Greg ran
his hands through Cory’s thick dark brown hair as he looked deeply into his
husband’s chocolate brown eyes. His
fingers traced the line of the scar on Cory’s scalp where the doctors had
operated on Cory after his Dad had attacked him. Cory’s hair had never grown back over that
place. Fortunately, Cory’s shoulder
length hair hid the scar. Greg
continued to marvel how Cory could still love him, even after his Dad had tried to
kill him. Greg had been afraid to see
Cory after the attack for fear of being rejected by him because of his family’s
reaction to their coming out as a couple.
He was so happy when Cory not only wanted to see him but obviously still
loved him after everything that had happened.
All of these thoughts ran through his mind as
he gazed into Cory’s eyes. Greg thought
about how he loved holding Cory close to him.
Cory’s slight frame molded itself so perfectly to his body that it was
almost as if they were one single entity.
The warmth of Cory’s body reminded him of the great time they had on
their honeymoon. The memory of it
brought a smile to his face.
Cory brushed
the hair out of Greg’s eyes and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
“Our honeymoon,”
Greg responded as he played with Cory’s hair, twisting it around his fingers.
“I thought
that was it when I saw you smile. You
always get that look when you're thinking about all the wonderful sex we had,”
Cory said, laughing.
Greg
agreed, “You’re right about that.” He ran
his fingertips along Cory’s jawline and then cupped his face with his hand, “You
have to admit you will never forget how special we felt on that trip.”
Cory smiled
and replied, “No, I will never forget being with my handsome husband and the
great time we had together.”
They fell
silent as Greg ran his hands lightly over Cory’s naked body. Cory was glad Greg seemed to be
relaxing. Greg had seemed tense all day
and a little distant. Cory knew something had been bothering Greg so he waited patiently for Greg to finally
share with him what was going on in his head.
Greg placed
his hand on the small of Cory’s back and pulled him closer to him. He said, “I want us to start attending
church services, Cory. I know we
have good reason to hate churches, given what has happened to us.” He paused to let Cory respond.
Cory looked
into Greg eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this? You have been pretty adamant we should
stay away from the so called “Christian” churches.”
“I
know. It’s just I've always
attended church since I was small. Now
that things have settled down for us, I've been thinking about beginning to
live a normal life instead of holding onto my anger and hatred. Just think about it. We've moved to a new city. We have a new last name and we're
married. We are living with a bunch of
gay married guys. We have our college
education paid for and we only have to work hard at getting good grades. Grandpa pushed me pretty hard last night
about letting go of my hard feelings towards religious people,” Greg said.
“He’s right
you know,” Cory said. “I've been
trying to tell you the same thing for weeks now.”
“I know you
have, Cory, and I’ve tried to resist your logic. I talked to Grandpa about it last night. I told him about what you said yesterday
about learning to forgive those who have hurt me.” Cory brought his hand to Greg’s face as Greg
tried to control his emotions. “How can
I forgive Dad for what he did to us?”
“It’s
simple. Leave it in the Lord’s
hands. There is nothing you can
accomplish by nursing a grudge against him.
I thought you would relinquish your hard feelings after we had
begun a new life together but you haven’t.
Sometimes you blow up at me for no apparent reason, Greg. I’ve tried to be understanding of your
feelings but something has to change. I
can’t continue to feel like I’m walking on egg shells around you. It’s driving me crazy! When I've pushed you to tell me why you
are so angry, you tell me it’s because you were so badly hurt by your Dad and
that you can’t let go of your anger towards him and his church. I
don’t understand why you can’t move past what happened, especially now. Greg, I was attacked just like you were and
I spent just as much time recovering as you did; but I let my anger go a long
time ago,” Cory said. “I’m not going to
accept your excuses for not moving on with your life. You can’t pretend I haven’t suffered
just as much as you have, because I have.
Do you remember I was there and your Dad took me out first or have
you forgotten that?”
“No, I
haven’t forgotten,” Greg said, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“It’s time
for you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and get on with living your life in
the present instead of always living in the past. I’m not letting you continue to wallow in
self-pity anymore. You need to forgive
your Dad for what he did and to get over your hatred of his church. I want to live a happy, productive life with
my husband, specifically a husband who is fully engaged in our relationship and
isn’t wasting time and energy holding onto the past.”
“I know you're right, Cory. Grandpa confirmed your
words. He was pretty forceful about
what he expects of me as his adopted son last night,” Greg said. “I've given it some thought today. I think if we start going to a local
church, I could begin to let go of my hard feelings towards all
“Christian” churches.” When Cory
started to interrupt, he put his finger to Cory’s lips. "Let me finish,
please. I know going to church
isn’t the answer to all of my issues, Cory but it might help me to turn the
corner on letting go of my hatred for all religious people. I need to see that there are religious
people who truly live what they preach.
They claim to love all people and that God loves all of us. Let them prove it to me, Cory, by accepting me
for who I am and treating me as an equal with them in their quest for
enlightenment or whatever they are seeking.”
Cory said,
“Okay, that is fair enough. I was
worried you had arrived at the conclusion going to church would be
the magic pill that would cure all the ills we might have, because it’s not,
Greg. It may be part of the solution
but it’s not the complete picture. The
last thing I want to happen is for you to go there hoping to find an auto-erase
feature that can turn back time and remove the mental and emotional effects of
what happened to us and coming away disappointed because it’s not there.”
“Grandpa
counseled me about that very same thing.
He said I need to find the strength from within to heal the mental and
emotional wounds that are still holding me back. Grandpa said if going to church will
help me I should look for a warm and welcoming church community. I thought maybe we could attend
services at the Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church where the Twin Cities Gay
Men’s Choir holds their rehearsals. What
do you think?”
Cory
answered, “I’m good with that but I’m not sure the Methodist Church is the
right one. I know the Hennepin Avenue
Methodist Church is very welcoming to gays but we need to meet with their
pastor and talk about their position on gay marriage and other things.”
“I checked
that out already, Cory. On their
website, they say they are working for marriage equality for all people. They are also very supportive of gay and
lesbian couples.”
“I’m
willing to give it a try if you will give them an honest chance to prove they
are really a “Christian” church and not one of those that gives lip service to
“Christian” doctrines,” Cory said.
“I'm
willing to listen with an open mind,” Greg said. “If they truly believe we are all God’s
children and can treat everyone with love and respect, I'm willing to
entertain the idea of becoming part of their congregation.”
“You know my parents have been asking me if we have begun attending a local church. They worry we'll decide to shut God completely
out of our lives,” Cory said.
“They have
asked me about it as well. That’s why I
thought we should try out the Methodist Church. At least we can tell your Mom and Dad we went even if we decide it’s not for us,” Greg said. “Grandpa said we should be very careful
about selecting a church. We talked about
what makes a good pastor versus a bad one.
He suggested we have the minister over for dinner to discuss his
views about things that are important to us.”
A look of
concern crossed Cory’s face, “We need to talk to the other guys before we
invite some strange guy to have dinner with us here.”
“I wouldn’t
bring him here unless everyone agrees to meet with the minister. I think we should meet him for dinner
somewhere else instead of trying to get everyone on board with having him come
to dinner here,” Greg said.
“I wouldn’t
discount the guys so quickly, Greg.
They haven’t suffered as much religious persecution as we have, but they
may not be as opposed to talking about it as you think,” Cory said.
Greg asked,
“Do you really think they might be interested?”
“I do,”
Cory said. He looked deeply into his
husband’s eyes and said, “Thank you for listening to me, Greg.”
“I’m the
one who should be thanking you for being patient with my stubbornness,” Greg
said, rubbing noses with his sweetheart.
Cory kissed
Greg on the lips and then said, “I love you.”
Greg
grinned and said, “I love you, too.” He
ran his hands lightly over Cory’s skin, causing Cory to shiver slightly in
anticipation as he gazed into Greg’s eyes.
Then Greg nibbled on Cory’s ear and whispered, “Let me show you how much
I love you.”
*** ***
Rick and I
made our way to our Latin American literature class. We were running late so we ended up at the
back of the room. The professor, Dr.
