Drop and Give Me 50

Chapter 27: Hello

Charles: Hello

Me: Hi. I’m Linda Sullivan’s son. She gave me this number.

Charles: Oh yes. I think you are calling for Jim. Let me get him.

Dad (Jim): Hello?

Me: Hi. I’m Linda Sullivan’s son. She gave me this number.

There was a long pause on the other end. The sound of weeping was unmistakable. I heard a deep, snot-filled inhalation.

Dad: Oh my god. I’ve waited so long. I thought this day would never come. I am so happy you called.

Me: Dad?

Dad: Yes, son. It’s me.

Me: Dad. I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner. When I asked mom tonight at dinner, she was so relieved. She didn’t want to keep you from me, but she said this needed to be on my timing. I guess my timing was really late.

Dad: Don’t be sorry. I guess it just means she was a great mom.

Me: She was. I mean, she is.

Dad: I’m happy to hear that. Your mother is an amazing person. You were so lucky she was there for you.

Me: She wouldn’t say much about you. She said it was something about the divorce agreement.

Dad: Yeah. The lawyers did a number on me. Well, both of us actually. I’m sure this hasn’t been easy on her.

Me: She’s done well. From what she says, you have stood by the two of us financially. She told me my car and the trip to Europe last summer were special gifts. Thanks for that.

Dad: I only wish I could have done more. Your mother was stubbornly independent, and she wouldn’t ask for anything beyond the child support unless it was really important. I only received two requests in 18 years. Did she ever marry?

Me: Nope. It’s just been the two of us. How about you?

Dad: Once it was legal. Yes. Charles, the man who answered the phone. We’ve been together going on 17 years.

Me: So, this isn’t a difficult deduction. You’re gay.

Dad: That’s what led to the dissolution of my marriage with your mother. Back then, the courts didn’t take too kindly to my type.

Me: I don’t even know how to put this all together. But my best friend and I came out to each other yesterday morning. We’re dating. Well, I guess I get it honestly.

Dad: It hurts to laugh and cry at the same time. But damn if that isn’t hilarious. (Yelling with the phone away from his mouth.) Charles! He’s gay! And has a boyfriend. (Back in normal talking mode) Have you told your mother?

Me: Not yet. It only happened yesterday. We were planning to keep it under wraps for a while, but then this happened. I watched “Giant Little Ones” last night after my boyfriend left the home I was house sitting at. Have you seen the movie?

Dad: Charles and I saw it in the theater when it first came out. Unbelievable movie. Loved it.

Me: Do you remember the scene when the dad gives the son the jacket?

Dad: Very well. I’ve loved Kyle MacLachlan since Blue Velvet.

Me: That just triggered something in me. It was like, I need that in my life right now. I had no idea that a day after coming out to myself I would discover my dad was gay as well. Can we switch to FaceTime?

Dad: I’m an Android guy. How about Zoom? I can text you my email address.

Me: Cool. See you soon.

I typed the email address into a zoom appointment and sent the invite though Outlook. I clicked Join and shortly thereafter, a middle-aged man appeared on the screen.

Dad: Oh my goodness. You are so grown up. I have no idea why I am so surprised by that, but you have to understand, I never got any pictures along the way.

Me: I see the resemblance. This is freaky. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised I look a bit like my dad.

We laughed, somewhat nervously, and just took a moment to stare at each other. Suddenly, a dog jumped up in dad’s lap.

Dad: CHARLES!! Come get Jake.

Me: He’s cute. What kind of dog is he?

Dad: He’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. A total gay cliché, but slightly more butch than the standard poodle we had before.

Me: Sweet.

Dad: (as he is handing the dog off to Charles) So, tell me about yourself. I know nothing.

Me: Well, I’m 18. But then, from your phone number, I’m sure you are aware of that. I’m a senior at Chatwell High School. I’m still waiting on college acceptance letters. As such, I don’t know where I am heading in the fall. I play shortstop on the baseball team. My boyfriend’s name is Brent. He’s an outfielder. I’m in the honor society, which is how I qualified for the study abroad trip you helped to pay for. The last two weeks have been interesting. Brent’s grandmother got sick, and his parents went upstate to help her. Brent and I had the house to ourselves. This weekend, I was cat sitting for my Internist who went to Palm Springs with his husband. With two back-to-back weekends alone, we ended up figuring some things out together. He’s super handsome. And we are quite fond of each other. It may be first love, but it’s pretty real for me.

Dad: I’m so happy for you. Things were different back when your mother and I were married. The options you and Brent have just weren’t available like they are today. For me to be gay, I had to give up everything, move across the country, and start a new life. It’s been a good one. Charles and I are very happy.

