Katie's Sketchbook - Christmas at Famous-Barr 1976 - 3. Part 2 – A Cast of Visitors

Part 2 – A Cast of Visitors

Scene One: Breakfast with Miles

 

Sloan sat in his quiet Shaw Neighborhood flat with two stacks of newspapers on the kitchen table. Coffee mug in hand, he let himself wake up slowly, while still allowing his houseguests to sleep in on this Friday morning. The flight from Ohio last night hadn't been bad, but they arrived after 10 PM and quickly separated to get some rest.

The young man drank deep before inhaling and tackling the stacks with determination. He pulled the pile of Globe-Democrats – the morning paper – towards him and flipped through the top parts where he could read the dates. Finding the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, he yanked it from the stack.

While he set it aside and drew the mound of evening papers to him – the Post-Dispatch – he let his mind drift to thoughts of his two weeks in Columbus.

Seeing family was always good, but also claustrophobic. He had stopped by Lazarus' flagship store downtown, his old stomping ground, and caught up with his former boss and a couple of old coworkers. Just like being back at the farm, reconnecting with the people he cared about was refreshing, but the environment itself seemed suddenly confined. He was in touch with the spirit of Lazarus, but found it to be un-inventive, perhaps even conservative to the point of stultification.

As he plucked out the Post for the same Tuesday before Thanksgiving and laid it flat on the table, he knew that his eighteen months in Saint Louis, and at Famous, had changed him. This was home now, and he was relieved to be back.

He flipped to page three of both papers, where Famous always had its ads, and compared two identical, full-color, full-size pages….

 

Famous-Barr is Proud

To Welcome…

 

Sloan glanced down to the somewhat sad-sack figure occupying most of the page on a solid red background. His buff-colored face was framed by a great yellow Sou'wester rain cap. With the brim turned up to the viewer, and the slouching shoulders of his blue duffel coat framing his face, he looked forlorn, but adorable.

 

…To Saint Louis' Premier Store

Our Exclusive Guest

For the Holiday Season…

 

Between the top his red galoshes and the collar of his coat, a giant manila shipping tag dangled from one of his prominent horn buttons. A suitcase was standing next to his feet.

 

– The One and Only –

Paddington Bear

 

Sloan's breath caught in his throat; it was no surprise to him, as Richardson had been talking about this British bear's official visit for months, but even so, the magic of feeling like a kid again was overwhelming.

While he silently read the entire ad, poring over every detail of the upcoming official launch of the Christmas season – or the 'Event' as Richardson had been prone to calling it – he pitied how manic Richardson's life would be until it was done and in the history books. To top matters off, the Special Events Manager would be running here and there today, and tomorrow too. He had to pick up a celebrity at the airport and shuttle them around town.

In his way, Sloan was glad he could help out by looking after Katie for a few days.

As he turned the page and examined the pair of full-size Famous ads – touting almost department by department what holiday shoppers could expect – he remembered what it was like meeting the plucky girl for the first time.

 

The night Richardson and he first made love had not ended during the night, as his host extended an invite to stay.

"What about your daughter?" Sloan had asked, concerned about how she's react to his presence in the morning.

"Her?" he chuckled. "It's you you need to be worried about."

At breakfast, he found out exactly what that meant. She was a beautiful and well-considered girl with long straight hair the color of lampblack – which Sloan assumed she had acquired from her mother – and piercingly green eyes that could have only come from Richardson. Alone with the young lady at the dining room table as her father bustled about the kitchen making Belgian waffles for them, she had eyed him coldly. That was at first, but then she laid down the law in the halfhearted form of a question: "You're not planning on breaking my daddy's heart, are you?"

Sloan swallowed, hard, before gathering his wits. "It's a bit early to be talking about 'hearts,' but I don’t plan on crushing any."

"Good, because he'll never break yours, at least not on purpose – of that I'm sure."

 

Letting the memory plaster a secret smile on his face, and flipping the papers face down to inspect Stix's ads at the back, an unbidden emotion slid in under the radar of his otherwise occupied conscious thought – namely, how much he missed Richardson and Katie while he was gone.

