John Harper privately counted his blessings, thinking events outside were totally unobserved(*1) as he entered the Jenkins household via the backdoor. He silently but quickly raced upstairs as fast as he could before ducking into the guest bedroom he was sharing with his sister Janice. Grabbing a pair of pants and underwear loaned to him by his new in-laws, since the Harper clan only arrived in Moon Lake with the clothes on their backs thinking they would only be in town for one brief visit(*2), John made it to the bathroom unobserved and changed clothes.
He looked at the white stain within his soiled pants and underwear, caused by his reaction to weretigress Ginger O'Toole(*1). Despite his father's strict religious upbringing, John wasn't naive to be unaware of what the substance was, but was surprised that he had created so much of it.
Curious, he sniffed the stain and discovered it had no scent, despite how sticky it was to the touch.
Still uncertain as to his own gender identity, let alone sexual preferences, John wondered about another aspect of the stain, but was hesitant to investigate further.
Finally, realizing that there might not ever be another opportunity to do so, John tentatively stuck out his tongue and touched the white stuff.
In the end, it wasn't as bad or as weird as he thought it would be, but realized that somebody else's would probably taste far better than his own.(*3)
I couldn't help reacting to how Ginger looked furry, let alone how I feel about her without fur, but I still don't know if I like girls, boys, or both, John thought, while looking at himself in the bathroom mirror. If only there was a way to find out once and for all. Especially without having to join were society in the process...
That was another consideration John Harper still didn't have an answer for.
Whether or not he wanted to become a were like his sister Jenny, her husband, and brother-in-law Huck.
Since she discovered it's actually possible, Janice is gaga to become a were-mermaid as soon as she can legally do so, but until now, I just thought weres were a myth and her dreams just a wishful fantasy to escape mom and dad. At least in her mind.
Thinking about the youngest Harper sibling made John realize that he had been in the bathroom way too long, so he tossed his soiled clothing in the hamper, washed his hands, and quietly went back down to join everyone in the living room.
Janice and Mrs. Jenkins were in the living room, sitting together between two chairs in one corner discussing crocheting.
Mr. Harper was sitting on the edge of the sofa, thumbing through his copy of The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen that he had loaned John. It had been so long since he read the book last, he was trying to figure out or at least remember who the murderer was when John entered.
Jenny and Harry had retired to his bedroom, presumably to do college homework. Huck, the oldest Jenkins sibling, had left to take his fiance Betty Timid home for the night.
"Ready to discuss the book?" Henry Jenkins, Senior asked, indicating the empty space on the sofa next to him.
John smiled and nodded, but as he walked over, his sister Janice started singing ♫John and Ginger sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g♫
John instantly blushed in embarrassment, then angrily turned and ran out of the living room.
Everyone downstairs heard the backdoor being slammed open and closed as John hastily ran out into the backyard.
"I'll go talk to the boy. You talk to her," Henry told his wife, casually putting the book down as he got up and walked after John.
"What did I do?" Janice Harper asked, as Mrs. Jenkins stared at her.
Outside, John Harper sat in a lawn chair and started crying.
Although it wouldn't give much light this far into the evening, Henry Jenkins turned on the outside light, silently closed the backdoor behind him and just stood on the porch, staring at the boy.
He gave John a couple of moments, and then quietly walked out and sat in another lawn chair near him.
"Here," Henry said, after pulling a handkerchief out of his pants pocket.
John just muttered a brief "Thanks" and tried to dry his eyes.
Henry knew better than to rush into any discussion, so waited a bit before asking, "Want to talk about it?"
John stared at him and admitted, "I'm not sure what to say."
"I was getting worried about you being outside for so long without any word, so I looked out and saw you through the living room window," confessed Henry. "Guess your sister was behind me at the time, but that was the O'Toole's daughter you were talking to, right?"
"Yeah."
"Haven't seen a weretigress before, have you?"
"No. Especially not her," replied John.
"You like her." It was a statement, not a question from Henry Jenkins Senior.
"Yeah. At least as a friend. There are other things that... that I'm not sure of," confessed John.
Henry paused before revealing, "I also saw you grab your pants before she left.(*1)"
"Don't worry. They're in the hamper now."
Henry just nodded and asked, "Your father never had the talk with you. Did he?"
In the dark, the Jenkins patriarch couldn't see the boy blush again.
"Not the one I think you're asking about. No. All he ever told me was that sex before marriage was a sin," explained John.
"There are some who believe that. Personally, I'm not one of them, but that's another matter. You do know what happens if a normal human being has sex with a were though, right?" asked Henry.
"Ginger told me. But whether or not I ever want to be a were, let alone what kind, is the least of my worries."
"Oh?"
John turned to look at Henry the best he could in the darkness. "I'm only 14. I don't know who I am, let alone who I want to be when I grow up. I especially don't know what I'm supposed to be."
"Oh," said Henry Jenkins Senior, realizing what John was getting at. He was silent for a moment before asking, "Anyone else know about your... indecision right now?"
"I told Huck, because I desperately needed someone to talk to, and then I told Ginger because, for reasons I don't fully understand, I want to be totally honest with her about everything."
Henry nodded knowingly. The boy's so confused about things that he doesn't realize that he at least has a crush on the O'Toole girl.
"Jenny and Jimmy might suspect, but no one else. ESPECIALLY not my mom and dad," replied John, referring to his married sister and oldest brother, who had gone back to Alabama with his parents.
"I see," was all Henry said.
The two of them sat silently for awhile longer before Henry said, "All I can tell you is what I told my boys when they were old enough to listen and understand. It isn't a question of what you are but who you are. I think Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior said it best about being judged only by the content of your character."(*4)
John just stared at Henry the best he could and said, "I learned that in school and agree, but never talked about it at home. I don't think you want to know what my dad thinks of Doctor King."
"No. I don't," agreed Henry, guessing what the Harper patriarch's opinion might be. "But what I do know is that from what I've seen so far, you're a good person John Harper. Regardless of what you eventually decide about the life issues before you, you will make the right choices for John Harper, no matter what anyone else might say or think on the subject."
"I know how my dad would react if he found out. At least before his heart attack anyway."
"I hesitate to ask, but..."
"If he couldn't cure me, I probably wouldn't be long for this world."
Henry Jenkins thought it was a good thing the two of them could barely see each other in the darkness, because he felt the color drain out of his face at that statement.
Instead, he said, "You'll find Moon Lake is a lot more open and accepting about such things."
"Because of a lot of the town being weres?" wondered John.
"Maybe. You're guess is as good as mine on that one. But I do know that we have gay couples, lesbian couples, and even interracial couples living here. Any one of those would have bigots up in arms even without the were factor."
"Like my brother told me once. Times change. It's just too bad people don't always change with the times."
"Enough of them do. Just take heart that whatever you do eventually decide upon, you will still be accepted and loved by the Harpers and the Jenkins."
"At least Jimmy and the ones here in Moon Lake," added John.
"Always," was all Henry could say.
________________________________________
*1. In our recent episode "Close Encounter of an INTERESTING Kind".
*2. Because his father wanted to stop Jenny's wedding to Harry Jenkins.
*3. And my girlfriend says that any boy, girl, man, or woman who denies ever at least thinking about doing what John just did at least once in their lifetime is lying to themselves.
*4. During Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream" speech.—tmw.