Alma's Will

by Anel Viz

  "I thought you'd've gone home, too, by now."

  "Ed—my husband—he left the day before yesterday. I wanted to stay on a while longer to let it all sink in. So much has happened I haven't had time to come to terms with, Li—" He corrected himself: "Mrs. Redding." He paused before continuing. "I thought if I spent some time walking around the old neighborhood, sitting out in Mama's garden… And I needed to come here." He lapsed into silence.

  "You know Mama loved you," Liv told him.

  He merely nodded again, as though he had talked himself out.

  Liv took a deep breath. She couldn't say what wasn't in her heart. "I don't. I want to, but I don't."

  "That's okay," he answered. "I'm used to hatred. But it's hard, coming here, with his grave right next to hers."

  Epilogue: The Ronnie House

  Out of nowhere, Judge Harris Cole ruled that because zoning regulations prohibited using the house as a group home, Alma's will was invalid. Simultaneously Lambda filed an appeal in Jay and Baron's name, and Cameron filed his claim to half the estate. The story hit the papers and created a stir. Letters to the editor appeared in newspapers throughout Georgia, a few condemning the judge's decision, but most of them venomous homophobic rants. The story was covered nationwide.

  Liv was ready to return to Macon to dispute Cameron's claim.

  Eric put his foot down. "Don't you dare or, so help me, Liv, I'll—"

  "But Ronnie will get half of everything!"

  "And he's welcome to it. Alma would've left him half if she'd known he was alive, and you know it. If you'd left well enough alone, it would never have come to a judge's attention. Jay and Baron would have gotten the house, sold it, and put the shelter somewhere else. The rest would've been yours."

  "But can he prove it?"

  "He's already proven he's your brother. Can he prove she would have left him half? What she wanted to do with the house is a damn strong argument. I don't care if he can or can't, but I don't think he'd have to. I'm telling you, Liv, if you pursue this, it's over. I'm washing my hands of you and taking custody of the kids. I'll get them, you know, after what happened to Li'l Eric."

  Liv became hysterical. "You blame me for that, don't you? That's what this is really all about. You think it was my fault!"

  "Yes, that and everything else. I blame you for all of it."

  They called an emergency session with their marriage counselor to deal with the crisis.

  Until then the sessions had been low key. The counselor had insisted they "stay on topic," meaning that they should focus on their relationship rather than the business with the house, which he saw as symptomatic of bigger problems. This time Eric went on the offensive.

  "You can't take the kids with you to Georgia after what happened there," he said with mounting anger. "You have to be here for them, for me. I will not let you put me on a shelf while you ride off on your high horse to vent your resentments. Either we come first or not at all. The story's out, Liv. Everybody knows your brother's gay. What's more important, your family or showing the world you disapprove of him?"

  He was shaking; Liv was weeping. The counselor passed Liv the box of tissues and told Eric to calm down, but on the whole he supported his point of view.

  "Right now your priority should be your marriage," he said. "It won't wait, and if it falls apart you won't be able to pick up the pieces later."

  "How can I work on my marriage when this is such a distraction?" Liv feebly protested.

  "You can't let it distract you."

  "I can't help it as long as it's going on. I'd hoped it was over, but…"

  "Then put an end to it if you can't ignore it," Eric said.

  "How?"

  "Don't contest his claim and draw up some kind of legal paper binding you to sign the house over to him in case you're declared sole heir. A lawyer will know what to do. That's all Cameron wants, really, since everything she had was your father's estate. Do that, and Jay and Baron will drop their appeal and it'll be over and done with."

  "Is that the price of our staying together?"

  "It's not that easy," the counselor said. "The success of your marriage depends on more than that; it depends on your willingness to work through your problems. And I don't just mean you, Liv; I mean both of you. Putting this episode behind you and getting on with your life is a first step."

  "Is there such a paper?" Liv asked.

  "There must be something like it. Scott would know."

  * * * *

  Half of Alma's estate went to Cameron. The house was sold and he donated his share of the proceeds plus everything else he'd inherited to establish the safe house. Negotiations were undertaken to secure another property in Macon and a call went out for donations. Gay organizations and gay-friendly people from around the country responded, thanks to the press coverage the story had received. Jay, Baron, Ed, and Cameron all contributed generously out of their own pockets, as did Eric Redding.

  Liv protested, saying, "We agreed we'd put this behind us. They have the house. What more do they want?"

  "I want them to know there are no hard feelings. As long as there are hard feelings, we haven't put it behind us. And it'll be a first step in reconciling you with your brother."

  "I don't want to be reconciled with him."

  "That's up to you."

  So there was enough money to get the house ready, hire a director, a cook and a maintenance man, and set up a small capital fund. It took close to a year until The Ronnie House was ready to open. For the time being, the director, who'd worked as a counselor in a similar home in Atlanta, would be full-time everything. It would get off to a modest start, with only a couple of boys living there. Their first resident would be Lionel, a fourteen-year-old who'd been bullied in the Macon home for teens and no less miserable in the Christian foster homes that had taken him in. Two other boys would come up from Atlanta with Charlie, the new director, so Lionel wouldn't be alone.

