by John Simpson
Chapter Ten
THE telephone conversation was very tough on both Ryan and Harry. It took Harry a few minutes to believe what he was hearing, but the message from Phillip combined with the recent arrests of the attackers, convinced him. He agreed to travel to Audubon and stay overnight.
Ryan expected Harry just before noon and Mark around eleven. Scott was busy in the kitchen making lunch and preparing for dinner. Ryan was in his office reading his uncle’s journal until someone wanted his attention.
He felt a cool breeze on his neck followed by what seemed to be a tender kiss.
“Phillip, is that you?”
“Yes, Ryan,” the ghost said as he appeared.
“You’re a little early. It’ll be another hour before Harry gets here. Speaking of which, I want to say something. It’s been nine years now since you left Harry, and I’m sure he grieved your loss tremendously. I hope that he was able to move on and find someone to love as you would have if the situation were reversed. I guess what I’m trying to say is… don’t be upset if he doesn’t show the same amount of love that you remember. For you, it was yesterday, but for Harry, it’s been a long time.”
“Oh, I know, Ryan. I wouldn’t have wanted him to remain single, and he knew that. As long as he remembers me, what more can I ask?”
“Okay, good. I just want you to be fair to him, that’s all. You have to remember: it isn’t every day that someone gets a call requesting a meeting with their long-dead lover.”
“I understand. Speaking of being fair, you need to be fair to Mark and Scott.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You’re playing in two fields at once, and it isn’t fair to either. You’re going to hurt both if you continue like this.”
“For a dead guy, you have a lot of opinions, you know that?”
“Maybe so, but would you like to be in their position?”
“Look, Phillip, I’m very fond of both men. I have feelings for Mark, and though the thing with Scott is just sex, I’m fond of him too. We were sleeping together; we were tense, and it was a way of blowing off steam—steam that you were the cause of!”
“Sure, blame me for your philandering. I like both of those guys and don’t want to see either hurt, that’s all.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’ll more than likely make a life with Mark, if he’ll put up with me. Scott knows it was just sex; believe me.”
“I’ve done what I thought I had to do, and the subject is closed.”
“Good. Now, go haunt some other house until everyone gets here, will ya?”
AS RYAN poured himself a cup of coffee, Scott answered the knock at the door. Ryan heard Mark’s smooth, deep voice booming through the house as the attorney walked into the living room. He put his coffee down and hugged Mark before offering coffee.
“No, thanks, I’m a bit nervous over this meeting that you’ve arranged. I can’t wait to see this all go down.”
“You just like to worry. It’s going to be fine; you’ll see.”
As the three of them talked and sipped their coffee, Ryan remembered Phillip’s words of caution, and he looked at each of his friends in turn. He felt sexual attraction for both men, but he only had romantic feelings for Mark. Ryan knew that Phillip was right. He couldn’t have sex with Scott again and not be leading him on.
Ryan’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Scott answered, and Ryan and Mark stood as the butler showed a very handsome thirty-something-year-old man into the living room. “This is Harry,” Scott announced
Ryan made the introductions, and they all sat down. After some small talk about the congestion on the roads and how long it took Harry to drive from Philadelphia to Audubon, the conversation turned to the reason for the visit.
“You know, I thought you were some clown trying to fuck with me because of the press about the arrest of Phillip’s attackers. It wasn’t until you repeated my conversation with Phillip that I even started to believe you.”
“Well, I can certainly understand—it’s not every day you get a call telling you that your dead lover wants to meet with you,” Ryan repeated.
“How did the identity of Phillip’s attackers come to light?”
“Phillip gave us that information, and Mark here got it to police.”
“The police were very surprised to get that information, but I’m glad they acted on it,” added Mark.
“Phillip is ready to go on now, but he wanted to see you one last time. Do you want to meet with him in private?” Ryan asked.
“No, if I’m going to see a ghost, I don’t want to be alone for the first time. Please stay, all of you.”
“As you wish. Phillip, are you here?”
A fine mist began to appear in front of the fireplace. Slowly, a shape formed, and Phillip became semi-visible. Harry gasped.
