Gap Year - 79. Chapter 79

March 12, 2004

Maui, HI

Will

“You’re not going to Harvard?” I asked her. With this one announcement, she’d totally upset all of my fucking plans. I tried not to let her hear how annoyed I was.

“I said I’m thinking about not going there,” she corrected. “Part of me wants to stay in the Bay Area and go to Stanford or Berkeley, while another part of me wants to get the fuck out of there and go back east.”

“It’s not like you to totally change your plans like this,” I said. “What happened?”

“My parents are both really fucked up,” she said. “I think it would be better if I were near home.”

“The last time I talked to you about them, you were ready to light them on fire,” I said, making her chuckle.

“I’m keeping combustibles handy just in case,” she joked. “Remember what a freak show it was when your father and Robbie completely lost it when Robbie wanted to date Carson?”

“Who could forget?” I asked, shaking my head. “What a fucking nightmare.”

“Well, I feel like I’m reliving it with my parents,” she said. “I keep thinking that, if I’m here, maybe I can help them both out.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said skeptically.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” she demanded, getting pissed off.

“I mean that it’s kind of hard to dive in and help fix that kind of problem,” I said.

“You’re saying this?” she asked sarcastically. Her attitude was starting to piss me off. “Didn’t you just go apeshit when your father and Jake had their big problem where your dad turned into a meth head for a week?”

“That was different,” I said.

“Right,” she said, shaking her head. “You’re the one who always points out that when someone says that it’s because they’re wrong.”

“No, I don’t,” I replied. My tone was firm, warning her that she was pushing my buttons enough that she was about to get a really bad response from me. “I only say that when Grand or my father uses that term, and they are usually wrong when they do.”

“Whatever,” she said.

“The reason this recent deal was different was because it involved me, not just them,” I said. “It was also a situation where they seemed completely incapable of communicating with each other. When my dad and Robbie blew up in 1999, that wasn’t about communication; it was about a fundamental problem in their relationship.”

“I still think it’s the same thing,” she said.

“No, you just don’t want to admit that I’m right,” I said, annoyed enough to be snarky. “You may be able to help keep everyone on an even keel, but you won’t be able to help them fix their relationship. They have to do that themselves.”

“I think I can make a difference,” she insisted.

“So what’s going on with them, anyway?” I asked.

She sighed, then shook her head. “It’s like my father did what Robbie did, and got involved with this doctor at work, and my mother is acting like your father did, only she’s a little less dramatic.”

“True that,” I said, after I stopped laughing. “Your mother is usually the anti-drama.”

“Yeah, but she’s not doing that this time,” Marie pointed out.

I paused to think about what she’d said, and nodded, getting her point. “And you think that because she’s acting so out of character, it means she’s really fucked up.”

“Yes,” she said with relief, because now I was tracking with her.

“And you think that if you’re in Paly, you can help prop them both up because John is going to run off with his band,” I concluded.

“Yes,” she said.

“I haven’t talked to your father since I called him after I got back from the hospital,” I said.

“You called him?” she asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” I answered. I thought I’d told her about this. “I wanted to make sure he knew that my passing out at dinner wasn’t his fault.”

“That was really nice of you, since he was a complete dick to you,” she said. It was sweet that she was protective enough of me that she got pissed off when she remembered how he’d treated me. “What did he say?”

“He wasn’t real talkative,” I said. “I’ve never been his favorite, and I’m really not popular with him now, especially after all the shit about John’s band.”

“Yeah, but my mother loves you,” Marie said. “When she’s not talking about how awesome you are, that’s my first clue that you’ve stirred up a bunch of shit and annoyed her.”

I laughed at that. “She must not talk about how awesome I am all that much, then.”

“There was a brief lull when that band thing went down,” she said, chuckling with me.

“What’s your dad think about things? I mean, he went from having an affair, to being in an open relationship, to heading for divorce,” I said, reciting his journey. “What’s he want?”

“I don’t think he knows,” she said. “I get the feeling that he really misses my mother, and that without her in his life he’s really pretty lost. At the same time, according to John, he’s had a lot of fun with his girlfriend.”

“He wouldn’t talk about their sex life with you?” I teased.

“No,” she said, rightfully annoyed. “He and I are going to have a talk about that next week.”

“Can I bring popcorn and watch the fireworks?” I asked, making her chuckle. “What about your mom?”

