Love In A Time of War

Adam could never remember being so excited. Birthdays? Maybe. Celebrating Christmas with dad? Perhaps? His first solo on the tuba or a home run for the baseball team? Even his first crush was just a bit less exciting than this. All nice, but so many spectacular things had happened this week.

He turned on his light and looked at his clock. A little after seven. Super exciting things often took an awful long time to happen. There was the time to anticipate what would occur and there were still things to do, but it seemed forever till tonight and the start of the all the joy and happiness. He snuggled back down in bed and thought he would give it a bit longer, then get up and see how he could help.

The first exciting thing was when dad had asked them both if they really wanted to leave the city and move to the house in HOH, as they called it. Adam pointed out that they weren’t moving to Saint Paul, Minnesota. He had been learning state capitals in history class. Padre, who always said the right thing, told dad as long as they were with him, they would be happy. They would be coming to the city each day, just live in the country. Being dad, he wanted to be sure they would be okay.

Padre had put the down payment on it, and of course dad would own it, too, and they insisted they would not have to sell the Renoir. She could still look down on them, maybe from the living room?

He closed his eyes and tried to remember it. The yard was large with lots of trees, room for him to toss a ball with the guys; maybe camp out on warm nights, if the dads would too. He thought there might be room for a pool, but he shouldn’t ask for too much, maybe just a small boat. His own house. He wondered what his room would be like? The dads said he could pick any room he wanted. They had not been inside, but he remembered a tree beside the house. It would be nice to have a tree by his bedroom. They would go to HOH and see it soon and all of this speculation would come true. He would have friends over, but they would have to understand about the dads, if not, they would not be friends of his. Maybe they could bring the Adirondack chairs from the balcony and sit by the river? Their slice of the river. The three of them.

They had spent time with his new Aunt Ingrid and how great and exciting that had been to hear about dad when he was little. He had insisted dad translate, not leaving anything out, giving the answers exactly as he asked. She said he was always silly, but dear, gentle, and full of compassion and love. Adam had asked her a million questions, wanting to know as much about his dad as possible, while padre beamed at him and dad had been embarrassed. She promised to come back with her husband, Frederich, and, at some point, to meet them in Italy, at the chalet. He loved having an aunt and she had smothered him with kisses, which he allowed, when she had to leave.

The next exciting thing was that Mr. Scott had come for drinks and asked if they wanted to adopt Adam. Men, in rare cases, could become adoptive parents, and the judge said they must decide on one, as due to the times, two bachelor men could not both adopt him, and the other could equally raise him, but one would be listed as his legal parent. This had led to silence, until dad said: “Eph, it must be you, for I am the silly one and really you always know what to do and I am not yet a citizen.” He took Adam’s hand. “You belong to both of us, and always will and we are the Three Musketeers, but padre is the right choice.”

Padre had cried and said no, until dad had leaned in to put his head against his and said yes.

The last exciting thing was today they were having a party for his dad. The reporter from the “Post” had written an article about the war hero who had saved 50 Jewish people and his dad had become the talk of the town. So tonight they were having a party and Miss Treadwell, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, Mr. Scott, Lettie, Sol, and Moises were coming and he, padre, and Moises had a surprise for him.

Most of the boys in school, and his friends, were in awe of his dad and thought it the super coolest thing ever. Only one boy had called his dad a faggot, and Adam had clobbered him, leading to his getting in trouble at school and the dads had sat him down and sternly told him that was not the right way to fight prejudice and ignorance, but they worried they had sequestered him away due to their lifestyle. Adam had been very vehement in stating that was rubbish and that he was the luckiest and happiest guy in the world.

The dumb people from the building had said they could stay, once the article had come out, but they were going to HOH to their own home.

He sneaked out of bed to the kitchen and looked in at all the food. Nona was bringing her orange cake with chocolate icing, Mr. Scott was going to make whiskey sours, Lettie was bringing her matzah ball soup, they were having Osso Buco, and today he and padre were making their tomato sauce and pasta, and Miss Treadwell was bringing green beans, which he loved.