Miles cleared his throat. Sloan glanced up to find him standing sleepily in the doorway.

Gathering up and closing his papers, Sloan told his young cousin, "Come in, come in. How did you sleep?"

The man stood, picked up the dailies, and dropped them in a corner of the kitchen. On the way back, he pulled out a chair for Miles. The teen boy sat down heavily.

"Do you want coffee? Tea?"

"Tea, please. I slept all right; it's always hard getting used to a strange bed."

"And Jay? How did he fare?" Sloan started making a pot of tea, thinking that his cousin sure had snagged a handsome, blond farm boy of sturdy proportions.

"He slept like a log – like he always does when I'm there." Sloan witnessed Miles blush slightly while saying the concluding part.

"Well, after he's up, we'll have to figure out breakfast, 'cause I don’t have anything in the apartment. But you'll need your strength."

"Why's that?"

"I've planned a full day for us, in the park."

"Which park?"

"Forest Park. I've read it has more acres of woodlands and lawns, lakes and waterways than Golden Gate Park or Central Park. It's the jewel in the heart of our city. We'll spend a nice day relaxing and checking it out. Okay?"

Sloan turned around and placed a piping hot mug before Miles. His cousin's brown hair was a bit unruly, with one cowlick sticking up on top, and another right in the front where he usually parted it. Behind his glasses, Sloan saw the teenager was dominated by his sleepy mood – he hoped that would change by the time he had drunk his tea. The body beneath the boy's tee wasn't as wiry as he remembered it. Then he recalled how Miles had told him on the plane ride about working the summer and fall on his boyfriend's farm. Sloan had to admit, it had been good for the lad, for it obviously left him trimmer and better defined.

Overall, and still more noticeable than the healthy color and bodily vigor, was the glow of self-confidence coming from him. Whoever this 'Jay' fellow was, he was clearly good for Sloan's cousin, as the 'old' Miles would never have felt comfortable enough in his own skin to come out and just sit in the kitchen wearing only a tee-shirt and red briefs. Sloan approved of this new version.

"That actually sounds neat," replied Miles. "But don’t you have to go to work today?"

"No, I'll have to go in tomorrow, but I've taken time off to show you guys around."

Sloan pulled out his chair and settled into it. "Oh, and we'll have a guest too – Katie, a very with-it twelve-year-old girl."

Miles could not hide his surprise. "And who is she?"

"The daughter of this guy, I'm sort of seeing."

"Sort of...?"

"It's complicated. He's head of the special promotions section at the store. You'll meet Richardson later on, probably this evening, and I know you'll like him."

Miles shrugged, his hand cryptically going up to press a silver charm riding the top of his shirt. "Well, it's not complex for me and Jay – we're committed, fully."

Sloan sipped his coffee and said nothing. A rather cynical flame licked at the back of his mind. 'For now,' it hinted.

"Cousin, Sloan," Miles said in a beseeching and wide-open tone. "You're the only out person on my side of the family, and Jay has an uncle who's given him some practical advice and all, but tell me, how can I make my relationship with Jay stronger? I don’t want to mess it up, that much I know."

Sloan chuckled a little uncomfortably. "Look, maybe I'm a little 'old' at twenty-five, but my experiences have not been too 'fairytale,' if you know what I mean."

Miles' expression went blank. He seemed upset, asking, "Someone broke your heart?"

"Yes." Sloan was honest. "Someone – Rogan – broke my heart." It startled him, but it even still hurt Sloan to simply intone his name.

Miles gripped his mug. "Will you…. Would you tell me about it, please?"

Sloan inhaled sharply, and then slowly drained his remaining coffee. He started out in a calm storytelling form. "I think you know how my folks always told us kids that if we wanted to go to college, we'd have to find our own way through."

"Yeah."

"So, after high school, I worked at the little rinky-dink men's clothing store in town, and found out I liked it. After a couple of years I had saved up enough to rent a place in Columbus and enroll at Ohio State University. I also got a part-time job at Lazarus, and found out I really liked it there.

