Chapter Twenty-Six
Bernard
Saturday, September 25/Sunday, September 26
IT WAS A quarter to ten, and Bernard was running late. He still needed to pick up Rory and drive twenty minutes to the park.
Bernard rushed out the door, Ginger in tow, and drove off to Rory’s.
He arrived at ten and knocked.
Rory answered in a blue T-shirt, tan shorts, and sunglasses. Bernard lifted Rory’s glasses and stared into his beautiful green eyes.
“Don’t hide your eyes.” Bernard smiled.
“You’re sweet.” Rory’s cheeks reddened.
“Are you ready to go?” Bernard asked.
“Can’t we stay in and cuddle?”
Rory wrapped his arms around him and kissed him.
Bernard melted in Rory’s embrace. He pulled him closer. The warmth of Rory’s lips erased all urgency in leaving.
Bernard pulled away slowly and ran a finger up and down Rory’s chest.
“As much as I’d like that, we’re already late. We were supposed to be there at ten.”
“All right, we’ll go then.” Rory pouted.
Bernard laughed.
“You said you invited your friends too?” Bernard asked as they walked to his truck.
“Yes, Davi, Nicolas, Sophia, and Jeff have all said they’ll join us. It’s going to be fun.”
*
THEY ARRIVED AT ten-thirty to find everyone had settled around a park bench and were socializing. Davi and Sophia were in an animated conversation with Sarah.
“Well, it looks like we don’t have to introduce anyone,” Bernard said. “You all seem to have done that.”
“Well, we all got here around ten. Where were you two?” Kelly teased.
“That’s my fault. I was running late picking up Rory. Then we had a short make-out session.”
Everyone whooped.
“Oh my, is that Mikey?” Rory asked, pointing to a blond-haired boy sitting with Chester.
“Yup.” Sarah scooped him up and carried him to Rory. “Would you like to hold him?”
“I’d love to.”
Rory gently held Mikey in his lap, tickling him until the boy was giggling. It warmed Bernard’s heart that Rory had such a way with children—they just loved him at first sight.
“Who you?” Mikey asked. He grabbed on to Rory’s beard.
“I’m Rory, but my niece calls me Roro.”
“Hi, Roro.”
Rory carried Mikey around, telling him a story about a little girl who met magical ponies in a far-off land. Bernard smiled. Rory would be a wonderful father.
“He’s fantastic with kids,” Sarah said.
“He wants children one day.”
A pain shot through his chest at that. He wanted children too. But it wasn’t feasible for them. No adoption agency would ever consider them. Single people had a chance, but once they found out he and Rory were gay, the agency would remove them. Surrogacy was an option, but it was beyond his price range. He and Rory wanted children, but it hurt that they may never be fathers.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to have children one day.”
“I thought about getting a surrogate, but I don’t know. It’s so expensive and even then, a lot of women won’t choose a gay couple.”
“Well, give it time. You never know what the future holds. You both would raise wonderful children.”
The groups sat around two tables and ate burgers, hot dogs, chips, potato salad, and coleslaw. Mikey insisted on sitting in Rory’s lap for lunch.
Conversations rose as the two groups became more acquainted.
“We told Rory to ask Bernard out a long time ago,” Nicolas said.
“We told Bernard the same thing,” Kelly said.
“Hey,” Bernard said. “We ended up together in the end. That’s what matters.”
Bernard leaned over and kissed Rory. Rory’s cheeks pinked with an adorable blush. Bernard couldn’t help but smile. He was with someone who wanted him. No matter the struggles they’d face, they would support each other.
“I already said I should have asked you out twenty years ago,” Rory said.
“Who knows what would have happened?” Bernard said.
“You’d have been together twenty years is my guess,” Nicolas said.
“Seriously,” Sophia said. “You two are so sweet together.”
Bernard smiled at Rory holding Mikey. Rory was handsome, sweet, caring, and deserved happiness. He wanted to give him everything he needed.
“Oh, I have a story,” Sarah said, pulling Bernard out of his thoughts. “We were in our early twenties. We were at the Round-Up Saloon.”
“Sarah, no,” Bernard and Rory said together.
“Oh, if they don’t want us to hear this, then we need to hear this,” Nicolas said.
“So, we had a few drinks and were walking to get something to eat when Mitch said we should jump the fences in the neighborhood because it was faster.”
“Mitch just wanted to get Sarah in her underwear,” Rory said. “He had the biggest crush on you.”
“It didn’t work,” Sarah said.
“He got a nice shot of our butts though,” Bernard laughed.
“Wait, how did you end up in your underwear?” Jeff asked.
“We jumped a few fences and my pants got caught, so instead of trying to get them unhooked, I just took off my pants so it wouldn’t happen again,” Bernard said.
“Then, so he wasn’t alone, I did the same,” Rory said.
