.”

“Huh?”

Michael got up and headed out of the room.

“Wait!” his father called out to him. “Get back here! Don’t go blabbing about this to your mother!”

Michael ignored his father, as he went to see his mother in the waiting room. She was sitting next to Freddy’s parents.

“Oh Linda, Doug” Michael said. “Great to see you guys. Mind spending some time with my dad now?”

“Sure” Freddy’s father replied.

“Of course” Freddy’s mother added. “That’s why we’re here.”

Freddy’s parents got up and went to spend time with Michael’s father.

“You too, mom” Michael insisted.

“I think they deserve some time with him alone” his mother replied. “I’m not ready to just yet.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

Michael sat down next to his mother, who looked down nervously in her lap.

“I have a bad feeling that he’s going to regress” she replied. “Don’t ask me why I know this or how, but I just have this feeling that the procedure won’t be enough to save him. Unless he can get a kidney donor within the next day or two, then I have a feeling he’s going to start to see his body fail.”

“I hope you’re wrong about that” Michael replied, trying to be optimistic. “But please don’t say this to dad when you’re in there.”

“Of course not. Positivity only, as he insists.”

“Good. Now, can I have a few minutes alone?”

“Why? What are you doing?”

Michael’s mother caught the name Barry Lavin on her son’s phone.

“Barry Lavin?” his mother asked. “Who is that?”

“Uh” Michael replied nervously, covering up his phone. “Nothing. Nobody at all.”

“Doesn’t seem like nothing to me. Tell me who he is. Is he—“

Michael’s mother paused for a moment, before a thought hit her.

“Barry Lavin. That’s the guy your father shared that apartment with before he moved in with me when we were in college. Why is your father trying to reach out to him now?”

“He’s not. It’s nothing. Please go into dad’s room now.”

“It’s so odd, though, that your father would even mention him to you. Whenever I tried to talk to him about him, he’d always clam up, like something bad happened to him while he was living with him. Like—“

Michael’s mother paused for a moment, before another thought hit her.

“Barry didn’t do what I think he did, did he?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, mom. Please just go talk to dad for a while in his room now.”

“Oh my god! Of course! That’s why your father was so clammy about it all these years. It all makes sense to me now.”

“Mom, please stop.”

“I knew it. I knew your father was hiding something from me. He’d always get snippy when I’d bring that man up. Of course. And it makes sense why he’d see you being gay as so bad, too. Barry must have done something to him sexually when they were in college.”

“Oh my god, mom.”

“It makes perfect sense now. That’s what has been troubling him all this time. I just don’t understand why he couldn’t just tell me this.”

“Mom, please.”

“Why couldn’t your father just tell me something was going on? Maybe I could have helped him sooner. Oh my god! Why didn’t I insist on him moving in with me earlier? Sure, he was only 17 at the time, but he was practically 18 and I could have just excused it away with a simple ‘I was doing it as a favor for my dad’s protege.’ No one had to know we had anything sexual going on between us. God, men sometimes. They never share their feelings, even when they ought to. I wish he had just told me this years ago and maybe we could have filed a report with the police.”

“Mom, please stop. Dad doesn’t need this right now.”

“Why couldn’t he trust me enough to tell me this? I’m his wife. Why did he have to keep this in for all these years?”

“Mom, please stop.”

“Your father, Michael. I don’t understand men sometimes. Sure, they may think talking about these things is shameful or makes them look less like of a man, but that’s why these types of guys get away with it for so long. Men like your father keep their mouths shut and then it just is allowed to continue happening to other people. I bet your father wasn’t the only person Barry did it to, either.”

“Mom, please don’t say anything to dad. If he finds out that you found out, then he’s going to kill me. He’s already mad at me telling Freddy, so we could tack this fucker down. If he knows I accidentally let it slip out to you, he’ll kill me.”

Michael began to sob, as his mother gave him a hug and a kiss.

“I won’t say anything to him, Michael” his mother said reassuringly. “I will wait until your father is ready to tell me himself.”

“But that’s the thing, mom” Michael replied through tears “you can’t make it seem like you knew all along. If he does find the strength to tell you some day, then you have to pretend that you’re shocked to hear it or he’ll know I spilled it to you earlier.”

“I can just lie and saw I suspected it all along and didn’t want to push it on him. He doesn’t have to know that you helped put two and two together for me.”

“Still, mom, you have to promise me that you’re not going to say anything to him about this. Nothing at all.”

“I promise to zip my lip. Not a word of this to your father. I want you to be on good terms with him. If he told you this in confidence, then I will respect that.”

“Thank you.”

Michael’s mother held him in her arms for a few minutes, before she got up to go into her husband’s room.

