Christmas in Prairie Village – an excerpt from Maybe Now

Ryan and Chris were high school best friends in Prairie Village, Kansas. During the summer after their junior year (2007), they came out to each other and became boyfriends. But when Ryan’s father, a conservative evangelical pastor, discovered Ryan was gay, Ryan had to leave home quickly to avoid being sent to a gay conversion therapy facility. He ran away to Los Angeles. This meant he and Chris were suddenly separated.

Fourteen years later, Ryan is living with his husband Aaron in Scottsdale, Arizona. Chris and his partner Seth move to Glendale, and they reconnect as friends. Both of their relationships suddenly end, leaving Ryan and Chris with a golden opportunity to finally be together.

In this chapter, they have traveled to Prairie Village to spend Christmas with Chris’s parents, his brother Tyler, and Tyler’s wife and children. It’s Ryan’s first visit to Kansas since he ran away.

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Chris woke up at 7:45. Ryan was still sound asleep beside him. Chris thought about all those times in high school when he fantasized about spending the night with Ryan in this bed. Not surprisingly, that put him in the mood again.

He let Ryan sleep until 8:00, then he gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. Ryan stirred. He slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.

Chris draped his arm across Ryan’s body and snuggled in close. “Merry Christmas!”

Ryan yawned. “Merry Christmas. What time is it?”

“Eight o’clock.”

“Geez, I could sleep for three more hours.”

“Well, you stay here and rest a little longer. I’ll take my shower and get dressed. But don’t stay in bed too late. It’s Christmas!”

Ryan lay in bed for another half-hour. He dozed a couple of times, but he realized he wasn’t going to get any more quality sleep. He got up, showered, got dressed, and went downstairs.

Chris’s parents Tom and Kathleen were already up. Kathleen opened the oven and pulled out a bowl of scrambled eggs and a plate with some bacon strips wrapped in paper. There was a plate of cinnamon rolls with icing in the center of the table.

Chris had been waiting for Ryan, so they ate breakfast together. Tom and Kathleen sat down too, although they had already eaten.

Chris asked, “Why are Tyler, Chloe, and the kids not coming until 1:00?”

Kathleen replied, “I think Chloe wanted to take the kids to church for the Christmas morning service.”

“Oh, so they’re going to church now?”

Tom said, “Tyler isn’t. But Chloe started going again after the kids were born. She says she wants to introduce the kids to religion. They can decide whether they want to continue when they get older.”

Ryan said, “Gotta get ’em indoctrinated early.”

Nobody said anything, but they all agreed.

Kathleen asked Ryan, “Is this the first time you’ve been back to Prairie Village since you left home?”

“Yep. For many years, I told myself I would never set foot in Kansas again. But now that my mother’s dead and my father doesn’t live here anymore, there’s no reason to avoid it now. And of course, you live here, which is a great reason to return.”

Kathleen said, “I’m so sorry about your mother. That must have been rough on you.”

“Actually, since I was out of touch with my family for so long, I didn’t find out about it until a couple of years later. But yeah, the whole thing about how she suffered from depression for many years and then died was so sad.”

“And it’s too bad you’ll never get to see her again.”

“True, but… Well, I don’t know whether you believe in this sort of thing, but there’s a guy in our band, Desert Pride, who’s a medium. One time he told me that my mother’s spirit often shows up at rehearsals and stands behind me, listening to me play. I booked a reading with him and my mother came through. We were able to talk about a lot of things, so we’re at peace with each other now. So while I’ll never see her again in this life, it’s comforting to know she’s there.”

Chris said, “Tell them about her at your wedding.”

“Oh, yeah. Paul, the medium, was one of the guests at my wedding with Aaron. He said she walked up the aisle as if she was the flower girl, and stood up there with us during the ceremony.”

Kathleen said, “That’s really sweet.”

Tom said, “So what about your dad? I haven’t heard anything about him since he got caught in that sex-and-drugs orgy and his congregation booted him out.” He paused. “But if you’d rather not talk about him, that’s fine.”

