Thaddeus C. Daniels

Having found his long lost son, Reverend Thaddeus C. Daniels, pastor of a small storefront church in New Orleans, Louisiana was suddenly enjoying the good life. Anthony Massey was sparing no expense at putting on the dog for his father. The confirmation of their DNA tests had set into motion Tony's pre-arranged plan to fly Mr. Daniels via Tony's private jet back to Chicago where a stretch limo greeted the former absentee father, and whisked him from the airport to the upper middle class suburb where Tony made his home.

"This house was designed in 1922 by one of New York's premier black architects, Vertner Woodson Tandy. It's very similar to Harlem's Villa Lewaro, the home Mr. Tandy designed for Madame CJ Walker in 1918." Tony explained as he took his father on a tour of his estate.

Thaddeus C. Daniels was taken aback by the opulence of the twenty room mansion, with its theme rooms, and balconies overlooking manicured greenery, and fragrant gardens. "This is a beautiful place, Anthony," he gasped.

"Thank you Thaddeus." Tony said.

"Dad, please call me dad." Thaddeus insisted.

"Dad." Tony said.

The two men concluded their tour down the long hallway that lead to the library. There Tony took a seat in the big leather chair behind his mahogany desk. "This is my favorite place in the whole house," he said. "I do my best thinking here. This is where I decided to build The Plaza Atlanta. I mapped out the whole floor plan right here at this desk."

"You have some nice paintings in here." Thaddeus proceeded to stroll about the room.

"Thank you. I'm very proud of my collection." Tony said. "That one over in the corner is an authentic Monet, next to it is a Picasso that I picked up at a private estate auction."

"Who painted this one?" Thaddeus stopped at a portrait of Tony.

"That one was done by a young up-and-coming artist by the name of Justin Taylor." Tony said.

Thaddeus finally took a seat on the sofa across from Tony's desk. "Yes, you've truly been blessed son." He continued to look around the room.

Tony leaned forward in his chair. "Tell me about my mother," he said. "Is she still alive?"

Thaddeus turned, and looked at his son. "I really don't know, Anthony. I wasn't around when she was carrying you. Your mother and I were never married. In fact we were never even in a real relationship," he began. "I met your mother when I was sharecropping for her father. Your momma's family owned one of the biggest farms in the Delta, and every summer they would hire my family to pick their cotton. Lillie, that's your momma's name. She used to bring us lunch, and water to the fields. As time went on, she and I took a liking to each other. When we were fifteen we started sneaking off to meet after the sun went down. One thing lead to another, nature took its course, and she became pregnant. That's when all hell broke loose."

"What kind of hell?" Tony asked.

"You see you have to remember that this was during the time of Jim Crow" Thaddeus continued. "In those days a black man could be killed just for looking at a white girl, let alone laying with one. When Lillie's folks found out that I had knocked up their little girl we all had to get out of town fast. My father moved our family in the middle of the night to Clearwater, Mississippi to live with his sister. Lillie later sent word to me through a friend when you were born. She said that her daddy wouldn't let her keep you, and that she was giving you to the state."

"So why didn't you take me?" Tony asked.

"I couldn't, son. I was young, you know how it is. Not to mention, my father wasn't having it. You were so fair skinned there was no way we could pass you off as black, and having a half white baby around in the south, in the fifties was just asking for trouble. Finally my mother convinced her mother to take you to live with her in New Orleans where babies like you wasn't so uncommon. Grandma even gave you her last name, Massey. When grandma died there was no one to take you. That's how the state ended up with you." Thaddeus explained.

The reverend's story was interrupted by the telephone. "Hello, precious. I'm fine." Tony answered. "He's right here. We were just talking. Thanks for calling. I love you too." Tony hung up the phone.

"Someone special?" Thaddeus smiled.

"Very special." Tony said.

"Have you ever been married, Anthony?" Thaddeus asked.

"No." Tony said.

"Any kids?"

"No. Although I do have a kind of stepson named Gus." Tony smiled. "What about you, dad? Is there a Mrs. Daniels? What about children? Do I have any siblings?"

