Goldstein Johnson & Cole (2024 re-write) - 2. Reminiscing Part 2

As Kevin lay relaxing on the sofa with his head nestled in Ian's lap, his eyes slowly closed. With thoughts of the upcoming barbecue, he drifted off into a dream-laden state, subconsciously planning.

Ian continued to gaze at the TV as tears came to his eyes. His attempt to shift the conversation away from the emotional roller coaster of the last twelve years had worked on Kevin, but again, it felt so raw for him as he relived those times. The conversation was a painful journey down memory lane. Every moment felt like a fresh wound, and he had to bear the weight of those difficult times all over again. Despite the passage of time, the memories were still raw and vivid, refusing to fade away.

He had always been strong and emotionally carried Kevin through the hard times. When his family turned against him after Peter had caught them in bed on Kevin's birthday, Ian was strong. Every time Peter or his dad ridiculed and beat them for being gay, when their landlord had them beaten and thrown onto the streets with nothing but what they wore and what was in their pockets, and many more times that were too painful to remember, Ian held strong. Now, he felt like their roles had reversed, and Kevin was the strong one.

The two of them had come a long way with the help of Pop, Christian and the friends they made from The Boot. Not to mention the support of Manny, his mentor throughout his apprenticeship, who became another father figure to him like Pop had become. Manny had supported him in many ways that he could not express. Then, the faith that Manny placed in him and Kevin by taking them on as partners was more than he had any right to expect or ask for. His heart still ached from the loss from Manny's passing. Two years had passed since then, but the pain and sorrow were felt as though it had been more recent.

Manny had planned his extended trip to visit his spiritual homeland of Israel and looked forward to visiting Jerusalem, Bethlehem and other locations visited by Jesus in his lifetime. Two days before he was due to return home, Manny had made the last of many phone calls to the boys, excitedly letting them know where he had been and what he had seen and experienced. Manny was looking forward to his journey home to share the many photos he had taken and to give a better account of his journey through the Holy Land. Manny had some special news. The lads could tell it was something important by the excitement in his voice, but Manny said he wanted to keep the news secret until his return. That night, he passed away peacefully in his sleep, being found by the hotel staff when they entered his room to give it the usual daily clean.

Kevin and Ian were upset at Manny's passing. Understandably, Ian had taken it particularly badly. After bequests to the charities that Manny supported, the remainder of Manny's estate passed to Ian and Kevin. This meant they were financially comfortable, and as the surviving partners, Goldstein, Johnson and Cole Jewellers Ltd. was now totally in their ownership. As a mark of respect, they agreed without argument that there would be no name change to the business.

On one wall in what was Manny's office but was now Ian's, there were framed copies of all the certificates showing Ian's and Kevin's accomplishments. There was even a shelf that contained the first piece of every type of jewellery made by Manny. Beneath that, Manny had placed a duplicate shelf to showcase Ian's 'firsts'. This included the first silver boot Ian made and the laminated designs produced to manufacture the silver boots for The Boot.

Ian was particularly proud of the design. Not only had it helped Ian establish a name for himself in the trade, but it had also helped raise thousands of pounds to help The Boot purchase, renovate, and convert The Old Shoe Factory. Profits from the continuing sales contribute to the running costs and projects of The New Boot and The Old Shoe Factory.

The following morning, Ian and Kevin woke up on the sofa in the same position they had fallen asleep.

“I can't believe that you left us like that. Why didn't you wake me up so we could go to bed?” Kevin stretched and yawned on his way to the kitchen. Coffee was needed.

“Sorry, hun. I must have got lost in my thoughts, and, well, you know me, I just zonked out.” Due to sleeping in an unnatural position, Ian took a little longer to stand and stretch out his aching body, and then he followed the smell of fresh coffee brewing.

Kevin turned and kissed his lover on the lips. “Ugh, morning breath. I think we need to have this coffee and then get cleaned up. You said the solicitor wanted to see you, so you better call him later. With Sean looking after the shops, this week is as good a time as any.”

“Yeah, I'll call him after having a shower, but he wants to see both of us, not just me. He said it had something to do with Manny, but after all this time, I've no idea what it could be.” With that, he took the offered coffee, smelled the welcoming aroma and sipped. “Aah, that's sooo good.”

“Hey, no falling in love with the coffee. I want you to hurry up. I'm looking forward to trying out that huge shower cubicle in our new bathroom.” Kevin's seductive tone as he wiggled his eyebrows left no doubts about what was on his mind.

“You, Mr Cole, are a fiend, a sex fiend, a demanding sex fiend.”

“That is correct, but I'm your sex fiend, Mr Johnson,” Kevin responded with leering eyes.

The next half an hour had more than a few loud noises coming from the bathroom. Mixed in with groans, moans, and dirty talk were some words like – 'Aaah that is sooo goood' – 'Oohhh more pleeease' – 'Yes that's soo hot' – 'Give it to me, harder, yes harder, oohhh god I'm going to cum!'

An hour and a half later, after a vigorous and energising shower, euphemistically speaking, Ian and Kevin dressed and relaxed in the kitchen with more coffee. Ian, who had just hung up after calling the solicitor, was sat with a puzzled expression, looking at his coffee mug.

“Well, what was all that about? You didn't exactly give much away from your end of the conversation. Most of it sounded more like a poor Elvis Presley impression to me, 'ughu, ughu,' so come on, spill the beans, and what's this inviting him to the barbecue? Not that I mind him and his wife coming. They are a nice couple.”