“Schnucki, it is very early.”

“Dad, today is your party!”

“Remember dearest, we said it was a dinner, not a party.”

Ephraim came up behind Klaus and wrapped his arms around him. “A dinner can be a party and this is your dinner party, mister.”

He huffed. “For silly old me.”

“For perfect old you.” Ephraim held him for a moment and pushed him aside, knowing further sentiments would cow him. “Now get moving you big lug, we’ve got work to do.”

Later when Adam was finished dressing he thought about perfect days and how this was adding up to be one of the best ones. He had helped padre with the sauce for the pasta, which was cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, prosciutto, basil, garlic, some salt and pepper, then you let it cook. He loved to squish the tomatoes totally in the sauce. He checked his music, went into their bedroom, and only found padre. He squeezed his hand, whispered that he hoped dad would like what they had planned and found his dad on the balcony, in his seer sucker suit, having a cigarette.

He beamed up at him. “Dad, you can’t ask any questions. I’ve been so thrilled and look at how great everything looks?”

They turned, man and almost man, and looked. Charles, who worked for Luisa and Philip, had brought their long terrace table in a van and against their table, and with some furniture jammed in their bedroom, the table extend onto the terrace, in this balmy night. It gleamed with silver and candles, beautiful flatware and chinaware. The flowers were lovely.

“Yes, schnucki it does, but I don’t understand it.”

“Just remember you’re Xenos, who saves the day.”

He kissed the top of his head. “I love you more than anything. That I’ll always understand.”

The buzzer sounded and Adam ran to it. Ephraim came by his side, in his grey suit and took his hand. “I love you more every minute.”

He turned those liquid robin’s egg eyes to Ephraim. “You’re the one who makes everything. You know that, I hope?”

He kissed him quickly and whispered in his ear. “My fucking hot boy.”

As they were seated at the table, having had whiskey sours and Italian cheeses and sausages first, and now their glasses full of Chateau lafite Rothschild, a gift from Timothy, and all the incredible food ahead, Ephraim stood.

“Thank you for coming to our first and last party here.” He laughed. “But there will be many more in our new home in Hastings On Hudson, where you all will be coming to see us. They say home is where the heart is, and mine is, and always will be, with my two boys, and the most perfect man, I have ever met, who saved us. He is the reason we are all here tonight. He didn’t want this, but great hero’s aren’t aware of their power, but they are the path we follow and the happiness we all have. So let’s raise a glass to Klaus Werner Jager.”

He sat and Klaus looked at him with more love than he could ever express. After the extraordinary meal, he stood.

“I’ve thought a lot about this evening and paths we take in life. Thank God I was led to the Lombardia area of Milan and Piazzadella Sorto and the apartment building there.” He stopped and his voice shook. “You see that is where my life,” he looked at them both, “our life began. I found purpose, hope, and total love there. Eph and Adam; they are the answers to my prayer and they enable me to know love, and to be who I might be, and to live. To all of you, I love you and thank you for tonight. I am no hero, because in truth they saved me, but your kindness,” he faltered, “generosita?” He looked at Adam, who displaying a mouth full of braces, whispered, “generosity.”

Klaus ruffled his hair, “generosity get us through. Thank you for understanding that we are a family. I am overwhelmed by all this. My grandparents have done so much for us.” He started to cry. “Can we have the cake now?”

Luisa cut the cake and once they had cake, cookies, and cinnamon babka, Adam made an announcement. “Ladies and gentlemen, now for our entertainment. Padre, Moises, and I will play ‘Che gelida mennia’ by Puccini from ‘La Boheme’.”

Klaus gasped and they took their places. “Dad, this is for you.”

Later that night the three were collapsed on the sofa. “Dad, did you enjoy your party?”

