Caring for Marlow

Kadyn turned at the sound of an approaching vehicle and waved excitedly. “Help has arrived!” he declared to the man standing beside him. They had been about to lift an armchair off the back of a pick-up truck.

Leaving the other man to keep the chair balanced on the tail-gate, Kadyn ran around to the driver’s side of Logan’s car as soon as it slowed to a stop, and waited impatiently for his partner to roll down the window.

“You’re just in time, Logan! We need some help in getting Marlow’s armchair into the house. It’s really heavy.”

Logan parked his BMW as close to the building as possible to allow room for the other vehicle to get passed. He got out, glanced back and forth between the other two men and then at the large piece of furniture. His raised eyebrow strongly hinted that he expected an immediate explanation as did his quietly spoken inquiry.

“Ah Kadyn, did I miss a memo or something? What do you mean by moving Marlow’s chair up to our apartment?

“I just found out about it, Logan. I can’t give you notice of something I know nothing about,” Kadyn declared, having quickly clued into the tell-tale sign of growing bewilderment. “The Brewster family is going away for a week; partly to take care of some business but mostly for fun. Anyway, I told them we wouldn’t mind taking care of Gerald’s dad while they’re away.” Kadyn energetically rambled on, completely oblivious to his partner’s lack of enthusiasm. “Gerald’s sister, Georgina, was supposed to but copped out at the last minute and left them in a real bind.”

“Slow down, Kadyn! Don’t you think we should discuss this first? After all, being responsible for Marlow is a big time commitment and you have a busy schedule. What do you plan to do with him while you’re at work?”

“We haven’t time to discuss it. The Brewster’s have to leave as soon as possible. I’ll worry about the store scheduling later.” Kadyn grabbed Logan’s jacket in an attempt to drag him over to meet Gerald who was waiting patiently for them.   

Logan shook off the hand holding onto his sleeve, stepped forward and shook hands with Gerald. “Let’s see what we have here and figure out the easiest way to move it,” he offered, as if he had a choice in the matter.

The lazy-boy wasn’t only quite heavy; it was also extremely cumbersome and not at all cooperative when being carried up a flight of stairs.

Kadyn ran ahead and held open the door. He laughed at the grunts and groans coming from the ones stuck with the difficult job; one he was glad to get out of by his partner’s timely arrival.

“Your chair’s here, Mr. Brewster,” Kadyn announced minutes later as he helped push the bulky piece of furniture in place at a right angle to the television set. He chewed on his lower lip when he saw the old gentleman standing by the picture window and looking out at the traffic below.

Marlow looked so dejected even though he held his head high, his arms wrapped tightly around himself.

“I’m leaving now, Dad!” Gerald informed his father, walking close to touch him. The only response was the stiffening of Marlow’s body. The younger Brewster shook his head in resignation and turned to walk away.

“I know it’s hard, Gerald, but you can rest assured that he is in good hands. Kadyn will take great care of your dad and of course I’ll help out as well,” Logan assured the unhappy man while accompanying him out of the apartment.

“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable, Mr. Brewster, while I get you a snack?” Kadyn softly suggested. Getting a brief nod, he went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door.

Logan returned just as Kadyn was cutting a ham and cheese sandwich in half. He walked over to his Brat and delivered a healthy swat to the younger man’s backside.

“Hey, what’s that for?” Kadyn indignantly demanded, trying to rub way the sting.

“For laughing at me. That dang chair was a real heavyweight.”

The feign frown on Kadyn’s face was replaced with an unrepentant grin. “But ya got it up here, so why all the griping?”

Before Logan could respond or bring up the subject of their unexpected houseguest, his partner piped up with, “Don’t worry, Logan, everything’s gonna be fine. The tourist season has already begun to wind down, so my store’s not overly busy. I can probably get away with shorter hours and that will free me u to spend time with Marlow.”

“Sounds like you’ve thought things through pretty well, Babe, but what about when you do have to work?”

