Time Away
Part 6
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Later that day, after Brian and Justin had officially commenced on the honeymoon part of the trip, the managed to get themselves up and dressed enough to meet Jennifer and Molly for the promised lunch.
Jen had made the reservations after asking Stuart for some recommendations and they drove themselves to an old converted hilltop plantation house set to overlook the Caribbean below them. The dining area was on a stone terrace with views to the horizon, a cooling breeze and with gardens spread beneath them attracting the birds and butterflies which Molly exclaimed over again and again.
The veal they ordered was as good as they were led to believe that it would be and the service outstanding.
The two men held hands, smiling privately at one another and Justin leaned over to kiss Brian’s cheek or bring their clasped hands up so that he could press his lips onto Brian’s fingers so often that finally Molly asked them, in some exasperation if they hadn’t just gotten enough, for crying out loud.
Finally, Jen raised her glass in a toast to their happiness and health.
“Mom, did you say something before about having a party when we get home? Is that all planned?”
“Mostly, honey—were you wondering about it? There’s no big secret.”
“Well, do the others know about us getting married?”
Brian answered. “No, no one knew about this besides your mother and me. I wanted to be sure that you’d say yes before I went around telling anyone about it.”
“…So Dad doesn’t know?”
“Sweetie, I didn’t think that…”
“He’d take it too well?”
“Well, yes. You know how he feels and he’s just not ready to really deal with this quite yet. You know that, Justin.”
“If I had married Ethan he wouldn’t have that much trouble with it. He just hates Brian.”
“Well, we know I’m not his favorite person, but I think he’s not all that thrilled with the whole gay thing.”
“Which he blames on you.”
Brian gave a slight shrug. “He has to blame someone. I’m the obvious choice. It doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it fucking matters. You’re my husband. You’re his son in law. You’re part of the family now.”
“Don’t push this just yet, OK? You’ll have a better chance of having him come around if you let him get used to it slowly. Hitting him over the head with it won’t accomplish anything.”
“I want to call him.”
“Don’t. Or at least wait until we get home. There’s no reason to blindside him with it.”
“Sweetie, please. Brian is right. Tell him, of course, but you don’t have to do it this minute. It can wait until you’re home. You could go see him or have him for dinner or something.”
“I want to tell him…”
“Justin—your mother is right. It will just end up in an argument and then you’ll be upset for the rest of the trip. There’s no point in that.”
“He should know.”
“Why? So you can tell him to fuck off? He’s not going to accept either me or the legality of this marriage, not anytime soon. You know that. Stop being a fucking princess and finish your lunch so we can go snorkeling with Molly.”
“I am not being a fucking princess and I want to tell him.”
“You want to shove it up his ass.” Jennifer’s eyes opened wider at that. “It will wait until we get home.”
Justin glared at Brian and then across the table at his mother. “Fine. It can wait until we get home, but I’m going to tell him myself.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
“Let’s go snorkeling.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
They got up to go, the tension still palatable. As they started to walk out, Brian took Justin’s hand, pulling him back against him, bent slightly and kissed him thoroughly.
“Better?”
“Fine.” But he smiled.
“Fine.” Brian smiled back. “Twat.”
An hour later they were a hundred yards from shore gliding over a reef with Molly between then. She insisted on holding Brian’s hand, pointing out every piece of seaweed that floated past. They saw a good variety of fish and corals, an assortment of sponges and the odd lobster and crab. Molly was thrilled, as much at being with Brian as she was with the experience itself.
She would likely never completely outgrow her crush on the man who was now, officially, her brother in law, a fact he was aware of. Genuinely liking the child, he did everything he could not to lead her on, but he knew she had fantasies about him.
It actually embarrassed him.
A decade later he would be amused and flattered that her choice in a husband bore a striking resemblance to him and worked in advertising.
Back on the beach, Brian sat on the chaise next to Jennifer in the shade of one of the hundreds of palms that dotted the beach. Justin and Mol were playing some kind of tag in the surf, in and out of the low breakers.
“So is this the sort of wedding day you pictured for yourself?” Jen smiled, but it was clear that it was a real question.
