The usual disclaimers apply - ie. no reading this if you're not of age to read it, and no peeking at this if you can't stand gay people (which would bring to mind the question of what the hell you're doing reading this anyway).
Some long-overdue thanks are in order. Thanks to the fine people who run Nifty, for without it I daresay a majority of us authors wouldn't be indulging the world with our creative works. Thanks also go to all who have kept up with this story, and in particular to Matthew, who has e-mailed me after every update, and to another David (you know who you are) for aiding me in refining the way I'm writing the alternating points of view. To Chris on the Island, if you've ever been to Campbell River, let me know, eh?
All questions etc can be directed to dcross1@home.com
2:40 PM
Robin left David's house, followed by Shane. They had said their goodbyes, and promised to show up at David's locker on Monday morning. After entering the car, Robin said, "That guy, David - he seems pretty cool."
Shane started the engine, and began driving. He then said, "Yeah. I actually was probably not in my right mind when I told him and his friend, the other Dave, that I was gay, but I took a risk; looking back, it wasn't as a big a risk as when I told you, because he and the other Dave - who we'll meet on Monday - are so into everything scientific that they act like they're not even on this planet sometimes. With you, though--"
Robin had seen where Shane's train of thought was going, and completed it: "You didn't have any emotional investment in telling the two Daves; you could deal with it if they reacted badly. With me, you had hopes and fears tied up in your revelation."
"Took the words right out of my mouth."
"I try." Robin grinned.
By 3 o'clock, they arrived at Shane's house. Robin had said before leaving the car, "Shane... I just want you to know--" at this he looked down at his hands, as he considered how to frame his statement, and then looked back up and directly into the other's eyes. "I really enjoyed today, and I'd like you to come over tomorrow and meet my parents. It would mean a lot to me."
Shane nodded and said, "I promise. I'll call you after we get back from church." Shane then blew Robin a kiss, after which he opened the door and entered his own car, and started the engine.
The drive back home was uneventful in terms of traffic, but Robin kept going over the previous events of the day in his head. Was it really only about six hours ago that he'd shown up on Shane's doorstep, assuming nothing more than that the latter had needed help with his homework? Some ruse that had been, all right!
Robin honestly did want to introduce Shane to his parents, but would it be as a friend, or as a friend and someone he was going out with? The more he turned this over, the more it seemed ridiculous to not tell his parents the truth. He owed it to them, in a sense, for being so understanding.
Robin walked inside the house, and was relieved to see that his mother and father were both in the living room, sitting as they customarily did on their respective easy chairs. They were discussing a possible upcoming vacation; would the destination be Hawaii, Palm Springs, or Phoenix? Apparently his father leaned towards the idea of a destination on the North American continent, whereas his mother wanted to go to Hawaii.
At a break in the conversation, Robin cleared his throat and said, "Mom, Dad?"
At that, Robin's parents both looked at him, their eyebrows raised in inquiry. He sat down on the couch and tried to figure out exactly how he was going to say what he was about to say; after a few seconds of thinking, he plowed ahead. "You both know I was over at Shane's house because he needed help with a homework assignment, right?"
The question elicited murmurs of response, and he continued. "Well, I should tell you this. Shane is... um, gay, like me." At that, his mother looked shocked and his father, amazed, blurted out, "You've got to be kidding!"
Robin shook his head no and said, "He told me after we'd finished going over the homework. It kind of came up when we started talking about each others' families. I think he was gambling more than anything else that I would answer the 'right way', because he basically came out to me first."
Ann spoke up. "Robin, I don't mean to sound like a wet blanket, but are you sure this is going to be OK? We don't live in the most open-minded area, and I would hate to think of what would happen if Shane's parents ever found out about this."
Eric weighed in as well. "First of all, I think it's time we let Shari know about all this. Second, I have to agree with your mother, Robin. I think we can trust you to do the right thing by Shane, and we'll stand by you if any problems come up, but I really can't say that we'll be able to make everything right if you two have a messy break-up or if this gets to Shane's parents."
Robin understood that his parents were trying to let him know of the limitations he and they would face in dealing with the situation. He said, "I appreciate your support, but I don't think Shane would ever try to hurt me; I worry about what will happen with his parents as well."
Ann said, "As your father said, we will support you any way we can. I would like to meet him eventually, by the way." Eric nodded his agreement.
Robin laughed and said, "I'm kind of ahead of you there; I invited him to come over tomorrow."
