An Earlier Heaven

by D. W. Marchwell

  “No,” William said through another yawn. “I want to come with you two.”

  “Good,” David answered with a big smile. “He’s very excited about you coming along.” David pointed to the bathroom. “Now you only have twelve minutes.”

  “Wait,” William protested, “you can’t count that. You were talking to me.” He turned and pushed through the partially open door, and grabbed for his toothbrush while trying to undo the buttons of his pajama shirt at the same time.

  WILLIAM had managed to get through a day filled with an experiment in Science class, a surprise quiz in Math, and one of the most boring short stories he’d ever read for English class. He wasn’t sure now that he should have ignored David’s offer of a morning at home; he was beginning to feel sick to his stomach as he bent over and tied up his soccer cleats. Figures, he thought, feeling a little cheated. I manage to make it through all the so-so stuff, and then feel sick when I get to the good stuff.

  He sat up and saw double for a few seconds until Cory’s approaching smile came clearly into focus. “Hey, Billiam, you okay? You don’t look so hot.” Cory sat down beside William and immediately reached out a hand to touch his forehead.

  “My dads and I did some work around the ranch on Saturday, and then went riding on the horses out in the sun. David says I probably just overdid it a bit.”

  “Smart dad,” Cory said as he reached for his cell phone. “What’s his number? I think you need to go home.”

  “No, I don’t want to go home.” William tried to make himself look better, happier. “I want to play soccer.”

  “I know, buddy, but you’re way too hot on the forehead.” Cory opened up his phone and waited. William finally relented and dictated the seven digits to him. As Cory dialed, William opened his bag and began pulling out his sweat pants and his hooded fleece jacket. Cory handed him the phone.

  “Hi, David. Can you come and get me?” William nodded a few more times before saying goodbye and handing the phone back to Cory. “He said he’ll be here in a couple of minutes.”

  “I hope you feel better soon, buddy.”

  “Thanks,” William said, feeling a little bit more deflated. “See ya.” He liked that David would be looking after him and making him soup and all that, but he didn’t want to miss the practice today. Cory had told him many times that he would have to practice these various moves in order to get better. It was why he spent an hour outside practicing with David or Jerry—or both of them—at least four times a week. And he could tell he was getting better; even Cory had noticed the improvement.

  He made his way over to the curb, knowing that David would be faster than ever to pick him up; nothing worried David more than when William was feeling sick. He’d barely sat down on the curb when he realized that he’d forgotten to ask Cory if he wanted to come to the ranch this coming weekend. But it was too late to go back. He raised himself off the curb when he saw the familiar shape and color of David’s car coming down the street.

  William was safely inside the red car and buckled up by the time he saw Cory running toward him with something in his hands. He did a quick inventory, but couldn’t figure out what he was missing. He was home and in a hot bath before David asked him what he’d done with his cleats. That’s why Cory was running for the car. And he’d had a story and some flat ginger ale by the time he heard the doorbell.

  AS HE headed for the door, David wondered again where Jerry was; he should have been home from Edmonton already. He was relieved that William was a little too sick to ask where his dad was; David didn’t like giving William platitudes or pat answers, especially when he knew that William was bright enough to know better. He pulled open the door.

  “Uh, hi,” the young man said before David could say anything. After another fraction of a second, David noticed that there was a light drizzle outside. “My name is Cory. I help with William’s soccer team, and he forgot his cleats at the field today.”

  David noticed the cleats being offered and took them, then moved aside to let Cory pass. “Please, come in. How did you get here?” He asked when he didn’t see a car. He closed the door and turned to put the cleats on the mat beside the door.

  “Uh, bike,” Cory said. David noticed that Cory seemed a little nervous. “Is William feeling better?” Cory shuffled from one foot to the other. “Coach cancelled practice on account of the sudden rain, so could you tell him that he didn’t miss anything.” Cory stuffed his hands in his pockets. “He was kinda bummed about having to miss practice.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” David began, “you can tell him yourself, if you’d like. And thank you for calling me. If I’d left it up to him, he would have played until he threw up.” David motioned to the stairs. “While you’re up there visiting, perhaps I can fix you something hot to eat and drink. You must be cold riding in the rain like that.”

  “Oh, no, it’s okay, really. It didn’t start raining until I hit the end of the driveway.” Cory followed David up the stairs. “I can only stay for a minute, and then I have to get home.”

  When David pushed open the door to William’s room, he saw the little guy sitting up already with his eyes wide and a big smile on his face. “Well, I guess you know who’s here to see you.”

  “Cory!”

  David stifled a laugh at the obvious hero worship that William had developed and walked over to put a hand on the little guy’s forehead. “Looks like you’re feeling a little better. Better enough for a visit with Cory?”

  “Can Cory stay for dinner?”

  “I think he needs to leave soon, but maybe some other time?” David responded while looking at Cory. When Cory nodded his head, David turned back to William. “Maybe you can get a video game in before Cory has to leave?”

  Without even waiting for any kind of objection from Cory, William slid out of bed, stuck his feet into his slippers, and headed for the stairs, signaling for Cory to follow. David worried for a moment that William might overdo it again and start to feel worse, but then rationalized that as soon as Cory left, he could have William in bed and asleep within a half-hour—maybe sooner if William didn’t want another story.

