Jonathan's Hope (18 page)

Dan almost forgot to hand over the small gift that he had brought along. Mary’s mother was all smiles about what a thoughtful young man he was.
I’ll take it as a compliment
, Dan thought, wondering about how old Mary’s parents were, and whether they had given any thought to his age. Seeing Jonathan with his best friend, Dan noticed how her behavior was so much more juvenile than Jonathan’s. It made him wonder about him and Jon, whether they really stood a chance, or whether the thirteen years separating them would become a problem, sooner rather than later. He thought of Parker and Dennis, and how their friends seemed to have overcome much larger odds. Dennis was more than twenty years older than Parker and they were still happily in love.

Mary’s dad looked at Dan throughout dinner. There was some suspicion in his eyes, but he was kind, and maybe Dan was just being paranoid. Dan tried to focus on Jonathan, watched him talk to his friend, her parents, and watched their interaction. Although he had never been a part of this interaction before, he noticed that Mary’s parents seemed to be exchanging looks of appreciation every now and then.

“You’ve matured,” Mary’s dad finally said. “I guess that’s to be expected after what you’ve been through.”

“May I ask what you’re going to do now? Is the trial still going forward?” Mary’s mom asked as she came back from the kitchen with dessert.

“No, the district attorney apparently cancelled it. With my dad gone, there’s no reason to continue. He already confessed and since they can’t put him away, it makes no sense,” Jonathan said evenly. “As for us, we don’t really know, do we, hon?” He looked over to Dan, hoping his lover would fill in the blanks, lead the way forward.

“Well, tomorrow morning, Jon’s grandparents arrive. That’ll keep us busy for a while. Then there’s the funeral to plan. Seems Jon’s dad had specific plans for that. Then, once this is all over, and once Jon’s out of school, we really don’t know. I mean, it depends a bit on where Jon wants to go to college, what he wants to do. I’m flexible. I can do my writing anywhere, as long as I’m close to him...” Dan trailed, blushing, feeling as if he were once again a teenager, interrogated by the parents of a guy he was dating.

Dan had never really been close to his parents. They lived on the east coast, living their own lives. His family just wasn’t very affectionate. They never hugged, and he couldn’t remember his father or mother ever telling him they loved him. When he came out, his father barely lowered his paper, as if contemplating the news, then continued to read the financial section. His mother just looked at him, opened her mouth as if searching for what to say, then thought better of it. That was it. When Dan graduated from college, he had never even returned home, only sending his parents cards for Christmas and calling them on their birthdays. They were awkward, very short calls. They never called or wrote to him.
They might as well be dead, for all I care.

They visited for a little longer, but Dan was eager to get back to the condo to get some rest, afraid what the next morning would bring. They left Mary’s house just before ten, and by the time they got back to their apartment, Jon had fallen asleep in the car. Dan had to wake him and lead him upstairs. Once inside their bedroom, Jon got undressed and dropped into bed, asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Poor baby, must’ve been quite a day...

THE FLIGHT ARRIVED
right on time. Jonathan was a nervous wreck. He hadn’t seen his grandparents in years, and had absolutely no idea what to expect. Parker joined them at the airport, as he had been the one to talk to the Bates for the past weeks.

Jonathan tried to remember the last time his family had been out west to visit his grandparents. The trip was awkward. He remembered that his father had not been very close to his parents, and they looked at him and his mother as if they were some kind of aliens intruding on their farm, their lives. He’d been happy to leave, although the time on the farm was free of beatings and abuse, and his grandparents had been very kind and loving to him. There was something in the air though. Something had seemed off. As a boy, Jonathan had been unable to put words to it, but every visit to his grandparents almost left him wanting for the beatings at home, rather than the strange atmosphere at his grandparents’.

They were waiting outside the baggage claim area. There was no way to see inside, so they stood at the door, waiting. There was a constant stream of people coming from within, and the board indicated that the luggage of their flight was being unloaded. Jonathan was nervous. He held Dan’s hand, and picked at the nails of his other hand. Parker was pacing, Dan was panting. All three men were nervous. When the doors finally opened and Jonathan recognized his grandmother, he almost lost his courage, almost turned on his heel and ran off. She had already spotted him, and was walking towards him.

