February 17, 2006: The Fifteenth Day I Knew Andrew

Silvio, my weekend was really special, and I hope yours was, too. I hope the second attempt to read "Fortinbras" was not postponed, again owing to weather, this time due to bitter cold.

Andrew came to get me Friday at 3:15--he was a little late, a result of getting all his stuff in the trunk, he said, as well as traffic--and I went out to meet him with my stuff. He asked me whether my roommates were at home, and I said no, they were not. He asked me "Then may we go into the house for a minute, so that I can kiss you?"

Well, I was hardly going to say "no" to that, was I? So we went into the house, and Andrew held me completely close to him and he kissed me for a long time, and then he said "Do you realize that yesterday was the first day we have not seen each other since we met? And do you realize that we met exactly two weeks ago this afternoon?"

I told him I was well aware of both facts--well aware.

Andrew looked into my eyes very deeply, for a long time, and then he said to me "I made a terrible mistake. I left you alone, and you haven't slept, have you? You haven't eaten, either, have you?"

I had done neither, but I told him I had survived, and he said "We have to get you something to eat. Right now. And then get you to bed. As soon as possible. We'll worry about getting the weekend started early tomorrow morning. I should have just taken you home with me Wednesday night after dinner at Judy's, and damned the reaction of others."

I told Andrew I was fine, and that I wanted to get the weekend started now.

"No, we have to get you something to eat. What do you want?" he asked.

"Really, nothing" I said.

"Well, if you don't know what you want, then instead of taking you to a restaurant I am going to take you home and fix you something--breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever you want, anything, unlimited choice. Then we will decide if you want to go straight to bed or get the weekend started" he said.

"Won't your roommates be home?" I asked.

"Probably not until later, but does it matter?" Andrew asked. "They are used to you by now."

And Andrew took me home, Silvio, sat me down in his kitchen, and asked me what I wanted to eat. "Nothing too heavy" I said "Or I might go to sleep."

"That's exactly what you need--something substantial to make you sleep" Andrew said. "What if I fix you a breakfast? Does that sound at all appetizing to you?"

I said that would be fine because breakfast would have the advantage of being quick and easy to fix, so Andrew made me a wonderful full breakfast--grapefruit, cranberry juice, orange juice, milk, granola with fruit, scrambled eggs with cheese and flour and onions and tomatoes, bacon, fried potatoes with onion and green pepper and cheese, toast--and then he wanted to know if I wanted pancakes and sausage, too!

While I ate, he said "What I think we should do is this: you go to bed as soon as you are done eating, and sleep in my bed. I will sleep on the sofa tonight, and when you get up tomorrow morning we shall decide what we will do. That way you can begin the weekend well-rested."

"No" I said. "I don't like that idea, Andrew. And I don't want to sleep in your bed unless you are in it, too. I would prefer to wait and then sleep when we arrive wherever we are going."

"Well, that's OK, too, because you also can sleep in the car, or we can stop anywhere along the way if you get too tired" Andrew said. "Have you given any thought to what you want to do, Josh?" he asked me.

"I think you should make the decision" I said.

"I think YOU should" he responded. "I already told you that the weekend was your choice. Did you have any ideas of your own?"

I told Andrew that I had had no ideas that were better than his suggestions, so he asked me "Which appealed to you the most?"

I said that all four of them were equally appealing to me.

"Then what kind of weekend do you want?" he asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean" I said.

"Well, if you are looking for something that is really interesting and stimulating, with lots of different things to do and see, then I think Williamsburg/Norfolk is the best bet. If you want just to chill out, and hole up, then Westfields is the best bet because it has comprehensive sporting facilities, an excellent dining room, luxurious guest rooms, and a wide selection of in-room movies. If you want an artistic weekend, Baltimore might be a good bet because of the two museums and the Baltimore Symphony and Center Stage. If you want a weekend filled with household drudgery, then by all means pick New York."

I told Andrew I really wanted to go to New York. He told me that I was just saying that solely out of kindness to him because I knew he wanted to see his brother. I told Andrew I was not saying that solely out of kindness, and that I really WOULD like to go to New York most of all--both because I wanted to meet his brother and because I had not been to New York since I was a kid.

"I hope you realize that, if we go to New York, we may not be out and about all that much, at least for this weekend" Andrew said.

"I have no problem with that" I said.

