Class Reunion

Kyle helped Jeff with the arrangements for Hope's funeral.  She was buried the day that Harlan was supposed to have been born.  It was a small, but very emotional service.  Grief was mixed with guilt for everyone in attendance.  Everyone had misjudged Hope based on her actions and attitude that they now knew had been out of her control.

Jeff and The Little Colonel, as Kyle insisted on calling the boy, moved in with Kyle immediately after the funeral.  Jeff returned to school and, with the help of Kyle and his family, managed his education and a newborn.  Kyle refused to let Jeff return to work on a regular basis.  He agreed to let Jeff pay him back for the added expenses after he graduated and got a job.  Of course, Jeff agreed that the only job he would take would be as a partner in Kyle's firm.  He also helped Kyle with some projects while he was studying.

Jeff got his Master's degree two years later, but Colonel gave Kyle the present that day.  Kyle's parents, who considered him one of their grandchildren, spoiled the boy horribly but it never showed.  Colonel was a wonderful child who loved his family fiercely.  It never occurred to the boy that his family was different.

Jeff, Kyle, and Colonel were at Kyle's parents, as Jeff got ready for the graduation ceremony.  Colonel was outside playing with Kyle's father when a wasp stung him.  He naturally began crying, and nothing Kyle's parents did would stop him.  Jeff was in the shower, so Kyle came running downstairs to check on the boy.

"Poppa!" Colonel yelled and ran to Kyle's arms.  Confused by the tears in Kyle's eyes, his mother questioned him.

"He calls Jeff, 'Daddy'," Kyle explained.  "He never actually addressed me before."  Kyle looked at the little angel in his arms.  "Who is that?" he asked, pointing at his mother.

"Gamma," Colonel answered.  He identified Kyle's father as "Gampa".  As expected, Jeff who had joined them now, was called "Daddy".  Jeff pointed at Kyle and said his name, but Colonel shook his little head.  "Poppa," he stated firmly, and wrapped his tiny arms around Kyle's neck tightly.

Jeff, Kyle, and Colonel had lived quite happily together for eight and a half years.  At that point, tragedy once again struck Jeff's life.  Kyle was diagnosed with bone cancer.  He battled bravely, but as Colonel's birthday approached, it became obvious to all that the end was near.  He refused to ruin his little Colonel's ninth birthday by dying that day, but he gave up the next day.

Colonel seemed to handle the loss better than anyone anticipated.  He had wept bitterly with his father at the memorial service.  After the funeral, he went right back to his usual routine, though.  Jeff, understandably, had more trouble coping with the loss.

Jeff became paranoid of his son's health.  Every little sniffle was reason for a visit to the pediatrician.  Kyle's parents wanted to help, but they weren't sure what to do.  The pediatrician eventually refused to see them.  It was Colonel who finally put a stop to it.

"Dad, you are driving me crazy!" he exclaimed one night when Jeff started to check his temperature in response to a sneeze.  "I am not sick, and I'm not going to die.  You are."

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.

"Well, my mother died, and now Poppa's dead.  Everybody dies around me.  So you're going to die, too."  Jeff was stunned, but he recovered quickly.

"Well, son, eventually everyone dies, but I don't guess we have to spend every minute thinking about it," Jeff admitted.  "I have been pretty annoying, I suppose."

"Dad, I am the only kid I know who has been expelled from his doctor's office," Colonel pointed out.  In typical behavior for a boy his age, he suddenly jumped up and ran across the room.  He returned with an envelope.  "You got this fancy thing in the mail today.  It looks like kind of like the invitation we got for Aunt Becky's wedding," he added, referring to Kyle's younger sister.  "Who do you know that's getting married in Howard?  Where is that anyway?"

Jeff blanched at the mention of the town he had grown up in.  "That's the town where I went to school," he answered his son.  He took the envelope and opened it slowly, knowing what he would find inside.  "This is an invitation," he confirmed.  "It's not to a wedding, though.  It's for my twenty year high school reunion."

"Are we going to go?" Colonel asked.

"No, we are not," Jeff answered shortly.

"Oh," Colonel said, obviously disappointed.  "Are you going there, while I go to Gramma and Grampa's?"