Khartchner, glared at us as we slipped into our seats. He was a tall, lean man from Texas with
graying dark brown hair. He wore
horn-rimmed glasses that magnified his watery blue eyes that were a little too
close together. His huge bulbous nose
with black hair sticking out of his nostrils dominated his face.
In Spanish,
he began berating us. “Mr. Nielsen and Mr.
Lernier, I would appreciate it if you could make more of an effort to arrive on
time.”
I responded,
“Yes, sir,” in English which earned me a deep scowl.
Satisfied
that he had made his point, he returned to his lecture. The class was a survey of Latin American
literature, which is Dr. Khartchner’s area of specialization. He obviously loved teaching it and waxed
eloquent in his praises of Latin American authors. I was having a hard time following his
Spanish. I looked at Rick to see if he
was doing any better.
Rick
grinned and whispered, “I don’t understand a word he is saying.”
I shrugged
my shoulders and returned my attention to the front of the room where the
professor continued his soliloquy.
Dr.
Kartchner had lived in Madrid for many years and spoke Spanish with a Texas
twang that added to my difficulty in understanding the Castilian Spanish he had
learned in Spain. He pompously declared
all other dialects of Spanish to be inferior and unacceptable in his
class. Fortunately, he liked to do all
the talking so I wouldn’t have to be exposed to his tongue lashings for my “gutter”
Spanish.
However, he
required us to write essays, in Spanish, analyzing everything we read. Even worse, Dr. Khartchner was ruthless with
his red pen! Rick and I are struggling
to even get a passing grade in this course!
After
class, Rick looked at me and said, “Glenn, I’m afraid I’m going to fail this
class. I didn’t understand a word that
guy said and I’m not doing very well with all the writing. I have problems writing in English let alone
in Spanish.”
“I’m in the
same boat as you, Rick. Do you want to
drop the class? We have only a week
left if we going to get out of it without it showing up on our transcripts,” I
said.
“I don’t
know. Maybe we could study with some of
the other guys in the class. That might
help,” Rick said looking around the room.
His eyes fell on two guys at the front of the room. He said, “Let’s talk to them and see if they
want to form a study group.”
We walked
up to them and Rick said, “Hey, I’m Rick and this is Glenn.”
They
stopped talking to each other. They
both had dark brown hair. The taller
one was wiry and thin with a swimmer’s body.
He wore a white tank top and khaki carpenter shorts and flip flops. He had dreamy blue eyes, dimples and a
terrific smile. He introduced himself,
“I’m Mason and this is Duane.” He shook
Rick’s hand and mine.
Duane shook
my hand but didn’t let go of it right away.
Duane looked into my eyes. He
had light green eyes with flecks of silver in them. He sported a goatee that emphasized his square
jaw. Duane wore a printed shirt he
wore unbuttoned and board shorts that hung low on his hips showing his bright
blue Speedo underwear. He had a sun
tattoo that was centered on his naval.
He grinned as he watched me look him over. His deep baritone voice seemed to rumble in
his chest before it came out. “Glad to meet
you, Glenn. Do you like my tattoo?”
I smiled,
“Yeah. It’s rather unusual.”
Duane
finally released my hand and pulled his shirt off. He had several other tattoos on his arms and
on his back. I admired his tattoos as
well as his well-muscled body. It was
obvious he worked out on the weights.
He flexed his muscles which made the tattoos on his biceps ripple. “What do you think?”
“I think
you have some pretty awesome ink there,” I said.
Rick noted,
“And some pretty good definition as well.”
Duane
smiled, “You look pretty buff yourself, Rick.”
Rick nodded
his head, “We hit the gym several times a week.”
“So do we,”
Duane said. “I have us on a special
diet to help us maintain muscle mass.”
“You will
have to share it with me,” Rick said.
“I have a hard time convincing Glenn to eat healthy foods. He likes his pizza a little too much!”
I laughed,
“That is too true.”
Mason
asked, “How are you guys doing in this class?”
“Terrible,”
I responded. “We were just talking
about dropping the class when Rick suggested we hook up with you guys to form a
study group.”
Mason
looked at Duane, “We were just debating whether or not to continue with this
class. What do you think?”
Duane said,
“I’m up for trying a study group but I think we need to be clear about
something first.”
My eyebrows
shot up in surprise at the harshness of his tone. “What might that be?” I asked.
“We’re gay
and we’re a couple. Do you have a
problem with that?” Duane asked us with more than a little hostility in his
voice.
I glanced
at Rick and waited for Rick to decide what he wanted to reveal about us. Rick smiled, “We’re okay with that as long
as you don’t make any passes at my boyfriend.”
Duane
laughed and said, “I wondered if you were gay. I
knew Glenn was when he checked me out but I wasn’t sure about you.”
Rick
agreed, “That is usually the case because Glenn can’t help himself when it
comes to checking out the good looking guys!
Do you guys want to study here on campus? You're welcome to come to our place to
study as well.”
Duane said,
“Let’s start here on campus. After we
get to know you better, we can decide if we want to go to your place or
ours. I’m sorry if I don’t sound very
trusting but we have had bad experiences with folks who seem to be our friends
but then turn out to be enemies.”
“We
certainly can understand that. We've
had a few bad experiences as well. Let’s
get lunch and we can study as we eat,” I suggested.
Mason
agreed, “Sounds like a plan.” Mason had
a light, tenor voice. I thought to myself
that he would make a great addition to any choir with that voice. As we left the classroom, Mason asked,
“Where are you from?”
“I’m from
Saskatchewan. It’s one of the western
provinces of Canada.”
“I
know. I’m from Post Falls, Idaho,”
Mason said.
Duane put
his shirt back on and said, “I’m from Spokane, Washington. Rick, where are you from?”
“I’m from
North Carolina,” Rick said, as we walked towards the Wenn Student Center.
Duane
looked at Rick and asked, “How did you guys meet? You don’t strike me as being the type of guy
who goes to gay bars to find a date.”
I waited
for Rick to respond. When he didn’t, I
said, “My cousin, Keith, introduced us,” I said. I related our story with Rick filling in
details I left out. We found our way to
the food court and grabbed a table.
Everyone got their favorite things to eat and returned to our table
where we pulled out our books.
“Since we
told you how we met, tell us how you met Mason,” I asked Duane.
“We met at
Dempsey’s Brass Rail in Spokane. One
night I was dancing with another guy and Mason joined us. I took Mason home with me that night and we've been together ever since,” Duane said.
Mason said,
“We struggled to make ends meet those first few months we were together. A couple of our friends got jobs working
with a software development company and encouraged us to apply for jobs at the
same company. We both got
interviews. We were told there
weren’t any positions available locally; but they had positions here in
Atlanta. They offered to move us and
pay for our education. So here we are
and, of course, we're computer science majors.”
“Why are
you taking Spanish then?” asked Rick.
“Because we
like to vacation in Cancun, Mexico,” Duane said. “We meet a group of our friends there every
year. We wanted to be able to do some
touring outside of the resort so we decided to learn to speak Spanish.”
“Are you
working on a minor in Spanish?” I asked.
“No, we
aren’t,” Duane said “But we decided to take the literature class so we could
better relate to the Hispanic population here in the area. There are a lot of people from Central
America in Atlanta. Are you majoring in
Spanish?”
“Yes, I
am. Rick is taking the class with me so
we have at least one class together,” I said.
I gave him a worried look and continued, “But I don’t want him to get a bad grade on
my account.”
Rick
smiled. “I won’t get a bad grade because you are going to make sure we both get
good grades.” He leaned over and kissed
me.
Duane
grinned. “I’m glad to see you're comfortable enough with who you are to
actually show affection in public.”
“I really
shouldn’t because I am in the Marine Corps,” Rick said, grimacing.
“Then you
should be more circumspect than you have been,” Mason said. “The military doesn’t look favorably on gays.”
“I know,”
Rick said. “My friend, Sam, was
murdered by his fellow Marines for being gay.”
“I’m
sorry,” Duane said. “No one deserves to
be murdered for being who they are. Did
they catch the guys who did it?”
“Yes, they
did. They are going to be in prison for
the rest of their lives,” Rick said.
