Chapter 16, HERE COME DA JUDGE
“Lookin’ pretty sharp,” Drew said as Cray
walked out of his room. “I’d say ‘dude’ but you’re probably somewhere between
‘lad’ and ‘dude’. Whaduya think, Bob?”
“Hmmm. Getting pretty close to ‘dude’
material.” Bob winked at Cray and added, “Our son looks all grown up.” The idea
of being legally a foster parent for the handsome young man’s remaining two
years of minor status still caused Bob to pause and reflect about the
responsibilities attached. “Although I’m sure he’d feel more comfortable in
shorts and a tee,” Bob added with a grin.
“Semi-dude will do and I prefer a
sleeveless, muscle tee. But these clothes are okay once in a while.” Cray
smiled at the two men and exaggerated a model runway walk as he came closer,
wearing his new blue blazer. He had come home – to his new home – after lunch
and dressed for the afternoon appointment with the judge. “You guys look pretty
cool, too, in your suits.”
“The price you pay for being an adult and
working in jobs that require grown up clothes,” Drew replied. “Seriously, you
really clean up well. Very sharp.”
“Thanks…I think. We can celebrate ‘dude’
status when I hit 18. A new home with two, older dude-dads is good enough right
now.”
“Along with an official Nevada Driver’s
License?” Bob asked with a smile. He and Drew knew that some sort of car, once
he had a license, was on Cray’s mind. “And maybe some wheels next summer if
your GPA holds up this school year.”
“That’s definitely part of the program.” Cray
walked up and bumped knuckles with Bob. “A dude-in-training definitely needs
transportation.”
“Speaking of celebrations, I made
reservations for us at the Prime Steakhouse. Since the Bellagio is next door to
us, I can use this opportunity to check out the competition. You okay missing
Tai Chi?” Drew asked.
“No problem. Michael was going to do
something with his dad so we’ll work extra hard with the master next week in
class and get caught up.”
“Well, guys, it’s almost 1:30 p.m. so we
need to get going. Mitch will meet us at the courthouse,” Bob said as his cell
rang. He flipped open his cell, looked at the screen and said, “It’s Mitch.
Wonder what he wants?”
~~~ “Bob…we got problems. Is Drew there? I
tried calling him but got no response.”
“Yeah, he’s here. I’ll put him on.”
~~~ “Not necessary. You can fill him in
because I’m on the run.”
“This must be serious. Whazzup?” Bob made an
exaggerated frown at the guys and listened.
~~~ “At the last minute, Judge Woods has
been assigned Cray’s case. Apparently the other judge is ill.”
“Can we get it postponed?”
~~~ “If we delay this, the momentum will be
lost. One of two things will happen. He might be arbitrarily assigned to a
foster home…if one is available. Or, we could ask for a continuance. However,
since Cray is a minor and officially without a home, he could be placed in a
homeless youth shelter until the case is rescheduled.
“I don’t follow?”
~~~ “We can hardly acknowledge that Cray has
been living at…the other residence with all the implications that could arise.
I don’t want to allow the county to have extra time to investigate where Cray
has been these past few months. It will probably be a week with all the
paperwork shuffling that goes on. So, in the eyes of Family Services, our boy
is homeless – I don’t have to tell you about the crap that goes on in a
shelter.”
“Kee-rist…that is a problem. So, what do we
do?” Bob frowned and raised his eyebrow.
~~~ “The hearing has been moved back to 4:30
p.m. Is there any possibility that Mr. Maggiano could call someone and pull a
few strings? I know it’s short notice
but I think we need to go for it. Judge Woods is a holier-than-thou Christian
fundy but he’s also a political animal who has aspirations.”
“Sounds like we need to track down Nick and
find out. Christ, we’d better get on it. You sure you don’t wanna talk with
Drew?”
~~~ “Not necessary. Just give him a run down
on everything I told you and have him get on the phone – pronto. It certainly
wouldn’t hurt to have some ‘juice’ going into this hearing. Unless there’s a
snag, let’s plan on meeting at the courthouse around 4:00.”