"The reunion is scheduled for the weekend of your birthday," Jeff explained.  "Even if I felt like seeing a lot of people who didn't like me twenty years ago, I wouldn't spoil your birthday."

"Dad, I've told you, I don't want a party anymore.  I don't ever want another birthday party," Colonel insisted.  "I want to do something different.  This sounds cool.  Would we stay at a hotel?"

"But, son, I don't have anything in common with them," Jeff defended weakly.  "I never did."

"Dad, you're old," the boy began.  "That means that high school was a long time ago.  Don't you think that there would be someone that you could talk to about something?  Other people had to have had kids by now.  Talk about me, if you have to.  You do plenty of other times."

"Hey, you're right!" Jeff suddenly exclaimed.  "I could tell them about the time you snuck out your bedroom window to chase the ice cream truck naked."

"Maybe you were right, Dad," Colonel admitted.  "Maybe you should stay home."

"No, you were right," Jeff said seriously.  "I can't mourn forever.  It's time to get back to living and doing the things I enjoy.  My favorite thing to do is have fun with you, so we'll go."

"Poppa would want us to have fun, wouldn't he?" the boy asked solemnly.

"Yes, he would son," Jeff agreed.  "He wouldn't want you to give up birthday parties forever, either."  Jeff saw the look on his son's face, so he decided to not push the issue.  "We'll talk about it another time, ok?"

"All right, Dad," Colonel told his father.  He turned to walk away, but returned with a very serious, thoughtful expression.  "Will we be back in time to visit Gramma and Grampa… you know… after my birthday?"

"Yes, we will," Jeff confirmed.  "We have already promised to stay with them for that entire week."

"Goodnight, Daddy," the boy yawned.  He gave his father a fierce hug, and then ran to his room.

The first person that Jeff saw when he and Colonel arrived at the hotel was the last person he hoped to run into.  He knew that would be rather unavoidable, however, since Chris was chairman of the reunion committee.  Twenty-four years earlier, when Jeff had gotten the erection in freshman gym class, it had been because he had been looking at Chris Doss.

Chris had been a teen god.  He was a boy that could reaffirm belief in the divine; because only the child of a god could look that good.  He had short hair that was the perfect shade between blond and brown.  His hairless alabaster face was absolutely flawless.  His sky blue eyes could pierce to your very soul, while you happily drowned in their depths.  He was president of the freshman class, and had been captain of both the junior high football and baseball teams.  He was the elite of the socially elite, but he had never been a snob.

Seeing Chris all these years later was a shock, but Jeff had known it would happen at some point during the weekend.  He only had a momentary brain lapse as he took in Chris' molded good looks.  He didn't appear to have aged at all since graduation, and Jeff said so before he realized that he was speaking out loud.

"I could say the same of you, Jeff," Chris replied.  "Everyone will be really glad to see you."

"I don't know about that, but I'm here anyway," Jeff muttered.

"Dad, you promised," Colonel whispered.

"You must be Jeff's excuse for skipping the last reunion," Chris joked to the boy.  "You look just like your dad did at your age.  I'm Chris," He said as he offered his hand to Colonel.

"This is my son, Harlan," Jeff introduced.

"You kept your word to your grandmother," Chris whispered.  "I knew you would.  You always were a special kind of guy."

"My friends at school call me Harley," the boy announced.  "Family calls me Colonel."

"May I call you Harley, then?" Chris asked.  Colonel looked from his father to Chris and back again before answering.

"For now," he told the man cryptically.  Both men looked at the boy as if expecting an explanation, but none was offered.  "Am I the only kid here?"

"No, you're not," Chris answered.  He looked at Jeff and added, "Jennifer and Sam Gerdeman are at the pool, supervising the kids while the adults meet and mingle in the bar.  Jennifer is the school nurse now, and Sam is the athletic director."  He looked back at Colonel and pointed down a hallway.  "The pool is the third door on the right."

"See ya' later, Dad," Colonel called, as he started off as directed.

"Hold it," Jeff caught him.  "We don't know where our room is, and you're not wearing a bathing suit."

"I wasn't going to swim," Colonel protested.  "I knew you would freak out if I got in the water."

"You are in 241," Chris told them both, ignoring the little confrontation.

