2. Trey
2
Trey
I ’m late to the wedding. I suck. I didn’t mean to be late, but I couldn’t drive up last night like I meant to because of an emergency at the shelter where I volunteer, and I slept through my alarm this morning. Mandy is going to be so mad at me. She didn’t want to come to her mom’s wedding alone, and I was supposed to be her protection from the pain in the ass that is showing up to a wedding single. Never mind that I’m gay and seven years older than her. We've been friends since our first day of college. Because of my rough past, I got a late start to my higher education, and I was feeling very out of place among the 18-year-olds at freshman orientation. Then, a tiny, gorgeous ball of energy with pink hair sat down next to me and decided that we were besties. That was all it took. Mandy’s will rearranged the universe, and we’ve been best friends ever since. I’m grateful every day that we met. No one needs to know all that, though. All anyone at the wedding was supposed to know was that I was her date.
I texted Mandy already, so she knows I’m running late, which is something, I guess. Still makes me feel like an asshole. I pull into the long driveway my GPS directs me to and try to park way off to the side where I won’t be in anyone’s way. I can hear a party in full swing as I get out of my car, and I follow the sounds of a good time. Mandy spots me the second I round the corner of the house, and in short order, my arms are full of excited pixie.
“Trey! I’m so glad you’re here! I was worried that you’d get lost or something.” She talks non-stop as she throws herself at me. “My mom is so pretty, and everything came together awesome. I don’t know why I was worried about not having a date. My dad sat next to me anyway.”
Mandy had told me her dad would be there, which seemed like a recipe for disaster to me, but what do I know? Rich white people are weird.
Mandy tucks herself into my side under my arm and just keeps talking, only now she’s pointing with her free hand, seemingly unworried that people might notice her pointing at them. I’m very happy she’s not mad at me for being late, and I focus on trying to keep up with the stream of information she’s sharing.
“That’s my mom and Mitch over there, of course. Duh, the white dress is a dead giveaway. That tall guy in the black cowboy hat is my cousin Sam. There’s Hank over there. He’s like my adopted cousin, and his husband is here somewhere. He’s hard to miss. He’s like six-four, and the dress he’s wearing is gorgeous! Miss Leeanne is over there by the cake; she made all this food and the cake, too! She makes the best food. I love going to her restaurant when we come here.” Just as I’m getting ready to remind her to breathe, she says, “There’s my dad! Hi, Daddy!” and tugs me in the direction of an incredibly good-looking guy with salt-and-pepper hair and a cheerful smile on his face. He’s a couple of inches shorter than I am and a little slighter, but he looks fit and very, very good in the suit he’s wearing.
I’m halfway through doing a very thorough up and down of the newcomer when Mandy’s words sink in. Oh shit, Daddy.
I stick my hand out on autopilot and tell my glands to simmer down. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Johnson, I’m Trey. Mandy’s very late date.”
He reaches out and takes my hand in both of his own. Not like he’s trying to crush my metacarpals, but as if he’s genuinely enjoying shaking my hand.
“Please, call me Ben,” he says. “Only old stuffy people call me Mr. Johnson. Oh shoot, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean you were stuffy. I’ll just shut up now.” He still hasn’t let go of my hand. If this were any other circumstance, I would think the caressing thing he’s doing to my palm was flirting, but he seems too naive for that to be the case. And oh, yeah, Daddy.
“Alright, Ben,” I say as I gently extract my hand. “Mandy was just telling me that the wedding went great. I’m really sorry that I missed it.”
Ben turns a little red when I pull my hand away, and I keep talking to smooth over any embarrassment. I’m beginning to understand where Mandy gets her openness and lack of guile. It makes me instinctively like her father and want to protect his feelings. “I haven’t been to a wedding in a while, but I didn’t think it was the norm for exes to attend. It’s wonderful that you and Mandy’s mother are still such close friends.”
Ben nods happily, his color slowly returning to normal. “We’ve been friends forever. There’s no reason to stop being friends just because we couldn’t stay married. Sherri is a great person, and I love Mitch. I’m glad he’s part of the family.”
Just as Ben is proving he’s either extremely well-adjusted or absolutely unhinged, someone who can only be Hank’s husband glides up behind Ben, wraps his arms around him, and kisses the top of his head before resting his chin on it. He must be approaching seven feet in his heels. The lovely teal sequin dress he’s wearing is as gorgeous as Mandy said it was. Also, now that he’s closer, I realize that I know him.
“Isn’t Ben just the sweetest?” The new arrival purrs at me. He extends a languid hand, and I don’t know whether to shake or kiss it. “I’m Lee, and I had to come introduce myself. I know I haven’t seen you around these parts.” His western drawl is exaggerated for effect. “But now that I’m closer, I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen you somewhere before.” He winks at me flirtatiously, but there is a sharp look in his eyes that says he’s trying to place me.
I’m suddenly finding it a little hard to breathe. I’ve come to terms with my past, but it always makes me a little shaky when it confronts me out of the blue. “I’m Trey,” I say, shaking his hand. “I believe we met in Denver about five, six years ago.”
Mandy chimes in again. “See, I told you his dress was awesome,” she tells me. “I love that dress,” she tells Lee. “I wonder if they make it in short and round, too. This is Trey; he’s my date. Actually, he’s my best friend, but I wasn’t sure if I’d need date-type protection for this thing, so I told him he had to be mine.”
“Oh, sugar,” Lee laughs a deep, rich laugh. “You have too many uncles here to worry about protection. You and Trey just have a good time, and next time I’m down your way, we’ll go dress shopping together. It’ll be fun!” He looks toward me, and his voice takes a more serious tone. “I’m glad to see you again, Trey. I remember where we met now. You look like you’re doing a lot better than the last time I met you. Have fun!”
Lee unwraps himself from Ben and sways across the yard toward his husband, who looks adoringly at him and reaches out to pull him into his side as soon as he’s close enough to touch. We all watch him go, and then Ben looks at me with a fierceness that wasn’t there before.
“Lee is my adopted nephew’s husband, and he’s wonderful,” he starts, and I realize that he’s warning me not to say anything unkind. It brings a broad, genuine grin to my face.
“I met Lee years ago when I was in a tough spot,” I tell him. “He was there when I needed help, and I appreciated him a lot. I’m thrilled to see how well he’s doing and how happy he looks.” Lee volunteered at the shelter I stayed in while I was getting clean and getting my GED, but that doesn’t seem like good wedding small talk, so I keep that part to myself. I love that Ben got protective, though. I already had a good feeling about him, and that just makes me like him more.
People are dancing and eating all around us, and the party is in full swing. Mandy drags her dad off to the dance floor and warns me I’m next. I watch them for a little bit, laughing with each other and obviously enjoying each other’s company, and I’m a little envious. I’m also very happy for my friend. Supportive, affectionate families always give me a touch of envy, but I’m glad and not at all surprised that she is so loved.
Their dance over, Ben and Mandy head back to me, and then it’s my turn to try to match Mandy’s unending energy on the dance floor. I love dancing, and I love Mandy, so it’s an easy ask. When we take a break several songs later to eat some of the great food that’s laid out, we end up finding a spot at a table with Ben again, and I try to shake off the little ripple of awareness that his nearness causes in me. Daddy, Trey, remember?