Aaron's Summer of '77 Ch. 07

"Adam, I had lunch last week with Aaron's Mother."

"I didn't know that, Mom! You didn't tell me about any lunch with her."

"Well, Adam, Ava called me and suggested we get together to talk a bit about our boys. You know, she's down right now because she's afraid to let him go. I remember feeling the exact same way with you when you moved away and started pharmacy assistant training in Kingston. It's hard to let go."

"What else did she have to say, Mom?"

"Just that she and Mr. Christie were so glad you and Aaron were friends and that she felt Brockville was not the place for either of you to be stuck in for the rest of your lives. And, I happen to agree with her too. She knows that with Aaron. But all the same, it's still hard for her to let go."

"Adam, I want you to bring Aaron over here so I can get to really meet him before he leaves for school. I know, I've been busy with my life and work these past few months. And, you may likely already suspect this, but I've been seeing Sebastien from the hospital over the past few months. . He works there as an Orderly. I've wanted to keep that quiet and discreet though, because we both work at the hospital and people in this town gossip and seem to know everyone else's business. Bast' is usually over here when you come to the house now so it's time you knew what's what. And, Adam, it's just so good to have someone in my life again after so many years of being alone. That's what I want for you too, Adam."

"Thanks, Mom."

After a long pause, Adam hesitates and then says quietly, "Uh, Mom, you know I'm gay, don't you?"

Delphine pauses and gives Adam a long, reflective look and eventually says, "Adam, I've known that since you were twelve. I know we've never talked about it. And, you've never come to me and said anything either. I want you to be happy, sweetheart. I don't understand why you are the way you are. But, it isn't for me to judge or tell you who to be or how to live your life. Acceptance is different from understanding. I love you, Adam. And I'll always be here for you to talk to and support you, in whatever you do and in whatever way you choose to live your life. I want you to know that."

"I love Aaron, Mom."

"He's very young, Adam. What is he, nineteen? He has his whole life ahead of him and is barely an adult. I don't want you to get hurt, sweetheart. With him moving up to Ottawa, things are going to change drastically in his life. His Mother and I want you to continue to see each other though. Avasaid to me she is happy that Aaron has someone like you to be a mentor to him and hopefully watch over him when he is in school. It's not going to be easy for either one of you. Distance and time can change people. And, yes Adam, Avaknows about you and Aaron too."

"What did she tell you, Mom?"

"Not much, Adam. We didn't have to say all that much to each other. Mothers know their sons, and she has the same fears and concerns that I have for you. She likes you though, Adam. Very much. And, she is hoping you'll keep Aaron motivated and focused on his schoolwork and be there for him to keep him out of trouble."

"Not sure how I'm gonna' be able to do that now that I don't have my car any more and he's gonna' be so far away."

"You'll have weekends when Aaron will either come home or isn't busy with his schoolwork. It's not going to be easy. But, if you really care about him, then you'll just have to be patient and hope that things will all work out. And Adam, I'll lend you the car here when I'm not using it, to go up and see him whenever you need to. I can't do much more than that, except to tell you I love you and that you are both welcome here any time. And again, I want you to bring him over soon to meet me and Bast.

"Thanks. Mom. I love you too. I feel a lot better now talking to you."

"Well, Adam, you know you can always come and talk to me. I hope you realize that now, sweetheart."

Later that night, Delphine and Sebastien are in bed together, when she turns to him and says, "Well Bast, Adam finally told me he is gay. And, I told him to go and look for the same happiness I've been able to find with you over these past months."

"That's good, Del. I know you love him. I'll never understand what makes us fall in love with the people we do. All I know is that love can come at unexpected times with people we least expect, and in surprising ways to us all."

Adam shows up at the bus station with a huge backpack filled with some tools, a sleeping bag and a change of clothes to hop the bus with me up to Ottawa. He's wearing jeans and a blue tee-shirt with a Superman logo on the front of it and a pair of bright red running shoes. "Did ya' pick up the tickets for us yet, Aaron?"

"Yeah, Adam. I'm so glad you were able to get the time off to come up with me before I have to start school on Monday."

"I'll fix somethin' up for us to eat in that postage stamp kitchen when we finish with setting up your armoire and after you buy a mattress and drafting board from Wallack's. It's gonna' be 'fun' goin' with ya' to Colonial Furniture and testing out mattresses together!"

"By testing, I hope you mean just lying down on them to gauge their softness or firmness and nothing else," I say to him.

"Well, maybe a little bit of bouncing up and down to make sure the one you pick is gonna' be strong enough to handle the action and abuse I plan to give it with you and me, baby! But, so as I don't embarrass ya' in front of the sales clerk, I'll keep my clothes on when I do it, OK. Cookie?"

"Oh, God!"

"Jeez, cookie! I had no idea a drafting board and supplies were gonna' cost ya' that much," says Adam, as he checks the price tickets on the two I've been comparing. "And that drafting thing, what did ya" call it again ...a Paraline? Jeezus! That thing alone is three hundred bucks, babe!""

