Spring Break

Eddie Mac and wife Sallie get a big surprise concerning their son Tommy, who brought his buddy home for spring break. They’re as close as brothers, but it’s complicated.

Eddie Mac turned a page in the sports section of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and looked up at the ceiling as he heard water running in the plumbing. He checked the time on his watch, then took a sip of coffee. “It’s past nine-thirty. About damn time he got up.”

Sally put down the classifieds, where she had been filling out the crossword puzzle. “Tommy and his friend were out late last night. It must have been one in the morning when they got back from the party.”

Eddie Mac leaned his elbow on the kitchen table. “Good thing he didn’t wake me up.”

“Tommy’s a college student.” She put the crossword puzzle to the side. “That’s what they do on Friday nights.” Sally leaned across the table. “I think there was a time when we went out late on Fridays.”

Eddie nodded. “And these days most Fridays we’re nodding off at ten.” He drained his coffee cup. “How about taking supper tonight at the Old Mill Restaurant? We’re too old to paint the town red, but we can still go out.”

Sally got up and reached for the coffee carafe. She poked Eddie in the shoulder. “We’re not too old.” She poured him a refill.

“We won’t need a babysitter.” He looked up at her.

“Then let’s enjoy ourselves.”

Their youngest, Thomas had returned home for spring break three days earlier, bringing a friend, Jonathan, whose family lived in Arizona. Given a choice between two hours on the road from Charlottesville to Guilford, or six hours on an airliner to Tempe, the option of spending the week off from classes with Thomas looked more attractive.

“Tommy and Jonathan are as close as brothers. We should be glad he has such a good friend.” Sally settled into her chair and resumed work on the crossword puzzle. “You should have seen them yesterday morning, shaving together.”

“Shaving?” Eddie looked up from the sports pages.

“They were shaving together at the sink in the bathroom, sharing the mirror. It reminded me of my brothers when I was growing up.” Sally frowned at the puzzle and erased an entry.

“Hmm.” Eddie Mac looked up from scanning the baseball box scores.

The sound of water running through the pipes tapered off, then stopped. Sally picked up her pencil, then set it down on the crossword. “I better make sure they have clean towels.”

Eddie nodded acknowledgment and continued scanning the scores as Sally walked to the staircase and ascended. She stopped at the linen closet and pulled two large bath towels off the middle shelf, one blue, the other white. She continued down the hall to the bathroom, knocked on the door, then swung it open. “You want some fresh towels, Tommy?”

Sally’s breath stopped short in her throat as she took in what she saw. Both Jonathan and Tommy were in the tub, Jonathan standing with his back wedged into the tiled corner of the wall under the shower head. Tommy kneeled on the tub’s floor, his face hidden in Jonathan’s crotch, both boys dripping wet. Tommy pulled back and turned his head at the sound of his mother’s voice, eyes very large and round. Jonathan’s erection popped out of Tommy’s mouth like a spring released.

Sally screamed and dropped the towels. Her right hand flew up to cover her eyes and she fainted, crumpling to the floor in the doorway.

Downstairs, Eddie Mac heard his wife’s shriek and looked up from the sports page. When he heard her hit the floor, he stood and mounted the stairs.

“What the hell’s going on?” Eddie asked nobody as he reached the top of the staircase. First Thomas, then Jonathan hopped over Sally’s inert form in the bathroom doorway, both boys buck naked and glistening wet. He looked up at the retreating forms of his son and his son’s best friend, then kneeled to attend to Sally.

Her eyelids began to flutter, and Eddie took her left hand and rubbed it between his. The door to Thomas’s bedroom slammed shut. “Wake up, sweetie.” He reached behind her head to support it.

Sally’s eyes opened, then focused on her husband. “My lord, I thought I’d never see such a thing.” He voice came out as a cross between a whisper and a gasp.

“What did you see?” Eddie asked, stealing a glance over his shoulder at the closed door to his son’s bedroom.

“They were together in the tub.” Sally looked Eddie in the eye. “The boys.” She closed her eyes and swallowed. “And Tommy had his mouth on Jonathan’s – ”

Sally began going limp in Eddie’s hands. He gripped the back of her neck. “Don’t fade on me now, Sally. What did you see?”

“His pecker! Tommy had Jonathan’s pecker in his mouth.” She looked at Eddie. “Oh, my lord, what’s gone wrong with him?”

Eddie released his wife and reached the bedroom door in two steps. He grabbed the doorknob. Locked. Eddie raised his fist and pounded on the wood panel. “Tommy, you open this door right now.”

No answer.