"Anyway, it was in the menswear department on the First Floor, and there was something about Lazarus as an institution, and the ritzy nature of its clientele, that made me want to succeed – my innate salesman ability had been tapped, I guess. I applied myself to learning all I could about tailoring and construction, and fabric, and what made one choice luxe and the other economy.

"So, this 'education' took so much of my time, I quit OSU. The one thing I did not quit, however, was my on-campus romance with a stunningly handsome junior."

"Oh…" Miles was excited; for the first time this morning, Sloan thought the teenager appeared fully awake. "Who was he?"

"Rogan was my perfect man, and I felt drawn closer and closer to him, wanting him to move straight into my apartment once he graduated."

"Oh…" Miles deflated, realizing something bad was about to happen. "Then what?"

"What then, is that I did not know at the time I was just one of several boyfriends Rogan was stringing along. The closeness I felt to that boy was betrayed by his attitude that since it was man-to-man, fidelity was not an issue: freedom and doing what feels good was, he said. He actually used the phrase "Sexual Liberation, baby!" as he was breaking up with me."

Miles leaned back on his chair in stunned silence.

"So," Sloan concluded sadly, "that's how my heart got broken, and I figured, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"I'm sorry for you, man. That Rogan dude was a total dick, but it doesn't sound to me like Richardson is the same."

"No," Sloan admitted gratefully. "He certainly isn't."

"Cousin, me and Jay are in it for the long haul. Do you have any advice?"

Sloan was confronted by a bit of culture shock, maybe even by the notorious generation gap so much in the news in recent years, but Sloan could see and comprehend how – although young – the boys had total commitment and no desire to 'play the field.' They were too young to be amongst others in the out community, and so far saved from both temptation and the pressures that a person won't know 'the right one' until they've slept around. But, Rogan had been his first, and Rogan might have been his last too, if that boy had turned out to be the person Sloan thought he was. So, what to tell his young cousin now? He quite frankly felt like a loser in love, no expert at all concerning matters of the heart, but he also felt he could not turn the clock back to be 'innocent' again like Miles. No, although Sloan admired his young cousin's devotion, he told himself it was too late for him to relate to it. To tell himself that however, Sloan needed to avoid the obvious fact that he had never cheated on the college boy who broke his heart. Why? Because he never wanted to hurt him.

'Hmm,' Sloan thought. 'I guess I can understand Miles and Jay's commitment. Come to think of it…. I haven't been with anyone since meeting Richardson – ' He halted his own thoughts on a dime.

"You want my advice, Miles?"

The teen boy nodded.

"You love your boy. Just love him to the best of your abilities."

Miles seemed to appreciate this, for he folded his hands in his lap and sat back contentedly on his chair.

A sleepy shadow moved across the threshold. Both Stevenson cousins glanced over with smiles as Jay tottered over to stand at the side of his boyfriend's chair.

Miles reached out his hand, tugged Jay down to kiss his cheek; Miles had done it to make his fair-skinned, blond partner blush in front of Sloan, and it worked.

The older man laughed with cheeky encouragement, crying out, "Lovebirds!"

 

 

 

---

 

Part 2 – A Cast of Visitors

Scene Two: "How do you do?"

 

It was the end of their long day in the park; Katie ran into the house and left the door open.

While Sloan was coming in, he heard her father's voice: "No running in the house" and "Get washed and changed – we're going out for dinner."

As Sloan closed the door, Richardson appeared at the wide opening leading into the living room. Sloan went right up and started kissing.

Richardson did not resist, but Sloan paused, as Richardson also did not engage.

The younger man opened his eyes. Richardson's peepers were shining emeralds, but a bemused smirk played about the right corner of his mouth. "And what did I do to deserve that?" the older man inquired.

"Nothing – like usual. We haven't seen each other since before Thanksgiving…and – and maybe I missed you."

"Maybe, huh?"

Sloan's response was to draw Richardson back into a bear hug. Movement from within the living room caught his eye just as Richardson sheepishly informed him, "We have a guest."

A six-foot-two-inch-tall woman advanced with an extended smile and hand. "How do you do? I'm Julia Child."

