Written by: LJ
Special thanks to Mel and Jo for their help and input.
Kipper stepped off the plane and followed the other passengers down the long hallway to the ‘Arrivals’ waiting area. He was pleased but not surprised to see Carissa and Kyler there to greet and welcome him home.
After kissing his sister and hugging his nephew, Kipper reached behind and pulled another man to his side; a man who bore the same deep tan as he did. “I’d like you both to meet Gaetane…Gaetane LaPorte, my partner of a great many years. He’s finally decided to come home with me, for good.” Both men were beaming from ear to ear.
“Bonjour, I am so happy to finally be meeting you,” Gaetane greeted.
Kyler stood rooted to the spot with his mouth hanging open. He blinked a couple of time when he felt his uncle put a finger under his chin and gently push upward. Kyler managed to get over the initial shock only to be blown away by his mother’s complete lack of astonishment.
He watched as Gaetane and Carissa embraced and kissed each other on both cheeks. Both were smiling like long lost friends.
“You’ve known all along!” Kyler hotly accused his mother. “And you’ve never said a word.”
“It wasn’t my place to say anything, honey. It was up to your Uncle Kipper,” Carissa explained patiently.
“The only other person in all of Jade Heights to know about my secret rendezvous’ is Chad, Kyler,” Kipper quietly informed the younger man. “I was waiting for the right time to tell you, but after putting it off for so long, decided to surprise you. Although on second though, I don’t think a crowded airport is the most conducive place to go into details. How about we collect our luggage and then we can talk on the drive home.”
“Oh, but Mom said we’d go to the Swiss Chalet for lunch, seeing we’re in Kelowna and all.”
“I told you only if your uncle felt up to it after his long trip, Kyler,” his mother reminded him.
“What do you say, Gaetane love? Does a good meal after airline fare sound appealing?” Kipper turned to his lover, leaving the decision up to the other man.
“It does, mon amour.” Gaetane was looking forward to meeting his new family but understandably preferred a somewhat less public location.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was mid-afternoon by the time they entered the Johansen home. “You want all the luggage to go in your room, Uncle Kipper?” Kyler called out as he struggled to carry two heavily laden suitcases down the long hallway.
“Yes, son, all six bags,” Kipper answered, following his nephew with Gaetane bringing up the rear.
“I have to get ready for my shift at the lounge,” Carissa informed her brother. “I’ve left a casserole in fridge for your supper,” she added and walked into her own room, quietly closing the door behind her.
“Thanks, sis.” Kipper turned to his partner. “At least we don’t have to fend for ourselves so soon after getting home, pet.”
Half an hour later, Kyler was handing his uncle a cup of coffee. Carissa had left for work and Gaetane was having a nap, so the two men had the kitchen to themselves.
“Okay, Uncle Kipper; I’d really like some more details about your relationship. The tidbit you told us earlier just isn’t enough to satisfy me.” Kyler pulled out a chair and sat down at the table facing his uncle. He took a sip of his coffee and waited.
“I figured as much. I’ll tell you more after you’ve told me what all you’ve been up to while I was gone. For instance, I’d like to know how you got along with the year-end inventory at the lounge.”
“There were signs of a bit of pilfering, but Chad took care of it and will probably let you in on all of it. I started my final semester at university the beginning of January. I should be graduating with my Bachelor of Business Admin in May.”
“Good boy, I’m proud of you.” Kipper reached over and ruffled his nephew’s hair. “Did you have a chance to do much snowmobiling? God knows, there was sure plenty of snow to do so.”
“I got out once and took Cameron along.” Kyler glanced up sheepishly at the older man.
Picking up on the signs, Kipper closed his eyes and shook his head. “So what happened?”
“Ah, we went a little off the beaten track, ran out of fuel and had to walk to get help.” Kyler mumbled into his cup and shifted somewhat uneasily.
“Go on,” Kipper insisted, not willing to let it drop there.
“We were just on the plateau, Uncle Kipper. We didn’t go near the peaks.”
“Well that’s one good thing. Enough people have died in avalanches already this year; you certainly do not have to become another statistic,” Kipper sternly commented and glared at the young man sitting across from him.
“Guess we kinda lucked out when Chandi came along and had extra fuel with him. He gave us some and followed us back here, where a rather unhappy Chad was waiting. Man, I though Chad was gonna kick my butt. I know Cam sure got it when he got back home, cause he told me about it.”
“Chad should have kicked you butt, young man. Did you tell your partners about your adventure?”
“Yeah…..it didn’t go over too good. I haven’t been allowed to use the snowmobile since and it’s been almost three weeks.” Kyler felt his face turning red but bravely forged ahead and finished off his tale of woe. “Hugh said next time I’ll be happy to be grounded from using the ski-doo, cause I won’t wanna sit down on it anyway when he got though with me.”
“Humph, he’s a good man and wants to keep you safe.”
“So now that I spilled everything, are you gonna do the same?”