It was a sight he’d burned into his mind. Rory had a nice ass, and Bernard jacked off to the image for years. He wanted to touch it, kiss it, and run his tongue inside it.
“So, we ended up in Mr. Caster’s pool in the middle of November,” Rory laughed.
Everyone laughed. Looking back, it was a terrible choice, but they had a lot of fun. They’d done so much together before Bernard came out. It pained him to think about all the friends he lost in the months following him coming out. After he pushed Rory away, he only had Sarah and John left. Now Rory was back, and he had Kelly and Sean.
“No one needs to hear these perverted stories.” An elderly woman walked up to the group.
“Excuse me?” John said. “What are you talking about?”
“Talking about running around naked in a neighborhood, and with a child.”
They all looked over. Mikey was out like a light in Rory’s arms.
“We weren’t naked,” Bernard said. “We had our underwear on. It was just some stupid stunt we did when we were younger. No one got hurt.”
“Well, I saw what you did earlier.”
“What did we do?” Rory asked.
“You two making out like two horny teenagers,” she spat.
“I gave him a kiss. It’s not illegal,” Rory said.
“Well, it should be.” She glared at Rory. “You two should be ashamed of yourselves.”
“Should we also be ashamed of ourselves?” John asked, pointing at him and Sarah. “I kissed her just a few minutes ago.”
“That’s different.”
“Why is it always different with you people?” Bernard stood.
He wouldn’t take this anymore. People who believed they had a moral high ground telling everyone else how to live their lives.
“Every time someone like you confronts us, it’s ‘it’s different with them’ when it’s a straight couple,” Bernard said.
“It is,” she said. “It’s the natural order of things.”
“We’re two consenting adults. There’s nothing sinful about our relationship,” Rory said.
“I never mentioned sin,” she said. “I just think it’s wrong. Two men shouldn’t be together. You can’t procreate that way.”
Bernard’s breathing intensified. People would come up with every excuse to discriminate, and it had to stop.
“Actually,” Davi said. “That’s untrue. Many species of animals exhibit homosexual behaviors. So, it isn’t unnatural.”
They all looked at Davi.
“I minored in biology,” he said.
“Well, either way,” she said. “I shouldn’t have to see it.”
“Then don’t look,” Sophia said. “No one’s making you look at them.”
The woman glared at Bernard and Rory, her hands balled into fists. She looked as if she was going to say something but thought better of it. They outnumbered her, and if she continued to harass them, they could file a report.
“You’re disgusting,” she snapped before turning and walking away.
“What in the world?” Nicolas said. “What got into her?”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t do more,” Sophia said. “You shouldn’t have to deal with bigots like that.”
“We face it every day,” Bernard said. “At least those who are caught like we were, or those who appear more effeminate. It’s horrible stereotyping.”
“This happens a lot?” Jeff asked.
“More than you’d think,” Kelly said.
“You’ve dealt with that?” Rory asked Kelly.
“I…” Kelly paused. “I had some trouble getting help from the law. I’ll leave it at that.”
“Why does anyone care what two adults do if it’s not hurting them or anyone else?” Nicolas said.
“It’s about control and what they considered normal,” Bernard said. “While homosexuality has been around for as long as man has, it’s gone through phases. Some places didn’t see it as an issue. I think religion had a hand in making it unacceptable. While you have people who are not religious oppose it, it still stems from religious doctrine.”
“Well,” Nicolas said, “it’s messed up. I hope it gets better in time.”
“We can only hope,” Kelly said.
“Rory, would you like to take a short walk with me?” Bernard asked.
“Okay.”
Bernard led him around the lake to a small bench. It was quiet, with few people milling around the lake.
“How are you feeling?” Bernard asked.
“I’m okay, why?”
“I know you haven’t faced discrimination in public like this, except for the one guy, and I want to see how you’re feeling.”
“It hurts to hear those things. I’m not sure what to do.” Rory looked down. A few tears fell into his beard.
Bernard’s body ached at the sight of Rory. This wonderful man had to face new obstacles now that he was out. Bernard would do anything to protect him.
He wrapped his arms around Rory.
“I’m here with you,” he whispered. “I’ll always be here for you.”
“I hear these things at church, and I’m lost. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“You’re supposed to be the best person you can be.”
“I still believe in God, but I don’t know what to believe.” Rory shook in his arms. “Do you still believe in God, Bernard?”
“I do. I just do it my way. I don’t believe I have to attend church every Sunday or pray all the time. I just try to be a good person and do the best that I can do.”
The church removed Bernard’s standing when they discovered he was gay. He left religion behind while he discovered himself. He still believed in God, but not the God the Catholic Church taught. His God was one who loved you no matter what and didn’t require constant worship.
“Does it get easier?” Rory asked.
“Not much, but we’ll get through it together.”
