Still the One

Chapter 12

May 2025, a few days before the wedding.

“What are you doing?” Brian asked Alex.  Alex was standing in the middle of the lane at a central location where he could see most of the homes.  He was slowly turning to take it all in.

At Brian’s invitation, the good doctor as well as the rest of the boys’ extended family began to trickle onto the lane.  All of the homes had opened up their doors to make room for their cwazy wittle family and friends.  Brian put Alex in his attic office.  The futon was quite comfortable, and the room bright and airy.

“Now I understand why you rarely leave this place.  It’s almost magical.”

“Magical?  Unconventional words coming from a psychiatrist,” Brian teased.

“Yeah, well I’m not your average psychiatrist; and certainly not one now.  I’m just a guy you invited to your wedding and a prospective neighbor.”

“You’re more than just some guy.  You’re a friend and the man that helped me get through the fog.”

“Is your path now clear?”

“Crystal.  You ready for the official tour?” Brian asked as he led Alex towards Emmett’s cottage.

“You have time for this? Don’t you have wedding stuff to do?”

“I have plenty of time.  Emmett and his minions will take care of everything.  All Justin and I have to do is show up at the appointed time.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“It is simple.  We already had the big show.  This time Justin and I stand in the glade by the stream.  Tom says the magic words, we sign a few papers and poof - we’re married.  We come back to the house and party.  No big deal.”

“No big deal?!  You have hundreds of people staying here.  That’s a lot of mouths to feed.”

“Emmett has it covered,” Brian said with a confident smirk.  Emmett not only had his catering crew working on the preparations, he had the bistro and the restaurant crews working too.  There had to be at least fifty people ready to cook, bake, bartend, and wait on the family.  Plus there was a designated clean-up crew on standby.  Emmett indeed had it covered.  Drew confided to Brian that he snuck a peek at Emm’s plans and thought it was more complicated than a Superbowl stratagem.

Brian and Alex slowly strolled the lane as Brian described the thought process behind each building.  They stopped in front of Michael’s log cabin.

“This is not just a log cabin, it’s a log mansion!” Alex exclaimed. 

Brian chuckled.  “Yeah, John had a bit of a hissy fit over this one.”

“I can imagine.  Other than the house at the top of the lane, the cabin is a departure from the cottage motif,” Alex observed.

“We have a motif?” Brian asked with a smirk.  Alex gave Brian a baleful look, making Brian laugh.  “Michael is not a cottage type man, hence the cabin.  I think Hunter and his partner use it more during the year.  Michael and his professor stay mainly in the summer and holidays.”

“And the house?”  Alex motioned with his chin indicating Rachel and George’s house.

“It belongs to Bobby’s sister and her husband.  The house was about to be torn down due to a weird rezoning regulation so John rescued it and moved it here.  Rachel and George raised their girls here; they’re now grown.”

“And Emmett’s cottage?” 

Brian smiled.  “Emmett always wanted a cottage with a white picket fence.  Drew loves Emmett,” Brian said with a small shrug of his shoulders.

“Like you love Justin.  John told me the story about your cottage, the sun porch, and about bringing John’s cottage to the lane.  This is a beautiful place,” Alex said wistfully.  “I’m honored to be asked.  I make it a point to schedule down time for myself and my partner.  I can see spending it here.”

“Then I guess it was a good thing I invited you here.”

“This is adorable,” Alex said as they came upon Molly’s getaway cottage.  “A bit too feminine for my taste though.”

“It was built for Molly.”

“Justin’s sister,” Alex murmured.  He had been learning the names and a brief history of the lane residents.  “Who does your landscaping?  I’d like to hire the company for our cottage,” Alex asked.  Brian gave Alex a knowing smile.  “No, it can’t be you.”  Brian nodded.  “The greenhouse too?”

“All of it.  I do my own gardening with Bree’s help, and I take care of Molly’s cottage.  I had help for the greenhouse.  Do you remember Todd?”