“No, that’s okay. He’s living in Mesa now. He moved out there when my brother Brandon started at ASU. And speaking of my wedding, he showed up. He stayed in his car in the parking lot and watched it from there. I had no idea he’d be there, but he found out about it from someone’s Facebook post. Anyway, when I found out he was there, I totally lost it. I almost ruined the wedding. But Aaron calmed me down, and then everything went on like it was supposed to.”

Chris said, “Yeah, I remember that. You guys were having some big argument off to the side right after the ceremony when you were supposed to be signing your marriage license. Most of the other people had no idea what was going on and we were all like, ‘Oh shit, what’s happening?’”

“I admit, that wasn’t one of my better moments. Anyway, he and I met a couple of weeks later and we cleared the air about some things. He asked me to forgive him, and I did. But I still don’t like him and I don’t want him to be part of my life in any significant way. Brandon still has contact with him, so I know I’ll cross paths with him once in a while. But I can’t just pretend that nothing ever happened.”

Tom said, “I can see how it would be difficult to maintain a normal relationship with him after everything that happened.”

Kathleen added, “And it’s probably awkward for Brandon to be caught in the middle.”

Ryan said, “Yeah, he shouldn’t have to pick sides. I have no right to tell him who he can or can’t associate with. He’s a lot closer with me than he is with his father, but they’re in touch and they see each other every so often. Brandon doesn’t usually talk about it in front of me, which is fine.”

Having exhausted that topic, they moved on to other things. After fourteen years, there was a lot of catching up to do. The time flew by and the next thing they knew, Tyler and his family arrived.

Tom, Kathleen, and Chris hugged Tyler, Chloe, and their kids. Then Tyler turned to Ryan and said, “Dude! Long time no see!” He gave Ryan a big hug. “I’m so happy you and Chris finally get to be together! This is my wife, Chloe. Chloe, this is Ryan. He and Chris were best friends in high school. And more!”

Chloe stepped forward and extended her hand. “Yes, I’ve heard all about you.”

Ryan wondered how much Chloe had heard, and what. He shook her hand. “Pleased to meet you.” He couldn’t tell whether Chloe was pleased to meet him.

Chloe said, “And this is our daughter Whitney and our son Austin.”

Ryan did everything he could to stifle an outburst of laughter. He wasn’t very successful. Everyone glanced at Ryan with curiosity, wondering what was so funny.

Chloe turned to the kids and said, “And this is Uncle Chris’s friend Ryan.”

Friend, Ryan thought. Okay, so that’s how this is going to go. He decided to let Chris and Tyler deal with that – if at all.

At 6’6”, Ryan towered over the kids. He dropped to his knees so he could address them on a more even level. “Hi, Whitney! Hi, Austin!” He smiled broadly as he shook their hands. “Are you all excited for Christmas?”

The kids lit up. They both said, “Yeah!”

“What did Santa bring you?”

Whitney said, “I got a Barbie Dreamtopia Color Change Mermaid and a Bluey Family Home Playset!”

Ryan said, “Wow! I didn’t know Barbie came as a mermaid now.”

“Yeah! Her tail changes color and everything!”

“And how about you, Austin?”

“I got Hot Wheels Massive Loop Mayhem and a Star Wars Lego set!”

“Cool! I had Hot Wheels and Legos when I was your age. They were loads of fun. I’m glad they still make them.”

“Do you still have yours?”

“No, I gave them to my younger brother. Anyway, I think some of those presents under the tree have your names on them.”

Austin became even more excited. “Can we open them now?”

Chloe said, “After we eat. It’s time for lunch now.”

Kathleen said, “Since there’s eight of us, we’re going to eat at the dining room table. We’re having sandwiches. That should tide us over until our big dinner at 5:00. So come into the kitchen first to get your food, then carry it into the dining room.”

Everyone filed into the kitchen. Ryan held back to let the others go first. After everyone else had passed, Tyler said, “The kids really seem to like you.”

“They’re adorable! And Austin reminds me of Brandon when he was nine.”

“Oh, yeah. I remember you played with him a lot. No wonder you’re good with kids.”

Ryan put his hand on Tyler’s shoulder and whispered, “Hey, I’ve got a favor to ask. Later, right after all the presents have been opened, have your phone ready to record some video.”

“Okay… Of what?”

“You’ll see. C’mon, let’s go eat.”