Eric smiled and replied, "Well, that settles it. But we have to tell Shari about this, and I'm hoping she'll take the news without getting too excited."
The proverbial expression, "speak of the devil", had probably been nowhere more applicable than that moment, because Shari had just entered the room, and inquired, "What do you have to tell me?"
There was an awkward silence for about ten seconds; it apparently had fallen to Shane to get this over with. He said, "Shari, I hope you'll be OK with this. I'm gay, and I've sort of got a boyfriend."
Shari was strangely ecstatic. "Wow! My very own gay brother!"
Eric looked at Shari as though she had sprouted a cabbage out of her ear, and asked, "Why do you find this so... great? Not that we mind - it makes life easier for us knowing you accept it, but your reaction isn't what we expected."
Shari just giggled, and said, "Dad, come on. When have you ever seen Robin with a girl, anyway? I think I can count on one hand the number of times he's brought one over, and it sure wasn't because he was fooling around with any of them without you knowing. Remember, I go to the same school as he does, and I never saw him with the girls then either. Besides, I get to find out who he thinks is cute!"
Robin chuckled and had to give his (biased) opinion. "Sorry, Shari, but I'm partial to one guy. His name's Shane Wilson."
Shari said, "Hmm. Don't think I've seen him around. Hey, isn't he the son of that religious guy you complained about, Mom?"
Ann nodded.
Shane broke in and said, "You all will get to see him tomorrow, since I invited him over. He should be coming by after church - he said he'd call first to make sure."
Ann cautioned, "Shari, you have to remember not to go telling people about this. I know you've probably already figured that out, but I'm a mother, and us mothers worry about their children."
Shari nodded and said, "I promise not to mess anything up. Do you want me to be here tomorrow?"
Eric said, "Actually, if I'm not mistaken I think Ann and I need to discuss a few things with Robin and Shane in private first. Are you going to be at a friend's place tomorrow?"
Shari replied, "Yeah. I'll be out of your hair for a couple of hours starting around noon."
Ann smiled and said, "Great. Hopefully Shane will be around long enough for you to get to meet him, Shari, but if you and Robin don't mind, I'd like to talk with your father about some things so we're prepared for our discussion with a certain pair of men."
Shari bounded up out of the chair she'd been sitting on and dashed back to her room, having yelled something about forgetting her homework. Robin, more calmly, went to the kitchen to get something to drink. After he found the orange juice and poured a glass, he heard his parents' bedroom door close. He wondered exactly what it was in there they had to discuss.
If only he'd known, he wouldn't have been so embarassed the next day, but alas, even the best of ears do not always hear what happens behind closed doors...
In the parents' bedroom, Eric was sitting on the bed and Ann was leaning against the dresser. They looked at each other, and simultaneously opened their mouths to start talking. After some false starts and embarassed laughs, Ann went first.
Ann said, "I think we should start off by talking about what we'll allow the two of them to do under our roof. I really don't want to think about something happening to Robin like what happened to Henry. At the same time, I don't think I'd be comfortable allowing them to basically fall all over each other just because I don't want them getting caught by some ignorant rednecks."
Eric replied, "I understand what you're saying - however, I think Robin is intelligent enough and sensitive enough that neither of the two will push the boundaries of acceptability in this household. I think you'd be comfortable with them hugging or kissing, and I'm fairly sure I would be. But anything beyond that I think should be confined to the privacy of a bedroom."
"Eric, I definitely do not have a problem with two males hugging or kissing. I agree, though, that forbidding them anything else should take into consideration that if we don't trust them, they'll do exactly what it is I don't want them to do, which is do something risky outside, or in the back seat of a car."
"Yes, I agree. I don't think our son chooses fools for friends or would want to choose a fool for a boyfriend. I think they are smart enough to know that if we trust the two of them to do what's right, that they can live with the parameters we do set down. But what about sex? I would personally be comfortable with them waiting until after they graduate."
"I would want them to wait a while. Letting their relationship gain a firmer foundation will make the sex more meaningful - after all, we both waited until after we got married to do that. Ideally, I'd want them to wait until marriage, but we don't have anything like that in this country for gay males. So I'd have to content myself, I guess, with waiting some months."
"I'd have to disagree with you there a bit, Ann. I think I'd be more comfortable with them waiting until after they graduate. If we could wait a year or more to get married, then I think they should be able to wait somewhat less than a couple of years."