"Well, we can go to New York, if you really want, but then we will have to go a second time sometime very soon, and on that second trip devote the entire weekend to sightseeing and having fun. I'm sort of afraid you may not have that much fun this weekend in New York, because I will have to help my brother and his wife. But at least you can nap there, and get lots of rest. That will be a good thing."

I told Andrew I wanted to experience all four types of weekends with him. "OK, we will, we'll do all four" he said. "I Promise. Between now and graduation. Promise. Scouts' honor."

"I'd really like that" I said.

And then Andrew cleaned up the breakfast dishes, and asked me if I was almost ready to go. I said I would be ready as soon as I used the bathroom. "Then we'll leave in twenty minutes" he said. "I'll load the car now. It will take me a while."

"I thought you had already loaded the car" I said.

Andrew said "Oh, when I go to New York, I always take lots of stuff, like food and household cleaning products. They are much cheaper here, and it's no fun lugging that stuff around the streets of New York, especially when you have a baby."

Silvio, when I came out of the bathroom, Andrew had already loaded the car and was busy making sandwiches (chicken, beef and salmon) and coffee and gathering carrots and celery and fruit juices and oranges and apples and grapes and nuts and raisins and bananas and trail mix and cookies together for the trip. "This is for you, in case you are still hungry, or get hungry again on the way" he said. "We won't have dinner until we get to New York City."

"You've got to be kidding" I said. "You don't think I'm going to eat all this, do you? And have dinner, too, afterwards?"

"I'll be there if you want it or need it" Andrew said. "You don't have to eat it if you don't want to."

Then he got some pillows and a blanket, Silvio, and he said "These are in case you want to sleep on the way. Traffic will probably be heavy all the way, and it may take a while to get there. You can sleep in the back seat if you get tired."

And just past 5:30, Silvio, we were off.

I was totally rejuvenated, not only by the food but also by Andrew's energy and his excitement and his extremely solicitous care and concern for my needs. He DOES look out for the welfare of others before he looks out for himself.

One of the first things Andrew did after getting in the car was to call his brother's wife and let her know that he WAS coming to NYC this weekend, and that he WAS bringing a friend, and that we were leaving right now and that he would call again when he was 10 minutes or so from their coop.

Silvio, Andrew talked to me the whole trip, and it was the best talk we ever had. We talked about everything, we talked about nothing, we talked about serious things, we talked about silly things. We talked about what we might be able to see and do in New York if we had time. We talked about Andrew's brother and his wife and their baby boy.

We talked about the future, too.

"I have given things a lot of thought" said Andrew "and I have been trying to come up with something that has a realistic prospect of working, and making everybody--by which I mean you, me, and our parents--happy. I don't want to be premature, but this is the only thing I think will work, and I want you to give some thought to it--not now, not this weekend, not this week, not this month, but between now and, say, May 1, or about a month before graduation.

"I think after graduation I return home to Minnesota and take the bar exam but postpone my start date at work until after Labor Day. That will give me two months of the summer totally free. You come home with me for the entire summer, but we live not at my parents' house but at their house on the lake. We can also go places during the summer, like to Oklahoma, if your parents want that.

"Then, after Labor Day, you go to Boston, I start work, and I fly to see you every weekend. We spend holidays together--and there are a LOT of school holidays, Josh, over the course of a full school term--whether in Boston, Minnesota or Oklahoma. Then, after your first year at law school is over, you decide whether you want me to move to Boston with you. If you do, you spend the following summer together with me back in Minnesota again, and I use that time to take the Massachusetts Bar Exam--it will be too soon for me to waive in--and find a job in Boston. I hope--and perhaps this is only a farfetched hope--that either my Dad or your Dad can help me find a job in Boston at that point.

"I want you to think about all of this over the next ten weeks, and if you decide it might work out, then we prepare a plan to tell our parents about all this between the end of final exams and graduation.

"Just think about it at this point. Examine it at leisure, compare it with other possibilities, and we can continue to explore other options between now and May 1. You may have far better ideas than I do. Does this sound feasible enough to you to warrant, at the very least, some serious consideration?"

I was totally floored, Silvio. Andrew's tentative plan was far better than anything I had envisioned. I asked him whether he had already talked to his father, and got the idea of the scheme from his Dad. "Oh, no, I have not said a word to my father" Andrew said. "It is far too early for that."

