by C. E. Wilson
“No, I can’t. I understand what you’re talking about. I want the same, but it seems we are very compatible. It feels so easy to talk to you and be with you.”
“I’m not against it. I just want us both to be sure this is what we want, and we can get along.”
“I agree with you, Clayton. I have just wanted this for so long. I’m ready for a relationship and more. Oh, while I’m thinking about it, Mom called me today, and she and Dad are having a BBQ for Memorial Day. She wants us to come. I told her about you, and she can’t wait to meet you. Did you already have plans for that day?”
“No, I didn’t have plans, and I would love to go with you. You sure she’s ok with you bringing your boyfriend with you?”
John tried to hold back a smile at the word boyfriend. “Yeah, she doesn’t mind. I told you they’re cool with me being gay. The whole family accepts it just fine.”
“That’s great. I look forward to it. We have a long weekend that week so let’s spend every day of it together. What do you say?”
“I would love that. Your place or mine?”
“That’s an old-line babe. How about we split the time? Half at your place and a half at my place.”
“You know Clayton that we can spend the night at each other’s house without sleeping together. We both have spare rooms, and I don’t see a problem with us staying with each other. It might help us get to know each other better.”
“Sure, I have no problem with that at all. We can do that every weekend, not just this one.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Let’s get these dishes done up, and we can go sit and watch a movie. I got two of them Jurassic World and Aquaman. Does that sound good to you?”
“Sounds good. Both men are sexy in those movies, and I haven’t seen either one.”
John arched a brow. “Sexy men, huh?”
Clayton laughed. “Why John you sound like your jealous. Are you??”
“Yes, of course, I am. I want you to only think of me as sexy.”
“Well, Sweetheart, I think you are very sexy. I would much rather be here than at either place those two guys are at.”
John chuckled. “I was only joking. I think they are sexy too, that’s why I got the movies. I heard that both movies are good, but I haven’t seen them either.”
“I wanted to ask you what I should take to your parent’s house for the BBQ?”
“Nothing. Mom will get offended if you bring anything. She likes to make all the things that go with the meat. Dad will be grilling and smoking. He usually has both grills going, and they aren’t little grills. Oh, and don’t try to help with anything, especially the grilling. Dad will have a fit. He thinks he is the master chef.”
“So, you're saying no flowers and wine?”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t work out very well. The best thing you can do is hold my hand while we’re there.”
Clayton raised a brow. “That will make your parents like me?”
“No, but it sure will be nice for me.”
Clayton laughed and shook his head. “Go get the movie ready. I’ll have these dishes done in just a few minutes.”
Clayton had just put the dishes in the sink full of soapy water when he heard John’s phone ring. He heard John answer it and he went back to washing the dishes and rinsing them and let them air dry in the rack. When he finished, he wiped down the stove and counters. The table was next, and he was finished. He walked into the living room, and John was sitting on the couch with a laptop open logging onto an account. He tapped John on the shoulder and pointed at the kitchen. John shook his head no and pointed the couch beside him.
Clayton sat down, and he glanced at John’s laptop, and he saw it was a hospital account he was opening. He said into the phone, “All right Kathy send it to my account. I have it open, and I can take a quick look. Next time no matter what the patient says when I am not on call, I do not want to be disturbed. I have my boyfriend over, and I have to do this instead of spending time with him, so I’m not at all happy.”
An EKG showed up on the screen, and he examined it. He shook his head. “What is his complaint because everything seems just fine in his EKG. He isn’t in any distress. No PVCs and has a good normal sinus rhythm. So, what is he saying is wrong?”
She said, “He says he needs pain medicine because of the bad pains in his chest. He just knows he is having a heart attack.”
John glanced at Clayton and rolled his eyes. “He’s not having a cardiac event. Tell him the only pain medicine that I will give him is a suppository, and he has to have one then stay in the hospital. You know what kind of suppository to give him. Not the ones we have for pain. He will never know the difference until he spends the rest of the night on the toilet.”
Clayton heard Kathy laughing over the speakerphone. “Dr. Willis, you are so evil. Did you say you have a boyfriend?”
“Yes, I do. Why?”
“I know one male orderly that’s going to be so upset. He thinks you hung the moon.”
John shuttered. “Yeah, well tell Simon that I’m off the market.”
“I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the night. I will only call Dr. Baker. That’s who is on call this weekend. Are you on next weekend?”
“No, I’m not on call the rest of the month. I was last on call for last month. I don’t go back on call until the middle of next month. So do not call me!!!!”
“I promise. You boys have a good time. Bye!!!”
John chuckled and hung up the phone. “Sorry about that, Clayton. He is a difficult patient. He always wants some pain medicine. He doesn’t need it, but he thinks he does so I have to get creative once in a while.”
“You don’t have to apologize for doing what you do. I thought it was funny. Are we ready for the movie now?”
John settled back into the couch, and Clayton sat a little closer. The movie started, and Clayton wrapped his arm around John’s shoulder and pulled him closer.
