“Now, Carol, we said we wouldn’t say anything about that,” Mr. Wilson said, trying to calm his wife.
“I said we’ll still love our son,” she barked. “I never said anything about thatboy.”
“Mum, Adam didn’t turn Scott gay. Scott was gay well before we learnt about Adam,” Chris said.
She spun around to him. “How do you know?”
“Why don’t we all go inside and talk about it there?” Dad suggested, gently taking Mrs. Wilson’s arm and guiding her towards the house.
“Yes, we can sit down and talk about this calmly. It sounds like Scott and Chris have a lot to fill you in on,” Mum added.
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just stood there, dumbstruck at Mrs. Wilson’s rage against Adam. I glanced over at him and started to worry. He displayed his now familiar steely determination by blatantly taking Scott’s hand before heading back to the house. That would just inflame Mrs. Wilson.
Scott made a half-hearted attempt to pull his hand away, but Adam didn’t let him. The two walked back to the house together, with Scott’s parents following.
“Scott...” It sounded like Mrs. Wilson was about to say something hateful, but her husband interrupted her.
“Let’s wait until we’re inside,” he said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Chris and my parents exchanged worried looks. The issue of Adam was going to be critical in the upcoming discussion.
Randy and I brought up the rear in the procession towards the house.
“Any ideas on what we can do?” Randy whispered to me as we walked along.
“None,” I replied curtly.
It was going to be up to Chris and Scott, and I hoped Adam wouldn’t make things worse by making some sort of stupid statement about not giving up his boyfriend. His belligerent stance in front of Scott’s parents was not a good sign.
I stopped in my tracks as I suddenly guessed at what was going through Adam’s head. He’d come so far since he’d been kicked out of home that I’d forgotten how recently that was. Scott had come out to him less than a week after he’d lost his family. Adam was afraid he was going to lose Scott, too, and he was trying to show that he wasn’t willing to let that happen.
“What is it?” Randy asked me as he stopped, too.
“Nothing,” I said. I didn’t see how sharing my thoughts with Randy would help, and I might have been wrong, anyway.
Once inside the house, Mum and Dad took everyone to the lounge room, while Randy put the kettle on. I hesitated for a moment before following the others.
The Wilsons were just seating themselves on the couch when I arrived. Mum and Dad had taken the two good chairs, while Adam, Scott and Chris were sitting in the extra chairs we’d brought in earlier. Adam and Scott were still hold hands, despite Mrs. Wilson’s disapproving glare.
“What’s he doing here?” Mrs. Wilson demanded, pointing at Adam. “This is a family matter, and I don’t want him in the room.”
“He’s here for me,” Scott shot back. “I want him with me, and what we talk about is going to affect him, too.”
Before Mrs. Wilson could explode, her husband reached over and put a hand on her arm.
“Just let it go,” he said gently. “It’s not that important.”
She snapped her mouth closed and scowled angrily.
“Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?” I asked Scott’s parents as politely as I could. I didn’t want to aggravate matters by being rude.
“We’ll both have tea, thanks,” Mr. Wilson replied, after glancing at his wife. She didn’t seem to notice me.
I hesitated. Chris had told me what they normally drink, but I wasn’t confident enough to just assume that was what they’d be having. Mr. Wilson guessed my dilemma.
“I’ll have black with one. My wife will have white, no sugar.”
“Black with one sugar. White with none,” I repeated, before turning to my parents.
“White tea, no sugar,” Mum said. The fact that she didn’t smile was telling, at least to me.
“Same here,” Dad added. I was a little surprised. I’d been expecting him to have coffee.
I turned to the others.
“White coffee with two sugars,” Chris quietly told me, before returning his attention to his parents. He was frowning slightly and gnawing at his lower lip.
“White coffee,” Scott said. He seemed preoccupied, and he was squeezing Adam’s hand.
“Tea, please,” Adam said, after a glance at my parents. “White, no sugar.”
Again, I was surprised. Adam normally drinks coffee.
As I left the room, I heard Mum start the conversation.
“Chris, why don’t you tell us what you know?”
I didn’t stick around to hear what he would say. I just hoped it would help.
Randy looked up as I joined him in the kitchen.
“Chris and Scott are having coffee, Chris with two sugars. Their dad is having black tea with one and everyone else is having white tea.”
I looked down at the cups Randy had out. There weren’t enough good teacups, so I headed to the dresser to get more.
“How’s it going?” Randy asked me, as he spooned instant coffee into two mugs. We’d asked Mum earlier if we should make a pot, and she’d said to do that only if the Wilsons wanted coffee. For everyone else, instant would be okay.
