Michael had listened in on the conversation between Daniel and Duane in the kitchen before he began to hear the commotion in the living room. He noticed in the bug software that a large spike was seen in the audio feed for the living room. He had briefly listened to it before Daniel and Duane had left and had no further interest in it when he heard Sofya began to get it on with the other friends of Freddy’s.
“Yuck” Michael had thought to himself when switching over to the feed in the kitchen, where more noise was being made. “I don’t need to hear all that.”
Michael had heard the entire conversation between the two boys. He had sat back with glee as he reveled in hearing Freddy’s friends say what they really thought about him when they thought he wasn’t here. Well, almost.
“Why didn’t Duane fess up to what he had to say about Freddy?” Michael had thought to himself during the conversation.
When the scene had turned chaotic after Fido’s bit Daniel’s arm, Michael had gone irate listening to it on the other end.
“That idiot!” Michael thought to himself as he shifted rapidly in his chair. “He’s going to ruin the entire operation by doing that. He’s going to get thrown into the pound and I’ll have no way to save him.”
Fortunately, that did not happen as Sofya’s father came home and shooed the other boys away. After switching back to the living room feed and hearing that her father would let the dog stay for now, Michael became increasingly concerned.
“There’s a reason he’s letting Fido get off on a warning like that” Michael thought to himself. “It’s because he wants Fido to be there. I suspect he’s figured out that Freddy, or rather, Fido, is the one who is the victim of the curse. Fortunately….”
Michael rolled his chair and went to the secret safe in his room. He punched in the 11 digit code and pulled out the shiny Ruggeri ring.
“The wizard still doesn’t know that I have possession of the ring.”
Putting it back in the safe, Michael secured the lock and went back to listening in to the bug lines from his computer. He noticed that it was beginning to get quiet as Sofya’s father made dinner and Sofya took Fido for a bath. Just as he noticed things getting quier, he heard a knock on the door. This time, it was more gentle, almost like a rasp.
“Michael” the voice called out from the other end of the door. “Can we talk, please?”
“Uh” he replied nervously.
Michael hesitated for a moment. He had a feeling that it was his father and he wasn’t in the mood to talk to him right now. Still, his father sounded calmer than usual and maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. Setting the living room and kitchen feeds to record anything he might miss, Michael shut off his computer and hid it, along with the headphones. When they were safely stashed away, he called back to his father.
“Come in.”
The door gently opened, as Michael’s father looked at his son nervously. His father nodded, as he quietly shut the door behind him.
“Can I sit down?” his father asked.
“I guess you can sit on the bed” Michael replied.
Michael’s father made his way to the bed and sat down. His big, hulking frame, made the bed sink a bit, which worried Michael. After a moment of silence, his father began to speak.
“Michael, your mother and I had a conversation earlier this evening and she insisted that I had to talk to you face and face.”
“Why?” Michael asked.
“Because, Michael, we need to talk about the issues we’re having as full grown adults and not scream and shout at each other like savages. The two of us obviously have a lot to work through with each other, so I figured that we’d take some time now to just let out our feelings.”
“This is incredibly unlike him” Michael thought to himself, as he eyed his father over curiously.
His father was not someone known for just discussing his feelings out of the blue like this. He was a screamer when he was angry and grew silent when he felt other emotions that he didn’t want to reveal. He used to show moments of joy and happiness when Michael was younger, but he hadn’t seen that side of his father in a few years now. This side, a more reflective one, was new to him. Michael didn’t know where this conversation was going to go, but he was willing to take the journey there with his father. After Michael didn’t speak for a moment, his father spoke to him again.
“Can we do that? he asked.
Michael nodded, wanting to let his father go first.
“Ok” he continued. “I want to talk about where the two of us stand right now. I know there’s a distance between us at the moment and, I admit, it’s largely my fault. I admit that I haven’t exactly been reacting well to your sexuality and it has negatively impacted our relationship.”
“Well” Michael interjected “that’s a choice you’ve made. I didn’t push you away.”