"No I'm not married now, but I have been, and yes you have lots of sisters and brothers, so be careful who you lay with, you may be laying with one of your sisters." Thaddeus chuckled.

"I'll keep that in mind." Tony didn't find it funny. "So exactly how many children do you have?"

"Some say I have ten children, but I'm only claiming eight. I got most of them during my wild days, before I was called to the ministry." Thaddeus confessed. "Most of my kids are all grown up now, but I still have a few younger ones who live with their mothers back in New Orleans. I don't see them anymore though. I don't feel like dealing with their mothers. You know how women are."

Tony sat back in his chair, and began to take inventory of the day. "Well now, let's see what we've done so far." he said. "I've shown you my home, and you've seen my office, we had lunch at the country club. Are you tired yet?"

"No, not at all." Thaddeus said.

"Good, because I've made plans to fly us to Pittsburgh for dinner at The Plaza this evening." Tony said.

"The Plaza?"

"Yes." Tony smiled. "The Plaza was the very first piece of property I ever purchased, and I still consider it my baby. Before I was able to afford this house, I used to live there. To me penthouse four will always be my first home. I still spend most of my time there."

"What about this house?" Thaddeus asked.

"This house?" Tony laughed. "This is Mary's house, and she never lets me forget it. Whenever I'm here she treats me like I'm a guest."

"Is that right?" Thaddeus smiled. "In that case, let's go see The Plaza."

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With November elections looming on the horizon, the gay and lesbian community was stepping up their efforts to defeat Proposition 14. The state law would ban any marital union that did not include a man and a woman. Brian studied the finished poster that he designed.

"I'm surprised you volunteered to lend your talents to something you're so against." Justin said.

"Even though I may disagree with the hetero circus they call marriage, I'll still defend queers everywhere who feel the need to participate in it." Brian said.

"Lindsey forced you, eh?" Justin suspected.

"You got it." Brian admitted. "Here, run this prototype over to the Gay & Lesbian Center. If they like it, take it to the printers, and have a few hundred copies made."

Justin held the poster at arm's length, and looked at the photographs of gay, and lesbian couples of various age groups. "It's not about who you love. It's all about how you love. Vote no to Proposition 14," he read the caption.

"If you want to, you can take the rest of the afternoon off and help the center distribute the posters around town." Brian said.

"Do you really think we stand a chance of defeating Proposition 14?" Justin asked.

"I really don't give a shit." Brian said nonchalantly. "As far as I'm concerned this is just a political contribution that I can write off on my taxes at the end of the year."

"But what if we do defeat it?" Justin continued. "What if gay men and women are given the right to marry just like everyone else? Would you marry me, Brian?"

"Only if you're pregnant." Brian rounded his desk, and began fumbling through the clutter of papers.

"I'm serious, Brian. Someday I'd like to get married, and maybe raise a family." Justin said.

"That's biologically impossible." Brian reminded him.

"We could always adopt, or maybe ask Lindsey, or Melanie to be a surrogate for us." Justin suggested.

"Justin, will you take the poster over to the center, please?" Brian continued fishing through the papers on his desk.

"So are you saying that you would never marry me?" Justin insisted.

"Tell Tony to marry you, he's more the marrying kind than me. I can see him with a brood of kids crawling on his lap, or even one of those wayward twinks, like that delinquent Ben has." Brian said.

"Speaking of wayward delinquents, I wonder how Tony is getting along with his father." Justin said.

Brian found his notes for his final presentation of the day, and began skimming through them. "I don't know about Tony, but I'm sure old Thaddeus is having the time of his life. I know I would if I had a millionaire kid," he said.

"I still think one of us should have gone to Chicago with him." Justin said. "Have you talked to him today?"

"No." Brian lied. "And don't you call him either. Leave him alone. There's some things that a man needs to do by himself. Meeting his long lost father is one of them."

"I can't imagine how it must have been for him. It must have been horrible growing up without a real family." Justin speculated.