"Did one of your brothers recommend this?" I said. "No, I have not said 'boo' to my brothers about you" said Andrew.

"Well, I assure you I will think about it. It's better than anything I have been able to come up with" I said. "My only idea was to forget about law school and move with you back to Minnesota, which would provoke my parents no end and also end a life-long dream of mine" I said.

"I never considered, even for a second, your opting out of law school" said Andrew. "That cannot and will not happen. That item was never even on the table."

I said to Andrew "My worst fear is that I act up between now and May 1, and kill any possibility of carrying through any plan at all."

"We'll deal with whatever we have to deal with" said Andrew, and that's all he said about the matter.

Out of curiosity, Silvio, I asked Andrew how many times he had talked to Judy since she met me, and what she had had to say to him about me.

He answered "Well, let's see: I didn't talk to her on Sunday, as you already know, because I was with you all day Sunday. I talked to her briefly Monday night, when I was extremely depressed about what happened on Monday. I talked to her for an hour on Tuesday afternoon, between the time you left a message for her and the time she called you back. Of course, I talked to her Tuesday night when she called when you were over at her house, and you heard that conversation. I never talked to her on Wednesday, but of course we saw her that evening. I talked to her briefly last night, when I told her that I had asked you to spend time with me this weekend, and I told her what my suggestions were for the weekend."

"What did she say?" I asked.

"She said she thought my weekend ideas stunk. She thought Williamsburg sounded like a high-school field trip; Westfields sounded like a low-security prison; Baltimore sounded like--well, like Baltimore--and New York City would be wonderful if it were not to be spent at my brother's place. 'Boy, you know how to have a good time!' is what she said. I asked her to give me a better plan and she suggested Paris."

"What did she say to you for that hour on Tuesday?" I asked.

"Well, she wanted to know what was going on. Of course, from your message to her, she knew something was up. She already knew, briefly, about Monday, but she did not know, until we talked on Tuesday, that I had gone over to you very late Monday night and spent the night with you. During that Tuesday conversation, I told her that I was very depressed and I told her almost exactly the same thing I told you Tuesday while we talking at your place before I left."

"Does Judy like me?" I asked.

"Yes, very much. Can't you tell that?" Andrew asked.

"Well, I thought so, but I wasn't certain. I thought perhaps she was nice to me only because I was a friend of yours" I said.

"If Judy did not like you, I assure you that you would know that, and very, very clearly" Andrew said. "In that event, there would be no doubt where you stood in her book."

"Did Judy tell you whether she thought this would ever work out?" I asked.

"She would never say. She would find that to be out of place" said Andrew.

"Did she say anything about whether she thought I would be successful in improving my behavior?" I asked Andrew.

"No" said Andrew. "Once again, she would find that to be out of place. And, Joshua, you can't allow yourself to make too much of this. You do not have behavioral issues--not at all. I do not want you to use the word 'behavior'. I detest that word. Somehow I am not satisfying your emotional requirements, but I will figure out how to do that with a little more time, experience and thought. Trust me on this one, OK?"

"Well, what are your thoughts about that?" I asked.

"I will always try my very, very best, Josh. And I know you will always do your very, very best. I know both of us will try very, very hard. I know your instincts are only the very finest, and I hope my instincts can match yours.

"However, I want to say something to you, and I want you to promise me that you will not get mad. I want you to promise me."

"I promise" I said.

"And I will NOT stop the car and I will NOT let you get out and walk home, even if you insist. We are over 150 miles from Washington, and it's freezing outside. So promise, please."

"I promise" I said.

"I think you are talking to one of your gay friends about us, and I think you are getting bad advice. Do you want to know why I say that?" Andrew asked.

"Tell me" I said.

"As soon as you got in the car last Friday afternoon, you instantly asked me whether I had ever had sex and whether I had ever dated. No 'good afternoon and how are you doing' or anything like that--instead, straight to Final Jeopardy. That was very atypical of you. Both of us have always tended to ease into personal questions. And let me make sure you understand that I am not objecting to the questions you asked me, and I told you, quite specifically at the time, that you were entitled to ask those questions. In fact, I had already told you, indirectly, answers to both of those questions before.

"And then the same thing happened again on Monday.

"We spent last weekend in each other's company, and remained together until 8:30 a.m. Monday morning. Everything was bliss. At least that's what I thought.