Kathleen had laid out an assembly line of bread, a variety of lunchmeats, lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, and condiments. She also put out peanut butter and jelly, which the kids went for. There was a big bag of potato chips and everyone took a handful for their plate.

Tyler, Chloe, Whitney, and Austin sat on one side of the table and Tom, Kathleen, Chris, and Ryan sat on the other. Ryan sat across from Whitney and Austin.

“What grade are you in, Whitney?”

“Fifth.”

And how about you, Austin?”

“Third.”

“What school do you go to?”

Whitney answered, “The Young Disciples Christian Academy.”

“Here in Prairie Village?”

“No, in Ashland Ridge, where we live.”

“Oh, okay. I went to Young Disciples here in Prairie Village when I was in elementary school.” And I hated it.

Chloe, who had been listening to the conversation, chimed in. “They have nine locations throughout the Kansas City metro area. I want our children to get a good Christian education.”

Chloe’s emphasis on the word Christian was not lost on Ryan. “Yeah, my parents felt the same way.” He glanced at Tyler, sitting at the far end of the table beyond Chloe. Tyler rolled his eyes.

After everyone finished lunch, they gathered in the family room to open presents. Of course, most of the attention was focused on Whitney and Austin, but the grownups exchanged small gifts too.

When all the gifts had been opened, photos had been taken, and the excitement died down, Kathleen started gathering up the piles of discarded wrapping paper and ribbons. Ryan said, “Wait. I have one more.”

She sat back down and everyone turned their attention towards Ryan.

Chris was sitting next to Ryan on the couch. Ryan reached over to the lower shelf of the end table next to him, where he had placed a small gift-wrapped box out of view. He handed the box to Chris. Chris looked at the box with curiosity. Ryan said, “Well, open it.”

Chris pulled the bow off the top and slid his thumb under the ribbon to loosen and remove it. He picked at the tape at the end of the neatly wrapped box until he could undo the paper folds. All eyes were on Chris. Everyone wished he would just rip the paper off instead of trying to be so neat about it.

Ryan looked over at Tyler. When Tyler sensed Ryan’s glance, Ryan nodded. Tyler reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

Chris opened the box and pulled out a small jewelry box. He stared at the box in disbelief, unable to speak or move.

Ryan slid off the couch, turned, and knelt in front of Chris. “I’ve waited 14 years to ask you this question. Until a couple of months ago, I didn’t think this day would ever come. But it has, and I don’t want to let another day go by without you by my side. Chris Robertson, will you marry me?”

Chris opened the box and gazed at the beautiful ring it contained. Tears started streaming down his face. Emotions poured over him. Then he realized he needed to answer. “Oh my God! Yes! Yes! Oh my God, yes!”

Tom, Kathleen, Whitney, and Austin clapped and whooped with joy. Tyler did his best to hold the phone steady as he hollered out, “Way to go, dude!”

Chris leaned forward, placed his hand behind Ryan’s head, and pulled it toward him. They exchanged a few passionate kisses. They pulled back, their faces still a few inches apart.

Ryan said, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Kathleen, in particular, was overcome with joy. “My baby’s getting married!”

Tom said, “Well, put it on!”

Ryan reached into the box and removed the ring. Tyler got up from his seat and moved within a couple of feet of Chris and Ryan to capture this moment close-up.

Chris said, “Which hand?”

Kathleen answered, “The left hand, just like the wedding ring.”

Chris held out his left hand, and Ryan placed the ring on the end of his finger. He paused for dramatic effect, then slowly slid the ring down Chris’s finger.

Chris held it up for all to see. “Oh my God, I never expected to get an engagement ring! I mean, I’m a guy, you know? But… Oh my God, it’s beautiful!” He turned to Ryan. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, but I wanted to. And I got a matching one for me.” He reached over to the lower shelf of the end table and retrieved another small jewelry box. He handed it to Chris and held his left hand out. Chris opened the box and slid the ring onto Ryan’s finger.

Kathleen said, “Hold on, let me get my phone. I want some pictures of this!”

After everyone had taken pictures and hugged each other, Tom asked, “So have you guys talked about when and where you’re going to get married?”

Ryan replied, “Not yet. I wanted this to be a surprise. I know, it’s only been two months since we got back together, but I think it’s obvious we both want to be with each other for the rest of our lives.”

