Lois and Carolyn, thanks for the beta...you’re the greatest! I would also like to thank everyone who previewed the chapters for me.
Author’s Comment: Oops, I just checked the word count for his chapter. At approximately 4400 words, I guess I should add my usual warning message that this chapter is much longer than normal . I hope I’ll be forgiven…but there was just no way to split this chapter. (smile)
Chapter 14 – A Cozy Dinner Thursday Evening…(Day 60) “Debbie honey, I’m home,” Carl called out as he entered the house. “My, something smells really good.” Debbie came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. “I made something extra special,” she said coyly. “What’s the occasion?” Carl asked nonchalantly. “We’re having guests for dinner,” Debbie said, leaning in to give Carl a kiss. “Guests for dinner, huh? But it isn’t Sunday,” he teased. “I’m very well aware what day of the fucking week it is. This isn’t Sunday dinner…this is just dinner for a few friends.” “Oh, that’s different. Who’s coming?” “I invited Jennifer...” Debbie said, allowing a pregnant pause to lapse. “That’s nice.” “And… I invited Danny Devore. Although I can’t tell you whether Danny will show up or whether Divina will appear.” “Well, I guess we’ll soon find out, won’t we? What made you bring Jennifer into the mix?” “She knows the whole story…plus she and Danny have known each other for a couple of weeks. She’s helping him find a place to live,” Debbie confidently relayed. Carl couldn’t resist. “You better not let Justin find out that you’ve set up a date for his mother,” he teased with a laugh. “You remember how he reacted about the whole Tucker affair?” he reminded her with a smile. “This isn’t a date…this is a fucking friendly dinner,” Debbie immediately protested. “I thought it would relieve some of the tension if she were here, you little shit. Plus I could use the additional moral support, if you must know,” she firmly added. “Just teasing! It’s a very nice gesture,” Carl said, leaning in to give her another kiss. “That’s better.” “I’m going up to grab a quick shower and change for dinner.” “Okay,” Debbie said with a smile as she returned to the kitchen. As Carl was heading up the stairs, he suddenly wondered aloud, “Debbie, where’s Em?” “Em is having dinner with Drew. He’ll probably spend the night over there. They haven’t had too much time together lately. So it looks like it’ll be just you and me here later tonight.” “You and me…those are magical words,” Carl said, continuing to climb the stairs. “I’ll be down shortly.” *** Jennifer was the first to arrive. She and Carl chatted easily in the living room about nothing important. Of course, Carl couldn’t resist teasing Jennifer about her “date” for the evening. Jennifer merely rolled her eyes, and used his comment as the perfect excuse to leave him alone in the living room. Carl couldn’t help smiling as he watched Jennifer walk away to join Debbie. Debbie was still a bit nervous about what was going to happen this evening, so she was very glad to have Jennifer in the kitchen with her...to keep her distracted. Jennifer mentioned that she’d finally talked to Justin. Debbie laughed and just waited to hear Jennifer’s take on things. “Well!” Jennifer began, “According to Justin, he had a craving for lemon bars, so Brian decided they should make a trip back to Pittsburgh so he could get them,” she relayed. Then both Debbie and Jennifer had to laugh at the image of mighty Brian Kinney, dropping everything in his business world in New York to come all the way back to Pittsburgh just to fulfill Justin’s craving for lemon bars. After the two of them finished laughing, both of them confirmed that they weren’t buying Justin’s explanation one bit. They both agreed that it couldn’t possibly be a coincidence that the happy couple suddenly decided to grace Pittsburgh with their presence…no, they didn’t believe in coincidences…something was definitely up. Before they could pursue this line of reasoning any further, there was a knock at the door. The air was filled with anticipation, so they all went to greet whoever was there. Would it be the handsome Daniel or the flamboyant Divina? As Jennifer expected, an impeccably dressed Daniel Devore stood at the door with a bottle of wine in one hand and dessert in the other. Carl reached for the wine and Debbie reached for the dessert. Then Carl managed to shake Daniel’s hand and introduce himself. Daniel noticed Jennifer standing nearby and greeted her with a smile. “Jennifer, I’m glad to see you. I didn’t find out until yesterday that you and Debbie knew each other.” “Yes, Debbie and I are like family,” Jennifer pointed out with a smile, as she walked over and put her arm around Debbie. “Jennifer is Sunshine’s mom,” Debbie pointed out to help Daniel begin to connect the relationship dots within their little family. “Ah yes, with the hearty appetite and the bubble butt,” Daniel teased. “I wouldn’t let him hear you reference either of those things…even if they’re