Deep Dish: The Lakeside Fairy Tales: Volume 2

By Doc Mingo

Geo is a poorly closeted Lit Professor on the rebound when he first sees Dima stripping and working the pole, and with that one look Geo is forever lost. A backstage trick turns into a treat of a date for the two broken men as they go out after the show, when the Angel of Fate adds her unique magic to the standard pie toppings and transforms a mere pizza pay date into a blessing of promise, and a chance for redemption and love.

What should be a simple transaction of sex for money turns into something not so simple. From seemingly out of nowhere, as if by literal magic, suddenly now there is love, hope, salvation and the need for two men to take a chance. When Fate is in the mix, all bets are off the table, and the bookmakers had better run for cover on that day when the long shots finally do come in.

Reciprocal need unleashes all the forces of the male psyche, both dark and light. Passion, needs, wants, desires, and the eternal drive for an alpha to rise to the top all come together to make for a story full of magic, hope and surprises aplenty. This illustrated love story reassures that the magic at the heart of every love is still alive and well in Boytsown, with a thrilling fantastical tale of romance as Geo and Dima take a roller coaster ride from Russian white nights to the darker side of gay male love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Sep 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781665747974

Doc Mingo

I am so pleased to be able to include my pictures and drawings along with my stories. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then surely these pics are good at saving space! Besides, what fun is a story book time if there are no pictures to go with the tale? Why, that’s like cookies without milk! I would never sink so low! The people I draw come from my life, and the images and important relationships in my life. I take joy from brining my sketch book all around Boystown and Chicago. If ‘Center City’ seems familiar, and if you have spent any time in Chicago, now you know why. In all my drawings I use simple pencils, paper and crayons. From the most basic of ingredients, I hope you enjoy the flavors and colors I cook up and make for you. And I hope you are pleased by my efforts to make you pictures to go with my Fairy Tale story books. This is the humble art of a humble man. Forgive me that I know well that they are creations that are far from perfect companions for my flawed love stories. But, since it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness, I hope you will enjoy them along with my stories just the same. I beg of you to forgive my hope and audacity to think that you will find these pictures I draw for you better than just leaving a nothing void of a blank page. It seems like such a waste of paper and space no to try and fill it up nicely for you all. Milk for your cookies is what these pictures are. Forgive the frail ego and the clumsy hand. My heart and hand meant well.

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Copyright © 2023 Doc Mingo.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-4796-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-4797-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023914623

Archway Publishing rev. date:  09/05/2023

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Held Securely July, 2023. Chicago.

Doc Mingo. Graphite on Paper.

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Sugar Daddy and Baby October, 2022.

Chicago. Doc Mingo. Graphite on Paper.

Salutation

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your kind and generous consideration to come and spend some time with me today. My obligation is as a healer that my words must first do no harm. They are intended to make you smile and lessen your burdens. If as a healer I failed, overtaken by the competing vows of brother, father, lover, poet and priest then I, the meager shaman begs your pardon. Alas, the road to hell is very well paved by the shining gold of best intentions.

I have been blessed to live in Chicago’s Boystown for many decades now. So much has changed here over the years. Yet so much remains the same. When I first got here, being gay was a mental disorder, and we had no rights at all. Now after many generations of struggle, I can walk down the street hand in hand with my husband, not be accused of insanity, not be arrested for immorality, and feel as though there is finally room in the garden for all the flowers to dare to bloom. Better a late bloomer then never to bloom at all, I suppose.

I have been privileged to be a servant and a citizen here. The many diners and cafes I have gone to for most of my life are both my studio and my refuge. In my heaven on Earth, I get to have coffee with my favorite people every day, draw my pictures and write my stories. It’s as pleasant way to spend an afternoon as any I have yet seen spent.

The lives I have shared and the people I have known provide enough source material to write 100 novels. If I live another three decades and keep up with a pace of three tales a year it just might happen that I could tell 100 lovestories. But, I fear I will run out of time before I run out of stories however, so I will try my best to keep up the pace for you.