Chris said, “Yeah, like there was no way I was going to say no to him.”

“We’ll probably talk about it on our way home. It’s a long drive, so we’ll have plenty of time. But I’m thinking maybe sometime in the fall.” He turned toward Chris. “What about you?”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. We wouldn’t want to rush into it, would we?”

“And it will probably be in Scottsdale. And of course, you’ll all be invited. Sorry, I know that means there will be travel expenses.”

Kathleen said, “Oh, honey, that’s no problem. I know your friends are there. It makes more sense for us to travel there.”

Tyler said, “We wouldn’t miss it!”

Ryan said, “And I want to say one more thing. They say that when you marry someone, you also marry their family. Well, I couldn’t be any luckier. One of the reasons Chris is such a wonderful man is that he comes from a wonderful family. I always enjoyed coming here when we were kids. You always made me feel welcome and special. And the same is true now.”

Tom said, “You are special, and you’ll always be welcome. I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re thrilled to have you as part of our family.”

In all the excitement, nobody noticed that Chloe had been sitting in her chair silently. She wasn’t nearly as thrilled.

***

Later that afternoon, people broke off into smaller groups to fill the time before dinner. Tom and Tyler were watching a football game in the den. Chloe was in the kitchen helping Kathleen prepare Christmas dinner. The kids were restless, so Chris and Ryan offered to play a game with them.

They looked in the closet where Tom and Kathleen kept their games. Most games were geared toward adults since Tom and Kathleen frequently had friends over for game nights.

Whitney pointed at a game and exclaimed, “How about this one? My friend Samantha has that!”

Chris pulled the box off the shelf. The game was called ‘Farty Marty: The Gut-busting Game That’s a Blast.’ The drawing on the box depicted a corpulent man eating a hot dog, with ketchup and mustard stains on his sizeable belly.

Ryan looked at the box and said, “It says it’s for ages 4 and up.”

Chris added, “Or moderately intoxicated adults.”

Ryan grinned. “Okay, let’s try it out.”

Chris carried the game to an open spot in the middle of the family room and the four of them sat on the floor. Ryan said, “Whitney, since you’ve played this before, why don’t you tell us how it’s played.”

“Okay! So each player gets five food cards and two Belly Buster Soda cards.” Whitney dealt the food cards while she talked. “When it’s your turn you put one of your food cards on Marty’s tray. Then you have to pump Marty’s head up and down the number of times it says on the card. Someone else can play one of their Belly Buster Soda cards if they want to. That means you have to pump three more times. After Marty gets pumped up a certain number of times, he blasts. If he blasts during your turn, you have to draw two more food cards.”

Chris asked, “What’s the object of the game?”

“To get rid of all your cards. The first person to get rid of their cards wins.”

Ryan said, “Okay, then, let’s get started.”

Whitney said, “The youngest person goes first. Austin, play one of your food cards.”

Austin played a card with a drawing of corn on the cob and the number 2. He pumped Marty’s head twice. Nothing happened. He turned to Ryan, who was sitting to his left. “Your turn!”

Ryan decided to play his highest-value card to get things going. He played a card with a bowl of beans and the number 6. Whitney threw one of her Belly Buster Soda cards on top of his card and said, “Three more!”

Ryan started pumping Marty’s head. After the seventh pump, Marty blasted a noisy, blubbering fart sound. Whitney and Austin squealed with delight, while Chris and Ryan chuckled. When the laughter subsided, Whitney said, “Okay, now you have to take two cards!” Ryan drew two cards from the draw pile.

Whitney went next. “I’m going to feed Marty a watermelon.” She pumped Marty once. Nothing happened.

Chris played a card with a plate of French fries and the number 4. Ryan threw a soda card down. Chris pumped Marty’s head seven times, and he farted after the fifth pump.

The kids squealed again. The joy they were experiencing while playing this juvenile, tasteless game made Ryan smile.

The next time it was Ryan’s turn, Marty farted again. More helpless, giddy laughter ensued. The kids were laughing harder and louder each time. Chris and Ryan were getting caught up in the silliness and laughing more too.