“Well, when I’m in the shop during the day I’ll just take Marlow down with me; unless he naps, of course. I might need you to keep him company on Monday evening when I have my Cub Scout meeting.”

“That doesn’t sound too complicated. Do you have any suggestions on what can I do to entertain him? Does he like to play cards, watch movies, what? You’ll have to give me some guidance here.”

“He’d probably be content just watching the comedy station or any sea-type movie. If I remember right, he also enjoys old westerns.” Kadyn picked up the tray containing Marlow’s lunch and carried it in to him. “Here you go, Mr. Brewster. Eat up.”

“It’s Marlow,” the old gentleman finally spoke up.

“Huh?”

“Call me by my given name, lad. There’s no need to be so formal, especially with me living in your home and all. Besides, we’ve been friends too long.” Marlow picked up the sandwich and took a bite, chewing distractedly.

“Okay with me. Marlow it is.” Seeing a downhearted look on the old man’s wrinkled face, Kadyn sat down on the ottoman next to him. “It’s gonna be all right. You’ll have a good time here with Logan and me.”

“It doesn’t change what’s happening, lad. Being kicked out of me own home, I am.”

“What makes you think that?” Kadyn glanced passed their guest to Logan who was casually leaning against the door frame. Logan just shrugged and looked puzzled.

“That ‘business’ my son mentioned is them confirming accommodations for me in a supportive housing unit for seniors. They think I don’t know about it, but I’m not as much of a doddering old fool as they like to believe.” Marlow finished off the food he’d been given, swallowed the last of his tea and pushed the tray away. “Thank you; that really hit the spot.”

Logan smiled at seeing the man in slightly better spirits. “I’m afraid I can’t stay. I’ve a salon to get back to. I’ll see you both this evening.” He signaled for Kadyn to follow him.

In the kitchen, Logan hugged his young partner. “Just keep him entertained and happy as best you can, sweetheart. Sorry I can’t help out but I’ve taken a long enough break this morning.”

 Kadyn merely nodded, wishing the other man didn’t have to go. “Wait!” he called out when Logan went to leave. “You never told me how your dental appointment turned out.” Not one to like visiting that particular clinic, Kadyn had worried about him.

“Just fine, love; it was only a check-up and cleaning. It went as smoothly as yours did last week. And Todd says ‘hi’.” Logan chuckled when Kaydn rolled his eyes. Both were remembering the ultimatum Logan had issued when Kadyn had accidently missed his appointment for the second time. Logan had explained that Todd would find it easier working on a patient who could sit still rather than one who was squirming to keep his weight of a sore bottom.

Logan kissed his partner goodbye and hurried out the door before more waylaying tactics could be employed.

Kadyn returned to the living room, and seeing the lingering sadness in Marlow’s eyes, decided it might be for the best to let the old man talk it out and get it off his chest. He could always fill Logan in later. “You’ve had pretty hard time of it the last year or so, haven’t you, Marlow?”

“Not unlike yourself, lad,” the older man offered his sympathy. “Fortunately things turned out well for you and you’ve got yourself a wonderful new partner in Logan. But I’ll never find a replacement for my darlin’ Katie. However, that’s my choice, it is. She was originally from Jade Heights, you know.”

“Really?”

“Yes. She came to visit family in Victoria many years ago once while I was on shore-leave. Her cousin and I were shipmates and he introduced us. Love at first sight for the two of us, it was. We were married less than a month of meeting one another.” Marlow had a soft dreamy countenance as he reminisced about the past.

“Sounds like a fairy-tale romance.” Kadyn’s voice took on a wistful undertone.

“One that’s long over, I’m afraid.”

“But you still have two children and three or four grandchildren,” Kadyn reminded him.

“Who want as little as possible to do with me. Not that I blame them,” Marlow murmured.

“I don’t understand; family’s always family.” Kadyn’s innocence came shining through in that comment.