When they made it back to the group, Sophia and Nicolas had to head out for work. Kelly and John started cleaning up while Sarah took Mikey to the play area.
Bernard and Rory joined in to help clean up.
“So, Bernard,” Jeff said. “I have a question.”
“Yes,” Bernard said.
“We asked Rory this, and he never gave us an answer.” He grinned at Rory. “How long have you been in love with Rory?”
“You asked Rory how long he’d been in love with me?”
“I did,” Davi said. “But he didn’t answer.”
“I’m right here,” Rory said. “I still don’t know when I fell for him.”
“It was our junior year of high school. We’d finished studying for our history exam. I looked over and saw Rory in a different light. At that moment, I found myself attracted to him. Sitting across from Rory is the first time I truly accepted I was gay.”
“That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard,” Jeff said.
“I wish I knew then what I know now,” Rory said.
“I tried dating, but you know how those relationships ended. I think somewhere deep down I chose the wrong men because I didn’t think anyone could compare to you.”
Davi and Jeff were now wiping tears from their eyes.
“You two are so handsome together,” Davi said. “I hope I can find love like yours one day.”
“Davi,” Rory said, “you are a wonderful man. I know you’ll find someone who makes you happy.”
“Thank you.”
They finished cleaning, and Bernard got Rory back home in time for church.
“Thank you for a wonderful day,” Rory said. “I had a lot of fun.”
“I did too.” Bernard resisted kissing him. Rory lived in a safe neighborhood, but he didn’t know which neighbors went to his church.
“Another afternoon together tomorrow?” Rory asked.
“Would you like to stay the night?”
“I wish I could,” Rory said. “But I can’t risk it. I’m so sorry.”
“I understand. What about tomorrow night after our day in the park?”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
*
ONCE HOME, BERNARD let Ginger out back and sat on the couch. Their friends supported their relationship. Bernard had sworn off relationships before, but Rory was different. Special. He’d hide their relationship forever if it meant staying with him. One day, Rory would come out to his family when he was ready. Bernard knew the fallout would be horrible, but he’d be free to be himself. The world may not accept them, but they had friends who did. They didn’t need the world.
*
THE NEXT DAY they spent a wonderful afternoon in the park. Rory went home to get his evening supplies and check on Mina. Bernard went home to start dinner.
“Sweetie, I’m home,” Rory called from the living room. Bernard smiled. “I hope it’s okay that I let myself in.”
“Sweetheart, don’t be silly. That’s why I gave you a key.”
He met Rory in the living room and kissed him.
“What’s for dinner?”
“I’ve made baked barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies.”
“Sounds good.”
They ate in the living room and watched a recorded episode of Three’s Company.
“I can’t believe you still have these old shows recorded.”
“Oh, yeah, I have this, Dear John , I Love Lucy, Laverne and Shirley, Gilligan’s Island. All the old classics.”
After dinner, they snuggled up in bed. Bernard held on to Rory, keeping him close. He hadn’t tried anything since Rory panicked. He didn’t want to make Rory uncomfortable. He still wasn’t ready, and Bernard didn’t want to push him into something he didn’t want to do. Rory would know when he was ready.
“I love you,” Rory said.
Rory turned over to face Bernard. Bernard looked at him. This was the first time Rory said he loved him.
“I love you too.” Bernard kissed him. Deep. Passionate. Their tongues tangled together in their mouths. He wanted his naked body against Rory’s. His cock stiffened.
He felt Rory’s hand on it.
“Do you want to?” Bernard asked.
“I…I don’t know,” Rory said.
“That means no, and I’ll respect that.”
“Why are you so patient with me?” Rory sat up. “You have done nothing but be patient with me, and I can’t even be intimate with you.”
“Because I love you and I know what it’s like to be pushed into something you’re not ready for.”
Rory looked stricken. “What happened?”
“Jason talked me into a threesome a year into our relationship. I should have said no, but I wanted to hold on to him. It turned out he was interested in a guy and did a threesome with me to get him into bed. A month later, I found them in bed together. We never discussed an open relationship. I was mad and hurt. It took me another year before I left him.”
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”
“No one knew. I kept it a secret. You’re the first person I’ve told. That’s why I don’t push. I don’t want you to regret anything you do with me. Jason cheated because I allowed it. I gave him permission.”
“He was going to cheat no matter what.” Rory held Bernard’s face in his hands. His soft, kind hands. “It was just a way to get there faster. It wasn’t your fault, and you shouldn’t blame yourself for what he did.”
“Thank you.” Bernard choked. “That means a lot to me.”
They held each other for what seemed like hours and Bernard didn’t want to let go.
“We should get some sleep. We have to be up early.”
Bernard put on his CPAP and lay there with Rory’s arms wrapped around him. He was still hard, but sex was the last thing on his mind. He’d told someone something that was eating him alive for years. Rory understood and didn’t blame him. The weight lifted.