“Remember” Michael called out to her. “Not a word.”

Michael’s mother ran her fingers over her lips, pretending to zipper them up. Michael smiled, as she walked off, before Michael continued his search on Barry Lavin. His search remained fruitless at the end of the day and into the one that came after. That Wednesday, just two days later, he had three major developments occur; one good and two bad.

The good news was that Michael had cracked the code. Doing some research late into that night, Michael discovered that Barry Lavin was the real life name of the famous artist, Man Luv. His paintings were in high demand and he was a prominent influencer of an entire generation of painters. That would be in and of itself bad news, rectified by the good news of reporting him to the authorities. However, the first piece of bad news devastated Michael.

Three years earlier, Barry Lavin had died at the age of 42. He died from complications from AIDS, untreated due to his lack of getting tested. As a result, his father could no longer press criminal charges or even confront the man who had accosted him two decades earlier. In addition, the work of Man Luv, Barry’s alter ego, was extremely valuable. One of his paintings, of a man riding a horse naked, sold for over $2 million at auction last year. His name was high in demand. His estate was allowed to profit off of the work of a man who caused so much pain to his father.

The second piece of bad news also pertained to his father. Although the procedure was initially deemed a success, doctors found after two days of monitoring that it was not enough to save his kidneys. Michael’s father continued to see his kidneys fail on him. They suspected, in just a few days time, that they would stop working all together. Very soon after, his liver would go, and then the rest of his body would go along with it.

Michael began to shave nervously in the car ride over the hospital. Freddy sought to give him words of encouragement to cheer him up.

“Maybe he can get the kidney donor in time. Maybe someone will reach out and offer to help.”

“Both of his kidneys are failing” Michael replied. “He needs two. That’s harder to get.”

“He goes with one now and then gets another one later.”

“If we can get them in time. The doctor says we only have two or three days left before they shut down. Time is running out. I can’t believe the procedure didn’t work.”

“There’s no other surgical option available?”

“That’s what we’re going to have to ask the doctor about when we get there.”

When they arrived at the hospital, Michael’s mother and Freddy’s parents were already in the waiting room. They gave them warm greetings, before they urged Freddy and Michael to go into the room by themselves. Michael’s mother was in tears, as Freddy’s mother tried to console her. Inside the patient room, Michael slowly approached his father. He was hooked up to a Hemodialysis machine, hoping to clean out the excess waste in his kidneys.

“Man” Michael’s father moaned. “I’ve been trying to be optimistic, but I feel like absolute shit today.”

“Dad” Michael said, as he let tears roll down his cheeks. “Dad, I’m here.”

“I know. I can see you just fine. I’m not going blind…not yet, anyways.”

Michael’s father chuckled, as his Michael sat down in the chair next to him.

“I would hug you” Michael’s father continued “but i don’t want to mess this thing up. It’s the only thing keeping my kidneys from failing on me now.”

“Ralph” Freddy said, as he slowly approached him “I’m sorry about what’s happening to you.”

“I know. It’s fine. Say, I’ve been meaning for you to see how my beard is coming along. Take a feel.”

Michael watched warily, as Freddy stroked his father in law’s bearded face.

“It’s softer now” Freddy commented. “It has a nice feel to it.”

“Yours looks nice too. Let me take a feel.”

Michael’s father rubbed the week of scruff on Freddy’s face.

“Very nice, Freddy. It’s coming along well. Soon, it’ll be a nice, brown mane.”

“I’m shaving it tonight. I think I’ve had enough of trying to grow this thing out.”

“Oh come on, man. Don’t leave me hanging.”

“I’m looking forward to it” Michael commented.

“Did you razz his ass about this, Michael? I asked you not to do that.”

“He didn’t” Freddy replied honestly. “I’ve had enough trying to grow it out. Plus, my teachers have already been making some sour comments about it.”

“Don’t listen to them” Michael’s father insisted.

“It’s not just, them. It’s also Michael. You’ve said you do things to please your wife, right?”

“Of course, though I wish I hadn’t.”

“So, I want to keep a happy home with your son. It’ll make him feel better and maybe he’ll let me…well…”

Freddy chuckled, embarrassed to finish his thought. Michael’s father eyed him warily, before Michael sought to change the subject.

“So, I have some good news and bad news.”

“About my prognosis?” his father asked.

“No. About….you know.”

“Who?”

Michael winked his eye, before his father got the hint.

“Ohhhh. That scumbag. Yeah, about that. Freddy, you were never meant to hear about that. That was supposed to be a secret between myself and Michael.”

“Oh?” Freddy asked. “You told him that you told me, Michael?”

