Keep Me As An Apple of Your Eye - 8. December 8

Sunday, December 8

The Second Sunday in Advent

The Light of Love

Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.

May he endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

Isaiah 11:1-7

Todd was practically bouncing in his seat at Bruton Parish. Erick was sitting beside him smiling. Todd had sung each hymn in his full tenor voice. People actually turned and looked at the beautiful voice coming from the handsome young man. Todd followed along with each of the readings. The priest said it was “Faith” Sunday, the second Sunday in Advent, and then preached on the concept of being faithful: faithful to God, faithful to a spouse or partner, faithful to others and then faithful to God’s creation. Erick noticed himself nodding through most of the sermon as he agreed with what the priest was saying. Erick’s analytic mind could not find anything said with which he didn’t concur.

At the end of the service the fellows scurried from the church to go home. A pot of minestrone soup that Todd had made was heated and they filled their bowls along with the grilled cheese sandwiches that Erick had put together. They both thought it was the perfect lunch on a cold fall day. Yonatan and Matan were coming over for hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies before they went to the Grand Illumination in the historic district. It had turned cold and winter garb would be required especially after the sun set. They had a telephone call from Pate who said he and Timmy were coming up from the beach and would like to meet them for dinner and a stroll around town. They agreed to meet in front of Beecroft and Bull.

Yonatan and Matan were quite excited when they arrived at the apartment. It was their first time being at the Grand Illumination. Yonatan was surprised to see the Advent Wreath on the dining room table and asked Erick if he was converting to Episcopalian.

“No, that is not happening.” He chuckled at the mere notion of becoming an Episcopalian. “It is very important to Todd and we do our own service each night. I am surprised at how meaningful it is to me. Didn’t you grow up celebrating Advent?”

“Oh, no. I grew up Southern Baptist. We went from Thanksgiving Day immediately into Christmas. We didn’t know from Advent. We thought it was something that Catholics did. My mother would decorate the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving weekend. The day after Christmas everything was packed away until the next Thanksgiving. There were no 12 Days of Christmas in our house. We had already celebrated about 30 days.”

Matan was more interested in talking about his internship. He was having a great time working for the museums and auditing classes at W&M. Matan was beaming. The two guys were also in the final planning stages for their commitment ceremony. Todd didn’t know how Yonatan and Matan had time to plan that major life event while in the midst of school. Matan looked at Yonatan, smiled and said that Yonatan had agreed with whatever he wanted to do. Matan’s parents as well as Monsieur Lambert were flying in for the ceremony. They were expecting a lot of people to attend the ceremony and dinner.

They enjoyed their afternoon repast and then put on their winter garb to meet Pate and Timmy. Already the sun was going down as they drove to the historic district. They found parking on campus and then walked to Market Square where they did window shopping and then to the Palace Green for the lighting. Everything was decorated in the Williamsburg colonial style. Choirs were singing, the Fife and Drum Corp was parading down the street and they heard a proclamation about the illumination of the town. It was if all of the lights in the world were on one switch when there was burst of light followed by exclamations and applause. The world went from darkness into light. There were white candles in all of the windows. Fireworks were going off behind the Capitol Building. People oohed and ahhed. It was really pretty. Pate had wrapped Timmy in his arms after he started shivering. They weren’t wearing coats that were heavy enough for the cold. They were oblivious that people around were watching them. They were very comfortable taking care of each other. The group made their way through the crowds of people as they headed to the Raleigh Tavern. Todd chuckled thinking it was the place where they ate most when they did not eat at home.

As they were walking down the Duke of Gloucester Street, they heard someone call, “Todd, Erick. How are you?” Whoever was calling was also waving his arms. Yonatan got a strange look in his eyes and Matan began to gently speak to him. Matan was holding Yonatan’s hands and looking directly in his eyes. Matan told the rest of them to go ahead and that they would join them soon. Everyone stayed and moved around the two so nobody would bump Yonatan or Matan. They knew something was going on but they didn’t know what. Matan kept quietly talking to Yonatan when he suddenly responded. Matan immediately had a huge smile on his face. Yonatan looked at Matan and asked if everything was okay. Matan nodded yes and told him it wasn’t a bad event so everything was fine. Yonatan looked embarrassed. Matan was smiling and not making any big deal of it. He grabbed Yonatan’s hand and kissed it. Their man, Black, walked up and asked if they needed any help. Yonatan said they were fine and thanked Black for his assistance.

