Heather sat across the table from the two young men, one who had been her closest friend all through her school years and the other, practically a stranger. She was somewhat surprised to see that Gus hadn't changed much at all since she had said a tearful goodbye to him a dozen years earlier. She could still recall how she had snuck in a real kiss on his lips when he had been aiming for her cheek that final day. She had hoped it would stir up some desire for her that might carry on further, despite his leaving the country. It hadn't. If anything, it had done nothing more than embarrass him. Of course she now knew why he had never pursued more than a close friendship with her, despite the fact that she had thrown out plenty of hints that she would be amenable to more if he wanted it. The reason sat staring at her now, and he was quite obviously trying to size her up in the same way she was doing to him.
Gus sat next to Jason and was amazed at how different his former best friend looked from the shy teenager he had known so well in the past. This was a mature woman and every bit as attractive as she had been more than ten years ago, if not even better looking. She also seemed totally at ease with herself. What appeared before them was someone who seemed to have everything one could ask for in life. That was one of the reasons her bombshell had caught them so much off guard after she revealed why she had stepped back into his life with so little warning.
The threesome had been sitting together at Tres Amigos Cafe for over an hour now while catching up on the missing years of their lives. It was obvious how proud she was of Gus when the subject of his books came up. Heather told him how she had bragged to everyone she knew that she was great friends with the author once 'Queer Folks: Lovers and Family' became a bestseller in Canada, as well as the States. They laughed with bittersweet humor over the memories of Gus' mothers that the book brought up for her as she read the earlier chapters of that first novel. She made fun of the thinly disguised character of herself that Gus had introduced in the first chapters.
Staring right at Jason, Heather asked Gus if the lead character in his second novel, 'In the Shadows of Stonewall' was based on his husband. The description of the hero of the story looked remarkably like the man sitting in front of her, she told them. Jason earned points with Heather when his tanned face suddenly seemed to turn slightly pink from embarrassment. Gus didn't make it any easier on him as he threw his arm around Jason's shoulder and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He confessed that whenever he thought of a heroic figure, his mind saw Jason above all else. It was only Jason's love and support that gave him the courage to succeed in everything he aimed for, he told his old friend. The way that Jason beamed with pride and hung on every word spoken by Gus was testament to Jason's strong feelings too.
The conversation then turned to Heather. She was quite effusive when she talked about her life in Canada after Gus and his sister had moved back to America. She confessed that it was hard in that final year of high school. She had never had a crush on any other boy while hoping she would end up with Gus while they were young, but eventually she did start opening her eyes to other prospects. There had been no one until she entered University, but by then she had been told that Gus was gay and she had let go of the tiny sliver of hope that she had carried with her after he left. She had enjoyed college and fallen in love several times, but by the time she had graduated she was on her own again.
Heather's voice lowered an octave and some of her enthusiasm had tapered off when she finally started talking about her career and what her first job had led up to. She had gone to work in the office of a family-owned liquor distributor. She had started as an assistant to the office manager but had advanced up the ladder with remarkable speed. In less than three years she had been offered the job of full-time office manager with no one above her in rank except the owners themselves. She had also begun a secret affair with her boss' married son. She had felt guilty but let herself be convinced by her lover that he was married in name only for the sake of the family business. He swore to her that she was his only love and he would eventually divorce his wife when the time was right.
As Heather's story progressed, the couple could see her stress level rising. She went on to tell them how the affair dragged on for nearly two years, while her lover told her repeatedly that he wanted to divorce his wife and marry her, but would have to wait just a little longer. She had felt like a failure for letting the affair continue on for so long, which is why she had once told Gus it only lasted a few months during the one time she mentioned anything about it to him, just before disappearing from the scene altogether. She confessed that she wasn't sure how long the affair would have continued if something hadn't happened to change everything. Heather discovered she was pregnant.
She paused for a few moments, as if to gather her thoughts, and then continued. She told the couple of how she had confronted her lover with the revelation and rather than supporting her, he had become furious. His true colors were revealed in all their dingy ugliness. He demanded that she get an abortion right away. Not only did he make it perfectly clear that he would never accept the child, but he also let her know that if she didn't abort the baby, she would no longer have a job to call her own. This was what she had wanted to talk to Gus about back when he had sent her his wedding invitation. She had felt that he would know the right thing to say to help her deal with the situation. The one thing she knew was that she had no desire to end her pregnancy.
Heather had one thing going for her. She was a very frugal woman, and had actually earned her job without sleeping her way to the top. She was an excellent manager and had a healthy amount of money saved up, including much of her inheritance from her parents still in the bank. After a great deal of thought, she had made up her mind and then turned in her resignation at work the next day. She packed her bags and left the country without looking back or leaving word with anyone as to where she was going. When she reached this part of the story, her voice seemed to perk up a bit and much of the gloominess disappeared from it.
