Hey guys, here is the next part of College with Mark. I tried not to keep you hanging too long. If you have not read the other parts of this story, then you probably should before you read this, or it might not make sense.
If you are offended by homosexual relationships between adult men, are under age 18 (21 some places) or live in an area where it is illegal to view them, please do not read any further. If none of these apply to you, sit back, relax and enjoy the story.
CHAPTER 8
Mark and Brad, unlike all the other students were not at all looking forward to the end of Finals. They knew that it meant that it was time to do the thing they had dreaded most in their lives. They had decided that it would be best to start with Brad's mom and step-dad. They expected that they would be the easiest family to tell. Mark's family was next. They were really nervous about talking to them because they were so close knit and were very involved in the church. Brad's dad would be the last one they would tell. Brad really did not want to even talk to his step dad much less tell him he was gay. Mark insisted that they do, because he felt that later on, Brad would regret it if he didn't.
They drove home from Athens together in Mark's truck. They really thought it would be more practical to drive both vehicles since they were planning to stay three weeks before summer classes started. They were so nervous that they felt they needed each other's moral support in order to do what they had to do. They decided it would be best to go ahead and get it over with rather than waiting and killing themselves worrying about it the whole break. As they pulled up in front of Brad's house, he looked at it remembering all the times he had had there. It was a nice two story house, which Brad's step-dad and Mom had had built when they got married ten years ago. He remembered the past ten Christmases they had spent together there, and how little he really knew his family. They were there and always provided him with plenty of material possessions, but he never really felt like they connected with one another. He looked around and felt suddenly alone. Then he looked over to Mark who was staring at him with a look of pure love in his eyes. They looked nervously at one another before they went into the house, Mark reached over and grabbed Brad's hand and told him "I love you, and I will be right behind you."
Brad fought back tears as he said, "I love you too. When this is over with you may be the only one who loves me."
They got out of the truck, purposely leaving their bags inside. Suddenly Mark had a really bad feeling about this. Brad marched on into the house with Mark right behind him. He walked into the den where he found his parents watching television. "I'm home," he said none too enthusiastically.
"Hey Brad, glad you made it ok," his step dad said.
"Yeah, supper will be ready in just a little while. Why don't you unpack and then you can eat."
"Ok, but first I have something to tell you."
"Don't tell me you failed your classes?" his mom said suspiciously.
"No, actually I did quite well in them. What I need to tell you is something that has been bothering me for a long time. I am gay." Brad didn't waste any more time than he had to telling them.
"Ok Brad, that's not a funny joke," his step-dad said.
"Its not a joke," Brad said somberly.
"You little piece of shit, I take you in and support your ass all these years and this is how you repay me? By being a little faggot!!"
"Brad, tell me it isn't true!" his mom said.
"Mom, I can't lie to you anymore. I am what I am and I hope you can accept me for it."
"You little shit. Cry, you little slut, you want to just suck dicks all day. I'm not having some faggot whore hanging around me."
Mark placed his hand on Brad's shoulder. Brad was now reduced to tears. Mark was appalled by the crude statements of Brad's step father.
"Sir, Brad is in no way a slut or a whore. He is every bit the gentleman and a person who has is tenacious in hard times and compassionate to his fellow man."
"And just who the hell are you? His bodyguard?"
"I can be if it becomes necessary, but I hope it does not come to that," bowing up his strong young frame at the older man. Brad continued, " I am his friend, his roommate, and above all, I am in love with him."
"You worthless piece of shit, I am going to beat the shit out of your pansy ass," Brad's step dad said as he jumped out of his recliner.
Mark didn't flinch, he just stepped forward and stood with his face inches from the aggressor and said, "Go ahead, do what you feel is necessary."
It was at that moment that Brad's mom seemed to regain control of herself if not the situation. "All of you! Stop it! Now!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, causing all of them to freeze. "I will not have you to fighting in my house and breaking all of my furniture. I will throw all of you out in the yard myself if you don't stop it. I can't believe this is happening."
"I couldn't either, Brad said, but I have been gay since I was in high school."
"Brad, how could you do this to me? You know all I have had to overcome with your dad and his drinking and all. What are they going to say about me now?"
