The allure of the promised strawberry smoothie faded as David, chatting in a friendly manner with Marco the entire time, carried Ollie to the car and opened one of the back doors.
As David carefully and patiently strapped him into the child's safety seat, Ollie began to feel some regrets. He wasn't supposed to be some little kid confined to the buckles and straps of a safety seat. He was a grown man! David's partner! When he tried to envision himself all grown and an equal to David, the image grew misty and failed to develop as a clear mental picture. He grew irritable and fussy.
"All set," David said.
"Wait," Ollie whispered. "You're just pretending, right?"
He simply wanted reassurance that David would eventually use the ring to restore him to his former self. Before he got it, Marco interrupted.
"Ollie looks all ready to go," Marco said and smoothed Ollie's hair.
Ollie jerked his head away. "Never mind him," David said apologetically. "He's just being fussy."
"Oh, I know how little boys can be. He is just eager for his smoothie."
Ollie was forced to watch as David got behind the wheel of the car and Marco slid into the front passenger seat.
Marco had taken the seat that rightfully belonged to him!
"I'm David's boyfriend!" Ollie thought as he looked ahead with sullen eyes. His entire view was the back of the seat. He kicked out his tiny feet in frustration, hoping to connect with the back of the seat. In dismay, he realized his short, stubby legs couldn't even extend far enough to kick the back of the passenger seat.
David didn't start the car immediately. Ollie waited and gradually became aware of some murmur of something almost like voices. His eyes darted fitfully until he glanced toward the rear-view mirror, which was tilted down enough that he saw Marco leaning across the seats to kiss David.
And David was kissing him back. Ollie watched, almost in disbelief.
The kiss ended and Marco resumed his seat with a chuckle and a statement. "That was nice."
For Ollie, it wasn't nice.
He felt confused. His daddy shouldn't kiss someone else. He shook his head.
"David's not my daddy!" Ollie thought to himself. But he definitely felt like he was David's little boy, not his boyfriend.
David started the car. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the coffee shop. It was a place that Ollie had visited often as an adult. A grown man who drank coffee. And kissed his boyfriend. And other stuff. He felt so confused, and even more so when he felt the growing erection in the cumbersome pull-ups.
Before David could get around the car, Marco had opened the back door. "I'll get Ollie," he volunteered.
Ollie sat silently, dealing with what he had witnessed, as Marco unstrapped him and picked him up. Ollie felt his tiny hardness trapped in the folds of his pull-ups and whimpered with distress.
The ever-attentive Marco noticed at once. "What's the matter? Someone need the little boy's room?"
Horrified, Ollie shook his head. He didn't want Marco to see him like this. "I'm fine," he managed.
"Well, you let me know. We don't want any accidents, do we?"
Ollie felt his face burn in shame.
They entered the busy coffee shop, and Ollie clutched at Marco's supporting arm as the noise of many people unnerved him. Matters were not helped when David came up to them. "I'll get a booster seat for Ollie if you'll find a table," David said.
It didn't help Ollie to know that he needed a booster seat to simply see over the tabletop. He still felt the weight of the inequality in the situation, and realized that the tilt was definitely not in his favor.
He was still musing on everything when someone arrived to take their orders. As expected, the adults ordered coffees but David ordered a strawberry smoothie for Ollie.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman announced, crushing Ollie with the further revelation the establishment was out of strawberries.
"But you pwomised," Ollie forgot to try to correct his lip. "I want stwawberrie!"
David ignored the outburst and asked smoothly, "Do you have blueberry?"
"Yes, we do."
"Great. Make it a blueberry."
Crisis averted, or so he thought. He turned toward Marco, smiled, and was about to engage when Ollie slapped a tiny hand on the tabletop. "I don't want cwappy bwuberry!"
Other patrons pretended not to notice.
David gave Ollie an irritable look and leaned forward. "Ollie, you behave yourself."
"Weave me awone! I wanna go home!"
"Ollie, if you don't behave this instant, I will spank you," David said. "Right here in front of Marco."
Ollie cringed as now both Marco and David gave him critical looks. He slumped in the booster seat. "I'll dwink the bwuberry."