In the kitchen, Chloe turned to Kathleen and said, “What in the world are they up to?” Without waiting for an answer, she walked into the family room and demanded, “What is going on here?”

Austin stopped laughing long enough to look up at his mom. “Uncle Ryan made Marty fart!”

Whitney giggled some more. She pumped Marty’s head until he farted again. “See?”

Chloe’s mouth dropped open. “That is disgusting! Where did you find that?”

Whitney replied, “In Grandma and Grandpa’s closet.”

Chloe shook her head in disbelief. “Put that away this instant! Then we’ll see if they have something more tasteful and appropriate for children.” She glared at Chris and Ryan as if they had shirked their duty as responsible adults for allowing this debauchery to take place.

Austin cried out, “Awww, Mom! We were having fun making Marty fart.”

“I don’t care. And another thing. We don’t use that word in our family. We say ‘pass gas’ or ‘break wind,’ if we say anything at all.”

Chris stood up. “Seriously? Fart is a bad word? Come on, lighten up.”

“I am quite serious. I am raising my children to be polite, decent people who don’t say crude words, make crude noises, and play crude games.” Chloe knelt down and hurriedly crammed Marty and the cards back into the box.

Chris said, “Well, alrighty then. From now on, we shall not refer to flatulence as farts, ass gas, bottom burps, fluffer-doodles, air biscuits, or barking spiders, and we shall only refer to them by their proper name, poots.”

Whitney and Austin knew this would be the worst possible moment to laugh, but they couldn’t help it. They turned their faces away and quietly giggled. Tom and Tyler had stepped away from their football game to see what was happening, and they laughed. Kathleen, who had come in from the kitchen, chuckled.

Chloe stood up, box in hand, fuming. She glared at Chris and muttered, “It’s a good thing you’ll never have children.”

“Yeah, but we’re gonna keep trying.”

The other grown-ups in the room smirked. Tyler laughed out loud and high-fived Tom. Chloe realized nobody in the room shared her objection to the game and they were, in fact, laughing at her. She turned to Austin and said, “And Mr. Ryan is not your uncle.”

Whitney said, “But they’re going to get married. After that, he will be.”

“We’ll talk about that later.” Chloe stormed back into the kitchen. She shoved the game into Kathleen’s hands as she passed.

Everyone glanced at the others in the room, unsure what to say or do to diffuse this awkward situation.

Tyler realized Chloe was his wife, so it fell on him to do something. He rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen. He kicked aside the doorstop that kept the door propped open and closed it behind him.

“Way to ruin Christmas, Miss Righteous.”

“Oh, is that it? I’m ruining Christmas? I wasn’t the one who was playing that tasteless, vulgar game with our children, teaching them it’s perfectly acceptable to laugh at the sounds people make when they pass gas. It was your brother and his new … whatever.”

“Fiancé. They are engaged to be married, so the proper word is fiancé. Or at least partner.”

“Oh. Sorry I’m not politically correct enough.”

“It’s not political correctness. It’s basic decency and respect.”

“Oh, so they’re laughing at flatulence and I’m the one who’s being indecent. And if Chris and Ryan had any basic decency and respect, they’d be more discreet about what they do. And they would not flaunt their lifestyle choices in our faces and in front of our children.”

“What are you talking about? They’re not ‘flaunting their lifestyle’ any more than you and I do when we hold hands or kiss.”

“Yes, but that’s normal. And did you see the way they were smashing face after that whole marriage proposal stunt? Yes, I’d say that was flaunting it in our faces.”

“Yeah, well, so what if it was? It was a beautiful moment. It was two people in love. I have no problem with our children seeing that. It’s not like they were fucking.”

“And that’s another thing. They don’t need to talk about what they do in bed in front of our children.”

“What the hell are you talking about? They never did that.”

“Not in so many words. But that remark about ‘We’re going to keep trying?’ Everybody knew what he was referring to.”

“I’m sure that went over the kids’ heads.”

“I guess we’ll find out when they start asking questions about everything they were exposed to today. And I’m certainly not looking forward to explaining to my children how two men sodomize each other in bed.”

“What??? There’s no need to tell them anything about that. They’re way too young for that sort of information.”

“My point exactly.”

“I will handle whatever questions come up. Besides, how do you know what two men do in bed?”