Chapter 3
The week flew by fast. If Clayton and John weren’t together, they were on the phone to each other, just talking and learning about each other. So far, they had not found anything that was a hard limit for them. They could either agree on it, or they decided to agree to disagree on topics. Clayton was worried about meeting John’s family. He kept telling Clayton that his family would gladly accept him as John’s boyfriend, but with the experience of his own family, he found it hard to believe that they would just accept their son having a boyfriend.
Saturday morning John picked up Clayton to go to his parents. John told him to pack an overnight bag that his mom would want them to spend the weekend with them. Clayton was a nervous wreck by the time they had gotten halfway to John’s parent’s house. John noticed that Clayton was shaking, so he pulled off the highway and shut the car off. He got out and went around and opened Clayton’s door.
He pulled Clayton from the car and put his arms around him. “Clayton do you want to talk about what’s going on in your head?”
“I’m just worried that your family won’t like me and then you will dump me. I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Family is important, and I understand that with not having mine. I don’t want you to go through that.”
“Clayton will you just trust me that my family is going to love you. They don’t mind my being gay. They love me unconditionally and they will you too. They don’t have a problem with me being gay. I’m still their son no matter what.”
Clayton took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. “I’ll try my best to trust you, John. You just have to understand how much pain it caused me when my parents kicked me out. I have a brother and sister that won’t even speak to me because my mom and dad doesn’t.”
“I know Honey, but my parents aren’t like that. If I call Mom right now will you talk to her and she can tell you that it’s ok for you to come with me?”
“No, let's just go, and I’ll try and settle my nerves. I trust you not to put me into a difficult situation.”
&n
bsp; John squeezed Clayton’s hand and gave him a quick kiss. It no longer surprised Clayton when John kissed him. Clayton smiled at John, and he went back around and got behind the wheel and pulled back out on the road. “You probably think I am some kind of nut case.”
“No, I don’t. If I had done to me what you had, I wouldn’t even go meet your parents. I think it is very brave of you to go to meet mine.”
“I want into all aspects of your life and wish I could bring you into mine. I wonder if I could have handled it differently or something so my parents could have still loved me even if I was gay.
“Babe, this isn’t on you. It’s from your parents. They’re the ones missing out on a wonderful man. I feel sorry for them for not getting to know the man you are today.”
“I called them the other day. I wanted to tell them about you. Mom answered the phone. I said, “Hi, Mom.” She hung up on me and then wouldn’t answer the phone when I called back. After about a dozen tries, I just stopped. I knew she wasn’t going to talk to me.”
“Oh, babe I am so sorry about that. I don’t understand parents like yours. You are still their son, and your sexual preference should have nothing to do with them.”
“I think I embarrass them. They live in the rich part of town, and it isn’t a common thing there. I was kind of standing out since I came out to them as a teen.”
John snorted. “You just don’t know how many gays are in that area. If they are that bigoted, then I promise you that the gays there are all so far in the closet it isn’t funny. There is more than just you.”
“I know of at least one. He was my high school sweetheart. When I came out to my parents; he dumped me. He said that he couldn’t afford for anyone to know he was gay. He said as long as I was in the closet with him, then he was safe, but when I came out, he was in danger of the same thing that happened to me. I understand now, but at the time it really hurt.”
“That’s horrible, Clayton. I’m so sorry that happened to you. I should have been in your high school. We would have been boyfriends, and you could have even moved in with me when your parents put you out. My mom would have welcomed you with open arms.”
Clayton mumbled, “Let's just hope she does now.”
John chuckled. “I promise she will. We are in their town so it will only be a few minutes until we are at their house and you can see for yourself.”
Clayton nodded, but with the lump in his throat, he couldn’t say anything.
A few minutes later, John turned into a long driveway. It was about a quarter of a mile before they saw the house. It was a huge house with a beautifully manicured lawn. Clayton raised a brow at John, and he laughed. “I know babe it is gaudy, but Mom loves it. She entertains all the time. You should see the back deck.”
“John, are you sure your mom knows I’m coming? I don’t want to surprise her and then make her mad at you.”
“She knows you’re coming and insisted I bring you instead of staying at home with you. If you wouldn’t have come with me, I wasn’t going to come over. She is anxious to meet you, and Dad said he might have some work to talk to you about. He wants to invest in some real estate around here somewhere, and he wanted to ask you some questions about it.”
“John, I don’t want to keep you from your family. If I couldn’t have come, I want you to come and spend some time with them anyway.”
“Babe, we agreed to spend all our available time together. I would have stayed home with you and enjoyed being with you. I don’t mind keeping you all to myself.” John grinned at Clayton.
John parked the car in front of the house. Clayton got both their bags out of the car and slung them over his shoulder. John smiled at him. “Want some help with our bags?”
“No, I got this. If we are going to do this, let’s get inside and do this before I take off running down the driveway.”
John walked over to Clayton and put his arm around his shoulders and walked him to the front door. John opened the door, and they went inside. “Mom, Clayton, and I are here. Where are you?”
“In the kitchen. Come here and let me see you and meet Clayton.”