It seems to me every story actually has no beginning nor an end. We just drop in somewhere along the line of the arc for a bit of it. And since no man is an island, every story is connected to every other story, really. To make a genuine attempt to tell the story of my community, it takes a community of stories, I think. To that end, as I roll out each episodic magical love story in The Lakeside Fairy Tales, I hope you will come to see that all the people, places and families in my novels weave together over the generations to tell not just a single love story, but the love story of us all.

It’s not a bad thing if my reach exceeds my grasp. We can’t do much as imperfect but good folks if we allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good. So I hope you will be generous with your patience with me here and allow my motivations to soften your consternation.

I meant only to help the clan pass a cold winters’ night by the campfire and tell some stories that help us all to keep our eyes on the prize. That we may all work as one to bring all hands to good works, and all hearts closer to a God of love and hope. With a little laughter and some helpful questions. I believe it is the calling of us all all to heal a broken world, after all. How you hear that call and how you echo back to Gabriel’s horn is entirely unique to you.

I hope you enjoy this story, and I beg of you please don’t curse me for the effort to be helpful and entertain you.

Your faithful servant and brother,

Doc Mingo

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Sweet Dreams, Yulie April, 2018. Skaneateles,

New York. Doc Mingo. Graphite on Paper.

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For my Archangels

Mikhaella and Gabrielle

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With special thanks to

Yulie

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Dockside at my Favorite Table May, 2018. Skaneateles,

New York. Doc Mingo. Graphite on Paper.

Supper Invitation

I am so pleased you can attend this little afternoon supper by the riverside at my restaurant today. I am so glad that Mother Nature is cooperating with us out back here and outside today. I love, love, love nothing more than entertaining on the dockside deck of my ‘Bistro Mingo’ on a perfect spring day, with folks as fine as you all for companions for the day. So I dearly hope you brought an appetite and plenty of time today. I had Giancarlo come in early to make some of my very favorite dishes for us here today. Let’s make sure to show our appreciation for Giani and savor the flavors of our food and clean our plates!

I adore this time of year at our little bistro here so very much. All the crab apples and cherry trees are in bloom, and it is just now green and warm out on the back dockside deck here behind the kitchen. And all the boats are out of storage, and ready for rides! Maybe we’ll let the burly butch boatmen take us for a boat ride after supper for dessert?!

I reserved the very best table for us, with a nice view of the Center City River’s North Branch as it flows past the back of our restaurant. It’s my absolute favorite dockside table. The smells of springtime flowers in bloom will go well with the celebration of degustation Giani and I have planned for us this afternoon.

It seems obvious that I would have an Italian bistro here in Center City. There have been a lot of restaurants in our family over the years. I waited on enough tables in my younger days to know that it’s so very nice to just sit outback on a lazy, lovely, luscious afternoon, and be lovingly served. And to make our supper party even nicer, let’s shut off our phones, and not count any calories. Let’s just have some quality time for ourselves today, shall we?

Drink up my darlings. The table wine is nothing to sneeze at. We press it every fall ourselves with our local grapes from my vineyards. The house white is a chardonnay smooooth like buttah. And it is delightful. But I am very especially proud of the beaujolais this year. And of course the house red is a killer my sweeties. And we have plenty of it. Barrels full. And I will cab you home if you fall hard for that cabernet. So drink like Bacchus commands and tip that glass back a wee tiny wee-wee bit more for me!

But while you should drink to your fill, and then refill, I would say that temperance is prudence when it comes to the bread. Giani outdoes himself with the focaccia bread, and the fennel he puts on it makes each piece go done easier than the last. And look at that garlic bread! That alone with cheese is a meal. And we have put out the most fantastic giardinera with the really nice big pieces and whole garlic cloves. And at least 7 kinds of olives. And while we don’t press our own olive oil, that balsamic is all ours, my loves.