“I honestly think she’s at the same place he’s at, but she’s really mad at him,” Marie said.

“I don’t think she’s as mad as she is hurt,” I said. “She really is a lot like my father, and he could not handle that ego blow. I think with your mother it may even be worse.”

“Why would she be worse than him?” My father wasn’t Marie’s favorite person, so the thought that her mother was worse than him clearly irked her.

“They’re both really proud people,” I said. “I don’t know which one of them would win that contest.”

“Call that one a tie,” she agreed.

“With my father, the thought that Robbie would dump him for someone else was humiliating,” I said, remembering that awful time. “It damaged his ego so badly, it was like he was a boat and someone had cut the anchor loose; he just went emotionally ping-ponging around until he could finally pull himself together.”

“Let me know when he finally does that,” she joked. “So why is she worse than him?”

“Because my father is a sex beast, so when he decided to get laid, he knew what he was doing,” I said.

“Sex beast,” she said, chuckling.

“Your mom has only been with your dad and this Craig person, and that ended badly, only slamming her pride even more,” I said. “She got rejected by the first dude she was with after your father.”

“I’m really worried about her,” Marie said, and it was so sincere and heartfelt, it was like she was opening up her soul to me. “I’ve been through that, being dumped by someone you love, when Austin left. That’s some serious pain.”

“It is,” I said, and reached out to hold her hand.

“My father is fucked up, but he’s dealing,” she said. “I’m really worried about my mother. She is not handling this well at all. It’s bugging me so much, I actually thought about staying home this week.”

“Seriously?” I asked. A tear fell out of her left eye, so I lovingly wiped it away for her. “So what are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “I’m here now.”

“You don’t want to be,” I said. “So what’s going to make you happy?”

“I’m fine,” she objected.

“Right,” I said skeptically. “You’ll put on your happy face, try to have fun, but the whole time you’ll be worried about them.”

She scrunched up her mouth in irritation that I’d read her so well, then got a look of resolve. “I actually had an idea, but I’m worried that it will fuck things up,” she said.

“You have a plan,” I accused, getting that she’d already worked this out. It would be annoying if I didn’t know I’d have done the same thing.

“Yes,” she admitted.

“Let’s hear it,” I said grudgingly.

“I was thinking that I would invite her out here for a day, and we and whoever else wants to go can do a spa day and maybe go shopping,” she said.

“What’s Ryan supposed to do while you’re shopping,” I teased.

“Seriously?” she asked. “He’ll spend all his time working with John, Bongo, and Mike. Christ, I am so sick and fucking tired of hearing about their band.” I hastily started speaking before she went off on that tangent.

“Why don’t you have her pick a day that works for both her and my father, then he can come out and surf with us while you’re doing your spa trip,” I said. “They can stay at the villa.”

“Scott Slater lives there,” she said pensively. “He’s pretty much gay, though.”

“Actually, he’s bisexual, and my father told me that in high school, he had a major crush on your mother,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe they should stay at a hotel,” she said.

“Why? She’s not allowed to get laid? I mean, she just got her freedom. She should enjoy it,” I said.

“They’re not even divorced yet,” she said.

“I cannot believe you’re serious,” I said to her, and now I was annoyed with her. “They have been awesome about your sex life. They didn’t give you any shit about having Austin or Ryan stay over. And you’re going to tell your mom she can’t sleep with guys?”

She gave me a really dirty look. “It pisses me off when you’re right.” She smiled after she said that, which brought me to full laughter.

“You want them to get back together, and you’re worried that your mom will find someone else and that will ruin the dream,” I concluded.

She was going to argue, but she knew better. “Is that so wrong?”

“I personally think it is wrong, in the sense that it’s a bad strategy,” I said. “I think there’s actually a better chance of their being together, at least in some form, if they do enjoy their freedom.”

“What if Scott Slater figures out how to give her multiple orgasms?” Marie asked.

“Can you have those?” I asked.

“Sometimes,” she admitted.

“Don’t you want her to experience that too?” I asked.

She gave me another annoyed look. “I’ll invite her out and tell her to work it out with your father.”

“Good idea, that way he can fly her out on his plane and pay the tab for the airfare,” I joked.

“Then that’s what I’ll do,” she said.