Mason said,
“Good! Maybe that will help keep the
rest of us safe from crazy, trigger-happy Marines.”
“I don’t
know, Mason. I’m a Marine and I’m not
trigger-happy or crazy but I know of several of my fellow Marines who hate gays
so much they have vowed to kill any they meet,” Rick said.
“Where do
they live?” Duane asked. “I want to
make sure I don’t meet up with them in some dark alley.”
“Here in
Atlanta,” Rick responded. “They are in
the reserves just like I am.”
“Doesn’t
that bother you?” Duane asked. “I mean, doesn’t it bother you to have to be around such hateful people?”
“It does
but I’m not going to live my life in fear because of a couple of ignorant men
who have been brainwashed by the religious right into thinking the end of
the world will be caused by gays,” Rick said.
Duane
agreed, “I'm with you on that. I'm
not religious and I don’t want anything to do with those who profess to be on a
mission from God to save my soul. They
can stay in their churches and preach to one another all they want but I don’t
want to see them on my doorstep, trying to peddle their brand of hatred to
me. Yes, they have the right to express
themselves but I have the right not to be harassed, persecuted, bullied, called
names or discriminated against because I don’t agree with their religious
views. I don’t want anything to do with
“Christian” religion and that includes putting up Christmas trees and any other
type of religious symbol.
Mason said,
“That’s true. Duane argues with me
every year when I put up a Christmas tree.
He tells me I need to let go of my childhood and face the reality that
most good “Christians” wouldn’t even speak to me let alone want to get to know
me.”
“How long
have you two been together?” I asked.
Duane
looked at Mason and said, “I think it’s been five years.”
“Yes, it’s
been five years. We've been here for
two years now and we lived together in Spokane for three years before that,”
Mason said. “How long have you two been
together?”
“We have
been together for a little over two years now.
Rick was on active duty last year,” I said.
“Wasn’t
that hard to be here all alone?” Mason asked.
“Yes, it
was hard to be without Rick but I decided to stay with my cousin in Minneapolis
and went to school there while Rick was gone,” I said.
Duane
looked at Mason and said, “If Mason were gone that long, he wouldn’t have a
boyfriend when he got back because I would’ve found a new boyfriend during that
time.”
I was more
than a little surprised, “But I thought you two were in a committed
relationship.”
“We are but
I won’t wait around for Mason if he ever decides to take off and leave me,”
Duane said. “I got burned by an
ex-boyfriend who took off for basic training, promising me he’d be back. Well, guess what? He came back alright! He came back married to some chick he got
pregnant while he was out with his buddies.”
I looked at
Mason and asked, “Are you okay with what Duane is saying?”
“Duane has
been very blunt about things. He made
sure I understood where he was coming from with his attitudes about our
relationship,” Mason said. “I love him,
Glenn. That is why we are still
together despite Duane’s rough edges.”
Duane
nodded his head. “I love Mason but there are certain things I won’t tolerate
and I've been crystal clear about those things.”
Rick and I
glanced at each other and then Rick asked, “How old are you guys?”
Duane shot
back, “Why do you ask?” His voice was
hard as steel and he gave Rick a hard stare.
“I didn’t
mean to offend you, Duane. It’s just
that you seem to be more focused than most students who have just left high
school,” Rick replied.
Duane
laughed. “I’m more focused because I have to be. Our employer is paying for our classes. We can’t afford to goof around. How old are you guys?”
“Glenn is
20 and I’m 21,” Rick replied.
“Okay, we're a little older than you guys. I’m 27
and Mason is 34,” Duane said.
“We haven’t
been around many gay guys that are older than us,” I said.
Duane
laughed. “We must seem like old men to you!”
I blushed. “Well, yeah.”
Mason smiled
and said, “I guess we are a little older than the traditional students that
attend Georgia Tech.”
“It also
explains why you and Duane seem so sure of yourselves and who you are,” Rick
said.
Duane said,
“I’m proud to be gay and I’m not about to let anyone walk on me or try to put
me down. I have this philosophy that if
you respect me, I will respect you; however, more importantly, heaven help you
if you try to treat me with disrespect.
I have very little patience for pansies. If you have the balls to disrespect me for
who I am, you had better be ready to do combat because I will clean your clock!”
Mason
nodded his head. “I’ve seen Duane in action and I, for one, wouldn’t want to
cross him!”
Rick looked
at Duane and asked, “Where did you learn to fight?”
“I have a
black belt in karate but that isn’t where I learned to fight. I learned to fight on the streets of Los
Angeles where I grew up. I ran with a
gang for protection. I used to get beat
up all the time for being gay but then my brother and a couple of the members
of his gang took me under their wing and protected me.”
“Is that
why you have all of the tattoos?” I asked.
“Yes,”
Duane said. He pointed to each one and
related what each one meant. “I’m not a
member of a gang anymore. My brother
landed in jail as did his buddies. I
ended up in the juvenile detention center.
It was pretty rough in there.
They said it would help reform me.
They were dead wrong! It was
worse than being on the streets with gangs!”
“How did
you end up in Spokane?” Rick asked.
“After I
got out, I went to live with my grandparents in Coeur D’Alene,
Idaho. I got a job in Spokane at the
same company where my Grandpa works. I
commuted back and forth from Coeur D’Alene with my Grandpa until I saved enough
money to move out on my own. They
wanted to treat me like a child – always asking me where I spent the night and
scolding me for not calling them. I got
out of there as fast as I could,” Duane replied.
“I was
living at home with my parents after losing my job when I met Duane,” Mason
said. “He took me home with him that
night and then asked me to move in with him.
I told him I didn’t have a job and didn’t want to be a bother to
him. He insisted I move in and we
would look for a job for me. I ended up
being a bartender at the one of clubs near our place.”
“How did you like working as a bartender?” I
asked. “I don’t drink so we don’t go
clubbing very often.”
“I liked it
but Duane hated watching the guys hitting on me,” Mason said with a grin.
Duane
confirmed what Mason said, “I’m very possessive and I don’t like other guys
messing with my man!”
“I agree
with you completely,” Rick said, squeezing my hand under the table.
Duane
laughed. “It’s a wonder every gay guy in town hasn’t tried to make a pass at
Glenn. It’s a good thing you don’t go
out clubbing every weekend or you would have to keep Glenn in a chastity belt!”
I laughed. “Rick doesn’t have to worry about that because I won’t let anyone else touch me
but him.”
“That’s
true. There were a couple of guys who
tried to get in Glenn’s pants while I was on active duty and failed,” Rick said, looking at me.
“My Dad
tried to convince me to leave Rick while he was overseas. He wanted me to find a girl and settle down
with her instead of living with Rick,” I said.
Duane
hissed his disapproval, “That sounds like my grandparents reaction when they
found out I was living with Mason.”
“They
wouldn’t even let me in their house,” Mason said. “They caused quite an ugly scene when Duane
took me to their house to introduce me to them.”
I glanced
at my watch and said, “Guys, I've got to run to my next class. Can we catch up with you tomorrow to study
our Spanish assignment?”
“Sure,”
Duane said. “We haven’t finished the
reading assignment, yet, so we will work on it tonight.”
I frowned and said, “We haven’t either. Aren’t we supposed
to read Ernesto Sabato’s “El Tunel” and write an essay analyzing the symbolism
the author uses?”
“That’s
correct,” Duane said. “And don’t forget
that it all has to be written in Spanish, too.”
“I haven’t
forgotten,” Rick said with a groan.
Mason
laughed. “I know exactly how you feel!”
I said,
“The worst thing about the story is that it’s about a guy’s obsession over a
woman! I have to keep pretending he’s obsessing over a real stud like Rick to keep from throwing up as I’m
reading it!”
Rick said,
“I can relate to him because I was that way over Angie at one time.”
Duane
raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really?
You were in love with a girl?”
Rick nodded
his head. “Yes, it was during our senior year of high school. I got her pregnant and she decided it was my
fault. She sent her brothers to beat me
up. Luckily, Glenn’s cousins came to my
rescue.”
“Hopefully,
that taught you a lesson,” Duane said.