And just look at that fruit platter. My favorite big black grapes are there. And some fabulous figs. And I happen to know the cows that made that cheddar. And they are all great gals, as is their cheese.

But remember my loves, a bare modicum of prudence and temperance, don’t fill on the table goodies. Do drink up, but save plenty of room for the cascading cornucopia cavalcade of courses that of course are about to flow by us and overflow onto all our plates.

Resist temptation. Just a bit.

So please, settle down and settle in. This is my place, so shoes are optional out back. And I have a great bottomless big pitcher of my special mimosas waiting on the table to wash it all down, and help the banter while we all get ready for a feast and a story.

The menus for today are on the table. Giancarlo promises to make sure you love every plateful. And to help all the medicine go down, I will be providing a nice big heaping spoonful of sugar with each one. Giancarlo knows what wine goes best with a Branzino, and I know what stories go best with food and wine. Your trust in Giancarlo’s kitchen and my yarns is greatly and most humbly appreciated, my dear friends, brothers and sisters.

So please be at ease, and relax. Slouch. Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em. There is enough breeze out back riverside today at ‘Bistro Mingo’ that I don’t think the smoke will be any issue. Not with all the aromas of food and cherry blossoms around. Settle in and I will tell you a tale about another Italian restaurant I know of. One where they serve pizza. But not just any pizza, mind you. No. They serve the very best deep dish pizza you will ever have here in Boystown. Or anywhere else in Center City for that matter.

Why do I say this pizza is the best ever? Well there is civic pride for one, and the love of a good crust for two. But the pizza I am going to tell you all about is covered by more than just mozzarella and pepperoni. This pizza is covered by magic.

And with that, please eat. Please drink. Please be merry. Please enjoy the scenery and serenity of the back deck of my Bistro. And let’s let our imaginations loose and open our eyes for the pictures and our ears for the story I’m going to tell you all today. Let me take us some place else with this fairy tale. And please let me now tell you a love story about a boy named Geo, and a boy named Dima. And about a magic pizza.

Bon appetite and bon voyage, mi amici y mi familia.

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The Prince of Petrograd December, 2022.

Chicago. Doc Mingo. Graphite on Paper.

Table of Contents

Welcome to ‘Bistro Mingo!’ We trust you will enjoy your meal and story time with us here today. Our kitchen can make anything you ask for, but please do read our complete menu that we have planned for us all today. We are happy to indulge your every wish of course my loves, but if you don’t see it on our menu, you probably don’t need it.

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Carte del Giorno / Todays’s Menu

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Salutation:

Supper Invitation:

Chapter 1: Antipasto Caldo / Hot Appetizers

Chapter 2: Bruschetta per la Tavola / Bread and Salsa for the Table

Chapter 3: Pizza al Patton Fondo con Tutti /Olympus Deep Dish Pizza with Triple Extra Everything

Chapter 4: Melanzane Ripene / Stuffed Eggplant

Chapter 5: Sopresa dell’ Ambrosia / Ambrosia Surprise

Chapter 6: Frutta Della Liberazione Dentro Carta Pergamena / Liberation Fruit in Parchment Paper

Chapter 7: Tutto quello che puoi Prendere al Buffet della Chiesa / All you can Take Church Buffet

Chapter 8: Insalata Misto della Liberia / Bookstore Salad

Chapter 9: Fossa dei Serpenti Pasta ‘ala Carbonara’ / Snake Pit Pasta ‘Coal Digger’s’ Style

Chapter 10: Primi Piati della Famiglia Nueva Especiale / Honeymooner’s Special

Chapter 11: Torta Rovesciata di Ciliegie Fresca / Fresh Cherry Upside-down Cake

Chapter 12: Corona di Agnello Brasata / Braised Crown Rack of Lamb

Chapter 13: Spiendo di Shishkabob di Manzo / Skewer of Shishkabob of Beef

Chapter 14: Filetto di Lonza di Maiale/ Filet of Pork Loin

Chapter 15: ‘Stile Figiol Prodigo’ Vitello Grasso / Fatted calf ‘Prodigal Son’ Style

Chapter 16: Pugni di Maiale Arrostiti al Fucco / Fire Roasted Pork Fists

Chapter 17: Dolci Sogni di Speranza con Crema / Sweet Dreams of Hope with Cream

Epilogue: Borse per Cani / Doggie Bags

Acknowledgments:

About the Author:

About the Artwork:

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The Passions of the Cross November, 2022.

