Chapter 18 #2
“We loved each other from that moment, but neither of us said those three little words until weeks later. We both feared scaring the other, so working up the courage to confess our love took a while.”
“We spent a week at our Hill Country home and ran into a former Marine buddy of Wyl’s at a restaurant,” Rod said. “He started saying ugly things about gays, and Wyl reacted negatively to the comments and got up and left.”
“My years of Marine training slammed into the front of my mind, and my fight or flight reaction kicked in. I ran from the situation 250 miles back to the ranch.”
“This time, I was the one who went to get my man. I drove the 250 miles, gut-wrenched with worry, so in love that fear of rejection never crossed my mind. When I found him sprawled across his bed, sobbing, he told me he ran from the one thing that mattered most in his life, me.” Rod’s voice cracked. “I knew he loved me.”
Wyl reached for his hand. Their eyes met. “And by his actions, I knew he loved me, but saying those words was a big step. We confessed our love and have said it to each other often.”
The audience broke into applause once again.
“I was around you two for several days, and your love is evident in everything you do,” Joe said. “But you have endured quite a few hardships since you met. Tell the group about those.”
“My only brother died three months after Rod and I met. His death hit me like a runaway train. Rod didn’t leave my side for over a week.” Wyl met Rod’s gaze. “He cared for me every minute and ensured I felt loved and needed. I survived Walt’s death only because of his support.”
“Losing Walt dealt a blow to us both.” Rod’s eyes locked with Wyl’s. “Death is never easy. But the experience strengthened our bond as we learned we could rely on each other.”
“To top it off,” Wyl turned his attention to the audience.
“Walt’s ex-wife attempted to lay claim to the ranch.
She failed. Then a ranch hand declared I ain’t workin’ for no queers.
” The audience laughed. “We’re still working through a few of those issues.
We wouldn’t be here tonight if the ex-wife hadn’t outed us on Facebook.
She thought she could damage our reputations.
Our being here tonight proves she failed once again. ”
Thunderous applause broke out, and the audience cheered and celebrated Wyl and Rod’s right to be a gay married couple. In the back row of the sanctuary, one lone female attendee glared at the stage, unknown to Rod and Wyl.
After more questions, and responses from the married ranchers, Joe stood and walked to center stage. “Let’s take a short break, after which the Texas duo will answer a few audience questions from the slips of paper.”
The audience stirred, and Joe ushered Rod and Wyl backstage. They accepted the bottles of water he offered.
“Are you two doing okay?” Joe asked.
“I’m fine. How about you, babe?” Wyl eyed his husband, sipping the cool water and looking for signs of stress.
“This audience is amazing,” Rod said, “and this is actually kinda fun.” He took a couple of swallows of his water.
An usher brought the boxes of questions backstage. Joe had a bigger plastic tub to empty the smaller bins into. “You guys ready?”
Rod and Wyl both nodded, and they walked onstage to a round of applause from the audience.
They sat as Joe spoke to the audience. “This tub contains your questions. We’ll get to as many as possible in the next forty-five minutes. Afterward, you are invited to a reception in the Fellowship Hall. Come meet Wyl and Rod.”
Joe stirred the slips of paper and pulled out the first question.
“The first question is: how old are you?”
“I’m glad someone asked that question, Joe. Rod turns forty-six next week, and I turn forty-one. We’re here as testimony that age has no bearing on finding true love and having a great sex life.”
The audience applauded, including whistles and catcalls.
“We’re celebrating our birthdays, one day apart, here in San Francisco. Can you think of a better place to celebrate birthdays?” Rod asked. The audience applauded.
Joe selected another slip of paper from the box. “What is sex like for you two?”
“Incredible,” Wyl said with a grin. Chuckles flowed through the audience.
“Everything about Rod is sexy. His focus with those seductive, hazel eyes excites me. Our lovemaking involves a lot of foreplay, not because we old people need extra time to get turned on,” the audience laughed.
“But because we get such pleasure from touching, kissing, and fondling, we want those feelings to last.”
“A little story about our trip here will amuse you,” Rod added.
“We bought ball caps at Pier 39, needing to protect our heads and faces from the sun and to go incognito since we were being featured on the cover of The Advocate. We put on the ball caps, and Wyl found me incredibly sexy. I felt the same way. He blew in my ear on the bus back to our condo, and I could barely get off the bus without my excitement showing. In the private elevator to our condo, we started shedding clothes. We were naked before we got to the bedroom, clothes strewn everywhere. I even found a sock fifteen feet away by the balcony door. Age has nothing to do with it. We turn each other on, and our sex life is incredible.”
“We’ve never reached orgasm individually. It’s always been simultaneous. Not because we try to make it happen, but because we feed off each other’s expressions and words, and orgasm is the ultimate expression of our love.”
The audience applauded as Joe picked another question from the box.
“Do you ever fight?” Joe asked.