"Let's go to the room, first, and you can change," Jeff suggested.  "I promise not to freak, if you promise to be careful."

"That's a two bedroom suite," Chris added.  "Shall I expect anyone else for your party?"

"There won't be a party, I don't do those anymore," Colonel announced.

"He meant to ask if there were any other people staying in the room with us, son," Jeff explained.

"Only if Dad gets lucky this weekend," Colonel quipped.

"Colonel!" Jeff gasped as he blushed hotly.

"My god, you still blush!" Chris exclaimed.  Jeff ducked his head, grabbed his son, and headed for the elevator before Colonel could open his big mouth again.  He didn't see Chris watching them leave, but Colonel did.

"Dad, who was that guy?" the boy asked when they got to the room.

"His name is Chris Doss," Jeff answered simply.

"He told me what his name was, Dad," Colonel said in exasperation.

"Well, he was the class president all four years, captain of the football team for two years, he was the homecoming king senior year, and was voted most likely to succeed at graduation," Jeff rattled off.  "He was planning to go into medicine, but I don't know if he stuck with it.  I had such a…  Wait a minute.  Why are you so interested in Chris?"

"I just want to know who everybody is," Colonel answered, attempting innocence, and failing miserably.

"I don't believe this," Jeff snapped.  "You are trying to fix me up."

"Gramma told me to," the boy defended himself.  "She said she doesn't want you wasting away and neither would Poppa."

"Well, you and Gramma just leave me alone," Jeff said a little harshly.  Seeing the look on Colonel's face, he continued in a softer tone.  "I'll know when I'm ready to move on, son, and I will when the time comes.  Besides that, I am the one with the gaydar, not you.  Chris is as straight as a board."

"What's gaydar?" Colonel questioned.

"It's a term that gay men use to explain how they know that someone else is gay without being told," Jeff explained.  "Chris registers as a negative number, son.  He went out with practically every girl in school."

"But, Dad," Colonel protested.

"Let it drop, Colonel, please," Jeff told him.

"Ok, can I ask something else?" the boy countered.  He saw his father about to speak, but cut him off.  "I know, I should have said may I and I just asked a question.  Did you know the people at the pool?"

"Well, I wouldn't say I was a close friend, but, yes, I knew them," Jeff answered.  "They were very nice, and they have always liked kids.  I trust them to watch you for a little while, just as I trust you to be on your best behavior while you are with them.  I'll join you at the pool later."

"Well, if you decide to beat up the old school bully, let me know first," Colonel told Jeff.

"You want to watch your dad be a hero?" Jeff questioned.

"No, I want to ride in the ambulance with you," the boy teased with a laugh.

"Go jump in a pool," Jeff retorted, throwing a pillow at his son.

Jeff checked the reunion schedule that Chris had given him and saw that there was indeed a time set aside for getting reacquainted in the bar downstairs next to the pool.  He had to admit that it had been nice to see Chris again.  Jeff had been completely infatuated with Chris as a teenager, and the man was just as sexy as the boy had been.

Jeff found himself thinking back to that day so long ago.  He was in the showers with the rest of the boys from gym class.  He was all right as long as he kept his mind on what he was doing; he was cleaning up after his workout.  Then he saw Chris.

Chris was shampooing his hair and was looking down, but he was facing Jeff.  For the first time in his life, Jeff saw the object of his most secret desires.  He looked at Chris' cock.  It was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.  Thinking back on it, Jeff realized that Chris was a bit larger in circumference than Kyle had been, not that size mattered.  Yeah, right.

What did matter at the time was that Chris had suddenly looked up.  Jeff whirled around, and that was when the other boys saw his erection.  Chris barely finished his shower before he literally ran from the room.  He was dressed and gone by the time Jeff walked out to the locker room.

Jeff had been terrified that Chris had seen him looking.   He was a nervous wreck for weeks.  It didn't help that Chris began avoiding him.  He wouldn't shower at the same time and was very icy to Jeff in general.  They hardly ever spoke, and then only when necessary.

Jeff was crushed.  He knew then that what he was feeling toward Chris was wrong.  It had destroyed any chance of a relationship, even friendship.  Chris busied himself in activities around the school.  Jeff just hid behind his mental wall, which wouldn't be broken until he got together with Kyle.