"It's all about you isn't it? You don't even care about me. No wonder I was about to commit suicide last year. I knew I would disappoint you because I have never done anything right in my whole life."
"But do you know what they are going to say?"
"Nothing worse than what I have heard from the two of you tonight I am sure," Mark interjected. "And just how do your parents feel about this?" Brad's step dad jumped in.
"I don't know, we are about to go over there and tell them. I doubt they will like it anymore than you do, so you can get together with them I am sure. Maybe we can just go back to Athens so that we don't have to embarrass you."
"Not on my dime you aren't," Brad's mom said.
"If that's the way you want it, then we can come back here," Brad said defiantly.
"What?"
"If I can't afford to go to school then I will have to move back here and work. Mark and I will be around to constantly remind you of what we are. Maybe we will even be able to get to be invited to a couple of things out at the country club you hold so highly, where we can dance together in front of the whole town," Brad screamed at his mom.
"That's blackmail."
"No, its stating what is going to happen- what do you think is going to happen if you cut me off? That I would just disappear without a trace?"
"Is that an option?"
"You really don't have any feelings do you? You are the most unfeeling uncaring mother I have ever seen in my life. I think it's you that needs to reevaluate rather than Brad," Mark said.
She just sat there dumbfounded at his statement.
"If I keep paying for you to live in Athens, will you not come here?"
"I don't know. I won't keep Mark from visiting his family if they will have him, and I certainly won't sit up in Athens when he does visits if I don't have to, but you can be sure I'm not interested in coming to see people who hate me. I can't believe this. We must be the most dysfunctional family ever."
"I'll keep paying if he won't come around anymore," Brad's step dad said to his mom.
"I'll tell you what, why don't I talk to you about it later. I really think I need to get out of here before we all say things we will regret. I know I can think of a few things," Mark said.
With that, Mark and Brad left the house and got into Mark's pickup. They both burst into tears as they fell into each other's arms inside the protective cocoon of Mark's tinted windows.
"Brad, you know when nobody else is there, I will always be. Always. No matter what."
Brad just bawled unintelligibly. Mark started the engine and said, "lets get out of here." With that they sped out of the neighborhood and on down the road toward Mark's house where they had no idea what kind of reception was waiting on them.
"Mark, I'll try to be strong for you. I'll try not to breakdown. Thanks, you really held me together back there. I could never have done it without you."
"You didn't have to. That's what I am here for."
They pulled down the long dirt road that was Mark's driveway. As they parked, Mark let out a long sigh, and held Brad in an embrace before they got out of the truck and walked into the house. Mark saw that both his parents' vehicles were home. He groaned silently to himself as they walked into the Brick house that Mark had lived his entire life in, afraid of what was waiting for them on the other side of the door.
"Mark. I'm here with you." Brad said before they walked into the door.
They saw Mark's mom and dad standing in the kitchen laughing as they worked together to fix dinner. This was not something that ever happened in Brad's house, in fact they seldom even ate together at his house. Though he had been there many times before, Brad was struck with the warmth of this house, which was not present at his own, or more appropriately, his former home.
"Hey Mom. Hey Dad."
"Hey Mark, I'm glad you are home," his mom gushed as she put down the hamburger meat she was making into patties, as she rinsed her hands off and ran over to Mark and hugged him. As she released Mark, she turned to Brad and said, "Its so good to see you too, Brad," as she hugged him too.
"Hey Mark. Hey Brad," Mark's dad said as he stirred the baked beans he had just put on the stove. "Did yall have a good trip down?"
"Yeah dad."
"Well good, Brad, why don't you stay for dinner, we are grilling hamburgers tonight. Nothing fancy, but its burgers are always good. It'll be a little while before we get ready to eat, why don't you put up your stuff, and then take a quick swim before we eat. I might jump in there with you while I am grilling the burgers. "Brad, if you don't have a suit, just use one of Mark's yall are about the same size."
"Sure that sounds good," Brad said.
The boys went out to the truck to retrieve Mark's luggage and Brad asked, "Are you not going to tell them?"
"Yes, but I think I will tell them separately. I am going to tell my dad when we are in the pool, and then go inside and tell my mom, that is if he doesn't drown me."
