Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lorenzo drops his and Kimber’s bags on our doorstep and storms off in a huff.
Where he will go, on Christmas Day, I have no idea, since nothing is open.
I don’t really give a flying fuck either, if I’m being honest. Intolerance has no place in our home.
Not anymore, not now that Marcus has been fully transparent with his parents.
I mean, as much as those few sentences will allow anyway.
It appears Kimber isn’t so ready to follow Lorenzo, however. In fact, it appears that she’s more willing to hear Marcus out, which shocks the shit out of me. I step out of her way, gesturing for her to come inside. Caleb steps out and offers to help grab the bags Lorenzo left behind.
“Thank you,” Kimber says, stepping in and passing the gift-wrapped packages to my mother.
“Why don’t we give you some privacy?” Mom asks, ushering my dad and brothers out of the room.
“Mom, I’m sorry you had to find out this way…” Marcus rasps after a beat of tense silence.
Kimber pulls a deep breath in through her nostrils and steps up to Marcus. It shouldn’t be funny, this isn’t a time to laugh, but the way she stands a good foot and a half shorter than him is a little comical.
She sighs. “I’m sorry your father reacted that way. Please, explain this to me a little better so I can understand.”
Marcus licks his lips, reaching out for Caleb’s hand. Caleb takes it and gives him a reassuring squeeze. Then, Marcus extends his other arm, gesturing for me to sidle up to him on the other side.
“I’m with both of them,” he starts off saying.
“I’m not living a double-life. Not anymore.
I am still with Lauren, and we’re still just as committed as ever.
Maybe even more now that Caleb and his son, Cameron, have come into our lives.
Cam’s the one who went with Brody. What you don’t know is that I’m gay.
I can’t explain it, but Lauren is the only exception to that.
When she and I first moved to Maine, I did a little—erm—exploring.
With her consent, I should add…” he says.
I nod. “I encouraged him to explore his sexuality.”
Kimber’s lips roll between her teeth. She releases them with a pop. “I guess I always did wonder if you had a tendency towards men.”
Marcus nods. “I did, yes. I met Caleb back then, during one of those exploratory periods. We reconnected a few months ago when he and Lo started dating, actually. The three of us, we just kind of realized we were all a good fit for one another.”
“What about the attire you’re in?” Kimber presses.
Marcus squirms. “Well, you know I used to go through your closet, and I did stop for a while, after Dad… you know. But, I don’t know, as I got older I kept on doing it.
I started raiding Lauren’s closet instead.
I guess I’ve always been drawn to escaping rigid masculine norms, you could say.
It’s not a sexual thing either, I simply feel the most comfortable in dresses and skirts. ”
Kimber turns her attention towards me. “You’ve known all along, haven’t you?”
I nod. “Yes, ma’am.”
She gestures between the three of us. “And you encouraged this?”
Anxiety ripples through me like a wave, unsure of how to take her question. “I did,” I confess. “Both the clothing and the relationship. I love both Marcus and Caleb.”
She turns towards Caleb. “I do apologize for not addressing you properly. I presume you communicate via sign language, and I must admit, I’ve been very lackadaisical about learning it, despite my grandson having been born deaf.”
“Thank you for your honesty,” Caleb signs and I interpret for him. “I think Brody would appreciate it if you did make that effort though.”
Kimber nods sullenly, wets her lips, and then clears her throat. She peers back up at Marcus. “I’m also not going to lie to you and say that I understand this—this rather unorthodox relationship you’re in, but I would like to know one thing, Marcus.”
“What’s that?” he asks.
“Are you happy with this arrangement?”
He nods without hesitation. “Unbelievably so, Mom. I feel free to be me around them both. I don’t know how to describe it any better than just to say that I feel complete. I feel whole. I am seen, I am heard, and, best of all, I am appreciated.”
“And loved,” Caleb adds.
Kimber’s brows knit.
“Caleb said that Marcus is also loved,” I repeat.
“Thank you,” Kimber replies. “Not just for the interpretation, but for providing that love for Marcus. I know his father can come off quite callous and cold sometimes, and that, I suppose, is my fault for allowing it.” She reaches up—way up—and cups Marcus’ cheek.
“I never meant to bring you up in an environment that made you feel like you could not be yourself, and for that, my son, I am truly sorry.”