“I understand that, but you have to hear things out from my perspective.”
“Why should I do that?” Michael asked coldly.
“Because” his father replied sternly. “It hasn’t been easy for me in dealing with this with my upbringing and my religious beliefs being what they are. It’s a real smack in the face when your son, your only child, the person who is supposed to pass on your family name, is fucking a dude and engaging in sodomy.”
“Dad!” Michael screeched.
“You’re right, you’re right" his father admitted, with his hands up defensively. "I’m sorry,"
Michael glared at his father, who tried to compose himself the best way he could before he continued.
“What I’m saying is, I admit that I’ve been too distant from you and that I’ve allowed my feelings and beliefs to overtake the fact that you’re still my son and I’m still your father. I have an obligation to support you and I’ve failed in my duties on that.”
“You’ve allowed your bigotry to damage our relationship. That’s entirely your choice.”
“My religious beliefs are not bigotry, Michael. They are what they are.”
“They are a choice, Dad. You choose to identify as a Catholic. I don’t choose to be gay. I am gay.”
“My religious beliefs are not bigotry.”
“Yes they are.”
“If it weren’t….”
“Your beliefs state that I’m a sinner engaged in sodomy who is going to hell when, in actuality, I’m an average teenager with a boyfriend who loves me very much and would risk his life to protect me.”
“Michael, we’re all….”
“And it’s not as if your church has been doing such a great job being sin free these days. It’s rife with pedophiles, it bleeds money dry and it is instigating all sorts of conflicts throughout the world.”
“It’s not…”
“You allow this organization, this church, to pollute your mind to the extent that it creates an ocean between us.”
“Hey!”
“And it’s not even like you are that observant, anyway. I mean, when is the last time you even went to church?”
“It doesn’t….”
“For someone who is allowing your own ‘beliefs’ to poison his relationship with his son, it sure is odd that you don’t go to regular church services.”
“It’s not…..”
“So then if you know their organization is corrupt and you don’t even bother showing up to attend mass, then why are you allowing their bigotry to negatively effect our relationship?”
“Because if it wasn’t for my religious beliefs, you wouldn’t be here!!!”
Michael stared at his father in silence, as he got up and began to pace around the room.
“What?” Michael asked curiously, as he eyed his father’s rapid movements.
Michael’s father paced for a minute, before he turned down to him to address his question.
“Yes, Michael. It’s true. If it weren’t for my religious beliefs, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
“How does that make any sense?” he asked incredulously.
Michael’s father sighed and looked down at his feet. He dreaded saying what he was about to say, but he felt that his wife had put him in this mess and she should take some of the responsibility as well. He composed himself, before looking at Michael with a gentle expression on his face.
“I don’t want to disparage your mother, Michael. I know you love her very much, but I think it’s time that you learned the truth.”
Michael’s father went to sit back on the bed and patted a spot next to him.
“Sit with me.”
Michael hesitated, as he father looked at him with pleading eyes. Begrudgingly, Michael got up from his chair and sat on his bed next to his father. Michael looked down at the floor, as his father looked to him and began speaking.
“You know that I had you very young, right?”
Michael nodded.
“There’s a reason for that” his father continued. “It’s because we didn’t plan to have you when we did.”
Michael looked at his father, confused by what he was saying.
“Did I ever tell you how I met your mother?” his father asked.
“Briefly” Michael replied. “But there’s a lot that you left out.”
Michael’s father sighed, as he began to reveal his confession to his son.
“You see, Michael, many years ago, as you already know, I was a top tier high school wrestler. I started at 14 and by 16, I was ranked in the top 10 best high school wrestlers in the entire country. I was so good that I caught the attention of the best coach in the San Francisco bay area, Giuseppe Galliano.”
“That’s my grandfather” Michael noted.
