Alma's Will (14 page)
Epilogue: The Ronnie House
Out of nowhere, Judge Harris Cole ruled that because zoning regulations prohibited using the house as a group home, Alma's will was invalid. Simultaneously Lambda filed an appeal in Jay and Baron's name, and Cameron filed his claim to half the estate. The story hit the papers and created a stir. Letters to the editor appeared in newspapers throughout Georgia, a few condemning the judge's decision, but most of them venomous homophobic rants. The story was covered nationwide.
Liv was ready to return to Macon to dispute Cameron's claim.
Eric put his foot down. "Don't you dare or, so help me, Liv, I'll—"
"But Ronnie will get half of everything!"
"And he's welcome to it. Alma would've left him half if she'd known he was alive, and you know it. If you'd left well enough alone, it would never have come to a judge's attention. Jay and Baron would have gotten the house, sold it, and put the shelter somewhere else. The rest would've been yours."
"But can he prove it?"
"He's already proven he's your brother. Can he prove she would have left him half? What she wanted to do with the house is a damn strong argument. I don't care if he can or can't, but I don't think he'd have to. I'm telling you, Liv, if you pursue this, it's over. I'm washing my hands of you and taking custody of the kids. I'll get them, you know, after what happened to Li'l Eric."
Liv became hysterical. "You blame me for that, don't you? That's what this is really all about. You think it was my fault!"
"Yes, that and everything else. I blame you for all of it."
They called an emergency session with their marriage counselor to deal with the crisis.
Until then the sessions had been low key. The counselor had insisted they "stay on topic," meaning that they should focus on their relationship rather than the business with the house, which he saw as symptomatic of bigger problems. This time Eric went on the offensive.
"You can't take the kids with you to Georgia after what happened there," he said with mounting anger. "You have to be here for them, for me. I will not let you put me on a shelf while you ride off on your high horse to vent your resentments. Either we come first or not at all. The story's out, Liv. Everybody knows your brother's gay. What's more important, your family or showing the world you disapprove of him?"
He was shaking; Liv was weeping. The counselor passed Liv the box of tissues and told Eric to calm down, but on the whole he supported his point of view.
"Right now your priority should be your marriage," he said. "It won't wait, and if it falls apart you won't be able to pick up the pieces later."
"How can I work on my marriage when this is such a distraction?" Liv feebly protested.
"You can't let it distract you."
"I can't help it as long as it's going on. I'd hoped it was over, but…"
"Then put an end to it if you can't ignore it," Eric said.
"How?"
"Don't contest his claim and draw up some kind of legal paper binding you to sign the house over to him in case you're declared sole heir. A lawyer will know what to do. That's all Cameron wants, really, since everything she had was your father's estate. Do that, and Jay and Baron will drop their appeal and it'll be over and done with."
"Is that the price of our staying together?"
"It's not that easy," the counselor said. "The success of your marriage depends on more than that; it depends on your willingness to work through your problems. And I don't just mean you, Liv; I mean both of you. Putting this episode behind you and getting on with your life is a first step."
"Is there such a paper?" Liv asked.
"There must be something like it. Scott would know."
* * * *
Half of Alma's estate went to Cameron. The house was sold and he donated his share of the proceeds plus everything else he'd inherited to establish the safe house. Negotiations were undertaken to secure another property in Macon and a call went out for donations. Gay organizations and gay-friendly people from around the country responded, thanks to the press coverage the story had received. Jay, Baron, Ed, and Cameron all contributed generously out of their own pockets, as did Eric Redding.
Liv protested, saying, "We agreed we'd put this behind us. They have the house. What more do they want?"
"I want them to know there are no hard feelings. As long as there are hard feelings, we haven't put it behind us. And it'll be a first step in reconciling you with your brother."
"I don't want to be reconciled with him."
"That's up to you."
So there was enough money to get the house ready, hire a director, a cook and a maintenance man, and set up a small capital fund. It took close to a year until The Ronnie House was ready to open. For the time being, the director, who'd worked as a counselor in a similar home in Atlanta, would be full-time everything. It would get off to a modest start, with only a couple of boys living there. Their first resident would be Lionel, a fourteen-year-old who'd been bullied in the Macon home for teens and no less miserable in the Christian foster homes that had taken him in. Two other boys would come up from Atlanta with Charlie, the new director, so Lionel wouldn't be alone.
But even Lionel's transfer raised difficulties. Child Protection and local churches opposed the move. It took a court order and scandal over the abuse he'd suffered in the teen home to bring it about.
Jay and Baron gave Charlie Alma's old black cat to live there as a mascot.