"I'm a little nervous after what just happened at my house."
"Me too, but I will have to do it. I sure don't want them hearing about it on the street."
"That's true."
"Lets go in and get changed."
They went on upstairs and changed in Mark's room. They admired one another's bodies as they changed. When they jumped into the pool, the hamburgers were waiting to be put on the grill, and Mark's dad jumped in the pool. They fooled around in the pool for a little while, and finally, Mark's dad said, "I guess I need to get out and get those burgers started. You guys can have fun a few more minutes."
"No wait Dad. I have really enjoyed this," Mark said hugging his dad.
His dad looked somewhat surprised and said, "I'm just going over to the grill, not to the moon."
"True," Mark laughed, then said somberly, "but I have something to tell you."
Mark's dad suddenly knew something was wrong. He looked terrified, "What's wrong Mark?"
"Nothing is wrong, but I need to tell you something." Mark paused a moment and then said, " I need to tell you that I am gay."
"You are what?" he asked looking as though Mark had just hit him with a shovel.
"Dad, I am gay. I have given this a whole lot of thought, and I need to share this with you and Mom. I am also in love with the greatest man on earth,"
His dad was silent.
"I am in love with Brad," Mark continued.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Mark's dad finally seemed to come back to reality and he said, "Mark, I want you to know I am not at all prepared for this, and I am far from comfortable with it. I also want to say that while I am not comfortable with it, you are also my son, and I love you. As long as you are happy with this choice, then I will love you anyway, and learn to accept this."
"Wow Dad, I am just so happy to hear you say that, I just didn't know what was going to happen when I said that."
"Well it was a real shock for me, but you are still my son and I will just have to learn to be happy for you. I know Brad very well from working at the store, and I am at least glad to hear that you have chosen a good person to go through this with. I just want you both to promise me that you are sure this is what you want to do. If you are not sure, then you don't need to tell anyone else until you are. You have told me, and I am not going to let it change the way I see you, and you can take it back, but this is something you cannot take back once you tell the rest of the world. If you are sure that this is what you have to do, then I will do my best to work out my reservations about it, and you will have my full love and support."
Mark reached over in the pool and hugged his dad. With tears in his eyes, he whispered, "Thanks Dad for still loving me. Thanks for loving me at all."
Brad just stood a few feet away and began to cry quietly.
Mark's dad saw him, and said, "Brad, come over here, I think this means you are part of the family too, and you look like you need a hug."
They stood together like that for a few minutes and finally they broke apart, and Brad said, "Thanks."
"Its not a problem Brad, but don't hurt Mark. Are both of you be sure this is what you want."
"I am, Dad. I am more sure than I ever was about anything else in my life."
"Brad?"
"I love Mark more than anything in this world. I want to go through the rest of my life beside him."
"Well, I guess that's a yes," he smiled.
"Dad, about those burgers, hadn't we better start on them?"
"Yes, I guess we better, but you know what you have to do next. Do you want me to come with you?"
"Would you?"
"Yes."
They all got out of the pool and dried off. Mark still felt a little uneasy, but at the same time felt much better than he did before he told his dad. The three men walked through the family room and into the kitchen where they found Mrs. Lee.
"So where are those hamburgers?" she joked, knowing her husband had been in the pool rather than attending to his assigned task.
"I am still letting the seasonings soak into them."
"Yeah right," she laughed.
"Actually, I need to tell you about something," Mark said much calmer than he had said earlier.
"What's that?" she asked, not really thinking it was anything serious. Mr. Lee took the knife from her hand and began to slice the tomatoes that she was preparing to cut.
"Mom, I am gay," Mark said sheepishly. The statement still sounded funny to him.
Mrs. Lee just stood there silently staring at Mark for a couple minutes. "How long have you known this?"
"I have kind of always felt this way, but was afraid to say anything. When I moved to Athens, I became a lot more sure that this was the way I was and there was nothing I can do about it."
"I am not going to lie to you, I don't like this at all, but I also realize that you are an adult now and I can't make your decisions for you. I will do my best to deal with it, but I want you to know I do still love you."
"Thanks mom, but there is more," Mark paused. " I am in love with someone. I am in love with Brad."
