As promised, Richie,...This is all about you!

Richard Samuel Weiner has been with Max and me for the last 18 years. He is my main squeeze, the love of my life and the glue that keeps our family together. I initially was drawn to Richie for his "solidness" and strength. I knew that he would be able to help Max navigate his formative years and be a role model to propel him into adulthood, falling crazy in love with him was an added bonus!

Max was fourteen years old when Richie arrived. At the time we were in the midst of recovering from my divorce so our sadness was always just below the surface and would often appear without warning but Rich never gave up on us. He has the patience of Job and would constantly run interference between Max and me, doing so without judgment. Whether he was fixing a speeding ticket or taking Max to Sunday breakfast, a ritual begun during the early years, Richie supported Max unconditionally.

Richie taught Max how to drive, attended all his swim meets and tennis matches, and when Max was at Syracuse, he would always work a road trip into his busy schedule. Max and his friends always got a good meal and at the end of the night Max had a few more bucks in his wallet.

After Max came out, Richie told me he had known Max was gay for some time. Of course, Richie being Richie, he patiently waited for Max to chose his time. It has been well documented in previous stories how I fell apart and gradually, slowly pulled myself together. Richie was, once again, the glue that repaired our family, always front and center with love and support for both of us.

I can't imagine what our life would have been, if Richie hadn't been with us during those difficult times, with a smile on his face and love in his heart. Max and I were the big winners when he arrived 18 years ago and Richie's devotion to us, as ours to him, is total and complete.

Now instead of trips to Syracuse we head to NYC. All I have to say is, "I need to see the boys," and Richie goes into action. He books the hotel, takes the shopping list to Costco, gases up the car, and off we go. After every visit, as we exit the city and head for home, my heart overflows knowing how blessed I am to have Richie in my life and I thank him for his kindness and love.

Richie may not be Max's biological father and he has never pretended to be. He has always supported Max's relationship with his dad, but at the end of the day, Richie, has always had Max's back and that's what celebrating Fathers Day is all about.


To my "Main Squeeze", I love you always....Barby