“It slipped out when I was mentioning that you were searching for the newspaper records at your law school library yesterday” Michael replied honestly. “So now that you can’t hold it over me anymore, dad, what were you and Freddy talking about last week when you two were alone together?”

“Oh god.”

“Oh” Michael’s father replied “why didn’t you just ask me?”

“I asked Michael not to.”

“It’s not a big deal, Freddy. Anyways, Michael, we were talking about how I wish he’d call me dad and how I felt bad for the mistakes we’ve all made in our relationship.”

“You mean, your mistakes” Michael corrected.

“All of our mistakes. Freddy for touching me in the bed that one time. You for sassing me for the various things I’ve done in the past. Me telling you I would throw you out of the house if you didn’t go to Harvard. I had no intention of ever doing that. I was just hoping to spur you into making what I thought was the right decision.”

“I thought you were going to throw me out because of Freddy touching your inappropriately on the bed.”

“Never. That wasn’t your fault and I really wasn’t all that bothered with it, in hindsight. Freddy was just curious and I was just startled. It didn’t get too uncomfortable for me and it never happened again.”

“He’s been petting your beard every time he’s been here.”

“Because I let him to do it. It’s consensual. Look, I just want to move past the mistakes we’ve made and learn to forgive each other.”

“You insisted I go to Harvard as a means of trying to split us apart.”

“Admittedly, I did have that thought in the back of my mind, but I also knew, deep down, that no matter what, you two were going to be together forever.”

“How could you be so confident?” Freddy asked.

“I just knew. No matter what challenges you faced and will face, that you’ll somehow make it through and stick with each other until death does you part. I am so eternally sorry for trying to split you two up, but you are made to be together and, I will say it now. Even though I stupidly fucked up and didn’t go to your wedding, I want you know that you two have my absolute blessing.”

Michael let out a weak smile and so did Freddy.

“I also, again, this time with Freddy here, want to stress to you, Michael, that I really, really want you to let Freddy fulfill his dream of being a public defender.”

“Ugh.”

“I’m serious. It’s what he wants to do with his life and you know it.”

Freddy put his arms around Michael’s waist.

“We can talk about this later” he whispered in his husband’s ear.

“I also regret the time we jacked off together. It was a big mistake and I should have listened to you when you said we shouldn’t do it.”

“I know” Michael replied. “I told you so.”

Freddy let out a chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Michael asked curtly.

“We were talking about that too” Michael’s father replied with a chuckle. “How you always ‘I told you so’ the both of us when we do bone headed, guy things.”

“So you two were bonding?”

Freddy let go of Michael and looked him in the eyes.

“Not exactly” he confessed.

“Sure we were” Michael’s father said. “We were just trying to patch things up between us. We haven’t gotten everything sorted out, but I think we will, while there’s still time. I’ve come to like him touching my beard and I’ve enjoyed feeling his out as well.”

“Well, dad” Michael replied “if it’ll help you bond with Freddy as your son, then I give you my blessing to touch each other. Just promise me you won’t freak out on him again.”

“I won’t.”

“Good.”

“It’s not an accosting thing. It’s just Freddy wanting to show his affection for me.”

“Speaking of that” Michael interrupted “about Barry.”

“I don’t really want to talk about that right now. We were just doing such a good job trying to work on forgiving each other for our mistakes. Please don’t ruin the moment.”

“I have to. You should know that he’s dead.”

“Huh?”

“He’s dead. Barry is dead.”

“Oh lord. How did you find about this?”

“His alias is Man Luv and he was a famous painter. He’s dead and now his works are going for millions of dollars at auctions.”

“Argh, fuck! Son of a bitch.”

“But there’s a way to try to bring closure here.”

“How? That fucker is dead and now he’s never going to face justice.”

“Not in the courts, no, but in the court of public opinion, he still can.”

“What are you going on about?”

“You should tell your story publicly.”

“Huh? What? No! Michael? No. I have enough shit to worry about right now. I don’t need that added onto my pile of things to dwell on. It was so many years ago now. No one is going to care and even if they heard me, no one is going to believe me.”

“I believe you” Freddy said.

“And I believe you too” Michael added. “We believe you and other people will too. Tell your story publicly. Let people know what kind of predator he was in life. Maybe, if you do, it’ll ruin his legacy and see those people who bought those paintings lose money on them.”

“That’s not really satisfactory enough for me” Michael’s father complained.

“It’ll stop allowing his estate to profit off of his work. Speak out so we can put this in as a part of his legacy forever.”

“Maybe other men will come forward, if he had a habit of this” Freddy suggested.

“Plus, it’ll set your conscious free. Knowing it will no longer be on your chest any longer will do you some good.”