“Todd.  As in “how’s it going” Babylon Todd?  I haven’t heard about him in years.”

“He had moved out of the Pitts then a few years ago he came back.  He owns a garden center and landscaping business not too far from here.  He’s also Tom’s partner.” 

Alex stopped walking, standing in the road with his hands on his hips.  When Brian realized he had lost his shadow, he stopped walking.

“What?”

“You build homes for your nearest and dearest.  And I know for a fact that you’ve helped certain members of our community start up their businesses.  I bet you had a hand in Todd’s business.    Plus, you funded the Kemp Center.  And I hear you’re a bit of a matchmaker.  Are there any boundaries you won’t cross?”

Brian stood seemingly contemplating Alex’s question.  “Nope!” Brian proudly replied.  Alex just shook his head as he stepped up to Brian’s side.  They continued walking toward the meadow where they were soon joined by John.

“So what do you think?” John asked with a jovial smile.  Brian and John waited for Alex’s reaction to the spot they chose for the new cottage.  The meadow was in bloom with spring grasses and flowers.  Sunflower stalks were just peeking over the tallest grasses promising to brighten the meadow when in full bloom.

“Um,” Alex murmured with a furrow in his brow.

“You don’t like it?” John asked just as Brian said, “Allergies?”

“Whoa!  Guys, I love but it may prove to be too impractical,” Alex began.

“How?” the twin-like brothers said at the same time and in the same annoyed tone.  Alex stepped back then chuckled.  “I knew you guys were a lot alike but really.”

Brian waved it off but John’s face showed his concern.

“I guess I should elaborate,” Alex said. 

“Ya think?” Brian snarked which Alex ignored.

“My partner is wheelchair bound.  We need something that’s accessible for his van and wheelchair.”

The boys were shocked and didn’t know quite what to say.  Alex put their minds at ease.

“Hey, no long faces.  Glen is fine.  This happened over thirty years ago.  He went through his 'why me' and 'I hate the fucking world' stages a long time ago.  He got over it and now he uses it to advance the cause for the disabled.  He’s very eloquent, plus quite the beefcake.  He originally went to college on an athletic scholarship.  After Glen recovered both physically and mentally, he went back to school and earned a dual degree in psychology and physical therapy.  That’s the reason he’s not with us this week.  One of his patients is entered in his first marathon.  Glen wanted to be there for support and as a coach.”

John and Brian remained silent.

“Guys, that’s your cue to speak,” Alex teased.  The boys blushed then put their heads together, mumbling and pointing at the land around them.  “Uh, guys?”

Alex stood, waiting for the Bobsey twins to come up for air.  Finally they did, both sporting the same smug smile.

“Just on the other side of our cottage we have a driveway that runs the length of the conjoined cottages,” John began.  “I can widen the cut then create your own driveway to your cottage.  I can have it surround the cottage so you have full access no matter which door you choose.  And I can guarantee at least three doors.  Everything will be on the one level with doorways wide enough to accommodate Glen’s chair.  We can also make the cabinets and doors lower for easy access.”

John pulled out a notebook to jot down his ideas.  When John paused to stare at the land again, Brian snatched the notebook and pen out of his hands.  On a new sheet of paper Brian made his own notes and sketches.  This went on for several minutes, the boys alternating staring at the meadow then making notes and sketches.  Alex found it all quite amusing.

“I always knew you were the most well adjusted bastard that ever lived,” Alex mumbled to himself.  Here, within the microcosm of the lane, Brian’s true personality shone.  “Well?”  Alex stood waiting.  John gave Alex the notebook.  The boys flanked the shorter man as Alex turned the pages.  “This is amazing!”

John had sketched out a tentative floor plan including lower cabinets and a wide wheelchair accessible bathroom.  There was a front door, a kitchen door that opened into a mud room-pantry-laundry room, and a small sun porch that was large enough for entertaining but looked intimate.  There were technical notations that Alex didn’t try to understand, but what took his attention was the large fireplace in the main room.  It was flanked by bookshelves.