“I agree. Unless you hear from us, or vice
versa, we’ll see ya then. Bye.” Bob touched the ‘end’ button on his cell and turned to look at the guys.
“Why don’t I like the sound of what just
went down?” Drew asked.
“Because I was reacting to the news about
the famous Judge Woods being assigned our case.” Bob then repeated the details
of the conversation. “Mitch tried
calling your cell but couldn’t get you.”
“That’s because dumb-shit me left my cell in
the car,” Drew replied as he shook his head.
“This is not the end of the world, however.”
Bob turned to Cray and added, “We just need a little luck and some favors that
the boss could call in.”
“I remember you telling me about this judge.
What do we do?” Cray asked with a worried frown.
“First, hang up your jacket cuz we’ve got a
couple of hours to kill. I’m going to call Nick and see what he might be able
to do to help. Let me use your cell.” Drew took the mobile phone from Bob,
walked over to the couch and sat down. “How about grabbing us all some water,”
he said to Cray as he punched in Nick’s phone number. “I’m really thirsty.”
“You want me outta here?”
“Cray, you’re certainly invited to join us
when you return and listen in. This is a family matter.” Drew shot up a thumb
and smiled.
Bob sat down with Drew and watched as Cray
took off his jacket and draped it across a dining room chair on the way to the
kitchen. He watched as Drew impatiently waited for Nick to pick up. ‘Hope he
doesn’t ignore this call cuz it’s I.D.’ing my name,’ he thought. ‘Nick is too
busy to take calls from every manager.’ He relaxed, however, when Drew nodded
and started talking. Cray came back with three bottles of water and sat down
while Drew restated the conversation Bob had had with Mitch moments earlier.
A few “Uh, huhs” and “right” were the only
comments Drew made. On occasion, he would nod in silent agreement. “Thanks,
Nick,” he said as he turned off the cell and set it on the coffee table.
“Nick’s going to make a few calls but nothing’s guaranteed. He did agree that
Mitch had given us solid advice and said to go ahead with the hearing.”
“Man, nothing’s simple,” Cray said as he
took a sip of water from the bottle. “What do I do if this judge doesn’t
appoint you guys as my foster parents?”
“Worst case…you’re temporarily assigned to a
youth shelter. With a shortage of foster parents, I doubt that you’d be turned
over to a foster home that fast.”
“Yuck. I’ve heard about what happens in those
shelters. I’d be in one of those bully things – like Vince and the goombas –
all over again.”
“Only worse. But don’t worry – neither is
going to happen. Trust me,” Drew said with conviction. “I’m sure that Mitch has
plans ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ lined up just in case. I’m going out to retrieve my cell
from the car.”
“Cray, you want to watch TV? We’ve got a
little time to kill,” Bob said. He looked over at the crest-fallen teen and
felt bad that the day was turning to complete crap. ‘We pump up the guy and
then the props are taken away,’ he thought as he studied his young
charge-to-be. ‘Some serious damage control is needed.’
“I dunno, maybe I’ll just lie down and
listen to some music in my room.”
“Probably the best for the time being,” Drew
replied. “Why don’t we regroup at 3:30 and go down to the courthouse. Mitch
will meet us and we’ll take it from there.” He walked over to the teen and put
his arm around Cray’s shoulders. “Chin up, buddy, this is going to happen. Now
scoot.”
Cray smiled wistfully and left the living
room. Bob switched on the TV with the remote and clicked through the various
news channels until he landed on Fox News. Bob thought it wasn’t so much about
the reporting being ‘fair and balanced’ as it was that the newsreader, Shepard
Smith, was kinda cute. ‘Wouldn’t it be something if old Shep and Anderson
Cooper were lovers on the sly,’ he fantasized with a smile. ‘They would be a
hot couple.’