"Real families aren't always what they're cracked up to be. Believe me, I know." Brian begged to differ.

"Come on, Brian, you must have had some good times with your father." Justin insisted.

"None that I can remember. That's why I spent most of my time at Debbie's" Brian said.

"I remember birthdays." Justin smiled. "My dad always made a big deal of birthdays. He would take off from work, and take the whole family out to the birthday honoree's favorite place. My mom always wanted to go see some boring play, or musical, then go to a fancy restaurant. Molly, and I preferred amusement parks, then afterwards we'd go for deep dish pizza. I miss those times."

"Speaking of time, you'd better hurry, and get that poster over to the center. Don't forget we're meeting Tony, and dad, for dinner at The Gazebo tonight." Brian said.

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A private jet, a 20 room mansion, lunch at the country club, Tony's Michigan Avenue office, and now The Plaza. Thaddeus C. Daniels continued to be mesmerized by the wealth his son had acquired. Penthouse four turned out to be everything Tony said it was. A home away from home, complete with a personal concierge, and a staff of housekeepers, and chefs all at his beck and call, 24hrs a day. No wonder Tony preferred to stay at The Plaza, as opposed to his home in Chicago with that bossy, old maid housekeeper Mary.

Thaddeus adjusted his tie, and checked the buttons on the new dinner jacket Tony picked out for him at one of The Plaza's upscale, men's boutiques. Talk about falling over into a gold mine. This was too good to be true. A long lost millionaire son, with no wife, and no children, just an old housekeeper who could easily be gotten rid of if Thaddeus played his cards right. Yes, the good reverend could see it now. Goodbye New Orleans, hello Chicago.

"Are you ready to go downstairs?" Tony tapped on the bedroom door.

Thaddeus took one final look in the mirror. "I'm ready," he said.

Father, and son were greeted by The Gazebo's maitre d', and immediately escorted to their table. "Gentlemen, may I get you something from the bar?" their waiter offered as he handed Tony, and his guest their menus.

"I'll have my usual." Tony said.

"Just a Coke for me. I don't drink," the good reverend said.

Tony watched the waiter saunter off to the bar. "So what do you think of this place?" he asked. "I had it completely renovated a couple of years ago after an unfortunate event. See those glass walls overlooking the waterfall, and the outdoor dining area? That's all new."

"What happened?" Thaddeus asked.

"Some kids held their prom here, and another group of kids attacked them. The mob threw a steel garbage can through the glass partition, and shattered it. " Tony said.

Thaddeus shook his head, and sat back in his seat. "That's a shame. There's so much hate in the world," he said.

"Yes it is." Tony agreed.

"My my, just look around you son. You've certainly been blessed." Thaddeus changed the conversation. "You remind me of Abraham's son Ishmael, the one he had by his wife Sarah's hand servant Hagar. Even though Abraham had gone against God's will by taking the servant woman, the lord still blessed the fruit of that union. Are you familiar with the Bible son?"

"Some of my foster parents were catholic, and sent me to catechism." Tony said.

"Were you ever baptized?"

"I don't think so." Tony said.

"That's a shame." Thaddeus shook his head once again. "How many foster homes did you live in son?"

"I really don't remember." Tony shifted in his seat, and glanced over toward the entrance of The Gazebo. Where were Brian and Justin?

"I heard about what happens in those kind of home. Were they mean to you?" Thaddeus asked.

"I survived." Tony said.

Thankfully the waiter returned with their drinks. "Will you be having appetizers? May I recommend the jumbo shrimp cocktail?" he said.

"I'll have a shrimp cocktail." Thaddeus took the offer.

Tony downed his drink with one gulp. "Bring me another double," he said.

That was the signal Thaddeus was waiting for. The wily reverend waited until the waiter was well out of hearing range before moving in for the kill. "Anthony, everything happens for a reason," he began. "You were taken away from me when you were a baby, but now you're a grown man, and you've found me. Now is the time that we are supposed to be together, son. Just like Isaac was sent to Abraham as a comfort to him in his old age, the lord has rejoined us to be a comfort to each other. Now I know you're close to your housekeeper, Mary, but she's not family. Blood is thicker than water son. I'm willing to leave my home in New Orleans, and move to Chicago to be with you."

