by Doug Sanford
Tuesday after we returned from Ashland, everything calmed down. Leslie started a new academic year, Bart began the second year of his expanded role on Mt. Sinai Heights, and I was back to being more concerned with other peoples’ houses than my own.
We soon found out that a normal life was surprisingly boring—in a very good way. Things ran smoothly with no real bumps or problems. It was much easier than any of us thought it would be. Sure we had to keep track of three schedules, instead of two, and we had to keep two other people in mind, instead of one, but none of that presented any problem because we cared about each other too much to let minor nuisances ruin a good thing.
I know that sounds kind of idyllic and maybe some would question my honesty in describing it, but it really was true. It’s not that we never disagreed. It’s that behind any disagreement was a fundamental truth we were all aware of—our feelings for one another—so that whoever gave in on a particular issue, did so with grace and without resentment.
And by our feelings for one another, I mean not only the feelings between Bart and Leslie and between Bart and me, but also between Leslie and me. In the months leading up to the wedding, my relationship with Leslie had evolved significantly. I found that I was closer to being in love with her than I ever thought I could be with a woman.
I loved Robin, but Robin was a friend, a buddy, a soul mate. At the beginning, I loved Leslie in the same way. Just as Robin and I had business in common, Leslie and I had Bart in common.
But in a very short time, Leslie became someone I cared about very deeply. I wasn’t in the least interested in her sexually, but my feelings for her had become closer to the ones I had for Bart than any other person I knew. I was both perplexed and delighted by the change.
Shortly after our return, the latest issue of Soap Opera Digest was published containing the spread on the wedding with the photos, taken by the network photographer, of Bart and Leslie as well as of the cast members who attended.
Bart was hardly a star in the usual sense of that word in the overall entertainment business, but he was very well known in the closed, but fairly large, universe of soap operas and their fans. So there was a great deal of interest in his wedding, and Norm mentioned to Bart that he’d been told by someone at Soap Opera Digest that Bart’s wedding issue was one of the biggest sellers they’d had. It was good publicity for both Bart and the show.
One slightly unusual thing did occur after the wedding: Buddy got into the habit of calling to check in with Leslie every couple of weeks or so. She liked him and enjoyed hearing from him but was a bit puzzled at his sudden attention. Then at the beginning of November, he phoned with some news.
After talking with him a few minutes, Leslie called to both of us to get on.
“Guys, I told Lessey that the guy I’ve been dating for a few months now—I’m sure she mentioned him—and I have decided to move in together. I’d like to invite the three of you to dinner to meet him, but I’m afraid there’s a bit of a hitch.”
“It would be great to meet him, Buddy. What’s the hitch?” asked Bart.
“I met him at your wedding. His name’s Alan Jay Roberts—but he goes by AJ.”
“AJ from the show?”
“Yeah.”
“AJ’s our head scenic designer,” Bart explained to the two of us.
“That’s the one.”
“AJ and I don’t have a lot to do with one another on a day-to-day basis now, but of course I know him. We talked a lot when I first started because he designed my bedroom at my brother’s house. He’s a neat guy and a good-looking man, Buddy. Great catch!”
“Thanks. Of course, I haven’t told him about your arrangement. That would be unethical without your approval. He just knows me as Lessey’s uncle. I’d like all of you to meet him, but I wanted to make sure you’d be comfortable with that, Bart.”
“Well, it’s fine with me, but you’ll have to tell him to keep it quiet. You have any problem with that, Marc?”
“Not a bit—as long as you’re okay with it. You have to work with these people.”
“But Uncle Buddy, let’s not do this at a restaurant,” said Leslie. “You still haven’t seen the house. Bring him over here for dinner. It will be a lot quieter and much more intimate. Would next Friday work? I’ll check with Jeanine and see it I can trade off a weekday for a Friday.”
“That would be fine. Get back to me when you’re sure.”
Jeanine was willing to swap a Monday for a Friday, so we were set.
It turned out to be an interesting and informative evening. Buddy surprised us all. He’d lost significant weight in the last three months and seemed to be in better physical shape as well.
“Love must agree with you,” I told him, complimenting him on his new appearance.
“AJ’s got me working out on a regular basis,” he said in explanation.
“Funny, Bart does the same thing with me.”
AJ was a good-looking man, as Bart had said. He was probably close to Buddy’s age, maybe a year or two younger. He must have worked on the construction of the sets as well as on their design because he was obviously well-built. He had a great smile and a friendly personality.
We all went on a tour of the house, and they were suitably impressed.
“I’m really struck with your real-estate skills, Marc. This house seems perfect for you. That home gym is really a great addition.”
“Remind me to give you a stack of business cards, Buddy, before you leave,” I said with a smile. “Nothing like a personal recommendation.”
“Better yet, maybe you can help us find a place. AJ and I have just started looking, and we haven’t signed with anyone yet.”
“Talk it over, and if you’re still interested, get back to me.”
“The gym we put in has been more than just handy,” said Bart. “It’s been almost a necessity. Paparazzi aren’t as bad with soap actors as they are with regular film and TV people, but they can still be a nuisance. Apparently a couple of them found out which gym Marc and I were going to and began to hang out there.”
