(Westpoint 2060AD)
In England, the king lay dying. At the far end of the world, in Westpoint, nobody ‘gave a bugger’. It was all a bit sad, for him and his family, but whether he lived or died and who was the king in England made very little difference to the people of Westpoint.
It was nothing to do with them and they had worries enough of their own. Kathleen Reynolds, nee Adams, was dying as well.
It had to happen sooner or later; she was 108 years old after all, and no-one lives forever. But it was hard to imagine how life was going to be without her. She was one of the oldest people around and she had always been so full of life and fire that it seemed like she would go on forever.
Westpoint was never going to be the same without Kathleen Reynolds bossing them around.
At the Square, in the grandstand, Justin was sitting looking pensively out at the rain. Bill’s car pulled up out the front and he came up and sat beside him.
“Hey, Sweetcheeks. I thought I’d find you here.”
“Hey Sunny. You know me too well, you always did.”
“No better than you know me, my Old Friend. What are you doing here anyway?”
“Just thinking. Remembering. How’s the old lady, have you heard?”
“No, I haven’t heard. She’s still sleeping, as far as I know. Don’t worry, Justin, if . . .when, anything happens, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Grandmother’s dying, Billy. I can’t believe it – grandmother is actually dying.”
“I know. I know it hurts, but she’s an old, old lady. She’s old and tired and just worn out. You wouldn’t want her to hang around suffering.”
“No. You’re right, of course, but I’m going to miss her. I’m really going to miss her. I love my grandmother, Billy.”
“Of course you do! I know that, Grandmother knows that and she loves you too, she always has.”
Justin looked into Billy’s eyes. Tears welled up and he started to cry, for the 10,000th time. Billy put an arm around him and he held him, also for the 10,000th time.
“She was the first, Sunny. The first person who ever really loved me. Granddad did too, but Grandmother was the first.”
“Lots of people have loved you, Justin. Lots of people still do.”
“I know that. I appreciate that – especially you. Always you, first, last and always; but Grandmother was the first ever. I’d never known love, and she gave it to me. She picked up a damaged, shy and bloody difficult kid. She picked up me – picked me up, took me into her home and into her life and gave me love. She gave me a life.”
“She did, Justin. All of that is true, but you gave it back, don’t ever forget that. You always give it back. Whatever anyone gives you, you give it back with interest.”
“You think?”
“No. I don’t think, I know. Nobody knows that better than I do. Nobody ever did.”
“Nobody ever knew me like you do. Thank you. I love you, Billy.”
“Yeah, you do.” Billy beamed his ever-sunny smile. “And that’s just great. I love you too, always have, always will.”
“Ah, shit, Sunny. You’re doing it again. Make me cry, why don’t you? Grandmother was the first, but you are the best. She made my life possible, but you made it happen. It’s been a great life, Billy, really great, thanks to you.”
“Thanks to you, Sweetcheeks. Come on, let’s not sit here getting maudlin. Our life is not over yet, there’s still more chapters to write, even without your Gran. Come on, Old Boy, let’s go home.”
They stood up to go and looked out at two runners coming around the track in the rain. Well, one was running, the other was sitting in a wheelchair and being pushed along.
“Get in out of the rain, you silly little buggers!” Justin called out.
“Hey Granddads!” Billy Carver grinned wetly at them. “We’re okay. Just having a run and a cold shower at the same time.”
“You’re bloody mad,” Billy replied. “You’re all right there are you, JH?”
“I’m fine, Granddad.” The boy with the long wet and white hair replied. “I’ll be even better when I can get out of this bloody chair! I don’t know how Billy stood it for all those years.”
“I was just waiting for you, My Love.” Billy leant forward and kissed the top of JH’s wet head. “Next time we’re ski-ing, you’ll stay on the beginner’s slopes. Anyway, I’m loving this! Payback!! See you, Granddads.”
They ran on around the track in the rain.
Justin shook his head as they watched them go. “See you at home, our Lovely Boys.”
“Kids eh?” Billy grinned. “Bloody kids.”
“Fucking kids.”
“Shut up Justin!”
“Anyway Sunny, they’re not that young. They’re nearly 30 you know.”
“Thirty? Those two? No! Damm, the years are flying past.”
They got in the car and left the Square, heading down King Street.
“Turn left here, Sunny. Go back up to the main street for me.”
Billy followed the pointing finger, and turned left and then right into the main street.
“Okay. Now what? Embankment Road?”
“No, not there. Turn right here, into Cobham Street.”
