Just For the Week Ch. 03

"You already gave me us. I'll never need another birthday present again."

"I didn't say I didn't get you anything. I just didn't buy you anything. Your present is twofold." I slide my chair around so I'm next to him rather than across from him. I put an arm around him. "You've been the leader, the driver in our relationship. Let's be honest, you've done more for us than I have so far. It's time for me to even things up a little."

"That is so not true. You-"

I cut him off with a raised hand, "Stop. It is too and we both know it. So, I've bought nothing, but I hope you like your gifts anyway."

"Well, I'm assuming that breakfast was one of them. That was above and beyond."

"No. Well, okay, then your gift is threefold. Let's go get your second gift." I lead him downstairs to the music room and take a seat at the piano. "I finished my first song and I'm dedicating it to you. You are the first to hear it. Like us last night, your ears are about to lose their virginity."

Tyson's laugh makes my heart flutter.

"I call it For Now." He pulls out his phone and records me as I play him the song.

When I'm done I say, "I know it's no Vienna or And So It Goes." I turn and look at Tyson. His eyes brim with tears.

He says, "You really need to keep a box of tissues in here." Wiping his eyes on his (my) sleeve, Tyson says, "I'm at a loss for the right adjectives, but I know it's my new favorite song and the best birthday present I've ever gotten, by like a million miles." He takes my hand and leads me up the stairs.

I ask, "Where are we going?"

"When you get the best birthday present of your life, it's only proper etiquette to reciprocate with an appropriate thank you." He closes my door behind us.

Tyson's half-birthday is my new favorite day.

~~

Another hour later, still lying in my bed I say, "And for your third present..." I take a deep breath. "Last night I made a commitment to you. This is for real. No pretending, no hiding, no sneaking around. Your third gift is that today, in a couple hours when my family gets home, I'm coming out to them. I am coming out and I'm telling them about us."

Tyson looks shocked, "You don't have to rush your plan for me. Are you ready? I'm okay with your family thinking we're just friends for now."

"And I love you for that, but I'm not okay with it. This isn't just some grand gesture. I've given it a lot of thought. Yes, I had a plan, but you know what? My life has changed over the last ten days. It's changed dramatically and now I need a new plan. Whether I'm ready or not, it's the right thing to do for me, for my family and for us. And you know what? I actually am ready. Because of you, I'm ready."

He pulls me into a kiss. I tell him, "Another perfect 10." I rip myself away from him, "I need to take a shower."

"Can I help?"

"Well, there are places I have trouble reaching."

We both laugh. 24 hours ago, I was still a virgin. After that shower, I've now lost count.

~~

My parents and brothers get home around 1:00. Mom is the first to notice my injuries.

She grabs me by the elbow, "Jackson Pearson, what happened to you? What happened to your handsome face?"

I let out a sigh, "I was in a fight."

"A fight? When? Where? Wasn't this supposed to be prom weekend? Was it over a girl? What happened?"

Between Mom and Dad, I couldn't even tell who was asking which of the questions. Justin and Josh both stay quiet.

I say, "Please, let's all sit down. I'll get to the fight in a minute, but there's something else I have to tell you first." All five of us sit on the living room couches. With all four pairs of eyes focused on me, it feels like the air has been sucked out of the room. It's hardly been twelve hours since I decided that today would be the day that I would do this. Like with Danny and Layne five days ago, I have not prepared a speech. Unlike with Danny and Layne, my parents are extremely Catholic and traditional. All I can do is say the words and hope for the best. Two words. Just two little words and suddenly I won't be the same person to them that I always was. Two words that, once said, can never be taken back. They can't be unsaid. In anticipation, I feel my eyes welling up. I rip off the band aid. "I'm gay."

Mom's hands fly up to cover her mouth as she gasps and Dad rocks backwards a little, like my words physically assaulted him. These reactions are somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of possibilities I had imagined. Not the worst, not the best. I let the proclamation breathe for a moment. I'm not sure if I'm expected to add anything at this point or if I should just wait and respond to questions and reactions.

Mom lowers her hands and asks, "When did you first think that you were-"

Justin cuts her off, "Mom! It's not something you think about yourself. It's not a choice or a decision either. Jack has probably struggled with how and when to tell us this for some time."

Mom looks at me, "Tell me, Jack. Tell me everything."

So I do. I go back 11 days and tell the whole story from the beginning.

Dad reaches out and touches my arm. There are tears in his eyes, "Your mother and I don't live under a rock. The world is changing and despite you growing up, getting older and becoming independent, we will always be your parents. Whether you're eighteen or fifty, we will always love you and worry about you."

As he pauses to wipe away a tear and I realize that Dad has a better prepared speech than I do.

He continues, "You're our son and we only care that you're safe and happy. We're not upset or even disappointed that you're gay, but we'd be lying if we didn't admit that we're a little afraid."

I'm almost crying again.

"Your path is a harder one. You'll face more obstacles, more roadblocks, more adversity...and apparently meaningless hate and violence sometimes." He reaches over and angles my face to get a better look at my scrapes. "But you will always have our love and support."

Dad looks to Mom and she takes in a ragged breath, "Jackson Gleason, you mean the world to us. My reaction a few minutes ago was probably not the reaction you hoped for. I know that and I'm sorry, but it was less what you said than the fact that you said it with your beautiful face all bloodied and bruised. For all the reasons your father mentioned, these are not the easiest words to hear. You see, parents envision certain things for their children, right or wrong that's just what happens. But that's for me to overcome, not you. Watching you grow into the fine young man you've become has been the privilege of my life. My son is gay. He always has been. It doesn't change who he is, it's part of who he is. The new thing, the change, is that we know now. So, really, there's no difference."

We find ourselves in one big group hug. I'm the middle of a Pearson Sandwich.

I wipe tears from my eyes before I clear my throat, "There's one more thing." I find I'm suddenly nervous again, "I have a boyfriend." I slide my phone out of my pocket and text Tyson. "My partner for this whole inclusion week thing, it started out as an act but we became friends, then we got closer and it turned into something real. His name is Tyson Courtland and we are together. It's not just for prom and we're not just friends. We're hoping to make our relationship work even while we're away in college. It won't be easy, but we think we're worth trying for." The doorbell rings. "I'd like you to meet him."

He still has a black eye and bruised jaw that couldn't be hidden. Mom looks at him and says, "So is this the boy you've been fighting with?"

I say, "No. Well, yes. Fighting 'with' or I guess 'for', not 'against'. This is Tyson. My boyfriend."

Tyson is in his element. He's charming and social in a way that I could only hope to one day be.

Mom suggests that Tyson stays for dinner. I say, "It's Tyson's birthday and we have plans, but tomorrow is Memorial Day. Maybe he can come over for a bar-b-que and we could invite his sister too? Just make sure Dad does the cooking." Everyone laughs.

Josh looks from Justin to me to Tyson and breaks out into another huge grin. "Hey, before you two go, how about some two-on-two basketball?"

They're all eager to play, so I relent. "Only if we can play ping pong after."

A chorus of "No's".

Josh is going to be the next basketball star at Chandler. He'll pick up where Tyson leaves off. He's grabbing his sneakers, "What are the teams?"

As if there were any other choice, I say, "I'm on Tyson's team." Hopefully I always will be.

But then again, what the fuck do I know?