“How did you know?” Alex asked with awe.

“Know what?” John asked.

“Know that Glen and I are avid readers.  The bookshelves are perfect.”

“Just a guess.  You’re a highly educated man, I imagine so is your partner.  I figured you might like somewhere to place your books.  If you didn’t like them I could always repurpose the space.”

“No need, I love it and so will Glen.  I told you we make sure to take time for ourselves.  We found out early in our careers that the possibility of burnout is very real.  We regularly plan time for ourselves.  Now we’ll have some place special to go to.” 

John beamed with pride.

Alex continued flipping through the pages until he came to Brian’s rough sketches.  “What are these?”

“Flower beds,” Brian replied.

“I hate to admit it but I have a brown thumb.  I’ve even killed cactus.  And Glen’s never been interested.”

“No worries.  These are all perennials, very low maintenance.  They’ll come back year after year.  We can take care of whatever weeding you might need.  Bree may want to do it herself, if not, the garden center will take care of it,” Brian explained.

“You have this all worked out,” Alex declared.

“Yes,” the boys exclaimed.

“So do we have a go?”  Brian asked.

“Yes!”

“Shouldn’t you talk this over with Glen?” John asked.

“We already discussed it and did a little research on you, John Anderson and Anderson Construction.”  John blushed.  “We trust that you’ll be able to pull this off.  As for you and your flower beds,” Alex directed himself toward Brian.  “Just keep it simple.  I appreciate the low maintenance.”

“You got it, Doc!” Brian said with a smirk.

Soon Alex was beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic, surrounded by the tall men.  He stepped forward saying, “That’s better.” 

The guys laughed as they all walked back to the conjoined cottages.

*****

John sat at the drawing board in his office.  He was working on several possible designs for the new cottage in the meadow.  He had so many ideas and couldn't decide which one would be best.  Finally he decided to make three drawings, one of each of his possible designs.  Then he would let Alex and his partner decide which they liked best.  All would have the same basic floor plan but the outsides were very different.

As he was putting the finishing touches on the second drawing he glanced out at the sun porch.  All was calm at the moment, but it wasn't that way very often lately.  Emmett and the couple-to-be married were often there discussing arrangements.  Alex's visit had provided a needed break.

John rolled his head on his shoulders to relieve the tension that was there.  He leaned back in his chair and let his mind wander to the other problem that was nagging away at him.  He wasn't sure what could be done about it, but he knew something had to be done.

About three weeks ago he had agreed to meet the kid that Debbie was mentoring at high school.  The idea of Debbie mentoring had really touched John's funny bone, but she seemed to be taking the whole thing so seriously.  She had told him about this Peter Chang and his difficulties with school and with his father.  The kid sounded like a mess, but Debbie had taken in another stray and really hoped to be able to help Peter.

Peter's interest in cottages, or maybe just buildings in general, had surprised John when Debbie had informed him about it.  Most kids these days weren't interested in anything having to do with the real world, especially the past.  But Peter seemed to be, and that was why he had agreed to meet with the young man.  It had taken a couple of weeks for Debbie to arrange for Peter to come to the lane.  Peter's father was rather uncooperative to say the least.  Debbie said the school principal had had quite a bit of difficulty contacting Mr. Chang.  When she finally got to speak with the man, he gave cursory verbal approval for the trip to the lane.  His indifference to what his son did was astonishing.  Finally he said that Peter could do whatever he wanted to as long as he didn't take up any more of his father's time.  The principal had sent a letter about the trip to the lane to Mr. Chang.  It took many days before Peter brought it back signed.

Peter had been excited about going to the lane, but Debbie had sensed his sadness that his father didn't seem to care what he did.  Peter had even told Debbie that he was going to run away if his father didn't agree to the trip.

And then the day had arrived.  Debbie and Carl had picked Peter up from school and brought him to the lane in time for lunch.  He would spend the afternoon with Debbie and Carl and John who had been invited to Debbie's for lunch. 