Todd and Erick saw Eron and Tayloe. They had been calling their names and waving their arms.

“Eron? What are you doing in Williamsburg tonight?”

Eron walked up to Erick to kiss and hug him. He was holding Tayloe’s hand.

“Tayloe called me this week and asked me to come. He said it would be a fun evening. We thought we would surprise you. We went by the apartment and you weren’t there. We are happy we found you in this crowd.”

“Well, we are surprised.” Todd gave his brother a strange look before he introduced everyone.

“We have reservations at the Raleigh Tavern. We will see if Mikey can make it for eight people instead of six.” Todd told them to stay put and he would go to the restaurant. He returned and told them that Mikey was able to seat them in an hour. They all agreed to walk around and look at the houses. They enjoyed the camaraderie as they laughed and joked as if they had been close friends their entire lives. Tayloe held onto Eron’s hand never once letting it loose. That did not go unnoticed by Todd and Erick.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Mikey was able to seat them very quickly. The waiter assumed that he was serving four couples and asked if he should divide the checks in any certain order. The guys were appreciative that he was so sensitive to their needs. Eron said that he was paying for Tayloe. It took everything in Todd to not ask his brother what he was doing. Erick was dying to ask his brother if he and Tayloe were dating. This was completely unexpected.

They ordered pints all around. Yonatan and Matan expected to be carded but they weren’t. That brought a smile to their faces that they didn’t have to use their fake I.D. cards. They figured most students had them and they were ready to test theirs. Matan’s took a sip of the ale and gave Yonatan an odd look; he wasn’t sure if he liked it but he wasn’t going to turn it down. He realized that he hadn’t consumed enough beer or ale in his life to make an informed decision. He felt like an adult being with their friends. He had never imagined his life would turn out so wonderfully. He had a loving partner, was immersed in his museum work, and was taking college classes. Life was good. Yonatan smiled and took it all in stride. He had Matan and that was all that mattered in his life.

Tayloe half stood, leaned over the table and asked if he could make a suggestion about dinner. He said if everyone would order something different from the menu, they could pass plates and taste a variety of food. Tayloe smiled at everyone as if it was the most brilliant idea in the world. Eron then said if people didn’t want to do that, it was okay.

In a stage whisper Eron then said, “Sometimes, Tayloe likes to be in control.” He smirked when he said it to let the table know that Tayloe always demanded to be in control. That broke the tension and everyone laughed.

“I don’t care what you eat then. Order what you want.” Tayloe smiled when he said it but listened closely as each person ordered something different. He and Eron ordered last and they asked for the most expensive things on the menu. They were planning to share. Tayloe laughed at Eron and said, “you said you were paying so I am getting my money’s worth.” Eron laughed also and leaned over and kissed Tayloe on the mouth. Tayloe actually stopped talking for a minute and sat with a dumbfounded smile on his face. He pulled up Eron’s hand and kissed it.

Todd was about to freak out. When did his brother become gay? He thought Tayloe was straight. He had never talked about dating guys. Todd never knew him to date guys. Was he doing it because Todd was dating Eron’s twin brother? This was just too fucked up. He worked hard to present a fun façade to the group but inside his stomach was roiling.

Erick and Todd were stumbling trying to keep the conversation going so Erick asked Pate about he and Timmy. Pate explained about his work in the development business. All of the couples expressed immediate interest and wanted to come visit the development. Pate and Timmy did a fun, modified sales approach that they had used in Richmond their first night together. They didn’t have the models that Timmy had made but they briefly explained the design. Tayloe suggested that it sounded like good investment property and he might look for a partner to purchase one of the houses. He gave Eron a meaningful look. Todd and Erick said it would be a stretch for their budget but they would love to have a vacation home at the beach. Yonatan and Matan said their lives were too confused at the moment to even think about more property. Pate and Timmy looked at each other, leaned in, and kissed. The rest of the guys could see the love in their eyes.

