| ANIMUS SAPIENS TERATOGENESIS |
| Paradise lasted through another six months without a single problem. It was the perfect life in suburbia. New Years had just passed, and Wendell and Jeffrey celebrated by participating in the Gay & Lesbian parade that cut straight through the main part of Sydney. They didn�t do anything radical like most of the other floats because they weren�t really into that sort of stuff. Their particular float was in disco theme, and all they did was dance and have a good time with some of their mates. It was totally out of character for Wendell if you knew him in the past, but Jeff had opened him up greatly. He did things he never thought he�d ever do, and it was fun. His life before Jeff could have been categorically filed as boring. Luckily, for the both of them, they were off from work January 1st, otherwise they�d be dead tired and wouldn�t be able to perform. The party didn�t end for them until about 5 AM. Also, hangovers plagued them. It took most the afternoon to get sober enough to go out, and then they went to a nice gourmet dinner to celebrate properly. That night, Jeff was, like usual, in the mood to make love, yet Wendell wasn�t. He was incredibly exhausted still and had to be up at wee hours in the morning for work. And they never would have expected it, but something would occur tomorrow that would test their courage and love. ~~~~~ �Are you sure you don�t want anything to eat before you go, mate?� Wendell rushed across the living room with his keys dangling from his mouth while tucking in his work shirt. He couldn�t respond right away to Jeff. After he got the shirt tucked in, he removed the keys from his mouth. �I can�t. I�m already late as it is.� �Oh wait. Hold on a sec.� Jeff rushed to the kitchen and returned with something in his hand. �Here ya go.� And then he tossed something at Wendell. He caught it; a granola cereal bar. �Breakfast on the go. Don�t want my baby going without the most important meal of the day.� Wendell smiled. �Thanks, Jeff.� He bent down and picked up his tool box. Jeff hurried over to him to give him a goodbye kiss, as always. �Have a good day, mate.� �Thanks. Take care.� Jeff sat back down on the sofa with his breakfast. He flipped through yesterday�s paper, not having picked up this morning�s yet. He found a disturbing article about a gay couple that got beat up by a gang of guys outside of a theater after dark a week ago. They were seriously injured and had to be hospitalized. And that wasn�t the only incident. Apparently, lately, there had been quite a few reports of harassment cases towards homosexuals. The news was indeed startling, but Jeff didn�t worry none too much about it because their particular neighborhood was on the outskirts of Sydney, away from the most dangerous part of the crime wave. Jeffrey threw the paper down on the coffee table and hopped up to take his bowl to the kitchen sink. There was a slight buildup of dirty dishes, so he took the time to wash them up. As soon as he finished, he went to the bedroom to change into footy shorts and a muscle shirt for a morning job. ~~~~~ Jeff had dinner ready when Wendell returned home at 6:00. They shared a nice quiet evening alone. And after the sun set, they relaxed in the bathtub. Both of them had to go to work early the next morning and couldn�t stay up late, so the bath was going to be the last thing they did before heading off to sleep; helped get them relaxed. Jeff was lying on top of Wendell in the tub and Wendell was gently washing his abdomen. And for whatever reason, Wendell went into an inquisitive state. �Whatever made you attracted to me?� Jeff gazed up at the white stuck-o ceiling, feeling his husband�s hands on his stomach, wondering what was bringing this topic to existence. �Why? ..... You mean initially, before I actually met you, or you mean after?� �Both.� �Well, I guess, looks initially. But of course it had to be, before I got a chance to know you. And actually I remember it quite vividly. That day in the airport. Big, strong man. Handsome face. Short-sleeved dress shirt that hugged your biceps. Just caught my eye, y�know?� �Okay... what about once you got to know me? Why did you want to ever be with me?� �I don�t know... I could just tell there was something sweet about you. I mean, at first, you were kind of tough on the exterior. Took a while to open you up. But I enjoyed doing that. And once I did, I discovered the most wonderful man. That answer your question?� �Yup.� Jeff smiled to himself, still gazing up at the ceiling. �So, what brought this up all of a sudden?� �I don�t know. Just wondered. Always nice to hear it.� �Well if it�s compliments you want...,� Jeff spun around until he was lying belly down on top of him, �I could dish those out all night long, you sexy man you.� He started a sensual kiss. They kissed for a few seconds until a sound came from the living room. �What was that? Did you hear something?� Wendell noted, stopping the kiss. He sensed something was wrong. �Yea, actually. Not sure what it was though.� �Sounded like glass breaking.� Wendell scooted out from underneath and slipped out of the tub. He reached for his robe. �Wait right here. I�ll go check it out.