“Cobham Street? Who do we know up there? Have you got a girlfriend that you haven’t told me about?”
“Yeah, of course I have. I’ve got hundreds of girlfriends that you don’t know about.”
“Sure you have! Where are we going anyway?”
“Just up here. Slow down or you’ll miss it. There! Stop, Billy. Stop and look. Remember that?”
“Remember what? Oh yeah – the old Union Hall. Of course I remember that. “We danced all night at the Union Hall. She could dance so hard, she shook the paint off the walls.””
“Well we never quite managed to do that, but we had some great times there, didn’t we?”
“We did. Great times, great days. Those were our golden years.”
“No. Wrong, Sunny. These are our golden years; those were just our Salad Days – the days of our youth.”
“I guess. They were great days, weren’t they?”
“They were. But remember old Mr. Green? Grumpy old George Green out at the cemetery? “Every day above ground is a good day, Boys.””
Billy laughed at Justin’s bad impersonation. “Yeah, he got that right. I haven’t thought about grumpy old George Green in years. He’ll be IN the cemetery by now.”
He started the car again and headed for Derby Street, going home to the New Adelphi, but Justin suddenly called, “Whoah, Sunny! Turn left around here into Romney Street.”
Billy did as he was told, and then stopped in Romney Street when Justin flagged him down. “What now? You are full of nostalgia today, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. Told you I was remembering. There’s George and Crispian’s house. Grandmother’s dying is making me think of all those that we’ve lost. There’s been a lot!”
“There certainly has. I guess that the longer you live, the more dead people you know. But there’s always young ones coming up to take their place.”
“There’s always young ones, but they don’t really take anyone’s place, they just make places of their own. All of the older generations are going, Sunny. There’ll be no-one left to call me ‘Superboy’ soon.”
“I thought you hated that. You’ll always be my Superboy, Justin. Always.”
“Yeah. And you’ll always be my Sunny-boy too. George and Crispian eh? They were a long time before they found each other, but they were happy for a few years.”
“Quite a few years, really. I wonder how Gemmy felt about those two being dumped in on top of him.”
“I don’t think he would have minded at all – not a bit.”
“Where are we going to be buried, Justin?”
“We’re not.”
“We’re not? You want to be cremated then, do you? They could scatter our ashes around the Square. Or, would you rather be shot out towards the sun? They’re doing a bit of that these days.”
“No, Sunny. We’re going to live forever, you and I.”
“That’d be nice, but I don’t think even Superboy could manage that.”
“We’ll just have to work on it then. I’ll ask Jonathan.”
“Shut up, Justin,” Billy laughed. “Are we going home now, or have you got more memories?”
“Just one more and then we’ll go home. Turn back into Derby Street.”
They went back and straight ahead into Pattinson Park Raceway.
“The racecourse. I don’t like this place, Justin. Your memorial service was the saddest day of my life, even worse than when you disappeared in the river. I thought I was going to die myself.”
“Just as well you didn’t do that! I’m alive, you’re alive, we’re still here – still crazy after all these years.”
“It turned out all right, but don’t you ever put me through something like that again or I’ll bloody kill you!”
“Hey! I couldn’t help it, you know.”
“I know, but don’t do it anyway.”
“Anyway. That is not what I was thinking about. It was Jinks and Toddy. That was the same day that Jinks came back to him after everyone thought he’d been drowned at sea.”
“Jinks and Toddy,” Billy looked out across the racecourse and sighed. “That was great for them, then.”
“It was a great day then – but.”
“Yes, But. That was really sad. They had less than two years together.”
“Yeah, 21 months, 1 week and 2 days. Silly little shits. I could still kick their arses for them.”
“Granddad, your days of kicking arses are well gone.”
“Don’t you believe it, Sunny-Boy.”
“No? Okay, you probably could, but not those two; they’re way out of your reach. Who knows where they are now?”
“Yes. Silly little shits! One stupid argument, over a girl of all things! And they split up and both ran away, left town separately and no-one ever heard from either of them again!
C’mon Sunny, take me home now before I start crying again. Silly little shits!”
Back up in the tall tower of the Adelphi, they went straight into the old lady’s room. The nurse made a token protest, but she knew that she had no show of keeping them out of there.
Justin stood, crying quietly, as he studied his poor old grandmother. “Give it up, you stubborn old bugger. Let go and go to your rest,” he whispered.
The old lady’s eyes snapped open and she scanned around the room. “You trying to get rid of me, Boy?” she croaked.