"I see your point, but I don't think it would be fair to absolutely forbid the possibility of them waiting until, say, they both turned eighteen, which isn't actually all that far away in time - at least for people our age." Ann grinned and went on. "Can we agree to disagree on this? I'm pretty sure that our son and his man won't rush to jump into bed with each other, and I won't be upset if you tell them your preference and I tell them mine."
"In the end, it boils down to this: we have to trust the two of them to do intelligent things. I think they're likely to do that, but I'm just not so comfortable with the idea of them having sex before graduating from high school. I will want us to let them know that we have agreed to disagree on this matter, but that we certainly expect them to behave in an intelligent, thoughtful manner. The responsibility will be on their shoulders, in any case, since we won't be absolving them of the responsibility by setting a hard-and-fast rule that might seem like it was just made to be broken."
Eric stood up and walked over to his wife of almost twenty years, and drew her into a hug. He felt the hug being returned as he saw Ann look up into his eyes, and smile warmly. She said, "I think they'll be just fine. I just hope Shane doesn't have problems with his parents, though."
To that last, Eric had no answer and could only kiss Ann on the forehead and hug her again.
September 13, 1992
Robin noticed the clock read 11:18 AM as dashed to the phone, which was on its third ring. As it turned out, Shane was on the other end. He couldn't help but feel rather lightheaded as he went through the formaliites of okaying the visit with his parents and giving directions to Shane.
11:35 AM
Robin's parents and he had sat down in the living room, making themselves comfortable before Shane was to arrive. His father got a twinkle in his eye and said, "Ann, this reminds me of when we went to meet your parents. I bet Shane feels like he's about to meet the in-laws." That elicited a chuckle from his mother and a mystified look on Robin's face.
At the inquiring look, Ann responded, "Robin, your poor dad got the third degree from my parents when I first introduced him to them. Thankfully, he passed with flying colors and they went way easier on him afterwards!"
Robin let out an embarassed chuckle and said, "I hope you'll go easier on Shane, then."
Eric said, "Have no fears on that score - I wouldn't want to put anyone through the wringer like that!"
At that, Ann jokingly swatted her husband with a rolled-up newspaper, and Robin anxiously looked out the window. Seeing nothing that wasn't there before, he sighed and leaned back on the couch.
Some minutes later, Robin saw Shane's Ford pull off the road onto the shoulder. He noticed that Shane seemed to hesitate a bit before getting out of the car and walking up to the door. Two knocks emanated from the front door. His father answered, and he could hear introductions being made.
Robin smiled at Shane's entrance, and he saw that Shane was returning it with a smile of his own. His mother, seated on her easy chair, chuckled as his father seated himself in a twin of the easy chair near Ann's.
Ann had noticed the looks on their faces when they saw each other as Shane entered the room, and had not been able to restrain a chuckle. She recalled how it was when she and Eric had first been in the same room together with other people, and the same comments were made then as she was thinking now: "The two of them really do seem to go together, and they really do like each other." She then recalled, again, how Robin looked so much the spitting image of her brother and how his slightly crooked grin matched one she saw almost two decades later.
Ann roused herself from the world of memory, and spoke. "Hi. I'm Ann, Robin's mother, and I think I heard you, Eric, introducing yourself to Shane." At a nod from her husband, she continued. "Shane, I hope it won't seem like a breach of privacy if we let you know that after Robin got back from seeing you, he couldn't help but pour out the story of how his world got shaken up yesterday."
Shane shook his head no, and Robin wondered how he must be dealing with being with people who wouldn't condemn him.
But Ann was continuing: "Shane, we want you to know that we will never condemn you for being a homosexual, or for having a relationship with our son. However, there are some ground rules that Eric and I would like to set if you two will be going beyond grinning at each other like that in each others' presence."
Eric said, "Shane - your father and I knew each other years ago; I hope I'm not overstepping boundaries here by saying I can relate to how he sees the world, and how he would react if he knew about this. However, this isn't the time to go deeper into that. Ground rules: we won't mind if you kiss or hug in front of us, seeing as Ann and I do that ourselves." He began blushing, but continued. "Ann and I have a slight difference of opinion on this, so I'll state my side and then she can state hers. In regard to anything further, that is... um, sex... I personally would prefer it if you waited until after you graduate from high school, if you two are still together by then."