“It
did. I never trusted another
woman. I became quite a womanizer. My goal was to sleep with a different one
every weekend. My philosophy was “fuck’em
and leave’em” which suited me fine.
Then I met Glenn,” Rick said.
“And the
rest is history,” Mason said with a smile.
“That’s
true,” I said. I stood up to go. I kissed Rick and said, “I will see you in
the library in our usual spot. Hey, I’ll
catch you guys tomorrow then.”
I entered
the music room and took a seat next to Gerald.
I gave him an appreciative look.
Gerald is 6’ (183 cm.) with an athletic body. His honey colored skin matches his honey
brown eyes. He has a broad smile and a jolly
laugh. He keeps his jet black hair in
cornrows. I love looking at him. He saw me giving him the “look” and he
flexed his muscles for me. He's a gym
rat and loves to show off his muscles.
“You like?”
I grinned. “Yes, I like very much. For a straight
guy, you look pretty good!”
He laughed. “And you look pretty good for a gay guy!”
“Thanks, I
think,” I said, laughing.
“You’re
welcome. There aren’t many guys from
Macclenny, Florida, that look as good as I do,” Gerald said. “I need to find me a woman who appreciates
my beauty as much as you do, Glenn.”
“I thought
you had a girlfriend in Macclenny,” I said.
“Yes, I “HAD”
a girlfriend there,” Gerald said.
“However, I don’t have a girlfriend anymore and I am very horny.”
I laughed,
“I could probably find a couple of gay guys that would be willing to help you
out!”
Gerald
fixed me with a stare that said “No Way” and then he laughed. “If I don’t get
laid soon, I may have to take you up on that offer.”
We didn’t
realize Dr. Bigelow was standing behind us until he said, “If you need
relief, Gerald, I can help you out in that department.”
We both
turned around in surprise. There was an
obvious tent in Dr. Bigelow’s trousers.
Gerald’s eyes went wide and he said, “I didn’t know Dr. Bigelow swung
your way, Glenn.”
I nodded my
head and I whispered, “He is quite the pervert. He has his eye on my partner, Rick.”
Gerald
looked at me in shock and asked, “Really?”
“Yes,
really,” I replied.
Dr. Bigelow
began his lecture. When he finished, he
walked over to us and said, “Please feel free to stop by my office any time,
Gerald. The same goes for you, Glenn.”
He left us
and I turned to Gerald and said, “I wouldn’t go anywhere near the man. He gives me the creeps.”
“You and me
both,” Gerald said. “When did you want
to get together and practice the concerto we've been assigned?”
“How about
after orchestra rehearsal? I have some
free time. We can grab a practice room
or you're welcome to come over to our place,” I said.
“Let’s go
to your place. I don’t want to hang out
around here. I don’t want to give Dr.
Bigelow any reason to believe I want him around,” Gerald said.
We went to
our rehearsal, then we met Rick at the library. I introduced Gerald to Rick, “Gerald, this
is my life partner, Rick Lernier. Rick,
this is Gerald Lee.”
They shook hands
and we took a seat at the table with him.
Rick asked, “Where are you from Gerald?”
“I’m from
Macclenny, Florida. I’m studying
electrical engineering with a minor in music technology,” Gerald said.
“Gerald and
I are playing the solo parts in the Bach double violin concerto for our
upcoming concert. We thought we would
practice at our place instead of staying on campus,” I said.
Gerald saw
the puzzled look on Rick’s face and elaborated, “Dr. Bigelow invited me to drop
by his office anytime. I don’t need
some 50 year-old pervert trying to get in my pants!”
Rick
laughed. “I don’t blame you. It was
pretty obvious he had the hots for me and I’m glad I don’t have him as a
professor. In fact, I've been trying
to convince Glenn to switch majors.”
“Rick says
I would be better off taking private lessons to improve my skills. Rick thinks Dr. Bigelow might try to
corner me and rape me if I’m not careful,” I said.
Gerald
agreed, “He does seem rather spooky that way.”
“I have
thought of switching to business management,” I said. “I know it would make my Dad happy. He thinks I've gone soft in the head by
majoring in Spanish with a minor in music.”
“You could
go with computer science, Glenn. There
will always be a need for computer programmers,” Gerald said.
Rick said,
“Let’s go, guys. I’m hungry. Glenn makes a pretty good baked ziti
dish. I think we should stop and get
some garlic bread and salad fixings to go with it. What do you say, Glenn?”
I nodded my
head. “I think that sounds good.”
We left the
library and got our car. Gerald
followed us to the grocery store and then home. We parked and Gerald helped us carry our
groceries up to our condo. I put some
water on to boil for the pasta and then put together some bruschetta for the
guys to snack on. I pulled my cell
phone out and called Keith.
“Hey,
Keith! Are you and Kerry up for some
baked ziti tonight?”
“Sure, what
time?” Keith asked.
“About an
hour from now,” I said.
“Cool! I will tell Kerry. She’ll be happy she doesn’t have to
cook tonight. Egan was up most of the
night last night and we're both really tired,” Keith said.
“We will
see you in an hour then,” I said and ended the call.
Rick said,
“Tell me about yourself, Gerald.”
Gerald
said, “I already told you where I’m from and what I’m doing for school. I have a 2-year old daughter, LaTisha, who lives
with my ex-girlfriend’s mother. My
parents were killed in a car accident about three years ago. I am an only child and I am using the money
from their estate to get an education.”
“I’m sorry
to hear about your parents,” Rick said.
“I was
pretty devastated. My ex-girlfriend was
the only person I knew I could turn to for comfort at that time. That is why we ended up with LaTisha. We were too much in lust to think about the
consequences of having unprotected sex,” Gerald said. “I love my daughter very much. However, my girlfriend has turned out to be
a real pain. I wish I hadn’t messed
around with her,” he said ruefully.
“I’m paying child support and I go home to visit LaTisha on
holidays. She is very cute and looks a
lot like her mother.”
“Why didn’t
you marry your ex-girlfriend?” Rick said.
“I wasn’t
in love with her,” Gerald said earnestly.
“I want to marry someone who loves me and appreciates me. Sharon only wanted me for my money.”
“How do you
know that?” I asked.
“She told
me herself that the only reason she wanted to have sex with me was to trap me
into marrying her. She wanted to have a
big house and lots of money and knew I had inherited quite a sum of
money. She thought if she had my child I would marry her and she could get her hands on my money. She thought I was a big push over,” Gerald
said. “And maybe I was at that
time. I was grieving for my parents and I turned to her. It didn’t
take me long to find out she really didn’t care about me or the child. Sharon’s mother takes care of LaTisha since
Sharon has moved to New York City with her new boyfriend. Sharon said she couldn’t be bothered to take
care of a baby and, if I couldn’t care for her, she would put the baby
up for adoption. Her mother volunteered
to care for her granddaughter while I got an education. I pay her child support so she can stay home
with LaTisha.”
I stood up
from the table and dumped a box of ziti pasta into the boiling water and
stirred it to keep it from sticking together.
I returned to the table and sat next to Rick. Rick looked at me and asked, “Did you
remember the guys are coming over for bible study tonight?”
I slapped
my forehead with the palm of my hand, “No, I didn’t! It’s a good thing I’m making baked ziti.”
Gerald
looked at me in surprise. “I thought gays didn’t believe in God.”
“I can’t
speak for other gay guys but Glenn and I believe in God; however, we don’t
believe in organized religion,” Rick said.
“We and some of our friends have had very bad experiences with so called
“Christian” churches and their members.”
Gerald
said, “I've always been told gays were sinners and didn’t believe in
God.”
“Well, that
is what most “Christian” preachers would have you believe,” Rick said. “Let me tell about what my good “Christian”
family did to me.”
Rick
related what had happened to us. “And
that isn’t the worst of it. Our
friends, Greg and Cory, were attacked by their father because of the religious
teachings of his church.” Rick
continued to narrate their story to Gerald.
When he had
finished, Gerald had tears in his eyes.
“I can’t believe parents would turn against their own flesh and
blood. I love my LaTisha so much I
can’t imagine ever doing her any harm.”
“I found it
hard to believe as well, Gerald,” I said.