Michael’s father groaned, as he closed his eyes to think. Freddy and Michael stared at him curiously, waiting for his response. When he was ready to give his answer, he opened his eyes to tell his sons what he decided.

“I will think it over tonight. I will let you know, Michael, tomorrow what I decide upon doing. Don’t pressure me into this. Let me come to a decision on my own terms, ok?”

“Sure dad” Michael replied.

Michael’s father yawned, as he closed his eyes and took a nap. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, seeing that Ralph was asleep for most of the afternoon. In the evening time, Freddy took Michael home and they took a long and sensual shower together. When they settled in bed, Freddy caught Michael on his phone.

“Turn that thing off” Freddy ordered. “It’s bed time now. Time for either sleep or sex. Your choice.”

“Sleep” Michael replied, as he turned off his phone. “I just wanted to check the iThink stock price today. I haven’t had enough to look it over and I really need to be careful about when I sell it.”

“Why don’t you sell it now?”

“I think we have one more day of it rising, before it will tank. I may have to sell it early, though. That guy from Harvard I was telling you about says investors are already getting cold feet about this. I may have to pull the plug early, before it starts to go down the drain.”

“How much have you made on the stock so far?”

“Double what I spent for it.”

“So that’s?”

“$500,000 in profit.”

“So perfect! Sell it now, before the stock tanks and you lose money on it.”

“I think it has a little more to give, before I’m ready to pull the trigger.”

“Just don’t wait too long to do it. It’s like in a casino on Wall Street. Pull out while you’re ahead. You can’t get too greedy here.”

“You’re right.”

Michael kissed Freddy, before he pulled himself back.

“You’re shaving that thing tomorrow, right?”

“This thing?”

Freddy scratched his week long growth of beard on his face.

“That thing.”

“I will, before I go to class tomorrow. I gave it a week and that’s enough for me. I’m not destined to be a bearded man, anyway, Plus, this thing is so itchy, I can’t take it anymore. I don’t know how your father deals with it.”

“He’s lazy and has this man complex that he can tough shit out like that.”

“I don’t have that man complex, like he does. I know when to fold.”

"I wouldn’t say that.”

“Well, not to the extent of your father, I don’t have one.”

“I’ll concur with that.”

Freddy gave Michael another kiss, before they settled into their usual sleeping arrangement. Freddy spooned Michael, as they peacefully dozed off in each other’s arms. Most of the next day was relatively uneventful. Freddy continued to pound the pavement in school, while Michael spent a lot of quality time with his father. At some point throughout the day, when he shooed his mother away, he quietly whispered in his dad’s ear.

“Did you think over what I asked you yesterday?”

Michael’s father nodded his head.

“And?”

“I’ll share my story. How do you want to do this?”

“I can film you on my phone.”

Michael’s father nodded, as his son set up his phone to film him. His roommate was taken out of the room, so the two of them had some privacy. Recording it all for the intention of worldwide distribution, Michael’s father, on his death bed, poured out his soul and told of his encounters with Barry Lavin, who later became Man Luv. He cried and raged, as he recounted his tales of assault and abuse for a year and a half.

When he was done, Michael’s father wiped his tears away. Michael stopped recording and came over to give him a big hug. They embraced tightly, just as his roommate was returned in a wheelchair, driven by a nurse.

“Isn’t that sweet?” the nurse commented.

“I’m quite surprised” the old man replied. “Ralph was saying that his sons hated his guts.”

Michael let go of his father, just as his mother entered the room. That night, Michael sent the story to several news organizations, who were apprehensive about posting his father’s account. Wanting to get this over it while his father was still alive, Michael decided to post the video online. The next morning, it went viral around the world.

The video of Michael’s father, in his hospital room, crying his eyes out and revealing his abuse struck a nerve across the art world. While some were convinced that the stories he told were true, most everyone else thought he was making it up.

“Why didn’t he say something about this at the time?” some would ask.

“He’s a just a self hating gay man” others would comment.

“Why now?” others would ponder. “Let the man rest in peace.”

These were not the types of reactions Michael’s father was hoping for.

“I knew it was a mistake to say anything” he said to Michael in anger. “I knew I should have kept my big mouth shut and let this go with me to the grave.”

“No dad” Michael replied. “You did the right thing here.”

“I agree” Michael’s mother added. “You let it off your chest and it’s not eating you alive anymore. That counts for something.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this years ago, Irene” Michael’s father said apologetically. “I just thought you’d think I was gay or lying or less of a man if I mentioned it to you.”

“I would never think that of you, Ralph. You’re the manliest man I know. Arguably even manlier than my own father.”