Ann continued with, "As Eric said, we discussed this between ourselves and agreed to disagree. I too would prefer it if you waited some time before you engaged in sexual activity, but I'm not going to set a time limit on it. If you are going to do so, then in privacy is my strong suggestion. I would also encourage the use of condoms, for health and disease prevention reasons."
Robin felt the temperature of the room go up a bit as he blushed, and he saw Shane's face go positively pink.
Eric smiled and said, "I see that you two are probably wishing you weren't listening to us parental units talking about such things. However, it's important that we all understand where we stand and is acceptable and not acceptable. At least I won't have to hear about Robin getting pregnant, unlike Shari!"
Shane wondered aloud, "Where is she, by the way?"
Robin replied, "Mom and Dad wanted this discussion to be private, so they asked her if she could be out of the house for a while. Turned out she was going to visit a friend of hers anyway."
Shane inquired, "Um, does she know?"
"Yeah. After I told Mom and Dad about... us, yesterday, they decided Shari had to know since she was going to figure it out sooner or later. She took it pretty well, actually, and started bugging me as to who I thought was the cutest. I had to give her my biased opinion, however."
Laughs could be heard from all four in the room at that last. When it subsided, Shane said, "Um.. Mr. Peterson--"
Eric interposed gently, "I think formality is a little out of place here. Call me Eric."
Shane continued the inquiry. "Ah, Eric... anyway, I was wondering if you could elaborate on my Dad and you knowing each other. I guess I just can't get over how different you two are."
Eric replied, "That's not surprising. I used to be as bad as he still is, but even after I ended up leaving the church, Don and I occasionally ran into each other. For some reason, he never shut me out entirely. I fully expected him to after I didn't show up to church and stopped making excuses. Yes, he did spit fire and brimstone after hearing that I was leaving and that was really all there was to it, but even then, if we ran into each other around town he would still go through the hello-how-are-you bit. I know I saw you, Shane, with he and his wife, Nancy, every now and then, but I doubt you'd remember me, as Don ended up getting that job at the pulp mill and becoming a part-time guest speaker at the Baptist church, so we really began running in different circles.
"The reason I gave to Don and the pastor for leaving church was that I felt I could better serve God in a different way; that was true enough as far as it goes, but it wasn't the whole truth. Another reason I left was due to an argument Ann and I had had after I made a thoughtless comment about homosexuals ages ago. She blew up, no mincing words here, she really blew up, and I learned why after she told me that her brother was a homosexual. It made me think, and learn.
"I'm afraid I've digressed from your original question, but I hope you've been answered satisfactorily."
Shane nodded.
Ann spoke up. "It's now about 12:15, and I think we've had enough serious discussion for the day, if not a whole week. We've got some lunch, if you feel up to it, Shane. Otherwise we three will be eating shortly."
Shane said, "Thank you. I'm actually feeling a little hungry."
"Well then, without further ado, let's get to the kitchen table."
Lunch turned out to be cold cuts, crackers with a selection of toppings from cheddar cheese to sausage slices, and ham and cheese sandwiches with brown bread.
Eric, midway through a sandwich, asked, "Shane, when you graduate from high school, what will you do?"
Shane replied, "I'm hoping to get into a university in Vancouver. Hopefully I'll be able to say there without having to come back home at all."
Eric sympathized with the young man's desire to stay away from his parents, but regretted the circumstances under which it had to occur. He asked, "What will you major in? Robin here can't decide yet." He playfully poked Robin in the shoulder and received a mock-frown in response.
Shane said, "I've been thinking. I know I'd like to teach. Whether elementary school or high school I don't know yet. I might change my mind again, so I'd like to keep my options open."
"Smart move. Hopefully, both of you will decide well, and have good lives."
Conversation was limited after that, as the four worked their way through lunch. After no one could eat any more, Robin stood up and took Shane's plate as his parents took their respective plates and put them in the sink. He quietly asked his parents if it would be OK to show Shane his bedroom, and received an affirmative.
Robin was back at Shane's side, grabbing his hand and dragging the poor guy along to his bedroom.
As the door was closed, Shane said, "That was sudden; did your parents say this was OK?"
Robin replied, "Yeah. I asked if we could go when I was over at the sink with my parents."