“When I went to visit Rick during spring break, I was shocked at how
badly hurt the two boys were. They're
living in Minneapolis now with my band of brothers.”
Gerald
looked at me curiously, “Band of brothers?
Who are they?”
“They were
my roommates at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. While Rick was on active duty, I went to
school with my cousin and his friends.
They are so totally awesome.” I
went on to describe each one of the wonderful guys who were my roommates.
Gerald
said, “No wonder you call them your band of brothers. They sound like really great guys.”
I got up
and went into the family room and retrieved a group photo we had taken last
spring. I returned to the kitchen and
showed the photo to Gerald. I pointed
to each guy as I stated his name, “This is Mark, Brandon, Brian, Justin,
Robbie, Adam, Zach, Todd, Ben, Rick and me.
Mark, Zach and Todd are on the school’s hockey team.”
Gerald said
in amazement and asked, “Do you mean to tell me these guys are all gay?’
“All of
them accept my cousin, Ben,” I said.
“He got married to Janice last summer.
Zach and Todd are married as are Mark and Brandon and Justin and
Brian.” I pointed to the couples in the
photo.
“How can
they be married? I didn’t think
Minnesota allowed gay marriages,” Gerald said.
“They
don’t. They went to Thunder Bay,
Ontario, to get married,” I said.
Rick spoke
up, “Glenn, do you want me to check the pasta?”
“No, I got
it, Babe. Thank you for reminding me,”
I said, giving Rick a quick kiss on the lips. I drained the pasta and then combined it with my favorite bottled spaghetti
sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and poured the mixture into a baking
dish. I put it in the oven and set the
timer for 30 minutes. I asked, “Rick,
will you help me with a green salad?”
“Sure,”
Rick replied with a grin. I retrieved
the vegetables from the fridge. I
washed them and left them on the sideboard to drain. Rick picked them up and started chopping
them up and putting them in the salad bowl.
Gerald
said, “I love watching you guys. I can
tell how much you love each other. I
want the same kind of relationship with my future wife.”
Rick
smiled. “Are you sure you won’t marry a guy?”
Gerald
laughed. “I’m sure. I’m not attracted
to guys at all.”
There was a
knock on the door. “Gerald, will you
get the door?”
“Sure,” he
responded. Gerald got up and left the
kitchen. He soon returned with Keith
and Kerry. Keith was carrying
Egan.
I smiled at
them and asked, “Did you meet Gerald?”
“Yes, he
introduced himself when he opened the door,” Keith said.
Gerald
asked, “May I hold the baby?”
Keith
nodded his head, “Sure.” Keith settled
Egan in Gerald’s arms.
Gerald
looked so natural holding the little guy.
“He looks so much like you, Keith,” he said.
“I have to
admit he is quite a handsome little fellow,” Keith said.
Kerry
laughed and said, “And he is going to be just as conceited as his father when
he grows up.”
“I can’t
help it if I’m the best looking guy in the room,” Keith said, grinning at his
wife.
Kerry
kissed him and said, “Yes, I agree you are the best looking husband in the
room.”
Keith
looked crestfallen. “I’m the only husband in the room!”
“Yes, you
are, dear, and that makes you the best one because you’re mine,” Kerry said
ruffling his hair.
There was
another knock on the door. This time I
went to the door to let the guys in. I
opened the door and said, “Come in, guys.”
Cordell and
Michael came in and each gave me a hug.
Next came Jeb and a nice looking blond girl. She was tall and slender with long hair that
hung down to her waist. Her bright blue
eyes looked into mine as Jeb said, “I hope it’s okay for me to bring my girlfriend,
Jill.”
“Nice to
meet you, Jill. I’m Glenn,” I
said. “Welcome.”
Her voice
was like the tinkling of little bells when she spoke. She said, “Thank you, Glenn.”
They came
in and I led them to the kitchen. I
introduced the guys and Jill to Gerald.
Gerald smiled and said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
Rick pulled
down the dishes and everyone helped set the table. I pulled out some lemonade and some sweet
tea out of the fridge to go with our meal.
Rick cut the garlic bread and threw it in the oven to warm.
When the
timer went off, I pulled the bread and the baked ziti out of the oven and
placed them on the table. “Let’s eat,”
I said.
Rick asked,
“Keith, will you say grace?”
“Sure,” he
replied. When he finished, we all said,
“Amen,” and we started our meal. I
looked around the table and saw that everyone was enjoying the food and the
company. Nothing makes me happier than
to have my friends and family around the dinner table enjoying a great meal and
talking with each other.
After
dinner, the guys cleared the table. I
looked at Rick and asked, “Why don’t you get everything set up in the family
room while I finish up the dishes?”
Rick agreed
and led the way into the family room.
Jill and Kerry stayed behind and helped me finish up the dishes.
Jill asked,
“How long have you been with Rick?”
“A little more
than two years now,” I said.
Jill said, “You
two seem to be very much in love. I can
tell by how you look at each other and the little things that speak of a very
close and loving relationship. Jeb told
me I needed to meet you and Rick because I wasn’t convinced two guys
could ever be in love with each other like a man loves a woman.”
“I wondered
why you were watching us so closely,” I replied.
“I’m trying
to have an open mind about two guys loving each other,” Jill said. She had a troubled look on her face. “I've always been taught that being
homosexual is wrong. When I met Jeb, I
saw something in his eyes that made me think he is Mr. Right so when he asked
me go out with him I was very excited about it. We had a great time together that first
night. I was floating on air when I
came home. My parents could see I
was quite smitten with Jeb. I still
am. Jeb introduced me to Cordell and
Michael on our second date. I told him I couldn’t associate with them because they were gay. Jeb told me if it was a choice between his gay friends and me I would lose every time. That really shook me. I couldn’t believe that a nice God-fearing
guy like Jeb would choose to be friends with homosexuals.”
Kerry
asked, “So why did you come here tonight?”
She responded, "Jeb begged
me to have an open mind and to at least give his gay friends a chance to show
they are just like any other couple and to see my pastor’s anti-gay sermons are
not what Jesus taught. Jeb insisted I needed to meet Glenn and Rick so I could see for myself what wonderful
people they are and how much they love each other.”
“Glenn and
Rick are very devoted to each other,” Kerry said, looking over at me.
I had
stopped putting away the dishes to listen to Jill. I looked at her and said, “I hope you
can work things out between you and Jeb because it’s obvious he really
likes you, Jill. I know how far Jeb has
come from his very bigoted and hateful views of gays to where he is today. It’s amazing how peoples’ views change when
they take the time to get to know us.
We aren’t monsters, pedophiles or crazed sex fiends. We are normal people. Just because we happen to love someone of
the same sex doesn’t make us inhuman or insane. We aren’t diseased or psycho. We want to have the same rights as straight
people do – we want to be married and to be treated with dignity and respect.”
“I think
that’s reasonable,” Jill said.
“I do as
well,” Kerry agreed.
“Maybe you
can spread the message to all of the religious bigots who are trying to pass
laws against us. They give sermons and
put out ads denigrating us and blaming us for all the evils that are afflicting
society. The worst part is they
encourage violence against gays,” I said.
“Let me tell you about a few examples of such behavior.” I related what had happened to me and Rick. Then I talked to her about Greg and Cory.
“Jeb told
me about them. He said that is what
really started him thinking about how wrong his father was about gays,” Jill
said.
“Did he
mention how many “Christian” ministers advocate violence but then in small
print add, “But we don’t condone illegal acts,” as a parenthetical statement
after they have inflamed their congregations to take action against gays,” I
asked. “It’s almost like they are
trying to inoculate themselves against criminal and civil lawsuits when their
members commit murder in their name because then they can claim that they told
their angry mobs not to do anything illegal.”
Jill nodded
her head. “He told me about how his Dad does that as do all of the other
ministers he knows. I disagree with
what they are doing. It goes against everything
I have been taught about being a good Christian.”
Kerry said,
“That’s because they have built up their churches to get gain. They're in the religion business for the
money and the power. Keith and I have
been very happy with our new church.
It’s the First Metropolitan Community Church.”
“Jeb has
asked me to go with him to your services.