John had found Peter kind of fascinating.  At first the boy would say nothing.  He merely nodded when John introduced himself.  And any questions that John asked were met with shrugs or stares or glares.  Debbie did most of the talking and filled in whatever information John was asking about.  John had to wonder how long the kid could keep up the silence.

After lunch things changed.  John told Peter that he would take him on a tour of the lane, but it had to be just John and Peter.  Peter looked scared at that announcement and looked to Debbie to bail him out.  Debbie merely shook her head and said she would clean up the lunch dishes while they were gone.

John held the door and waved Peter through as they exited the thatched cottage.  Peter waited apprehensively  on the porch while John shut the door.

"Debbie tells me that you were interested in the fact that she lives in a thatched cottage."  Peter shrugged.  "Do you know anything about thatching?"  Peter shook his head.  "Most people wonder why rain doesn't seep through the thatch, especially in storms."  John left that statement hanging as he led Peter out to the lane where they could look back at the cottage.

John didn't say anything for several minutes while Peter stared at the thatched roof.  Finally he felt compelled to end this silence.  "Look, if you want to learn something about these buildings then ask some questions or we forget this whole idea."

Peter studied this man for a minute.  "Debbie would have said 'these fucking buildings'," Peter observed.

"Is that right?"  Peter nodded.  "Debbie has a big, bad mouth in case you haven't noticed."

"I noticed."

"And you like that?"

"At least I don't feel like she's coddling or being so fucking nice that it makes me want to throw up.  She's a straight shooter, even though she doesn't really know me, nobody does."

"And you're not going to let anybody get to know you."  Peter shrugged.  "It's safer that way, isn't it?"

"What do you know about it?" Peter demanded.

"Not much, but my brother's an expert."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

There was a long pause while neither of them said anything.

"So why doesn't water come through the thatch?" Peter finally asked.

John tried not to smile.  They were making some progress at last.  "It's all in the way the straw is bundled and overlapped.  It sheds the water."

"Why did you want to build with thatch?"

"To see if I could."

Peter grinned.  "That's a good reason."

"Shall we have a look at some of the other buildings on the lane?"

"Okay."

John and Peter had spent the next hour walking from building to building on the lane.  John gave the history of each building.  He saved his own cottage till the last. 

"This is a really unusual structure," Peter said as they approached the conjoined cottages.

John smiled.  The kid was observant and bright.  Debbie had been right about that.  And now he was talking.  They had definitely made some progress.

"It's unusual because it's two separate cottages that were joined together.  My partner and I live in one cottage while my brother and his partner live in the other.  They're joined by a huge sun porch that we share together."

"You must get along well with your brother," Peter stated.

"I do.  Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Peter shook his head.  "I'm glad I don't.  I wouldn't wish my father on anyone else."

"That's pretty harsh."

"That's how I feel," Peter said defiantly.

John was beginning to understand just how much Peter hated his life and apparently his father.  It was very sad.

"Come on in," John said as he opened the door to his cottage.  "Bobby isn't home.  He's at work."

"He's your ... partner?"

"Yes."

"Have you been together long?"

"Yes."

"Are you taking lessons from me about not talking?" Peter asked with a grin.

The kid had a sense of humor.  Who knew?  "Okay, smartass, you want to know about me and my partner?"  Peter nodded with another grin.  "My brother kind of set us up way back when.  Once I met Bobby I knew he was the one.  We've been together ever since."

"How ... how did you know he was the one?" Peter asked hesitantly.

John wondered if he should broach the subject of Peter being gay, since Debbie had mentioned it to him, but he thought it would be better if he let Peter tell him that himself.  "I don't think anyone can explain that.  You just know."

"Oh."

"Is there someone you have feelings for?"

Peter shook his head.  "I don't have ... anyone," Peter said sadly.