When Drew returned, Bob motioned for Drew to
join him on the couch. “We’ve got a couple hours to kill and I’m too wound up
to do anything other than ‘veg out’ in front of the boob-tube,” he said as Drew
joined him.
“Not even a ‘nooner’?” Drew asked with a
snicker as he sat down.
“Nooner? Josh Duhamel could walk in
buck-naked right now and my dick would just yawn. Gotta get this problem with
Cray resolved first.”
“Babe, I know. Just trying to make a bad
joke to get my mind off this crumby situation. I thought we had planned out all
the details to result in a perfect conclusion.”
“Somehow, it’s going to happen.” Bob put his
hand on Drew’s thigh and squeezed it. “And once that problem is taken care of,
if you want to invite Josh in for a little three-way nuzzlin’, I could get into
that…not.” Bob squeezed Drew’s thigh and let out a big laugh. “I’m literally
and figuratively pulling your leg, pal. You’re the only man I’m interested in
doing the ‘nasty’ with.”
“Me, too. And I doubt if that will change
anytime soon.” Drew leaned over and kissed Bob on the cheek. “I’m going to the
bedroom to get online. Might as well answer some e-mails and do some other
office stuff while we’re waiting.” He got up and added, “I’ll call Nick in a
little while and see where we stand.”
“I’ll be right here.” Bob watched his
partner walk into their bedroom and smiled. ‘Drew’s got to keep busy and burn
off his nervous energy,’ he thought as he turned to the TV screen and Shep in
Studio B, ‘while I’m better just chillin’ out. It appears our son takes after
me in this regard.’ Bob turned up the volume and sat back into the cushions.
‘Might as well see what Congress is screwing up today.’
The two hours crept by. At one point, Drew
poked his head into the living room to report that Nick had placed callback
messages to several people. There were no responses but he said this was a crowd
who took long lunches. Drew shrugged, crossed his fingers and went back to the
bedroom. By 3:30, the three anxious guys were buckled in Drew’s Bimmer for the
drive to the Family Court and Services Center. The Bose speakers’ delivery of
Beethoven’s lush Fourth Symphony only added to the tension. The months of
planning had been dealt a potentially lousy hand that was about to be played
out.
Mitch was pacing the terrazzo floor in the
hallway directly outside the family courtroom, holding a cell to his ear, when
the guys found their way to the proper area of the sprawling courthouse. He
said something, disconnected and put it in his pocket.
“Here we are – ready to do business with
‘Hizzoner’,” Drew said as he walked up to Mitch. “Nick’s got several calls out
but none returned. Any change with the judge?”
“Same old, same old. Hi, guys.” Mitch smiled stoically as he
shook hands with everyone. He looked at Cray and said, “I wish I had some Harry
Potter magic wand-waving to make things easier. But we’ll just resort to
old-fashioned ‘lawyering’ and somehow get this resolved. You doing okay?”
“Yes, Mr. Mitchell…under the circumstances.
I’m in good hands and feel positive about things,” Cray replied as he nodded
and turned on a smile. Even though the tension had earlier been like a knife
slowly turning in his back, Cray now felt almost detached as he stood next to
his adult protectors. ‘I just know that it’s going to work out,’ he decided.
“That’s the spirit. With Judge Woods, be
courteous and answer his questions as forthrightly as possible…based on our
story.”
“I’ve got that drilled into my head.” Cray
had gone over the revised details of his arrival and location in Vegas so often
that fiction had almost become fact.
“I’ll step in if it appears that he’s trying
to make you say things that…well, don’t represent your beliefs. Drew, have you
or Bob got any questions?”
“I’d feel better if I knew that Nick had
been able to touch base with his contacts. As we discussed before, I’ll follow
your lead if the judge starts pinging Bob or me about being fit to be foster
parents.” Drew turned to Cray and added, “This is going to be a real team
effort this afternoon.”
“Tag-team, you mean,” Bob said. “But I’m
confident that we’ll somehow come out okay on this. When do we go into the
courtroom, Mitch?”