* * * *
Ed and Cameron flew down for the official opening. Ed's brother, Tim, went with them, and brought his wife, their little girl and the new baby. Marc, who welcomed an excuse to take a couple of days off, came too, and Magda Caille drove down from Atlanta. The Reddings were invited, too, since they'd made a contribution, but they declined politely without giving a reason. None was needed. Cameron understood their gesture as a peace offering and hadn't expected them to follow up on it.
Marc, Ed and Cameron stayed with Baron and Jay. Tim and his family had intended staying at a motel, but there were extra rooms in the Ronnie House with only three boys in residence, and Charlie insisted that having a gay-friendly family there would be good for them.
Not surprisingly, picketers turned out en masse to protest on opening day. They outnumbered the people inside the house. Fletcher MacGuire was on hand in case of an incident, and saw the Heymers in the crowd, part of Pastor Rich's vocal contingent. He asked them to leave.
"Why should we?" Dennis asked. He'd got off with a slap on the wrist—a modest fine and a few hundred hours of community service.
"The boy's uncle is here."
"So? He doesn't know what I look like."
The picketers made Lionel wonder how safe he'd be there. The two older boys, more streetwise from growing up in Atlanta and more secure after a year or two in a safe home, assured him, not entirely honestly, that they'd be gone tomorrow and it would all be forgotten. They'd taken him under their wing.
They dragged him over to where Cameron was standing by the punch bowl. "Charlie says you're the Ronnie the house is named for. S'that right?"
"I used to be Ronnie. The name has bad memories for me."
They understood what he meant. "So that's you when you were a kid?" one of the boys asked, pointing to a twenty-four by thirty-six enlargement of a photo that Eric Redding had sent and now hung in a place of honor on the living room wall.
"Yep, that's me at fourteen, about eight months before my dad threw me out of the house," Cameron said, "and the woman next to me is my mother."
"He threw you out because you were gay, right?"
Cameron nodded, then he told them a little of his story and about the will.
"And Tim—you know, in the family that's staying here—he's Ed's brother. Ed's from another safe home. He had to run away because he was gay, like me, but they found each other years later."
"Ed the one with the black dude?"
"No, Ed's my husband. We're from Boston. It's okay for men to marry there." He pointed him out. "And now he's here with me
and
with his brother. So you see, you still have family, even if they don't want to know you now. And that's going to change too. The picketers outside, they prove it. When I was a kid here nobody could've imagined that someday there'd be a home like this to picket."
About the Author
Anel Viz apparently doesn't meet other people's expectations of him. Although born and raised in New York City, he bears only a superficial resemblance to the characters in Seinfeld. He has lived large chunks of his life in French-speaking countries, where many people refuse to believe he is American because he is neither particularly tall nor loud and he "doesn't swagger."
Anel was married for 20 years and has two grown-up sons. He currently lives with his male partner. They've been together—but not living together—for a decade. For relaxation he enjoys concerts (especially classical music), reading, walks in the woods, camping, visiting the doggie park, preparing gourmet meals, and, time and money permitting, travel.
Now that he has retired, Anel looks forward to devoting himself full time to creative writing, a hobby he began some half-dozen years ago. He enjoys pushing the envelope in all genres, both in his literary experiments and his treatment of sex. To date he has published 5 novels, 5 novellas, 3 short story collections, 14 separately published stories, and he has almost as many works in progress as publications. He regularly contributes stories to Wilde Oats online magazine.
Website
http://bookworld.editme.com/AnelViz
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/anel.viz
Blog
http://anelviz.blogspot.com/
Email
Also by Anel Viz
Available from
Silver Publishing
The City of Lovely Brothers
The House in Birdgate Alley
P'tit Cadeau
The Thought Collector
Kaleidoscope
The Best Christmas Ever
Les Ardoises
New Lives
HORROR, DARK & LITE
Dark Horror
Horror Lite
"A Return to Normalcy" in
Silver Presents: Love is Love
Available from
Dreamspinner Press
The Memoirs of Colonel Gérard Vreilhac
Dancing for Jonathan
A Perfect Gift for a Voyeur
There Are Fairies in the Bottom of the Garden
Available from
Doppelganger Press
:
Our Acreage
Lux Carnis
Award Winning Titles
P'tit Cadeau
2011 Golden Rose
Best Contemporary Romance
Rainbow Awards 2011
Best Setting Development, 2
nd
place (tie)
The City of Lovely Brothers
Love Romance Café 2010
Best Historical
(
nomination
)
Reviews
The City of Lovely Brothers
The City of Lovely Brothers
is, like everything else I've read by the very talented Anel Viz, superb at not only catching my attention, but getting me so completely involved in what's happening that putting the book down becomes a struggle.