  But even Lionel's transfer raised difficulties. Child Protection and local churches opposed the move. It took a court order and scandal over the abuse he'd suffered in the teen home to bring it about.

  Jay and Baron gave Charlie Alma's old black cat to live there as a mascot.

  * * * *

  Ed and Cameron flew down for the official opening. Ed's brother, Tim, went with them, and brought his wife, their little girl and the new baby. Marc, who welcomed an excuse to take a couple of days off, came too, and Magda Caille drove down from Atlanta. The Reddings were invited, too, since they'd made a contribution, but they declined politely without giving a reason. None was needed. Cameron understood their gesture as a peace offering and hadn't expected them to follow up on it.

  Marc, Ed and Cameron stayed with Baron and Jay. Tim and his family had intended staying at a motel, but there were extra rooms in the Ronnie House with only three boys in residence, and Charlie insisted that having a gay-friendly family there would be good for them.

  Not surprisingly, picketers turned out en masse to protest on opening day. They outnumbered the people inside the house. Fletcher MacGuire was on hand in case of an incident, and saw the Heymers in the crowd, part of Pastor Rich's vocal contingent. He asked them to leave.

  "Why should we?" Dennis asked. He'd got off with a slap on the wrist—a modest fine and a few hundred hours of community service.

  "The boy's uncle is here."

  "So? He doesn't know what I look like."

  The picketers made Lionel wonder how safe he'd be there. The two older boys, more streetwise from growing up in Atlanta and more secure after a year or two in a safe home, assured him, not entirely honestly, that they'd be gone tomorrow and it would all be forgotten. They'd taken him under their wing.

  They dragged him over to where Cameron was standing by the punch bowl. "Charlie says you're the Ronnie the house is named for. S'that right?"

  "I used to be Ronnie. The name has bad memories for me."

  They understood what he meant. "So that's you when you
were a kid?" one of the boys asked, pointing to a twenty-four by thirty-six enlargement of a photo that Eric Redding had sent and now hung in a place of honor on the living room wall.

  "Yep, that's me at fourteen, about eight months before my dad threw me out of the house," Cameron said, "and the woman next to me is my mother."

  "He threw you out because you were gay, right?"

  Cameron nodded, then he told them a little of his story and about the will.

  "And Tim—you know, in the family that's staying here—he's Ed's brother. Ed's from another safe home. He had to run away because he was gay, like me, but they found each other years later."

  "Ed the one with the black dude?"

  "No, Ed's my husband. We're from Boston. It's okay for men to marry there." He pointed him out. "And now he's here with me and with his brother. So you see, you still have family, even if they don't want to know you now. And that's going to change too. The picketers outside, they prove it. When I was a kid here nobody could've imagined that someday there'd be a home like this to picket."

  About the Author

  Anel Viz apparently doesn't meet other people's expectations of him. Although born and raised in New York City, he bears only a superficial resemblance to the characters in Seinfeld. He has lived large chunks of his life in French-speaking countries, where many people refuse to believe he is American because he is neither particularly tall nor loud and he "doesn't swagger."

  Anel was married for 20 years and has two grown-up sons. He currently lives with his male partner. They've been together—but not living together—for a decade. For relaxation he enjoys concerts (especially classical music), reading, walks in the woods, camping, visiting the doggie park, preparing gourmet meals, and, time and money permitting, travel.

  Now that he has retired, Anel looks forward to devoting himself full time to creative writing, a hobby he began some half-dozen years ago. He enjoys pushing the envelope in all genres, both in his literary experiments and his treatment of sex. To date he has published 5 novels, 5 novellas, 3 short story collections, 14 separately published stories, and he has almost as many works in progress as publications. He regularly contributes stories to Wilde Oats online magazine.

  Website

  http://bookworld.editme.com/AnelViz

  Facebook

  https://www.facebook.com/anel.viz

  Blog

  http://anelviz.blogspot.com/

  Email

  escuiruel@gmail.com

  Also by Anel Viz

  Available from Silver Publishing

  The City of Lovely Brothers

  The House in Birdgate Alley

  P'tit Cadeau

  The Thought Collector

  Kaleidoscope

  The Best Christmas Ever

  Les Ardoises

  New Lives

  HORROR, DARK & LITE

  Dark Horror

  Horror Lite

  "A Return to Normalcy" in Silver Presents: Love is Love

  Available from Dreamspinner Press

  The Memoirs of Colonel Gérard Vreilhac

  Dancing for Jonathan

  A Perfect Gift for a Voyeur

  There Are Fairies in the Bottom of the Garden

  Available from Doppelganger Press:

  Our Acreage

  Lux Carnis

  Award Winning Titles

  P'tit Cadeau

  2011 Golden Rose

  Best Contemporary Romance

  Rainbow Awards 2011

  Best Setting Development, 2nd place (tie)

  The City of Lovely Brothers

  Love Romance Café 2010

  Best Historical (nomination)

  Reviews

  The City of Lovely Brothers

  The City of Lovely Brothers is, like everything else I've read by the very talented Anel Viz, superb at not only catching my attention, but getting me so completely involved in what's happening that putting the book down becomes a struggle.