“Since they keep Bart shirtless so much on the show,” I laughed, “and his body has become so popular with the viewers, the paparazzi were trying to see how much more of Bart they could photograph. One of them joined the gym and tried to get photographs of him in the showers. Luckily, the management handled that one, but it made us both aware of how much more in the public spotlight Bart was.”
“I don’t have to worry any about that,” said AJ. “Nobody ever chases down the scenic designer.”
“If you took your shirt off more on the set,” Buddy chimed in, “they’d soon see what they were missing.”
AJ gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said, “Wow. My very own fan club.”
Bart played bartender and got the drinks while Leslie and I led Buddy and AJ to the main part of the living room. We took one of the sofas and, as usual, automatically left room for Bart between us. Buddy and AJ sat together on one of the love seats across from us.”
“Just to be sure we’re all on the same page,” Buddy said as Bart distributed the drinks, “with the permission you gave me over the phone, I’ve informed AJ what your relationships are. I’ve also explained that he needed to be discreet about it at work.”
AJ laughed and said to us, “I love this guy, but I still can’t believe I ended up with a lawyer. He can be a little pompous sometimes—like just now. I guess it comes with the job.” He took Buddy’s hand and squeezed it. “Anyhow, I’m down with what you three are doing, and no worries, I won’t say anything. It’s not anyone else’s business.”
Bart sat down between us on the couch. “I’m not exactly hiding anything, AJ, but it’s Jay who asked me to be a bit quiet about all this. He thinks the fan media would go nuts over a story like mine—and not necessarily in a good way.”
“Understood.”
“Lessey, I finally had a talk with your dad.”
“When?”
“A
couple of days ago over lunch.”
“I told the guys you would, but why did you wait so long?”
Buddy looked slightly uncomfortable. “I wanted to be sure everything was going well before I said anything to him.”
“So that’s why you’ve been calling me so often since the wedding. We’ve always been close, Uncle Buddy, but we’ve never been phone pals or anything. You were checking up on me and wanted to make certain we hadn’t self-destructed, weren’t you?”
“Now, don’t be angry, Lessey. I told you that one of the relationships I was involved in setting up had failed, and I just wanted to be sure things were working out for you before I said anything to Phil.”
“You told him everything?”
“Yes. Just as we said we would.”
“And?”
“He was pretty much bowled over by it, but the longer we talked about it, the more he seemed to understand. I had to go through the whole ménage versus three-way distinction, of course. In the end, he said that he’d never been able to control you when you were younger, and he knew better than to try to start now.”
“That’s Daddy all right. A realist.”
“He said he’ll figure out a way to tell Marian. But in the end, as long as he knew you weren’t being taken advantage of, that you were protected legally, and that Bart and Marc were everything I said they were, he was really okay with it. “
“And you had your investigators’ reports on Bart and me to back up your personal judgment,” I said with a big grin on my face.
Buddy’s face went completely red, and he said, “What reports?” at exactly the same moment as Leslie cried out, “Uncle Buddy, what reports?” and Bart said, “What?”
“Come on, Buddy,” I said. “I’d have been totally disappointed in you if you hadn’t checked up on us. You’re too good an attorney to trust the judgment of a young woman in love—even Leslie—especially when her welfare and future were involved.
“How did you—” sputtered Buddy.
“I’m on really good terms with the head of our firm who thought I should know that someone had been around asking questions about me. This was fairly soon after we’d all met the first time. It wasn’t hard to figure out what was happening. I didn’t bother to say anything to Leslie or Bart. Sorry, guys, if that violates rule number two.”
“Uncle Buddy. How could you do something like that?”
Buddy was a bit embarrassed, but he stood his ground. “I’m glad you understand why I did it, Marc. And I’m sure you can help Lessey and Bart to accept the fact that what I did was for her own good.”
“I can and I will. I don’t have any hard feelings about it. None. I respect you for it. As I said, I’d have been disappointed if you’d done less. Subject closed.”
I reached across with my hand extended, and Buddy shook it as Jeanine entered to tell us that dinner was ready.
Buddy recovered from his embarrassment, and Leslie and Bart calmed down pretty quickly, so dinner was non-controversial and fun. I may not have mentioned it earlier, but Jeanine is an excellent cook. Because of Steve’s heart problems, she’d learned to serve healthful meals that were also delicious. She has more fish recipes than I ever knew existed. Buddy and AJ were effusive in their compliments to her, and she wore a big smile all evening.
After they left, Bart said, “I’d sure like to see what was in those reports. I’m not upset, just curious as hell.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath for that one. Your uncle, Leslie, is nothing if not discreet and professional.”
“You’re right, Marc, but who knows what I might be able to find out.” She smiled a bit evilly.
“Doesn’t really matter, I guess,” said Bart. “He’s obviously satisfied with whatever they found. I liked the two of them. Buddy is a lot more fun in a non-business setting. And AJ has always been friendly at the studio. Be nice to see more of them.”
“I agree,” said Leslie. “Uncle Buddy has always been great with me, but he’s always had a slight tendency to be a bit of a stuffed shirt. It looks as though AJ is getting him to loosen up a bit.”