“Yes, Michael” his father replied. “And he saw my potential and took me under his wing. Just as we began to get into the really nitty gritty, back breaking work of training to become a professional wrestler, my parents, your grandparents, died in a car crash. I was left devastated, Michael. Being 16 was one of the hardest years of my life. Just as it seemed like I was going to make my dreams come true, I lost the most important thing to me in the world. I lost my family.”
Michael saw that his father began to shed a tear, something he had rarely, if ever, seen his father do.
“When they died, I was devastated. I was all alone, as I had no extended family to speak of. That was compounded by the fact that my parents didn’t leave me very much money, so I had to sell the family home quickly and find a new place to live. That’s where your grandfather became my rock. He saw that I was struggling after my parents died and offered to take me in. He believed in me so much that he let me stay in a spare apartment that he owned that wasn’t too far from school. So at 16, I had to pack a lot of my belongings and put them into storage and then take the rest of my stuff with me to go live on my own for the first time. I didn’t know anything about being independent, Michael. I had to learn to cook and clean and do laundry and pay bills all by myself with no help at all from anyone.”
Michael’s father continued to shed tears as he spoke.
“The only people that were helpful to me at this time was your grandfather, who kind of became like a surrogate father for me, and your mother.”
Michael’s father sighed, as he continued.
“When I first moved in to your grandfather’s apartment, that’s when I met your mother. She was there that day when your grandfather helped me get settled into the apartment. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. Although she was ten years older than me, it was love at first sight. I had never had a girlfriend up until this point and I swore that, after I laid my eyes on her for the first time, that I would never love anyone else.”
“You never had any other girlfriends?” Michael asked.
“No Michael” his father responded. “Your mother is my one and only.”
Michael looked at him intently, surprised by this revelation. His father noticed, but wouldn’t acknowledge his glances. He continued on.
“We didn’t really talk or get to know each other much at first. I was busy with school and training with her father, so I didn’t really have any time to date anyone seriously.”
Michael’s father paused as he looked to his son, who had a a concerned expression on his face.
“I don’t want to say anything disparaging about your mother, Michael, but your mother had….”
He paused a moment, before he spoke again.
“I’ll put this delicately for you. Your mother was a bit of a mess early on in her life.”
“What?” Michael asked, concerned by his father’s admission.
“Yeah” he replied sheepishly. “Maybe I’m telling you this because I’m mad at your mother, but she had a rough go at things early on in her life. She was a drug addict and she spent many years in and out of rehab. By her mid twenties, she was almost on the verge of death, before her father aggressively intervened and she managed to turn her life around. That’s around when I met her for the first time.”
Michael was shocked by this revelation. He had had no idea that his mother’s young adulthood was so troubled. She seemed so put together. To think that she was so troubled early on in her life was shocking to him, to say the least. Although he had reason to suspect that his father could be lying, it wasn’t in his nature to lie about things like this either, especially since he knew he’d ask his mother about this later.
Taking a moment to let his son take this all this information in, his father pressed on.
“So the next year, I grinded like no one else and managed to get to be so good as a wrestler, that I got multiple scholarships to big universities to wrestle for their teams.”
Michael’s father began to sob, as he continued with his confession.
“But before I could go to accept them, tragedy struck again. Your grandfather, my surrogate father, suffered a fatal heart attack and died just before I graduated high school. Granted, he wasn’t so young when it happened, but it killed him and left another hole in my heart. His wife, your grandmother, had died a few years earlier, so I guess he was returning home to see her in heaven. But his death left a mess in its wake for myself and for your mother.”
Michael’s father sobbed as his son looked at him, feeling empathy for this display of emotion his father was giving. In spite of his anger about being grounded, he still felt bad for what his father had been through when he was Michael's age.
“I had just gotten used to being in that apartment, Michael" he continued "and I thought your grandfather would help me pay for college. His death changed that equation for me. It didn’t just mess with me emotionally and financially. It messed with your mother badly as well. She was so devastated that I thought she’d relapse. Fortunately, she kept it together, but it was not easy for her, believe me.”