“Oh, my God, it’s true! I don’t believe it. I still half-believed this was all some kind of terrible joke.”
“Hello, Harry. Don’t be afraid. It’s just me. I miss you terribly and love you still,” said Phillip.
“My God, Phillip, I can’t believe this. Why haven’t you moved on after all these years?”
“I couldn’t. I was filled with anger and hate for the men who did this to me. I had to have justice here on Earth, and Ryan helped me get it. Now I can forgive and move on.
I was on my way to you that terrible night to ask you to move in with me. I wanted us to become a couple in all senses of the word. I never got the chance. You cried so terribly at my funeral that it broke my heart. I had to see you one last time. Thank you for coming, my love.”
“I can’t tell you how destroyed I was when you died,” Harry said. “I even considered killing myself to be with you, but I didn’t have the balls to do it.”
“Oh, that would have been awful! That would have been worse than the attack! You aren’t supposed to die until it’s your time or you throw the universe and heaven out of sync. Tell me why you haven’t found someone and moved on with your life.”
“I don’t know. I guess I felt that you were my one love in this life and that I should remain faithful to your memory. Sure, I’ve had sex lots of times with different guys, but I never had any feelings for any of them.”
“Don’t live in the past; live for today and tomorrow and go on with your life. You’re a beautiful human being, and you deserve the love of a good man. Nothing would make me happier than you finding someone to love for the rest of your life. You are so special to me, and I will always have you in my heart. One day, we will be together again in friendship and love. That’s what gives me the strength to move on now. I love you, Harry.”
Harry couldn’t answer He was now crying into his hands. The room was deathly quiet except for the sound of soft weeping. Ryan noticed tears in everyone’s eyes, and he didn’t know what to do or say.
Phillip was the one to break the silence. “I must go now. I’ve done what I needed to do here. Thank you, Ryan, Scott, and Mark, for helping me. I feel an immense wave of love and peace pulling at me, and I can no longer resist it.”
“That’s how it should be, Phillip. Go, go in peace.”
As Ryan, Scott, Mark, and Harry watched, Phillip Bartholomew smiled a radiant smile and then faded into a million little brightly colored sparks of light. He was gone.
A tear rolled down Ryan’s face at the realization that they had freed a soul from severe torment and that the soul was now part of the great unknown. If the other ghosts of Stanton Hall had found peace as well, then it was a great day’s work.
Everyone collapsed into their seats as an intense feeling of peace and joy filled the room. When the tears began to slow, Harry spoke first.
“I’m a wreck.”
“I think we all are,” said Mark.
Scott patted Harry on the back and asked if he wanted a drink.
“I think we could all use a good stiff drink at the moment,” Ryan said.
As Scott made cocktails, everyone d
ried their tears and tried to regain their composure. Scott couldn’t help admiring the raw good looks of their visitor from Philadelphia. He had been deeply touched by the response Harry gave his long-lost lover’s question. As he handed Harry his drink, he let his fingertips brush the other man’s wrist. A jolt of electricity ran through both men.
Ryan noticed the special attention that Scott was paying to Harry, and he smiled to himself as he listened to Mark talk about what had just occurred. When Harry stole a side glance at Scott, looking him up and down, Ryan’s matchmaking instincts surfaced. This could be one of the most interesting weekends of their lives.
John Simpson
a Vietnam-era Veteran, has been a uniformed Police Officer of the Year, a federal agent, a federal magistrate, and an armed bodyguard to royalty and a senior government executive. He earned awards from the Vice President of the United States and the Secretary of the Treasury. John has written articles for various gay and straight magazines. John lives with his partner of thirty-five years and three wonderful Scott Terriers, all spoiled and a breed of canine family member that is unique in dogdom. John is also involved with the Old Catholic Church and its liberal pastoral positions on the gay community.
Visit his web site at http://www.johnsimpsonbooks.com/.
Copyright
The Ghosts of Stanton Hall ©Copyright John Simpson, 2009
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Released in the United States of America
October 2009
eBook Edition
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-072-7