Acceptance

BLURB

One day in May, 1500 miles apart, two men are outed. Jimmy, whose father declares him dead, and Andrew whose family says, “You’re our son, and we love you.”

Four years later, the two meet. Jimmy, who is now called Alex, and Andrew form a union. Through an accident fifteen years after he left home, Alex gains custody of his two children and the four of them form a family. Alex’s father finally comes to realize that he can accept his for ‘who’ he is, if not for ‘what’ he is.

EXCERPT

ALEX

After what seemed like an eternity, we pulled into what looked like a parking lot. There were at least eight or nine cars, vans, and pickup trucks parked in a large graveled area to the side of a sprawling house that hinted of its Spanish ancestry. It was the color of sun-baked adobe and had a red tile roof. The house faced west and had a large veranda with several wicker chairs with bright cushions and a few small tables placed invitingly around it.

The door opened and one of the most beautiful young men I had ever seen came running out, picked up Heather and swung her around. He was about 5’9”, small-boned and wiry. His sandy blond hair hung a little below his ears and there was a smattering of freckles across his nose. He was wearing worn jeans and a bright green, body hugging T-shirt, and cowboy boots; and I could see part of a tattoo just beneath the sleeve on his left arm.

“Hey, Heather, what did you bring me for graduation?” He stopped spinning her around and his eyes lit on me. “Oooooh, is this my present? He’s gorgeous.”

“Andrew, Alex is a person; he’s not a present. Besides that, he likes girls.”

He put Heather down, gave an exaggerated sigh, placed his hands on his hips, and with an exasperated look on his face said, “Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying.”

Heather parroted his “hands on the hips” pose, tilted her head to one side, and said, “Andrew, you’re gay, but you’re not a girl.”

“Sorry, Heather. That’s just something that gay guys call themselves and each other.”

He looked at me and held out his hand, “Hi. I’m Andrew, the baby and the black sheep of the family.”

I looked down into the greenest eyes I had ever seen and suddenly knew I was in trouble. They were the color of emeralds and were full of laughter. I could see mischief lurking in their depths and realized that they were the exact color of the T-shirt he was wearing. I felt an immediate attraction that I tried very hard to hide. As I took his hand, I felt as though a bolt of electricity traveled up my arm; I could tell by the shocked look on his face that he felt it too. I tried to remain calm and cool as I answered, “I’m Alex. I work with Jim.”

***

ANDREW – THREE DAYS LATER

I went to my room and started to undress; I knew that Alex was leaving in the morning, and I just had to know if I was right or wrong about him. I went to his door and knocked lightly. He came to the door wearing only a pair of jeans and asked, “What’s up, Imp.”

“May I come in for a minute?”

“Sure.”

I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, “Can I ask you a personal question, one that will remain just between us?”

“Yeah; I won’t guarantee to answer it, but you can ask.”

I looked down at the floor for a couple of seconds trying to figure out how to ask what I wanted to know. I raised head and looked directly into his eyes. “Is my gaydar all screwed up? Are you really straight or is Connie wrong about you?”

He got a sad look in his eyes and turned away from me. When he turned back, he didn’t say anything, just reached out, took hold of the back of my head, and pulled me to him. His kiss was sweet and gentle and I felt as though I was melting. As the kiss ended, he asked, “Does that answer your question?”

I put my arms around his neck and pulled his head down to me; I felt as though I had to hold on to him to keep my knees from giving out on me. He nibbled on my lips taking my lower lip between his teeth. He put both arms around me and pulled me close and I lay my head on his chest.

He said, “Every time I’ve watched you chew on that lower lip this weekend, I’ve wondered how it would feel to chew on it myself.”

“How does it feel?”

“Like heaven; you taste so sweet.” He held me tighter and kissed me again, this time deeper and more passionate. His tongue probed my mouth open and plunged inside. I took one of my arms from around his neck and placed my hand on his chest and rubbed his nipple. He pulled back, “No, Andrew. This isn’t the time or place. I’m a guest in your parents’ house and I won’t abuse their hospitality. We have to be content with kisses.”

“You want me as much as I want you; why can’t we?”

“Yes, I want you; I want more than you are probably prepared to give. You offered me a blow job; well, Baby, it won’t stop with a blow job. I would love to take those jeans off of you and have sex with you. I’ll bet you’ve never gone further than oral sex, have you?”

I shook my head.

“You’re so very young, Andrew. You’re 18 and I’m 26; at this point, that 8-year span is insurmountable. If it were five or even four years from now, the age difference wouldn’t be nearly as large. You have a lot of growing up to do. You’ve never been away from home for any period of time; I’ve been on my own for several years. I’ve been married and divorced and have two children. Since I left home, I’ve had sex with many men. You need to catch up; this fall, you’ll go to school and find out about the outside world. You’ll meet other men, some of whom won’t be as hesitant to fuck you as I am.”

“I don’t want them, I want you.”

“That shows how young you are. Maybe we’ll meet again sometime and if you still want me, I’ll teach you what gay sex is.”

He kissed me once again, “Goodnight, Imp. Don’t forget me while you’re growing up.”

“If I promise to hurry and grow up, will you wait for me?”

“We’ll see.”

The next morning I couldn’t bring myself to be there when he left. I got up early, fixed a couple of sandwiches, and rode out. I didn’t come back until I was sure he had left.

I didn’t know it would be three years before I saw him again.

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