Eddie pounded again. “Tommy, do you know how much you upset your mama?” He paused to listen for movement on the other side and heard the sound of the sash window. “Open the goddamn door, right now.”

Silence from inside the room.

Eddie stepped back, then launched his shoulder to the door, breaking it open. He caught a glimpse of Tommy exiting through the window and sprang toward it.

Both his son and Jonathan had escaped through the window and dropped to the ground from the front porch roof. Eddie poked his head through the open window in time to see both boys slam the doors to Jonathan’s Subaru shut and drive off, leaving a cloud of blue smoke as the tires screeched to gain traction on the road.

“Shit on a stick,” Eddie muttered as he pulled his head inside and went back to the bathroom to Sally.

She struggled to get her feet under her, and Eddie took her arm in a gentle grip to help her up. The whole world has gone to shit, he thought. First his oldest, his daughter Elisa, living shacked up with some no-account musician and having his baby out of wedlock. Now his youngest, his son Thomas, who put goop in his hair and wore an earring, has turned out to be a queer. Where was the world going?

“Where are they?” Sally asked, her strength returning.

“Took off.” Eddie Mac nodded at the broken door to Tommy’s bedroom. “Out the window and into a car.”

“I had such a fright.” Sally crouched to gather up the clean towels. “I never thought I’d see anything like that.”

“You said you saw Tommy with that other boy’s pecker in his mouth?” Eddie clenched his jaw. This was as bad as saying she saw Tommy nibbling on fresh-squeezed dogshit.

Sally closed her eyes and nodded her head. “I must have fainted dead away.”

“You sure did. Good thing I didn’t see it.” He let go of Sally. ”I’d have pounded the shit out of both of them.”

Sally grabbed his arm. “No, that wouldn’t be right.”

“And you think our boy sucking off his friend is?” He looked her in the eye. “It’s an abomination.”

“Tommy’s just a boy.”

“And he knows better. Being queer is wrong. It’s sick.” Eddie tightened his grip.

“What are we going to do?” Sally hugged the towels to her chest.

“I’d like to hunt them down and beat some sense into them.” Eddie leaned toward his son’s bedroom door. “A real man doesn’t do what he did.”

“Don’t be too hard on him, Eddie.”

“That’s the problem. I wasn’t hard enough on him in the first place.” Eddie Mac clenched his jaw.

“I could use some black coffee to steady my nerves. My hands are shaking.” She held out a hand to prove her point.

Eddie kept her balanced on the trip downstairs to the kitchen. As Sally settled into a chair and set the towels down. He poured two cups of coffee, skipping the milk and sugar that Sally favored. He paused and opened the cabinet over the refrigerator to pull down a bottle of Jim Beam.

“Eddie, it’s only nine-thirty in the morning.”

“I was thinking of something to steady my hands.” He grasped the cap.

“Not at nine-thirty in the morning.” Sally shook her head. “And besides, whiskey just makes you sleepy.”

Eddie thought a moment. If he was going to slap some sense into his boy, he’d best be sharp. He nodded to his wife and put the bottle back in the cabinet. “He’s got us both rattled but good.” He brought the two cups of coffee to the table and sat.

Sallie took a sip of coffee, holding the cup with both hands. She closed her eyes, then took another, deeper sip. “What’re we going to do, Eddie?” She looked at him. “And I don’t mean hitting.”

Eddie ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I feel like I’ve been poleaxed.” He took a sip of coffee. It was very hot and he had to slow down and take a small swallow. Somehow this need to take his time with drinking coffee calmed him. “I guess I should have seen it coming after the earring and the goop in his hair.”

“I don’t think that had anything to do with it.” Sally picked up her pencil and doodled inch-sized figure-eights on the classifieds. “Roy Crawford’s boy did something like that with his hair, and he joined the Marines.” She looked up at Eddie. “They don’t take sissies.”

“In the Marines he won’t have enough hair to goop.” Eddie grasped his coffee mug with both hands as if its heat gave him strength.

“Tommy went to the senior prom, and he took that nice Wilson girl as his date.” Sally smiled. “They looked so nice together.”

“I guess her daddy didn’t have a thing to worry about.” Eddie showed his teeth.

“That’s mean, and that’s not helping.” She squared her shoulders. “Tommy won’t be but twenty in August. He’s still so young, and maybe he’s confused.”

“We’re all confused.” Eddie wiped his face with his hands and let his shoulders sag. “First Elisa’s shacked up with that no-account and having his baby.” He held his arm out. “And now Tommy turns out queer.” He took a swig of coffee, feeling its heat travel down his gullet. “I know I’m confused as hell.”