The older man smiled his understanding. “For those of us smart enough to work at it; I regrettably, was not. I was away at sea for most of my children’s formative years. They were raised solely by their mother and I believe they resent me for that; rightfully so no doubt. When I retired fifteen years ago, I learned that Katie had never really considered Vancouver Island her home. She’d not once told me how much she missed the valley. Once I found out, we relocated as soon as possible. Began our love affair anew, we did. What a marvelous life we had here. Sadly, it was much too short. I used to drink a lot when at sea, and after Katie’s death eight years ago, I started up again. Rufus, that mangy old dog of mine, became my drinking buddy, my companion and best friend.”

“Not to mention the other half of your singing duo.” Kadyn chuckled at the memory of Marlow getting drunk and bellowing out bawdy seafaring songs with Rufus’ howls as his accompaniment.

“True enough,” Marlow nodded his agreement. His eyes were filling up but Kadyn couldn’t tell if it was because the memories were good ones or bad. “Folks used to call the cops on us, they did. But not you, lad. I suspect you even prevented your previous partner on numerous occasions from calling in and complaining. You were always a kind-hearted soul, my boy, and an excellent neighbour.”

“But it was usually Chandi who answered the calls, Marlow. He’d come to your house and just ask you to tone it down. He never once arrested or even fined you.”

“No, he didn’t. There was another good lad. We’re mighty lucky to have him as our Chief now.”

“Oh yeah; especially when you take in the fact that aside from Vancouver, Jade Heights is the only town to have their own police force. Everywhere else in our fair province is under the jurisdiction of the RCMP. I like knowing our law enforcement personally the way we do.”

Marlow was once again nodding his agreement when the sadness returned with a vengeance. “It’s a grand life we have here in this friendly little town of ours; except Rufus is gone now. I let him drink himself to death, and I’d have already followed him to the grave if social workers and medical personal hadn’t meddled in my affairs. Lost my driver’s licence and had to give up the booze, I did.” He grimaced as what appeared to be an even more unpleasant memory surfaced. “Convinced my son to move his family up here, they did; even found Gerald a job at the mine, replacing Kipper as full-time accountant. Although why I let my boy talk me into signing over the house is beyond me. Must have been a mental lapse on my part and now I’m paying for it.”

“Regardless of the past, Marlow, you just gotta face the future head on. That’s what my Dad said when I hit a rough patch. And you never know; this change you’re not looking forward to may prove to be the best to happen in a long time. Give it a chance, okay?” Kadyn smiled when his suggestion received an affirmative nod, reluctant though it appeared to be. “Meanwhile, I have to get to work. Do you wanna take a nap or something?”

“Nap!” Marlow echoed indignantly. “Not if I can help it. I’m almost eighty years old, boy. I don’t know when my days will be over and I sure as hell don’t want to sleep away any time I have left.”

Kadyn grinned at that declaration. “Okay then, come downstairs with me and I’ll whip you up your favourite milkshake. Then I’ll try to find some odd jobs for you to do.” 

The day proved to be more taxing on the older man than anticipated and Kadyn was eventually able to talk him into having a rest period. An afternoon nap became part of the routine that quickly fell into place over the next day or two.

After a late supper, the evenings would pass in companionable activities consisting of TV, conversation and the consumption of homemade popcorn. This treat was a daily practice enjoyed by Marlow and easily adopted by Logan and Kadyn. Several issues were touched on during their conversations that enabled both of them to pick up on and meet their guest’s needs.

Marlow’s negative feelings towards some of his family members and the changes they were forcing on him had a disheartening but understandable aftermath where his temperament was concerned, so his hosts made every effort to avoid the topic.

They weren’t always successful. Kadyn had a particularly hard time when alone with Marlow. He sympathized with the old man and often expressed his wish to be able to help his friend.

But aside from a couple of bouts of overwhelming sadness that nearly resulted in tears, the unplanned stay-over went exceptionally smooth for all involved.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            
Kadyn nervously shuffled from one foot to the other and chewed on his lower lip as he watched the agitated man in front of him pace.