Marcus gulps, blinking back tears.
His mother continues, “This, right here, has been a huge wake up call to me that I’ve failed you as a mother, Marcus, and as a grandmother to Brody. I—”
Caleb reaches a hand out and places it on her shoulder, halting her admission.
He begins to sign, which I interpret for him.
“If I can be a little presumptuous here, I’d say you have not failed as a mother.
Sure, it appears that you’re taken aback, as is to be expected, but you still being here and accepting responsibility is huge.
I think what you’re perceiving as failure is what could potentially cause the tides to change for your family.
You may not fully understand our relationship, but that’s okay in the grand scheme of things.
We’re still figuring it out as we go. But what does count for something is that your main concern is whether or not Marcus is happy and fulfilled, and that’s what truly matters. ”
Kimber offers him a tight lipped smile. “Thank you, Caleb. Gosh, that means a lot to me, you have no idea.” She peers back up at Marcus.
“With your permission, Son, I’d like to stay, if I may, to get to know everyone better, to spend some time with Brody, and to salvage what’s left of today.
I don’t know where Lorey ended up, but I will be certain to try to calm him down. ”
Marcus nods. “You can stay.”
I butt in, “And try not to judge my roast beef too harshly, Mrs. Antonucci. I did try to follow your recipe, but I’m afraid I probably didn’t do it as much justice as you do…”
She grins at that. Pulling me in for an unexpected hug, she replies, “That’s okay, Lauren. I’ll still love you, no matter how badly you bungle the beef.”
By the time Lorenzo comes back around—hours later, around dusk—my family has all started their treks back to their respective homes.
Marcus has changed into some shirt-and-pants pajamas by now, and Kimber is actually sitting on the floor with Brody, allowing Ivy to slither up her arm.
For a moment there, I was concerned we may have to take her to an Urgent Care for the jump-scare she nearly had when Peppadew came cruising out of Cam’s room, hoping for a little morsel to fall to the floor from our Christmas dinner.
Marcus’ dad looks to be more than just a tad bit on the tipsy side when he rings the doorbell on our front stoop, propping himself up on one of the posts. Marcus stands in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. He waits for Lorenzo to speak up first.
“May I come in?” his father asks, slurring slightly.
“Depends on how you’re going to act,” Marcus replies.
“That any way to speak to your father?” Lorenzo snaps back.
“It is when he was a disrespectful asshole earlier, took off for most of the day, and came back wasted.”
“M’not wasted,” Lorenzo balks. “I had a little to drink when I found some old fella down by the pier. We shot the shit for a little bit while he tinkered on his boat.”
“Who?” Marcus asks. “Dad, you don’t know anyone around here…”
“I don’t know, Marcus,” Lorenzo says, swaying on his heels. “Said his name was Wagon—or Wagner—or something. Doesn’t matter, I suppose, I’ll likely never see ‘em again, but he did give me a good talkin’ to ‘bout how I should have reacted earlier… I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
Lorenzo shoves his way in and shuts the door behind him. “For treatin’ you the way I did, okay? You’re my only son, and I shouldn’t have walked out like that. I should have stayed here, like your mother, and let you explain.”
Marcus eyes his father with scrutiny for a moment before clearing his throat.
“So, let me see if I got this correctly… you met Wagner Waters, the guy that is practically considered royalty in this town—my boss’s father—and you had an honest to god heart-to-heart with him about finding out I’m queer and storming out of here? ”
Lorenzo nods. “Yeah, I s’pose I did. And there was whiskey. A hell of a lot of whiskey. That guy can sure as hell put ‘em down alright. But he put me in my place. Told me there wasn’t anything wrong with my son being gay. One of his is too, I guess.”
Marcus and Caleb both snort at that. I’m assuming that means both of Wagner’s sons identify somewhere on the rainbow, I guess, if they know something I don’t about Gannett.
Lorenzo turns towards Caleb. “M’sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. M’sorry we’re meeting like this now. If I could, I’d like to take a mulligan and try again… better this time. I think I’d also like to know why there’s a friggin’ snake crawling up my wife right now too.”
“This is Ivy. Brody’s snake,” Kimber says, patting the couch cushion above her. “Come sit, but be warned, they have a skunk here too. It’s an emotional support skunk, if you can imagine,” she adds, chuckling.