The Subaru held the speed limit as it rolled down Church Street and stopped in front of the manse’s mailbox by First Presbyterian. Tommy repeated the directions to the highway to Charlottesville and climbed out. Both he and Jonathan wore yesterday’s jeans and T-shirts, nothing else, and his were still damp. He took just enough time to lean in and kiss Jonathan good-bye before closing the door and walking toward the manse.

Mary Houseman kneeled by a flower bed, plucking weeds out from between ancient tea rose bushes. She looked up and stood as Tommy approached. “Tommy MacPherson.” She smiled. “You’ve gotten so big. How have you been doing?”

Tommy didn’t meet her eyes. “I’m in trouble, Mrs Houseman. Is Reverend Houseman here?”

“Probably in his study, working on tomorrow’s sermon.” She reached out to touch his arm. “You’re not in trouble with the law?”

“No, ma’am.” Tommy shook his head.

“Is it about a girl?”

A smile of sorts twisted his face. “No, ma’am.”

Mary looked him over. No shoes, dirty T-shirt and jeans. “I’ll take you to him.” She led the way inside the house, across the sitting room to the small room that served as Roland Houseman’s office and library. A notepad with writing on it lay on the desk, but Roland wasn’t there.

Mary looked at Tommy. “He was here a minute ago.” She glanced around as if making sure she didn’t miss seeing her husband standing at the bookshelf or window.

The toilet flushed in the downstairs bathroom. Both Tommy and Mary glanced at each other, then quickly averted their eyes.

Mary looked up. “I imagine he’ll be here in a minute.

Roland stepped into the doorway, tucking his shirt into the waistband of his slacks. He froze when he saw Tommy.

“Tommy MacPherson’s here to see you.” Mary put a hand on Roland’s shoulder. “He needs to talk.” She waved at Tommy and stepped out, pulling the door shut behind her.

Roland pointed to one of the two chairs in front of his desk and took the other. He waited for Tommy to settle into his seat. “Something wrong?”

Tommy kept his eyes on his feet. “I’m in trouble with my parents.” He crossed his arms as if hugging himself.

Roland nodded and grasped his chin. “How bad?” He asked, his voice quiet and he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

“Awful.” The word came out as if he were sighing. Tommy continued watching his feet. He fidgeted and raised his face to meet Roland’s gaze. “My folks found out I’m gay.”

Roland nodded, keeping his poker face. “And they don’t understand.”

Tommy shook his head. “They’d never understand.”

“When did they find out?” Roland kept his voice low and even, as if asking about the weather outside.

“This morning.” Tommy rolled his eyes. “Mom caught Jonathan and me.”

“What did she do?” Roland wanted to understand the facts before getting into the emotional side of things. He sat up, elbows moving to the chair’s arms.

“She fainted.” A wan smile crossed Tommy’s face.

“I believe that.” Roland nodded. “It must have been a shock to her.” He crossed his legs. “Jonathan’s your friend, your partner?”

Tommy nodded.

“Where is he? He can come in, too.” If Roland was going to have two scared young men on his hands, no sense leaving the other one to wait outside.

Tommy shook his head and watched his feet. His smudged toes wiggled. “Jonathan’s driving back to Charlottesville.”

“Does he have a place to stay?”

“He’s going to crash with a friend until classes start up again.”

Roland nodded. “Did your dad do anything to you or Jonathan?” He knew Eddie was more than just a bit conservative.

“He yelled. Must have been after Mom fainted. Jonathan and I went out the window and down the porch roof.” He looked at Roland.

“And you came here.”

“Yeah.” Tommy kept eye contact.

“I’m glad you did, and I’m glad you trust me.” Roland smiled. “How can I help?”

“Can you hide me from Dad?” A smile tugged at the corners of Tommy’s mouth.

“Sure.” Roland nodded. “For now, until things cool off. But you and your parents will have to talk through this.” He held up his hand. “It doesn’t have to be right now, because I know your Dad will need time to simmer down.”

Tommy nodded. “It sounded like he broke my door down. Jonathan and I were too busy getting out of there to see.”

“You’re safe here.” Roland held his hand flat. “But after a few hours, would it be OK if Mary calls your Mom to let her know you’re OK?”

“Yeah. She’ll start worrying.” Tommy’s eyes dropped to his legs, and he picked at the fabric to his faded jeans. “Does being gay make me some kind of sinner?”

Roland leaned forward. “We’re all sinners. Even me.” He paused to find the right words. “And you’re a child of God, just like the rest of us. Don’t let anybody tell you different.”

Tommy raised his head to look at Roland.