"The tuition for the program is cheap compared with what the cost of materials and supplies are going to be, Adam. I knew that coming into the course. At least the drafting board and Paraline and a stool and most of the other stuff I'm going to need are going to be one-time purchases. And, since I was able to qualify for a student grant from the Ontario Government, most of that money will offset some of the more expensive items I'm going to have to get in order to do some of my assignments from home and not have to live in the classroom 24/7 the way some of the other students will have to."

"If you say so, cookie. Now let's head on over to Colonial Furniture to check out those mattresses, babe!"

Colonial Furniture is on Bank Street and down about two blocks from Wallack's Art and Drafting Supplies and Equipment. "May I help you gentlemen?" says the female clerk, as we walk into the store. Adam takes over completely from me and says, "Yes, I'm looking for a good, strong, durable mattress and box spring set that's gonna' get subjected to a lot of heavy-duty action. Something on the extra firm, hard side and not so expensive that I'm gonna' be afraid to 'really' use it, if you catch my meaning."

The clerk colours up a bit and tells Adam that the mattresses are up on the second floor. "If you need 'any' help at from me all, my name is Pauline. I'll be more than happy to help you," as she stares at Adam's prominent package with no doubt, wild sexual images and fantasies running through her head.

"Works every time, cookie!" he says to me and laughs, as we head up the stairs and stare across a football-field sized room filled with mattresses and cheap laminate and wood veneer bedroom furniture suites. "Once you pick what we're gonna' sleep together on babe, I'll give her one of my flashy smiles and a look and I'll betcha' we'll wind up gettin' a discount from her and maybe even free delivery later on today, so we won't hafta' sleep on the floor tonite!" Four hundred dollars later and a promise from starstruck Pauline that yes, the mattress will 'of course' be on a Colonial Furniture truck out for delivery later that afternoon, and Adam and I head back to my apartment on Argyle.

The armoire goes back together fairly quickly, thanks to the tools Adam thought to bring up with him. And, finally a curtain rod gets securely screwed into the top of the frame around the window. The mattress arrives just after 4:00 and we have drapes on the window and almost everything put away by dinnertime. "I'm just gonna' head out to Boushey's Food Market around the corner on Elgin to see what I can scare up for us to eat, cookie. It won't be fancy, since you don't have much of a kitchen or stuff to work with, but, I promise I'll make somethin' that won't give us food poisoning, OK babe?"

"OK, Adam. I've just got a few more things to unpack out of these last boxes and I'll help you when you get back."

"When the fuck did ya' ever get a chance to take a picture of me, cookie?" says Adam, as he stares at the small framed photo of him in his grey suit I've placed on the mantel of the fireplace. "Ummm, Well, Adam, I snuck my camera into the store one day a few months ago before I actually met you and took it when you were busy with a customer. I know that sounds creepy. And, I have to admit I felt like some kind of pervert stalker just after I took it. But, I just wanted to have your picture to look at when I was alone in my room and just needed something showing you to jerk off to."

"Jeezus, cookie! You always manage to surprise and shock me, baby! Do ya' want me to autograph that one with my dong, babe? Heh, heh! Uh, actually Aaron, I'll getcha' a much better one than that the next time I come up, OK? Do ya' want a life-size, full length nude shot or will just a close up of my King Kong dong be good enough for ya'? Heh, heh, heh!" 'Then he drags me over to the new, as yet unmade bed, grabs me by the shoulders, slowly and purposefully lowers me gently down onto my new mattress, with him climbing on top of me and says very seriously, "Ummm, I think dinner's gonna' hafta' wait for a bit, 'cause I've got other plans for us for the moment, cookie!"

Three hours later and Adam and I sit naked, cross-legged, and facing each other on the rug in front of the fireplace while dining on the chicken breast and pre-cooked instant noodles he was able to prepare on my tiny stove, and with candles casting a soft glow all around us in the room. I can't think of a more romantic way to have dinner.

After cleaning up and washing the dishes in the big, deep, old and scratched white porcelain enamel sink and putting them away on the open shelves above, Adam heads over to the bed, pulls the freshly-made covers back and climbs in. He pats the spot beside him and motions for me to join him. "These red satin sheets are really kinda' slithery and cold-feeling, Aaron. Gonna' hafta' get you some new ones, babe. And, uh, honey...remember I'll need to be at the bus station for 7:30 in the morning to catch the bus back to Brockville. And, you'll be needin' to get yourself all 'pretty 'and cleaned up, ready and dressed for your first class for 8:30. I'll have some instant coffee ready for when I wake ya' up, Aaron. You're gonna' be just fine on your own tomorrow. babe. I wantcha' to give me a call when Bell comes to install your phone later this week. I'm gonna' hafta' work this coming weekend.. But, we can talk on the phone and you can tell me all about your first week and I'll be able to come up the following weekend to spend it all with you, OK, Cookie?"

"Mmmmm, thanks for everything, Adam," I whisper to him, as I pull the covers up and eventually find a comfortable spot with my face nestled into his armpit, my arm across his hairy chest and leg bent at the knee and over his in our brand new bed.

Sleep comes slowly though, as I have so many thoughts running through my brain about my pending first day back in school at Algonquin.