He pulled them both in close. “You know what? The best was you and padre playing. I cried. After the night we met, this was the best night ever.”

Ephraim whispered in his ear. “Ours, too.”

Chapter 8:

1953

They carried their trays down to the long marble table by the pool. The steaks and potatoes were on the grill, there were hydrangeas, roses, daises, foxglove, and red hot pokers in a vase. Klaus loved red hot pokers because he always said that they reminded him of Ephraim’s red hot poker.

Once they were settled and had their steaks, loaded potatoes, summer tomatoes, vegetables; and Klaus had poured their wine, he unfolded his napkin with a flourish.

Ephraim was about to take a sip when Klaus held up his hand. “I cannot believe you convinced me to let our son go off to Hollywood with those people.”

He stood and pushed back his chair and Klaus’s chair to sit on his lap.

“Hey, my potato!”

“Dearest, are you going to huff? Are you going to lock him in the basement forever?”

This was more of a snort. “Not likely. He’s as tall as we are; driving now, going away to school in the fall.”

“Exactly.” He kissed him. “I love you more than all the potatoes ever, now eat.”

“We can drive to Yale, we fucking can’t drive to Los Angeles.”

“The Corey’s are lovely people and it is just one week.” Ephraim grinned, knowing they had had this conversation multiple times. His silly boy, whom he loved more than anything.

He huffed again. “I miss him. Besides, you said it was sexy when I huffed.”

Ephraim grinned. “Yes, love, particularly with butter on your chin.”

Klaus looked chagrined, wiped his mouth and raised his glass. “Happy anniversary to my one and only. My reason for being. The reason I know how to love.” He turned. “Great grill. Think of all the incredible meals we can have out here? You always give me the best gifts.” He sighed. “I’m worried about mine. It is coming you know.”

Ephraim took his hand. “I have you. I have never needed anything else.”

They enjoyed the perfect evening, the incredible meal, the wine, and each other. As Ephraim cut the apple tart, Klaus realized he had forgotten the cream. He kissed Ephraim heartily. “Just marking my place, till I come back with the cream. After we’re done, let’s have a swim,” he leaned in, without suits, and an even better cream.” He picked up one of the trays and meandered up the stone path to their house.

He watched him saunter off, still ravishingly beautiful, with a few more lines around the eyes, the blonde hair, almost white from their summer in the sun. He was tan and just as fit as ever, and every day the love grew stronger. In his flip flops, shorts, and shirt with his sleeves rolled up, Ephraim had almost turned over the table and done him right there. He stood and looked first at the Hudson, glowing brown and green in the setting sun. Their part of the river, the dock and the canoe, where they swam and paddled about. His gaze went about the lawn, with the plethora of blooms and their Adirondack chairs. Then he studied the gorgeous pool Klaus had put in, where they had so much fun, with Adam and his friends and Scott, whom they all adored; the clear area where Adam tossed the ball with the boys and them, as they tried to help Ephraim, who swam, but otherwise was helplessly uncoordinated, to catch or throw a football or hit a baseball, and they laughed.

The seasons, the holidays, the love, and their perfect house, which Klaus had fixed from top to bottom. The bricks glowed in the early evening light, some of the Kelly green shutters, which Klaus chose because of his eye color, half in the light now; the rooms they had decorated, all with such pride and love. Klaus had become a citizen with Scott’s help, Mr. Morgan, had paid him back, and he was a full partner in the firm now. Ephraim knew he never would have become concert master, without his boys, and now Adam, who had graduated with honors was off to Yale, to major in biology and science. He knew Klaus would miss him dreadfully and he would too.

As a graduation gift, he was off to Los Angeles for a week with the Corey family, neighbors here at Hastings On Hudson. Their son and Adam were best high school friends, incessantly talking about cars, girls, and football. The love of their life was all grown up and was about to take flight to Yale.

He saw his savior loping down the yard, tray in hand and watched him, never able to understand his luck and good fortune.