“In the meantime, you have to decide where you want to spend the next four years of your life,” I said, bringing us back to the discussion about college.

“I’m hoping you see why I’m struggling with this,” she said. “It makes going to Stanford or Cal really attractive.”

“You know how pissed off they’ll be at you if you do that?” I asked. “They will freak out if you blow off Harvard because of their problems.”

“I already have that handled,” she said smugly. “I have Grand on my side.” She handed me a sealed envelope addressed to me, and I recognized Grand’s handwriting.

“That won’t matter to your parents,” I said. “They will feel guilty about it, and they’ll be mad at you.”

“I’ll find a way to deal with that,” she lied. “I’m actually most worried about you.”

“About me?” I asked. “I’m fine.”

“I’ve been really looking forward to going to college with you, and I feel like if I stay in California, I’m totally letting you down,” she said.

“Do not go there,” I said. “Do not factor me into this equation at all.”

“I made a commitment to do this with you,” she said.

“And I am letting you off the hook,” I said. I studied her more carefully. “Why did you bring those acceptance letters with you? Are you trying to convince me to stay in the Bay?”

“I am not about to try to tell you what to do. If you think I’m doing that, then we are done talking about this,” she said, acting insulted.

“We most definitely are not,” I replied firmly. “You must think I’m having second thoughts about going back east. Why?”

“If I tell you, you’ll think I’m trying to convince you,” she said, in her smarmy, bitchy way. I just glared at her, demanding that she tell me why I should change my mind on where I went to college.

“Let’s pretend that you’re doing that,” I finally said through clenched teeth. “Convince me.”

“You just got involved in the Foundation, and I’m guessing you may want to be around for those meetings, and to get some help when you’re looking at grant requests. You’re on that committee to review them,” she said.

“I am,” I agreed, then pondered her words. “Alright, I can see that. On the other hand, Matt, Wade, Maddy, Riley, Bobby, and Rosa are in Boston.”

“They are,” she agreed. “The other thing is that I thought you might enjoy college more if you had Grand close by.”

She paused to give me time to think about what she’d said, so I did. She was right about that, too. I really enjoyed it when he invited faculty members over and I got to sit in on some of their philosophical discussions. But more than that, I enjoyed tapping into Grand’s brain when I was intently studying a topic. “That’s true, but I’m guessing that the undergrad years aren’t all that taxing. I mean, I know there will be a lot of work to do, but it’s not like I’ll be writing peer-reviewed papers.”

“Travis isn’t going to the East Coast, is he?” she challenged.

I frowned at that. “No, he’s thinking of going to the University of Arizona in Tucson.”

“Why?” she asked, surprised. “There’s no beach there.”

“I know, right?” I joked. “They have a good program for people with ADHD.”

“Makes sense,” she said. “There’s one other big reason for you to be nervous about going to Boston.”

“What?”

“I think it will bug you to be that disconnected from your father,” she said.

“Dude, being across the country and that far away from him was a major positive, not a detractor,” I said, even though we both knew she was right. “Let’s see what Grand has to say.” I opened the letter, read it, then handed it to her.

March 12, 2004

Dear Will,

I have time for only a brief note, but Marie told me she is considering staying in the Bay Area and attending either Cal or Stanford, and I wanted to share an overview of my thoughts on that with you.

I am proud of all of my grandchildren, but I am especially proud of you and Marie because you have excelled in your studies, which is my world, the academic world. Looking at things from that academic perspective, and being cognizant of the amazing potential the two of you have, I think that you would be just as well served if you completed your undergraduate studies at Harvard, Stanford, or Cal. All three schools are premier institutions.

I generally rebel against the idea that one would make an academic decision based on personal reasons, but I recognize that isn’t always realistic. Whichever of those schools you ultimately pick, you have my blessing, and my support.

Love,

Grand

It was short and to the point, but based on the date, he must have written it this morning before Marie left for school, so he probably didn’t have time to write much. Marie handed the letter back to me. “I’m going to think about this. I think we should try to figure out our plan by the time this trip is over.”

“I can do that,” I agreed. “And now, if you’re done cock-blocking me, I’m going to try to get laid.”

“I’m done,” she said. “I’m going to bet you achieve that goal.”

“I’m hoping,” I said.