“Actually, it’s not like a court you see on
TV. Strictly an office and conference table setup,” Mitch replied. “Woods’
assistant will call us and…” Mitch paused as a middle-aged woman opened the
judge’s door, walked out to the hallway and stared at him.
“Mr. Mitchell. Right?” the woman said with
an officious air. “I’m Mrs. Ford and the judge is ready for the Crayton Gamble
hearing. I assume that, in addition to the young man, Mr. Harrington and Mr.
Reichardt are the other two?”
“That’s correct, Mrs. Ford.” Mitch smiled
and nodded. “We are ready to proceed.”
“Please come in, then. Hopefully, we’ll get
this all sorted out and have you on your way.” Mrs. Ford opened the door and
waited for the group of men to enter the suite of offices.
Cray swallowed hard and followed Mitch. He
turned slightly and felt comforted that Drew and Bob were directly behind him.
They walked past Mrs. Ford’s desk and into a large office that contained a long
table with several chairs, in addition to a large desk further back by a
window. ‘Pretty sweet,’ he thought as he scanned the paneled office. He
automatically stopped when Mitch did. ‘The old guy by the desk must be the
judge.’ Cray stood slightly taller as he watched the portly man with gray hair
walk towards them. The judge was carrying several thick folders.
“Gentlemen, please be seated. I’m Judge
Woods and you must be Crayton?” He looked at Cray and turned on a patronizing
smile as he pulled back a padded, black chair at the end of the table. “Mrs.
Ford, this shouldn’t take long and I’ll call if I need you.”
“I’ll be right outside, your Honor,” the
assistant replied as she walked to the door. “This is your last hearing of the
day.” She turned her back to the group and left the room.
Mitch and Cray sat to the right of the
judge; Bob and Drew walked around and sat to the left. That the judge barely
acknowledged Bob and Drew didn’t go unnoticed. Cray observed Mitch slightly
raise his eyebrow and shake his head to indicate displeasure. From the other side
of the table, Drew tipped his head in a nod to Mitch.
“Your Honor, the other two men present are
the individuals who have been nominated by family services to be Cray Gamble’s
foster parents. The gentleman nearest you is Drew Reichardt. The man next to
him is Bob Harrington.”
“I’m aware of that,” Judge Woods replied,
curtly. “Two homosexuals who want to foster a teen male.” He rolled his eyes
and took a deep breath. “Hardly an ideal situation, don’t you agree?”
“Sir, Drew and Bob are concerned about the
well being of a young man who needs a home,’’ Mitch replied. “Cray Gamble is a
bright, healthy and considerate 16-year old. He also happens to be gay and will
benefit from the men’s foster parenting over the next two years. It’s a win-win
situation for Cray and the county. Furthermore, the men are positive role
models and solid members of our community. I might add that they are committed
to provide financial assistance for the young man’s college education.”
“How does a teen boy know what his preference
is, Mr. Mitchell? My God, he’s only been out of puberty for a few years, and
chooses to be a…homosexual? I think that young Gamble needs a Christian home to
live in until he is 18. Christian, with a male and female as fosters. And a
strong church influence to get this abnormal notion out of his mind. You get my
point?” Judge Woods sat back in his chair and closed the folder he had been
referencing.
‘What the fuck?’ Cray wondered as he
digested what was being said, ‘This judge has already made his decision.’ He
swallowed hard and nervously raised his hand. “Sir, could I say something?” He
decided to literally exercise his last name and go for it.
“Crayton…Cray. This is highly unusual for me
to be interrupted. What do you want to say?” Judge Woods was clearly perturbed
but begrudgingly opened the door for dialogue.
“Sir, I really want to be fostered by these
two men at the table. Although I’m only 16, I’ve known that I was gay since I
was probably 10 or so. I fought it and tried to change…but it’s not a choice.
This is the way I was born. To be able to have Bob and Drew look after me the
next two years – knowing where my head is with guys – is the ‘rightest’ thing
in the world. I beg your Honor to be assigned to them as foster parents.” Cray
trembled slightly as a tear rolled down his cheek.