The young man from Ohio weakly attempted to shake her hand while still latched onto Richardson. Mouth partially agape – until he swallowed the lump in his throat – Sloan finally managed to stand at Richardson's side and respond. "You most certainly are – "

She interrupted with a friendly head-toss. "Now, don’t pay any attention to me whatsoever, boys. It seems you were in the middle of a most charming welcome home."

Now, both 'boys' blushed. Sloan glanced to his side, thinking how Richardson had failed to mention exactly which celebrity he was shepherding around town.

Katie came bounding in. "Hi! You're The French Chef, aren’t you?"

"Yes, I suppose I am. You've seen me on TV, have you?"

"Oh, yes! My dad said you were coming to town, and he watches you all the time – he's a good cook too, you know."

Ms. Child raised her attention from the girl onto Richardson. "I'm sure he is. We've spent a good portion of our time together discussing food."

Katie's enthusiasm began animating her whole body with heel-to-toe rocking. "You should have my dad make his famous Mississippi Mud Pie for you. Do you like chocolate?"

"I do, and that sounds very nice."

Richardson grew rigid next to Sloan's side, and interjected. "Katie, I could never presume to cook for Julia Child."

The French Chef, unflapped, but bending down to Katie's level, told the girl, "Thank you for the reference, young lady. I may have to insist that he make it…" Her eyes drifted up to Richardson "Because I always follow local culinary recommendations."

Richardson turned all-shades, and Sloan just wanted to laugh.

Instead he said, "I too can vouch for Richardson's amazing skills in the kitchen."

Julia smiled. "And can you cook as well?"

"Nope. But I am an expert eater."

Ms. Child laughed, and placed her hand warmly on his forearm. "Dear boy, you sound precisely like my husband. Paul praises my cooking skills, and can even enjoy my failures."

Sloan's face took on some color. "I didn't mean to suggest…Richardson…never 'fails' at food, at least not for me."

The smile on Julia's face made Sloan believe he had just touched the woman in some way, but he was not sure how.

The evening's host suddenly remembered his manners. "Please," Richardson said as he gestured, "let's all sit."

Julia glided over and ensconced herself at one end of the sofa. She then insisted Katie settle next to her. Sloan and Richardson slid into the matched leather club chairs facing them.

"So, Katie," her father asked conversationally. "How was your day in the park?"

"It was fine. We spent the morning at the History Museum[1] and planetarium,[2] then had lunch at the Chase Park Plaza,[3] before going back and spending the rest of the day at the Art Museum."[4] Katie grew excited, telling Julia of some of the particulars at their final destination. "They've got a life-sized ballet girl sculpture by Degas, and a Monet painting the size of a whole wall, and Rembrandts and stuff too."

"That sounds truly delightful," Julia intoned with an admiring look in Sloan's direction.

"The Degas 'ballet girl' always reminds me of my girl."

"Dad!"

"Sorry, honey. It's true."

Katie lolled her head on the seat cushion with an elaborate eye-roll for Julia's benefit.

Richardson chuckled, then reached out his hand to Sloan. "And did your cousin and Jay have a good time?"

"I think they did." He added for Julia: "Two teenage boys visiting me from Ohio."

"Ah," The French Chef said, as if volumes had been elaborated upon.

Richardson explained: "Ms. Child did a cooking demonstration and book signing at the Clayton store this afternoon, and will do one tomorrow downtown, at lunchtime, before flying home in the afternoon."

Julia continued the story. "When Mr. Orlean mentioned the old French market and this wonderful neighborhood, I proceeded to rather boorishly ask him to bring me here so I might at least glimpse such a venerable establishment."

"She's right, you know," chimed Katie for general approval. "Soulard Market[5] is one of the oldest in continual operation, in the world – since 1779!"

"Yes, Katie," her father chuckled. "Ms. Child could read the sign just as well as you."

The girl stuck her tongue out at her dad.

He ignored her to tell Sloan, "Naturally, I agreed, provided she'd let me take us all out for dinner tonight."

Katie bounced on her seat. "That's a fantastic idea!"

"Your cousin," said Richardson to Sloan, "and his boyfriend are expected too. Where are they, by the way?"