I don’t know how my parents will react to that,” Jill said.
I said,
“They're very accepting of gays. We
have been going there for a few weeks now with Keith and Kerry.”
Kerry said,
“I think if you tell your parents you are going with us they will be
fine with it.”
“I will
think about it,” Jill said.
Jeb came
into the kitchen and asked, “Are you going to join us for Bible study?”
We looked
at each other, then Jill said, “Yes, we're going to join you.”
We got up
from the kitchen table and joined the guys in the family room.
Jeb
beckoned for Jill to join him on the loveseat.
I sat next to Rick who put his arm around my shoulders. I snuggled closer to him as he held the
Bible open on his lap.
Jeb said,
“Let’s start with a prayer.”
Jeb had
become our spiritual leader as he walked us through our Bible study
sessions. During our first meeting as a
group, Jeb had led us through a discussion about who Christ was and what we
thought were his character traits. Each
of the following weeks, Jeb selected one of the attributes we had
identified. Jeb led us through the
scriptures to discover the basis for each attribute and why it was so important
to the overall character of the great Teacher and how we could cultivate it in
our own lives.
After the
prayer, Jeb said, “Tonight’s subject is forgiveness. We need to learn to forgive others and
ourselves for things that happen to us.
We also need to learn how to seek forgiveness when we give offense to
someone else.”
Jeb led us
through a series of scriptures that made it clear we're to forgive
everyone their trespasses. Jeb asked,
“How many times should we forgive someone?”
Gerald
said, “Seventy times seven according to that verse.”
Jeb said
“Correct. That is what is says. But for us to clearly understand what was
being taught, we have to understand Jewish tradition and culture. The statement, “Seventy times Seven,” meant
an infinite number of times or you could say we are required to forgive every
offense no matter how many times it happens.”
Gerald
said, “That’s hard to do, Jeb. My
girlfriend, Sharon, has repeatedly tried to get my money and has told me I’m worthless and good for nothing except to be hauled out with the trash.”
Jeb looked
at Gerald and nodded his head. “I understand, Gerald. I’m having a hard time forgiving my parents
for disowning me solely based on a difference of opinion. I don’t agree with their stance on gays,
specifically their call for violence against another of God’s children.”
Gerald
said, “Sharon has signed over sole custody of our child to me. She has shown zero interest in our
baby. She claims she has no
responsibility as a parent.”
“But her
mother is helping you take care of LaTisha isn’t she?” Jeb asked.
“Yes, she
is. Mom Strickland is wonderful and
loves LaTisha very much. I wish I could
be closer to them while I go to school,” Gerald said.
“You can
be, Gerald. You can buy the condo next
to ours and move Mom Strickland and LaTisha here to Atlanta,” Kerry said.
Gerald
looked at Kerry in surprise, “Do you think that would really be something Mom
Strickland would consider?”
“Sure,
especially if you tell her it’s only for a couple of years while you finish
school,” Kerry said.
Gerald
thought for a moment, “She might do it.
She is a widow and doesn’t have anyone at home with her. Sharon’s brother, Eugene, could take care of
her house. He was looking for a place
to live with his wife and kids.”
“Why don’t
you call her and see what she says?” I asked.
Gerald
nodded his head and stood up. He walked
out of the room to make his call. We
could hear him talking to her about it.
He returned with a big grin on his face. “She said she would agree to move to Atlanta
as long as her sister, Celia, could live with us while she is getting cancer
treatments here.”
Kerry
smiled, “My neighbors haven’t put the condo on the market, yet, so I will let
them know I have a potential buyer.
Keith and I would love to have you live next door to us.”
Gerald
said, “Thank you for suggesting it, Kerry.
Now I won’t miss out on seeing my daughter grow up.”
There were
tears in his eyes that he tried to hide but Kerry saw them. She got up and walked over to him. She hugged him and said, “It’s okay, Gerald,
I understand how you feel. I have a
little one, too.” She took his hand and
led him back to his seat next to her and Keith.
Jeb said,
“Gerald, it looks like you just got adopted by this wonderful family.”
Gerald
smiled, “It seems like it. I have been
so lonely since I moved here. Since I
have a child, most students won’t take the time to get to know me. They can’t relate to the worries I have
about my daughter. Glenn befriended me
from the beginning. I’m glad you
invited me to your home tonight, Glenn.
It feels great to have a place to be among friends.”
I said,
“You’re welcome. We still haven’t
rehearsed for our concert though.”
Jeb asked,
“What concert?”
“We have a
concert in a couple of weeks and we're the soloists,” I said.
Jeb said,
“I’m finished with our topic for the evening.
Would you mind playing for us?”
I looked
over at Gerald. Gerald shrugged. “I’m
okay with it if you are, Glenn. The only
thing is that you guys can’t expect us to be perfect. We have practiced our parts separately and
this will be our first time putting it together.”
Kerry said,
“We understand you aren’t ready to perform it yet. Maybe you can play the parts you are most
comfortable with instead of playing the entire piece.”
I nodded my agreement. “Okay. Let’s get our instruments.” We set up our music stands and tuned our
instruments. We played through the
first few pages before we decided we needed to stop and start over. I grinned at Gerald. “It’s a good thing we
started practicing together. I hate
to think what a disaster it would have been otherwise!”
Gerald
laughed and looked around the room. “I warned you guys we weren’t ready.”
Cordell
said, “That’s okay. It’s kind of like
how Jeb and I work together on the football field. We have to practice and practice our plays
until they become second nature to us.
Then when we execute them in the game, we can do it perfectly and win
every time.”
Jeb agreed,
“That’s true. It takes a lot of practice
to get good at what we do.”
Michael
said, “That includes getting good grades in class. I'm really struggling in my classes this
semester.”
Jeb
laughed. “I think I know why!”
Cordell
blushed as did Michael. Gerald looked
at the two guys and asked, “How long have you two been a couple?”
Michael
smiled. “Only since school started. Jeb
is right. We have spent a lot of time
together and not all of it doing our studies.”
Cordell
took Michael’s hand. “I have to admit I’m having difficulty keeping up on
my homework. We have talked about
limiting our time together.”
Rick said,
“You have to be rather disciplined about it.
Glenn and I have developed a set schedule so we spend the time to get
our homework completed. Otherwise, we
would never get anything done because Glenn can’t keep his hands off of me!”
I
protested, “I’m not the one who decided we needed to have some recreational
activities instead of reading our Spanish literature assignment last night!”
Rick
grinned. “No, you weren’t but you didn’t complain about it either!”
“No, I
didn’t because I wanted it as much as you did,” I admitted. “But that isn’t the point. We do have a fairly disciplined approach to
our studies most of the time.”
Michael
complained, “The problem is that there isn’t any time for us to be together
because of Cordell’s football commitments.
He has to practice every day and then there are his games.”
Cordell
said, “Football practices do take up a lot of my time. I still have to maintain good grades at the
same time.”
“Glenn and
I don’t have all the answers for you,” Rick said. “But there has to be something you can work
out between the two of you so you can spend quality time together and
still keep up with the homework.”
Jeb said,
“I’m having the same problem since I met Jill.
It’s almost like the coaches don’t want us to have a social life. They keep telling us we need to stay
focused on the game.”
“Well, you
know how much Georgia Tech loves their football team,” Keith said.
Cordell
said, “Believe me! We know!”
“Yes, there
has been a lot of pressure on us to keep up our winning streak,” Jeb said.
Rick said,
“I think you need to keep your minds focused on the game then until after the
football season is over. Michael and
Jill will have to be patient and understanding.”
“Michael
has been very supportive of me,” Cordell said.
“We talk every night and we get together when we can.”
Gerald
said, “We need to practice. Is there
another room where we can go, so we don’t bother anyone?”
“Follow
me,” I responded. “Please excuse
us. We will talk to everyone later.”
Gerald
followed me down the hallway to our spare bedroom which I had turned into a
music room. We set up and began
rehearsing. After we finished, Gerald
asked, “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” I
said looking over at him.
“Do you
really think your cousin and his wife would really like having me as their
neighbor?” Gerald asked.
I looked
closely at Gerald and said, “They said they would love to have you as their
neighbor. I believe they meant what
they said. Why?”