Trying once again to calm his guest, Kadyn repeated his story for the third time. “We had a great week with your dad, Gerald. He spent almost every waking hour with me. Honest, he was never left alone. I even took him to my scout meeting one evening. The kids really enjoyed hearing the stories of his seafaring days. This afternoon was the first occasion he asked for some time on his own. He said he wanted to pack and get ready for your return.”

“Then where the hell is he?” Gerald demanded, fretfully running a hand through his thinning hair. 

“Your guess would be as good as anyone’s,” Kadyn responded with a shrug as he tried to appear less unruffled than he actually felt. “Ah, he told us you were planning to kick him out of his own house, you know. He wasn’t overly happy about that.”

“First off, we’re not kicking him out as you put it!” Gerald’s raised voice had Kadyn backing off. “Secondly, I’ve remortgaged the place in order to do the major repairs that should have been done years ago. I’ve also purchased what was little more than a derelict building from my father six months ago, so it is now mine. Not that it’s any of your business.”

Kadyn’s face reddened and his jaw dropped at the anger being directed at him. He was saved from running out of his own home by Logan’s unexpected, but most welcomed, appearance.

“Hey, what’s going here?” Logan directed his question primarily to Gerald while walking over to Kadyn. “I could practically hear your conversation from the sidewalk.”

“I was just trying to ascertain where my father is.”

“I don’t mean to be discourteous, Gerald, but from what I ‘ascertained’, it sounded more like you were berating Kadyn, which from my point of view is disrespectful to him. And while I understand you’re upset, taking it out on my partner is not acceptable. He’s been nothing but kind, understanding, attentive and generous with your dad. And your dad asking for time alone is nothing unusual for a grown man to request.”

Kadyn stepped closer to Logan with a wide-eyed, but pleased, expression on his face. It never failed to surprise him when people stood up for him; although why was a mystery, as his parents, siblings, friends and his last Top had done so on many occasions.

“Logan, you know my father is suffering from a mild dementia,” Gerald reminded the older of the two men facing him. “I have every right to be concerned for his whereabouts.”

“I’m not saying you don’t have that right, Gerald. What I am trying to convey is that you have no justification in raising your voice to Kadyn and laying blame where none is called for. If Marlow doesn’t return soon, we will call in the authorities and let them handle it. Meanwhile, Kaydn may know of a few places that the old man might go to be alone. Why don’t you relieve Gerald’s mind by going to look for Marlow?” Logan suggested to the young man by his side.

“Marlow mentioned running away a couple of times. Remember, Logan? But we never took him seriously. And I can’t remember him ever mentioning a specific place. Not that I blame him for planning to take off. I mean with his unhappy state of mind over the changes about to take place and all. Maybe it’s something we should have considered, huh? Whatcha think, Mr. Brewster?” The arm around Kadyn’s waist tightened in warning to mind his manners.

“Well I strongly advise you to give Marlow’s whereabouts some serious thought and then set about searching for him. After all, Kadyn, you were the last person to see him. Right?”

“I’ll go drive around and see if I can spot him. He couldn’t get too far because he was carrying not only his two suitcases but also the popcorn maker we said he could have. You both realize the man is more than capable of thinking for himself and doing whatever he wants. He’s more on the ball than he’s given credit for and doesn’t need anyone’s permission to do anything.” Kadyn declared somewhat belligerently, causing the arm around his waist to squeeze him once again; this time a little painfully. “But I’ll do what I can,” he reluctantly concurred.

Logan rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to their guest. “You are more than welcome to stay here, Gerald, and wait to see what transpires or you may go home and we will either take your dad home or call you to come get him once he is located,” he courteously offered. “What do you prefer?”

Gerald gave the two men a cool look as he thought things through. “Fine, I'll go home for now. However, if I don’t hear from you or see you within the next hour or so, it will be me who’ll be going to the authorities and filing a missing person’s report.” With that Gerald turned on his heel and stormed out.

Kadyn cringed as the door slammed behind the angry man and he looked up to see Logan’s reaction.