Rod responded. “We’ve been through a few heated discussions, but nothing that could be described as a fight. When Wyl gets pouty, I cup his face, tell him I love him more than life itself, and kiss him. We always worked through any misunderstandings we encountered.”
“Rod and I bring our individual strengths to the relationship, and we recognize and embrace the differences. We’re not trying to be twins…”
Rod interrupted, waving his hand back and forth between the two of them, “Pssst…Wyl…notice the way we’re dressed?”
The audience roared with laughter.
“Good one,” Wyl laughed. “What I mean is, neither of us changed. Neither of us tries to be something to please the other. Neither of us expects the other to be someone other than who he is. We totally accept each other and find little reason to fight.”
The audience applauded.
They spent another twenty minutes answering questions before Joe stood to end the session.
“I want to thank everyone for coming tonight. And for anyone in the audience who has questions or is troubled by any aspect of gay life or knows someone who is, consider joining our support group. We’ve helped many people.
Now, you are welcome to join us in the Fellowship Hall to meet Wyl and Rod. Thank you for coming.”
The audience stood and applauded. After waving their cowboy hats, Rod and Wyl followed Joe off stage.
“Great session, guys,” Joe smiled. “The audience loved you. Let’s go down to Fellowship Hall for the meet-n-greet.”
* * *
The crowd packed the Fellowship Hall. Joe guided them to a small stage at one end of the room. A line formed, and attendees came up to greet them. They chatted briefly with many, shook hands with more, and signed copies of The Advocate.
Suddenly, a man stood before them, and an eerie sense of déjà vu washed over Wyl. He felt like he should know the guy. Then it dawned on him. “Stewy?” Wyl asked, a broad smile across his face.
“Hi, Wyl. Yeah, it’s me.” Stewy grinned and offered his hand.
“Rod, it’s Stewy.” Wyl shook Stewy’s hand and turned his attention to Rod. “Stewart Snowdon.”
Rod looked at Stewy, then offered his hand.
“Stewy.” Rod drew out the name. “It’s nice to meet the invisible man.”
Stewy stood about Rod’s height. He had the same stocky build Wyl remembered from high school, although with a bit more fat and a little less muscle.
He sported a goatee with a smattering of gray, and his full head of salt-and-pepper hair included more salt than pepper.
His eyes sparkled when he smiled, even though his handsome face showed the effects of too much sun.
“Wyl, Rod, meet my partner, Matthew,” Stewy motioned to the handsome guy beside him.
“Hi, Matthew. It’s nice to meet you.” Wyl extended his hand, trying to hide his surprise that Stewy was gay.
“Me too,” Rod said, extending his hand and shaking Matthew’s. “And that solves that mystery.”
“What mystery?” Matthew asked.
“The mystery of what happened to Stewart Snowdon. We’ve been trying to figure that one out.” Rod smiled.
Matthew stood slightly shorter than Stewy but with the same build.
His boyish face made him appear a few years younger, but they would ask that later.
His bald head showed a faint shadow of a hairline around the sides and back.
His dimples deepened when he smiled, adding character to his face.
His coal-black eyes gave him an air of mystery that Stewy probably found charming and attractive.
“You two up for dinner after this gig is over?” Stewy asked. “Obviously, we have a lot to tell you.”
“What do you think, Rod?” Wyl eyed him with a grin.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Rod’s mile-wide smile split his face.
“Let’s go to The Stinking Rose,” Stewy said. “We can catch a cable car up Powell to Jackson, then a couple of blocks to the restaurant. Well within walking distance.”
“Great. We’ll meet you outside after this is over.”
“We’ll see you then.” Matthew guided Stewy back into the crowd.
“Hello, boys,” the tinny voice off to their left pierced the air. Mitzi Sterling sauntered up as if she owned the place.
“Mitzi, what the hell are you doing here?” A heated edge framed Wyl’s voice.
“Just gathering ammo,” Mitzi sported an evil smile. “You wouldn’t play the game my way, so I changed it. And by the way, I now have Alfonso Ortega on my team. You know him, I assume?”
“Changing the game without informing the opposing team is unfair.” Rod scowled. “Especially when you bring in a ringer at the last minute. He won’t do you any good.”
“Who gives a fuck about that?” she sneered. “I’m through playing fair. Now maybe we can talk business.”
Wyl leaned over, his narrowed eyes focused directly on her face. “Get out of here, Mitzi. We don’t want you here, and any attempt to start something will turn this friendly crowd into a mob you don’t want to face.” Wyl waved his finger at the crowd.
She glanced at the crowd and saw many faces staring directly at her. More heads turned their way as the murmur that passed through the crowd alerted everyone to their dilemma.
Mitzi turned to face them, her own eyes narrow and menacing.
“Very well.” Gritted teeth showed behind her drawn lips.
“You outfoxed me this time. But I’m warning you, the final showdown is coming.
In Blackfield. Be ready.” Her sneer morphed into a confident smirk before she darted out the back door.