An Earlier Heaven Read online

  William thanked his father for the ice cream and studied the spoon and the cup of sprinkles for a moment, finally deciding to invert the cone into the sprinkles. “He always seems to be alone.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Like tonight,” William said through a mouthful of sprinkles and ice cream. “Even Mr. Lapis, the soccer coach, was gone, but Cory was still there. Why didn’t he go home? Or meet up with some of his friends afterwards?”

  “Maybe he doesn’t have a lot of friends.”

  “Maybe,” William said as he shrugged. “I never hear him talk about his friends or even himself.” William licked some of the sprinkles from his ice cream and wiped at his chin when some of them managed to escape. “All the other kids around his age, like the grade eight kids at my school, all they talk about is themselves and what they’re doing and how they go out and drink and party—”

  “You mean….” Jerry gasped and then took a breath before looking around the almost empty Dutch Maid. “There are kids in grade eight who are drinking and… stuff?”

  “Sure,” William said as he licked his lips.

  “Sure?” Jerry suddenly lost his appetite and couldn’t help the growing ball of tension in his stomach at how easily his son seemed to accept the fact that twelve-year-olds were drinking and partying and doing who knew what else. “Do… have you… I mean, have any—”

  “Relax, Dad,” William interrupted and took a bite of his cone. “That’s not what I want. I’d rather ride my horse and help you and David on the ranch.”

  “I wasn’t worried,” Jerry protested, but knew from the look on his son’s face that he’d been caught. He looked at his watch. Forty-five minutes and a near-coronary. That should be enough time for David to have done everything he needs to do, Jerry thought as he thanked William for collecting the trash.

  He made a mental note, as he followed his boy out to the truck, to speak to David about this drinking and partying thing; surely David would know more about it. Maybe I’ll ask him if there is any more stuff like this I should know about.

  Chapter 2

  DAVID sat back in the chair, which was far too small for him, and stared at the screen. Jerry had left only ten minutes ago and the installation was almost complete. At this rate, he thought somewhat smugly, I’ll have William’s surprise set up and dinner finished with enough time left over to get Jerry’s surprise ready for later tonight. When the little bell chimed on the iMac screen, David found himself wondering why he’d never made this switch from PCs sooner and how much time he’d actually wasted struggling with those annoying machines. He’d never really found himself thinking about the Apple versus PC debate except for those moments when he would lose documents or his PC at work had to undergo yet another update to prevent malware or spyware or whatever-ware. Or those moments when he would be kicked out of a program with that annoying pop-up message asking if he wanted to report the error.

  He’d only thought seriously about it when William came home to report that he had made the soccer team, and then again when he and Jerry had attended the first game of the season only to see him score two goals. Is it called a goal in soccer, or is there a special name, like touchdowns in football? David frowned as he hooked up the modem with the cable line that Jerry had had to run up from his office downstairs a couple of days ago while David kept William busy in the barn. He clicked on the Safari icon and watched the screen come to life. It was later that night, after William’s first goals, that David had suggested that they get William his own computer. William had never fussed about having to share the one in Jerry’s office, but David also knew that he would need one of his own very soon. Middle school and then high school after that would definitely mean that William would be inundated with the need to do research, type papers, learn spreadsheets, and even learn about multimedia presentations. And David also knew that William was more accustomed to working on Macs, so the decision had been a relatively easy one. And David was glad that he’d had the chance to do all of the setup, because he would be replacing Jerry’s office computer with another one of these very soon.

  After another couple of clicks here and there—everything seemed quite intuitive—David had the photos uploaded from the memory card and, after another few clicks, had the screen saver set to random, and sat back to watch the parade of photos that he and Jerry and William had taken during their extended Christmas vacation in Switzerland. There were photos of William, his face covered in flour, as he tried to help Frau Zimmerman with the cookies and cakes that Jerry hadn’t been able to get enough of. There were photos of William sitting beside a very happy Frau Zimmerman as she opened the Kitchen Aid mixer that he’d picked out especially for her. Of course, he’d been under the assumption then that they would be sending it to her through the mail or through a courier service. He’d never dreamed that Jerry and David had been planning to bring it with them all along. Neither Jerry nor David had been terribly certain that she would be happy with kitchen appliances, but William assured them both that she’d mentioned wanting one for as long as he could remember, and here was the proof on the new computer screen.

  It wasn’t hard for David to fall in love with Frau Zimmerman during their short visit; she was so kind and caring. He cringed many times when William kept on providing her the details of how he’d come to end up with two dads instead of just Jerry, but to her credit, she never once said anything that wasn’t supportive. I’m just so happy that William finally has people who care as much about him as I do, she would say over and over again in German.

  They’d spent almost an entire day with her, and David understood how William could be so sad when they had to leave; he hadn’t wanted to leave either. In many ways, Frau Zimmerman reminded David of his grandmother, the one he’d spent so much time with before she passed away, leaving him with no one and no family. But with promises to return—maybe during summer vacation—Jerry had carried an exhausted little boy to the rental car, and David had found himself hesitating at the door. He’d wanted so badly to ask her if they could bring her to Canada, but he knew that that would have been inappropriate; she had a life, her own family, there in Switzerland.