“How do you?”

They exchanged icy stares.

“I would imagine they do pretty much the same things you and I do – or used to do.” Tyler paused to make sure that jab landed. “But that’s not the point. They love each other and they want to spend the rest of their lives together. That’s the point. And I’m happy for them. Overjoyed, in fact. And the kids are happy for them. It’s too bad you’re not.”

“I’m entitled to how I feel. And I’m entitled to my religious beliefs.”

“Yes, you are. But as Ryan said earlier, when you marry someone, you marry their family. You knew I had a gay brother soon after we met. Back then, you didn’t seem to have any problem with it. But since you started going to church, you’ve become a lot more unkind and intolerant. And up to this point, I’ve remained silent about you taking the kids to church. But if this is how you’re going to be and how you want them to turn out, we need to talk more about that. And not here. Another time.”

“After what they saw today, they absolutely need to keep going to church. I don’t want them to think two men getting married is normal. Good lord, Austin was already calling him Uncle Ryan.”

“By next Christmas, he will be. He will officially be part of the family – every bit as much as you are. As far as I’m concerned, given their history together, he is now. The kids already like Ryan. They can plainly see that Chris and Ryan love each other. That’s beautiful and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. They understand what love is. Ryan is going to be part of our family and part of our lives from now on. Our kids are going to grow up with two gay uncles. I’m totally fine with that. And you need to be fine with it, too.”

“I’ll do my best.” The sarcasm dripped from her voice.

“You’d better. Gay people face enough hostility in the world. They should be able to relax and feel loved and accepted when they’re home with their family.”

Chloe realized this argument had run its course – for now. There would be more to talk about later.

Tyler said, “Okay. We need to return to the family and let Mom get back to fixing dinner. But I need more Suzie Sunshine out of you and less Debbie Downer. Or Rachel Righteous.”

“Stop talking down to me like I’m a little girl.”

“Stop acting like one.”

Tyler and Chloe emerged from the kitchen with fake smiles pasted on their faces. Everyone else had gathered in the den to watch the football game, although it was clearly of more interest to some than to others. Mostly, they wanted to distance themselves from the kitchen.

Chloe said to Kathleen, “I’m sorry we held up dinner.”

Kathleen said, “That’s okay. Would you please help me finish?”

***

Twenty minutes later, everyone was seated around the dining room table. Kathleen had spread an elegant red and white tablecloth across the table, and the table was now adorned with two long red candles with small clusters of fake greenery wrapped around the candle holders. Each place was set with good china and stainless steel silverware.

Everyone sat in the same seats they had occupied at lunch. Kathleen said, “Help yourself to whatever’s in front of you and then pass to the right.”

Chris said, “Everything looks fantastic, Mom! Thanks!”

Chloe said, “Ummm… May we take a moment to give thanks?”

Everyone stopped and set down whatever they were holding.

Chloe extended her hands to Whitney on her left and Tyler on her right. Everyone else took the hands of those they were sitting next to. For Tom, Kathleen, Chris, and Ryan, this was not a ritual they were accustomed to.

Chloe said, “Let us pray. Dear Lord, we have gathered to celebrate the birth of your son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We give thanks for the bounty that has been lovingly set before us. As we share the love and joy this day brings by giving gifts to each other, may we never forget the gift You gave us over two thousand years ago when You sent Your son to live among us. May we never forget the ultimate gift our Savior gave us when He died on the cross for our sins. Now bless this food for the nourishment of our bodies. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.”

Everyone else muttered, “Amen,” released each other’s hands, and resumed passing the food.

After everyone had taken a few bites, Ryan asked Whitney, “What activities are you involved in at school?”

“I’m in the band and Girl Scouts.”

“Oh, cool! What instrument do you play?”

“Clarinet.”

“Oh, I like the clarinet. They make such a beautiful sound.”

Chloe said, “They make a lot of squeaks and squawks, too.”

Chris tried to smooth over that remark by saying to Whitney, “Don’t worry, they’ll go away. When I was learning to play the alto sax, my mouthpiece used to squeak all the time. You just have to keep practicing.”

Whitney asked, “Do you still play your sax, Uncle Chris?”