We both stood up and she pulled me into a hug and then held it for a long time. It was one of our more meaningful embraces. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I said. I kissed her on the cheek then walked back out onto the patio where Travis was hanging out with Ryan and Crawford. I greeted all of them, then focused on Travis. “Sorry I was gone so long.”

“Everything alright?” he asked.

“Pretty much,” I said. “I’m going to go check out the gazebo.” I walked out there and sat at the table, gazing out at the waves for only a few seconds before Travis joined me.

“What was that all about?” he asked, referring to my conversation with Marie.

“Marie and I are supposed to go to Harvard together this fall,” I said, telling him something he already knew. “She’s thinking of staying in the Bay Area instead.”

“Where’s she going?”

“We both got into Stanford and Cal, so those are the choices,” I said. By including myself in that statement, I’d clued him in that my choice was up in the air now too.

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” I said. I laid out the pros and cons I’d talked about in my conversation with Marie.

“Big decision for you,” he said, and held my hand in a supportive way.

“It is, but I think before I decide what I want to do, I need to see what her plans are,” I said.

“Why’s she doing this?” he asked, clearly confused by her change of heart.

“Her parents are planning to get divorced and she’s worried about both of them,” I said.

“You realize that makes absolutely no sense to me at all, right?” he joked, reminding me of how toxic his parents had been when they’d ended their marriage. I laughed with him for a bit, then got more pensive.

“She’s really worried about her mother,” I said. “She wants to invite her out here to go do a day at the spa, or to go shopping.”

“In Maui?” he asked.

“No, on the moon,” I said sarcastically.

“This is a big house, but there are no extra rooms,” he pointed out.

“My father has a villa near Kaanapali, so she’ll stay there,” I said. “I said she can invite my father to come along.”

“Dude, I don’t know about turning this into a family vacation,” he objected.

“My father will probably spend the day surfing with us, along with his friend. They’re both good. They won’t get in our way,” I said.

“Your dad is a good surfer,” Travis said, validating my statement.

“They’ll hang out here for a while, then they’ll bail,” I said. “If he’s a pain in the ass, I’ll get rid of him.”

“Right,” he said, unwilling to believe I’d be that bold.

“I did it before, so he knows the drill,” I said. He stared at me, demanding that I explain. “He and Robbie came out to visit me and he was a total ass and started giving me shit about having a bar. I sent him packing.”

“You’re such a badass,” he joked.

“I am,” I agreed. “You’ve never met my Aunt Claire?”

“I don’t think so,” he said.

“Then you haven’t met her,” I said. “She’s beautiful, but the thing about her is that she just oozes elegance.”

“And John and Marie are her kids?” he asked, cracking me up.

“She’s got some work to do on all of us, evidently,” I said.

“Look, it’s kind of weird to have parents show up at this deal, but I know you’ll handle it just fine,” he said, giving me his blessing to invite them.

“Thanks,” I said. “You ready to head up?”

“Tired?” he asked.

“Horny,” I said, in my sluttiest voice, which made him laugh.

“Let’s go,” he said. We said goodnight to everyone then walked up the stairs to my room, where I led him to the bathroom. We stripped off our clothes, then I winked at him as I opened the door to my sexual playground. “Awesome!”

I held the door open and let him go in first, giving me a chance to ogle his gorgeous ass. “You are so hot,” I said.

“I am,” he said, pretending to be that cocky, and making me chuckle. I walked over to the sling and started to get into it, my dick rising at the thought of how good his cock was going to feel inside of me, when he stopped me. “My turn.”

I looked at him, not a little surprised since he’d only bottomed for me a couple of times, then smiled. “I’m totally fine with that,” I said, smiling. I kissed him briefly, then moved my mouth down his body, taking my time to appreciate his bulging abs, then sucked on his dick until I got him really worked out. He hadn’t showered all day, so the odor wafting from his taint was pretty strong, but he smelled so good I was in heaven. I worked his hole, first with my tongue, then with my fingers, until finally he was ready for me. He cringed in pain as I pushed in. “Just relax,” I cooed at him. “Remember how good it is when you’re used to me.”

He got a look of resolve on his face and stared me straight in the eye. “Fuck me.” I pushed in hesitantly. “I said, fuck me!” he said, not a request but a demand.