true,” Jennifer quipped in her son’s defense. “Not unless you want to make an enemy right from the start,” she added with a laugh. Debbie and Carl laughed too, indicating that she was so right. “And how are you doing, my Divina,” Daniel teased as he gave Debbie a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Danny use to call me that in high school,” Debbie said coyly, blushing slightly. “And you used her nickname in your act?” Carl asked curiously. “It seemed to fit somehow. When my agent asked me for a stage name, it was the first name that popped out of my mouth. Every time I heard an announcer announce me over the years, I could hear Debbie’s laugh in the back of my mind,” Daniel explained. “You’re full of shit, Danny. You always were,” Debbie said with a broad laugh. “Now, there’s that laugh!” Daniel teased. “I have to agree with you there,” Carl added. “Big mouth…big laugh…I like that.” “You’re a lucky man, Carl.” “So how’s the house hunting going?” Carl asked. “Jennifer is an excellent realtor. She’s shown me a lot of houses. I told her that I have lots of friends, who tend to drop in so I need something bigger than a little cottage or a loft or a condo. I’m still looking…I want to take my time,” Daniel explained. “I’ve heard that Brian and Justin live in a mansion…maybe that’s more of what Danny has in mind,” Debbie teased. “Don’t get started on the mansion, Debbie. You know that Justin will have you out there as soon as he has a chance. You know how he feels about you,” Jennifer reminded her. “If the little asshole doesn’t invite me out there soon, I’m going to do what Lindsay did. I’m going to call and invite myself out. Then, I’ll have his fucking balls!” Debbie began to rant. Jennifer couldn’t resist a laugh as she pictured the imagery. “You do that Debbie,” she said with a smile. “But I really don’t think that it’ll be necessary.” Everyone else laughed too. “I see that you haven’t changed,” Daniel commented. “Not much chance of that,” Carl added with a laugh. “Daniel, I didn’t know that you’re a world famous female impersonator,” Jennifer commented. “I saw the ad in the paper about your appearance this weekend. When you were in my office, you looked so different then when you’re in ….you know…” “Drag,” Debbie filled in the correct word for her. “Thank you…” Jennifer replied. “Yes, drag.” Then Debbie decided to have a little fun. “You know Danny, when Jennifer saw the picture of you as Divina in the paper, she couldn’t help wondering what you might look like out of makeup,” she teased. “Debbie!” Jennifer protested. “I was trying to see if Daniel and Divina might be related.” “Oh, I would say they’re related,” Carl teased, eliciting a swipe from Debbie. “Don’t feel bad, Jennifer. Quite a few people wonder. Fortunately, Divina and I look so different these days that once I take off my make up, I’m almost anonymous. I’m beginning to like that. As much as I love Divina, it’s tiring being her all the time. I must admit that there are times that I enjoy being simply Daniel,” Daniel explained. “Daniel?” Debbie questioned. “Well, it is my given name,” Daniel pointed out. “But you hated it back in high school. You were always Danny Devore. You even used Danny in the yearbook, as I remember,” Debbie reminded him. “I grew up, I guess. Somewhere along the line, I decided that I wanted to use my given name, Daniel. I decided that it suited me better as I became 53 years old. Of course, I have no problems with old friends calling me Danny.” “You had to bring up the age thing,” Debbie teased. “I’d forgotten how old I was.” “Debbie, you haven’t aged a day since high school. The only change I see is the difference in hair color. I miss the long flowing blond locks. But I have to admit the new hair style and color are definitely you,” Daniel teased. “I would definitely have to agree with that,” Carl said with a laugh. Carl and Daniel settled down in the living room to talk a bit, while Jennifer gave Debbie a hand with the last minute things relating to dinner. Within a few minutes, they all gathered around the dinner table to enjoy the meal that Debbie had lovingly prepared. It was one of Daniel’s favorites. He was very pleased. “Traveling as much as I have, I rarely get a great meal like this. Thank you,” Daniel commented. Over dinner, Daniel regaled them all with stories of his exploits over the years. He talked about his travels and his time spent in New York. “You probably didn’t know it, but I’ve appeared in several off Broadway productions from time to time. Of course, Divina Devore is always in demand, but quite a few directors simply wanted me as a character actor,” Daniel revealed. “How do you do that?” Jennifer asked. “From the picture that I saw Divina was pretty flamboyant.” “Divina is merely another role now,” Daniel revealed. “I attended college over the years to learn the craft of acting. I’m quite capable of acting in other roles.” Everyone was surprised by this news. “So that’s why Divina has had such a long