We did end up seeing more of them, both socially and, in my case, professionally. I helped them find a house which they really liked and fit them well. It had a good-sized workshop for AJ who liked building things in his private life as well as on the job and room for a home gym, similar to ours—even if neither of them was being chased by paparazzi.
Chapter 36
Thanksgiving—our first Thanksgiving together—was coming up, and Robin had invited us to Tucson for dinner. We had no other plans: The show was off the three days before Thanksgiving; Leslie’s parents were out of town; Jeanine would be with her family; and it would be fun to go back, so we accepted. We decided to drive because, though it takes eight hours, there were three of us to take the wheel, and it would be a whole lot less stressful than dealing with airports on a holiday weekend—and that was before 9/11.
I took the first shift, and after we’d finished the bagels, cream cheese, and coffee/tea we’d bought to-go at The Bagelry on our way out of town, I asked, “Anybody know what date it is?”
“Don’t answer that, Les,” said Bart, quickly, from the back seat.
But not quickly enough.
“The twenty-second.” she responded.
“That was a mistake,” said Bart. “That’s always a trick question from Marc. Whenever he asks what date it is, it means it’s an anniversary of something that nobody else in the world cares about. He’s totally anal about dates.”
“Marc?” asked Leslie.
“He knows me much too well, but I don’t think it’s something nobody cares about. Turns out that today is exactly seven months from the Saturday night you came to dinner and never went home again.”
“I’d never have thought of putting it that way, but—April twenty-second? Has it been seven months?”
“Uh-huh, and since we’re all closed in here with nowhere else to go, it would be a great time to—”
“Sleep,” said Bart.
“—take stock of how we’re doing.”
“Please, no,” groaned Bart. “You guys analyze everything to death. That’s what I get for ending up with two teachers.”
“C’mon, kid. When we travelled with your folks, talking about our relationship was the one thing that could keep you awake. I figured it was worth a try.”
“If you didn’t want him to sleep, you shouldn’t have let him have the back seat,” pointed out Leslie.
“It wouldn’t matter. As you certainly know by now, if the car is moving and he’s not driving, he’ll fall asleep sitting bolt upright,” I replied.
“So,” asked Leslie over her shoulder, “while you’re still awake, Bart, how would you rate our own little design for living?”
“I give us a ten, easy,” said Bart.
“Is that a ten on a scale of one to ten or a ten on a scale of one to a hundred?” Leslie asked with a smile in her voice.
“That’s a ten on a scale of one to five,” he said. “It’s turned out way better than anything I could have imagined.”
“Really?”
“Don’t you think so? There’s none of the jealousy or competition I was worried about. I never said anything, but when we first talked about moving in together, I wondered if having both of you in the same house would be a problem. I was afraid I’d have to be careful about paying too much attention to one of you while the other was around. It hasn’t been like that at all.”
“I agree with him, Marc. It’s been almost too easy, don’t you think?”
“Do you think it’s that maybe we’re still at the After you, my dear Alphonse stage?” I asked.
“The what?” asked Bart.
“Being overly polite to each other,” Leslie explained.
“I don’t think so, Marc,” she continued. “I think that you and I are just completely in sync about the basis of our relationship.”
“By the basis of our relationship do you
mean that lump in the back seat?” I smiled.
“I am right behind you, and I can hear what you’re saying, you know. Who you calling a lump?”
“I thought you wanted to sleep,” I said.
“Just following orders. You wanted me to stay awake.”
“You’re just hoping you’ll hear something flattering about yourself,” said Leslie.
“By being in sync about him,” she went on, “I mean that we each know that Bart needs both of us. He wouldn’t be completely satisfied with either one of us alone. So there’s no point in fighting over him. In that kind of competition, we’d all three lose. Does that make any sense?”
“Totally,” I replied. “Did you hear that, Bart? We won’t be fighting over you. I’ll bet that’s a disappointment.”
“Best news I’ve heard in a while,” he answered.
“But I’m still kind of surprised at how easily we function together on a day-to-day basis,” I said.
“I give Jeanine a lot of the credit,” said Leslie. “We—and by that, I mean I—don’t have to worry about all the things most people do, like keeping the place clean, deciding on meals, doing the laundry. She’s a wonder.”
“I think she’s still star-struck about Bart, Leslie. Ever notice the way she smiles at him and how she makes sure to always have things he likes for dinner?”
“I don’t know about that,” piped up Bart. “She still makes me clear everything I want through Les. The other day I asked her if she could pick up some raisin bran for breakfast, and she said, ‘Ask Ms. Leslie to put it on her list.’ I felt like a little kid.”
“That’s just Jeanine’s Rule. You know it’s saved us a lot of trouble. Besides, you are a kid, kid,” I said.
“Only to you, old man,” he replied, squeezing the back of my neck hard.
“Ow! Stop that. I think you’re right, Leslie. She takes care of so many of those things that most people argue about. We don’t have to get involved in discussions about what we should have for dinner or whose turn it is to take out the trash. We’re lucky to have her and even luckier to be able to afford her.”