"They were feeling tired, so I dropped them off at home first."

Katie turned to Julia matter-of-factly. "They wanted some kissy-kissy, smoochy-smoochy time alone."

Richardson gasped: "Katie!"

The French Chef presented a knowing expression at the father, and wink for the daughter. "Ah yes, young love – it's truly grand. Don’t you agree?"

The girl perceptively picked up the vibe the older lady was laying down. She bobbled her head, then glanced at the two men in the club chairs. "Yes, sometimes."

Through the heat of his freshly revived blush, Sloan asked Richardson, "So, where do you plan on taking us?"

"Ah…." The host for the evening's festivities became serious, and addressed his guest. "We might want to go to Bevo Mill[6] – it's an upscale, old-school German restaurant along the lines of Lüchow's[7] in New York."

Julia Child's smile dimmed slightly. "Is it a place the locals go?"

"Yes, for birthdays, anniversaries, and so forth. It's a special occasion place, well known for its Sauerbraten."

"Yes…" Julia drew out the 's' like a snake. "Sauerbraten – But, seeing as it's neither my birthday, nor anniversary, why don’t you take me to a place the locals crave."

"Lemmons!"[8] the girl called out and bounced in place on her sofa cushion again, this time latching onto and pulling Julia's hand with her.

Richardson grinned awkwardly. "Well then, how do you feel about fried chicken?"

Julia pivoted forward on her seat like a great, guilty confession was about to be spilled. "Honestly, I love it."

To Sloan, he asked, "Will that be ok with Jay and Miles?"

"Oh, I'm sure it will."

"Settled!" the girl yelled, jumping to her feet and dancing around the room. "We're going to Lemmons! We're going to Lemmons!"

"Well, we better hurry," said Sloan, rising to his feet as well. "It looks like we're in for some snow tonight."

 

 

 

---

 

Part 2 – A Cast of Visitors

Scene Three: Breakfast with the Boys

 

Sloan sat in his suddenly raucous Shaw Neighborhood flat with his two houseguests around the kitchen table. Coffee mug in hand, he let their infectious teenage high-spirits wake himself upon this Saturday morning.

Jay had joined him in a cup of java, while Miles had his usual tea. The boys rattled plates and ogled the treat Sloan had picked up for their breakfast. The host explained: "It's called Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.[9] It's Saint Louis' own specialty coffee cake – won't find it anywhere else."

Jay smiled at him. "Thanks, Sloan. It looks too good to eat, but that's not gonna stop me!" He chuckled. "You want a slice, right?"

Sloan nodded while taking another drink of his coffee, noting that the boys never seemed far apart, in fact, more often than not they were in slight physical contact with one another. That was the same now as the plates and cutlery were handed out. Jay smiled, and his light blue eyes lit up for his boyfriend. He was a few inches shorter than Miles, but his sturdy frame and sun-bleached blond hair bespoke of a farm life like the one that matured Sloan as well.

The boys proceeded to ration out three big portions. Their host noticed how the guys had carefully taken only half of the golden rectangle of sugar-dusted goodness to divvy up into thirds. Either they were saving it for later, or they did not want Sloan to think of them as cake hogs right off the bat. That charmed the older man, who always appreciated good manners, and good manners simply meant you always acted considerate.

Miles set a filled plate before his cousin, then both boys dug in with quickly blooming grins of pleasure.

"Good?" Sloan asked.

Muffled grunts and sparkling eyes affirmed a positive response.

Their host nibbled at a corner of his slice, pulling up a bit of cakey pastry with some gooey filling stuck to the side. Chewing, he considered how the amount of round, mellow butter flavor was balanced by not being too sweet. A bit more sugar, and this golden richness would be lost. "How did you boys like your time with Katie?"

"She's cool," Jay said, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a paper napkin.

"Yeah," Miles agreed. "She knows a lot."

Sloan chuckled. "That's because her father knows a lot, and he's always fed Katie like the sponge for knowledge that she is."

The teens exchanged a secretive glance; Jay's demeanor turned serious a moment. "Um, we – Mikey and me – we both really dig Richardson. He's a…. A special guy."

