These are the facts and only the facts. I’m not Detective-Sergeant Joe Friday from the old TV show “Dragnet,” but what I’m about to tell you are just the facts as I know them…all except the family name. I’m sure that there still are family members about, and I would not wish to make any of them uncomfortable should any of them read this. So, I’ve altered the surname.
When I met and interacted with members of the Tanner family years ago, I found them to be rather interesting. I suppose that, in some ways, they were similar to many middle-class families; however, in other ways, they had some memorable qualities.
One unusual fact was that the Tanner parents had, as it was described to me by friends, two sets of children. They had married early and had a bunch of kids. As Mr. Tanner’s career blossomed, his pay increased dramatically, and his kids were growing up, they foresaw their ending up with an empty nest sooner than they would like. The parents decided that they really wished to have more children. So, they had four more.
I met John Tanner in college through a friend of mine, Jim. John was from the first bunch of kids. He also was gay. He was majoring in modern dance, something not many students consider for a college major. Naturally, he was quite physically fit from years of dance training. His youngest brother and sister liked to punch him in the butt and call him “Iron Butt.”
John was one of fraternal triplets. That means, of course, that they all were born about the same time; however, that did not mean that their appearances or personalities would be totally alike. There have been some amazing studies of identical siblings, proving that, even when separated at birth, their appearances, personalities, and lives often match remarkably. Not in the case of these fraternal triplets. One of John’s close friends told me that one boy grew up to be a rather straight-laced, conservative-behaving young man. He described the second one as a pot-smoking hippy, although I had no knowledge of that myself. John was a totally different case, altogether.
John apparently felt comfortable openly participating in the ongoing gay culture of the time. I was not fully aware of all his friends or his activities with them, but he certainly did not seem concerned about his openness. In contrast, I never have been very adventuresome. The closest that I ever came to being fancy-free like John occurred spontaneously. I just happened to bump into him one morning, and he suggested that we take a drive together up into the hills to see the blossoming redbud and dogwood, just to enjoy the spring day. We drove out along a long ridge-road to an abandoned lane that led down the hill and deep into a woods. Some distance down, we parked and got out to stretch our legs. In our conversation, he remarked that he had noticed that I was just as physically fit as he was because of my many years of athletic training. That remark did not lead to anything intimate. What we did do, at his suggestion, was to take off all our clothes and to run merrily down the lane into the woods and eventually back again, rather like young colts in springtime. (Sorry. If you were expecting more to this story, that was all there was.)
I learned more about the Tanner family when Jim and I were invited during spring break to John’s home in Kentucky. His father had an important industrial position and apparently was making good money, so his parents were able to build a rather spacious home there in the style of a French chateau. All the interior woodwork and trim were painted white. The spotless white of the interior was complemented by sky-blue wool carpet, custom-ordered from the Burlington factory. Once inside the home, everyone was required to take off his shoes and walk about only in stocking-feet.
I am not sure if any of the older bunch of offspring lived at home; but the four younger kids did. There was fifteen-year-old Jason, his twelve or thirteen-year-old brother, a brother of nine, and an even younger sister. They all were there in the daytime; however, I noticed that Mom had arranged for Jason and the next oldest brother to sleep over with neighbors during our stay. I assume that was to accommodate us guests, although I would have been happy to make do any place in that spacious home. Jim remarked that maybe Mom was keeping the older guys safe from any unwanted attentions. I was uncomfortable with the possibility that she could think such a thing because neither Jim nor I would have engaged in any untoward behavior and certainly not as guests.
As in most families, there was a certain physical resemblance among all the offspring. This was true with the Tanner family, but there was something rather special about Jason. Before our journey to Kentucky, John had forewarned Jim and me that we would be surprised by Jason’s remarkable appearance. We also had heard the same thing from a number of John’s friends. Over the next day or two, we also discovered that Mom was very aware that Jason often attracted attention.