Logan sighed and scratched at his beard. “I sure hope you know where to find him, Kadyn sweetheart. If you do, bring him back here first. I have a feeling he might want a bit of time to mull things over before facing his son. Could I be right on that?”

“More than likely,” the younger man agreed. “But I doubt all the contemplation in the world will change things. And I wouldn’t be getting my hopes up if I were you. I wasn’t up here when Marlow left so your guess about where he might be is as good as mine.”

Just over an hour later, Kadyn pulled into his parking spot beside the garage and shut off the motor. He’d cruised about town without catching sight of the man he was searching for. Now he sat in silent deliberation mentally reviewing as much of the past week’s activities and conversations with Marlow as he could remember. It was only when his eyes turned towards the beauty parlour that he recalled taking his friend on a tour of Logan’s business and a request Marlow had made at the time.

Kadyn was out of his car in a shot and racing for the stair leading up to the small flat at the back of the salon. He burst through the door to find Marlow stretched out on the futon watching an old western on the TV.

“Marlow, we’ve been looking all over for you. What are you doing up here?”

“Hiding,” Marlow stated, “as if it isn’t obvious.” He pressed ‘mute’ on the remote control and sat up, dropping his feet to the floor. “I need more time to think things through and I need to do it on my own in complete privacy.” He glanced up at Kadyn fully expecting the younger man to grasp where he was coming from.

“But people are worried about you, Marlow,” Kadyn patiently inform him, taking a seat beside his friend. “Come back with me and we’ll talk it over with Logan. He’ll know what to do.”

“Sure he will. He’ll call Gerald the moment he sees me,” Marlow muttered as a feeling of being trapped settled over him. The crack in his voice, the tears forming in his eyes, the expression of utter despair on his lined face were Kaydn’s undoing. His final plea clinched it. “Just one more day, lad, is all I ask. I give you my word to turn myself in tomorrow.”

Kadyn’s shoulders slumped. He didn’t like this idea but couldn’t come up with a suitable solution to replace it. So he reluctantly promised Marlow to keep his location a secret until the morning.

It was on his way back across the alley that he noticed the police cruiser parked in behind his and Logan’s apartment. True to his word, when Marlow had not been heard from, Gerald had apparently called in the police.

Kadyn could see his partner’s red BMW in the garage and realized Logan must have recently returned from his search. He sat down on the bottom step and dropped his head into his hands. “Dammit, I shouldn’t have made that promise to Marlow. I should have stood firm and told him I had to tell Logan. Now what?” He signed despondently as he glanced over his shoulder to the top of the stairs. Then he unenthusiastically got to his feet. “Better go face the music,” he grumbled as he slowly trudged upward to his fate.

Fortunately, Chief Barrett’s visit was short and to the point. Much to his partner’s relief, Logan had answered all questions asked of them as if he picked up on Kadyn’s nervousness and put it down as a somewhat natural reaction to the uniform of authority.

This worked well as Kadyn’s ability to pay attention was greatly impeded by the internal monologue he was dealing with. Thoughts of what he should or shouldn’t have done and wishes that he was free to confess all to his Top kept playing with his sense of right and wrong.  

“Well, looks like the searching for Marlow has been taken out of our hands,” Logan commented as he closed the door on the departing law officer.

“Guess so,” Kadyn muttered distractedly. He was wondering if it would ever cross anyone’s mind to look above the hair salon for the old man.

“Kadyn, I still have about an hour’s worth of inventory left to do. Would you mind starting supper while I slip back to the shop to get it done for month’s end? After that, the night will be ours.”

“Sounds like a plan I can live with,” Kadyn quipped with a lopsided grin, lifting his face to facilitate the kiss coming his way.

Rather pleased with himself for having finished sooner than he thought possible, Logan slipped the completed list into his desk drawer. His stomach growled when he imagined the scent of buttered popcorn in the air. ‘I must be hungrier than I realized,’ he thought. ‘I’m starting to fantasize about food.” He continued tidying up, only to stop suddenly in midstride and sniff the air as another hint of popcorn assailed his nostrils.