  —5++ kisses from Top2Bottom Reviews

  … a top notch piece of historical fiction with enough lovingly described sex to satisfy both fans of historical fiction and those who read for sensual pleasure. … [Anel Viz] has perfectly captured the family's dynamics over several generations, as well as the vernacular language of the time. The love he depicts between Nick and Caliban is genuinely moving, and the cast of supporting characters … are all well drawn and completely believable.

  —5 stars from the GLBT Bookshelf

  Anel Viz's blend of factual events with fictional details provides The City of Lovely Brothers a great deal of authenticity that quickly pulls the reader into the story. The brothers and their families are richly drawn characters that Mr. Viz brings vibrantly to life. Their flaws and

  imperfections contribute to the overall feeling that The City of Lovely Brothers is based on real people and true events. … The family discord rings true, and their eventual outcome becomes readily apparent.

  —5 Ravens from Blackraven's Reviews

  … a thoughtful and emotionally satisfying story of the love between two men in a western setting–a setting which is all too often hopelessly idealized and unrealistic. Viz is unflinching in his depiction of the hardships of ranch life of the period, and the story is more rewarding because of it.

  —4½ stars from Jessewave

  Each and every character in the book - even ones who only had a sentence or two during the whole book, had a unique personality. I feel like I've known each one of these people. I wanted to be there with them, smile and laugh with them, cry with them, fume with them, and even pull a gun on a couple of them.

  —5 stars from Erika Pike

  This family saga, astonishingly authentic for a work of pure fiction, will engross the reader for a good ten hours. The accuracy of the historical events and the deep sincerity the author has conferred on his characters make both come alive in a way truer than Nature, perfectly suited to the times and customs.

  —3/4 "chats gentils" from Blue Moon Reviews

  The House in Birdgate Alley

  The House in Birdgate Alley is a very well-written, thoroughly enjoyable story that plunges the reader headlong into late 19th century London. I'm very impressed with Anel Viz' ability to write in a style that sounds as if it was written over one hundred years ago, with perfect

  language, voice, and tone, both for the characters of the upper classes, and for the Cockney voices and sensibilities of the others.

  —4½ cherries from Whipped Cream Reviews

  …a very enjoyable and satisfactory romp through awell depicted Victorian London, spiced throughout with some beautifully erotic moments.

  —4½ stars from Wilde Oats

  P'tit Cadeau

  …here is a story that will survive the test of time and one which should definitely be a MUST READ. Anel Viz has joined the list of authors to whom I turn to when I most need something beautiful, telling and powerful to read, something that will bring back the joy and the hope that we all need to go on.

  —5+ kisses from Top2Bottom Reviews

  This is a rich and satisfying book, taking the reader into the lives of well-developed characters who meet and overcome intriguing hurdles in their search for happiness through a beautifully described landscape.

  —5 stars from Wilde Oats

  More than just a touching and intense love story which cannot help but move you, P'tit Cadeau is also a testament to the author's sincere affection for the south of France and his deep familiarity with the region. A beautifully realized and captivating novel.

  —4/4 "chats gentils" from Blue Moon Reviews

  Ben and Jean-Yves are as changeable, as likely to make mistakes, as likely to surprise themselves and others, and as unpredictable as any other two humans on the earth. No two people will hold the same roles nor relationships either, the give and take being the norm, unlike in much fiction. I found this powerful, so much more satisfying than books where not only the story is fiction but the types of people in th
em as well.

  —Nan Hawthorne on "That All She Read"

  … a very singular work from a relatively new voice in our genre, and one who has quickly established himself as one of the best, in my opinion. Everything I've read from this author has been entirely unique, and well worth savoring.

  —Victor Banis on Jessewave

  The Thought Collector

  Anel Viz' short story The Thought Collector is a delightful contemporary fairy tale with mystery, romance, and just a hint of that nitty-gritty darkness that the best fairy tales flirt with.

  There is enough plot here to make a full-sized novel, honestly […] The inventive world-building Viz creates here is constantly surprising and interesting.

  —4 Kisses from Top2Bottom Reviews

  The thought collector to me would be like looking into a crazy person's brain and that fascinates me. I would love to sit and Ask Mr Viz how he came up with this thought pattern. The idea of a thought collector was what attracted me to this storyline. And right up until the end of this short story I was riveted.

  —4 stars from Night Owl Reviews

  Kaleidoscope

  Prepare to be dazzled. Like its namesake, this story collection will keep you guessing. Just when you think you have something understood, shapes shift, colors change, and wonder reigns.

  —5 stars from Wilde Oats

  Nothing can be irrelevant in a short story, so the author has to scrape away any excessiveness to keep the focus on the single plot and/or point. I happen to both enjoy reading and writing short stories (and trust me, they can often be more difficult to write than long novels), and these ones by Anel Viz are phenomenal, well written, and extremely tasteful.