"Well, is Brad in love with you?" Mrs. Lee asked, turning towards Brad.
"I love Mark with all my heart, Mrs. Lee."
"Well, I am still not going to lie and say I am thrilled about it, but I feel much better knowing you aren't going to be running around Athens chasing boys. Are you?"
"No mom," Mark said, embarrassed.
"I am also glad that you have found someone who I already know very well, to save me the trouble of an interrogation," Mrs. Lee laughed for the first time since Mark had told her.
"Thanks more than you know for being so understanding, Mr. & Mrs. Lee," Brad said.
"Yeah, we already broke the news to Brad's mom and step-dad before we got here. Things didn't really go very well over there," Mark said.
"I don't think I am welcome there anymore, actually," Brad said.
"Brad's mom asked him why he would do this to her," Mark said.
"That's too bad, but its what I would have expected," Mrs. Lee said with a look of disgust on her face. "No offense Brad."
"None taken, but why is that, they aren't nearly as religious as you guys are," Brad said.
"And that might have something to do with it, Brad."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I know they go to church, but do they really pay attention to the spirit of the bible?"
"I guess they pay attention."
"That's not exactly what I mean, Brad. Paying attention is one thing, but the bible teaches love and forgiveness for all people, it does not teach hate and exile to people who belong to unpopular groups. Jesus himself was looked down upon and condemned by religious leaders for associating with people their rules deemed unacceptable. Even though I think what you are doing is probably not right, its no more right for me to hate you for it."
"But mom, if God wants us to love one another, and to not hate, why can you stand here and tell me I am wrong because I love Brad too much?"
"I don't have the answer, Mark. I just don't know. This is a whole new thing for me. I don't really know what to tell you."
"I know what we need to do," Mark's dad said. "We need to cook some hamburgers." With that, he herded the boys out with him to help grill.
"Don't push your mom too much. I am not very comfortable with it, but I have taught you all I can teach you, and you have reached a point where I have to trust your judgment to decide the difference between right and wrong. It is a natural part of parenting. I am not real sure about it, but if you think its right, I'll stand behind you. I have a lot to work through, and so does your mom. Just be patient with us both."
"Dad, I love you and Mom so much, I am just glad you didn't tell me to get away from you."
"I couldn't do that, Mark and you know it."
"Well, after what happened at Brad's, I wasn't sure."
"They told you not to come back?"
"They basically said they would pay me to stay away from them," Brad said.
"I am really sorry, Brad," Mr. Lee said. "You are more than welcome to stay here whenever you want."
"Thanks."
"But there is one thing. I can't really do anything about what you and Mark do in Athens, but I don't want you to share a bed here. I know its silly, but I'm just not ready for that."
"That's reasonable dad, I can understand that, and we can live with it."
"Now, have you told your brothers, Mark?"
"No."
"I would like it if you would let me do it. They are probably going to ask some questions and I would like to be the one giving the answers if that is ok."
"Well, I would prefer to have to tell as few people as I have to. It is really exhausting, but I'd like to tell them myself. I think I would like it if we could both tell them."
"Maybe we could, but I think it would be a lot less threatening to them if Brad wasn't there too. It might seem like they are being ganged up on."
"That's a fair point. Is that ok Brad?" Mark asked.
"Yeah, that is fine with me."
"Well lets get these burgers together. They are about ready now, why don't you boys finish cooking them, and I will go in and fix the table," Mr. Lee said as he walked into the house.
"That went really well," Brad said.
"It really did."
"That just leaves one."
"That it does," Mark said.
"Mark, I am scared."
"Me too, but we have each other. We can count on Mom and Dad."
"I know but I am still scared. Lets wait until tomorrow to tell him."
"I think that's reasonable. We have been through a lot today, but you are not off the hook. Lets enjoy some hamburgers and get some rest. You are taking the sofa, Brad!!"
I hope you guys enjoyed this part of the story. I really appreciate all the emails that you send. I really enjoy hearing from you, as that is my only way of knowing if people are interested in my story. Now that Mark and Brad have come out to their parents, they have one parent left. In the next part, they will come out to Brad's biological father. I hope it will be a really good part. Hope to hear from you soon, and thanks for reading!