“I never pictured a wedding day because it never occurred to me that I’d ever have one. This is better than some contrived thing at a country club.”
“That’s what Craig and I had, all the trimmings—bridesmaids, a cake, throwing the bouquet—all of it. My mother did almost all of the planning and I remember that we fought so much and that it was so horrible that it was year before I could even bring myself to look at the pictures.”
“That’s not the way I would have thought it would have been for you. I’d have thought that it would have been perfect—the best day of your life and all of that.”
She shrugged and shook her head. “No…and then I ended up pregnant from the honeymoon. Craig and I never really got to know one another before Justin was born. We loved him to death, but we had no time together.”
“That won’t happen with us.”
She gave him a thin smile. “But you have a son already. What if Justin decides that he wants children? Have you thought about that?”
“We haven’t discussed it, but I’ve thought about it. If he ever decides then we’ll deal with it.”
“You’d be willing to consider it?”
He paused for a moment. “…I’m not in any rush, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Justin wanted to raise a child at some point, in a few years. There are surrogates or adoption—there are several options.” He saw her staring at him. “What?”
“I wonder if you’ll ever stop surprising me, that’s all.”
He gave a small laugh. “Wouldn’t want to become too predictable.”
She picked up his left hand, the one closest to her and looked closely at his ring, the match to the one on Justin’s hand. “They’re beautiful—did you really design them?” He nodded. “You could have another career.” He just smiled.
“Do you think that Craig will be a problem as far as Justin is concerned? We know he hates me, but will he be able to accept this for Justin’s sake?”
“I think that it might be a good idea if I spoke to him first, break the news to him.” She started to say something then paused, then reversed herself again and went on. “He blames you for our marriage breaking up. He’s wrong, but that doesn’t matter.”
“And we know that he blames me for Justin being gay. Do you think he’ll make trouble or will he continue to ignore Justin?”
“I don’t know. I’d expect at least one big fight and then a silence. I can’t believe that he’ll take it well.”
“I don’t give a fuck for me, but Justin takes it hard. He still loves his father. It hurts him, the shit he’s pulling with the tuition and stuff. He hates that you and Molly are caught in the middle.”
“I know he does.” She studied his face. “You’ve cared about him for a long time.”
“Yes.” He watched the siblings playing the waves. “Does Craig still call me that ‘fucking pervert’?”
“Yup. So did I at first.”
“I know. I saw you at the GLC when he had his things up that first time.”
That startled her. “…How did you know who I was?”
“From the look on your face when you were standing by that nude he drew of me and then Deb told me a day or two later.”
“He still draws nudes of you.”
“Good thing I’m not shy, isn’t it?—How did you know?”
“Molly has one hanging in her room.”
“No shit?…What about you, Jen? Have you accepted us?”
She looked at her two children, playing on the water the way they used to. “I know that Justin loves you and I believe that you care for him. That’s a good start.”
“You’re OK with this?”
“You know, I keep seeing him as a little boy, when he would take my hand to cross the street and I’d make sure he had his lunch money and had taken his bath at night or when he’d play with Daphne in the back yard. I thought that they might even end up together. I simply never thought that he’d end up…”
“Married to a fag?” He had that look of challenge on his face that she knew meant he would be defensive and probably nasty.
“Married to another man. I guess that I just wanted him to find someone and be happy. After I knew he’s gay, I had to adjust my thinking, that’s all.”
“And have you managed to do it?”
“My reservations aren’t with you both being gay, Brian. I just want my son to be happy and I hope—forgive me—I hope that you two are but you have so many problems between you and obstacles that I worry.” She expected some stinking retort, but he surprised her again.
He spoke quietly directly to her. “I love him. I’ll never intentionally hurt him and I’ll do whatever I can to give him a good life with me. I promise you that. The vows today—I meant them or I wouldn’t have said them.” She nodded in response.
Just then Justin threw himself onto his new husband, full body on top of Brian’s, laughing and kissing him loudly.
“Fucking twat—you’re wet!”
“You love me—sooooo much!”
“Yeah, asshole, I do.”
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