Sloan, not exactly sure what was going on, nodded his head.

"You see," 'Mikey' confessed, "I told Jay about your heartbreak yesterday, and well, we're – "

Sloan cut him off. "Eat up, boys. A big day's ahead of you."

Jay sighed. "I'm sorry we're such lousy houseguests."

"What do you mean?" Sloan asked, more concerned than cautious.

"I mean," continued Jay. "We're nosy and pestering you to remember stuff – but, we're also kinda sponge-like, only, we want to absorb knowledge on how to be better as a couple."

"Yeah," Miles chimed in. "And how to avoid the pitfalls too."

Sloan picked up his fork. He broke off a goodly chunk of coffee cake and sighed in resignation. "What is it you want to know?"

He ate and listened.

"We want to know…" started Jay.

"…What happened after Rogan dumped you," finished Miles.

Sloan swallowed, and then drained his coffee. He used that stopgap interval to compose himself. He inhaled and told them, "After losing Rogan, I was disillusioned with love, and I was lonely. The cruising at The Wall wasn't for me, and stay away from those places, as they're for closet cases and could be dangerous. Anyway, the best place on campus for us was a 'radical' group where we could discuss the advances and setbacks of the Gay Liberation Movement, plus politics, art, movies, and writing. The Gay Activist Alliance is a pretty amazing collection of passionate young men and women. There's a lot of work to do to end discrimination and harassment by the 'law' – rumor is that the FBI has a fat file on the GAA[10] that lives on Hoover's desk. Anyway, my motives for joining were more social than anything else, as I just wanted to be with other out people, and, to sleep around. I'm not proud of it, but then again, I'd do it all over again, because I met some amazing guys there."

"Whoa…" Jay said, glancing at his boyfriend.

"Let me make this clear. Most guys will tell you it's all about 'playing the field,' and 'testing your options,' but it doesn't have to be that way. You see, the simple farm boy in me was hurt, but I thought I hid it well from myself by joining the GAA and proceeding to bed and be bedded by every one of those hot-blooded activists – well, the boy radicals at least – but this excess of choice of guys to have flings with only made me miss Rogan more. That's why I needed a change and was glad to get the chance to come to Saint Louis."

The boys were silent.

Sloan cut the remaining cake in the pan in half and dished out the big slices to Jay and his cousin's empty plates. "But, you see fellas, if I had had Rogan – the way you guys have each other, then I could have skipped that whole part of it. Because, if Rogan had been the man I thought he was, I'd still be with him today. And he'd very happily be the only guy I ever wanted to sleep with."

The boys smiled and brought the hands Sloan knew they'd been holding to rest on the top of the table. The glance they exchanged was swift, but seemed to speak volumes.

"Sloan," Miles said. "I know what hurt and loneliness can make you do…I'm glad you got out of it and came to someplace that makes you happy." Jay squeezed his hand, and the dark-haired boy went on. "I was lucky and it brought me my kaereste, Jay." [11]

"All right boys, just eat up," Sloan said by way of deflection. "You've got a big day ahead of you."

The boys did just that, dropping hands and picking up forks like 'last call' had just rung out in the diner.

While chewing, a light went on in 'Mikey's' eyes. Mouth full, he mumbled: "What…we…doin'?"

"Yeah," Jay questioned a little more coherently. "What's on tap for today?"

"I have to go to work this morning and check the Menswear windows, and the Second Floor displays and promotions. So, we'll pick up Katie, then drive downtown together, and you boys can visit the Arch and Old Courthouse. Later, we'll meet up and I'll show you the store. Sound good? After that, I'll take us someplace nice for a late lunch."

Miles suddenly stopped eating. His visage took on a sad cast, and Sloan momentarily grew worried.

The teen boy told his cousin, "You've been so nice to us. First yesterday, now today." He latched onto Jay's cheeks and planted a noisy smooch. He kept his attention there while he continued. "You see, this trip is special for us. It's like a late anniversary present for me and my elskede."[12] He turned his attention back to Sloan, explaining: "October 7th was our six-month anniversary, but we couldn't afford to go somewhere fancy…you've made us both very happy."