  When the screen went black, the computer having gone to sleep, David sighed with the happy memories and ran down to the kitchen to ensure that dinner would be ready for his men when they arrived home. He checked the Wienerschnitzel, the carrots, the potatoes, and finally the bread, which was taking a little longer to bake than he’d anticipated. He turned the knob on the oven up a couple of degrees, and then checked the Sachertorte in the fridge. Perfect, he thought with a smile, everything is perfect. And it was.

  He was half-way up the stairs when he heard the familiar crunch of gravel beneath the tires of Jerry’s old pickup truck. Glancing at his watch, he wondered how he’d lost track of time so easily. Indecision kept him glued to the middle step for a few seconds before he realized that he would have to ready Jerry’s surprise later; perhaps while the two of them ate dessert he could sneak away.

  He waited just inside the door, prepared to give his men a warm welcome home, but when they came through the door, David could tell by the look on Jerry’s face that something was off. Jerry didn’t get that look very often, but when he did, it usually had something to do with William. He wondered if perhaps William had had another bad practice, more frustrations over his small size. If that was the case again, David would have to raise the issue of pulling William off the team until he grew a little bit more.

  Despair creeped in a little bit, and David wanted to ask right away what the problem was. Instead, he took William’s sports bag. “How was practice?”

  “Great,” William announced with a bright smile. “Cory showed me some more moves. I scored two goals during practice.” Goals! No, no special word, David thought, wondering why basic sports information went through his brain faster than water through a sieve. “And Dad took me for some ice cream.” David turned to Jerry, his eyebrow raised.

  �
�It was a small one.” Jerry shrugged and leaned in for a kiss.

  “With how many sprinkles?” David mumbled after he obliged his husband with a quick kiss.

  “Not that many.” Jerry reached into the breast pocket of his work shirt and pulled out an ice cream sandwich. “This is for you.” Jerry offered his best smile, and David couldn’t help but chuckle. “You might want to put it in the freezer for a few hours.”

  “No way,” David laughed and sneaked up behind William, tickling him under the arms for a few seconds. “I still remember what happened the last time you two brought me ice cream and I put it in the freezer.”

  “That was his idea.” William giggled and backed up against the fridge door to get away from any more tickling.

  “Turncoat!” Jerry reached out a hand and placed it—claw-like—on William’s head. “Can’t believe you’d throw me under the wheels like that.”

  “It was!” William insisted and then disappeared into the downstairs bathroom to wash his hands.

  “So,” David turned to lean into his lover once William was out of sight. “What was that look for when you were coming through the door? Practice not go well?”

  “No, nothing like that. Even met Cory.” Jerry turned around to check that he was alone with David. “William said something about grade eight kids drinking and partying and doing other stuff. Is that true?”

  David sighed and brought his hand up to smooth the worry away from his husband’s face. “I’m afraid so,” David sighed again, “and it seems to be getting worse each year.”

  “Grade eight?”

  “That’s nothing.” David pulled away from Jerry’s warm body and grabbed the oven mitts. “I’ve heard from some of the other teachers at the elementary that some of the students there are beginning to smoke and drink as young as grade four.”

  “Jesus!” Jerry’s voice was hushed, but both he and David looked toward the entrance anyway.

  “You don’t think that William…?” David turned to look at Jerry and had to fight the urge to laugh out loud. David wondered if Jerry honestly thought William would do that. “Listen, baby, William is not that kind of kid. He’s got both of us, and I know we’re not going to let anything like that happen.”

  “I wonder how many parents of addicts said the same thing.”

  David put the hot dish on the trivet in the center of the kitchen table and reached in for the baked potatoes. “And how many of them had frank discussions with their kids like we do with William… about everything?” David pulled out the last potato and let it fall out of his covered hand onto the plate alongside the other potatoes. “Besides, you’ve heard him talk about how he wants to be a veterinarian and work with horses.” David tossed the gloves onto the counter and sidled up to his husband. “Call it intuition, but I don’t think William would do anything to prevent his being around those horses he loves so much.”

  “Funny,” Jerry smiled and stole another kiss. “But William said something like that too.”

  David pulled back a little, trying not to look concerned. “What exactly did you ask him?”

  “If he’d ever… you know….”

  “There, you see!” David rubbed at Jerry’s muscular chest. “You’re already doing the right thing.”

  “I am?”

  David wrapped his arms around Jerry’s waist and let his lips trace a path up the strong neck to his lover’s mouth. “I love you. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re an incredible father.”

  “I love you, too, baby.” Jerry brought his hands up to cradle David’s face as he stole another kiss. “And thank you. But I still think there’s a lot for me to learn.”

  “I can help you with that.” David let his hands fall to Jerry’s butt, his fingers working their way into the back pockets. “I’m available later on this evening for some private tutoring.” David noticed Jerry open his mouth, but then close it, as they both heard the footsteps approach the kitchen.