Me: Mom said your parents know I exist, but she said she had no idea if they are still alive or in contact with you.

Dad: After the divorce, I lost contact with them. They were very religious and practically disowned me. Two years ago, we reconnected and forgave each other as much as we could. Dad had stage four cancer and died shortly thereafter. Mom is still very much alive. She moved out here after dad’s death and lives in an assisted living facility in Marin County just across the Golden Gate Bridge. She will be thrilled to know you are alive, well, and thriving. She will likely blame me for making you gay. But I will admit, it certainly supports the theory that it’s not a choice. There is a bit of delicious irony in all of this.

Me: This may be really forward, but can I come visit you and Charles over Spring Break?

Dad: Absolutely! Just give me the dates, and Charles will make all the arrangements. He’s the planner in the family. When I try to organize trips, I screw it up and he murders me with evil gay side eye. As such, I do nothing and let him plan everything. I just mix cocktails and watch him go. I think I got the better end of the bargain on that one.

Me: You certainly did.

Dad: Would you like to bring Brent?

Me: Let me think about that. I kinda want this to just be about us. But I don’t know. Maybe since Charles will be around, Brent might balance things out nicely. Let me talk with him. He will have to clear it with his parents. We aren’t out to them. They know mom, but as awful as it sounds, nobody’s even mentioned your existence for the last 18 years. So, it might be a bit strange. We’ll figure it out.

Dad: That’s understandable. Are you going to tell your mother?

Me: I wasn’t planning to before this call. But I don’t know how to avoid it now. I mean, the topic’s going to be right out, face up on the table. It would be insincere to dodge the issue. Plus, it would hurt her to know that someone I just met knew and she didn’t. I could never hurt her like that. I know as soon as I get off the phone, she is going to want a download.

Dad: The restrictions in the divorce decree were mainly there to protect you. Now that the cat is out of the bag, we can all exhale. I know I hurt your mother. But time does a lot to soften people. Please let her know I am open to any communication she feels comfortable with.

Me: When I come out to see you, can we visit grandma?

Dad: Of course. I’m sure she would be thrilled. Do you mind if I take some screen shots to send to her?

Me: Now that I have your email address, I can send you some photos. We haven’t taken team photos this year, but I have my baseball pictures from last year. I’m a couple inches taller now, but they get the point across. Can we talk again tomorrow? We have a lot of catching up to do. But it’s getting late. I have school tomorrow, and I’m sure mom is dying to know what has just happened. She was worried as to how this would go. It will be a big relief for her to know it went well.

Dad: That sounds perfect. This may be weird to say, but I love you. I’ve always loved you. This conversation has been the gift of a lifetime. I’m so glad you called.

Me: Me too. Goodnight dad.

Dad: Goodnight son.

I ventured downstairs to find mom sitting silently on the couch with a glass of wine. She rarely drinks.

Mom: How did it go?

Me: I love you so much, and nothing will ever change that. And it went amazingly well. Thank you for encouraging me to call him. It was just a life-changing conversation.

Mom: I’m so happy for you. You have no idea the weight that has been lifted off of me. So, details. Spill.

Me: He’s married. His husband’s name is Charles. Charles answered the phone. He immediately recognized your name and put Jim on the phone. Dad cried. I cried. We switched to Zoom. I look a lot like him. I promised to send him some pictures. His parents cut him off, but they reconciled a couple of years ago. Granddad died of cancer. Grandma moved to California and is in a retirement home near dad. He said nothing but wonderful things about you. He said he was open to any level of communication you felt comfortable with. I invited myself out there for spring break. I hope you don’t mind.

Mom: Not at all. The fact that this went well makes me so happy. I was worried sick down hear waiting to hear how it went.

Me: They have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Jake. The dog they had before that was a standard poodle. Dad openly admitted that the dogs were a gay cliché. As the conversation unfolded, it became clear to me why the two of you divorced. He explained that it was a different time. A lot has changed in 18 years. It sounds like, at least initially, it was hard on him. He lost you, me, his parents, and from the way he described it, he ran away to the other side of the country and just started over.

Mom: Being gay isn’t easy. Being gay back then really wasn’t easy. Being gay with a kid. Well, that was no walk in the park. Yeah. It was hard on everyone. We did what we thought was best. And look at you. You turned out so well. I’m so proud of you.

Me: There’s one other thing. Mom, I wasn’t planning on this until I spoke with dad. But Brent and I came out to each other yesterday, and we are dating. I’m gay. So, you can imagine my shock as dad’s story unfolded right on the heals of my own self-discovery.