“What do you do Timmy?” Todd wanted the conversation to continue to focus on these two guys.

“I am an artist. I was working for an advertising agency when Pate and I met. That came to an end in a less than satisfying way. After that, I struggled about what to do and Pate convinced me that I had the talent to move from the realm of commercial art to creating fine art to sell in galleries. I have my paintings in two galleries: one on the Outer Banks and the other in Northern Virginia. I miss the weekly paycheck but when a painting does sell, we have a celebratory dinner. It is now the off season at the beach so I am building up stock for next summer. It is a constant struggle of what I love to paint and what tourist might be looking for so some weeks are rather schizophrenic. I am planning a new schedule where I paint for the tourist market one week and ‘my art’ the next.” Timmy did air quotes around the words my art. “We have taken one of the bedrooms for me to use as a studio. I hope that next year I can afford to rent studio space but rent is so expensive on the Outer Banks. I thought maybe about opening a gallery and studio together. There are a lot of artists on the Outer Banks and quite a market.”

“Where is your art displayed in Northern Virginia? I live in Washington and would love to go see it.”

Timmy told Eron about Felecia Preston’s gallery.

“If you see something you like let me know. I can also send you slides of other paintings.”

Timmy realized that he had put himself out to people in a way that was not normal for him. He felt comfortable talking with these guys but the ever shy, introvert persona overtook him and he leaned into Pate for comfort. He held Pate’s hand for safety. Pate could only smile proudly at his partner.

The guys declined dessert but asked for coffee. After the checks were settled, Todd invited everyone to their apartment for their nightly Advent service. Erick could tell that people weren’t keen on the idea but knew it was important to Todd. “I promise it won’t be long. It is something that Todd and I do every night. I look forward to it each day. We would like to share it with you.” Everyone agreed. Directions were provided to Pate and Timmy since they had not been to the apartment.

Coats were shucked as Todd went to the kitchen to prepare eight small glasses of red wine. He had bought kosher wine for Erick and thought it would be nice to end the evening with a toast. A couple of extra chairs were put around the table so they would all fit. Todd noticed that each couple was holding hands. Eron and Tayloe knew the drill, thought Todd, but then again, they had been holding hands all night.

Todd lit two purple candles. Then he read from Isaiah. When he finished, Erick started speaking about what the reading meant to him. Everyone nodded in agreement. Todd asked if anyone else had any thoughts. They were surprised when Timmy started speaking with eloquence about the historical setting for the reading, the importance of justice in their lives and how the world would be at peace when justice was achieved. The two lawyers then started talking about justice from a jurisprudence standpoint. They were enjoying their verbal sparring. Timmy then jumped in and said they missed the point. It wasn’t merely justice for the poor and destitute but it was holding the wealthy accountable. It was about praying that the veil over their eyes would be lifted and the strictures around their hearts undone. It was to hold those who professed justice accountable for their actions. Everyone listened as this shy, quiet man shut down the lawyers as he spoke in a reassuring but knowing voice. They were left in awe as his wisdom. Pate smiled and nodded his head while Timmy spoke.

There was quiet, then Erick looked at Eron and they both stood and starting singing a final prayer. They intuitively switched off singing verses. Their voices were beautiful and the men were enthralled especially when they sang together. Most felt chills running down their spines. They finished and Erick raised a glass of wine. Everyone stood.

“Today is Faith Sunday in the Christian tradition. This morning the priest at Bruton Parish talked about faithfulness to God, to each other and to the world. Tonight, I offer this toast to our faithfulness to who and what we are as gay men in God’s creation.”

Todd noticed that everyone raised their glasses except Tayloe. He looked Todd directly in the eyes and then slowly lifted his glass and drank the wine. He sat the glass on the table, turned to Eron and said they needed to leave and walked out of the door. There were no goodnights for anyone.

Todd and Erick stood looking at the open door as their brothers departed.

Suggested Music:

“Holiday Medley”

Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9N_7HjUaq8&t=47s