—5++ kisses from Top2Bottom Reviews
… a top notch piece of historical fiction with enough lovingly described sex to satisfy both fans of historical fiction and those who read for sensual pleasure. … [Anel Viz] has perfectly captured the family's dynamics over several generations, as well as the vernacular language of the time. The love he depicts between Nick and Caliban is genuinely moving, and the cast of supporting characters … are all well drawn and completely believable.
—5 stars from the GLBT Bookshelf
Anel Viz's blend of factual events with fictional details provides
The City of Lovely Brothers
a great deal of authenticity that quickly pulls the reader into the story. The brothers and their families are richly drawn characters that Mr. Viz brings vibrantly to life. Their flaws and
imperfections contribute to the overall feeling that
The City of Lovely Brothers
is based on real people and true events. … The family discord rings true, and their eventual outcome becomes readily apparent.
—5 Ravens from Blackraven's Reviews
… a thoughtful and emotionally satisfying story of the love between two men in a western setting–a setting which is all too often hopelessly idealized and unrealistic. Viz is unflinching in his depiction of the hardships of ranch life of the period, and the story is more rewarding because of it.
—4½ stars from Jessewave
Each and every character in the book - even ones who only had a sentence or two during the whole book, had a unique personality. I feel like I've known each one of these people. I wanted to be there with them, smile and laugh with them, cry with them, fume with them, and even pull a gun on a couple of them.
—5 stars from Erika Pike
This family saga, astonishingly authentic for a work of pure fiction, will engross the reader for a good ten hours. The accuracy of the historical events and the deep sincerity the author has conferred on his characters make both come alive in a way truer than Nature, perfectly suited to the times and customs.
—3/4 "chats gentils" from Blue Moon Reviews
The House in Birdgate Alley
The House in Birdgate Alley
is a very well-written, thoroughly enjoyable story that plunges the reader headlong into late 19th century London. I'm very impressed with Anel Viz' ability to write in a style that sounds as if it was written over one hundred years ago, with perfect
language, voice, and tone, both for the characters of the upper classes, and for the Cockney voices and sensibilities of the others.
—4½ cherries from Whipped Cream Reviews
…a very enjoyable and satisfactory romp through awell depicted Victorian London, spiced throughout with some beautifully erotic moments.
—4½ stars from
Wilde Oats
P'tit Cadeau
…here
is a story that will survive the test of time and one which should definitely be a MUST READ. Anel Viz has joined the list of authors to whom I turn to when I most need something beautiful, telling and powerful to read, something that will bring back the joy and the hope that we all need to go on.
—5+ kisses from Top2Bottom Reviews
This is a rich and satisfying book, taking the reader into the lives of well-developed characters who meet and overcome intriguing hurdles in their search for happiness through a beautifully described landscape.
—5 stars from
Wilde Oats
More than just a touching and intense love story which cannot help but move you,
P'tit Cadeau
is also a testament to the author's sincere affection for the south of France and his deep familiarity with the region. A beautifully realized and captivating novel.
—4/4 "chats gentils" from Blue Moon Reviews
Ben and Jean-Yves are as changeable, as likely to make mistakes, as likely to surprise themselves and others, and as unpredictable as any other two humans on the earth. No two people will hold the same roles nor relationships either, the give and take being the norm, unlike in much fiction. I found this powerful, so much more satisfying than books where not only the story is fiction but the types of people in them as well.
—Nan Hawthorne on "That All She Read"
… a very singular work from a relatively new voice in our genre, and one who has quickly established himself as one of the best, in my opinion. Everything I've read from this author has been entirely unique, and well worth savoring.
—Victor Banis on
Jessewave
The Thought Collector
Anel Viz' short story
The Thought Collector
is a delightful contemporary fairy tale with mystery, romance, and just a hint of that nitty-gritty darkness that the best fairy tales flirt with.
There is enough plot here to make a full-sized novel, honestly […] The inventive world-building Viz creates here is constantly surprising and interesting.
—4 Kisses from Top2Bottom Reviews
The thought collector to me would be like looking into a crazy person's brain and that fascinates me. I would love to sit and Ask Mr Viz how he came up with this thought pattern. The idea of a thought collector was what attracted me to this storyline. And right up until the end of this short story I was riveted.
—4 stars from Night Owl Reviews
Kaleidoscope
Prepare to be dazzled. Like its namesake, this story collection will keep you guessing. Just when you think you have something understood, shapes shift, colors change, and wonder reigns.
