Grandma’s jet was lux. She had her own flight attendant who waited on us hand and foot.
We arrived in Halifax, and another limo was there for us. Grandma had booked us at the Prince George Hotel. She was right. The Prince George was swank. Made the Grayson look like a Motel 6.
Grandma had gone all out, taking two luxury suites for us… one for her and the girls, one for us guys.
I wanted to take them all on a whirlwind sightseeing trip, but Finn pointed out that we might run into Dad somehow. That wouldn’t do at all. I’d come this far—not only in miles, but in understanding—and there was no way I was going to ruin my surprise.
So we opted to stay in, Finn and I relaxing at the pool, Grandma treating the girls to spa treatments. We had room service for dinner. And room service in luxury suites is far better than room service in the peon rooms, I have to point out.
Finn tossed off, “I could get used to this.”
“Baby, you know how your father feels about this kind of thing. I will not rain money on you anymore.” Then she paused. “From now on, everything I would have given you, would have spent on you, goes into a trust, payable on your twenty-first birthday.” She laughed like a maniac. “And don’t worry, Alex. I’ve got a trust for you too.” She took a sip of wine. She was the only one drinking it because, as she said, “I have a responsibility to all your parents.” So we all had soft drinks. And she may have had a bit too much of that wine because she added, “Hell, I may just set up trusts for you two, as well, my Jakie and dear little Mal.”
“Uh, Grandma, I think you need your rest,” Finn said, rising from the table.
Alex arose too. “Come on. Beddy-bye. Say good night, Grandma.”
As they led her away, she said, “Good night, Grandma.”
“She’s something else,” Mal said. “Do you really think she’d set up trusts for you and me?”
“I think that was the wine talking. No, we’ll spend the rest of our days comfortably middle class, I fear. Alas.” And I laughed. She joined in.
Finn returned from tucking his grandmother in, and Mal said her good nights.
With the girls gone, Finn and I made our way to our own suite—two luxurious bedrooms awaiting us.
We had no sooner entered his bedroom than Finn turned to face me. I looked into his eyes.
I’d fantasized about sex with a man. I’d rejected the idea. I’d rinsed and repeated on that issue. Maybe, I thought, it was time to do something. I screwed up my courage and said, “Seems a shame to mess up two beds, don’t you think?” almost not believing that I was proposing such a thing. Me, the guy who’d been locked away until only a few days ago.
“Don’t you think it’s too soon?” He brushed my cheek.
“Finn, I want it.”
“Jake, wanting and doing are too very different things.”
“Please.” I knew I was risking a lot. Things could turn bad, quickly. But in my heart, I knew they wouldn’t.
He leaned over and kissed me, tenderly.
“My room or yours?” I asked.
“Here’s fine. But only if you’re ready.”
“I told you I was—”
“I know, I know, Jake. But this is a big step, and I want to make sure.”
“I’m sure. I’m more sure than I’ve ever been about anything.”
He kissed me again and began to undress me.
Finn had said Alex would school me in what it means to be transgender. Well, Finn, indeed, schooled me in what it means to be gay. He led me to Nirvana—up all seven steps. Before dawn we went to my room and messed up the bed, so the girls wouldn’t figure us out.
The next day was radiant. The Nova Scotia sun glimmered over the grounds of the Prince George. We ordered up a huge breakfast, and then we readied ourselves for the big event.
The limo awaited us as we filed out of the hotel.
The girls took one look at us two guys, and Alex quipped, “Well, you two certainly look happy this morning.”
Mal smiled wickedly.
I felt the heat of a blush bloom on my face.
The driver ferried us to the Grayson. Oddly, it was quiet in the car, and I could concentrate on the task at hand. It was time for me to confront my dad and do my mea culpas. I was nervous. I hoped he would accept my apology.
The entire hotel was decorated with white flowers and ribbons. There was a banner with silver lettering. “Congratulations on the marriage of our manager Brian Hardy and his partner Paul Scarsdale.”
We proceeded to the door that led to the corridor off the meeting rooms. There was an easel with a blackboard on it. There was only one event listed: Hardy/Scarsdale Wedding…. Room 6B.
An arrow on the wall directed us to the right. Quietly we walked down the hall.
As we came through the doorway, I saw Paul and Dad standing across the room. Dad was facing Paul, his back to me. Paul saw me. He smiled. I quickly put my finger to my lips, signaling him to keep quiet.
“Anyone need a best man around here?” I called out, the question echoing in the room.
Dad shot around. He ran to me, grabbed me, and hugged me like I had arisen from the dead.
And in a way, I had. That whole summer had been a dead time for me. But Charley Robinson had brought me back to life.
My dad had his son back, and in a way Charley Robinson had his Jacob Hardy back as well. They weren’t accepted in their day, but my accepting them paved the way for me to accept my dad.
Honor the living, honor the dead.
Afterword
UNFORTUNATELY, THE Houston Equal Rights Ordinance was defeated, largely because of the opposition’s obscuring the issue by presenting the now much-used antitransgender argument of “women and young girls face harm by having men using their restrooms,” said “men” being those transgender women in the stalls. Despite laws against assault in public restrooms and the fact that there has never been an assault by a transgender person against a woman or young girl in a restroom, the argument still persists, as witnessed by the North Carolina “bathroom” law and many others that various state legislators try to push. But if anything good came from the HERO debacle, it is that the issue was brought to the forefront and changed many, many minds.
If you want to know more about the Titanic, go to your public library and check out Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember—exciting book. Or, you could rent James Cameron’s film Titanic, starring Le-ho and Red! No, that’s just Jake talking. It’s really a great movie, and you will be very happy with its stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. And keep it running through the credits. You’ll get to hear the pennywhistle and Celine Dion. See? I like her—it’s Jake who doesn’t!
