Love Is Where You Find It Chapter Twenty One
Craig was pretty near useless in the office all week. He kept gawking at Marion. I hate to say it, but Brad told me that he was drooling like a dog in heat. He had lunch with her every day, but there were always other people with them. He asked her out on a date Saturday evening, and she said she would let him know.
"What should I do about Craig?" she asked me and Brad that evening. "I'm crazy about him, but I don't want him to know just yet. I want to play hard to get."
"Let's find out what he's made of," I said. "Tell him you don't want to go out on a date Saturday evening, but you would like to get to know him better. Invite him to dinner instead, and I have a great idea."
When we were alone in bed that night, Brad asked, "What have you got up your sleeve?"
"You'll see," I said. "After Saturday night, he'll either run a country mile or he'll be one of the family."
"Just don't do anything you'll regret," Brad warned me. "Marion is crazy about this guy and he has just about stopped functioning for love of her."
"If that's true we have nothing to worry about," I stated emphatically.
I made sure that Luis, Sam, and Chris would be home on Saturday night to have dinner with us and meet Marion's "boy friend." I also invited our dads. Usually all of us refrain from showing affection to each other when straight people are around, but I instructed each couple to be extra affectionate in Craig's company. "Kiss a lot and hold hands. Act like the lovers you are. If he's going to be uncomfortable, then it's too bad about him. If he loves Marion as much as he says, it won't bother him one bit."
"You're playing with fire," Brad warned me. "Marion might not like the game. Craig already works with predominantly gay people and many of our clients are gay so I don't know what you are trying to prove."
"That's different," I said. "That's his work place. This is the queer family he seems to want to marry into."
Brad just shook his head sadly. "I don't see why we can't just be us," he said and sulked away.
On Saturday evening, I made sure everyone was in the house before Craig arrived. My dads were over early anyway. They and Marion helped me prepare the dinner. Brad was on strike, thoroughly opposed to what I was about to do. I had met Craig a couple of times so I made sure I answered the door when he arrived. The dear boy had two bouquets of flowers with him.
He thrust one at me and said, "This is for your table, Aaron. I really appreciate your invitation." Marion had come up behind me. He handed her the other bouquet and said, "These are for the most beautiful woman in the world." That was sweet, but I wanted to puke. This dude was way over the love sick hill.
I took his arm and steered him into the living room. First I'd like you to meet Marion's dads, and ours," I added. I introduced him to Chuck and Larry, and reminded him that Chuck was the company banker.
"It's a pleasure," he said as he stuck out his hand. My dads would have none of that. We had rehearsed the whole thing. They grabbed Craig and hugged him tightly while kissing him on the cheek. I couldn't tell if Craig was embarrassed or not, but he smiled cordially at them.
Then I introduced him to Marion's `kid brother,' Luis, who grabbed him in a bear hug and kissed him on the lips. Craig's reaction was minimal. Marion was the one with her mouth open.
"I'd introduce you to her other two brothers Sam and Chris, but they seem to be occupied." Sam and Chris were sitting on the sofa making out like crazy. They may have been acting, but I was afraid they were going a little too far. They might not be able to stand up if they were introduced.
All through the evening the couples were smooching in front of Craig. When I tried to kiss Brad, he rebuffed me. He was having none of this game. Craig seemed perfectly comfortable with it. Was he acting? Did Brad give him a head's up in the office?
At one point during the dinner, someone casually mentioned that Chuck was a professor at Berkeley and taught English Literature. Craig's eyes lit up. "My dad teaches Philosophy there. Maybe you know him? Max Billings."
"Oh my God," Chuck screamed out. "I never made the connection. Of course, you're Max's boy. I met you when you were a baby and your folks had just adopted you. I don't know why we haven't been around since. I guess everybody is too busy.
Suddenly Chuck burst out laughing. "Aaron, the joke's on you. Craig has two dads. He was raised by a gay couple. The question is, how does this affect Marion's feelings for Craig? I wonder if his parents can accept the fact that their little boy is straight." That thought must have struck Chuck as a very funny twist because he burst out laughing.
"Aaron," Marion blurted out. "What have you been up to?" She jumped up from the table and asked Craig to please come with her. She took him into the den and closed the door.
"Does that mean I can act normal?" Luis asked.
"I don't know. I was enjoying myself," Sam said, grabbing for Chris's crotch.
Everyone grew silent waiting for Marion and Craig to come out of the den. When I could stand it no longer, I knocked on the door. "Please come out," I begged. Craig I need to apologize." The silence continued so I started to open the door. Marion and Craig were locked in each other's arms, hugging tightly, kissing longingly. I closed the door.
"I think it will be all right," I said.
Later when everything returned to normal and we were all having dessert, and laughing at each other, Brad asked Craig, "How come you never told anyone at the office that your dads are gay?"
"I wanted to be hired on my merits, not on my gay background so to speak. But if I hadn't been surrounded by gay guys all my life, I probably would never have applied at Pickler and Underwood. I just knew I'd be more comfortable in a gay environment. For sure I knew I wouldn't hear any homophobic jokes like I had to put up with all through school. I was picked on just as much as the gay guys were. If only those idiots knew what great parents I have."
"I am a class A jerk," I said. "I have a talent for self destruction, don't I Brad?"
Brad could only nod in agreement.