"Then, six hours later, at 2:30 p.m., you got into the car and--without any 'good afternoon and how are you' or anything--you went straight to Final Jeopardy again and you announced that you would not be seeing me on Wednesday or Thursday, and you immediately insisted that I provide you with a reaction to your announcement. I felt like I was being subjected to an examination, but I was not sure what answer I was supposed to give. Was I supposed to express curiosity about what you would be doing, or I was I supposed to express disappointment that I would not be seeing you, or was I supposed to affect indifference about not seeing you, or was I supposed to express something else? I did not know what answer I was supposed to give, and I tried to give you a totally neutral answer, if you recall. I tried to hedge.

"Well, I flunked the test--that much was immediately clear to me--and I could not help but observe, once again, how atypical it was of you to start off with something like that. What had happened in the six hours between 8:30 and 2:30? Well, clearly, something had happened.

"My conclusion--and I may be totally wrong, and I readily admit that I may be totally wrong--is that you have been talking about us with one of your gay friends, and he has been telling you things to ask me and things to do to see what my reaction is. On Monday, especially, I felt like I had been dropped, unwillingly, into an episode of "Sex And The City."

"And if you are talking about us to your gay friends--and I have no problem whatsoever if you talk about us to your friends, gay or otherwise--my sense is that their advice may be good advice about gay dating in general, but I am not sure that their advice is good advice if someone is serious about someone else.

"And, like I say, it was only because you did this twice--once right before a weekend we spent together and once right after a weekend we spent together--and did it in such an atypical fashion for you, that I started to wonder if someone had put you up to this.

"So, to answer your question, am I confident that all emotional conflicts are over between us?

"NO! Not in the least! But let me explain! Please! We will ALWAYS have emotional conflicts, even if we are together for 70 years! Everyone does. My parents, after 33 years of marriage, have emotional conflicts and they love each other very much. But it is how we MANAGE those conflicts that will the tale--whether we can reach long-term resolutions with each other.

"So, if you are asking me whether we will ever have another emotional conflict, I can answer you, with 100% confidence, that we will have a lot of them.

"But if you are asking me whether I am afraid we will have lots more episodes like Monday, my guess is that we may have a few isolated ones, but not on a regular recurring basis--unless someone is giving you really bad advice and is prompting you to do certain things you would not otherwise do, and you listen to that advice and take it out on me.

"You know, I don't live life in the fast lane and I am not suited to life in the fast lane, but a lot of gay people live life in the fast lane and sometimes their perspectives may be better adapted to life in the fast lane, or their personal experiences are a reflection of life in the fast lane, and what they say may be more properly applicable to life in the fast lane."

After saying all this, Andrew paused for a long time. Then he said, very softly, "You're pretty quiet. Are you bored, asleep or just praying that I shut up?"

And, Silvio, I was stunned by what Andrew had just said. I was absolutely dumbfounded.

I myself paused for a long time, and I said to Andrew "Let's pick this up, right at this very point, on the way back home. Is that all right with you?"

"Yes, Joshua, that's fine. We can even drop the point, if you like. I was only trying to answer the question you posed, and I was trying to give you a very serious and thoughtful answer. We can drop this entirely. I am happy to drop it, completely, totally, permanently."

"No, I want to continue this, but not right now" I said. "I'm tired, mentally and physically, but I want to finish this. And I have something to tell you when we return to this point."

"No problem" Andrew said.

As we got closer and closer to NYC, I asked Andrew more questions about the brother we would be visiting.

I asked Andrew what his brother knew about me (absolutely nothing--he does not even know that your Dad is a friend and law-school classmate of our Dad), whether his brother knew Andrew was gay (yes), whether he knows that I am gay (no, but he will assume that you are, because you are the first guest I have ever taken to my brother's place and he knows that I would not invite a garden-variety friend to go there for the weekend), whether he will think we are friends or more than friends (he will assume, by the very fact that I invited you to accompany me, that we are more than friends, but he will also realize, instantly and accurately, that we are in the very early stages of getting to know one another and that we are not yet intimate), whether I am welcome in his home (yes, of course, or I would not be taking you there), whether he will be friendly to me (I assure you that he will be very friendly to you and will do everything possible to make you feel at home), whether he will like me (definitely), whether he will report back to your parents (I will ask him not to just yet, and explain why to him, and he will respect my wishes--otherwise, he would be on the phone to them and my other brother the minute we are out the door).