Mom stood up, walked across the room, and hugged me. She couldn’t stop crying.

Mom: I love you so much. I always have, and I always will. There is something about this timing that was just meant to be.

Me: I love you too. Thanks for everything tonight. As dad said, now we can all exhale. Despite all of this, I have school tomorrow. I’m going to head to bed.

Mom: That sounds like a good idea. I’m happy for you. I’m happy for your dad, and for Brent. He’s a cutie. You chose well.

Me: Thanks. I’m glad he has the mom seal of approval.

Brent: (answering the phone) Hey? What’s up?

Me: You’re not going to believe my evening.

Brent: Try me.

Me: At dinner, I asked my mom about my dad. He’s never been around. I didn’t even know if he was alive. Mom, and only mom, has just been my “normal” my whole life. I finally asked.

Brent: OK. That’s heavy shit!

Me: Ugh. Yeah! So, he is very much alive. She gave me his phone number. The last four digits of his phone number are 1804, as in January 8th, 2004, which is my birthday.

Brent: That’s both freaky and sweet.

Me: I called. We ended up on Zoom. He lives in San Francisco. He’s married to a man named Charles.

Brent: Hold up. Your dad’s gay?

Me: Yep, that’s why they separated. I found out the divorce was finalized about two months before I was born. My dad had never laid eyes on me until tonight. As you might guess, I was shocked. But you have to admit, the irony of what happened yesterday and what happened tonight in such rapid succession is somewhat hilarious.

Brent: Wow man. But hey, that’s kinda cool. He could have been dead, or in prison, or a jerk, or off with a whole new family and not give a shit about you. It sounds like this is all positive, right?

Me: So far, yeah, I would say so. I hope you aren’t mad at me about this, but I came out to him.

Brent: Dude. Why would I be mad about that? He’s your dad. He’s gay. You just found this out. I mean, when the planets align, yeah, wow. (laughing) This is just, I don’t know. I’m happy for you. How’s that?

Me: Yeah, I’m kinda speechless too. When I told him, he yelled to his husband, “he’s gay and he has a boyfriend.” I think he was a bit proud of the situation. OK, but there’s one more thing I hope you aren’t mad about. I couldn’t come out to my dad, someone I had literally just met, and withhold this from my mom. If she found that out, it would kill her. So, yep, I told her too.

Brent: Your mom is the coolest. Was she OK with it?

Me: Totally. She complimented me on my choice of boyfriend. So, I guess I outted you too. Oops. Sorry.

Brent: As long as she’s not on the phone with my parents right now, it’s cool. I like your mom. She’s great.

Me: She likes you too. I’m going to visit my dad at Spring Break. He said you could come if you want. I told him I would talk with you about it. It might be a bit weird. But everything’s weird right now.

Brent: I would love to. But I’m not sure how we swing that without coming out to my folks. And then, even if we did, the idea of sending two gay kids across the country to visit two gay strangers they’ve never met. It’s at best eyebrow raising.

Me: Sure, we are still in high school. But we are adults. We can be drafted, remember? We had to sign up before our birthdays.

Brent: All true, but I’m not sure if my parents quite see it that way.

Me: We have plenty of time to think about it. And it’s cool either way. I’m just glad I’m going to finally get to meet him. In retrospect, I can’t believe it took me this long to ask.

Brent: We just get comfortable with what we know. It takes a lot to venture out from that. The two of us should certainly understand that.

Me: How did you get so wise?

Brent: Seriously, this has been a good day for you. I’m happy for you. Oh, and don’t forget your Kegel exercises.

Me: I know. Dr. Grant was saying he expects significant progress. Hey, thanks for listening. It means a lot to me. I love you.

Brent: I love you too. Goodnight.

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Author’s Note:
The Thanksgiving holiday gave me a lot of time to develop the story. But I need to get back to work! I am taking a pause but have every intention of picking it back up. Maybe the Christmas holiday will be equally as fruitful. I would love your feedback about where things are heading. Do they stay in the closet, get caught, or come out? Do they skip prom, go with girls, or take the plunge and go together? Does Brent go to San Francisco? How does Dr. Grant figure into all of this? When college acceptance letters arrive, what implications do they have on their future together as a couple?

This story has been a bit of a departure for me. It’s the first intentionally open-ended story I have written. I know there has been a lot of text getting the relationship set up. But I think the non-sexy parts help to make the sex more real and emotionally charged. Thanks for reading this far, and I look forward to seeing how their lives develop from here. Cheers, TSC