Klaus in turn was nervous. He had deliberately forgotten the cream, going through their house with Ephraim’s imprint everywhere. So many beautiful things he had given him: the Aubusson in living room, the early print of New York above the mantel, the etchings and paintings, the books, lining the den, and the trompe l’oeil he had commissioned for their entry hall of this house and the river. All for him. He never felt like he had given him enough, so recently when his watch was failing, he and Adam had gone to Tiffany’s, bought a very expensive one and had it engraved.

As he assembled the tray, with the wrapped box, the cream, and a rose, the phone on the gate leg table rang.

It was his boy, with his deep voice and heart as big as all out doors. “Did it work, dad?”

“Schnucki, look at you calling from Hollywood! I’m on my way down to the pool, fingers crossed.”

“It will dad. It’s the best gift ever! I can’t wait to hear. I better fly, though. Can’t use all my dough you gave me on the horn. It’s great here. We just drove by MGM. Love you, dad.”

“Us, too. More than we can say.”

Klaus came onto the terrace as Ephraim took two plates off the still warm grill with the slices of tart.

When they had finished their tart and coffee, Klaus uncovered the rose and the green Tiffany’s box and stood and placed them by his plate. He knelt down.

“Listen to me a minute. If I loved you anymore, I would burst.” He reached up and cupped his head; those luscious curls and flawless face, with those all seeing eyes, and thick eyelashes, always showing absolute love. “I’m a muck at giving gifts,” he sniffled, “I guess I always just consider you, all the time, the best gift any man has any right to deserve, or not to deserve. Every minute of every day.” He handed him the box. “You remember when you told me it was time? Well you are my time. It stands still when I’m with you and takes forever when we’re not together.”

Ephraim let the tears fall and opened the box. “Oh, dearest.”

“It’s inscribed,” he admitted bashfully.

Ephraim turned it over and read. “Time is nothing without you. You are mine, every minute, always.”

He let Klaus put it on his wrist and threw himself into his arms, causing them to topple off the terrace onto the grass, rolling around, one on top of the other, mouths locked together, till they sat up, beaming at each other.

“Last one in, is the first one to get fucked,” Ephraim roared, pushing him off, fumbling to get his clothes off. Klaus huffed and simply stood, kicked off his flip flops; raced to the deep end of the pool and did a beautiful dive into the middle of it, still with his shorts and shirt on. He surfaced and shook that golden head; tan skin and sapphire eyes sparkling. “I took my watch off in the kitchen. Get your Tiffany’s watch off, and get that fucking, hot, tight ass, property of Klaus Werner Jager in this pool!”

Once he was naked and his watch safely on the table, Ephraim strutted to the end of the diving board to sit on the edge of it, pole on the rise. He leaned back. “Why Sir, what language. You mean this ass?”

“The one and only.” Klaus flexed his grapefruit sized biceps, pulling himself up by the sides of the diving board to swoop down on his dick. He bobbed up and down, doing pull ups, as Ephraim dangled further off the board. “Christ, I think that thing is longer than the pool skimmer.”

He fell off the board into his arms. “You talk too much and you’ve got too much on.”

Klaus pulled them down to the shallow end and stripped. Swimming with Ephraim he moved deep enough to still stand; picked him up and threw him up in the air, catching his long, muscled body in his arms, ogling his long rod and bouncing balls. He did this several times, then dunked him under the water, stroking his slick prick, loving the bubbles around his tool, as he stuck a finger up his wet hole. Surfacing, their cocks dueled together in the warm water, as he started to do the back stroke as Ephraim swam between his legs, lowering his head to suck on his huge hard on, and pull on his balls. He swam Klaus down to the shallow end again to hold him up with one arm, and use the water as a lube to start jacking him off. Klaus purred and huffed, wrapping his arms around him, pulling his mouth down to own it. He stood and they jerked each other in the shallow end, long slow strokes, two assured hands on both pricks, tightly wrapped around their treasures, all the while tugging on nut sacks, pinching tits, and sinking down to fill their mouths with water and squirt it on each other.

