Zenith

Thanks Terry. Your kind words mean a lot to me!

We agreed to a birthday party for Dane but talked him into a small one. There were about ten little boys and girls—Dane’s school chums—running around the garden on a sugar high screaming their little lungs out while the parents sat poolside sipping Daiquiris. Parents, across the board, have a remarkable ability to tune out the noise. And they were able to relax because we’d managed to co-opt not one, but two, of our security people to act as ‘lifeguards’ for the afternoon promising them a bonus

Two weeks passed. There was no change in the Robert-Keno situation; the standoff continued. The old cliché says that time heals all wounds, but this wasn’t the case for Robert. Certainly, his mood improved marginally; he brooded less. However, during his time off he rarely left the property any more. At best, he’d take a mat to the beach and listen to music in the sun. Probably sad music. My-man-done-me-wrong music. Then one day something odd happened. Our security supervisor visited us bri

Patsy barked three times, woof, woof, woof. Her signal that something was amiss with Dane. Patsy was so much more than a pet. She was a guardian and an emotional support animal. Her unconditional love did wonders to calm Dane and help him focus on task. But not, it seemed, at present. “Dad, the toilet’s flooding!” I threw down the medical journal I was reading and rushed up the stairs. Sure enough, the toilet in Dane’s bathroom was full to the brim and threatening to overflow. “What

Gwyn: I padded down the hall and came across the bizarre sight of Dusty, Paco and Michael.... Dancing? They were standing in a circle, legs bent, arms outstretched and bodies swaying. There was an odd absence of music, and I heard Paco say, “Yes! Like that....” And they were laughing! With our present travails, I didn’t understand what they could be laughing at. But I must admit, there was something...infectious...in their good humor that lifted my gloomy spirits. Michael spotted

Don and Marco: The family hadn’t so much ‘settled’ into Hawaii as Hawaii had ‘embraced’ the family. The transition to a cohesive family group had gone much smoother than they’d hoped thanks to the support of family, friends and kind strangers. The children were adapting well socially, especially picking up the local dialect, and had begun to speak to each other in pigeon Hawaiian—a few words here and there. Don and Marco found this adorable and thought it would bode well for the future. T

Gwyn: I maintained a very serious countenance when Michael, stumbling over his words, came out to me. The devil in me wanted to laugh, and say, Well Duh! However, I knew from a module I’d studied on diversity that uttering that initial statement: “I’m gay,” is a huge, huge step for an LGTB person. “Am I the first person in the family you’ve told?” I asked. “You’re the first person I’ve ever told.” “Oh, Michael, then I’m honored you trust me!” “It wasn’t really a surprise,

Gwyn: I’d been given photos of three houses and asked to choose which one I’d prefer to live in. It was a daunting choice, but I chose the smaller of the three because it seemed more cozy. It was still very large by my standards, and very posh. The rear yard was enclosed around a kidney shaped pool and the landscaping was lush with palms, hibiscus and bird of paradise. Unfortunately, the current owners were still in residence and the house wouldn’t be available for my occupancy for a mont

As Gwyn led the children away to inspect her new house, Marco grabbed Don in a bear hug and kissed him senseless. Don, as always, responded in kind and things became heated quickly. “I wanna fuck you hard,” moaned Marco, “But I’ll settle for giving you a blowjob.” He dropped to his knees and began loosening Don’s pants. “Marco...the kids....” “I know, Babe, but I’ll be quick.” Which he was because he knew exactly what Don liked and just what drove him over the edge. “Arghhhh!” cried

This ranch house was to be their temporary home for six weeks or more. The Nebraska Child Protective Services deemed that to adopt a child from Nebraska state residency was mandatory. (The ranch, having been in the Deacon family for generations helped meet that requirement.) And, until the adoption was approved by the court, removing the children from the state could lead to charges of felony kidnapping. The ranch seemed as good a place as any to set up a legal, interim home. Besides the mai

Donald Deacon, as CEO of the Dea-Con Foundation, was one of the most powerful men in America, yet little was known about him. Introverted—some would say shy—he avoided social gatherings and cultivated few friends. His father, Darius, and his brother, Darius, were the faces of the Dea-Con Corporation. They were the ones attending the glittering galas and being photographed warmly shaking politicians’ hands. Accolades and praise were heaped on them for the billions of dollars the Dea-Con Foundatio

The two days we spent with Derrick’s parents at Orcas Island were disconcerting. They were preoccupied and eccentric; their entire focus had become translating ancient Chinese Buddhist texts. To that end, they were acquiring—either buying or borrowing—rare and priceless manuscripts, then inviting experts—either university professors or Buddhist monks—to become ‘resident monks’ helping with the translations into English. It was intense work, often generating arguments about what the ancient Chine

When Robert arrived home in the early evening there was a lot of noise—mostly laughter—coming from the pool area. Derrick, Gabe and their friends were, in Robert’s opinion, having some deserved old fashioned fun. He’d heard the rumours, of course. Malicious gossip had it that during the last gathering of friends there had been an orgy. Preposterous, thought Robert. In any case, there was sure to be an air of propriety tonight because Sam and Nick’s son, Joe, and his partner, Tyler, were at the g

From Robert’s point of view....... Well, he’d tried. It wasn’t going to be his fault if the hors d’oeuvres were undercooked or the steaks burned to a crisp! Robert had accepted Jimmy’s invitation to the beach party two weeks earlier, but when he heard Derrick and Dr. Gabe were having guests he phoned and gave his regrets. Well, thanks to the Hawaiian grapevine, Dr. Gabe found out he’d cancelled. Jimmy told somebody, who told somebody else, who told somebody else, and eventually it ended

My mother and Lord Hunterscroft were staying at the Dolder, another very nice Zurich hotel. Our security guys escorted us up to their floor and then discretely withdrew a few paces down the hall. I took a deep breath and knocked on their door. Derrick’s hand on the small of my back was giving me comfort. The door was opened by a slim, elegant—obviously wealthy—woman whom I didn’t recognize. With a quick glance I took in her perfectly coiffed, silver-blond hair, tasteful makeup, the double