Michael continued to listen on, as his father spilled all of his adolescent secrets.
“So I had some tough decisions to make. I could have accepted a scholarship at a better university on the east coast, but with no financial support to help with the other expenses. As much as I thought it would help with my financial future, I couldn’t afford to eat the short term cost. So rather than go to a better university, I decided to accept a fully paid scholarship at a local university instead. I wanted to be close to your mother, who was enrolled at community college, and the donor paid for my other expenses as well.”
Michael’s father began to stop sobbing, as he continued on with his story.
“The first two years of college were very tough. I had to couch hop on friend’s couches to save money and I didn’t really have a stable address for an extended period of time. This is around the time I started dating your mother. Tragedy had brought us together, and as soon as I turned 18, we made our relationship official. We had secretly been screwing around a year before, but I didn’t want her to get in trouble as I wasn’t technically legal yet. Despite the ten year age difference between us, we knew we were meant for each other the first time we were alone together and had an extended conversation. I wanted to move in with your mother as soon as I graduated high school. However, I still felt that it would be too rushed to ask to move in with your mother just after her father passed away. Also, as I was still only 17, I didn’t want to raise any alarm bells. So, I waited another year before I finally took the plunge.”
“Where did mom live during that time?” Michael asked.
“With some roommates in another apartment” his father responded. “She sold her family home, but she had to split the proceeds with her four other siblings. Same thing with the apartment I was living in. It didn’t bring her a lot of money, after splitting it five ways, so she lived off what she had and split a three bedroom apartment with two other, younger women. That didn’t make for an ideal environment for me to be staying in. They were all single and I think they would have been uncomfortable with the idea of a big, hairy wrestler sharing their feminine space. Know what I mean, Michael?”
“Yeah, I guess” he answered quietly.
“And I think your mother was a bit worried that I might have cheated on her with one of them” his father continued “as they were closer to my age. So, I didn’t make any attempts to move in with your mother for a year, until the end of my third semester. That’s around when your mother had finished community college and transferred to the school I was attending to start her Bachelor’s degree in nursing. She wrote an extremely compelling essay and it got her accepted into the school, even if her grades really didn’t merit her admission.”
“Dad….”
“Sorry, Michael, but it’s true. She wasn’t the best student. Not the way I was. I not only had to keep up with my wrestling matches, which I excelled in, but I had to stay on top of my schooling for a business degree, which I did manage to get, by the way, and with honors, I might add. I didn’t get the opportunity to have fun and live it up in college, like a lot of my classmates did. I was a professional through and through. Which reminds me that when you go to college next year, I don’t want you working and I want you to focus on doing well in school. Understand me?”
“Yes dad.”
“Good. Even though I’m still trying to work through my feelings in regards to you and Freddy, that doesn’t mean I’m going to throw you out of the house, like some bad parents do, and leave you on your own on the streets. Considering what happened to me, I’d never allow that to happen to you. Ever. You could be the worst piece of shit human being in the world, which I’m not saying you are, but if you were, I’d still pay your way through school. I absolutely refuse to allow you to go down the same path as I did. I want better for you, Michael. You’re as bright as I was, maybe even brighter. You deserve the best education you can get access to.”
Michael briefly smiled at his father, knowing that, at the very least, he still supported his educational pursuits. Still, he felt uneasy with why his religious beliefs were what they were and what that had to do specifically with him.”
“So anyways” his father continued on “during that third semester is when I asked your mother to move in with me. She had asked why I waited so long to ask her, as she was getting sick of living with roommates. I said it was because her father had just died and I didn’t want to impose right away. You know, the thing about waiting a year after tragedy to make a big decision. Plus, I had only just turned 18, so I didn’t want to raise any eyebrows with people at our university. So she agreed to find a place for us to move in together, and by the end of my third semester, and her first at my university, we shacked up together for the first time and have lived together ever since. Well, almost.”
“Huh?” Michael asked. “What do you mean? And where do I come into all of this?”
