Carl, I'm going back and checking out the anthologies that I didn't get to when they first came out. I enjoyed this story and can empathize with Philippe, since I know what it's like growing older and your friends either start dying or move away, often to be near other family members. I'm not sure if Gerald's sister consulted him first before making him guardian of her children, but if she did, it's possible that Gerald agreed thinking that both his sister and her husband wouldn't die before the children were grown and living on their own.
I half expected Franco to contact Philippe and Gerald after his twinkie left him, so maybe that didn't happen. Gerald isn't off the hook either, after leaving Philippe in the lurch in Paris, without warning I might add, so when he called, Philippe should have told him to fuck off and get lost. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed your story, and it so vividly points out some of the problems about being gay and growing older.