And one other thing—remember, you deserve love. Everyone deserves love.
More from Russell J. Sanders
It is 1969 when Dewey Snodgress, high school theater star, meets irrepressible hippie Jeep Brickthorn, who quickly inserts himself into Dewey’s life—and eventually into his heart. Meanwhile, Dewey prepares to appear in a production across town, a play about protestors of the Vietnam War, where he befriends the wild and wonderful Lucretia “LuLu” Belton, who is also determined to follow her dreams and become an actress—whether her parents approve or not.
The show has a profound effect, especially on Dewey’s father, who reconsiders his approval of the war after his son’s performance. But Dewey knows his dad won’t be so accepting if he reveals the love he’s developing for Jeep, so he fights to push his feelings away and keep the peace in his family.
Still, Dewey can’t ignore the ripples moving through society—from the impending Woodstock Festival to the Stonewall Riots—and he begins to see that the road to happiness and acceptance for him and Jeep might lead them away from conservative Fort Worth, Texas—and Dewey’s dad.
Ethan Harker is the son of The Prophet, the stern, demanding leader of a small Southwestern polygamous community. Ethan has been groomed to one day take his place as the leader of this isolated cult.
But things happen that compel Ethan to flee his stifling community and find his way in the world beyond it. Totally out of his depth, he is sheltered by a remarkable group of people from a loving and accepting church. From them, he learns what family truly means and begins to construct a life free from the restrictions he’s grown up with. Little by little he dismisses the assumptions he was taught about the “evil” people in the outside world.
Amid all this, Ethan realizes something about himself when he meets rapper Kyan, a boy his age. Although he’s been brought up to fear and hate members of Kyan’s race, he can’t help falling in love with Kyan. Fueled by a new understanding and new friends, Ethan gains the strength and courage to conquer the confusing world he has been thrust into.
With a beautiful girlfriend, a scholarship to a prestigious musical theater school, and talent to spare, life is good for high school senior Neil Darrien. He’s on his way to stardom, but then newcomer Zane Jeffrey secures a place in the school show choir, rousing Neil’s envy. Neil soon sees there’s more to Zane than a talented performer, though—he’s funny and charming, and the two boys become friends.
Neil’s girlfriend Melissa doesn’t like Neil spending so much time with Zane, and she draws Neil into her church. There, Neil is faced with a choice between righting a wrong and risking revealing a secret that could cost him everything he’s worked so hard to achieve.
As Neil’s relationship with Melissa deteriorates, Neil starts to see Zane in a different light—one that has him thinking of Zane as more than just a friend.
Graduating senior, theater lighting wunderkind, and closeted gay, Nick Fortunati volunteers with The Streetwise Players in the dark corners of The Laughton, a creepy old movie palace decorated in Grand Guignol style. But his father wishes Nick would use his intellect and his scholarship to become a biotech engineer and earn a prosperous living for his future family. Nick loves his dad and wants to please him, but he dreams of a career in theater. And he wants a male lover. Unfortunately, his homophobic father won’t approve of either.
When Nick’s at his loneliest, out of the corners of the theater and into his life comes trouble-laden Steve Stripling, a man with little memory of his past other than his name. Meanwhile, Nick’s introduced to the dashing Wash Vitek and is torn between the two men. His situation is further complicated because he doesn’t know if Wash is gay.
Nick resolves to solve the mystery surrounding Steve and help the young man recover his memories, even though by doing so, he risks losing the first love he’s ever found.
Readers love Russell J. Sanders
All You Need Is Love
“It’s very well written and evokes the feel of 1960s small town America with delicate, simple ease.”
—Joyfully Jay
“All You Need Is Love is a beautifully written, deeply touching story about coming of age in a very difficult time, and I highly recommend it!”
—Gay Book Reviews
Colors
“Amazing story. Beautifully written. Simply incredible.”
—Prism Book Alliance
The Book of Ethan
“I really enjoyed the diversity in this book… I will probably be on the lookout for more from this author.”
—Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
RUSSELL J. SANDERS is a man on a quest. In his travels all over the world, he searches out Mexican restaurants. A lifelong Texan, raised on Tex-Mex, he wants to try the enchiladas and other delicacies that pass for Mexican food in the far reaches of the world. He has been pleasantly surprised in Tokyo and Indonesia and left wondering in Rome and a few other places. Sometimes what the menu says and what you are served is not what is expected. But the joy is in the quest.
Russell’s also on a quest to spread a very important message: love is found in many forms in this world, and being gay or lesbian or bisexual or any other variation is normal, healthy, and wonderful. He wants his novels to bolster the confidence of gay teens and change the minds or educate further all the others who may stumble upon his prose.
Russell’s writing joins his long career of acting, singing, and teaching, adding to his passions for cooking and reading. He has won awards for his acting and directing and has taught theater to hundreds of teens. He has also taught additional thousands of teenagers the art of writing and the love for literature. He is always in the middle of a good story, whether reading it or writing it. And he can whip up a delicious meal in minutes. He does all this with the support of his husband, a man he has loved for over twenty years and married a few years ago. They live happily in Houston, Texas.
Website: russelljsanders.weebly.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/russelljsandersauthor
By Russell J. Sanders
All You Need Is Love
The Book of Ethan
Colors
Special Effect
Titanic Summer
Published by HARMONY INK PRESS
www.harmonyinkpress.com
Published by
HARMONY INK PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
[email protected] • harmonyinkpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Titanic Summer
© 2018 Russell J. Sanders.
Cover Art
© 2018 Aaron Anderson.
[email protected]
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or [email protected].
ISBN: 978-1-64080-185-1
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64080-186-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017911504
Published March 2018
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Titanic Summer Page 27