Page 5 of Stained Hearts
“Oh, but….”
Panted breaths and wide eyes showed Brian’s near panic. It made me think that his family had done more than kick him out of the house. I needed to get him out for a breather, and I knew where to take him.
“Hey, why don’t we go and take a walk?”
Brian would let me take him through the yard. He loved to watch as the seasons changed, but beyond that, he wouldn’t leave the property until it was time to go home. He never felt comfortable around people if they hadn’t proven themselves to be friends. On this day, our first, he let me show him my family’s heart.
That started the family tradition that would last for the next twenty-five years. Every time we’d go home, Brian would be nervous and unsure for a few hours, until he was once again comfortable in my parents’ house, and then he’d allow my folks to love on him. He blossomed under their care, soaking it in like a sponge.
It had taken a lot of time, patience, and coaxing, but he finally relaxed around them, even enough to laugh at Dad’s jokes. My parents thought of him as another son and accepted him without hesitation. And though Brian got to the point where he was more comfortable and came to feel like my family was his, he still hesitated to venture out when I would go to visit old friends, opting instead to stay with my parents. I did everything but get on my knees and beg him to come with me. Eventually I stopped asking.
Then came the devastating news. Brian had been sick for a while. Nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness. He tried to pass it off, insisting he was fine, but I wouldn’t accept that as an answer. I dragged him to the doctor, who confirmed that Brian had cancer. He also said they’d do their best to help, but the prognosis wasn’t good.
After that, Brian shrunk in on himself. He refused to leave the house when we went to visit with the folks, but told me I needed to go out and take care of whatever business I had while we were in Milwaukee. This went on for a few years, with Brian getting sicker, first from the therapy, then, after they said they couldn’t do any more, from the cancer itself.
When my brother, Robert, brought home his lover, Galen—and even though it was harder for my folks to accept him, because if I’m honest, when we first met Galen, he was an ass—they came to love him and he them as well. Just like when he met anyone new, Brian started out cool but warmed up to the prickly man Robert had brought home. I was surprised that it didn’t take long for the two of them to become friends.
The previous June, through Robert, I had met his friend Noel and Noel’s fiancé, Lincoln. Ever since then, I had tried to get Brian to come with me to their diner, the Park View. It was always a losing battle. However, one day soon after we returned to Milwaukee for that last visit, he was in the kitchen with Mom, and when Mom pushed the door open, Brian stood there, his hands at his side and eyes down. Mom nudged him and he stepped forward. “Can I go out with you?”
More than two decades of being together, and when we were in Milwaukee, Brian never wanted to leave the house. Now he was asking? There was only one answer, of course. I really wanted him to see Lincoln’s diner, and to meet Noel and Katy and Lincoln—who was also Galen’s brother, though they had only recently reconciled—and…. And with his time slipping away, I really wanted Brian to see my world.
“Yes! Oh, hell yes.” I hurried to him and gathered him gently in my arms, remembering how easily he bruised now. I glanced up at Mom, who smiled at me. I knew she’d finally talked him into it, and I was grateful.
Brian’s first time to the diner, we were welcomed with open arms. I pushed his chair ahead of me as we went inside.
Lincoln looked up when the bell over the door rang out. “Hey, what are you doing home?”
“We’re in town visiting my family. Robert is bringing Galen to dinner too.”
Lincoln rolled his eyes. “You have my sympathies.” Then he groaned and shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t say that. Robert’s been a good influence on Galen. He’s a lot more… not our father now.”
“Yeah, he mellowed a lot. He’s even calling my folks Mom and Dad.”
Lincoln shrugged. “We always wanted a real family. I built mine, and now Galen is starting to do the same thing. Have a seat anywhere. I can call upstairs and get Noel down here.”
“Okay, thank you.”
The booth I picked gave Brian a great view of the place. Lincoln had been doing some upgrades, judging by the newer jukeboxes. When I saw one of my favorite songs, I fished a coin out of my pocket, slipped it into the slot, and pushed D3. The sounds of Whitney Houston’s rendition of “I Will Always Love You” emanated from the stereo speakers.
“I love this song. It reminds me of our wedding.”
The day he sang for me was the greatest gift he could have given me.
We sat quietly for a few moments, until a familiar voice reached my ear. “Tom! It’s good to see you.”
I turned and waved at Katy, who this week had platinum-blonde hair with a dark magenta streak through it. “Hey, sunshine. How are you and Meg doing?”
Katy rushed over to the table, put down two glasses of water, and stood there, a blush on her cheeks. “We’re great. She got a promotion at work. It’s more hours but more pay too. She thought I wouldn’t want her to take it, even though it’s something she’s been after for a long time. I told her if it makes her happy, then I’m happy for her to do it.” She turned her pixie smile toward Brian. “Who’s this?”
“This is Brian Chen, my husband.”
Brian’s eyes widened, and then his gaze slid in Katy’s direction, before it drifted back to me, his eyes filled with hope.
“What’s wrong?”
“You claimed me to your friends.” His eyes shone. “Thank you.”
I reached for his hands. “Why wouldn’t I? You’re the love of my life, and I want everyone to know that. Almost twenty-five years, and you still need to be reminded? That’s fine. I’m going to do it every day, so you’ll always remember.”