“What? No, Grandmother. I just hate to see you suffering like this.”
“She’s not in any pain, Mr. Reynolds,” The nurse interrupted.
“Who?” Kathleen slowly turned her head and focused on the unfortunate girl. “Don’t you contradict my grandson, Girl. Justin knows better than you. Justin knows most everything, he always did.”
Justin winked at the nurse. Now he was smiling sadly, through his tears. The one thing that he’d always known and never, ever, doubted for an instant, was his grandmother’s great and abiding love for him. He was SO going to miss his grandmother.
“Wake up, Boy!” She broke into his thoughts. “You can stop wishing me dead. I‘ll go when I’m ready and not before.”
“I’m sure you will, Grandmother. No-one ever made you do anything that you didn’t want to do.”
“Is that what you think?” she rasped. “I’ll tell you a secret, Lovey. There were two handsome boys who could always twist me around their little fingers.”
She looked around the room until she found Billy standing there. “Three handsome boys. Billy Mathieson, you look after my boy.”
“I will, Grandmother. I always look out for Justin.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “I know you do. Justin?”
“Grandmother?”
“He’s a good boy, that one. You hold on to him and never let go.”
“I will, Grandmother. I’ll never let him go.”
“See that you don’t. Where is your other half?”
“Jonathan? He’s not here yet. He’s on his way.”
Well, he’d better hurry up, I think. Billy, if Jonathan doesn’t get here in time, you tell him that I love him and then you have Justin kick his arse for being late.”
“We’ll do that, Grandmother. But I’m sure he’ll be here as soon as he can.”
“No excuses! Kick his arse, Superboy!”
“Actually,” Justin mused. “I don’t think I’ve ever kicked my brother’s arse for him. I’ve often threatened to, but I’ve never tried. I don’t know if I could.”
“Of course you could,” the old lady muttered as she drifted off to sleep again.
They slipped out and left her sleeping. Justin went to the bathroom and when he came back, Billy was outside on the balcony. Justin went out and stood behind him, slid his arms around him and rested his chin on his shoulder.
“There’s a million stories out there. Every street, every building, every person – they’ve all got a story to tell.”
“There is, Sweetcheeks, and the greatest story of all is right up here – you and me.”
After a couple of quiet minutes, Justin asked, “What’re you thinking about?”
“Us. So many people are chopping and changing, swapping partners like life is a barn-dance or something, but not us.”
“No, not us. You’re not thinking of trading me in are you, Sunny?”
“Sure I am. The minute they bring out a new, improved, Superboy – you’re out of here!”
“There is no new, improved, Superboy.”
“No, there’s not. There never has been and there never will be. I guess you’re stuck with me.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way, I never have.”
“No.” Billy turned around to stand face-to-face. “You weren’t kidding, were you, when you sang that song, ‘I Will Always Love You’, all those years ago?”
“I wasn’t kidding. I meant every word of it.”
“You did. You scared the bloody life out of me.”
“That’s what Ma said. But you came back. Thanks, Sunny.”
“I had nowhere else to go. I still don’t.”
Foreheads pressed together, they stood looking into each other’s eyes.
“Don’t you pinch me, Sweetcheeks. Don’t you ever pinch me. If I wake up and find that I’m dreaming, I’ll die.”
“For goodness sakes!! Get a room, why don’t you?”
They both turned and grinned at the woman coming out to join them.
“Hey, Claude.”
“Hello, Mrs. Reynolds.”
“Mrs. Reynolds!” She snorted. “I swear, you two are still like a pair of horny teenagers.”
“No we’re not!” Billy protested. “We’re just talking.”
“Speak for yourself, Sunny. I’m trying to seduce you here.”
“Behave yourself, Justin. How’s the old lady?”
“Still hanging in there, Claude. Where’s my brother. Grandmother has been waiting for him.”
“Jonathan’s on his way. He just stopped in to see Peter and Jay. He’s got some new music for them.”
“Those two must have the world’s biggest collection of oddball music by now.”
“I wouldn’t let them hear you say that, Sunny, unless you want a music lecture. But – yeah! So, you’re just back in town, Claude? How are the boys?”
“Just back in the country, Justin. The twins are fine. They’re turning into a couple of old men though.”
“Well, that’s their choice, I guess. As long as they’re happy with it. Still sleeping together are they?”
“That’s a bit personal, but, yes. It’s never going to stop now. My sons, brothers and lovers.”
