want cloying. I don't want anything that screams 'funeral.' I want things he loved."
"We can make that happen."
"You should do a reading," Jack said abruptly.
"Me?"
"He loved your voice. He said once sometimes he'd rather listen to you talk than Ella Fitzgerald sing, and you know he loved Ella. You could read a Shakespeare sonnet -- 'No longer mourn for me when I am dead,' maybe."
"Maybe," said Leo.
"I mean, he wasn't religious in any real way. Hymns and verses would only be out of place. But he had faith in Shakespeare." Jack's gaze was on the flowers but his face was utterly inward, remembering.
Leo patted his back again. "I'll look at some sonnets."
Jack scrubbed a hand over his face. "Why didn't he write a funeral plan?" he murmured and Leo chuckled, holding him close again. "Then all these questions would have answers."
"Funerals are more for the living than the dead," Leo said. "It's saying goodbye, we loved you, and we'll miss you. I think he'd be happy if you had people read his favorite poems and sing his favorite songs, and I think he'd be just as happy if we only played 'Ave Maria' and told stories about him. If you don't know what he wanted, go with what you want. No one knew him better."
"God, I'm glad you're here to keep me sane."
"Me too," said Leo, and smiled as Stuart joined them once again.
"I think we have come to an arrangement you'll find satisfactory," Stuart said to Jack. "Come along, time for your approval."
Jack kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you're here too," he said as he patted Stuart's stunned face.
"Er," said Stuart, "right. Well, this way." He took Jack to the funeral director, and Leo hummed to the piped-in music, watching Stuart.
***
Dune called Leo that afternoon. "Is Jack staying with you tonight?"
"No, he's at home. I asked him if he wanted to, or me to stay with him, but he said he'd rather be alone."
Dune was quiet a moment. "We always take Stuart out dancing when he visits. Should we do that tonight?"
"You want to go dancing the day before a funeral?"
"Too soon?" Dune said and Leo looked at the ceiling. "You could come too. God knows you could use something to cheer you up."
"Being ignored at a dance club will not cheer me up."
"I'll dance with you!" Micah shouted in the background.
"Did you hear him?" Dune said, amused. "My boyfriend will dance with you. That will encourage others and you'll finally meet the rebound guy we keep telling you to find."
Leo rubbed his forehead, not wanting to get into this argument again. "I'll see what Stuart thinks."
"I'll dance with Stuart, too!" Micah shouted and Leo hung up, shaking his head at them. He found Stuart in the little sunroom, typing on his phone. "Taking care of business?"
"Hm," Stuart affirmed. "Almost done. More details for Jamie's show." He looked up at Leo with a faint smile. "We're all excited for it." He finished typing and tucked his phone away in his trouser pocket. "Was that Dune?"
"It was. How did you know?"
"You always have a certain tone when you talk to Dune. I think of it as loving exasperation." He leaned back, the wicker sofa creaking, and folded his hands loosely together. "How is he?"
"The boys want to take you dancing tonight. Take us both. But the upshot is, dancing."
"Dancing," Stuart murmured. "Oh, they are so very young, aren't they?"
"I think their reasoning is it's life-affirming."
"So is sex," said Stuart, "which I'd much rather do."
"The only offer on the table is dancing."
They looked at each other a moment, then Stuart's phone chirped. He took it out with a sigh. "Tell the boys I'd love to go dancing," he said absently as he frowned at the screen, and Leo rose to do so.
"Bad news?" he said on his way back to the kitchen. Stuart followed him, still reading off his phone.
"Odd news. There's a young Frenchman who's been in my gallery quite often in the last week, and today asked my assistant for my home address. She's asking if I'd like for him to have it or if he should send his
"We can make that happen."
"You should do a reading," Jack said abruptly.
"Me?"
"He loved your voice. He said once sometimes he'd rather listen to you talk than Ella Fitzgerald sing, and you know he loved Ella. You could read a Shakespeare sonnet -- 'No longer mourn for me when I am dead,' maybe."
"Maybe," said Leo.
"I mean, he wasn't religious in any real way. Hymns and verses would only be out of place. But he had faith in Shakespeare." Jack's gaze was on the flowers but his face was utterly inward, remembering.
Leo patted his back again. "I'll look at some sonnets."
Jack scrubbed a hand over his face. "Why didn't he write a funeral plan?" he murmured and Leo chuckled, holding him close again. "Then all these questions would have answers."
"Funerals are more for the living than the dead," Leo said. "It's saying goodbye, we loved you, and we'll miss you. I think he'd be happy if you had people read his favorite poems and sing his favorite songs, and I think he'd be just as happy if we only played 'Ave Maria' and told stories about him. If you don't know what he wanted, go with what you want. No one knew him better."
"God, I'm glad you're here to keep me sane."
"Me too," said Leo, and smiled as Stuart joined them once again.
"I think we have come to an arrangement you'll find satisfactory," Stuart said to Jack. "Come along, time for your approval."
Jack kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you're here too," he said as he patted Stuart's stunned face.
"Er," said Stuart, "right. Well, this way." He took Jack to the funeral director, and Leo hummed to the piped-in music, watching Stuart.
***
Dune called Leo that afternoon. "Is Jack staying with you tonight?"
"No, he's at home. I asked him if he wanted to, or me to stay with him, but he said he'd rather be alone."
Dune was quiet a moment. "We always take Stuart out dancing when he visits. Should we do that tonight?"
"You want to go dancing the day before a funeral?"
"Too soon?" Dune said and Leo looked at the ceiling. "You could come too. God knows you could use something to cheer you up."
"Being ignored at a dance club will not cheer me up."
"I'll dance with you!" Micah shouted in the background.
"Did you hear him?" Dune said, amused. "My boyfriend will dance with you. That will encourage others and you'll finally meet the rebound guy we keep telling you to find."
Leo rubbed his forehead, not wanting to get into this argument again. "I'll see what Stuart thinks."
"I'll dance with Stuart, too!" Micah shouted and Leo hung up, shaking his head at them. He found Stuart in the little sunroom, typing on his phone. "Taking care of business?"
"Hm," Stuart affirmed. "Almost done. More details for Jamie's show." He looked up at Leo with a faint smile. "We're all excited for it." He finished typing and tucked his phone away in his trouser pocket. "Was that Dune?"
"It was. How did you know?"
"You always have a certain tone when you talk to Dune. I think of it as loving exasperation." He leaned back, the wicker sofa creaking, and folded his hands loosely together. "How is he?"
"The boys want to take you dancing tonight. Take us both. But the upshot is, dancing."
"Dancing," Stuart murmured. "Oh, they are so very young, aren't they?"
"I think their reasoning is it's life-affirming."
"So is sex," said Stuart, "which I'd much rather do."
"The only offer on the table is dancing."
They looked at each other a moment, then Stuart's phone chirped. He took it out with a sigh. "Tell the boys I'd love to go dancing," he said absently as he frowned at the screen, and Leo rose to do so.
"Bad news?" he said on his way back to the kitchen. Stuart followed him, still reading off his phone.
"Odd news. There's a young Frenchman who's been in my gallery quite often in the last week, and today asked my assistant for my home address. She's asking if I'd like for him to have it or if he should send his
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