Now remember, I’m just telling you the facts…no exaggeration. All the Tanners were relatively good looking; however, Jason was different. He was stunning, and everyone, including Jason, knew it. His facial features were more perfect than the other brothers’. His skin was flawless and somehow had a richer, warmer color. His dark hair was luxurious, his form lithe and graceful; and his sky-blue eyes made the blue of the carpet seem faded. What John previously had told us was no exaggeration.
Now, for a mother who might have been concerned about too much attention being paid to Jason, she ironically chose to buy clothes that made him stand out from the others. I recall sitting in the living room with everyone when Jason entered. The sister was wearing a blue dress, and all of the rest, including Jim and me, were dressed in blue jeans and lighter-blue shirts or white T-shirts, very much blending in with the home’s decor…that is, all except Jason. He was dressed in startling-lemon-yellow T-shirt and little shorts, which beautifully complemented his handsome face and long, tanned legs. Jason stood out like a peacock among crows. I really suspect that she consciously tended to dress Jason in a more eye-catching manner than the others. She recognized his exceptional appearance and proudly chose to emphasize it.
This perception was substantiated by what Mom, herself, told us. She seemed eager to relate to us an incident confirming what an astonishing impact Jason’s appearance made upon other people. She had gone shopping, and Jason accompanied her into a small shop. No sooner had the two of them entered the little shop than the woman by the counter loudly exclaimed, “Oh…my…God! You…are…so…beautiful! And your eyes! They’re…so…blue! How old are you? If I wait three years, will you marry me?” Apparently, Mom was not offended, and innocent Jason was pleased but mystified.
Once home, he asked his mother, “Am I really beautiful?” She answered, “Yes, you are very handsome, but you must not let that go to your head and make you arrogant.” Ironically, her own pride may have gone to her head, for I still find it curious that she told us this story. So obviously, all those comments about Jason that we had heard from John and his friends really were true.
We did see Jason and the family one more time when they came to the university for John’s graduation and his modern-dance recital. John was dressed only in a primitive wrap about his loins and nothing else. As he went through his solo routine, his family watched. I can imagine that, under their quiet appearance, they were somewhat uncomfortable…all, that is, except Jason, who seemed to be enjoying it immensely. From time to time, he would turn to glance at Jim and me with a big, mischievous grin.
That was the last time that I saw John, Jason, and the rest of the family. I learned later that John had gone to New York City and threw himself into the local lifestyle with gay abandon. I also heard that, on occasion, he would dance nude on top of bar counters, apparently proud of his own body and for the titillation of the bar crowd.
Those were the days when we did not have the facts about certain matters as we do now, and John’s lifestyle came back to haunt him…big-time. His story ends on a very sad note. His close friend reported to us that John ended up back in his parents’ home in Kentucky, dying of AIDS; and he passed away with his head in his mother’s arms, one of many tragic losses during that era.
Since then, I have lost track of the Tanners. I had no particular reason to stay in touch. I still have, however, lasting memories of the family, exuberant John, and, of course, the astonishing Jason. I always have wondered what happened to him. So many years have gone by since that trip to Kentucky. I have a feeling that he lives in his home town, and I want to believe that he has done well for himself.
I wonder what would happen if, by chance, some acquaintance of his came upon this story on our blog. It might ring a bell. He might approach Jason and say, “I found this story on a blog, and it reminded me of your family. Are you the Jason in this story?” If so, I hope that he is not offended that I have written about his family or is embarrassed knowing that he made such a lasting impression on people. I certainly have not forgotten, and that’s a fact.
© 15 February 2013
About the Author
I have had a life-long fascination with people and their life
stories. I also realize that, although my own life has not brought me
particular fame or fortune, I too have had some noteworthy experiences and, at
times, unusual ones. Since I joined this Story Time group, I have derived
pleasure and satisfaction participating in the group. I do put some
thought and effort into my stories, and I hope that you find them interesting.
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