� Wendell made his way out of the bathroom. The lights in the living room were out so he couldn�t see very well, but he noticed the window looked different. He squinted and with the help of the moon light coming into the room, he could tell the window had been shattered. Then he saw a foreign shape at the foot of the sofa. He crept over to the front door and reached for the light switch to illuminate onto this mystery. Doing so, he now realized was the object on the floor was. It was a brick with a piece of paper held secure to it with a rubber band. Retrieving the brick, he slid the paper off and unfolded it. The words struck him with confusion and terror. �FAGGOTS DON�T DESERVE TO LIVE� A temporary sense of rage flooded his heart. His home was intruded and he and his husband were being threatened. Jeff peeked out of the bathroom, wrapping a towel around himself. �Everything okay, Wendell?� Wendell gritted his teeth and crumpled the note and dropped it to the floor. �No... everything�s not okay.� He charged over to the door and flipped the front porch light on and stepped outside. Right away he saw more acts of vandalism. He had left his car out of the garage tonight and it was bothered. The windshield was smashed. All four tires were slashed. And in white spray paint, a bunch of words of hatred were written. �HOMO / FAGGOT / POOFTER / FAIRY� A moment later, Jeff came to the front door. He had the crumpled note in hand. �Wendell, you okay?� Wendell turned towards him. In the glare of the porch light, Jeff could see tears flowing down his cheeks. ~~~~~ �We�ll do the best we can to catch the perpetrators. We believe all the incidents are related. They�ve been a menace multiple times in this city. But the problem is catching them in the act. They�re quick and thorough. But we have increased night patrols. We will catch them. It�s just a matter of time,� stated the captain in charge of the Sydney police department at a press conference. The rising criminal activity in Sydney after dark had news reporters flocking for information to feed their stories. Citizens were concerned for saving face. And those that were victims or potential victims feared for their safety. Jeffrey and Wendell had taken a personal day for work and watched the conference on television. Fortunately for Jeff, his vehicle was in the garage last night, but Wendell�s car required a hefty charge to get it back to normal. He kept a hold onto the bill, hoping those responsible would be caught and forced to pay restitution. The ordeal shook Wendell up pretty badly. Jeff was used to prejudice and criticisms all his life, but Wendell was never subjected to any before. And for this to be his first, it was truly a traumatic experience. He was extremely quiet that night, even around Jeff. Jeff took a late shower and when got out, he noticed Wendell wasn�t on the sofa; and Wendell always watched the late news at 9:00. He wrapped a towel around himself and searched the house for him. He found him in the bedroom lying down on the bed on top of the covers with his hands over his face. Jeff quietly walked across the carpet of the bedroom floor over to the bed. He sat down next to the weeping man. Placing his hands over Wendell�s stomach, he whispered to him. �Wendell, luv. You all right?� Wendell removed his hands from his face, trying to wipe the tears away as he went, but his eyes clearly showed his distress. With a breaking voice he responded, �I�m not sure.� �Look, mate. You can�t let this bother you. It�s just a small group of people that feel that way. And trust me, someone somewhere will always have a problem with anyone. But that doesn�t mean everyone does and nor does it mean that you�re not loved or liked. You have plenty of friends, Wendell. And I... I love you. You have the friends and you don�t need everyone to love you. You just need one. And that�s me. So please don�t let these fools get to you. As long as there�s free will, there�ll always be hatred. But it�s how you spend your time with those you love is all that matters. And I�ll be here for you, always.� Jeff finished his speech of encouragement and awaited his husband�s response, hoping he�d have faith in that and understand and put aside his worries. Wendell scooted up on the bed and sat upright, taking Jeffrey�s hands into his own. His eyes were still moist and reddened, but a slight smile was being born onto his face. �Y�know what? You�re right. You�re absolutely right. Thank you, Jeff.� And he wrapped his arms around Jeff and embraced him ever so firmly. �Any time, mate.� ~~~~~ The hooligans were caught a week later thanks to the added efforts of the police department. Reporters had a feeding frenzy. All the news channels and newspapers were sure to have a breaking or cover story on the case. And with the menace dissipated, citizens could have their normal town back and the potential victims could sleep well at night without caution. Sydney would remain rather safe from that particular threat, save the here and there accusations and quarrels that can never truly be rid of fully. Jeffrey and Wendell would never experience anything as tragic again, leaving only happiness and love for the future. |