Summer, 1983 (I'll call you by mine)

Fall

An eight-hour flight and a two-hour ride later, Oliver, Elio, Christopher, and Jona arrived in B. As Oliver drove up to the house and surrounding the property are blanketed in perfectly white snow.

" Piccino ! Oliver! I miei nipoti! Mi sei mancato! Come in, come in." Annella Perlman was no longer in her wheelchair, she had been using a cane these last few months. What doctors assumed his mother had was Alzheimer's, because of her age and her rapid decline in health after his father passing.

"Signor Perlman, I am very certain with the death of your father, and housekeeper that your mother lost herself. When she started forgetting things and living in the past I assumed it was Alzheimer's, it was deep depression am very sorry for putting you and your family through that."

Elio had no words, he hung onto the phone long after the call had ended. He wondered now if his mother would want to come and live with them now? He wanted her too, but she simply said that she wasn't leaving his father, his soul was in that house and she wasn't leaving it.

"Momma, what are you doing out in this weather?" Elio asked, enveloping her small frame in his arms.

"Oh piccino , I could run ten miles in this weather it's nothing."

"With the way you smoke, running that would be impossible. We will grab all the bags and be in the house in a few moments." Elio motioned the boys to help their dad bring the bags into the house. Walking in the house it had been decorated for Thanksgiving. Decorative turkeys, orange, and yellow leaves strung throughout the house. The smell of pumpkin and nutmeg covered the house, Oliver walked in behind Elio.

"Dear God it looks like a hallmark card in here."

"I know, she went a little overboard." Elio heard the boys walk into the house. "Take your bags to your room."

" Piccino , I thought you said David was coming with you?" Annella asked bringing them drinks.

"He has a later flight and he might be bringing his boyfriend, we still aren't sure yet. He's supposed to call if plans change."

"He's such a sweet boy, I miss him reading to me in the afternoons."

Christopher tried hard not to roll his eyes at the word boyfriend. Joan saw his face mouthing stop it, to his brother. They hauled their luggage into their room.

"You gotta stop doing that everytime someone says, Davids boyfriend. Dad or Elio are going to see it and start asking questions. What have you got against Idris?" Joan asked.

"Besides the fact that he uses David, nothing."

"How does he use David?"

"He doesn't have a job unless you count scamming lonely older gay men a job."

" Well, I've never heard David talk about his job, doesn't he work?"

Christopher remembered a few weeks ago when he joked with David about how could afford a nice studio apartment without a job. David tightened up and wanted to change the subject. Then the night before Christopher and his family left for B, David told him the secret he didn't want many to know.

"Look, Chris if I tell you something, please don't tell anyone not even Jona or Jude but when my parents disowned me when I was 21. I had no money, my parents refused to pay my dorm anymore. So I couch surfed for a few months until I met Idris who got me a job. He had access to rich men, I don't want to say out loud what I did to get money, but I did do things. I didn't do it for very long. I was heartbroken when my parents disowned me but when my grandmother found out that Christmas the reason behind why I was not there. She held a meeting with my dad and her lawyer. She had him watch as she dropped his inheritance down to a dollar and gave everything else to my sister, my Uncle Frank and me. My grandmother said she could see the panic on his face, she said a family is important and disowning me for who I love isn't acceptable. If that was the case she would have disowned him for his choices with his first two wives. But my Grandmother has a trust fund set up for my sister and I when we turn 25 until then we have an allowance." David looked at the floor, he never met Christopher's eyes.