“Tense, but I’m hoping Chris can explain things to his mum.”
Randy nodded. “I hope she doesn’t end up blaming Adam.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, as I continued getting things ready. The early signs were that she was heading in that direction.
Once we had the drink orders organised and everything onto a pair of trays, Randy and I looked at each other for support. I was glad the pink in Randy’s hair had faded, as that colour could’ve been another thing to upset Mrs. Wilson. Randy raised both hands to show his crossed fingers, and then reached down to pick up a tray. I picked up the other, and we walked carefully to the lounge room.
“... and I had to keep encouraging Scott to tell Adam,” Chris was saying as we entered.
Everyone looked up as our entrance interrupted their discussion.
“Thanks, dears,” Mum said gently. She gave us a small smile.
I gave Scott’s parents their drinks first, starting with Mrs. Wilson. Her lips were pursed as she stared across at where Adam and Scott were sitting. She looked up at me and gave me a nod of appreciation when she accepted her tea, but didn’t say anything. Mr. Wilson softly thanked me but quickly turned his attention back to his two sons and Adam.
After placing a plate of cakes and slices next to the Wilsons, and handing Mum and Dad their drinks, I picked up the tray, ready to leave. Randy was waiting for me by the door.
“As I was saying, Scott was scared to say anything. I told him that I liked Adam and I kept pushing Scott to tell him about himself. After a few days, he finally did.”
“So, you were helping your brother to meet up with this...this...” Mrs. Wilson was struggling to find an appropriate word to describe Adam.
“My boyfriend?” Scott suggested. There was a touch of defiance in the way he said it, though his tone was civil.
“...homosexual,” Mrs Wilson eventually said. Her tone made it clear how unpleasant she found the word.
“I’m a homosexual, too, Mum,” Scott stated firmly, though politely, as I walked over to stand beside Randy. “I’ve known that for years.”
“But you weren’t like this, before. You’ve changed,” she said, seeming to try to contain her emotions.
“You don’t understand! Yes, I’ve changed. For the first time in over two years, I’m happy, and that’s because of Adam. I’m no longer alone. I want him. I need him, and I’m not giving him up.”
During the silence that followed Scott’s outburst, Randy and I slipped out of the room. A final glance back showed Mrs. Wilson looking like she was about to explode. She obviously wasn’t happy with what Scott had just said.
I was very tempted to stay and eavesdrop, but I headed back along the hallway. I didn’t want to give Mrs. Wilson any excuses for getting more upset. I hadn’t heard Mr. Wilson say much, so I could only hope he was listening with an open mind.
“It doesn’t sound too good,” Randy remarked, once we were back in the kitchen.
“No, it doesn’t, but it sounds like Scott’s not going to let her get away with blaming Adam.”
Randy looked thoughtful.
“Come with me,” he said suddenly, heading towards the study.
I followed, curious as to what he was planning. When he sat down at the computer and logged on, I made a guess.
“You’re going to print something off for Scott’s mum?”
“Yep. There’s a site I know of with information for parents. I should’ve thought of this earlier and had some stuff ready, but we thought it was all going to be okay.”
Randy was surfing through web sites.
“Ah ha! Here it is!”
I looked over his shoulder and saw lots of questions and answers. Reading a few of them showed me that it would’ve been a good site for me to have read earlier. I mightn’t have gone off the deep end as much as I did if I’d known those sorts of things when Adam came out.
“How many copies should I print off?”
I thought for a moment.
“Five. One each for Mr. and Mrs. Wilson, one for Chris, one for Scott and Adam, and one for Mum and Dad. That way, everyone will know what they are talking about.”
“Okay.”
I collected the copies as they printed, and stapled them together. Once we had the five copies ready, Randy was going to head straight to the lounge room, but I stopped him.
“They’ll have finished their drinks. Let’s get the trays so we can take the cups away. We can ask them if they want any more at the same time.”
Randy nodded. “We can give them the printouts then, too.”
“I don’t think so,” I said slowly, as I worked furiously through the options. “Just give them to Dad without comment. He can hand them out, if he thinks it’s okay.”
“Good idea. We don’t know what they’ve been talking about, and we don’t want to jump in and make things worse.”
I handed him the printouts after he’d picked up his tray. When he looked quizzically at me, I just said, “They were your idea. You should get the credit for giving them to Dad.”
We headed down to the lounge room and hesitated outside, listening to see if we would be interrupting at an inappropriate time.