“I’m getting to that. So anyways, just as we moved in, we started having regular sex. Before I met your mother, I never had sex with anyone before.”
“Never?”
“Well, not penetrative sex, if you know what I mean. I mean, some girls in high school would give me head and one girl, Vicky, let me cum on her breasts one time. It was so hot, Michael, you wouldn’t believe….”
“Dad!”
“Right, sorry. Anyways, so up until your mother, I had never had sex before. It was wonderful the first time I finally had sex with her. I knew I’d never want to bang another woman after that. She was the only one for me and I loved doing it with her. We did the hanky panky during my first three semesters at college, even when I was still only 17. When I could get a chance to see her, we fucked. I had even more regular sex with her the semester before we moved in together as the taboo of being underage was gone. When we finally found a place and moved in together, we were having sex every night. I mean, it was great, Michael. Your mother’s pussy is…”
“Dad, I don’t wanna hear this right now.”
“Come on, Michael.”
“Wouldn’t you rather talk about this with your friends?”
“I used to, but all my friends are married now and they have loveless, sexless marriages. Your mother and I are the only ones who still have sex on a regular basis. My friends stopped having sex with their wives a long time ago and they don’t want to hear about my active sex life anymore. I have no one to talk to about it so I figured that, with you being gay and all, and with that boy of yours, Freddy, taking your ass like a pussy….”
“Dad…..”
“What, isn’t that what you gays do in the bedroom. One guy is the fucker and the other one is fucked?”
“That’s not how we describe it, Dad. It’s top and bottom. And why are we talking about this now? It’s not like you allow me to have sex in the house.”
“Well, I’m sure you find other places to have it, like I did, but if we’re going to try to get comfortable with each other again, we should be open to talking about these sorts of things. Plus, I want to make sure that you and Freddy are being careful and safe.”
“I don’t know, Dad. And I thought you disapproved of my sexuality. What’s with the sudden change of heart?”
“I haven’t….”
“And you still haven’t told me what it has to do with me.”
“Right. Sorry.”
Michael’s father paused, as he contemplated how he would say what he was going to say next. Michael stared at him, quizzically. Finally, his father spoke up.
“So one night, your mother and I got in on after I won the big, year end championship match. It was right as the semester was ending and it was a crowning achievement to top off a pretty good semester. I had just moved in to the new apartment a few days before and everything seemed like it was going to work out in the end. I was so turned on, with adrenaline rushing through me from my victory, that when I got back from the match with your mother, I got her on the bed, without even having taken a shower first, and proceeded to fuck her so hard.”
“Dad…”
“I fucked her so hard, Michael. I knew that I probably smelled rancid from my sweat, but I didn’t care. I wanted to fuck. I needed to fuck. Something about that internal, primal man urge we all have took over me and we engaged in sweaty, passionate sex. We made love, Michael.”
“Oh God, Dad…”
“So as we’re making love, I’m about to orgasm in your mother’s sweet pussy and…”
“Ack”
“And just before I’m about to reach that point of no return. You know that point, right Michael?”
“Yeah, but….”
“Good, so you know that point where you’re going let that cum out of you no matter what. Well, just as that was happening, the condom I was wearing broke.”
“Oh God….”
“She insisted that I wear them when we had sex, even though she was on birth control and I was clean, because she wanted to make absolutely sure that she didn’t get pregnant. She felt we weren’t ready to have a child at that time, with money being so tight, so she didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Oh dear, so that must mean….”
“So the condom broke as I’m about to cum in your mother’s tight pussy. I have a split second decision to make. I can either try to pull out and cum on your mother’s vagina or somewhere else, you know, the pull out method, or I could chance it and ejaculate right into her.”
“So what did you do?”
“I took my chances and I shot the load deep inside of her pussy. It was like this primal, animal instinct took over in that moment. It’s like it spoke to me and said ‘Ralph, breed her. Make her bear your child.’ So, I went against all logic and reason, and I shot my load right into her.”