“I have a lot of competition there. He was a the manliest man I ever knew. But he was a man who held in his feelings. He didn’t show them to any of the guys he coached. I never saw him cry while he was training me.”

“I did. I’m his daughter, Ralph. Actually, one of his three daughters. I saw that side of him that you never saw. When he was alone, thinking no one was watching, he’d cry, and I mean bawl hysterically. He just had to. He had a difficult life and couldn’t keep all of that anger and pain inside. He let it out when he thought no one was looking. We saw it, but we didn’t say anything to him.

“His children are not manly men like you, but he loved them very much. You’re a manly man too, Ralph, but it’s ok to cry and be vulnerable. He did. You can too. It’s not a knock on your manhood. In fact, it’s a real show of confidence in your manhood that you can be confident enough in yourself to cry and show your feelings to people.”

“I guess.”

“Who knows what might happen next” Michael added. “Maybe some other guys, hearing your story, will feel confident enough to share their own stories.”

“Strength in numbers, Ralph.”

“As mom said, you’re a manly man. If a tough guy like you has the courage to expose himself like this, then other guys, probably not even as close to manly as you, may be comfortable enough to share their stories too.”

“It could become like an avalanche.”

“I don’t know” Michael’s father said less confidently. “We’ll see. Anyways, moving on. Michael, did you sell the stocks today?”

“I did” Michael replied with a smile.

“Good. I didn’t want you to pull out after the stock was crashing. You got out while the going was good. How’s it doing now?”

“Lost about 20 dollars a share this afternoon.”

“Ha, too bad for her.”

“I don’t know. If she can turn this thing around, then it’s going to go even triple or quadruple past the peak this week.”

“If you say so.”

At the end of the day, Freddy also confronted Michael about the iThink stock.

“You sold them today, right?” he asked.

“Yes” Michael replied.

“How much did you make on it?”

“Just under $1 million. I was about an hour early from the peak of $50 a share, before it plunged down to $30 a share by the end of the day.”

“Still, that’s now almost $1.5 million from just $500,000. Not a bad amount of money to make in one week, if you ask me.”

“Five days or a work week.”

“Even better.”

Freddy kissed Michael with his now clean shaven face. Michael rubbed it tenderly, as he kissed him back aggressively.

“Fuck me.”

Freddy and Michael stripped off their clothes for a passionate fucking. Freddy fucked Michael doggy style, grabbing his thighs tightly, as he pumped in him for a quick release. Slowing down for another round, Freddy’s second fuck was slower and more passionate than the first; giving Michael time to work himself up to a satisfying orgasm. At the same time, both men moaned, as Freddy shot a second load of cum into his husband's hole, while Michael shot his load onto the bed sheets below him. Feeling spent, Freddy and Michael forgot to shower that night, as they fell into a satisfying sleep. It would be the last peaceful night of rest they’d get for many weeks.

Michael woke up the next day to a horrible piece of news.

“Michael!” his mother yelled over the phone. “You have to come down the hospital right away! One of your father’s kidneys completely shut down!”

“Oh my god!” Michael exclaimed.

“What’s going on?’” Freddy asked groggily.

“I need to get over there right now! Dad’s kidney shut down!”

“Both?!”

“No! Just one, but the doctor says the other might go in the next few days! We have to get an organ donor now or we’re going to lose him!”

Freddy and Michael took a hurried shower, before heading out for the day. Freddy dropped Michael off at the hospital, giving him a kiss before he did so.

“Call me if you need me” Freddy said, as Michael bolted out of the car and headed upstairs as fast as he could.

When he arrived in his father’s room, Michael’s mother was in tears.

“Where are Freddy’s parents?” Michael asked his mother, as he gave her a big hug.

“I don’t know” she replied, as she embraced him tightly. “They must have left yesterday and didn’t say goodbye. God! They are so rude, but I don’t need to have them stressing me out anymore.”

“Dad.”

Michael’s father tan skin began to appear jaundice. His beard was thicker than ever and bits of chest hair poked out from his hospital gown.

“Michael” he replied quietly.

“Dad, I’m here.”

Michael held his father’s hand, as they looked into each others eyes.

“I have to admit, Michael. It’s not looking good.”

Michael let out a well of tears, before the doctor gave them more bad news.

“We expect his other kidney to shut down in the next two or three days” he said solemnly. “If we can’t find a donor who matches his blood type by then, then it’s not much longer until he goes.”

“Oh my god!” Michael’s mother shrieked.

Michael stared at the doctor quietly, processing the horrible news.

“We’ll do our best to keep the kidney going” the doctor continued “but it’s working over time right now. Losing the left one was a real problem. The right one fighting with all the strength it has, but it won’t last alone.”