“Judge, I urge you to consider Cray’s
request,” Mitch said on top of Cray’s words. “They will provide a loving home
for a young man who also happens to be gay.”
“Rubbish. Most Christians consider these two
men’s relationship an abomination. Next, they’ll probably try to get married if
they’re together that long. I couldn’t, in good conscience…”
“Judge, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Mrs. Ford
said as she entered the office. She walked rapidly over to the judge, handed
him a note and whispered in his ear.
“Hmmm. He’s on the line now?” Judge Woods
pushed his chair back and stood up abruptly. Without saying anything, he went
over to his desk and picked up the telephone receiver. “Good afternoon,
Governor. What a pleasant surprise.” He opened his mouth but started nodding
before any words came out.
‘Governor? What’s goin’ on?’ Cray wondered
as he watched the judge scowl and nod his head while listening intently to
whatever was coming out of the phone. Several times, he thought the judge
wanted to say something. On each occasion, Judge Woods backed off. Cray turned
and saw Drew listening to his cell phone. Drew smiled and gave a ‘thumbs up’
signal near the surface of the table. “Mr. Mitchell, what’s happening?” Cray
asked in a whisper.
“It appears that someone is looking out for
you,” Mitch whispered back. “If I’m right, I suspect that the esteemed Judge
Woods is getting his ass reamed out – excuse the expression – from the Governor
and receiving his marching orders.”
“Reamed out, huh? I can live with that,”
Cray replied. ‘Yes,’ he decided, ‘there is a God.’ Out of the corner of his
eye, he saw the judge place the telephone receiver back in its cradle and shake
his head. Drew had flipped off his cell and was whispering in Bob’s ear. ‘Bob
has turned on his shit-eating grin,’ Cray observed as the judge returned to the
table. ‘Must be good news.’ He noticed the guys fall into sober expressions as
Judge Woods sat down and looked at the file for a moment.
“Ahem. As I was saying, I…in good conscience
can let this young boy continue his growth into manhood under the foster
parenting of Mr. Harrington and Mr. Reichardt. While it is an unorthodox
arrangement, I do agree that Crayton Gamble will benefit from this decision.
Gentlemen, don’t let me down.” Judge Woods called Mrs. Ford back, then signed a
series of documents before pushing them over for Bob and Drew to sign. His lips
were tightly drawn and eyes narrowed as each page was signed. “Mrs. Ford will notarize all the papers,” he
abruptly added when all the signatures were in place.
“Thank you, Judge, for your consideration,”
Mitch said while Mrs. Ford finished the signing process and stamped her seal.
She gave Mitch one copy and neatly arranged the files.
“Yes, I imagine you should.” Judge stood and
surveyed the group before he walked back to his desk. “Mrs. Ford can show you
out.” He stood at the window, moved the blinds aside and stared out to the
landscaped garden in the courtyard.
As a group, the four men pushed back their
chairs and stood up. They followed Mrs. Ford back to the reception area and
then continued to the busy hallway. Cray looked at the guys and smiled broadly.
As soon as the office door had latched, Bob and Drew whooped it up and grabbed
Cray into a bone-crushing, three-man hug.
“Wait a damn minute,” Mitch said in a loud
voice. “Doesn’t your lawyer get a hug, too?”
“As long as I can call you Uncle Mitch.”
Cray wiggled his way loose enough so Mitch could be included.
“It’ll be an honor. Christ, someone in this
family unit should be straight.” Mitch wedged himself in between Cray and Drew
and the four guys laughed as they pulled each other together even closer.
“Guys, due to the risk of creating a
pedestrian traffic jam, I suggest we move over to the side,” Drew said with a
trailing laugh as he backed away. It was approaching 5:00 p.m. and many people
were spilling out of the doorways.
“So what exactly happened?” Mitch asked
while they moved to a less-congested corner. “I picked up ‘Governor’ when the
judge answered the phone but can only guess what must have transpired.”