  As David headed into the kitchen, leaving the two boys in the living room, he remembered and called back to William, “Did you thank Cory for bringing your cleats home?” He heard William talking excitedly and opened the fridge to get some of the ingredients for the stew he’d planned to make tonight. As he stood, fridge door open, wondering if he should even bother to prepare something since he wasn’t sure if William and Jerry would be there to eat it, he felt the vibration of his phone in his right-hand back pocket. He looked at the call display and a knowing smile came to his lips.

  “I thought I told you never to call me, or my boyfriend might suspect something.”

  “What, I’m late for one dinner, and I’ve been demoted to boyfriend?” Jerry laughed into his phone, and David felt that familiar thrill at the sound of the deep, bass voice. “How’s our boy doing? I got your message.”

  “He’s in the living room. Cory brought back the cleats that our son forgot at the field because he was too intent on playing today.”

  “Is he sick or just overtired from too much excitement on the weekend?”

  “Maybe a little of both.” David hadn’t asked if Jerry was close to home, but he decided to make some dinner anyway, even if it would only be William and David eating it. “That flu that I thought we’d all luckily escaped may have not missed all of us after all.” David pulled a few pots and pans out of the cupboard. “By the way, you wouldn’t happen to know what Cory’s last name is, would you?”

  “Don’t think I was ever told. Why?”

  “No reason, he just seems awfully familiar to me.”

  “Were… teach… elementary… Lenore?” Jerry’s voice was cutting in and out due to the storm that was settling over the area.

  “You’re cutting in and out. Where are you?”

  “I said, ‘Were you his teacher in elementary? If n
ot, ask Lenore.’” Jerry was speaking as if David was in the advanced stages of hearing loss. “I’m about twenty minutes from home. Listen, it’s really starting to come down out here, so I’m gonna hang up, and I’ll see you soon.”

  “Okay, I love you.”

  “… Love… family.”

  David heard the dial tone, shoved his phone back into his back pocket, and headed for the living room. “William, your dad’s about twenty minutes away—”

  “I should get going then,” Cory interrupted and stood.

  “Wait,” William called, “if you can’t stay tonight, will you come on Friday? When it’s nicer? We can go riding on the horses?”

  “I can’t promise, but I’ll try.”

  David admired how Cory was able to handle William’s request; he was quite sure that a young man Cory’s age probably had better things to do than to hang around someone as young as William. David also admired how devoted Cory seemed to be to William—to come all this way just to drop off William’s cleats? A strange thought suddenly hit David, a realization of why Cory looked so familiar. He pushed it aside and turned to Cory. “Are you sure you won’t stay? At least until the rain lets up a little. You’re more than welcome to stick around.”

  “No,” Cory said as he smiled and shook his head. “My mother’s probably wondering where I am right now.”

  “Well, I tell you what then.” David moved aside so that the boys could go into the kitchen. “Why don’t I fix you something warm to eat, and when Jerry gets home, he can drive you. It’ll be a lot faster than you trying to ride that bike in the rain.” He could see the protest forming and decided to cut it off. “Please? It’s the least we can do to thank you for all you’ve done for William.” David noticed Cory glance down at William, and he understood what Cory must be feeling. It took me forever to learn how to say “no” to that face.

  “Okay,” Cory conceded, “maybe just a few more minutes won’t hurt.”

  David wasn’t sure he’d ever seen William move so quickly because he had Cory’s hand in his and had both of them heading for the living room before David could even open his mouth to ask if Cory had any favorite foods. So, David made another trip to the living room, found out that William and Cory both liked grilled cheese sandwiches, and headed back to the kitchen.

  He was just finishing the cleanup while both boys ate at the kitchen table—David having been very glad he made several sandwiches when he saw how hungry Cory actually was—when the front door opened and the sound of water and wind was soon replaced with the familiar bass voice.

  “Holy Dinah,” Jerry whooped, “I haven’t seen a storm like that in quite some time.”

  David turned around, expecting William to run over to his dad for a hug, but William just sat beside Cory and tried to finish his sandwich. “Have you already met Cory, Jerry?”

  “Sure have.” Jerry removed his damp suit jacket and stood beside the table, his hand reaching out reflexively to ruffle his son’s hair. “Hey, partner,” Jerry said to William, “David tells me you’re not feeling so hot.”

  “I think I just overdid it on the weekend,” William explained as he got off of his chair and wrapped his arms around Jerry’s waist. “Cory said he might come over for dinner this Friday.” William took his seat again and looked over at Cory, who just smiled.

  “Hey, that sounds like fun.” Jerry sat down in his own chair, and David placed a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries in front of him. “Thanks, baby.”

  “Listen,” David said as he walked to the front entrance, “Cory needs to get home, so I’m going to use your pickup, so we can put his bike in the back.” David reappeared a few seconds later with a slicker over his arm and a set of keys in his hand. “Cory? Ready?” Cory smiled and stood up from the table, plate in hand. “William? Can you put Cory’s plate in the dishwasher for me? And I want you to be in bed by the time I get home, okay? We don’t want you getting worse.”