He realized now that although he had truly loved Kyle, he had never actually dealt with his feelings for Chris.  He had hidden from them, but they were still there.  Jeff still had a schoolboy crush on his high school fantasy.

Jeff suddenly felt as if he had been lying to Kyle.  Tears came to his eyes as he remembered Kyle's selfless devotion to him.  Jeff knew that Colonel would be disappointed if he got too emotional this weekend, so he dried his eyes and left the room.

The bar was next to the pool and as Jeff sat sipping a fuzzy navel, he scanned the area for his son.  Colonel didn't appear to be in the pool.  Jeff turned his attention to the deck chairs and still didn't see the boy.  He returned Sam's wave as he stood up.  Jennifer called out to him.

"He's in the hot tub, Jeff," she said cheerfully, as he walked up.  "Harley's a great kid.  He's very proud of you, too."

"I'm pretty wrapped up in him, as well," Jeff confessed.  "It was his idea to come this weekend.  He thought it would be good for me."

"Well, I don't know about you," Jennifer began, "but he's having a great time.  He and Chris seem to have really hit it off."

"What?" Jeff gasped.

"Sam and I have three boys," Jennifer explained.  "The middle one is named Chris.  He's the same age as your Harley.  They were having a great time together until Chris had to leave for soccer practice."

"Well, maybe I'll go keep him company in the hot tub," Jeff said, relaxing somewhat.  "That four hour drive left me a bit sore.  It was nice talking to you, Jennifer."

"I'll see you around this weekend, Jeff," she replied.  "Oh, and tell Chris Doss that the kitchen staff was looking for him just now."

"Huh?" Jeff questioned intelligently.

"Well, he and Harley headed for the hot tub together," Jennifer explained.  Jeff didn't listen to hear any more.  He had to find out what his son was up to.

"I know your dad would think that he wasn't the most popular guy in school, Harley, but I don't understand why he would be so reluctant to attend the reunions," Chris was saying as Jeff neared the whirlpool.  "Well, I remember the first one was very close to your birth, so that makes sense."

"My mom died that weekend, right after I was born," Colonel explained.  "Then someone else died this last year on the same weekend.  This is a hard week for Dad."

"Oh, Jeff…" Chris murmured.  To Colonel, he said, "He was always very sensitive, your dad.  He was easily hurt and seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders all the time.  I used to wonder if he would ever be happy."

"I have been, Chris," Jeff said softly.  "Colonel makes me very happy and extremely proud."  The boy blushed slightly, but smiled contentedly.

"Oh, Jeff, we didn't hear you walk up…" Chris stammered a little nervously.  "Your boy is pretty special.  He thinks you are the greatest thing since the wheel.  He told Sam and Jennifer that you still make your grandmother's recipe cookies.  Both of them still burn water."

"Their son Chris says he likes to cook, though," Colonel added.  "He wants to be a chef when he grows up."

"That boy is amazing in the kitchen, Jeff," Chris agreed.  "You'd never know how old he is by the food he cooks."  He stood up then, turning away from Jeff and his son as he did.  "Well, I have to get back to work around here.  I'll see you guys later at the class family dinner."

"Don't tell me you still work here?" Jeff asked.  "I thought that you were going into medicine?"

"I didn't finish school," Chris answered.  "My folks were in an auto accident during my first semester.  They both spent months in the hospital, and needed a lot of help after they got out.  I came back to help them run the place, and I never left.  They are gone now, but I can't seem to get away from here.  Now that it's mine, I see what my father saw in the place back then."

"Well, the old place has definitely changed since high school," Jeff said admiringly.  "It looks like you've done some good things with it."

"There are a lot more that I would like to see, but I need an architect to draw up plans and I just don't have the time to go to the big city and hire someone to come all the way out here to look at the place."

"Dad's already here," Colonel volunteered.  "He could redesign the whole place for you if you want him to."

"What?" Chris questioned.  "I could never impose on your father's vacation, Harley."

"I told you he could do it earlier and you said that would be great," the boy announced in confusion.  This time Chris looked embarrassed.  "Ummm… he wasn't supposed to know that we talked about that, was he?"

"Probably not," Jeff answered.  "Since I did hear it, though, I will act like I didn't."

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