“…we’ve done wrong? Haven’t we provided you with a good home to grow up in?”
It sounded like Mrs. Wilson had left her belligerent attitude behind and was now confused and upset. Randy looked at me and I nodded my head. I knocked on the door to alert them that we were coming in.
When there was no response, I pushed the door open. The first thing I saw was Mrs. Wilson dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. She was visibly distressed. Her husband was awkwardly patting her other hand. A glance around showed that Chris was looking worried, and that Scott seemed to be the verge of losing it. I wondered if Scott was about to start screaming abuse, or maybe just break down on the spot. Adam was holding Scott’s hand tightly in both of his and keeping his focus on his boyfriend. He barely looked up as we walked in.
While Randy went up to Dad, I stepped forward to grab everyone’s attention.
“Would anyone like another drink?” I asked, while scanning the plates of food to see if they needed to be topped up. The plate near Chris was half empty, but most of the rest didn’t look touched. I wondered whether that was a good sign or a bad sign. It could have meant that either they had been too busy talking or they were too upset and distraught to eat.
Mrs. Wilson had barely tasted her drink, but she asked for another one. Mr. Wilson accepted the offer, as did Mum, but everyone else turned me down. When I turned to Dad, I noticed he was busy scanning the printouts that Randy had slipped to him while everyone’s attention was on me.
Randy and I returned to the kitchen and put the kettle back on.
“Any idea on how it’s going?” Randy asked me.
I shrugged. There really wasn’t anything to say.
The kettle had just boiled when we heard a polite cough from behind us. We turned to see an apologetic-looking Mr. Wilson standing nearby.
“Excuse me, but where’s the toilet?”
Randy pointed him in the right direction. I was about to make the tea, but decided to wait until Mr. Wilson returned. There was no point in taking it in before he went back to the lounge room.
When he did return, he stopped and looked at us. He glanced down the hallway towards where the others were, and then turned his attention back to Randy and me.
“Umm, can I ask you boys a question?”
“Sure,” I replied while Randy nodded.
“You’re living with Adam. Aren’t you…uh…afraid he might…”
His voice drifted off as he struggled to say what he meant.
“He might what?” Randy asked with an edge to his voice. He was playing games. I knew he knew what Scott’s dad was talking about.
“Never mind,” Mr. Wilson quickly replied, looking embarrassed as he turned away. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Yeah, I was, but not anymore,” I replied. On that subject, I thought I understood things better than Randy.
Scott’s dad turned back to stare at me.
“Oh?” he said, raising an eyebrow.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Randy scowl at me, but he stayed quiet.
“When I first found out about Adam, I remembered some of the stories and jokes I’d heard. I was worried he might try something. Eventually, though, I realised that Adam is still the same guy I’ve known for years. He probably saved my life last year, and he just doesn’t fit the picture of the poofs I’d been told about.
“I’ve decided he’s a friend, first,” I added, lying through my teeth. It wasn’t the time to tell Mr. Wilson that while I wanted Adam as a friend again, he still hadn’t accepted me back. “That’s all that’s important.”
Mr. Wilson nodded his head.
“Thanks,” he said absently, before strolling slowly back to the lounge room. He looked like he was thinking hard.
I turned and put the kettle back on. It started to boil again almost immediately, so I started making the three cups of tea. Once I’d finished, I looked up to see Randy staring at me. He had an odd expression on his face, as if he couldn’t work something out.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
Ignoring my brother, I picked up the tray and took the drinks back down to the other room. I paused outside the room, waiting for a chance to go in without disrupting things. The conversation sounded heated. Scott was being interrogated on whether or not he’s really gay.
“Mum, I’m sorry. I’m gay, and that’s the way it is. I can’t change it. Both Adam and I have tried, but it just doesn’t work. Can’t you please understand that?”
I heard Mrs. Wilson say, “Scott…” The raw emotion in both of their voices was painful to hear.
There was silence for a few moments, so I knocked and entered. Scott had his head buried in Adam’s shoulder, and his whole body was shaking. Adam had both arms wrapped around Scott and was whispering softly to him. He looked distressed. Mrs. Wilson was half out of her chair, but was being held back by her husband. Both seemed very upset. Scott’s mum must’ve given up trying to keep her composure, as unchecked tears were streaming down her face.
I handed out the drinks and quietly left. I don’t think Scott even realised I’d been in the room. I was shaking when I stepped out of the room, due to the intense atmosphere I’d just left. Both Scott and his parents were going through something really painful. I was glad I didn’t have to go through it with them.