“To be honest, I don't really know. Mark wouldn't go into any detail. He just said that something had cropped up regarding one of the charitable trust funds that Manny set up before he died, and it needed our attention and signatures before anything could be done. He wouldn't say any more than that. He just said it was complicated and needed a more relaxed face-to-face meeting to explain so we would understand properly. I just thought the barbecue would be as relaxed as we can get. If we get it out of the way early enough, it shouldn't interfere with the barbecue, and we can all enjoy ourselves afterwards. Is that okay?”

“Intriguing, but yeah, that should be okay. Now, let's crack on getting this house in order and organising the barbecue. We're due at the Old Shoe Factory tonight. Remember we said we'd cover for Andy? He's got a hot date with Christian.”

The rest of the day passed quickly as the house was put into order with the finishing touches. The barbecue was arranged, and food was ordered for Saturday. Out of respect for Manny, Ian, and Kevin, who had maintained the tradition of being closed on Saturdays, the Jewish day of rest. However, not being Jewish, they treated it as a typical Saturday in all other ways. A short nap and a light snack preceded an uneventful night shift at the Old Shoe Factory.

Saturday morning, Ian was busy making marinades for steaks and chicken fillets. Sausages and burgers were ready and in separate containers in the fridge. Kevin prepared a variety of salads and ensured a selection of chilled beer, wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and soft drinks were available.

Kate, Steve, Danny and Liam arrived early to set up the garden furniture, most of which was borrowed from guests. They were followed by Max and Stacy with Jason. They brought and set up a large gazebo. Then Max and Steve got the barbecue set up and ready to light with plenty of spare lump-wood charcoal for when needed.

At 1:00 pm, Mark Fellows, their solicitor, and his wife Laura arrived. Ian and Kevin took Mark into the study for their planned meeting. Kate had enlisted Laura's help to finish preparing the food while Steve fired up the barbecue to get it ready. The remaining guests, including all the staff from both shops, would arrive in about an hour.

The meeting in the study was progressing, but it brought some disturbing news.

“So, if I understand correctly, what you are telling us is that Manny had set up a trust to look after this boy that he rescued and the people that were supposed to look after him have squandered the money, leaving it bankrupt with no way to recover it!” It was clear that Ian was not a happy bunny. Kevin was just as upset at the disturbing news.

“Unfortunately, that is just the bare facts of the matter. There is much more.” Mark paused to gather his thoughts. What he had to say next was the crux of the problem. He was worried about how the two would react. “As Manny listed you both as his next of kin and the main beneficiaries of his will, I thought you should be aware. There is another more serious aspect to this. Manny had legally assumed guardianship of the boy and placed him in temporary custody of these people, believing them to be good, honest people. Now that this has been discovered, it leaves the boy vulnerable. He has no legal guardian.”

“What do you mean? He's just a boy and should be looked after as Manny intended. What do you mean that he's vulnerable?” Kevin was red in the face and getting angrier, not at Mark, but at the situation as a whole.

“First, let me make this clear. I am not sure legally that I should be informing you of what has happened, as there are no instructions on what should be done in these circumstances. But no one could have foreseen what had happened since Manny died. Second, you are not obliged or legally required to do anything. But I felt morally obliged to Manny and both of you to let you know. If you would like me to, I can look into things and see if it is at all possible for you to continue what Manny started. Otherwise, the boy would end up in the Israeli system, which would not be good,” Mark swallowed as he paused, “or he would end up on the streets.”

“What do you mean the Israeli system wouldn't be good for him, and why could he end up on the street?” Kevin was visibly shaking with anger.

Ian wrapped both his arms around Kevin to try to calm him down. “Kevin, please calm down. Don't shoot the messenger. It's not Mark's fault. Let's hear what else he can tell us.” Ian was trying to be strong to support his lover, but tears were falling down his cheeks like waterfalls.

“I know you're right, but it's not easy. But I remember our last conversation with Manny. He was so excited about something. He wouldn't tell us on the phone, remember? He said he wanted to surprise us. I'd bet anything that this is the news he wanted to tell us when he came home.”

Kevin tried to calm down a little, then addressed Mark. “Okay, what else can you tell us? Why wouldn't things be good for this boy? What's his name? We can't keep calling him boy. That is disrespectful. Do you know what Manny's long-term plans were for him?”

“I will try to answer all of your questions. Things would not be good for him because he is not an Israeli national. He is a Palestinian, a refugee of the conflict, but he has no paperwork to prove it. Without the paperwork, he would just be considered a transient refugee. From speaking to the Israeli solicitor, I think, although I can not be sure, Manny wanted to bring him to the UK. Manny finally did obtain 'legitimate’ paperwork. I do use the word legitimate advisedly. The boy was named Joseph Emmanuel Goldstein and is now twelve years old. Please try to be calm and rational and take time to think about things.” Mark looked at them with a tear and hope in his eyes. Joseph’s future depended on what these two men did next.

“I don't need to calm down, nor do I need time to think,” Kevin said calmly. Kevin looked at Ian as if telepathically sending him a message. “What do you think, my love?”

Ian could not speak. The look on his face and firm nod in assent spoke louder than words. Kevin knew Ian wanted the same thing he did.

“Mark, you knew Manny well. As well or better than us.” Kevin smiled at Ian. “I...no...I mean,” Kevin paused to regroup his thoughts. “We believe that Manny intended to bring him home. So can you arrange for him to be properly looked after in the short term?”

“The solicitor over there is my brother-in-law. He will look after him.” For the first time since arriving, Mark was smiling.

“Good, then we want you and your brother-in-law to make all the arrangements. We will cover all of the costs and do whatever it takes. We will be his guardians. Our instructions are simple. Bring Joseph home.”