“I think that Woods dropped a big load in
his pants,” Bob added with a laugh. “He was not a happy camper.”
“Bigot is more like it.” Drew looked around
the hallway and continued, “Nick came through for us, as you probably guessed.
From the message Nick left on my cell that I just heard, I can safely tell you
that the Governor leaned on the judge – one politician to another. I doubt if
we’ll ever know exactly what was said, though.”
“And it is best if we keep this information
between the four of us only,” Mitch suggested.
“My lips are sealed.” Cray put his arms
around Bob and Drew. “I’m just so happy to officially have two dads and I won’t
let you guys down.” He then freed himself and extended a hand to Mitch. “Uncle
Mitch, thanks for all you did. I’ll make sure you’re proud of your nephew.”
“Believe me…it was my pleasure.” Mitch shook
Cray’s hand and smiled. “The next couple of years will go by pretty fast and if
you need any legal advice down the road, I’ve got special ‘kin-folk’ rates for
my favorite nephew.”
“If I remember, Mitch, he’s your only
nephew. But then, he’s our only son. Thanks…really.” Drew shook Mitch’s hand
and winked. “I think it’s only fair that we get you and Brenda over to our
place for a little family dinner real soon. She needs to meet her nephew.”
“You’ve got a date. Give me a call when you
get things settled. Guys, speaking of my wife, I’ve got to get home. We’re
driving out to Lake Las Vegas for a small party and I need to get ready.” Mitch
shook Bob’s hand and ruffled Cray’s short head of hair before he departed.
“Since it’s a little early for dinner, why
don’t we go back to the Barcelona for a few minutes? I want to let Nick know
about the good news in person…along with seeing you guys. He wanted to be among
the first to congratulate us. And I can stop by my office and see if there are
any fires to put out. Okay?”
“Could I use a phone in your office? I wanna
let Mario and Spike know how things went today. And I know Mr. Ed is dying to
get us all over for a cookout by their pool real soon.” Cray was anxious to
pass on the good news to all of his adopted older brothers and the ‘house mom’
– as he affectionately thought of Mr. Ed.
“No problem. You can use the conference room.
I’m sure it’s not being used.”
“And I can run down to my desk and see what
fires of my own I’ll need to put out tomorrow,” Bob replied. “Then Cray and I
can walk next door to the Bellagio for a drink – well, one adult beverage and
one Shirley Temple – if you need a little time shuffling paperwork. That okay
with you, Son?”
“I suppose so, if ya tell me who and what a
Shirley Temple is.” Cray rolled his eyes and grinned. “Son…I like the sound of
that. Especially now that it’s legally a done deal.”
“You’re stuck with us for the next two
years, courtesy of the ‘honorable judge’,” Drew replied with touch of sarcasm at the end.
“Seriously, we look at this as a lifetime friendship. You know we’re going to
be there for you a long time?”
“Forever…that’s what I’m thinking. I hope
you don’t wanna wash my mouth out when I say I was scared shitless a little
while ago in front of that…asshole.”
“No, Cray. Let’s just say that your dads
were also scared shitless.” Drew smiled and playfully punched Cray on the shoulder.
“And that your dads agree in your assessment
of the judge,” Bob said. “However, let’s also agree that we save that term for
only the few who deserve it.”
“Yes, Daaaad.” Cray knew that Bob was subtly
letting him know the boundaries of vulgar slang in their presence. ‘Pretty
neat,’ he thought while they walked out of the courthouse, ‘the way Bob did his
dad-thing.’ As they came out to the
warm desert air, Cray’s mind swirled around a determination to get going with
the next phase of his life.
*****
The next couple of days were pure bliss for
Cray. At home – a real home – he was getting settled in and had established a
routine. And while he fondly recalled his unusual ‘bachelor house’ living
arrangement at Mario’s place, he knew that it was best that he had moved on.