“I’ve listened to people confess to alcoholism, doing drugs, beating their family members, cheating on their spouses, stealing, and hating. You and I are no worse than them and no better.” Roland held onto Tommy’s eyes.

“But being gay is against the church.”

“So is drunkenness, and adultery, and lying, and stealing, and those people keep coming back every Sunday. I won’t stop them.” Roland meshed his fingers. “Now a problem’s come up between you and your parents, and we’re going to work through it. I’m here to help.” Roland smiled. “It’s my job.”

“My dad’s going to kill me.” Tommy ran his hand through his hair and looked at the ceiling.

“I won’t let him.” Roland tipped a finger at Tommy. “We’re going to talk about this calmly and find a peaceful answer. I know your Dad well enough to know that he’s angry, but he’ll get over it.”

“Dad holds grudges.” Tommy crossed his arms. “He’s still mad at Elisa for moving in with Ted and having a baby.”

“That’s your dad’s problem.” Roland held up his hand. “Not yours. Right now is a little too soon to work on this problem. Like I said, let’s give it time to cool down. Everybody’s scared and angry, and we’ll need some time to simmer down.”

Tommy nodded. “It’s been a busy morning.”

“Yes.” Roland smiled. “Have you eaten breakfast?”

Tommy shook his head.

“We have some doughnuts left over in the kitchen, and I could use some coffee.” Roland stood and opened the door. “I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Tommy stood. “With everything going on, I forgot about breakfast.”

“Let’s get some coffee and doughnuts.” Roland opened the door and led Tommy to the kitchen.

Roland poured two cups of coffee and set the box of leftover Krispy-Creme doughnuts in the middle of the table. He sipped his black coffee and waited until Tommy was ready to start talking again.

After his third doughnut, Tommy took a deep swallow of coffee. “I feel a lot better.”

“Good.” Roland set his cup down. “Every day is better after a good breakfast.” He pushed his cup around the table. “How long have you known that you’re gay?”

Tommy’s eyes dropped to his coffee cup, gripped tight between his hands. “I don’t know. Maybe three years.”

Roland nodded. “OK. It’s something your parents will want to know. Not that it makes any difference, but people still want to know.”

Tommy nodded, eyes still on his coffee.

Eddie had been in the back yard for over half an hour, first pulling weeds, then gathering the uprooted dandelions into a pile, when the phone rang. Sally picked up.

“Oh, Sally, I’m glad I caught you,” Mary Houseman said over the phone. “How are you doing?” Mary’s voice didn’t carry its usual lighthearted tone.

“We’ve been busy.” Sally didn’t know what else to say. How do you describe the morning that you discover your son is gay and has invited his boyfriend over to the house to spend spring break?

“I know you have.” Mary sounded as if she understood. “Tommy’s here with Roland.”

Sally looked through the window at Eddie as he attacked another dandelion and threw it into the heap. She didn’t know what to say.

“I wanted you to know that he’s safe here and doing OK. We just fed him breakfast.” Mary’s tone lightened.

“Thank you.” Sally’s grip on the phone relaxed. “I didn’t know where he went.”

“Tommy’s safe, and we’ll help you through this. You know how Roland is with family matters.”

Sally closed her eyes and felt as if she had just put down a heavy load of rocks. “Thank you.”

“We’re here to help, and Tommy can stay here as long as he needs to.” Mary’s voice breathed reassurance into Sally’s ear.

“I can’t thank you enough.” Sally stole a glance out the window at Eddie taking pulled dandelions to the compost heap. “Can I bring over some of Tommy’s clothes?”

“Of course you can, anytime, Sally.”

“Think I’ll wait until Eddie goes to the hardware store. He’s still upset.” She looked out the window again. “He’s just pulled every dandelion that he could find in the back yard. I expect that he’ll want to get some more Roundup and start in on the front. Can I speak to Tommy?”

“I think he’s still talking with Roland. Do you want me to get him for you?”

“No, you don’t have to do that. I can talk with him when I bring over some of his clothes.” Sally turned her back to the window. “I know Roland is helping any way he can, and I’m grateful. It was such a shock this morning.”

“I imagine it it was. I had no idea what had happened when Tommy showed up. He’s grown so big.”

“He’s still my little boy.” Sally smiled, remembering happier time with Tommy.

“Of course he is, just like my daughters.”

“It might be another hour or so before I can get over there. I’m waiting until Eddie leaves for the hardware store.” Sally looked at the clock on the range.

“No hurry. Tommy and Roland have been talking for a while. I just wanted to let you know where he is and that he’s safe.”

More stories from CROSSING THATCHER’S CREEK, 1997 Guilford, Virginia. . .