The Hathaway

Epilogue

Things settled into a comfortable routine once the shadow had been banished. The congregation fell into a contented sleep beneath the ruins, only betraying their presence when one of us would take the time to visit and sit quietly to listen for them. Like Emma at the boarding house, we considered them our guardian angels and were quite happy to be sharing the property with them. Upon further inquiries at the Indian Archives, Heather discovered that Elder Jackson had been found out, and had not escaped without paying for his crime. The Indians had noticed the fire, and, realizing he had deliberately killed their friends, they ambushed him while the family that had taken him in was away, and brought down their own swift justice. It only took one arrow, but as he fell, he knocked over a lantern and set the structure ablaze. Neighbors came running and put out the fire before the building was fully engulfed, and the family was able to rebuild. Interestingly, these were Evelyn’s direct ancestors.

We did indeed make some good friends at Andrew’s house. It didn’t take everyone long to realize what was going on between Ben and I. After dropping my third drink, he finally allowed me to remove the butt plug, but everyone seemed so disappointed, that he decided to switch places and handed me the remote control before heading off to the bathroom to complete the transition. We met two other couples and a number of single men, all of whom were clearly attracted to Ben, but he only had eyes for me.

We made a dinner date with one of the couples and invited everyone over to the Hathaway for drinks on the porch the following weekend. During that event a couple of the men reminisced about the Halloween parties that another couple had hosted years ago. We took everyone down to the ballroom and asked if they thought people would be interested in a queer Halloween bash here, with the proviso that it be dry. We wanted to be able to include the kids in our care, and thought we could also issue an invitation to the college LGBTQ group, which would also include underage students. One of the guys at the drinks night had worked as a party planner in the city before seeking out a more relaxed life in the country, and he offered to work with Sylvia to see if they could put something together in time for the holiday. It was a great success.

The harbor cruise had also been a success, and the kids found that they already knew many of the church kids from school. Suddenly they all found that they had allies in their classes, and this gave them access to other cliques as well. Jodi found a group of friends who shared her taste in make up and music, but they all seemed to be more interested in boys than anything else. She decided it was more important to find the other girls who liked girls, and soon had surrounded herself with a truly diverse group of friends, none of whom had managed to meet each other before. Under Beth’s guidance, she began getting interested in social justice issues, drawing her new friends in and getting involved in various organizations at school and at the church that had sponsored the boat trip.

All of the kids were happy to maintain a connection with that church, if for no other reason than they had friends there. We began attending services as a family on occasion, and were always welcomed with open arms. Ash was the most introspective of the kids, and seemed drawn to the religious aspects of the organization more than anything else. We encouraged this, allowing him to attend as often as he wanted, and supporting him as he sought out religious education from the minister.

Ben heard back from the forestry service and it seemed that, despite his tardiness and his self doubts, he had actually passed his endurance test with flying colors, and they were impressed with how professionally he responded in light of the extenuating circumstances of the day. He was scheduled to begin orientation within two weeks, and would then start his first responder training. Suddenly his life got a whole lot more busy, but it was what he wanted, and I was pleased to see him so happy.

One unexpected outcome of this was that Chad began to show an interest in forestry as well. Ben took him under his wing and soon they were tramping through the woods together identifying trees and shrubs. I noticed that while the others were often watching sit-coms or movies on the computer, Chad tended towards nature documentaries. He seemed a bit insecure about this, but no one teased him, and they often would seek him out if they found something unusual or interesting on the property. He joined an after school group focused on environmental concerns, and I wondered if this was the fire that Evelyn had encouraged me to help him find. If it were, he had managed to find it on his own.

Sabina and Kevin did not join any after school groups or show any great interest in anything in particular. They both seemed happy, and got good grades. They had a few friends, but were not part of any clique or club. I did not worry with Sabina. Her friends were all adults. Evelyn was right in that she had no real peers among her own age group. Andi continued to spend time with her, helping her understand her gifts, and I knew she would find her niche eventually.

Kevin, on the other hand, did worry me a bit. He seemed to avoid other boys his own age, especially if they were involved in sports. While he wore a leather jacket and heavy boots, he seemed to have no use for the macho bullshit that the jocks exuded, preferring to spend his time with the girls that the jocks admired. The girls liked him and seemed to adopt him as one of their own. This sometimes made him a target, but more often the jocks would simply try to get him to introduce them to one of the girls.

The autumn deepened, and as Thanksgiving approached, Phil invited the residents of Hope House to celebrate the holiday at the boarding house. The table was often a small one on this particular holiday, as the college students generally went back to their families, leaving Phil feeling quite abandoned. We agreed to allow him to supply the feast for Thanksgiving if he promised to join us for Christmas.

The meal Miss M. prepared for Thanksgiving was delightful. The kids spent the morning watching the parade on the television, and the adults helped with set up and various tasks in the kitchen. Ben and I took the lead on clean up after the meal, insisting that the kids all do their part either clearing the table or rinsing dishes before they went into the dishwasher. Once the dining room had been returned to it’s original immaculate state, half a dozen different pies were laid out on the sideboard, and all were free to help themselves. We all snuggled up in front of the television to watch the first of the Christmas specials, and allowed ourselves to relax and doze into the evening.