“Enough,” Klaus ordered, lifting him up on the pool deck. He pulled himself out. “Stay”, he intoned in a husky voice. He went to get the bottle of wine, got a towel from one of the pool recliners, and took two rubber bands from one pocket of his shorts. First, he laid Ephraim on the towel, then he turned him over and began to paddle his hirsute rear. “That’s for being a bad boy.”

Ephraim inhaled a deep breath. “Yeah, punish me, baby.”

“I intend to.” In between whacks, he filled his mouth with wine and squirted into his beautiful brown crack, licking, sucking, narrowing his tongue to poke into the tumid opening, then smacking him again. He kept this up, till his cheeks were rosy, then turned him over. Getting back out of the pool, he attached a rubber band around both of their balls and he dove on on Ephraim’s spear, sucking, nuzzling, and suctioning his quaking penis, which stood tall and ready.

“You are mine, baby, forever,” he growled. “I’m gonna fuck myself inside you,” he panted, to really make us one.”

“Do it, stud boy. Breed me. I’m lost if you’re not in me.”

He positioned himself above him, collecting their pre cum and putting it in his mouth. With a dangerous glint in those eyes, he plowed into him ruthlessly. “Lost and found, big boy.” Ephraim screamed in delight.

It was dark now, which deprived them of seeing, but they knew each other like a book. Ephraim reached for his aching log, to have his hand batted away by the love of his life. “Those bands tight enough, my hottie boy?”

Ephraim’s whole body shook in response, as Klaus sweating away; tore in and out, while being clawed by his husband. Ephraim trying to back even further on the javelin, in hopes he would feel it come out of his throat.

Huffing, panting, groaning, screaming, they made it a rut for the books.

Klaus made several super long plunges; Ephraim’s prostrate completely battered. He threw his head back, “close, reason I live,” he huffed. He leaned in, pulled Ephraim’s head up. “Together,” he pleaded, burying their mouths together, shooting at the same time, Ephraim like a garden hose gone wild and Klaus a pool of hot seed deep in his guts.

That night as they lay in their big bed, in their amazing house; Ephraim had his head on his chest, listening to his heart beat, as Klaus twirled his fingers through his curls. “Because of you, I’ll always know what love and happiness are.”

Klaus lifted his head, their eyes meeting and holding, two hearts and souls as one. “And I shall always have a life with you both. That makes me the luckiest person ever.”

Epilogue

Adam

Adam sat in the darkened room, by the bed. His breathing was becoming more labored. They were giving him morphine. The nurse had said hearing was the last thing to go, so he tried. Telling him he loved him more than anything, for he did. They all thought dad was the one, and he was, but padre; Adam knew had been there since he was five. Dad always said the rock that held the family together.

His mind went to how we define a family? He thought of the arguments and fights he had with those bigoted and too myopic to understand that love defined a family. He had almost not married Madeline, because her family couldn’t accept two men instead of a traditional father and mother. They had always been there, in the shadows, because of their love. Yet, they gave him everything and made him the man he was.

They had lost dad first. He remembered the call. He started telling padre he was near. He hoped he was.

That day was a crisp fall day and he been asked to take over an atmospheric science class from an ailing professor.

Padre had told him they were walking down to the river to sit on their bench, not the Adirondack chairs anymore. Dad was going to be 81. They moved slowly and holding hands, two men for nearly 53 years had been one. Padre had never stopped talking about how dad had been one of the first Pritzker Prize winners, for a building he built in mid town Manhattan. They were so proud of him.

He knew the story so well. Dad wasn’t saying much as they walked and suddenly he griped padre’s arm, staggered, and fell to the ground. “Eph, oh God, Eph.”

Ephraim sank down beside him. “Darling.”