Gerald
said, “It’s just that, in the past, families like mine wouldn’t be allowed to
buy a condo in this building.”
I looked at
Gerald in total and complete shock. I
had never heard of such a thing. I had
read about discrimination in the Southern United States in our history books in
school but there had never been a discussion about it in class. Being a farm boy from the prairies of
Saskatchewan had shielded me from many things, including discrimination against
anyone who was different. Yes, I had
some problems with a couple of kids at school about being gay; but that had
been minimal given the fact that my cousin, Ben, and his friends took me under
their wing. Then, I thought about Mom
and wondered why she never talked about how prevalent discrimination was here. She talked about her family and growing up
on the peach farm but never about such topics.
As I processed what Gerald said, it reinforced for me that people here
had a history of discriminating against anyone they didn’t like or who didn’t
fit their definition of being acceptable to society. Things like the color of your skin, your
sexual orientation, your religion or your social status.
I said, “It
may have been like that in the past Gerald but it doesn’t seem like that now –
at least not in this condo complex.
There are people from all over the world who live here. You would be more than welcome here. I think you would find that the people who
live here are very open and friendly to everyone.”
Gerald
smiled. “I know you and your family want me here.”
I nodded my
head. “Yes, that’s true. You are a good
person, Gerald. I want you to be happy
and having your daughter near you will make you happy. I've watched the sadness come into your
eyes when you are talking about being away from her.”
Gerald
acknowledged his longing for his daughter. “I do miss my LaTisha very much.”
We packed
up our instruments and went back to the family room. Rick was watching the news. He looked up and smiled at me. “I thought
you guys were never going to quit!”
I walked
over and sat down next to my guy. Rick
pulled me close and I gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “We can’t do any more damage tonight,” I
said. “We pretty much massacred the
piece.”
Gerald
nodded his head. “We really need to practice.
Let’s meet at the school tomorrow afternoon. I will get a practice room for us.”
“Okay,” I
said.
“I need to
get going. Thanks for inviting me over
tonight. I had a nice time,” Gerald
said. As I moved to get up, Gerald
said, “Don’t get up. I can see myself
out. See you tomorrow.”
He left the
room and we heard him open and close the door.
Rick said, “I like Gerald. He
seems really nice.”
“He is
really nice. I’m glad you like him,” I
said.
Rick asked,
“Are you sure Gerald isn’t a closet gay?”
I turned my
head and looked at Rick, “No, why?”
“He sure
couldn’t take his eyes off of Jeb and Cordell,” Rick said.
“Really? I didn’t notice anything like that,” I said.
“That’s
because you weren’t paying attention,” Rick said, laughing.
“Well, I
was paying attention to you. You kind
of distract me whenever you're in the room,” I responded, with a smile as I
placed my hand on his thigh.
Rick
laughed. “Yes, I do seem to affect you that way. It was kind of obvious you were pretty
turned on.”
“I was
not,” I protested.
“You
were. The tent in your pants was pretty
noticeable,” Rick replied.
I said, with
a little asperity in my voice, “ONLY because you were running your hand up and
down my leg at the dinner table!”
Rick
laughed. “I wanted to make sure you hadn’t forgotten about me.”
“How could
I forget about you? You are always in
my thoughts, Babe,” I said. “I think we
need to retire for the evening. I need
my superhero tonight.”
Rick
clicked off the news and stood up from the couch, pulling me up with
him. Rick led me to our bedroom and
said, “One superhero performance coming right up!”
I laughed
as he closed the door behind me and pinned me against it. I could feel how horny he was since his
steel pole was very hard and erect. As
he captured my lips in a passionate kiss, I wrapped my arms around his waist
and molded my body to his.
*** ***
As Jeb
drove Jill to her parents’ home, Jeb asked, “Did you have a good time tonight?”
“Yes, I
did. Keith and Kerry are very nice
people and Egan is so cute,” Jill replied.
“Your gay friends seem to be nice, as well. They aren’t the horrible people my parents
have made gays out to be.”
“They are
wonderful people, Jill,” Jeb said.
“Rick and Glenn are the best examples of what true “Christians” should
be like. They treat everyone with
kindness and respect. I wish more of us
were like them.”
“They are
certainly in love with each other,” Jill said.
“I found it really cute to see how they interacted with each other.”
Jeb
laughed. “They aren’t shy about letting people know they're couple.”
Jill
agreed, “No, they certainly aren’t shy but that’s okay. They were in their own home and we were
their guests. I would expect them to
behave like the couple they are just like any other couple who is as much in
love as they are.”
“So you are
okay with them being together?” Jeb asked.
“I’m okay
with them because they are happy and it is very obvious they were meant for
each other. However, I still don’t
agree with two men having sex with each other,” Jill said.
“But you
don’t hate them or think that they are evil?” Jeb asked.
“No, I
don’t hate them and I've already said I don’t think they're the evil monsters
my parents think gays are,” Jill said.
“Do you
think I am doing the right thing by having Bible study with them?” Jeb asked.
Jill
thought for a moment and then responded, “Bringing the gospel to people is
always the right thing, Jeb. Do I agree
with your support of their gay lifestyle?
No, I don’t but I do agree with your efforts to bring God into their
lives.”
Jeb nodded
his head as he pulled into her parents’ driveway and asked, “Do you think you will ever
be able to accept them for who they are?”
“I don’t
know, Jeb. You have to give me time to
think about what I witnessed tonight,” Jill responded.
Jeb leaned
over and gave Jill a quick kiss and said, “Thank you for going with me
tonight.”
He got out
of the car and walked around to open her door.
He escorted her to the front door and opened it for her. She turned and kissed him. “Thank you for the nice evening, Jeb.”
Jeb
returned to his car and sat thinking about Jill. He really liked her but he couldn’t, in all
good conscious, continue to date her if she wasn’t willing to accept his gay
friends as part of his life. He had
been disowned by his parents for calling them on their hypocritical behavior
towards gays. He wasn’t about to
compromise his principles just because he wanted this beautiful girl. He had already suffered the pain of being
shunned by his parents and he didn’t want that to happen, again, with
Jill. At least she had been willing to
go to Rick and Glenn’s home and see for herself what wonderful people they
are. Maybe there was hope she
would come to realize gays are God’s children, too, and they deserved
to be treated with dignity and respect.
With this thought, he started the car and pulled out of the
driveway.
*** ***
The next
day, Rick and I met Duane and Mason for lunch.
As we sat down at their table, Duane looked at me and whistled,
“Wow! You look good enough to eat!”
I blushed
at his praises. Rick laughed and
ruffled my hair. “Glenn always looks good enough to eat!”
Duane
grinned. “Have you two ever thought about having an open relationship?”
I looked at
Rick who answered for us both, “No, Duane.
We are in a committed relationship.”
“We have
been approached about it before and we have given it some thought but it’s not
for us,” I said.
Duane nodded
his head. “I gathered you two were in a closed relationship but I just thought
I would ask. Mason and I have played
around with other guys before and it hasn’t affected our relationship.”
I looked at
Mason for confirmation. Mason’s
expression showed he didn’t like it.
I was surprised when he said, “It’s been fun to have other guys with
us.”
“Don’t you
feel like you are selling yourself for sex?” I asked. “I know I wouldn’t feel comfortable having
multiple sex partners.”
Mason said,
“I felt like that at first.”
Duane
looked in surprise at Mason. “I thought you liked being fucked by all those
other guys.”
“No, I did
it because you wanted me to do it,” Mason said, looking down at the table.
Duane said,
“You should have said something to me. I wouldn’t have forced you to have sex with
them. I thought you wanted it as much
as I did and that you enjoyed it.”
“I know you
wanted to have sex with those guys. I
felt that if I didn’t go along with what you wanted that you would leave me,”
Mason said.
Duane
didn’t respond immediately. He thought
back over what had happened and realized Mason was right. He would have left him. He looked at Mason. “You’re right. I probably would have.”
Mason
nodded his head. “I knew that so I went along with it. Yes, I enjoyed being fucked but I didn’t
enjoy being with so many different guys.
I wanted to be with you and only you.”