John took the bags from Clayton and set them on the bottom step of the stairs that went up to the second floor. He put his arm around Clayton’s waist, and they walk toward the back of the house. They entered the kitchen, where several women were cooking while John’s mother was overseeing them.
She came up to John and hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. She turned and looked at Clayton. “Mother, this is my boyfriend, Clayton James. Clayton, my mother, Alisa Willis.”
Clayton stuck out his hand to shake, but she stared at his hand for a long moment and then walked up to him and hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. “We don’t shake in this family; we hug it out. Welcome to the family Clayton and welcome to our house.”
John said, “Mom, I am going to put Clayton in the room next to mine. Is that alright with you?”
“Yeah sure but I figured he would want to stay in your room with you. You know Dad, and I don’t mind.”
“Well that’s good to know, but Clayton and I aren’t there yet. We are still getting to know each other.”
“Oh, I thought you had been dating for a long time now.”
“No Mom, I told you that I just met Clayton a few weeks ago. We’re probably going to stay in a relationship, but it is still new right now.”
“Oh, well you boys go out to the back deck. This kitchen is getting hot. Dad is out there with Robert. Go out and get some drinks. I think I have just about anything you could want out there. Don’t get into it with Robert again. I love you, Johnny.”
John rolled his eyes and got Clayton’s hand and pulled him out through the sliding glass doors. The back deck was awesome. John’s Dad was cooking meat on a massive grill. Another man that Clayton figured was this Robert was helping with the grill. John pulled him over to the grill. “Dad, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Clayton James. Clayton, this is my father, Sam Willis.”
Clayton held out his hand, not knowing if Sam would shake his hand or pull him in for a hug. Sam smiled and shook Clayton’s hand. “Welcome to our home, Clayton. John tells me that you’re a real estate attorney, is that right?”
“Yes, sir, I work for a firm in our town.”
“Later, after we eat dinner, I want to pick your brain a little about a piece of property I want to buy.”
“Yes, sir, I will be more than happy to help you.”
He turned to Robert, “This is my son in law Robert Miller. He is married to my little princess. Susan. She will be out in a little while. She had to take the baby in the house to feed him.”
Clayton nodded to Robert. “Nice to meet you, Robert.”
“Likewise. How do you like our Johnny?”
Clayton smiled. “I like him a lot. We have a lot in common, and we get along great.”
Robert snorted. “You must be a saint if you can get along with John. No one else can.”
John glared at Robert. “Dad, you heard him start it. I never said a word.”
Sam said, “Robert knock it off. You are not going to ruin this holiday like you do most of them. If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything.”
“Yes, sir. John just makes me angry.”
Sam shook his head. “Sorry, Clayton. My son in law doesn’t know when to shut his mouth. They usually get into a big fight, and John doesn’t have to even say anything. Robert is angry because John is a cardiologist, and he is only a factory worker.”
Clayton didn’t know what to say, so he just looked over at John. “Clayton come look at this view. It is beautiful this time of year.”
John got Clayton’s hand and pulled him over to the edge of the deck. They were looking out over a beautiful lake, and it was backed up by a small mountain. It was just beautiful. John was standing in front of Clayton, and Clayton wrapped his arms around John’s chest and pulled him back against him. They stood there looking at how beautiful it was.
Sam called out, “John you and Clayton want something to drink? We have beer and soda and just about anything else you could want.”
“Yeah, thanks, Dad. We’ll be there in a moment.”
Clayton was still holding John close to him, and his mouth was by John’s ear. “What is Robert’s problem? You didn’t say a word to him, and he has to get all nasty.”
“Like Dad said, he’s mad because I am a doctor and he isn’t. He got my sister pregnant and had to quit school to support her and the first baby. Then they just had another one, and he really can’t get ahead. So, he takes it out on me instead of taking the responsibility of it himself.”
“He should have thought about that before he got her pregnant.”
John turned in Clayton’s arms and kissed him on the cheek. Then he got Clayton’s hand, and they walked back over to the picnic table, and John got Clayton and himself a soda out of the outdoor refrigerator, and they sat down at the table. “Dad, do you need any help?”
“No, I have more than enough help with Robert.” He looked at John and rolled his eyes.
John chuckled.
Chapter 4
When the food was done, the women brought it out to the picnic table. There was so much food it seemed excessive to Clayton. It was a few minutes later that a lot of people came into the back yard. Clayton finally realized why there was so much food. John’s friends were there, and he took the time to introduce them all to Clayton. Most were doctors, and all of them were gay couples. Clayton felt a lot better being there with John. He always introduced him as his boyfriend. That made Clayton feel on top of the world.
Even his parents introduced him to their friends as John’s boyfriend, the lawyer. They didn’t have a problem with him being the gay boyfriend of their son. They were just bragging because their son had a lawyer as his boyfriend. Robert sat there, holding the baby glaring at John and Clayton.
Clayton had his arm around John’s shoulders. He leaned into him and whispered in his ear, “I’ll be right back, babe.”