—5 stars from
Wilde Oats
Nothing can be irrelevant in a short story, so the author has to scrape away any excessiveness to keep the focus on the single plot and/or point. I happen to both enjoy reading and writing short stories (and trust me, they can often be more difficult to write than long novels), and these ones by Anel Viz are phenomenal, well written, and extremely tasteful.
—5 stars from Erika Pike
This is an utterly unique – I can say without hesitation "fascinating" – collection of stories and anecdotes, like nothing I've ever encountered before. … I came away from it after two readings (and I suspect there will be many more) with much food for thought and with my sense of how things are somewhat roiled … [T]he author's prose is elegant beyond reproach, as clear and dry—and as bracing—as a good martini.
—4¾ stars from Victor Banis
Like the title implies,
Kaleidoscope
is a collection of short stories that change patterns at the mere turn of a page, oftentimes before I was ready to let the characters go. Anel Viz … has incorporated a series of observations on life and everything it encompasses, from sexual boundaries between a professor and his student, to a hate crime trial, to a man who is entirely undone when his wife fulfills a sexual fantasy.
—4 Kisses from Top2Bottom Reviews
The Best Christmas Ever
If you like sweet stories, if you're looking for something to make you think, and if you're interested in understanding the nature of love a little better, this will do all three for you.
—5 stars from Queer Online Magazine
This is a delightful and intriguing story charting the course of a relationship between two men who are as different as chalk and cheese. … The author clearly has a definite opinion about this: the two men bring very different things to the relationship but are equally balanced. … The dual insights - author and protagonist - and the way these eventually meld make this a fascinating study of an interesting couple.
—5 stars from
Wilde Oats
Les Ardoises
… rare indeed are [American authors who can set a story in France] without sounding a false note. … We have already mentioned the exactness of this author's observations … Anel Viz gives readers a glimpse of France (and of Provence in particular) and its people— imperfect, riddled with contradictions and weaknesses, but so deliciously authentic we adopt them all without hesitation.
—3 out of 4 "
chats gentils
" from Blue Moon Reviews
… a compelling and very sexy story that explores motives and feelings, and gives a real flavour of French life.
—5 stars from
Wilde Oats
Anel Viz has created an alluring tale that kept me reading because of a need to quench my curiosity of the growth of Felicien's self-awareness and of Joel's adeptness as a teacher. The characters are so well defined that it was impossible not to become entwined in their adventure.
—4½ Kisses from Top2Bottom Reviews
What impressed me most about this story were things that didn't immediately jump out at the reader, mostly the subtle way in which the character's mindset was depicted. Felicien … felt very authentic to me. As did the other French characters in the story. Little things … all added up to a harmonious whole that, combined with the setting descriptions, created a strong sense of place that helped me relate to Felicien's motives and reactions.
—4 stars from Jessewave
New Lives
One thing you can count on with Anel Viz is that he will stretch definitions in any of his works, and "New Lives" is no exception. Is it short stories or a novel? Yes. Is it whimsical or a dark exploration of gay life? Yes. Is it erotica or literary fiction? Yes. In short, Viz will present the reader as well as the literary critic with expanding his or her understanding of the genres.
—5 stars from
Wilde Oats
… a delightfully different and unique tale that seamlessly combines the threads of many different people's lives and their connection to a certain sexual object into a highly entertaining glimpse into the gritty and often sensual world of the LA gay porn industry.
—4 Kisses from Top2Bottom Reviews
For me, [
New Lives
] is one of those stories that, when I go back through it, I always find more. Acquaintance definitely does not decrease interest because there's something new to discover each time.
—Kathy Kozakewich
Horror, Dark & Lite
Anel Viz proves himself master of yet another genre this time horror, and likewise puts his individual stamp on it. Besides including stories with gay themes, you simply cannot expect any formulae with this author. Someday this reviewer will find a predictable story in a Viz work, then will examine the book to discover that the cover has the author's name incorrect.
—5 stars from Christopher Moss (
Wilde Oats
)
I think it's cause for rejoicing when an established author whose work I respect comes out with not one, but two horror collections … Viz's dark collection will keep you tossing and turning or plunge you headfirst into nightmare territory. But Viz's horror is not inaccessible if you are of a more lighthearted bent. His other collection is more like a roller coaster ride—thrilling, but crazy fun.
—Rick R. Reed on "New and Notable"
A Return to Normalcy (in
Silver Presents: Love is Love)
Viz's dependable sensitivity to universal human vulnerability and portrayal of people with disabilities give the reader something real to grab and hang on to, not an airy and tacked-together set of characters and events.
—Christopher H. Moss in
Wilde Oats