I looked at
Rick and I said, “Do we need to let you guys have some privacy so you can talk
this out? Rick and I can meet you in
the Library later.”
Duane
looked at us and said, “If you wouldn’t mind.”
We picked
up our trays and moved a couple of tables down from our friends. Rick said, “I’m glad they are talking about
it now. Mason seems really upset.”
As we
watched, Mason got up and left their table.
Duane soon followed. He turned
and gave us a wave as he left. “I hope
they can work things out.”
“I’m sure
they will,” Rick said. “I’m glad we
decided not to have an open relationship.
I don’t think I could have handled you being with another guy.”
I grinned
at him. “No, you tend to be pretty possessive most of the time.”
Rick
laughed, “I know I am but you love me anyway!”
“Yes, I do
and I wouldn’t have it any other way because I don’t want to share you with
anyone else,” I said, gazing into my lover’s eyes across the table.
*** ***
As a
Spanish Major, I was taking several upper division Spanish courses this
semester. I not only had the Latin
American Literature class with Rick, I had a class on the book, “Don Quixote,”
and a Spanish Writing and Composition class.
I was sitting at the kitchen table writing my reaction to the assigned
chapters of Don Quixote when Rick came up behind me and put his hand on my
shoulders. As he began giving me a
massage, he asked, “Aren’t you done with that essay, yet?”
“No. I have to look up almost every word in the
dictionary and it slows me down. The
Spanish Miguel Cervantes used to write Don Quixote is forcing me to expand
my vocabulary in a most painful way!
Dr. Kartchner insists we place direct quotations in our essays and
then address them. He wants us to
interpret the symbolism of the quotation and relate it to the society of
the time, expounding on its relevance to our time. I’m starting to go cross-eyed, Rick, because
the print is so small,” I complained.
Rick
laughed. “You're the one who chose to pursue a Spanish major.”
I moaned,
“But I never envisioned spending every waking moment writing essays in Spanish!”
“Did you
finish your creative writing assignment from your Spanish writing and
composition class?” Rick asked.
“Yes, that
was easy. I didn’t have to look up
every other word to figure out what the author was trying to say,” I
replied. “Since I’m the author, I knew
what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it.”
Rick said,
“Here’s Duane.”
He walked
up and said, “I’m sorry we can’t study with you, guys. Mason has left me. He is moving out of our apartment today.”
Rick said,
“I’m sorry.”
Duane sat
down and said, “I’ve seen this coming for a while now. I think it’s for the best. Mason hasn’t been happy with me since we had
that make out session with those other guys.”
I asked, in
an accusatory voice, “I take it that all you wanted was sex out of the
relationship.”
Duane
looked at me and said, “At first, yes, that is all I wanted from Mason. You must think I’m a terrible person but I
was very clear that was all I wanted from him when Mason moved in with me.”
“That still
doesn’t excuse your behavior towards Mason,” Rick said.
Duane
started to protest, “It’s not my…”
Rick cut
him off, “Duane, please look me in the eyes and tell me you honestly didn’t
know how Mason felt about having sex with other guys.”
Duane
looked away from Rick and then he said, “You’re right. I did know.”
“How do you
feel about Mason?” I asked.
“I don’t
know, Glenn. I didn’t think I had
feelings for him but since he left me this afternoon, I've been thinking
about what my life would be like without him,” Duane said. “I’m going to miss him.”
I watched
as Duane’s expression changed from one of resolve to one that clearly showed he
was hurting inside. I touched his arm
and said, “It’s not too late to try and set things right between you.”
Duane’s
face hardened and he replied, “I’m not going to go crawling to him and beg him
to return.”
“That’s not
what I said, Duane. Let me repeat, you
still have time to apologize to him and let him know how you feel about him,” I
said. I looked across the table at Rick
who tried to signal me that someone was behind me.
Duane said,
“How can I tell him I love him now that he’s gone.”
We both
jumped in surprise as we heard Mason’s voice.
“You can tell me directly to my face,” he said as he joined us at our
table.
Duane took
Mason’s hand. “I love you, Mason. Can
you forgive me for being so inconsiderate of your feelings?”
Mason said,
“Yes, I forgive you. I love you,
Duane. I have loved you from the first
night we spent together.” Mason turned
to us with a huge smile on his face. “That is the first time Duane has ever
told me he loved me.”
I looked at
Duane in astonishment. “Do you mean to tell me you’ve been together this
long and you have never told Mason you loved him?”
Duane
looked sheepish. “It’s true. I don’t
show my emotions very often. I have
always considered them a liability and have tried to keep them under tight
control.”
“I think
you need to express your feelings more often,” Rick said. “I used to think like you but after meeting
Glenn I have changed my mind. Glenn
runs on pure emotion, it seems, and starts to get upset with me if I don’t tell
him I love him often enough.”
Mason
looked at me. “I’m a lot like you then.”
He turned to Duane. “Now I understand why you have been so cold to me
sometimes.”
Rick said,
“Guys, let’s find a study room so we can talk.
I don’t want us to disturb anyone.”
Rick led us
to a study room. Rick checked to make
sure we could use it for the next few hours.
When he returned, we discussed the assignment we had for our class. Then I said, “I know you will want some
time alone to celebrate tonight but you're welcome to join us for dinner.”
Duane said,
“Can we take a rain check? I want to
take Mason out on the town tonight.”
Mason
grinned at Duane. He turned to me and
said, “We would love to come over another time.”
Rick said,
“Okay, guys. We'll see you in class
tomorrow.”
The two
guys left hand in hand. I turned to
Rick. “I’m glad they worked things out between them.”
“Me, too,”
Rick said. “Now it’s time for us to
head home. I think we need some alone
time, too.”
*** ***
Later that
evening, Duane and Mason were at Swinging Richards enjoying themselves when Dr.
Bigelow spotted them. He remembered
seeing them on campus. He walked over
to them and said, “Hey guys! Don’t you
go to Georgia Tech?”
Duane looked
at the older guy and said, “We aren’t interested.”
“You aren’t
interested in what?” Dr. Bigelow asked.
“We've
been watching you for some time,” Duane said.
“We aren’t interested in having sex with you or getting to know you.”
“How do you know what I want?” Dr. Bigelow
asked, giving them a lecherous look.
“You have
already hit on several of our friends and a couple of them have gone home with
you. You're already a known quantity
to us. We aren’t interested in you or
your friend, Terry,” Duane said pointedly.
“I see my
reputation has preceded me,” Dr. Bigelow said, smiling at them. “If you ever change your minds, you know
where to find me.” He walked off
towards the bar.
Duane said,
“I hope that creep keeps his distance.”
“He and his
partner are into that bondage stuff,” Mason said. “Remember how badly they hurt Aaron last
week?”
“I think
Aaron should have reported them to the cops,” Duane said.
“Aaron
didn’t want to report it because the cops wouldn’t have done anything about
it,” Mason said.
“I think we
should do something about it,” Duane said angrily. “No one messes with our friends like that.”
“What do
you plan to do?” Mason asked, worriedly.
“I don’t
know, yet,” Duane said.
They soon
forgot the professor as they found their way home. Duane helped Mason get undressed and then
joined him in their bed. Duane pulled
Mason close and said, “I want you to marry me.”
Mason gazed
into Duane’s eyes and asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m
sure. When you walked away from me
today, I realized I can’t risk losing you. When that old guy approached us tonight, I
thought I’d better get a ring on your finger just in case someone like him
tries to steal you away from me,” Duane said.
Mason said,
“When do you want to get married?”
“At
Thanksgiving break,” Duane said.
“Where?”
asked Mason.
“I don’t
know. I thought I would let you choose
where you wanted to be married,” Duane said.
“You are so
unromantic, Duane,” Mason said, smiling at him.
Duane
replied, “So true, but I can guarantee you the best sex you will ever have!”
“I know you
will give me that,” Mason said, grinning.
Then he put his hand to Duane’s cheek and asked in serious tone of
voice, “And you will always be true to me?”
He looked searchingly into Duane’s eyes.
“Always,”
Duane responded. He cut off further discussion
by kissing Mason.
*** ***
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