Christmas posed a more complex roster of activities, with various concerts, plays, and other school events staggered over the intervening month. It was a blessed relief when school finally let out and we were finally down to the wire. Miss M. and Helmut joined us for the Christmas eve service at the church, and when Ash was called up front to do one of the readings we all said a little prayer that he wouldn’t stumble over the words. When he returned to our pew, I was proud to see that the other children were giving him hugs and congratulating him.

At coffee hour, after the service I was surprised to see Evelyn in attendance. She made a point of telling Ash what a fine job he had done, and greeted all of the kids in turn, listening as they told her about everything that was going on in their lives. She confided in me that she had been having issues at the Pentecostal church since she had begun defending our little family and denouncing the prejudices that protesters had espoused. She was surprised that so many were willing to give her a hearing and truly consider a more thoughtful approach, but she was also discouraged that a considerable group was vehement in their condemnation and unwilling to discuss or even consider that they might not have all the information. She hadn’t given up yet and intended to continue being a voice of compassion in an environment that was known for and proud of their intolerance.

The kids were only allowed to open their stockings before our guests arrived on Christmas morning, but we made sure they each had something special to play with while they waited. Ben and Evelyn had conspired and each child would be receiving a hand-knit scarf from Ben with a matching pair of hand-made mittens or gloves from Evelyn. Helmut informed us that he wanted to give his gifts to the kids privately, so Sylvia, Ben, and I joined them in the rec room wondering what he had cooked up for them. He handed them each a small box and they all opened them together. The two girls each found themselves to be the proud owners of brand new vibrators with the appropriate batteries, while the boys discovered they each had a silicone masturbation cup and a small tube of lube. Sylvia rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, “Of course. I should have anticipated that.” She told the kids, “Ok, those do not go under the tree! You can play with them later, but for now you need to find a place for them in you room. Off you go.” She shooed them towards their rooms, instructing them, “If you have any questions on how to use them you can ask Helmut later, once our guests are gone.”

She returned to the couch and sat with Ben and I as Helmut held Kevin back. “Hold on. I have something else for you.”

Sylvia put her hand on my knee and squeezed. “I’ve been waiting for this,” she whispered.

“What is it?” Kevin asked with a smirk, “A dildo to go with the pocket pussy?”

“Smart ass!” Helmut grinned, pulling some papers out of his pocket and unfolding them. “No, just this.” He handed the papers to Kevin and allowed him a moment to read them.

“What is it?” I whispered to Sylvia, but she just shushed me and squeezed my knee harder.

Kevin looked up, his eyes filled with tears. “If you say yes, I’ll sign those right now.” Helmut was uncharacteristically serious.

Kevin couldn’t speak, he tried but the words caught in his throat and in the end all he could do was nod. He finally managed a broken, “Yes,” before throwing his arms around Helmut’s neck and sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder.

Wrapping his arms around the boy, his tears began to flow as well. “I love you son.” was all he could say before being overwhelmed with emotion.

Sylvia was also in tears. I looked at her questioningly and she simply whispered, “Adoption papers.”

Ben and I looked at each other and I knew it wouldn’t be long before we would be joining the waterworks brigade. “Let’s give them some privacy,” I suggested, and the three of us headed to the kitchen.

Once Sylvia was able to talk, she said, “That’s been in process for months. He’s been through all the screenings and done truckloads of paperwork. He swore me to secrecy, just in case he was rejected. He didn’t want Kevin to be disappointed. I’ve been bursting to tell you guys, but he wouldn’t let me.”

By the time our guests arrived all the other kids knew. I thought there might be some jealousy or self pity, but instead it was as if they had all been adopted. They were all so happy for Kevin that the unopened gifts were forgotten and an atmosphere of excited celebration filled the house.

That night, Ben and I lay in bed with full bellies and full hearts. “It’s been an amazing year,” I mused. I never could have imagined.”

“I know,” he agreed. “And then this morning…” He snuggled closer resting his head on my chest and shoulder. “If I think about it I’ll start crying all over again.”

I kissed his forehead, asking, “And what’s wrong with that?” After a moment of silence I chuckled and asked, “I wonder if the boys are playing with their masturbation sleeves yet?”

“I hope so,” Ben replied, already half asleep. “I can’t think of a better way to end such a wonderful day.”

“Can’t you?” I asked. “I can.”

“What?” he mumbled, almost asleep.

“Being here with you, just like this.” But he was gone. I held him and listened to his soft breath as his body went limp in my arms, and knew this night to be sacred. Not because it was a religious holy day, but because of the children who had become our family, because of the love that had been expressed in such a tangible way, because of the joy everyone felt at the good fortune of one, but most of all because of the naked man who had given himself so completely to me and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in my arms. My heart was full indeed.

The End