career. You were more than just a pretty face,” Carl teased. “Thank you, Carl,” Daniel said with a laugh. “But Divina hasn’t been a pretty face in ages. I think it’s that she just has great fans.” “So…you see…she can’t go into retirement?” Debbie teased. “Eventually, she’ll have to retire. But I hope that I can keep on acting for quite a long time,” Daniel revealed. In the course of the dinnertime conversation, Daniel reminded everyone that Debbie wanted to be a nurse when she was in high school. “Well, she didn’t have to do that,” Jennifer said happily, “But she’s managed to take care of all of us ever since I’ve known her. My son thinks of her as a second mother.” “And how does Michael deal with having a little brother,” Daniel wondered aloud. Jennifer and Debbie looked at each other and laughed. Daniel immediately asked, “Did I say something funny?” Carl being the voice of reason thought that he should explain. “Justin and Michael have this love/hate relationship. Justin and Michael created this comic book together called Rage. They are business partners.” “Of course, Justin has a knack for annoying Michael…as only a little brother can,” Debbie elaborated with a smile. “Michael’s been trying to make Sunshine disappear since the day he arrived on the scene. Add to that, the fact that he’s now legally life-partnered to Michael’s best friend, and I think you start to get the picture.” “Do I detect a note of jealousy? But I thought you said something about Michael’s partner’s name was Ben,” Daniel asked with some confusion. “At the moment, Ben and Michael have recently separated. I don’t know what’s going to happen there,” Debbie said sadly. “But that’s a long story for another time,” she added. “Everyone in our little family is trying to be there to help Michael through these trying times,” Carl added. “Well, I don’t want to add to his troubles,” Daniel said softly. “Danny, I’ve had a lot of time to think since we talked yesterday. I’ve even had a chance to talk things out with Carl and Jennifer, and they helped me to see that now is the time to tell Michael the truth,” Debbie began. “What truth?” Daniel asked. “The WHOLE truth! Starting with you and me back in high school, right on up to the present,” Debbie revealed. “Everything…” “Why would you do that?” Daniel challenged. “Michael believes that he already has a father. I’m content to merely be a family friend.” “There have been enough lies in this family,” Carl interrupted. “It’s time to lift the veil, as they say on stage. It’s time for the truth. I can’t tell you what will happen when everything is revealed, but I agree with Debbie that now is the time for everything to happen.” “Danny, our son lives in a fantasy world of superheroes. I think part of the reason is because he has a fantasy-father, and that fantasy-father was made into a larger than life hero,” Debbie began. “Oh, I don’t know about that…” Daniel questioned. “You gave him a father he could be proud of, so it makes sense that he would idolize his father.” “The problem is, THAT fantasy-father never existed…in spite of the fact that his shrine rests on the mantle in the living room,” Debbie quietly confessed. “THAT father never existed, but Michael’s father has always been very much alive, and never given the chance to be a father to him…because of me,” Debbie added softly. “But what about your fears?” Daniel reminded her. “Last weekend, I had to sit by and watch my son’s fantasies cost him everything that he treasured in this world. I had to watch him fight and argue to protect a fantasy that dated back to his childhood. And as I watched, I had to accept most of the blame for his predicament,” Debbie said with emotion, for this was a hard admission for her to make. “I’m afraid that I don’t understand,” Daniel said softly. “Danny, since Michael was 14, he and Brian Kinney have been best friends. A 14-year-old Brian said that they would probably be two old queens living in Palm Springs. For Brian it was an off handed remark…for Michael it was a promise of a future together. So Michael feels betrayed when 20 plus years later, his best friend made a legal, life commitment to Justin,” Debbie explained. “He’s been virtually sulking for almost two weeks.” “I don’t understand why he would hold onto a childhood promise so tenaciously,” Daniel said, almost as if talking to himself. “You see his partner, Ben, is HIV positive. Although Ben isn’t sick, and we all hope that he will be around for a very long time, the childhood promise seemed to have been Michael’s way of coping with the unthinkable,” Carl explained. “Now I see. I can sort of understand that, I too have lost many friends to AIDS. I think I’m beginning to better understand things,” Daniel acknowledged softly. “It’s a way to give himself a future.” “There’s more….” Debbie added softly. “What more could there be?” Daniel asked pointedly. “I think Michael has this big hole in his heart because he didn’t grow up with a father,” Debbie admitted. “I should have