However, everyone was looking forward to a Sunday afternoon cookout and buffet
that Mr. Ed and Mario were arranging in a couple of weeks for the assorted
‘families’. The one thing he missed was the wonderful daily variety of food
prepared by Mr. Ed. Except for the breakfast time he shared with Bob and Drew,
Cray usually had to rustle something up for dinner from the well-stocked
fridge. Both men were extremely busy getting the hotel ready for the opening
and usually didn’t ‘drag in’ until after 8:00.
Michael was the first of Cray’s immediate
group to find out that he was officially now under the care of Bob and Drew. He
found out after the new family had returned from their dinner celebrations on
Tuesday. However, Cray asked Michael to keep everything under wraps until later
in the week. Cray also said that Drew wanted the opportunity to speak with Bud
Turner – parent to parent. He assured Michael that he had not mentioned Bud
Turner’s sexuality. “That’s for the adults to figure out,” Cray had said.
Toward the end of lunch at school on
Thursday, Cray said he had a couple of important things he wanted to share with
his friends. In addition to Michael, Tim and Chris, the two former ‘goombas’ –
Glenn and Benny – had started hanging with the crew. ‘This is the makings of a
good crowd,’ Cray thought as he looked around at the guys. ‘I don’t think this
news is goin’ to freak out anyone.’
“So what’s on your mind, buddy?” Glenn
asked. “We gotta get to class pretty soon.”
“We got ten minutes and what I need to say
will take much less.” Cray took a sip of his water and continued, “First, I
moved this week and have a new address. My mother isn’t in Vegas and I’ve got
two cool guys for foster parents.” He paused long enough for this information
to register. “I met these men through my job this summer and we became good
friends. When I needed a home, they came through.”
“Your mom’s going to be gone for a while?”
Tim asked.
“Gone, like forever. I legally need
guardians ’til I’m 18 and the guys – Bob and Drew – stepped up to the plate.”
“Whoa, wait a second. What do you mean by
having two guys for foster parents?” Benny asked with a frown. “You mean….”
“He means that he’s being looked after by
foster parents,” Glenn interjected. “I’m guessing that these guys are gay.
Right?”
“Yeah. Both have passed all the tests and
interviewing processes in this county, and its gone through a court review.”
Cray nervously shifted in his chair and nodded at Glenn. He was happily
surprised that his newest friend seemed to be handling this really well.
“What’s the big deal? Sounds to me like Cray
found two dads who are helping him out of a jam,” Glenn said. “Benny, your dad
is so rich that he probably doesn’t even think about those who have to scramble
on a daily basis to keep their heads above water. I’ve got two parents who work
their…well, you get the picture…to provide for me.”
“I, um, understand what you’re saying. It’s
just a little strange to think about two que…gay guys being parents. Nothing
personal, but how do you feel living in the same house?”
“Really cool. I’ve got a roof over my head,
food and clothes when I need them. Plus a few bucks from an allowance to spend.
Most important is that I’ve got two people who really care for me and love me
like parents should.” Cray looked at the crew and measured his next words. “I
just want to make sure that you’re all cool with the gay thing and it’s not
goin’ to be a problem?”
“Jeez, this sounds like a conversation my
family had a couple of years ago when my brother came out to us before he went
away for college,” Chris said. “Cray, I am right in assuming that you were
assigned two men as foster parents cuz you’re gay?”
“Three points for Chris,” Cray replied with
a shrug. He took a deep breath and felt his stomach knotting up. “Guys, if any
of you are uncomfortable with this and don’t want to be around me, I’ll accept
that.” He looked each guy in the face for a moment and gave each a little time
to consider what had just transpired. ‘So far, so good,’ he thought when no one
started snarling or left the table.
“I’m tight with this info,” Tim said. “I was
reading something the other day about gays and lesbians for a journalism
project. First, it’s not a choice. Most in the medical world agree that the
genes you’re dealt with determine whether you’re straight or gay…or somewhere
in between. Number two, look around the cafeteria and understand that prolly
one out of every ten of us you see in school is wrestling with this. However,
most don’t have the guts to deal with it cuz their scared shitless. I also read
that this is one of the major reasons for guys our age ‘offing’ themselves.”