But it was a small thud on the ceiling that made him suspicious enough to slowly climb the stairs and quietly make his way along the hall leading to his former apartment; all the while his fingers wrapped around his cell phone ready to call 911 if need be.

The smell grew stronger as he approached the door, and it was now accompanied by the sound of John Wayne telling someone to get the wagons in a circle. Common sense told him no intruder intent on stealing something would take a break from burglarising a place to watch a movie. Knowing Marlow’s affection for antiquated westerns, he came to the obvious conclusion that he had in all likelihood stumbled upon the old man’s hideout. His conjecture was confirmed when he opened the door and spotted their recent houseguest sitting in front of the TV set, munching his buttery treat.

“So here’s where you are, Marlow!” Logan called out, startling the old man by shouting over the Indian war cries.

“Oh my soul,” Marlow gasped as he jumped up and scattered popcorn all over the floor.

“Just how long have you been up here? And does Kadyn know of your whereabouts?”

“I’ve been here since mid-afternoon, but Kadyn only discovered my hiding place a little over an hour ago. And let me tell you, I had the devil of a time wheedling a promise out of him not to tell anyone so I could enjoy one last night of freedom,” Marlow explained somewhat apologetically. “Please don’t be upset with the lad, Logan. He was just being his usual caring, young self.”

Logan nodded his head in agreement and although he wasn’t too happy with Kadyn for not telling him he found the old man, he understood why he did it. Kadyn just couldn't help himself and after how Marlow’s son acted, it was only natural for a kind-hearted soul like his partner to give in to the old man’s implorations.

“Okay Marlow, I tell you what we’re going to do now. Here, I want you to use my cell phone to call your son and let him know you’re safe. If you wish, you can tell him you’ll go home with him tomorrow, but that you prefer to spend one more night with Kadyn and myself. It’s either that or I take you back to Gerald immediately. Hopefully, with all the folks involved in searching for you, this little escapade of yours will pass without too many repercussions. As far as Kadyn is concerned, I assure you I know how to deal with him.”

Marlow accepted what he saw as an ultimatum and took the phone from Logan’s outstretched hand. After calming his son down, he was able to get Gerald to go along with the first option.  

Logan and Marlow walked into the kitchen just as Kadyn was putting the final touches on their evening meal.

“What have you made for supper, sweetheart?” Logan inquired, a smile settling across his handsome face at the thought of this time being the one to surprise his partner with an unexpected guest.

Kadyn turned from the stove and his mouth dropped opened at the sight of Marlow standing next to Logan. He rushed forward to embrace the older man. “Marlow, I’m so glad you decided to come out of hiding,” he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling.

“Well it wasn’t exactly my decision, lad. Logan here kind of dictated all that was about to happen. Gerald and I just went along with it.” Marlow set the popcorn maker down on the counter. He seemed relieved by the turn of events.

“See? I told you we shoulda let Logan know where you were. I told you he’d know what to do.” Kadyn smiled his pride at his partner’s ability to fix things and watched as Logan left the room carrying their guest’s suitcases. “Anyway, we’ve got spaghetti and homemade meat sauce, a Caesar salad and garlic bread for supper, so I hope you’re both starving.”

“We are, Babe,” Logan assured him as he re-entered the kitchen from the bedroom where he had deposited Marlow’s belongings. He pulled out a chair. “Have a set, Marlow, while I set another place at the table and Kadyn dishes up that delicious smelling fare he’d prepared for us.”

It was midway through their meal when Logan broached the subject he assumed was most bothering their guest. “You know, Marlow, one would be inclined to think that if you were happy with the idea of secluding yourself in a small one-room bedsitter of sorts which housed only a futon, a small table, two mismatched chairs, a microwave and a coffee-maker, as well as a bathroom without a tub or shower, you’d be ecstatic over a fairly large one-bedroom apartment with all the amenities. An apartment, I might add, that affords you the choice between doing your own housecleaning and making your own meals or having someone else do it all for you.”