“Do what you can, doctor” Michael said.

The doctor nodded, as he left them alone. Michael hugged his mother tightly, knowing that there wasn’t much time left. The next few days saw a major deterioration of Ralph Scavolini’s physical state. The kidney fought hard, but without a donor organ to replace the other one, it wouldn’t last long on its own.

A few days later, the last piece of good news came in for a long time to come. Ralph Scavolini’s video inspired nearly four dozen men to speak out and share their own stories of abuse at the hands Barry Lavin. Some of them told stories of simple sexual assault, but other detailed graphic cases of full on rape.

“He loved rubbing my hairy ass cheeks” one man said in a confessional.

“He sucked me off when I was asleep” another man said.

“He raped me in the middle of the night” a third man said through tears.

“He gave me HIV” a fourth man confessed with shame.

Michael’s insistence on having his father share his experiences publicly led to a landslide of negative headlines against the legacy of Man Luv. The original doubters were silenced, as the estate now faced an avalanche of lawsuits. Barry Lavin was exposed for the predator he really was, in his brief time on Earth. He’d never face real justice for his crimes, but he’d never be able to hide his terrible secret to the grave.

On a chilly Monday afternoon, Michael brought some visitors in to see his father.

“Dad” Michael said. “I think you should meet these men.”

Four men, of varying ages, the youngest 25 and the oldest 40, introduced themselves to Michael’s father. They told him what his courage in speaking out meant to them personally. One by one, the men shared their stories and confessed that he gave them the strength to speak out.

“Seeing this tough guy like you speak out really hit me” the older man said. “I didn’t feel like a wimp or less of a man for sharing my story. Knowing someone like you could say it and look so manly doing it, I felt confident in speaking out against that fucker.”

“You remind me of my dad” the younger one said. “I never saw him show this level of vulnerability before in his life. If he had, then maybe I wouldn’t have the anger problems that I do now. You gave me the strength to speak out against this horrible man and try to find restitution in the courts.”

“Thank you, Ralph” another man said, holding his hand as he did so. “You mean the world to all of us. We wouldn’t be here without you.”

Michael’s father shed a ton of tears, as they flowed down his bearded face. He nodded in appreciation of their words, before they walked out of his hospital room. Hearing them say these things meant the world to him. Although he never got to confront Barry in his life, he was happy to be such a source for strength for other men like himself to speak out. He gave them the strength to say “Me Too” when he dared to be the first one to talk. It wouldn’t give him the full closure he sought, but for what he could gain in his lifetime, it was satisfying enough.

The next day was the last one of Ralph Scavolini’s life where he was fully present. This time, Michael and his mother were joined in the room with Freddy and his parents. They all sat around, waiting for the moment when the cascade of organ failures would begin. The doctors knew it was only a matter of hours now, before his other kidney would shut down. They could not get another organ donor in time to save his precious life. Although Michael’s father felt he still had a lot to live for, he knew that his time was up. Sitting around the room watching him, Michael’s father smiled in their direction.

“Thank you all for being here” he said with a smile on his face.

“Of course, Ralph” Freddy’s father replied.

“We wouldn’t miss this for the world” Freddy’s mother added.

Freddy’s parents had briefly gone home, before their son frantically called them back to the hospital. They booked another stay at The Forest Inn, knowing inside it would be their last one. Michael’s father smiled, before he made a request.

“I’d like some alone time with a few people right now. Starting with my son in law, Freddy.”

The assembled gathering of loved ones walked out of the room, leaving Freddy alone in the room with his father in law.

“So” Michael’s father said. “What did Michael say?”

Michael had been able to grow his asset portfolio in the last few days. Selling his iThink shares just before it busted, Michael spent his time, when he wasn’t caring for his ailing father, investing his money in booms and busts. By the end of a week long period, Michael had tripled his money, going from $3 million in investments to just over $10 million. He had hit the magical goal, before the markets were to go on a major correction.

Michael took the money out by using a hardship exemption. He worked with Freddy’s father to place the funds in a frozen, guaranteed asset account. The bank guaranteed a starting yearly income of just over $70,000 a year. It would rise every year to match up with the rate of inflation. The excess money earned would be grown by the bank, to be released in full to him in twenty years time.

Michael had a plan for the $1 million he had put aside. Knowing his father would never fully pay off his student loan debt and not wanting to burden his mother into bankruptcy, Michael immediately paid off the remaining debt, about 3/4 of the cost plus interest, making his tuition issue resolved. The remainder of the cash would put in an accessible savings account, growing slowly, while Michael could access it when he needed to.