“Thanks, Tim. Since no one has left the
table, I’m guessing you’re cool with this,” Cray asked, “or will give it a
chance?”
“As long as you don’t try to jump on my
bones, I have no problem,” Glenn said with a snicker. “I think of you as a neat
new bud. Period.”
“Same here. My older brother is also my best
friend.” Chris raised his drink and added, “Although I don’t think you’ll need
it with all that kung fu stuff you do, I’ll cover your back if anything ever
goes down.”
“We’re tight friends, Cray. You know I’ll be
with you,” Michael added as he slightly raised his brow.
“Let me think this over.” Benny looked at
his cafeteria tray before training his eyes on Cray. “It’s just something
that’s new for me. That’s all.”
“Guys, thanks for bein’ honest with me. Do
me one favor – let’s just keep this among ourselves for the time being. Okay?”
To a man, everyone agreed not to say
anything to their other friends until Cray was ready to make it less private.
Everyone – even Benny – laughed when Tim promised not to use the story for a
scoop in the school newspaper.
“Now, to change the subject, here’s
something else that’s on my mind that you guys might like. My dads gave me a
heads up to invite all of you for a Chinese dinner at one of the new
restaurants at Barcelona this Saturday night. I even got the night off from
work. The staff has been practicing real hard all week and Drew – one of my
foster ‘rents – wanted me to get a group together for a test meal. The chow’s
on the house and I’ve got access for someone to drive us to the hotel and back.
Whaduya think?”
“Sounds like I’m going to eat pretty well
this weekend,” Tim said. “I’m in.”
“Me, too.” Glenn bumped Cray’s knuckles and
smiled. “Friend and free food. What’s not to like? With a designated driver,
does that mean we get to drink some booze?” He licked his lips and shrugged.
“Right, doofus. Like the Barcelona is goin’
to risk their license to take care of your alcoholic cravings,” Cray said with
a wink.
He nodded as Chris and Michael
enthusiastically said, “yes”, at the same time. Cray turned to Benny and was
about to write him off as ‘hopeless’ until he noticed a slight grin.
“Yeah, yeah…okay, I know I’m being a turd
’bout this. It’s just a new thing that I’ll figure out and I want you to be
patient, Cray. But…I gotta say I’m nuts for spicy shrimp and fried rice. And
maybe some Moo Chu pork. Count me in.” Benny also bumped knuckles as he stood
up. “As much as I hate to say it, it’s time for class.”
“Give me your addresses before we go home
today. All I know is that we’ll pick you up sometime around 6:00 p.m. on
Saturday.” Cray stood up with the rest of the guys and picked up his refuse.
‘I’ll delay until the other guys are ahead of us before I talk to Michael,’ he
thought as his friends took their trays to the dirty dish area.
“That was quite a lunch announcement,”
Michael said quietly as they walked slowly to dump the trays. “You got balls…I’ll
say that much.”
“I’m glad you noticed. But that’s just part
of the ‘package’.” Cray chuckled and continued, “We can talk on the phone
tonight. This isn’t going to pressure you to make any earthshaking
announcements. As far as I’m concerned, we can keep our special friendship
completely under the table.”
“Thanks, buddy. I know that I’ve got to say
something…I just haven’t figured out when that will be.”
“Michael, take all the time you need. In the
meantime, we need to make some plans for Sunday afternoon.” Cray winked as he
set down his tray. “I’ll show you my new home.”
“And…”
“Yeah. That, too.”
_______________
TO BE CONTINUED
Authors note: The title is homage to a terrific comedian, the late Flip Wilson.
He used this expression in television skits ‘back when’. “Here come da judge, here come da judge! The court’s in session,
the court’s in session!” was originally created by comedian Dewey “Pigmeat”
Markham and popularized on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in. Ahhh, simpler times.