There was a bit of an awkward silence. This was an old and sensitive subject. Jonathan and Claudette’s identical twins had been gay lovers ever since they were boys. Theirs was an open and very liberal family, most of them had come to terms with the situation, but Claudette never had.
She had other children, and she had grandchildren, but still, she couldn’t help feeling that they were wasting their lives.
“I just wish . . . Why couldn’t they be like Daniel and Tony? They were lovers, they’re still very close, but they’re both married, kind-of. They’ve both got ‘wives’ and kids anyway.”
“Claude, we’ve been through this a thousand times. The boys are happy. Daniel and Tony are the exception. Not many people have such understanding wives. Peter and Jay don’t have anyone else, nor do John and Brian or Jon and Bobby.”
“Jon and Bobby did for a while.”
“They did, and look what a disaster that turned out to be.”
“Turned out all right for you guys though, didn’t it?”
“It certainly did. Our Billy just loves his JH. They don’t have anyone else either. Nor do we.”
“You bloody better never have anyone else either, Sweetcheeks!”
“Shut up, Sunny. I couldn’t handle any more than you. I wouldn’t want to.”
“Yeah, love you too. Anyway, Claudette, your boys are happy. What more could any mother want?”
“I know, I know. They say that they’re happy, but they still fight like cat and dog.”
“Well,’ Justin grinned. “They are still brothers. That’s what brothers do.”
“You don’t. You never fight with your brother.”
“Not yet, but one of these days I’ll kick his arse.”
“You’ll try,” she laughed. “Anyway, you two are not a good example either. You don’t have other partners but you had a family. You have a grandson.”
“We do, and we love him to bits. That was a mistake, but it turned out to be the best mistake ever made.”
“Hey! I didn’t have any choice in it you know.”
“I know, Sunny. But you’d do it again, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course I would, if I knew that it would turn out the way it did.”
“Actually,” Claudette pondered. “Why didn’t you ever have any more children?”
“I’m still trying to get Sunny pregnant.”
“Shut up, Justin. You could’ve used surrogate mothers, they don’t cost all that much and it’s not like you couldn’t afford it.”
“No. we never wanted to do that. Jonathan’s the breeder, not me.”
“We’ve still got lots of family around us. It’s cool.”
“No. Well, you two have never grown up anyway.”
“Hey. We were good dads.”
“You were excellent dads, but you’re still a couple of big kids. You still look like kids.”
“Thanks to J&J’s R&R. “
“Yeah. I’ve never been tempted myself. I’m happy to be an old granny, as long as I can hold on to my man. Looks don’t matter so much, it’s what’s inside that counts.”
“That must be true. Jonathan looks no older than Justin does and he still loves his old granny-wife.”
“And so he should! I‘d better go in and see the old lady. See you later, Guys.”
“Okay. ‘Bye Claude. When are the boys coming home?”
“They’ll be here when they can. They won’t miss the funeral anyway.”
“They’d better or we’ll be having two more funerals!”
“You’re all talk, Superboy. You love your nephews.”
“Of course I do. They’re our other boys.”
“Okay then. See you soon.”
Claudette went back inside. Justin and Billy turned back to the view that they never tired of.
“She’s a good one, that Claudette Storer.”
“She is. I think we’ll keep her on. Shame about Lana though.”
“It was. That’s the way life goes. Love dies sometimes.”
“I guess. Still a shame though, and why did she have to run off with my brother of all people? Bloody Wayne. He always was problems for me.”
“Nobody blames you, Sunny. Nobody ever did. They were adults, they made their own choices.”
“It’s a small town.” Billy nodded down at the panorama before them.
“It is. A small town and a great town. Best town in the world, our Westpoint.”
“Yeah, our Westpoint, our home. You’re right, you know, there are a million stories out there.”
“Yeah. All different, but all the same. Funny how life goes. Who’d have ever thought that your baby-brother, our little tow-headed Ross would grow up to be Mayor of Westpoint? A Carver kid for mayor of the town.”
“We wouldn’t have. That would never have happened if a certain Superboy hadn’t come into our lives. Ross will be the best mayor this town has ever had.”
“He’d better be, or we’ll kick his arse too!”
“He will be. He’s not the first Mayor of Westpoint in our family, you know. We are descended from old James Hargreaves Williamson as well.”
“Isn’t everyone?”
The weather was turning sour again; the wind blew a few specks of cold rain towards them. Hand-in-hand, they walked back inside, together.”
End.
(I love you Billy - always & forever.)