"But what about your church, what about your congregation in New Orleans?" Tony reminded him.

"My sheep can always find another shepherd. My place is here with you now, Anthony. We've already lost too much time." Thaddeus said.

Tony looked across the table at the stranger with the deep brown eyes just like his. At that moment he was regretting the promise he had made to himself, as well as Brian and Justin. This was turning out to be much harder than Anthony Massey had anticipated. Maybe he should just let bygones be bygones, and forget about telling his deadbeat father what an amazing piece of shit he was for throwing away his baby son like an unwanted puppy whose coating was the wrong color. What purpose would it serve now to come down on a lonely storefront preacher, who had seen his best days with the ladies, and was now looking for a little security in his old age?

"I'm sorry we're late. Traffic was a bitch, and you know how long it takes Justin to get dressed. How are you doing, dad?" Brian extended his hand to Thaddeus.

Thaddeus instinctively returned the handshake as his eyes followed the little blonde who made his way over to Tony's side.

"Hi, handsome." Justin leaned over, and kissed Tony's cheek

"Hi princess." Tony smiled.

"Hello Mr. Daniels." Justin flashed his toothy smile, then took the seat to the right of Tony.

Brian sat down on Tony's left. "Waiter, I'll take a double bourbon over here. On second thought, make that two doubles," he called out.

"None for me. I don't drink." Thaddeus managed to say.

"Believe me, padre, you're going to need it." Brian said.

"Brian!" Justin frowned.

Tony leaned back in his seat, and placed his arms around the back of Brian and Justin's chairs. He first turned to his right. "Dad, this is my princess." Tony stroked his fingers through Justin's hair, then turned to his left. "And this is my precious one." He leaned over, and gave Brian a kiss.

Thaddeus was at a loss for words when the waiter retuned with shrimp cocktail, and fresh drinks. Brian reached over, and replaced Thaddeus's appetizer with one of the double bourbons. "I told you you were going to need it," he said.

Now with both of his boys by his side, Tony waited until the waiter was once again out of hearing range, then took a deep breath. "Let me go back to your question about foster homes, dad," he began. "I'll tell you what really happens to crossbreed babies that end up as wards of the state. Several things happen, repression, denial, self-blame, shame. Physical and mental trauma becomes a part of everyday life. It's kind of like going to war. We suffer posttraumatic stress disorder. Then there's the problem with male gender identity, sexual orientation ambiguity, internalized homophobia, mistrustfulness of everyone, disturbances of body image, low self-esteem……." Tony was on a roll.

Thaddeus attempted to regain his advantage. "Son, whatever you've done, whatever deviant life you've fallen into, I want you to know that there's nothing, and no one, that God won't forgive…"

"Good, because he needs to forgive you!" Tony's voice was starting to tremble. "Without any assistance from you I've carved out a place for myself in this wrenched world. You miserable piece of shit, it would have been so much easier if you had…..if you had only….."

Brian reached underneath the table, and squeezed Tony's hand.

"Are you ready to order now?" The waiter returned.

"Please call security, and have them escort Mr. Daniels off of the premises, and to the airport." Tony said.

"You're making a mistake, son……" Thaddeus warned.

"I'll have Mary pack your things, and ship them to you." Tony assured him.

Thaddeus C. Daniels sat up straight in his chair, and sneered across the table at his son. Tony felt the color drain from his face as his father delivered his prophesy. "Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality, and pursued unnatural desires served as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire, so too shall your empire fall, Anthony Massey."

By now two security guards had reached their table, and were assisting Thaddeus from his sitting position. Tony summoned up the last of his courage. "On second thought, Mr. Daniels won't be going to the airport. Drop his ass off at the Greyhound bus station," he said.

NEXT WEEK: The Baths

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