“That wasn’t very smart, dad. Even though she was on birth control, there’s still a chance you could have gotten her pregnant.”
“That’s exactly how your mother reacted later, because it turns out that she had stopped taking birth control at that point, as she couldn’t afford it anymore."
"Oh no."
"You know, Michael? You and your mother are so much alike. You even kinda look like her. Like, if she was a boy and…”
“Dad, get to the point, please.”
“Right, sorry. So anyways, I came in your mother’s pussy and as soon as I pulled out, I looked up at her and she had this nervous expression on her face.”
“Oh God.”
“I asked her what was wrong and she didn’t really say anything. I tried to comfort her, but she became kinda stiff and pushed me away. So I showered and then we went to sleep. I didn’t think much of it at the time. So a couple of days later, however….”
“Oh no, here it comes.”
“I come home from my last exam of the semester. I was pumped. School was done for a month and a half and I’m ready to just sit back and relax with your mother for a while. The whole country was still getting over 9/11 and it was nice to know that there was something positive to look forward to. Enjoy the holidays with her for the first time together in our new apartment, you know. So I got back to our place beaming from ear to ear and I’ll never forget the look on your mother’s face that day. It was like she saw a ghost.”
“Oh God.”
“I see she’s holding something in her hand and tears are flowing down her cheeks. I run to her and ask her what’s wrong. She stood up and showed me the in home pregnancy test. It’s positive. I’m asking her how this could happen and she’s freaking out. I try to calm her down and she’s acting absolutely nuts. She confessed to me that she had stopped taking the birth control pills and that my broken condom probably sealed the deal. I immediately took her to one of those family planning clinics and they did some tests so we could be absolutely sure. They also tested positive. It was official. She was going to become the mother to my child.”
“So then what do your religious beliefs have to do with all of this?”
“Well, Michael, it’s because she really wanted to get an abortion.”
Michael looked at his father silently, as he processed this shocking revelation. His father looked at him calmly, trying to ease his anxiety that he could see his son was feeling from his facial expression. Michael couldn’t believe that his mother had wanted to abort him, but, rationally, in her same situation, he would have done the same thing. Still, it didn’t ease his feelings about knowing that his mother wanted to get rid of him.
“Your mother” his father continued “insisted upon it and was ready to do it that day, but I dissuaded her and told her we needed a day to think about it and to go back tomorrow. I took her to our apartment and she began to press me about why we didn’t just get this over with. I told her that it was because I was raised Catholic and that it was against my religious beliefs to perform an abortion on an unborn child. She was shocked and couldn’t believe I was saying this. She was saying you were just a collection of cells and that it wasn’t a big deal. She was raised Catholic too, but she didn’t really take it very seriously.”
“You don’t, either.”
His father glared at him, as Michael looked down at his feet, feeling embarrassed.
“Sorry” Michael said meekly, as he composed himself.
His father waited until his son looked back up at him before he continued speaking.
“Anyways” he continued. “She was insistent upon getting the abortion. She said we couldn’t afford a child at this time and we were barely making ends meet as it was. I told her that, although I loved her, I wasn’t willing to stay with her if she performed an abortion. I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I was party to such a thing. I told her that although it was her body and her choice, I would not stay with her if she went through with the abortion. She asked me where I was going to stay if I left her and I told her that I’d figure it out. She told me I had to leave for a couple of days so she could think it over. I packed my meager belongings and crashed on a friend’s couch. I was expecting the worst.”
“Oh man” Michael said quietly.
“I waited at my friend’s house, doing some work at the library and training at school to pass the time, feeling extremely anxious that either I’d never hear from her again or that she’d tell me she’d be killing the kid. Killing you. A couple of days later, she called the house phone at my friend’s place and asked to speak with me. I picked up, expecting the worst, when she said that I needed to come by to talk in person. I immediately went over as fast as I could and when I got there, she had this stoic look on her face. At first, I thought the worst, but when she sat me down on the couch, she told me that she had thought it over, and that although she knew we’d struggle to raise you, she didn’t want to lose me and she felt that we’d find a way to make it work. I beamed with excitement and gave her a big hug and many passionate kisses. We embraced for a long time, before we prepared for how we were going to plan on bringing you into this world. Nine months later, we did just that.”