  “What’s for dinner?” William pulled out his chair and sat down.

  “Well, let’s see.” David pulled the lids off several dishes and let William peer inside. “There’s Wienerschnitzel, carrots, baked potatoes with butter just the way you like them, and even Brussels sprouts. And for dessert, Sachertorte.”

  “Those are all my favorites!” William announced, as if neither of the men knew. “But it’s not my birthday.” William looked from David to Jerry.

  “We know that,” Jerry laughed, delighted that he and David had pulled off the surprise. “We just wanted to do something special for you in honor of your making the soccer team and for being such a good boy… young man, I mean.”

  “We’re very proud of you, William.”

  William looked again from David to his father. “I didn’t do anything special. It was Cory who helped me make the team.”

  “Just the same, we love you, cowboy, and we’re very proud of you.” Jerry and David sat at the same time. “Maybe we can do the same for Cory someday, you know, as a way to say thanks?”

  “And I could show him the horses?”

  “Sure thing, partner.”

  “Maybe I could call his parents and invite them all over?” David raised himself out of his chair and retrieved the basket of bread from the microwave. “Do you know Cory’s last name?”

  “I think it starts with an F,” William offered as he started loading his plate with some carrots. “But I do know that his mom works at Sobey’s across the street from my school.”

  “Okay, then,” David announced as he accepted the carrots from William. “You leave it to me, and I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “Oh,” William interjected when Jerry placed one of the breaded veal cutlets on his son’s plate. “And I love you both too.”

  DAVID stood outside William’s room, the door closed, and waited for William and Jerry to finish loading the dishwasher. He’d not had a chance to sneak away and prepare Jerry’s surprise, but that would just have to wait for another day. He couldn’t wait to see the look on William’s face when the little guy saw his very own computer. He was positively vibrating with excitement when he heard his two men coming up the stairs. David made a mental note to surprise Jerry tomorrow night, when William was fast asleep.

  “We have one more surprise for you, cowboy.”

  David smiled and stepped away from the door. “I hope you don’t mind, but I had to go in your room to set it up.” He motioned toward the door. “Go on in and see for yourself.”

  “A dog?” William’s eyes got very wide as he twisted the handle on his bedroom door. “You’re finally going to let me have a dog?”

  “Uh… well, no, it’s not a dog,” Jerry offered, as he looked over at the equally confused expression on his husband’s face. “But now that we know that’s on the list, we’ll see what we can do.”

  “Dad,” William sighed, his tone full of exasperation. “I’ve only asked you for a dog like… a million times.”

  “That many, huh?” David smiled at Jerry and then turned back to William. “If you don’t open that door, I’m going to.”

  David watched as William finally pushed open the door. He wasn’t sure if William had noticed the new computer at first, but then the little guy’s head swiveled toward his father and then toward David, his mouth agog and his eyes almost as brilliant and wide as the computer screen.

  “So you like it?” Jerry laughed as William’s arms wrapped—or tried to wrap around—his father’s waist. David noticed that William was definitely getting taller, his head coming to rest at least two inches above Jerry’s navel.

  “I love you, Dad,” William gushed after a few moments. Then, turning to hug David, “And you, too, David.” William let go of David’s waist and turned to the computer, his words slow and soft. “My very own computer.”

  “All yours,” David confirmed and moved closer to the computer. “Why don’t you come over here and hit a key.” He watched as William took a seat at his desk and hit the space key, t
he images of Frau Zimmerman and the day they’d spent with her coming to life in a slow slideshow.

  “It was David’s idea.” David heard Jerry’s voice behind him and felt his hands come to rest on his shoulders.

  “Thank you, thank you, so much, David.” William was out of his chair and hugging David again.

  “You’re very welcome, William.” He let go of the little body again and leaned back against his husband. “Now you won’t have to worry about me or your dad hogging the one downstairs.”

  “It even has a built-in cam.” William sat down in his chair again and his hands came out to trace over the screen. “I’m going to send Frau Zimmerman an e-mail right away and maybe send her a picture of my new computer.”

  “I sent her copies of the photos from our trip already,” David explained, “and told her about your new present. She sent me a message explaining that she would get her son to help her set up a camera so you two can talk and see each other at the same time.”

  “Then I’m going to send Opa Niels an e-mail with a picture.”

  David glanced at Jerry for a moment, knowing that Jerry might not be particularly fond of the idea. Jerry had made his feelings about David’s father quite clear on more than one occasion. It was one of the few things that David and Jerry argued about from time to time. Jerry still didn’t trust Niels, even though he’d never been given any cause for concern.

  “I think he’d like that, cowboy.”

  In the end, Jerry and David had always been able to agree that whatever their differences, they weren’t about to deprive William of a grandfather. It was difficult enough having to explain why Niels visited but not any other member of David’s family. David’s heart fairly broke sometimes when he thought of William having cousins that he’d probably never meet.

  “May I stay up past my bedtime? Just this once, I mean?”

  “I think that would be okay, but we’ll check with your dad first.” David turned to Jerry who nodded.