John had the feeling that statement encompassed a lot more than a boyfriend.  "Well, let's have a look at the house."  John showed Peter through the cottage before taking him into the sun porch.  He already knew that Justin would be there painting.  That had been prearranged.

"Hey," John said.

"Hey," Justin replied dropping his paintbrush into a can of solvent.

"Justin, this is Peter," John introduced them.

"Right, Debbie said you were coming today," Justin replied nonchalantly.  He extended his hand for Peter to shake.

Peter hesitated but then shook the hand.  "You're Justin Taylor, the artist, aren't you."  It was a statement not a question.

"Yes, that's me," Justin said with a sunshine smile. 

"This is an amazing space," Peter said looking around.

"Yeah, John designed it.  We spend a lot of time out here.  It's great for so many things, including big gatherings."

Peter glanced up noticing the pulley system for Justin's paintings.  "How does that work?"

"I designed it for Justin," John said.  "Let's show him if you're done painting for today."

"I am," Justin replied.  "Maybe Peter would like to see what I'm working on before we put it away."

"Me?  Wow!  Sure," Peter said.

Justin turned his easel so Peter could see.

"Where is that place?" Peter asked after he had stared at the canvas for a couple of minutes.  "It...It looks so ... peaceful, so beautiful"  It was almost a whisper.

"It is peaceful and beautiful.  It's where I'm going to marry my partner in a few weeks."

"Oh."

There was another long pause.

"Debbie says you like to sketch," Justin said to break the silence.

"Oh, um, yeah, um, sort of..."

"Did you bring your sketchbook with you?"

Peter's eyes got really big.  "Debbie asked me to.  It's in my backpack at her house."

"We can go over and look at it later," Justin said.

"Loo...Look at it?" Peter stammered.

"Yes, I'd like to see what you draw."

"You...you wouldn't be interested," Peter protested.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"

"But you're an artist.  I just ... doodle," Peter said trying to explain that there was no point in Justin looking at his sketches.

"I'd like to see your drawings, but if you don't want me to..."  Justin let the sentence hang, wondering if Peter would take him up on the offer to not look at the sketchbook.

"I...I never show anybody what I draw, but if you..."  Peter gave up trying to explain.  He couldn't believe that Justin Taylor would want to look at his doodles.

"I really would like to see them," Justin said softly.

Peter merely nodded unable to get his voice to work.  He couldn't comprehend that a famous artist like Justin Taylor would have any interest in his drawings.

"Um, how do you like the lane?" Justin asked looking for a new topic of conversation.

"It's ... interesting.  You'd never know that it was here," Peter observed.

"Yeah, that was the whole idea - get away from the big, bad old world out there."

"It must be great living here."

"We like it," Justin replied with a smile.  "How about we have some hot chocolate and then you can show me your sketches?"

"Sounds great!" Peter agreed.

*****

That had been a good day, John thought as he sat up straighter in his chair.  Justin had been complimentary about Peter's sketches, saying that he had some interesting ideas.  John had liked them even more, since many of them were of futuristic buildings that Peter had dreamed up.  If Peter got some training he might be able to design some actual buildings in the future.

But, and it was a big but, Peter had so many things working against him that his future didn't seem very bright.  It was a shame.

Debbie had told him that Peter had not shut up all the way back to the school.  He rambled on and on about how much he liked the lane.  He had found the buildings interesting, and they had inspired him to come up with some really good ideas for drawing more buildings in his sketchbook.  For someone that you could hardly get a word out of, Peter had suddenly become a real chatterbox.

When John and Debbie had actually sat down to discuss what had happened with Peter, he was surprised to hear her say that someone had to get that kid the fuck away from his father.  Peter had so much potential in Debbie's eyes, and living with his father was stifling every bit of that potential.  They had spent a long time discussing what might be done to help Peter but they hadn't come up with anything very concrete.

Debbie had some farfetched idea that John didn't think was possible.  But nobody told Debbie Novotny Horvath what she could and couldn't do.

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