“I’m sorry, Eph.” Ephraim was sobbing. “What is it? Let me get to the phone.”

“Don’t leave me. I love you more than anything. You’ve,” he stiffened, “always, the one,” then he was gone. He’d had a massive heart attack. Padre would cry and say: “that perfect heart left me.”

Adam was sure padre wouldn’t make it. The two years without him, he knew must have been hell. Now riddled with cancer, he took his hand. “It’s okay. You can go. We’ll be okay. Go to dad.” Adam was crying. “I love you more than anything.”

The nurse came in with another needle. She said gently: “Sometimes, they want to be alone when they go.” She put the needle in the IV. “This will help.”

Adam nodded his head and stood. His eyes fell on the picture by the bed. Two incredibly handsome men in their white tuxedo jackets at his wedding, standing on either side of him. He would have fucked with anyone who would have stopped them from attending. Arranged around that picture, were pictures of his children, Sarah and Toby, the twins, from Madeline’s side of the family and seniors in high school currently. The loves of his life now. He tried to be a dad, as they had always been. That shining example.

The grandfather clock downstairs gonged eight and he looked at the Tiffany watch he now wore that had been padre’s. Before he had begun what they called transitioning, he had given it to Adam.

He went downstairs. He sat in one the wing chairs by the fireplace. He was going to be an orphan. So many loses: Nonna and Philip, Lettie and Sol, Aunt Ingrid and her husband, Frederich, the Morgan’s, Thelma Treadwell, who had become his godmother, Aunt Eleanor, whom they had visited in Paris. Only Aunt Ingrid’s children, Moises, and his family, and Uncle Scott remained.

Uncle Scott had taken over their apartment and remained there all these years. Becoming a state’s attorney, never having a steady boyfriend, because he said he could never find a love like theirs. He had an aide who looked after him now. Adam and Madeline had discussed moving him in to their house, near Bennington, where Adam had become a writer, teacher, and scholar on atmospheric science, so they could care for him. He felt the love and knew his dads had given him enough to get him through. They would always be his heart.

Ephraim

His mind was like a kaleidoscope. There were rooms with memories, but one door remained shut. He couldn’t get to him. It was hard to breathe. Adam, his love, was there. Madeline, the twins, and Scott had said goodbye. Where was he? He was ready. The day Klaus had died, everything had ended. Life was over. He had tried. It was hard to stay in the house, but it had been theirs, full of color, artwork, beautiful furniture, and love. He knew Klaus wouldn’t want him to give up, then the cancer came and for months the terrible pain, then disappearing but not totally. Would he come? He hoped Nonna had come for Klaus. He had never met Klaus’s parents or grandparents on his father’s side, nor Gunter’s widow and child. They had never forgiven him for Gunter’s sentence and death, as the real war criminal. They had met Ingrid and family in Italy, and had even taken the twins skiing there. Their grandchildren, whom they adored.

The images came; his parents in Warsaw; his first violin, their love and acceptance of him, being shy and musical, and not interested in girls.

Then Milan and the Stein’s and their love for each other. The Fascists, the war, and Klaus. He knew without him their life would have ended. Without Klaus there was no music anymore, but a darkness.

He had known love, real love, for almost 53 years and that was the greatest gift of life. They had grown old together and the love was always there.

Breathing was hard, people flitted in front of his eyes. All the loved ones, in the different rooms of life. He heard Adam tell him to go. He had Madeline and the twins. He knew he would take care of Scott. He had promised. He was their perfect boy and man now.

Suddenly the door was opened and there was love. He looked as flawless as ever. Not the man who had died in his arms, but his stalwart, gorgeous hero. The love of his life.

“I’m here. We’ll be together for eternity. Schnucki will be okay. We’ll get him when he’s ready. Are you ready? I’ve loved you more than everything from the moment we met. Give me your hand. It’s time.”

“Yes,” said Ephraim. He took his hand and they walked through the door together.

The End