Randy and I were reduced to looking at the clock. Neither one of us felt like talking. I was worried for Scott, and I guessed Randy felt the same. It started raining, the weather seeming to complement the mood inside the house.
Almost an hour later, everyone came out of the lounge room. Scott’s dad was holding a rolled up paper, so I knew my dad had handed out Randy’s printouts. Scott and Adam were holding hands as they followed the four parents out of the room. Chris brought up the rear.
Scott was a wreck and his mum looked just as bad. Mr. Wilson looked slightly better, but he was moving as if he’d aged twenty years.
“Thanks for coming around, Carol, Phil,” Mum was saying. “We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Yvonne,” Mrs. Wilson replied. There was definite sincerity in her statement.
She then turned to Scott and hesitantly lifted her arms. Scott stepped forward, but his expression was stony as he gave her a hug. After he stepped back to Adam, Mrs. Wilson gave a heavy sigh before turning to Chris and doing the same with him. Unlike his brother, Chris smiled down at his mum.
“Now, you two be good for Mrs. Johnson,” she instructed after letting go of Chris.
“Yes, Mum,” Chris said, smiling, while Scott just nodded. Scott’s face was a mask of neutrality.
Mr. Wilson stepped up and gave Scott a hug. He whispered something that seemed to surprise Scott, but whatever it was must’ve been encouraging, as Scott looked happier when his dad stepped over to Chris. Mr. Wilson only shook Chris’ hand, but both of them were smiling.
While Mr. Wilson did that, Mrs. Wilson was staring at Adam and Scott, who were standing together, each with an arm around the other’s waist. Adam noticeably pulled Scott closer when he became aware of the attention. He was scowling, as if in challenge. Mrs. Wilson was harder to read. She wasn’t happy, but she didn’t seem as hostile as she’d been when she’d arrived. Even in Adam’s grip, Scott was standing stiffly, like a soldier going to war. He wanted his parents to accept him, but he wasn’t going to back down on what he wanted.
After a few more pleasantries, the Wilsons left. The rest of us stayed inside, out of the rain.
“So, how did it go?” Randy asked impatiently, as soon as we saw Scott’s parents’ car disappear down the driveway.
We all looked at Scott to see if he was going to answer.
“Not good,” he said sadly. He leant against Adam, as if for support, and then continued. “But it could’ve been a lot worse.”
“We’re staying here another night, but we should be back home tomorrow,” Chris said, when it was clear that Scott wasn’t going to say anything else.
“Scott’s parents need more time to think,” Mum said, “so we all decided it’s best for the two boys to stay for a bit longer.”
“Thanks, boys, for those printouts, ” Dad said, smiling at Randy and me. “They really helped.”
“Randy gets the credit for that,” I replied.
“In that case, thanks, Randy.”
“That’s okay,” Randy said, giving a dismissive wave of the hand. “I’m just sorry I didn’t think of it earlier.”
“I’m not sure Mum was ready to listen before then,” Chris remarked. “She had to have Scott and me give her the background, first.”
I noticed Adam was staying very quiet and Scott didn’t seem keen to say much. Trying not to be obvious, I watched them closely. I wasn’t sure, but I thought both of them were still tense. Adam had an arm around Scott’s back and was holding him tight.
“Well, I suppose I should get the air mattress back out,” Randy said.
“Get the two singles out, not the big one,” Dad said.
“The singles?”
“Yes. We’ll organise things differently this time.”
Randy looked puzzled. “Different how?”
Dad looked over at me. “David, do you mind Scott staying in your room tonight?”
“Why can’t Scott stay with me?” Adam asked. There was an unspoken plea behind his words.
Dad fixed him with a critical eye. “Last night was special; Scott needed you. You’re only fifteen, Adam, and we need to take that into account. Tonight, you’re going back to your bed in Randy’s room.”
“Of course, we don’t have any special plans tomorrow, so you can stay up late if you want to,” Mum added comfortingly. “We’re not going to get between you and Scott, but there are boundaries we’d like you to respect.”
“I take it that means I’m sleeping in the lounge room, then,” Chris said.
Dad gave him a wry smile. “I heard a rumour that you snore, so I think that’s best for the rest of us,” he remarked dryly.
“I don’t snore!” Chris remarked indignantly.
“Yes you do!” Scott and Randy chorused.
“Hmph,” Chris snorted. “If you’re going to be that way, then I’m going to sleep in the lounge room tonight. I won’t want to sleep in the same room as either of you.”
“David, you haven’t answered your dad’s question,” Adam asked without inflection. He was staring at me as if he was waiting for me to