“Jonathan, dear, how are you? Don’t you worry about anything now, Grandma’s here. Everything will be fine,” she said, tears in her eyes. Behind her, Jonathan’s grandfather seemed small. He had aged considerably since Jonathan had last seen him, and could hardly carry their large suitcase. Dan immediately walked over and offered to take it. The old man awarded him with a weary look, but released his hold of the suitcase to Dan. Parker approached, hand stretched out. “Mr. and Mrs. Bates? Welcome! My name is Parker Jones, I’m Jonathan’s attorney. We have spoken on the phone. Did you have a good flight?” Parker’s voice was soothing, determined, no nonsense. Jonathan appreciated him for that. The professionalism took some of the edge off the awkward situation. Jonathan was acutely aware that no one had introduced Dan, but he didn’t really know what to say, instead giving Dan a look. It worked. Dan stretched out a hand to Jonathan’s granddad. “My name is Dan Jackson. Welcome.” Then he offered his hand to Jonathan’s grandmother, but she didn’t take it.

That’s a start
, Jonathan thought, worried.

The drive into the city in Parker’s car was weird. Jonathan felt very uncomfortable in his skin, sitting between his grandparents in the back seat. Too tall for the cramped space, his head hit against the roof of the car, while Dan and Parker sat in the front.

Parker was the first one to speak. “We have arranged for a hotel room for you at the Empire. You will be comfortable there. Do you know how long you’re staying?”

Jonathan’s grandmother was surprised. “The Empire? Why can’t we stay at our son’s house? With Jonathan?” she asked.

“Grandma, I’m not living at the house. In fact, I haven’t been back there since...” Jonathan couldn’t finish the sentence when he realized what he had said. The fact that he had never once been back to his room, in all those months was a shock even to him. He hadn’t even thought about it. It seemed like a life he had lived a long time ago, as if it had been someone else’s life altogether.

“Mrs. Bates,” Parker came to the rescue, “the house is still sealed by the police. No one has access, and I would presume it will be a few more days before the investigation is officially closed.”

“But, Johnny, where do you live then?” his grandmother asked, using a name that Jonathan never really liked. Dan chuckled from the front seat. “Johnny?”

This obviously wasn’t appreciated by Jonathan’s grandma. “And just who are you, Mr. Jackson?” Her words were ice cold, piercing the air. Dan felt the sharpness of her words as if he had just been whipped.

“I live with Dan. We have a condo in the city.” Jonathan came to his rescue. “Dan saved my life out there in the forest.” For now, he felt it was best to leave out the rest of the story. He had a hunch that his grandparents would not be any happier about him being gay than his father was.
Was Dad really gay?

The rest of the trip was spent in silence, but Jonathan felt his grandmother’s eyes on him the entire time. The woman was measuring him up, trying to make sense of her grandson.

Parker checked them in at the Empire, into a suite similar to the one that Dan and Jonathan had used when they first arrived in the city, and all of them went upstairs to make sure the Bates were settled in. Grandma Bates complained about the modern architecture and the furniture, saying she would rather spend the night at her son’s house, as if she had not heard Parker’s explanation earlier. Patiently, he reiterated it for her, not that he thought it would make a difference.

They all sat down in the living room. Grandma Bates wanted to know about the funeral, and when she could expect to have her son’s body released into her custody. She was furious by the time Parker explained that the body would not be released to her, and that her son had in fact left very detailed instructions in his will as to how he wanted to be buried.

“He what? Can we contest that? I mean, after all, it’s only natural that he be brought back home. He should be laid to rest with his family, so I can mourn my son. It’s a mother’s right,” she added for good measure.

Parker’s voice was even when he responded, but Jonathan felt that his friend was having difficulties reining in his emotions. “You are in your legal right to contest your son’s final will and testament, Mrs. Bates, but please consider this, your son was a very good attorney. He worked for one of the best legal firms in this town, and I doubt you would have any success. Also, as your grandson’s attorney, I must inform you that Jonathan intends to respect his father’s wishes, making it even less likely that you would succeed, given that he is next of kin, in a legal sense of the word.” His last words came out strongly, emphasizing that Parker didn’t want any trouble from the Bates.

“Jonathan, do you really agree with this nonsense? Why would your father want to be buried in a strange city? This is preposterous and I won’t have any of it.” She started crying again. “I want my baby. I want my son to return home with me. Why can’t you grant me this?” Grandpa Bates moved in to try to console his wife, asking the question everyone else had hoped would go unspoken. “Do you have any idea why he chose that particular graveyard?”

This time, it was Dan who answered, “Mr. Bates, we’ve only just started our research into that. But there is a likelihood that your son may have been gay, and that he wanted to be buried alongside an old lover. At this stage, all we have is circumstantial evidence, but it’s the only thing that makes sense. Naturally, we would inform you as soon as we know more...” He regretted saying it, the second he noticed the blackness in Grandma Bates’ eyes as she screamed, desperately,

“My. Son. Was. No. Homosexual!”

