Opposites attract - 21. Chapter 21

It was Thanksgiving again. This year we would spend it with my family. Christopher had wrecked the nerves of Marc and my sister when he had learned that he would see Kev again. He and Kev the Rabbit were still inseparable. Kev and I had arrived on Wednesday. When Tiff and her family arrived on Thursday morning, Christopher ran to Kev and hugged his leg. Kev picked him up and the little man planted a kiss on Kev’s cheek, beaming over his entire face. My little nephew whispered into Kev’s ear.

“I am three years old now. I know you are not a giant, but I think you are cool.”

“And I think you are cool, too.”

Kev put him down and now Christopher had time for his grandparents. But Mom and Dad didn’t mind, they loved Kev and Chris too much for any misgivings.

The morning and the afternoon whizzed by in preparation for the feast. We had helped Mom with the turkey and the other treats and Kev had accompanied Dad for some last minute shopping. The entire day I had been nervous and had checked the pocket of my jeans over and over again. Feeling the smooth surface of its content had given me enough strength to carry on.

In the evening, the family started to gather in the dining room. Mom approached me.

“Everything is prepared, darling. Little Chris has kept him away from the living room, that cunning rascal.”

I tried to smile, but I could only grimace.

“Leon, don’t be nervous. It’ll be alright.”

She caressed my cheek and I grabbed her hand.

“Thank you, Mom.”

Her smile was genuine.

We joined the others in the dining room. I had to use all my strength to act as usual, knowing that Kev would realize any irregularity. Though I wasn’t hungry at all, I pretended to eat with pleasure. Though my mind was racing, I participated in the friendly banter. Though my heart was beating fast, my outer appearance was calm. Dessert was finished and according to the script my Dad addressed me.

“Leon, could you please fetch a bottle of wine from the cellar?”

“Which one?”

“The red one, last shelf to the right.”

I rose from my chair, but instead of heading for the cellar, I went to the living room. I had exactly 5 minutes. Then the script demanded my mother to send Kev for the lighter she had last seen in the living room. More time would have raised suspicions about my whereabouts. I quickly changed into the clothes which my Mom had folded onto the table: the black cord suit, the white shirt and the grey tie. Moreover, she had arranged candles all over the room which I lit. I checked one last time the cubic shape which was now resting in the inside pocket of my jacket. 4 minutes 32 seconds. That was the exact time I had needed for these tasks. 28 seconds. That was the exact time left, seconds that stretched out. Each of them became an indeterminate length in the continuity of time.

“Sure, Dolores. On the table?”

A chair moved along carpet.

“Yes, darling.”

Steps came closer. The door knob was turned. The door opened.

My gentle giant was standing just inside the room, had stopped dead in his tracks when he had taken in the scenery, when he had seen me. I closed the distance between us and dropped to my knees. I got the small box and opened it. Two plain golden rings were inside. I looked up into his eyes where tears had welled up.

“One year ago, it was you who was brave enough to make the first step. Today it is my honor to make the next. But courage? No, it does not take any bravery. What I am going to ask you is a necessity for me, like breathing. My life would end without you, because you are my life, its very essence. In mathematics, one and one is not necessarily two. With you and me, one and one has become one again. Kevin Schneider, I ask you, do you want to marry me?”

Kev dropped to his knees as well. He seized my hands, the rings still in my right.

“Your question doesn’t take courage, my answer doesn’t, either. Leon Fitzgerald, all the time that is left in this universe, I want to spend it with you. Yes, all I want is to marry you.”

Kev released my hands. I took the larger of the two rings and put it on the ring finger of his left hand. He did likewise with the other ring on my hand. We closed the distance between us until our lips met. I put my arms around Kev’s neck and he closed his arms over the small of my back. Tears started to flow down our cheeks. Small fingers wiped away the tears from my face and Kev’s face. Our lips parted. Christopher was standing besides us.

“Uncle Leon, Uncle Kev. No crying. It’s a lucky day!”

We smiled at the little man. Now I saw the rest of my family standing in the corridor. Tears were glistening on their cheeks, too.