Silvio, I ate all of the food Andrew had packed for me during the trip--every bite of food was gone by the time we got to Newark! Andrew knew I was hungry and needed food, and he took care of me.

Not long after we got into Manhattan, Andrew called his brother and told him we were about 10 minutes away. He explained to me that his brother would meet us at the front entrance of his coop, and bring his garage card and drive Andrew's car into the parking garage of his building.

And that's exactly what happened. In front of the building, Andrew got out of the car, his brother slipped behind the wheel, and Andrew got into the back seat. Andrew introduced me to his brother, who said hello, and his brother drove into the parking garage.

After parking the car, Andrew's brother opened the trunk--which was absolutely loaded with food, Silvio! Andrew had done a monstrous amount of grocery shopping for them because, his brother said, the stores in New York were so small, so expensive and had a rotten selection. Apparently Andrew does this every time he goes to visit them. There were two coolers full of nothing but meat alone. Andrew said to me "Now, do you understand why I told you that it took me awhile to pack the trunk?" Seeing all this food, I now understood. It took the three of us three trips to take all this stuff upstairs!

Andrew's brother and his wife live on the 21st floor of their building. His brother is 31 and works for a hedge fund. His name is Alec, and he is the oldest of three brothers--another is 28, and Andrew, the youngest, is of course 25.

Alec's wife is British. Her name is Lizbeth and she is a psychiatrist. They have a baby boy who is just over four months old. Alec used to work in London, which is where he met Lizbeth.

Alec is a very handsome man--exceedingly handsome, one of the most handsome men I have ever seen--but he is nowhere near as handsome as Andrew, who is THE most handsome man I have ever seen. Alec also has the same dark blonde hair and the same beautiful blue eyes that Andrew has.

Alec is taller than Andrew--Alec is 6'3", Andrew 6'1"--and he is more solidly built than Andrew and he is very outgoing, very outgoing indeed. He and Andrew love each other very much, which was immediately apparent to me, but I also knew this in advance by the way Andrew talked about both of his brothers. Alec calls Andrew "Baby Brother" and he hugs him and kisses him and ruffles his hair and makes a fuss over him and treats Andrew with the greatest possible affection.

Lizbeth also loves Andrew, which was very obvious. She was extremely happy to see him and, like Alec, made a great fuss over him. She is very attractive, and she also has blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a captivating personality and has the typical British trait of making anyone feel at home instantly.

Both Alec and Lizbeth were exceedingly welcoming to me, and went out of their way to let me know how delighted they were to have me as a guest in their home.

It was after 11:15 once we had completed moving the hordes of food into the apartment, and Lizbeth asked us what we wanted to eat. She said, almost apologetically, that she and Alec had already eaten because they knew that we would not arrive until almost midnight, and that they had been too hungry to wait that long.

Alec said "I betcha these boys want steak!" and he asked us "Now what do you want to go along with your steaks?"

Before either one of us even could answer, Lizbeth said "Let me make you a salad, and Alec, you cut up potatoes for the French Fries, and I'll tell you when to put the steaks on."

Lizbeth continued "Now you guys get settled in. You will have to stay in our guest room because we moved Tim [the baby] into the day room. Joshua, Andrew can show you everything you need. If he can't help you, ask us. Your food will be ready in 15 minutes."

And Andrew took me into the guest room which, I learned, is where Andrew's parents stay when they come to visit.

When Andrew showed me into the guest room, he turned to me and said quietly "I'm not sure what to do. There is only a double bed in this room. The day room has two single beds, and I had assumed that we would stay in the day room, which is where I have always slept before. I assume that they mean for you to sleep here, and that I will be expected to sleep in the day room with the baby or on one of the sofas in the living room. So you plan on staying here, and I will just put my stuff down here for now and await their instructions."

I said to Andrew "If there's any way, I want you to sleep here, too--even if it means your coming in after everyone else has gone to bed."

"First, let's see what they have in mind" Andrew said.

And we washed up and went back to join Alec and Lizbeth in the kitchen.

They poured us wine, and they gave us some really good cheese and crackers, and they acted like perfect hosts. When it was time for us to eat--and, believe it or not, I was still hungry!--they sat down at the table and joined us, even though they only nibbled on cheese and crackers and drank wine while we ate.