Chicago. Doc Mingo. Graphite on Paper.

Chapter

One

T he weather was still warm in the daytime, but you could smell that autumn had nearly come. Already there was the aroma of burning wood, here and there, from the chimneys. Geo was lost in thought, as he turned up his jacket collar and hunched his hands deeply into his pockets. His penny loafers made casual gritty footfalls as he strolled down Broadway. He had already walked a ways from the faculty cocktail party. His feet had that is. He was still there, at that party actually, in his head. Still arguing with Grammercy.

Geo muttered silently as he walked. He did that sometimes more and more as he got older. And it was usually when he had a good size crack in his composure. Ben Grammercy was good at doing that to him. Like a hand to a glove. Almost on par with a blood relation at a dysfunctional family Thanksgiving. Geo kept repeating the arguments in his head that they had just had. It was stuck on auto repeat.

Of course they had to be right there in front of the bar arguing, where everyone was going to overhear everything. Just what everyone wants, a public fight with your ex-boyfriend. Especially when he left you for a much younger, and prettier man. Hard to keep a lid on the boiling pot when you have to stand there all alone and watch them coo. Lucky, Geo thought, that his wife Sarah had left early. His poker face was too easy a read. And he knew it.

Sarah was a particle physicist. She found the English Lit Department parties more confining that a 40 terra-gauss toroid ring. And even more prone to shoot off unwanted particle radiation. She made a quick rounds at the party to document face time, and then went right back to the lab. She had time reserved for the weekend on the super collider, and a case of ramen in the car trunk, so she was going to be gone until the quarks came spinning on home. She informed Geo of this with a cursory smooch, and said good night to Geo and Ben Grammercy. And Ben’s new beautiful partner, Dominick.

Geo quickened his pace and grimaced as he muttered. Still mostly silent. Still strolling on autopilot down Broadway. It was a stupid argument. It was about the new Shakespeare analysis from the Chairman of the Department over at State. ‘Over at State, with the rest of those rubes,’ Geo smirked as he smugly thought to himself.

The big fight on his mind was about iambic pentameter. Of course, it wasn’t really about iambic pentameter. That is what made it so infuriating. Everyone in the room knew this animated debate was not about rhythm and meter. Rhyme maybe. A rose is a rose is a rose I suppose. Everyone knew this debate was really a spat. The spat of a scorned ex-lover getting a slap in the face and trying not to cry. Everyone knew that, except for Sarah of course. And Ben’s new partner, Dominick.

Of course Dominick was beautiful. Taller than Geo. Younger, much younger. Better looking. And nice. He made it hard to find fault. Geo thought that was totally unfair of the Angel of Fate. At least Dominick should have some genetic hidden degenerative condition, thought Geo. The universal sense of balance and justice demanded that. At a minimum. With a side of tax problems.

Dominick was on his fifth year working on his PhD. The loans were due soon so there was a need to give the poor bastard a degree. So he could get a job, and pay off that mountain of debt from which there was no escape for him, or his loving bourgeois parents back in Moravia.

Geo loathed to admit what was obvious. Hated it like a well deserved ass whippin’ from his Mamadon was more like it. The basic reason for this fight was that Geo really felt it for Ben. Stared at him all the time. Dropped in to his office. Looked for him all the time at lunch in the faculty dining hall. Somehow, Geo thought that Ben would one day really want to feel