“Gladly,” I said. I pushed my cock into him at a slow deliberate pace, ignoring his cringes and whimpers, then pumped in and out of him, my pace increasing with each thrust. And each time my cock pushed into his ass, he loosened up a little bit more. The whole thing was like one of those old steam engines in the movies when they start slowly chugging as they leave the station. I smiled, determined to regulate my acceleration rate. I finally got to a really good pace, one that he was definitely enjoying, and stuck with it for a bit.

“That feels so fucking good,” he said, then threw his head back and moaned. I started stroking his cock in time to my thrusts, going faster until my pace was too fast to do both. He frantically pushed my hand away and replaced it with his own. “Gonna cum!”

“Fuck yeah,” I said. I gave my body permission to orgasm and tried to time it to match his, but he came first.

“Fuck!” he yelled, then blew his load all over his chest as he spasmed in ecstasy. The sight of this magnificent man completely losing it as he ejaculated tripped my fuse.

“My turn,” I growled, then blasted my load inside of him. When I was done, I smiled down at him, and we both laughed, an intimate way to share how much fun that was. I gently pulled out of him, grabbed a towel to wipe off a few dribbles of cum on the floors, then led him into the shower.

“That was a lot of fun,” he said.

“You’re a good piece of ass,” I teased, then pinched his butt. That sparked a combination shower/wrestling match. I was laughing hysterically when I finally got out of the shower and started drying off. He was a little ahead of me, so he was already in my bedroom when I walked in. He was standing by the windows, staring out at the ocean.

“I like your room, but it’s missing something,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“You need a balcony,” he said. I blinked at him in surprise, because I’d figured he was in a playful mood, and he’d tell me about some sort of sexual contraption I needed to install. I hadn’t been expecting a serious response. “I mean, I’m not trying to diss your place.”

“No, I was just thinking of what you said,” I told him. I looked at my room with that suggestion in mind, and was pissed at myself for forgetting something so obvious and so cool. This room screamed for a balcony, where I could get up and walk outside first thing in the morning. “You’re absolutely right. I’m going to have that problem fixed.”

“I mean, it was just a suggestion,” he said, worried that he’d created a big issue.

“It was, and a damn good one,” I said. “They should have put one in when this house was built. It’s like I didn’t even realize it was missing until you said something.”

“Just seemed like it would be a cool thing to have,” he said casually, but I could tell he was proud of himself for coming up with such a good idea.

“I can’t wait to talk to Stef and Malcolm about that,” I said.

“Malcolm?” he asked. The thought of Malcolm and his soft pliable ass started to harden my dick, then I compared that fuck to the one I’d just had with Travis and found I was so much happier with the guy in front of me.

“He’s the interior designer who worked on this place,” I answered. “Their reactions will be hysterical.”

“Why?” he asked. “I mean, it’s just a suggestion.”

“Malcolm’s a designer, and Stef pretty much is too, so it will be funny to see them get all annoyed at themselves for not thinking of a balcony,” I said. “They’ll probably keep looking at each other, trying to decide whose fault it was.”

“Are they both that bitchy?” he asked.

“My experience with designers is that they’re all a little bitchy when it comes to design work,” I said. “I mean, I’m no sage, but that’s how I’ve seen it.”

“I get your point,” Travis said. “I remember my mom had two different guys giving her ideas when she redid her patio. I stuck around because it was the funniest fucking thing. They just kept sniping at each other to the point that I thought I was going to have to break up a fight.”

I laughed, visualizing the situation. “Stef has excellent taste, so if he gives me advice on stuff like that, I usually take it.”

“Does everyone in your family do what he says?” Travis asked, curious about that dynamic. I really laughed at that.

“He wishes,” I said, when I finally stopped cracking up. “First, Stef’s not like that. He doesn’t just issue orders or edicts. He won’t force his ideas on you, but he’ll tell you what he thinks. It’s up to me to decide whether to listen to him or not, but with either him or Grand, they’re both so fucking smart, I’d be an idiot if I didn’t at least hear them out.”

“That is so not how it is at my house,” he said sadly.

“If my father was in charge, it probably wouldn’t be that way at my house either,” I joked, to try and keep him from getting morose. “He’s been doing better lately.”

“We’ll find out when he comes out to visit,” he said. “We’ll see if you have to throw him out or not.”

“We’ll see,” I said. I got apprehensive about his visit, then relaxed. My father and I were in one of those times where we were getting along. Hopefully that would continue.