With his smarts, the right timing and a little bit of luck, Michael took his dire situation and turned it around. As a result, he felt confident enough to give his blessing to Freddy for pursuing his dream. Freddy, with evident excitement, was happy that he would get pursue a career as a public defender.

“He said yes” Freddy replied with a smile.

“Atta boy. I knew I could talk him into it.”

“I know it’s weird to say, but I’m going to miss you. We just got past our problems and I think we really could have spent many years together bonding. There was a lot I could have used you for, especially in regards to Michael.”

“Things will work out between you two. I know they will. Freddy, my son, you have my blessing.”

Freddy smiled, as he leaned into his father in law and did something that surprised the both of them. In that moment, Freddy went in and gave him a kiss on the lips. It was a smooch of love, not a smooch of lust. Freddy tenderly rubbed his father in law’s triumphant beard one last time.

“Only two weeks” Freddy noted, as he stood up “but a mighty good beard for that period of time.”

“I love you Freddy” Michael’s father said.

Freddy let a tear out of his eye. In that moment, he said something that he never thought would come out of his mouth.

“I love you too, dad.”

His father in law’s eyes lit up, as he began to pour out a flood of tears.

“I love you, son. I’m going to miss you so much.”

Freddy gave his father in law one last hug, before he got up to bring his mother in law into the room. When she arrived, she leaned into her husband and kissed him for several minutes. When they were done, she looked back and only had a few words to say.

“Thank you for being my husband until death did us part. Thank you for being the shoulder I could cry on when I needed you most. Thank you for keeping me clean all these years. Thank you for insisting on us keeping our beautiful son. You have been the best husband any woman could ever ask for and I’m going to miss you so very much.”

“I’m going to miss you too, Irene. I promise you that I’ll look out for you in heaven. You’ll never be alone. I promise.”

Michael’s father tenderly rubbed her cheek, before they had one final kiss goodbye. Entering the room, Michael sat down, as his mother waved goodbye and left. In their final moment together, Michael’s father spoke up.

“I hope I did what I could to try to make things up to you while I could. I know you’ll still have the pain of the things I’ve done on your mind forever. Maybe you’ll never really forgive me. Maybe you’ll always feel a certain bitterness about the way things were between us. However, I want you to know that, throughout it all, I always loved you and I promise to look out for you when I’m watching out for you in heaven. You may not see me. You may not notice me. But trust me when I tell you, I will always be there for you.”

Michael began to tear up, as he spoke his final words to his father.

“I forgive you dad, but I will never forget what you did to me and Freddy. You did a lot of bad things to me in your life, but you also did a lot of good things too. You finally accepted Freddy as your son. You encouraged me to pursue an education. You gave me the strength to not totally blow a gasket after Diya royally fucked me over last week. You were always the shoulder I could cry on when I need you most. I know you always loved me, even when you didn’t always show it the way I thought you should have. I’m going to miss you so much, dad. I will always love you too.”

Michael went in and gave his father a kiss on the lips. He rubbed at his father’s beard, as his father stroked his hair. After kissing for several minutes, Michael let go and sat down next to his father.

“I love you Michael” his father said quietly. “I always will.”

In that moment, Michael’s father went into a coma, as he squeezed his son’s hand tightly. Michael began to sob hysterically and scream, as his mother entered the room. She held him tightly, as the doctors rushed into the room, doing their best to help Ralph regain consciousness. Unfortunately for Michael and his mother, the man they loved so much would never wake up again.

The doctors spent three days trying their best to bring him back, but they were not successful in their efforts. Ralph had his other kidney fail, followed soon after by his liver. In that time, Michael and his mother began painfully discussing the funeral arrangements.

“We have to have a Catholic service” Michael’s mother said.

“I can’t go” Michael replied. “It was the source of so much pain in my relationship with him. I can’t bear to support that, considering how it ruined my dad.”

“It’s what he would have wanted. You know that.”

“I can’t go, mom. I can’t stand to be in a church like that, knowing what they say about Freddy and I.”

“I know, Michael. I’m not insisting that you go. Just meet us at the cemetery with Freddy when the service is over.”

“Ok mom. Have you picked out the casket and a suit?”

“I have. We’ll get him freshened up, before we have him unveiled. I want to get rid of that stupid beard of his. He needs to be clean shaven before we send him off.”

“You can’t do that, mom.”

“Michael, he looks like a bum. I don’t want the last images of my husband to be with that thing on his face.”

“Mom, look at me. It’s what he always wanted. If you want to respect his final wishes, then you have to let him keep it when he gets buried. Besides, when the casket is closed and he’s six feet under, you’re not going to see him again. Let him look the way he always wanted to in final resting place. Please, mom.”