  “I promise.” William took the plate and had it in the dishwasher and was running back for the door before Cory had a chance to completely disappear. “Thank you, Cory. I hope you can make it on Friday.”

  “I’ll do my best, Billiam.”

  Chapter 5

  DAVID walked through the door, excited that he’d finally made the connection, finally figured out why Cory looked so familiar. He deposited his keys on the foyer table beside his cell phone, which he’d forgotten to take with him, and searched the kitchen for Jerry. Nothing. Living room? No, not there either. He wondered if something was wrong with William and headed for the stairs, but saw that the light was on in the study.

  “Jerry?” David wasn’t sure if William was asleep or just on the computer, so he kept his voice low. He pushed open the door, cringing at the familiar creak of the bottom hinge, to see Jerry with the phone to his ear.

  “I don’t see the problem.” Jerry turned to offer a smile and then to roll his eyes playfully. Kitty, David thought. “So I change a few of the pieces; it’s no big deal, Kitty.” He waited patiently, hoping the phone call would end soon. He wasn’t exactly sure why figuring out who Cory was would be of any interest to Jerry, but considering that the young man had become a very important part of William’s life, David decided to err on the side of caution. “I thought the objective was to get people into the gallery and then to actually buy the paintings.” Jerry nodded at something David couldn’t hear. “Right, my point exactly, so why include paintings that aren’t for sale.” Not for sale? David thought as he looked at his lover and shrugged his shoulders. “I know they might be some of my best work, but they’re not for sale, so why show them?” Jerry slumped into a chair, as if to signal that he was done with this particular conversation. “I won’t budge on this, Kitty.” Jerry wiped his hand over his face, a sign David recognized as Jerry being only moments away from swearing and raising his voice. “Okay, well, you do that then, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow… right, okay… bye, Kitty.”

  “Do you want to go first or should I go first?” David walked over and leaned against the beautiful mahogany desk that Jerry had inherited from his parents. Jerry sighed, reached out, grabbed David by the waist, and pulled him onto his lap. “Okay, well, I couldn’t help this feeling that I knew Cory from before. I knew he wasn’t an ex-student because I always remember those faces, but… is William okay? Did he throw up or have trouble getting to sleep?”

  “Out like a light when his head hit the pillow.”

  “Poor little guy.” David snuggled closer when he felt Jerry’s arms squeeze a little tighter. “I wonder if he’s getting that flu finally?”

  “We’ll wait and see what he feels like tomorrow.” Jerry pulled David’s shirt from his jeans and ran his big hands up and down the soft skin. “Cory?”

  “Oh, right!” David shook his head as if it would help him ignore the sensations of being so close to Jerry. “Anyway, Cory Flett is the student that Lenore and I nominated for the citizenship award five years ago.” After taking a quick breath, he looked at his husband wide-eyed and fanned his fingers in front of him. “Big controversy because Bennett was hoping that his daughter would win that year, since she was a crossing guard and had been instrumental in raising the money for new fluorescent vests—”

  “Has anyone ever told you that you put way too much detail in your stories?” Jerry pushed his hand below the waistband of David’s jeans. “Because as soon as you’re finished with this story, I was planning on taking you upstairs to have my way with you.”

  “Cory didn’t win and neither did Bennett’s daughter. The end.”

  “Very funny,” Jerry chuckled and gave a squeeze to David’s behind. “So neither of them won. Where’s the controversy?”

  “Well, Lenore and I were really hoping to have Cory win because he was new to the school that year, and his mother had passed away, which was why his father had decided to move—”

  “What?”

  “What what?”

  “His mother passed aw
ay?”

  “Yes, cancer, very sad.”

  “But….” Jerry shook his head. “Maybe it’s his stepmother.”

  “Okay, I’d like the record to show that you’re the one slowing this story down.”

  “Smart ass!” Jerry gave David’s ass another little squeeze. “It’s just that William said that Cory’s mother worked across the street at the supermarket.”

  “Maybe William meant stepmother? Although I would find that hard to believe. Do you know he ate four grilled cheese sandwiches? The poor kid. I don’t think he’s eating very well… regardless of how many parents he has.”

  Jerry pushed David gently off his lap and stood. “Come on, we can figure all this out tomorrow. If there’s anything to figure out.” David moved ahead of Jerry to the stairs. “So what did Cory do to get you and Lenore so gung-ho for him to win?”

  “Well, there was this little boy in grade four—Lane, I think his name was—who was always being picked on by some of the grade five boys because he liked to play with dolls and do skip-rope with the girls during recess.” David waited at the foot of the stairs while Jerry double-checked the front door and turned off the lights in the kitchen and hallway. “Cory came to Lane’s rescue so many times throughout that year, and always without violence or throwing even one punch or muttering one threat, that Lenore and I thought he was more than deserving of some kind of recognition. And he’s so kind and patient with William. I hope William doesn’t get too attached to Cory.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad for William, but I worry about him sometimes. You know, that he doesn’t have enough friends.”

  “Yeah, I know, I’ve worried about that a time or two myself, but….” Jerry steered David away from William’s door. “He’s fine, just—”