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Far Out ((Part 7)) |
| Written by Sneh =] | |
| Wednesday, 16 April 2008 | |
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Share it:      “Darren!” His mother shrieked with the glee of a school girl being let out for the summer. Jesse watched on nervously as his dad rose with a weary grin and enveloped the thin middle-aged woman in his arms; to his son’s dismay, he quickly moved away from her and towards him. “How’s my favorite son been?” The man said with that same smile that made it seem as if it was painful to move. Jesse knew he should follow suit and run into those welcoming arms that he had not seen since a few months before. He knew he should give into the embarrassingly childlike feelings that reared their ugly heads whenever his dad returned to 14 Fern Drive every few days or weeks or months, but he simply could not. Instead, he stood there, hesitant to the point of paralysis, and stuttered, “I-I’ve been good.” “That’s...good,” His father said slowly, his eyes full of confusion as they flitted from Jesse to his mother and back. “Am I missing something?” Mrs. Worth pushed back a loose bang, her own eyes staring off into the distance. “Yes, actually. Your son has something he needs to tell you.” Her husband seemed to think her tone much too serious, as he said, “Oh, is that all? Well, go ahead, Jess. I’m all ears.” Suddenly it felt to Jesse that the temperature of the room was warmer than the surface of the sun, and why had he never noticed before how fascinating the wooden floor could be? To crack the heavy silence that was beginning to settle in, he muttered a few words that had no consequence. “Speak up, son. Come on...I promise I won’t get mad.” His father laughed. “At least, not until later.” Desiring, perhaps, to make it even more difficult and uncomfortable for Jesse, Mrs. Worth disappeared into the bedroom with a flourish of that sparkling evening gown, leaving her husband and her son alone. Jesse cleared his throat but couldn’t force himself to look up. “I, um...” His father took a seat again on the couch, motioning to his son to do the same. “Is this...something serious?” The auburn-haired teen frowned. “I guess.” “Medical?” “No.” “Educational?” “No.” Mr. Worth leaned back against the plush backing of the couch. “Well, this is starting to feel like 20 questions. Why don’t you just tell me what’s on your mind?” Jesse sighed. “I can’t, Dad. I’m sorry.” “Yes you can, you can tell me anything!” His father replied defensively. “Not something like this...” His father exhaled and looked away for a moment. “Does it...is it...” He paused and placed his hand over his mouth as if he was about to cough, but nothing happened. “Did you want to tell me you like...men?” “...what?” Jesse was sure he had just imagined what he had heard. How could his dad possibly know that? “Look...I just want to say that I don’t understand these things. But. I’ve noticed some things about you. You’re a bit different than all the other boys. And, if it’s this, if I’m right– and I’m not saying I am– it’s alright. At least, with me. You’re my son, and whether you sleep with girls or boys makes no real difference to me. I’m probably...” Here he stopped, and began to chortle. “I’m probably going to go straight to hell for this, but if you think I’m going to be ashamed of you just because of something like this, you’ve got another thing coming.” For the first time that evening, Jesse looked up and into the eyes of his father. “I...I...are you kidding, or do you really...?” He nodded. “Every word.” Jesse exhaled and shook his head, a weak but visible grin on his face. “I can’t believe this.” “Believe. Now...” The man’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “Who’s the boy?” “The boy?” “From the way your mother’s acting, I can tell you’ve fallen in love with one of the local boys. Who?” He shrugged. “Someone. He just moved here from New York...but I think I might just’ve messed everything up.” “Why? What happened?” “Well...I told Mom that...you know...and I mentioned that this kid was, too. And so she went over and told his grandma...and now he’s really mad at me. Not that I don’t deserve it,” Jesse added. His father arched his brows. “Wow. That is a bit of a mess. But still, nothing you can’t fix.” “What do you mean?” “Well, if I were you, I’d go over there– in the morning, not now– and straighten things out. Anger can only last for so long.” “But...” Jesse had his doubts. “What if it doesn’t work? What if he never talks to me again? I really, really like him, you know. Love him, I think. And I’d hate to lose him.” “Trust me,” Mr. Worth said, slipping a hand around his son’s shoulders. “Everything will work out in the end. Tomorrow, you go over there and talk to him about this.” “But what about Mom?” His father smiled. “Don’t worry about her. After breakfast, just go on over...I’ll smooth things over here.” “Dad?” “Yeah?” “Are you really...okay with this? With all of this?” His father rolled his eyes. “I--” “No, I mean it. With everything. Are you okay that I might spent the rest of my life with a man? Are you okay about your only son being...being...like that? The black sheep of the family?” “Yes. Yes. And definitely yes,” Mr. Worth grinned. “Besides, being the black sheep runs in the family. Your grandparents didn’t want your mom and I to get married either...at the time, I was with some pals in a band, and your mom was attempting to become a model. But eventually we got over that and moved forward with our lives.” His father squeezed Jesse’s shoulder in a paternal gesture. “You’re gonna be alright, kid.” Copyright 2008 Sneh =] |
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