Michael’s mother sighed, before she nodded her head in reluctant approval.

“Fine.”

Ralph Scavolini lasted for three more days in a coma. In his final breaths, desperately fighting to survive, Michael held one of his hands and his wife held the other. They cried together, as they watched the man they loved so much struggle in his final seconds of life. Finally, he stopped moving and the monitor on the wall showing his heart rate went flat. In the hospital room, the last place he ever slept, Ralph Scavolini passed away. He was just 43 years old.

The funeral arrangements went by in a daze, as neither Michael, nor his mother, got any sleep. Freddy did his best to comfort his husband and also his mother in law. She slept on their couch, where just a few weeks earlier, Michael’s father laid before he went to the hospital. She stayed for several weeks, grieving over the loss of her husband, before she finally found the strength to go home.

Before this, of course, was the wake, the service and the funeral. Michael attended the wake, which was not well attended. As Ralph had no remaining family in his life, it was attended by his co-workers. Tony, the big boss the construction company, gave Michael a big hug.

"I'm so sorry" he said, as he teared up into Michael's shoulder.

Michael nodded, before Tony made his way to the cakset. Ralph’s distant relatives, ones he had never met, showed to up to pay their respects. Irene’s family, her two brothers and two sisters, showed up to console her in her time of need. Ralph’s in laws, Freddy’s parents, minus Josh, showed up to pay their respects and to console their own son. Of Ralph's immediate family, his wife and kid were the only ones left who could be there that day.

Michael sat in a corner of the wake hall the entire time with Freddy. The small gathering of people came up to them one by one, expressing their sorrow and paying their condolences. Freddy and Michael occassionaly looked into the open casket, seeing the corpse of Ralph inside. He was dressed in a black suit and tie, with his salt and pepper beard on display.

"This is what he would have wanted" Michael thought to himself with a weak smile.

When the wake was over, Michael quickly went home with Freddy, showing no visible emotion on his face, despite the immense pain he felt on the inside. He knew it wasn’t good to bottle these feelings up, but he wanted to be strong, for his mother and for his own sanity.

The day of the funeral began at the church, which most everyone else attended but Freddy and Michael. Freddy had asked his parents not to go, but they insisted upon make an appearance, at least to comfort Michael’s mother. Getting ready in their apartment, Michael adjusted his suit, as Freddy came up behind him, in a similar styled suit. He kissed him on the neck and whispered in his ear.

“Ready to go?” he asked solemnly.

“As ready as I’ll ever be” Michael replied stoically.

Freddy drove Michael to the cemetery, having taken off from classes to do so. When they arrived, they saw they were the first ones there. They waited patiently at the open plot, before the hearse with Michael’s father’s body arrived, followed by the other mourners. The pallbearers, Ralph’s co workers, lifted the casket out and brought it to the open plot.

Walking towards them was Michael’s mother, sobbing hysterically as she did so. Michael embraced his mother in a tight hug, before the priest from the church approached them.

“We missed you at the service” he noted to Michael.

“Your church ruined my father” Michael hissed back in reply.

The priest was taken aback by the sharp words, before he decided to ignore the slight and proceed over to the casket. Standing in a circle, the priest read from scripture, before the casket of Ralph Scavolini was buried into the ground. Michael’s mother wept openly, as Freddy’s parents sought to console her. Michael looked solemn, but showed no other source of emotion on his face. He watched his father’s casket buried into the ground, knowing this was the final goodbye.

As the dirt was piled on top of the casket, Freddy sought to comfort his husband, the man he loved more than anyone in the world. In that moment, as he hugged Michael tightly, he remembered what his father in law had said to him in his hospital bed just a week earlier.

“When I pass” Freddy could remember his father in law saying “it will seem, at first, like he’s totally composed himself and gotten his stuff together. He’ll be calm at the funeral and everything will seem to be fine.”

Freddy looked at Michael, who quietly stared at the plot, as the groundskeeper continued to pile dirt on top of the casket.

“But trust me, Freddy, things will not be fine.”

Freddy held Michael tightly, before he tried to move his husband away from the plot. As hard as he nudged, Michael would not move.

“However, someday after I die, he’s going to lose it and snap. He’ll probably do something to you, or your mother in law or somebody else he cares about that he’ll deeply regret.”

Freddy continued to hold Michael, as the dirt was almost fully covering the open plot.

“I want you to promise me that you’ll find it in your heart to forgive him when he does it.”

Back in the present time…..

What do you do now?

• Freddy forgives Michael for cheating on him O added 3 years ago

• The police arrive at the cemetery
• Freddy turns into Buddy again

Write a new chapter