“I guess you deserve some explanation.” Kipper smiled and savoured his drink while thinking of the best way to start his story. “Hmmm, like I told you at the restaurant; I met Gaetane fifteen years ago. He was a steward on the airline I travelled on for business. I was attracted to him almost from the first but didn’t make my move so to speak until I had flown the same flight a number of times. I finally got up my nerve to approach him and waited for him to disembark the plane in Vancouver. As a member of the crew, he was one of the last ones off. I had an hour before I had to be at my next gate, so I asked him to join me for a drink. He did and we hit it off, big time. In fact, I missed my connecting flight and had to wait for a later one.”
Kyler laughed along with the older man. It did his heart good to see his uncle so happy. “Go on,” he begged unnecessarily.
“Well, needless to say, one thing lead to another and we have been in a long-distance relationship ever since. Of course, it became even more long-distance when Gaetane applied for and got a position on the international flights. He worked his way up to head steward but due to health issues, was forced into early retirement last month.”
Kyler had been sitting on the edge of his seat, but knowing it would take time for the story to unfold, decided he’d be more comfortable relaxing back in his chair while trying to curb his impatience.
“Those twice yearly three-week vacations I’ve taken since you and your mother moved out here were spent with Gaetane. We’ve been to many wonderful places around the world, thanks to my partner’s connections in the airlines.”
“So all those times I thought you were away on business, you were really with your lover,” Kyler teased. “Neat!”
“Some of the shorter trips were for business, but most were for personal reasons. The only people who knew besides your mother and Chad, were Gaetane’s brother and sister-in-law. It is not like we had anything to hide; we just like the idea of keeping it very private and on a need-to-know only. I do hope you are okay with that, son.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I think it’s kinda cool. After all that travelling, I hope Gaetane is going to be happy settling down and living in our small town.”
“We’ve talked a lot about that and feel that the time is right for us to move in together. It should not be too difficult for Gaetane to adjust as he was born and raised in a smaller town than Jade Heights. He is also used to country living as he spent his entire childhood and teenage years in the Quebec Laurentians. He’s been looking forward to his retirement; he just didn’t expect it to be this early. Nor did he expect to ever be collecting a disability pension.”
Kyler frowned. “What’s wrong with him?” he softly inquired; not sure if he really wanted to know.
“The love of my life has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. PD most often develops after the age of fifty, but in Gaetane’s case, his having several family members with the disease may have some bearing on him showing signs of it at a younger age.”
“How old is he?”
“Forty-two,” Kipper answered sadly. “Three years younger than I am and a couple of months older than your mother, but we’ve managed to resign ourselves to the inevitable. And we both are prepared to do whatever is necessary to alleviate the symptoms as much as we possibly can. Things like proper diet, exercise, and good sleeping habits will go long way in holding back the encroachment of the disease.” Kipper didn’t mention the hard part of dealing with the psychological aspects that they faced.
Grasping for a brighter topic, Kyler inquired, “You two plan on getting married?”
“As a matter of fact, we do.” Kipper chuckled at his nephew’s attempt to change the subject while still wanting to know more. “We’ve been toying with the idea of having a very small summer wedding right here in our own back yard. What do you think of that idea?”
“Wow! I think it’s great. I can’t wait to tell Hugh and Patrick. Bet Mom will love to be in on the planning.”
“I am so happy you agree with our plans, nouveau nevew a moi.” A French-accented voice came from behind them.
“Ah-ha, you didn’t sleep long, sweetheart.” Kipper got up to embrace his lover.
“A short nap was all I required. I am feeling very much refreshed now,” Gaetane assured him. “And I am ready to go see your lounge and meet your business partner.”
“Then I will not keep you waiting any longer.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So what do you think?” Kyler quietly asked Cameron. The two of them were seated in the far corner of the lounge and watching the animated conversation taking place between Kipper, Gaetane and Chad.
While Chad had been pleasantly surprised to finally be meeting his best friend’s partner, Cameron had almost gone into a state of shock over being told about the secret rendezvous.
“He’s the reason your uncle has been sneaking off on these hush-hush vacations?”
Kyler laughed and took another mouthful of his beer. “He hasn’t actually been sneaking. He’s just been really secretive.”
“And how do you feel about being one of the last ones to find out about Gaetane? Hell, I think I’d be pissed if someone I was so close to was so secretive.” His eyes narrowed as he heard Chad laugh at something Kipper said.
“Hey, first off, I’m not the last one to know. You found out after me, remember. And the rest of Jade Heights has yet to find out. Even Hugh and Patrick don’t know yet. So I’m cool with it. Besides, I’m just so glad to see Uncle Kipper with someone. I was afraid he’d spend the rest of his life alone and man, that would suck big time.”
“Yeah, now you just have to find a man for your mom,” Cameron teased and finished off his drink.
“She’s dating someone. There’s no hurry. I’m just getting used to having a new uncle; don’t know if I’m ready yet for a step-father as well.”
“Why don't I get to hear all the gossip?” Cameron moaned. “I thought bartenders got to know everything. First Kipper, then your Mom; it’s not fair.” He looked at Kyler with his eyes twinkling. “Let’s go see the lovebirds. I guess I’m over the shock of the confirmed bachelor turning up with a male lover of all things.”
After getting their laughter under control, they got up and headed over to the bar for another beer and to join the older men.
The End.