“Wow.”
Michael was having conflicted feelings about hearing the truth about his conception. Although he would have kicked his own father out if he were his boyfriend and identified more with his mother, he felt a sense of pride in his father sticking up for him and insisting that he be born into this world. Though it may not have been the smartest thing to do, one that Michael wouldn’t have done if he were in their shoes, it made him feel differently about those who chose to keep their children.
“So I remember the day you were born” his father pressed on. “We were in the emergency room and over the time of the pregnancy, your mother was growing to love you. She had her reservations at first, but those were melting away as the due date neared. When you were finally born, on time thank God, and without any complications, the look on her face the first time she saw you was something I had never seen before or since. She was so happy. It was if she had received the best present in the world. The first time she laid eyes on you, she literally was so overjoyed. She’s never looked at me that way, even though we love each other very much. She loves you unconditionally, Michael. I don’t think she feels the same way about me.”
Michael’s father began to sob, as his son looked on with empathy. He was surprised that his father was pouring his soul out over this. This could be a bit of manipulation to try to turn him against his mother, but it sounded genuine and he was going to cross check it later to make sure the story held up. It wasn’t like his father to weep like this. That wasn’t like him, so it came across as genuine.
“Plus” Michael thought to himself. “My father is a terrible actor. He either hides his emotions or wears them on his sleeve. He can’t fake anything.”
Michael thought to pat his father on the back to reassure him that things were ok, but he was still salty about being grounded, so he kept his hands to himself. He watched as his father took a minute to compose himself before he continued speaking again.
“So after you mother got a good look at you, it was my turn. Michael….”
His father placed an arm around his shoulder and asked that he look him in the eyes. Michael did, begrudgingly.
“When I first laid eyes on you that day, it was the happiest day of my life. I was so overwhelmed with emotions that I was sobbing the way I am right now. I gave you lots of kisses…”
Michael’s father began to kiss his forehead in rapid succession, as Michael tried to push him away, to no avail.
“And I swore that I would be the best father I could be. I was going to be there for you and work hard to make sure that you had a great life. And up until now, I think I’ve done a pretty great job, in spite of the challenges we’ve faced. After we settled in with you in the apartment, your mother and I took turns caring for you and we split the baby duties. Your mother insisted that I was not to be one of those slacker dads and that I had to pitch in on the domestic work. I changed your poopy diaper. I cradled you when you cried. I rocked you in my arms and sang to you, poorly, but enough that it would help you drift off to sleep. I fed you your bottle. I burped you when you felt gassy. I did all of that stuff, while my other friends drank and partied and lived it up at college like most people my age did. While they were being young and dumb, I was taking my duties as a young father seriously. Your mother may not have been that young when she had you, but it was an adjustment for me to give up the best years of my life to make sure that I was a good father to you. Which is why I feel so awful about being so cold to you this last year. And I guess I shouldn’t be so mad at you, anyway. There's a big positive to you being gay.”
“What do you mean by that?" Michael asked nervously, unsure of what he was getting at.
“If you and that boy Freddy really plan to be a long term item and if you really are gay gay, then I don’t have to worry about any unwanted pregnancies. That’s a relief, at least.”
“I guess….”
“So, I’ll tell you what.”
Michael’s father stood up and motioned his son to join him. He spread out his muscled arms and proceeded to give him a big bear hug. Michael squirmed under his father’s embrace, smelling his musk emitting from his body. When his father pulled back, he smiled at his son.
“Well, at least one thing hasn’t changed.”
“What’s that?” Michael asked curiously.
“You still squirm when your old man tries to show affection for you. You’ve done so ever since you became a teenager. I remember when you first came out to me last year. I was so nervous about all the years I gave you hugs and kisses. I thought that it had somehow made you gay.”