Robin coyly smiled at Shane as he stepped closer until he was barely two feet away. He placed his hands on Shane's shoulders, and leaned in for a kiss. Shane responded, and fairly soon the heat in the room seemed to creep up as their tongues began to wrestle and Shane's hands roamed. Robin felt the latter's hand creep down towards his butt, and he moaned as Shane began caressing his firm ass cheek. After a few moments of groping on Shane's part, he broke the kiss and ran both his hands up Robin's stomach and settled them on his chest. Shane brushed Robin's nipples with his thumbs, and Robin gasped as he felt a twinge of desire in his pants.
Upon hearing Robin's gasp, Shane pulled away. He said, "Did I do something wrong? Are you OK?"
Robin nodded and replied, "Wow! I didn't know I was that sensitive. Be careful, eh?" He grinned.
Shane sat on Robin's bed, and said, "By the way, I hate to change the subject, but I want to talk about the boundaries we're going to draw here. Your mom and dad made some good points earlier today."
Robin spoke by way of agreement, "Yeah. I actually didn't even think about that at all. But I'll let you talk first; you're the one with more 'experience', I guess."
"By virtue of having known I was gay longer, I suppose. OK. I'd like to strike a sort of middle ground between what your mom said and what your dad said. That way we can at least try to respect them both. Of course, my parents would absolutely forbid this completely, so that leaves them out of this." He laughed bitterly, then continued, "I'd like for both of us to wait until next summer, that is, if we're still together. I'll be eighteen then, because my birthday's in April. Come to think of it, when's your birthday?"
"In May. And as for waiting until summer, that sounds like a good choice. If we can hold off, though, I would like to wait until after we graduate - that's about a year after the summer coming up - because that way we'll be honoring both of my parents' requests, and as you said, all this applies if we're still together. I know for a fact that I would like to wait until our 'special occasion' before you..." Robin's voice broke and he looked down, then continued in a near-whisper as he thought and spoke the next three words, "take my virginity."
Robin took Shane's outstretched hand, and found himself being pulled forward until he was standing directly in front of Shane, who then kissed the back of his hand. Shane looked up into his eyes, and spoke earnestly, yet softly. "I'll try my very best to honor that as well. We'll keep talking about it, I promise. And I also want to wait until the 'special occasion' before you take my virginity as well."
Robin couldn't help but feel very proud that Shane showed that much consideration for him. He knelt in front of Shane, and took both Shane's hands in his own. He kissed the back of each one, and said, "Shane, I think if I were to die today, I would die a very happy person. If this is a dream, let it continue to be a dream, because you're one very special person. I promise you that even if something happens to pull us apart, you will always hold a special place in my heart, and short of you physically or emotionally harming me, nothing can make me hate you."
Shane nodded as he stood up, and pulled Robin up as well for a kiss on the lips. Shane said, "Robin, I hope I won't sound silly for changing the subject like this, but I can't stay too long; I told my dad I was coming over here to work on a school project. But there is one thing you should know, too. I would never hurt you; I'd die before I raised a hand to you in anger. I, too, will keep a place in my heart for you, even if something ever breaks us up. I'll go out on a limb, though, and say that I don't think anything ever will."
Robin admired Shane's conviction, and said, "I wish I had your certainty. I do have a feeling that all this... what's happening to us, is a good thing, but I can't help but be a little unsure at times."
Shane's answer to that was a kiss on Robin's nose, whereupon he slightly blushed and smiled bashfully. Shane then indicated the door, and Robin nodded. Before Shane could turn to leave, however, Robin's hand reached up to run through Shane's hair, then dropped to his shoulder, then his chest, stopping over his heart. Robin could feel Shane's heartbeat as he rested his hand on the latter's well-muscled chest. After a few moments, he withdrew his hand and watched Shane leave.
A slam of the front door alerted Robin to Shari's arrival, and he heard muffled greetings being exchanged. A minute later, he heard a knock on his bedroom door, and he went to open it. Shari was grinning as she said, "You. Have. One. CUTE. Boyfriend! I am so majorly jealous."
Robin had to chuckle as he gave his sister a noogie and said, "Tough. He's mine, so stay away from him."
Shari, by way of reply to the noogie, just stuck her tongue out saucily. She then mentioned, as she was about to close the bedroom door again, that she had told Shane that he could count on an asskicking if a hair on Robin's head were harmed. Robin just rolled his eyes and pushed the door closed, then after leaning his back against it, he grinned and looked out the window as he whispered, "Yes!"
For today, anyway, all was right in Robin's universe.
That ends part 12.