This story takes place shortly after the "blink and you miss it" sex scene in The Righteous Gemstones Episode 2.6.
Kelvin didn't understand what was happening to him. He was the son of world-famous mega-church pastor Eli Gemstone. He appeared before 13,000 people at the Salvation Center every week, plus the millions watching him on tv. He was a role model for thousands of Christian youth. And hadn't he always stressed the importance of keeping your body pure? You work out, you eat right, and you stay away from sexual temptation. Why else would he surround himself with a God Squad of muscular men?
And Keefe, his best friend, housemate, and assistant youth pastor for the last year? Of course they loved each, as Christians; they called each other "Brother." But this was so much different from the love he felt for his real brother and sister. What did it mean?
His hands were injured and in bandages, so Keefe had to feed him, bathe him, dress him, even hold his penis while he peed. This morning he was standing naked in his dressing room, and Keefe knelt in front of him to help him pull up his underwear...and it just happened, with no forethought, instinctively, as if it was an ordinary part of their day. He had never in his life had an orgasm so intense.
Afterwards Keefe was unphased: he continued helping Kelvin dress, said "Nice!" (referring to the act?), and booped him on the nose. Kelvin wanted to kiss him, he desperately wanted to kiss him, but instead he moved away and acted like nothing had happened at all. Did that hurt Keefe's feelings?
He knew that Keefe had a lot of gay sex in his old life, but he thought it just went with being a Satanist. Was he actually gay? Was he leading Keefe on, making him think that they could be a couple....but these feelings, love that was nothing like the love of a brother. Desire? He wanted to touch Keefe. Remembering what they did earlier, he became aroused again. Maybe they were a couple already.
Kelvin Gemstone openly living with his boyfriend on his father's estate: The tabloids would love it! The congregation, not so much. Daddy Eli preached about tolerance and "welcoming everyone," but this was different. He might reject Kelvin. The house and cars were in his name; he had the legal right to call security and have them both escorted off the estate.
They were busy with God Squad stuff all day, a pleasant routine that kept his mind off Keefe and onto...other muscular guys?
"Need any help, Kelvin?"
It was a light feminine voice. But the only women who had ever been in the house were his sister and his mother....
He turned: it was his mother, Aimee Leigh, sitting big as life in his leather chair! Aimee Leigh, the famous Gospel singer -- who died last year!
You're supposed to be scared when you see a ghost. Why did he feel so warm and comfortable, immersed in a love so deep he could scarcely understand it?
"Mama, it's good to see you again," he said casually, as if she had been away on a trip. Suddenly he wondered if he was dead, and she had come to lead him to Heaven. No, after this morning, he was probably headed to the other place. "Are you really here?"
"I'm always here, Baby. You know that. I watch over everybody that I love, all the time, but I don't usually intervene. You got to figure out things for yourself."
"Wait -- you're always watching?" He flushed red. "Then you saw me and Keefe this morning?"
She laughed. "Baby, I'm not Santy Claus. All I can see is what's in your heart. But yeah, I can recognize that kind of joy a mile away. I felt it often enough when I was with your Daddy."
Ugh, an image flashed fore him of Mama kneeling in front of Daddy Eli! "Too much information!"
More after the break
"I could also recognize that boy's soul a mile away, Kelvin. So pure -- it was amazin'. You gotta hang on to him -- he's closer to God than anyone I ever met in life."
"Even after what we were doing?" Kelvin asked, shocked. "Doesn't God hate that sort of thing?"
"Baby, God doesn't hate anything that his children do. He gets sad when they're so full of pain and fear that they hurt each other, but you and Keefe weren't hurting each other, were you? You were sharing a very special kind of joy."
She stood. It was odd: no rustle of her dress, no creak in the floorboard, no sense of physical presence, just her image and her voice. "Listen, Baby, I got to go. Believe it or not, we have jobs in Heaven, and I'm late for work. I just came in because I thought your fear might push that boy away. But you can't let fear win. You hang on to him and don't ever let go, hear me?"
And she was gone. Kelvin stood there watching for a few minutes, hoping that she might return. Then he walked out of the study -- his legs were a little shaky -- down the hall, across the parlor and dining room, into the kitchen. The long walk allowed him to calm down a little and collect his thoughts.
Keefe was tossing a salad. There were two cajun-spiced chicken breasts in the oven, and a bowl of strawberries on the counter for dessert. "Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes," he said.
"I wish you'd let me hire someone," Kelvin said. "It's not fair that you have to do everything for me these days."
He turned around. "But Babe, I love it. You take care of me every day, in all kinds of ways. It's nice to be able to take care of you, for a change."
Babe, not "Brother"? "Keefe...um...have you ever seen a ghost." It was embarrassing to even ask the question.
But Keefe answered right away. "Yes. Why?"
"When was it? Who was it...just curious."
Keefe sat on a kitchen stool. "It was my Daddy. I don't talk about him much because I don't have a lot of good memories. He was an old school Baptist, the kind that thinks everything is sinful, so he sort of spent his life telling me that God hated everything I liked. Music, art, books, you name it. One day he caught me with a boy from school, and kicked me out of the house. I was sixteen."
"That's awful!" Kelvin exclaimed, putting his hand on Keefe's shoulder. "Not as bad as my Daddy breaking my thumbs, but still, awful."
"So I didn't speak to him for years. I only knew that he died because my sister called. Then, about five days after the funeral. I had finished a Satan's Baby concert; basically I was screaming 'Hail Satan' and using my devil's tail as a dildo for two hours. And I wasn't...alone, if you know what I mean."
Kelvin nodded.
"There were two guys with me. We took turns putting cocaine on...well, you have to understand, I was empty inside. I would go with anybody, if it meant filling that void for just a few minutes."
"I'm not judging you," Kelvin assured him. "Go on."
"I got up late at night to go to the bathroom, and there was my Daddy sitting at the kitchen table, looking just like life. Not wispy, like in the movies."
"Wow, he must have been really mad at you, to come all the way up from...wherever he ended up...to yell at you."
"No, that's the thing. As Daddy sat there, all I felt was love. Wave after wave of love, I still tear up when I think about it...um..." He covered his eyes. "Sorry...chopping onions..."
. Kelvin wrapped his arms around him and pulled him from the stool. "It's ok, Babe," he whispered.
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