found a way to tell both of you about one another over the years.” “Why didn’t you?” Daniel finally asked, without any malice in his tone. He asked the question that was on everyone’s lips. “I understand why you may not have told him in the beginning since I had left town. I’ll even buy into the fact that you needed to give Michael a father he could be proud of, so you didn’t tell him while he was growing up. But Michael’s been a grown man for some time now…did he really need the fantasy to continue?” he candidly asked. “Michael is still my baby. We’ve been so close...the two musketeers…he and I. We’re pretty much all that each other has had,” Debbie admitted. Then she cast a look over at Jennifer. As the two exchanged looks, Debbie’s demeanor changed before she continued. “That’s not completely true,” she admitted. “I’ve had Michael’s love all to myself…for all these years. Let’s face it, I was a selfish bitch, and I didn’t want to share him…with anyone,” she added sadly. “That’s what a mother does,” Jennifer said, trying to make things better for Debbie. “You look out for your kids.” “But I can see that over-protected him. I believed that Michael could do no wrong. So, in his entire life, he never had to take responsibility for anything that he ever did. I could always find someone to blame,” Debbie admitted. “You mean like Brian,” Jennifer asked pointedly. “For a long time, he was such an asshole and the perfect villain,” Debbie replied. “Then blaming him just became habit,” she added softly with some remorse. “What I did wasn’t right. I can see that now. It wasn’t right for Michael…it wasn’t fair to Brian either.” “But I don’t understand…” Daniel interjected. “Michael never had a father to teach him right from wrong. He never learned to accept responsibility. He doesn’t understand so much about life. Michael doesn’t understand the things that only a father can teach,” Debbie continued to point out. “I deprived of him of the opportunity to learn many important life lessons…and so much more.” “Debbie honey…” Carl tried to interrupt. “No Carl, let me be honest here! I know that Michael has to deal with a lot having a mother who’s as loud and as outrageous as me. That’s why it was so important that he had a father he could be proud of,” Debbie argued. “And I could never be that,” Daniel agreed softly “Hold it you two,” Carl interrupted. “You’re both wrong! Kids don’t know anything about parents and shame. All a kid knows is love. Michael isn’t ashamed of you Debbie…he genuinely loves you. And I bet if he’d known that Daniel was his father, he would have loved and been proud of him too. A famous drag queen for a father, how cool is that!” he couldn’t resist gushing. “But even more than that, he might have had a father who loved him…even if that father wasn’t around all the time.” “But….” Daniel tried to interrupt, but Carl wasn’t finished. “We already know that doesn’t matter! Look at Brian and Gus…for god sake! Brian isn’t around all the time, but he is very much there for Gus…and Gus is crazy about Brian…you know that. So if that was the reason that you’ve kept the secret all these years, I think you were gravely mistaken,” Carl pointed out. Jennifer thought it was time for her to intervene here. “Debbie, don’t be so hard on yourself. No parent is perfect. Every parent makes mistakes. Every parent does only the best that they can…then hopes that their kid is still speaking to them when they grow up,” she said. “No one knows that better than me. If you hadn’t been there when Justin needed you, I don’t know what would have happened to him.” “Sunshine was easy,” Debbie admitted. “He was also smart and strong and stubborn and determined. He showed us all what a little twink can do with tenacity and intelligence on his side…maybe because he had a father when it mattered…even if he and Craig had problems later on in his life. I want that for my son. I want him to have a chance…even at this late date in his life,” Debbie argued. “I want Michael to get to know his father.” “Debbie, you realize that even if everything goes perfectly, there is no guarantee that anything will change for Michael. Now he’s a grown man. He is who he is,” Daniel suggested. “I know that. And I realize that I may lose my son in the process. Michael will find out that I’ve lied to him his whole life. That’s going to be a hard thing for him to forgive. But I’m willing to make this sacrifice, so that he has a chance at some kind of future,” Debbie continued. “Things have to change for him, or he will be miserable for the rest of his life.” “And what do you expect me to do?” Daniel asked. “I have no expectations. You have known for four years that Michael was your son. I asked you not to jeopardize my relationship with him, and you honored my wishes. Now you’re free to acknowledge your son, and to form a relationship with him…if you want to and if he’ll let you. This won’t be easy. Michael is stubborn. You and I have both lied to him…each in our own ways. All