Then she got up and stormed out of the living room, slamming the bedroom door behind her. Her husband got up, saying, “You’ll have to excuse us. These last months have been hard on my wife. Making up these allegations isn’t helpful. Please leave...” He looked at Dan and Parker, then Jonathan. “Son, your grandma and I need to talk to you, alone. Can you come back after lunch?” Then he disappeared, too.

“There’s no way I’m going back there on my own,” Jonathan said, clutching his coffee mug once they were back in their own apartment. “Either you’re with me, or I’m not going. Period!” Jonathan was furious. Furious at his grandmother’s disrespect for his father’s last request, and furious at her dismissal of her son’s potential homosexuality, thus dismissing her grandson without even knowing.
Or did she?

Dan walked up behind Jonathan, taking his lover into his arms. Jonathan relaxed, dropping his head backwards to rest on Dan’s shoulders, receiving a long kiss. Then Dan responded, “Of course, I’ll be with you. Maybe we should meet them on neutral ground, what do you think? That way she’ll have to behave? I could get us a table at Anthony’s tonight? It’s quiet, the food is good, and if push comes to shove, it’s walking distance from the Empire?” he added with a smile, kissing Jonathan’s head gently. “Don’t worry, Jon. I’ll never leave your side. Ever.”

While Dan made the reservations, Jonathan called his grandparents at the hotel. He explained that something had come up and he couldn’t make it after lunch but that he’d pick them up for dinner at six. He didn’t mention Dan would be with him. That would be his surprise. Something within Jonathan was almost looking forward to coming out, to throw every ounce of gayness at his grandmother. If she hated gays the way she had hinted at earlier that day, maybe that explained part of his father’s behavior? Maybe they had pushed him so deep into the closet that he could never find his way out again? He didn’t know, of course, but there was this nagging sensation in the back of his mind that just wouldn’t go away.

At six, Jonathan picked up his grandparents from their suite at the Empire and guided them to Anthony’s, one of the city’s upscale French restaurants. It was one of Dan’s favorites, one where he and Sean had spent many evenings during their long year of dating and during the years that followed.

He was slightly discouraged when he saw the displeased look on Grandma Bates’ face when she saw Dan. Oh well, all the more important he was there. “Good evening, Mrs. Bates. I hope you’ve been able to rest a little?”

“Mr. Jackson,” she responded coldly, again refusing his handshake, and just sitting down.
This is going to be fun
, Dan thought, looking over at Jonathan as he helped his grandparents with their coats, before taking his own seat next to Dan.

“Jonathan, son, may I ask why Mr. Jackson is here?” Grandma Bates inquired, ignoring Dan completely. “This was supposed to be a family matter.”

Jonathan couldn’t control himself anymore and spat out the words.

“Dan. Is. My. Family!”

Dan looked at his lover, surprised at the conviction of his words, the finality of their meaning. He was proud, his heart suddenly beating faster, full of love for this amazing young man.

Grandma Bates hadn’t caught on. “What do you mean, dear? Family? We are your family, and we want you to come back with us, live with us. You’ll need family, someone to care for you, someone to guide you into adulthood. You can’t stay here, alone, in this place, with these people.” That last word carried all her contempt for big city people, for the sins and horrors, and everything she thought was wrong in this world, including Dan, although she hadn’t yet realized why.

Jonathan sighed. Was it really so difficult, was it really so hard to see?

“Grandma, Dan is my partner, my boyfriend. We are a couple. We live together...”

He wanted to say something else, but his grandma cut him short. “Your what?” She was yelling again, clearly upset. Her husband had his hands on her arms, trying to calm her, to no avail. “No son of mine is a homosexual, and neither are you. I shall put an end to this. I’ll call the police. You are coming with us this very instant.” She got up from her chair, trying to get Jonathan to come with her, but he stayed put, looking at her in surprise. “You, on the other hand, you, Mr. Jackson, are a child molester. I shall have you arrested. You are a disgusting man!” She stormed off with Grandpa Bates running after her.

Dan and Jonathan couldn’t help but look at them as they rushed for their coats and stormed out of the restaurant. They raced across the street, back to their hotel. “That went rather well, don’t you think?” Jonathan said evenly. The expression on Dan’s face was priceless.

Anthony came by to see what the commotion was all about. “Just an interesting coming out, Tony,” Dan said. Anthony moved them to a different table, on the other side of the restaurant, where they’d normally sit and dine, knowing all too well what Dan had been talking about.