“Dad, that’s irrational.”
“I know that, now. I read up on it online. But it’s great to see that you still do that teenage boy thing of not wanting to be affectionate with your father. It’s good to know that hasn’t changed and that you’re not turned on by me the way Freddy is.”
“I’m sorry about that” Michael said honestly.
Michael looked down at his feet. while as his father patted him on the shoulder to try to reassure him.
“Hey kid, it’s not your fault.”
Michael looked up at his father, curiosity strewn across his face.
“That’s for Freddy to work out, not you. I know I have a lot of issues to work out of my own and I’ll start doing that on Monday, when I see a therapist for the first time. But in the meantime, I want to try to get to know your boyfriend a little bit better, so I had an idea.”
Michael stared at his father, curious as to what he might be suggesting.
“A friend of mine from work” his father continued “Anthony. You know Anthony, right?”
Michael nodded. Although he didn’t know him that well, he had met him a few times before and could recognize his face in a crowd.
“So Anthony” he continued “is organizing a father son baseball game next Saturday for all of the guys at work. I normally would have just declined the invitation and done something with your mother instead, but since Freddy is a bit of an athlete….”
“He’s not really that athletic” Michael interjected. “He’s mainly just a runner on the track and field team.”
“Still, Freddy seems like a guy’s guy despite, well, being gay, and he might get along with the other sons. He seems like a real people person and perhaps he could make some new friends. He seems like he might be a bit sporty, so perhaps he could do well during the game.”
“And what about me?” Michael asked nervously.
“Well” his father replied as he pat a hand on his shoulder “you can be a benchwarmer.”
Michael frowned, showing that he did not take this suggestion well. His father noticed this. He smiled, as he sought to reassure his son.
“And I’ll be on the bench right with you.”
“You mean it?”
“Yeah. I’m not a big baseball guy anyway and I figured that it gives Freddy a chance to live a little and you and I a chance to enjoy something fun together like old times. So what do you say, Michael? Should I tell Anthony we’ll be there next Saturday?”
Michael paused for a moment to think about this offer, as his father watched him, hoping that he'd say yes. Finally, Michael gave his answer.
“I guess I’ll go” he replied, hesitantly. “I mean, I know Freddy has been wanting to be a little more active lately and maybe it’ll do him so good. Maybe he’ll even make some new friends from it.”
“That’s a good attitude to take” his father concurred.
Michael’s father kissed on the forehead, this time noticing that his son didn’t squirm. Finally, his father moved to leave his son’s bedroom. He turned back to look at him to speak again.
“If you stay out of trouble and be good this week, it’ll be a fun activity and a chance for me to get to know your boyfriend better. Since he seems like he’s going to be a permanent fixture in your life, I might as well get a chance to get to know him. Even if I still have my reservations on what you two are doing together, I still want to try to be as supportive as I can. You’re a smart kid, Michael, and you work very hard in school. I’m proud of you and I love you very much.”
Both father and son smiled at each other, as tears fell down their cheeks. Michael motioned for his father to come back, as they embraced in a long, sensual hug. Michael’s father peppered his forehead with kisses, as his son once again didn’t resist, but didn't spring an erection either. Finally, they let go of each other, as his father left to exit the room.
“Be good, you hear?” his father asked, as he turned to look at Michael.
“Yes, dad" he replied.
“Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.”
“I’m not really hungry.”
Michael’s father thought to insist, but decided against it. He didn’t want to ruin the healing that they had attempted together this evening.
“Alright” his father replied. “I’ll ask your mother to save you some leftovers.”
Michael nodded, as his father left his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Feeling a sense of euphoria wash over him, Michael opened his computer again and accessed the bug program. He noticed that noises were being made in Sofya’s kitchen. Although he had a lot of feelings to process in regards to the conversation that he had just had with his father, they needed to wait. An important revelation was about to be relieved.
Back at Sofya’s house…..