“You have heard, Christopher. It’s a lucky day!”

Mom stormed towards us and hugged both of us while we were still kneeling on the floor. Dad, Tiffany and Marc joined her embrace. We were surrounded. Kev and I smirked at each other.

Dad opened a bottle of champagne and we celebrated the whole night, me being in a trance-like state of mind.

It wasn’t before the next morning that I fully realized the events of the evening, though I had initiated them. Kev was spooning me, his arms around my chest. My eyes fell on the ring on Kev’s finger. I put my hand next to his, tiny in comparison.

Kevin Schneider, my fiancé.

We were engaged. Nothing had changed, but everything was different. Our marriage would be the outer sign of what had become a simple fact of my life: Kev and I would stay together and love each other forever.

“Good morning, my soon-to-be husband.”

Kev’s voice rumbled in his chest. He planted a kiss on the top of my head. I turned around to face him. We kissed softly. A thought crossed my mind.

“Guess how much I love you?”

It had never hit me before how much Kev and I resembled the two nutbrown hares from the children’s book.

“We love each other all the way up to the moon and back.”

I cuddled Kev as closely as possible, allowing no distance between the two of us.

The next four months were full of planning, organizing and executing. My parents had insisted on paying for the wedding feast. The ceremony was to be held in their garden, as was the party. A close friend of my Dad, who worked for the civil registry office, would marry us. My home state fully recognized same-sex-marriages. Unfortunately, most of the other states didn’t. It wasn’t very romantic, but Dad had suggested concluding mutual agreements covering aspects of the marriage like hospital visitation rights. Those would be legally binding in all states. We kept referring to those agreements as our marriage contract, though that wasn’t the exact term and drove Dad mad. There were some touchy points in this contract.

“I don’t want your money, Leon.”

“After the marriage there will be no such thing as ‘my money’, Kev. Marital community of property.”

I couldn’t understand Kev’s resistance. That special agreement would only expand a legal fact in this state to the other states.

“I’m no gold-digger.”

Kev was sitting at his desk and stared to the ground, his voice low. I sat down onto his lap and lifted his chin up, making him look into my eyes.

“Kev, I know. You would marry me, if I had nothing but the clothes I wear.”

“Damn right.”

“So what is it?”

“I can’t give you anything.”

“Kev, this isn’t about getting even. There are so many things that you offer to me that I can’t return. The feeling of resting in your strong arms, the absolute security...” and laughing I added “… being carried around.”

“Those aren’t worth much.”

“Are you kidding me? Those are the most precious things in my world.”

Our lips met in a deep kiss.

Eventually, Kev accepted that part of the agreement. But his face was priceless when he learned afterwards that my picket fence fund amounted to $75000, being every spare penny saved from my tenth birthday on.

Another subject which caused a little unrest was the choice of name. The state allowed to keep your family names, but also offered to choose a common one. Kev had stated that he wanted to assume my name.

“Kev, are you sure?”

“My name’s Schneider on paper only. All ties that bind me to my family are severed.”

“It’s the last thing that connects you to them.”

“Exactly. I’ve got the unique opportunity to choose a new family for myself. And becoming a Fitzgerald is probably the best choice one can have.”

Kevin and Leon Fitzgerald.

Yes, that sounded right.

We decided on a guest list. My family was set. I wanted Rob and Josh to be there. Kev proposed to invite his bodybuilding team. I made sure that the invitation included Timothy. Coach Derringer and Prof. Smyth were the next people who came to our minds. Kev asked whether he may invite some people from the shelter he had lived in. We had talked about visiting the shelter on various occasions, but we had never actually made it there. Of course, they would be welcome at our marriage. We even included Brady and Terry on the list; they had taught us one or two lessons about jealousy. It was a pity that we had no way to contact Estelle and Henry. It would have been a nice touch to show Estelle that her assessment of our relationship had been correct. Laughing, I proposed to include Brittany, the ticket vendor at the cinema. It would give her the hots. Kev came up with the two police officers whom I had put to the flight.

No member of Kev’s family had made the list. It was his decision and I respected it.