Heather continued on with how she had relocated to California where some of her mother's relatives lived. Her boss, who had known nothing of his son's affair with her or his own impending grandparenthood, had given her a glowing recommendation which she parlayed into a decent job once she had given birth to her son six months later. She told them how she had met Jerry Riverside at the apartment building she moved into and he had become her biggest supporter during the long, lonely months of pregnancy. He had become her Lamaze coach and been there for the birth of her son. She went on to tell them how he had proposed marriage after the baby was born and she had accepted because of his devotion to both her and her boy, whom she had named Steven.
Both Gus and Jason were busily congratulating Heather on how her life had taken a turn for the best when she interrupted them. First, she brought up Gus' third book, which had already hit the bestseller list after its release only weeks earlier. It was titled, 'Room for One More'. Heather told them that she knew how much Gus put his own life into his books so when she read the book, she sensed that it was about Gus' own struggles to have a child. In the book, the gay couple had one failure after another in their attempts to have a child through surrogacy. By the end of the book, they had finally succeeded, but she knew that real life didn't always come with happy endings. To test her theory, she had secretly contacted JR to find out what was really happening with Gus and his husband, Jason. She had sworn JR to secrecy after revealing why she was trying to find out the full story. JR had agreed not to mention her call, albeit reluctantly.
This was how Heather had found out about Rachel Anders and the lost babies. According to her it had torn at her heart, especially when she knew what a wonderful father Gus would surely be. She could still remember how all the younger kids in the neighborhood turned to Gus with their youthful problems or simply for someone to listen to them when parents were too busy. Even in their youth she knew that Gus was born for parenthood. She told the couple how she had gone to Jerry and asked him how he would feel if she volunteered to play surrogate for her oldest and best friend ever. He had already proven that he could handle her carrying another man's child, only this time it would be for the benefit of someone else.
Jerry, it turned out, had no problem with her decision, just so long as she could handle being separated from Steven whenever it was necessary. She admitted that she had come to Pittsburgh alone so that she could see for herself what kind of man Gus had married and in order to test the waters with her proposal. Neither Gus nor Jason had expected anything like this. What Gus had thought would be a simple reunion with a once cherished friend had turned out to be so much more. Jason could see right away that Gus had no qualms about Heather's idea. It was in the way his eyes lit up with pleasure and something akin to the first ray of hope in such a long time. Jason wanted to feel the same thing, but he was hesitant. He knew this was too big a decision to make without weighing all the possible ramifications.
The threesome finally felt talked out and decided to take a break. Heather had just flown into town that afternoon and was feeling the jet lag. Gus and Jason agreed to take her offer into serious consideration, and Gus reminded her that his dads had invited her over for lunch the next day. They agreed to meet up at the Kinney/Taylor home and discuss this issue further at that time. Heather was eager to meet Brian Kinney again. She could still remember the tall, handsome look-alike of the boy she loved so much at the time, and still did in many ways. She also clearly remembered the soft-spoken and very kind younger blond who Gus' dad was so obviously in love with. She had been impressed by both men during those few occasions when she had spoken with either of them.
Their plans set for the next day, Gus and Jason drove Heather to her hotel and waved good-bye before she entered the swinging doors into the lobby. They drove off then, each with their own thoughts. For Gus, Heather's visit felt like the answer to an unspoken prayer. If it worked out, it would mean no more searching for just the right surrogate and long waits for all the details to be ironed out. It would also mean having someone he knew he could trust completely to do whatever it took for him and Jason to finally have their dream come true. Maybe it was meant to be all along, he thought to himself, as he drove through the slowly darkening streets of Pittsburgh towards their apartment.
For Jason, things weren't quite so clear. He only knew Heather through Gus' stories about growing up next door to her. Why, after being absent from Gus' life without a word, did she suddenly show up with an offer that seemed too good to be true? In the midst of their talks, she had pulled out her wallet from her purse and shown them several pictures of a very young baby boy smiling up at the camera. There was also a photo of a rather decent looking gentleman of about thirty-five to forty years of age who was also smiling as if he hadn't a care in the world as the camera clicked his picture. Why would she leave behind her beautiful young son and loving husband just to do such a huge favor for an old friend... one she hadn't thought to stay in touch with for such a long time? Jason looked over at Gus behind the wheel. He knew his man extremely well and he could already see the wheels turning in that gorgeous head of his. He knew that Gus didn't want to doubt their good fortune. He knew Gus was already picturing the two of them holding onto a baby that Heather had just given birth to. Jason settled into his seat and waited. It was too soon to know what would come of Heather's offer. They would talk about it later and in more detail this night... just the two of them.
To be continued..............................