Just then the phone rang. I went to answer it. It was Clint on the other end. I listened intently to him and turned pale. After I hung up everybody looked at me. It was obvious that something had happened.
"Speaking of self destruction," I said, "Carl Gilmore is dead. He got into some kind of fight at the prison and he was knifed to death. The warden told Clint that there were dozens of inmates with motive. He asked Clint to drive up to the prison and identify the body. He's going to turn the body over to Clint for disposition. Clint said he will let us know when he makes plans for the funeral."
I knew how Brad must be feeling, but how did I feel? I had long been rid of Carl, but I felt a sense of closure and I was at peace with it. Carl made his bed and he smothered himself in it.
The mood remained sober for a bit longer and then things began to lighten up. Brad kissed me at last and asked if I was all right. I nodded yes. Luis, Sam, Chris, Marion and Craig went into the living room and engaged in some kind of family bonding ritual. Mostly the talk was about school. "When do we meet your folks?" I heard Chris ask Craig as Brad, my dads and I began to clean up the mess left behind.
The next Monday at Pickler and Underwood, Craig let everyone know that he had two dads. He wanted to be the one to let everyone know before they heard it from someone else. The attitude around the office was, "So?"
At Berkeley, Chuck sought out Craig's dad. Occasionally they ran into each other and said a few words, but things were different now. Max's adopted son was about to become engaged to his adopted daughter. Chuck caught up to him just as he was completing a class. The two men embraced warmly.
"When Craig told me what happened last Saturday night, Nate and I were speechless for an hour. It's a tiny world after all. We can't wait to meet Marion. When the kids make it official we want to make a family party at our place," Max announced.
"That's fine," Chuck said, "but we shouldn't have to wait that long to get together. Let's you and Nate, Larry and I have dinner at Alfredo's Friday night. They're clients of Brad's and we get a discount there. It doesn't hurt that the food there is so good."
They made arrangements and parted with another hug.
The Christmas dinner guest list was growing by leaps and bounds. Marion, Craig and Craig's dads were additions to the Thanksgiving Day list. Even Brad, the accountant, wasn't sure just how many we were having. Near as we could figure out we would be seventeen adults and a baby. We definitely decided to have everything catered. Once again we engaged Russ's clients, and not a moment too soon. They were catering several parties on Christmas Day and they could only handle one more. We got in under the wire.
Sleeping arrangements were no problem. Brad and I stayed with Brad's parents. Sam and Chris stayed with Chris's parents. Luis and Ben stayed at our dads. Cheryl, Adam, Marion and the baby stayed in our house. Hey, what are families for? I couldn't help wondering what my parents in Boise were thinking as they celebrated the holiday with no children and no grandchild. I wondered if they even knew of baby Aaron's existence. Well it was totally their loss.
Gifts! Now there was a problem. Brad and I spent the weekend before Christmas buying and wrapping gifts. It was difficult, but in the end we thought we had gotten the perfect gift for everyone. We also spent an hour or two going through the house and making the decorations and other items child proof since baby Aaron had begun to crawl. We tried to think of everything, but only time would tell if we succeeded.
The last thing I did before everyone was due to arrive was to send a Christmas card to my parents. I must have been bitten by the Ghost of Christmas Future because I softened everything I had intended to tell them. Instead I enclosed a picture of Brad and me, a picture of Cheryl's family that I had taken at Thanksgiving, and finally a picture of Marion and Craig which I took for the occasion. I also enclosed a card with my address and telephone number. I wrote:
Dear Mom and Dad:
I am living in San Francisco where I teach high school math. I share my life with Bradley Wilkinson. He's a partner in a successful CPA firm. You will be pleased to know that we attend church every single Sunday, and the pastor is a personal friend of ours.
Recently I found Cheryl, and Brad and I visited her in Los Angeles. Her husband, Adam, is a lawyer and one of humanity's true gentlemen. Their baby is named Aaron (after Adam's father) and Adam's orphaned teen age brother lives with them.
Marion is living with me and will resume her college education when the spring semester begins. She recently got engaged to be engaged to one of Brad's co-workers, Craig Billings. Craig isn't a CPA yet, but it's in his future.
I am enclosing pictures of all of us. Should you ever wish to contact me, your call would always be welcome. In spite of everything, your children still love you. God bless you and a Merry Christmas to both of you.
Love,
Your son, Aaron
It was the happiest Christmas that I had ever spent. Brad and I were surrounded with love. Everyone I cared about in the world was with me. They all shared Christmas morning with me at my church, no matter what religious beliefs they held.
I didn't hear from my parents immediately, but just after the New Year I received a note from them.
Aaron, we could never look you in the face. You and your Bradley are an abomination in the eyes of God. Your sisters are no better. They have disrespected us and married outside of our church. There is no greater sin than to disrespect a parent. Until all of you are ready to repent and apologize, do not contact us again.
It was what I expected. I sent a copy of the letter to Cheryl and showed it to Marion. She and I had a good cry, but then I said to her, "It's really funny, Marion. I'm not at all sad. Now I can forget about them and put them behind me. You've seen how loving my real family is. They're your family now too, and Craig's. I'm finally at peace. I hope with Craig you can find the same serenity that I have found with Brad."
Brad had been standing in the doorway, and heard what I said to Marion. "I love you too," he said. He put his arms around me and kissed me. With Brad's help I was finally at peace with the world, and with God.
The End