They asked us about the trip up, and the traffic, and such, and then they asked all about me. They were not being nosy, or unduly inquisitive, but only expressing a genuine interest in who I was. I liked them both a lot, Silvio. I said to myself, "Oh, I think I will like being a part of this family!"

Andrew was very relaxed, totally at home with them, and he was very relaxed and utterly comfortable having me there, too. Andrew kept his leg against mine the entire time we were sitting around the table and eating, and I have grown to learn that this is a sign that he is very comfortable and very content. We had an enchanting dinner.

After we finished eating, Lizbeth cleared things away, and Alec took us in for a peek at the baby. He said we could not turn the light on, so we would really not get a good look at Tim until tomorrow. Of course, Andrew had already seen Tim at Christmas back home in Minnesota, but this was the first time he had visited Alec and Lizbeth since Christmas, and Andrew said that, even in the dark, he could tell that the baby was almost twice as big as he had been at Christmas.

Then Alec escorted us out of the baby's room into the living room and he stopped and looked at Andrew, and then he looked at me, and then he looked at Andrew again.

Do you know what Alec said, Silvio? Right there, in my presence, he said to Andrew "I think you are still a virgin, Baby Brother, am I correct?"

Silvio, Andrew did not say anything, but he also did not seem in the least embarrassed or offended.

"Oh, Joshua, excuse me. I should explain" Alec said. "At Christmas, Andrew told me and our other brother that he was gay, but that he had never had sex. Now, you guys are seeing each other, correct? But nothing has happened yet, if I'm not mistaken, correct? So what kind of assignments should I be handing out here?"

Silvio, neither Andrew nor I said anything. We just stood there looking at each other and at Alec.

"Joshua, excuse me again, before you think I'm a jerk, but I need to let you know that Alex [Andrew's middle brother] and Andrew and I discussed gay issues at great length during our holidays, and we became accustomed to talking about this quite openly. Alex and I were fascinated about the subject--morbidly so, according to Andrew. And all we were trying to do was look out for Baby Brother's interests!"

And Alec paused again, and neither of us said anything.

After several seconds, Alec said "OK, you guys want to sleep in the same bed, right? But you are still in the puppy love stage, right? And nothing is happening yet, right? But you don't want to sleep in the same bed our parents use, right?"

After another long pause, Alec said "Anyone want to help me out here?"

And Andrew and I said, at the same time, "That's right."

"Then this is what I think we should do" Alec said. "You guys sleep in the living room--we'll pull a sofa out and make it into a bed--and you will be together, but we can all be safe in the assurance that no one's virtue is being affected right here in our living room. And you guys have no need to worry that you are sleeping in a bed that is normally only used by our parents. That way all of us can avoid anything gruesome all the way around."

Neither of us said anything, Silvio, so after another long pause Alec said "Well, I guess I've got it totally wrong after all. Does someone want to correct me, or offer some other suggestions, or at least help me extract my foot from my mouth?"

Andrew stepped up to the plate and said "Alec, you've got it right. Your suggestion that we sleep in the living room is perfect."

"Swell" said Alec. "At last. I was starting to think that we were going to stand here discussing this until 3:00 a.m." And he grabbed Andrew and he hugged him and he tussled his hair and he kissed him and he rubbed him and then he put his arm around Andrew and then Alec put his other arm around me and he asked me "What do you think of Baby Brother here?"

"That's not a fair question" Andrew said. "Josh, you don't have to answer that."

I didn't know if I should say anything, Silvio, and Lizbeth, who apparently entered the living room at some point in time during these proceedings, said "Alec, leave these poor boys alone and help them get their bed ready. They're probably tired. They've had a long drive, and the last thing they need right now is your teasing. They need sleep." And she came across the room, and told Andrew and me to get ready for bed and said that she and Alec would have things taken care of in five minutes.

So we went into the bedroom and brushed our teeth and got into our "sleep gear" and, when we returned to the living room, the bed was already made for us--and we were ready to go to bed.

"We're turning in" said Andrew. "Have a good night" said Lizbeth and she kissed Andrew and then she turned and kissed me. "Sleep well, Baby Brother" said Alec, and again he hugged Andrew very hard and very long, and again he tussled Andrew's hair. And then Alec turned to me and he tussled my hair and said "You sleep well, too, Joshua."

They left the room, and as he was leaving Alec said "And no funny stuff during the night, you two."

And we went to bed and went to sleep.