Logan paused to see what effect if any, his words were having on the older gentleman. He winked at Kadyn when his observation appeared to be giving Marlow some food for thought. 

“Those are good points Logan is making, Marlow,” Kadyn added by way of support.

Marlow slowly chewed and then swallowed. “It wasn’t the actual moving that irked me,” he stated a little crossly. “It was the underhanded method they used for accomplishing what they want. Let me clarify that; what Marion wanted. She’s a miserable creature, that one. And as shameful as I find it to say, my son is nothing more than a namby-pamby wimp. I can only image the lies they must have told to get me into that living facility so fast. There is a waiting list for those places, you know. Sneakin’ around like they did is enough to make a man’s blood boil.”

“Then, Marlow, you’re really going to be better off at the Linden Estates. And a great deal happier too,” Logan kindly remarked, reaching over to gently pat the old man’s hand in an attempt to smooth out the frown marring Marlow’s forehead.

“I heard there are lot of activities there, Marlow,” Kadyn piped in with his two-cents worth. “You can come and go as you please. We’ll help you move and get settled. Won’t we, Logan.”

Logan’s nod wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as Kadyn’s. He barely prevented himself from pulling a face when he thought of moving that heavy armchair of Marlow’s again. This time it would be down the stairs instead of up, so he could only hope it would be easier.

“And we’ll visit as often as possible,” Kadyn promised, looking down at his pet. “Won’t we, Bandit?” The large dog lifted his head and thumped his tail on the floor as if in agreement. It sure seemed to seal the deal for Marlow who almost immediately lost the forlorn expression he’d been wearing throughout most the meal.

After supper, Kadyn got their guest situated in front of the TV to continue watching the John Wayne Marathon and returned to the kitchen where he knew he had some explaining to do.

Logan was up to his elbows in hot soapy water. He wiped off the last plate, rinsed it and stacked it with the others in the drain board. “Never mind that, young man,” he ordered when Kadyn grabbed up the dish towel. “These can drain-dry while we have a talk.”

Kadyn sighed as he sat down, put his elbows on the table and rested his chin in one of his opened palms. “I wanted so badly to tell you, Logan. I tried so hard to come up with a way to do so without breaking my promise, but nothing came to mind. It was just going to be for overnight and then Marlow would magically reappear.” His shoulders slumped when he glanced up at the stern countenance on his Top’s face.

“But Kaden, you must have realized how many folks were going to be worrying needlessly for a longer period of time than was necessary.”

“It was you I worried about most, Logan. I hated keeping it from you, but Marlow was about ready to start crying. I felt so sad for him and just couldn’t bear upsetting him further. He seemed especially wretched; as if the world was beating on him. I’m really sorry about screwing up again.”

Kadyn’s remorse was genuine and although Logan easily picked up on it, he couldn’t let it go unaddressed.

“It was an error in judgement, sweetheart. We’ll deal with it. Right after supper tomorrow evening you are going to sit down and write an essay about making promises without thinking about how keeping those promises might affect other people. Most importantly, the potential impact it can have on our relationship. After that, you and I are going to have one final discussion about your inability to say ‘no’ to people. This isn’t the first time that quirk in your personality has come back to bite you but I assure you it will be the last time I deal with it in this manner. The next time you will find yourself with a sore backside instead of a sore writing hand. Is that clear?”

“As mud!” Kadyn exclaimed. “But maybe I’d rather be spanked and get it over with.”

“But whose decision is it?” Logan asked, pulling his Brat up and taking his place on the chair.

“Yours,” the younger man mumbled as he straddled his partner’s lap and hid his face against Logan’s neck. Regardless of the type of punishment for an infraction, Kadyn always felt he’d prefer any other than the one handed down. But he trusted Logan to do what was right.

Logan chuckled as he dropped tender kisses along his young lover’s jawline. He wondered what his life would be like without the gifts this wonderful man so freely gave to him. He hoped he’d never have to find out.

The End