we can do now is tell him the truth, and then wait and see what comes next,” Debbie confirmed. “Daniel, we’re here to do whatever we can to help. We want to be here for both you and Michael. My question is, are you up for all this?” Carl asked. “Part of the reason that I came back to live in Pittsburgh was because of Michael. We liked each other when we met years ago. I figured if he already had a father…albeit a deceased one…he didn’t need another. So I moved back here in hopes that I could merely be his friend. I had no reason to hope for anything more. It would have been enough,” Daniel explained. “You said when we first met that you were estranged from your family, and you hoped to come back and mend fences,” Jennifer reminded him. “You were talking about Michael, weren’t you?” “You said that?” Debbie interrupted before Daniel could answer Jennifer’s question. “Yes, I was talking about Michael. But I never expected the truth would come out. I’m ready to take the next step with him…whatever that happens to be…no matter how difficult a task it turns out to be…or how long it takes. I only hope that in the end, Michael and I can at least be friends,” Daniel admitted. “You’ve got a good attitude,” Jennifer commented. “How do you plan on breaking the truth to him?” Daniel asked. “I have no fucking idea!” Debbie admitted with a laugh. “But I’ve made the decision to tell him as soon as possible. That’s all I can promise. Fate will have to handle things from there.” “Fate!” Daniel said. “My constant companion and oldest friend…” “I definitely understand what you mean,” Carl added. “I admit…she’s my constant companion as well.” “Now that that’s all resolved, how about dessert?” Debbie asked. “That box looked very familiar…did you bring cannoli from Castore’s?” Daniel couldn’t resist one of his laughs. “Of course, I couldn’t resist. I remembered that it used to be your favorite,” he teased. “It still is,” Carl confirmed. “But she won’t allow me to bring it in the house. Something about her girlish figure,” he teased. “She has nothing to worry about,” Daniel confirmed with a smile. Jennifer and Carl smiled as they remembered how hard Debbie had worked over the years to gain her svelte appearance. Debbie served dessert and as everyone took their first taste, Jennifer and Carl understood why this dessert was one of Debbie’s secret passions. “Okay, Jennifer, since it’s obvious that you don’t get to see drag queens, in performance very often,” Daniel now teased. “Why don’t you come to see one my shows over the weekend…as my guest of course,” Daniel offered. “This is your chance to see Divina up close,” he teased. Jennifer blushed, “Me?” she asked with some surprise. “Of course, you…” Daniel responded. “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Debbie agreed. “I’ll admit dealing with Brian Kinney all these years, I’m sure that isn’t much that you haven’t seen,” she added with a laugh. “But I’m sure seeing a female impersonator of Divina’s stature, would be a unique experience,” Carl teased. “I’ll admit that I wouldn’t mind seeing that myself.” “Then why don’t all three of you would come to see my show? You’ll be my special guests. After all, there’s no telling if Divina will ever get to perform in town again,” Daniel suggested with a laugh. “What do you think?” Debbie asked, looking from Carl to Jennifer. “I think we could all use a night out,” Carl suggested, leaning back in his chair. “Wait until Em hears about this. He’s going to be so jealous. I have to wait for just the right moment to let it slip,” he gushed. “Oh I’m going to enjoy this.” “Carl!” Debbie and Jennifer said in unison and then couldn’t resist laughing. Debbie knew that Carl had a wicked sense of humor, but Jennifer was completely surprised that Carl would plan to tease Emmett this way. Daniel smiled as he watched the thoughts of his dinner companions play our across their faces. “I’ll leave your names at the door,” he added. He was already anticipating the moment that looked out and saw these friends at the audience. He also thought about actually hearing Debbie’s laugh during a performance, instead of simply imagining it all in his mind. Yes, he was definitely looking forward this. Jennifer and Carl and Debbie discussed the idea of going to show a little more. Then they agreed that attending Saturday’s performance was best. The more they talked, the more excited they became. They were all looking forward to the weekend now. After dessert, Jennifer decided to make it an early evening, so she said her goodnights leaving the three friends, still talking late into the evening. Eventually, Daniel joined Carl and Debbie for one final glass of wine…and then he too was ready to call it a night. He said his goodbyes on the front porch and promised that the three of them would stay in touch. When his cab arrived, Daniel finally left with one final wave goodbye. As the cab drove away into the night, a lone figure had watched this parting scene at his mother’s house.