“Yes, I do! I stopped playing it for many years. But a few months ago, I picked it up again, and now I play in two bands with Ryan.”

Austin asked, “What do you play, Unc– I mean Mr. Ryan?”

“I play the trumpet. And like Uncle Chris, I stopped playing for a while, but now I’m back at it. Playing music is something you can enjoy your entire life.”

Tom said, “When Chris and Ryan were in high school, we used to go hear their concerts. They were so good!”

Kathleen said, “That’s right. Ryan used to come over and they’d practice together in Chris’s room. I loved listening to them play.”

Ryan looked at Austin, who was sitting directly across from him. “Do you play an instrument?”

Austin shook his head. Whitney said, “He’s still in third grade. They don’t start band until you’re in fifth grade.”

Ryan asked, “Is there an instrument you’d like to play when you get to fifth grade?”

Austin lit up. “I wanna play the trumpet!”

Chloe said, “Oh! I didn’t think you were interested in music.” She shifted her attention to the rest of the table. “I tried to get him to take piano lessons, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”

Austin said, “Piano lessons are for girls!”

Some of the adults chuckled. Ryan said, “You know, my mother forced me to take piano lessons when I was in third and fourth grade. I hated it back then. I thought they were for girls, too. But you know what? When I started learning the trumpet in fifth grade, I was really glad I had those piano lessons. Learning the piano taught me how to read music and count rhythms and lots of other things. That made it a lot easier for me to learn the trumpet. It’s like I had a head start on all the other kids.”

Austin looked excited. “Really?”

“Really!”

Chris added, “I wish I had taken piano lessons.”

Chloe turned toward Austin and said, “Think about it. We can talk later, and if you’re still interested, we can see about getting you lessons.”

Austin looked across the table at Chris and Ryan. “I wish you guys lived here. How come you live so far away?”

Chris said, “Well, that’s where our jobs are. And other than the fact that we don’t get to see you very often, we like living in Scottsdale. It’s warm and sunny and really beautiful. And you know what? We have a swimming pool at our house.”

Austin lit up. “Really?”

Ryan smiled. “Really!”

Austin turned to his parents and said, “Can we go visit Uncle Chris and Uncle Ryan sometime? I wanna swim in their pool.”

Tyler cut in before Chloe had a chance to answer. “Maybe we can go there on vacation this summer. You know what else is in Arizona? The Grand Canyon! We could all go and see that too.”

Whitney and Austin were giddy with excitement.

Chloe said, “Don’t forget, you’ll also have Bible Camp this summer. I don’t know if we’ll be able to squeeze in a trip to Arizona. It’s pretty far away.”

Austin said, “Pleeeeze, Mom?”

“We’ll see. It’s a long way off.”

Kathleen sensed it was time to change the subject. “Ryan, tell us more about the bands you and Chris are in.”

Ryan and Chris talked about the holiday concert they had just played and the jazz concerts they played in the Bird’s Nest, a jazz club in downtown Phoenix. They silently agreed not to mention that these were LGBTQ+ bands.

The rest of the dinner went off without incident. Soon after they cleared the table, Tyler, Chloe, Whitney, and Austin said their goodbyes and headed home to Kansas City.

***

On the way home, Whitney asked, “When is Uncle Chris and Mr. Ryan’s wedding?”

Tyler replied, “They haven’t set a date yet. I think it’s going to be sometime in the fall.”

“Can we go? Please?”

Chloe answered, “I don’t think so, dear. Weddings are for grown-ups.”

Whitney said, “Samantha got to go to her uncle’s wedding.”

“Well, we’ll have to see who gets invited. We can’t go if we’re not invited. Besides, if it’s this fall, you’ll be in school. It’s a long way to drive and flying on an airplane costs a lot of money.”

Austin said, “I don’t care! I wanna go! I’ll start saving up my allowance.” Tyler smiled.

Chloe loosened her seatbelt and pivoted to face her children in the back seat. “So… we need to talk about what you saw this afternoon. Now, as you know, the Bible says a marriage is between a man and a woman. That’s what God wants for us. That way, mommies and daddies can have children and give them a good home and keep the human race going. Now, once in a while, a man might go astray and feel like he loves another man–”

Whitney interrupted, “Mom, Uncle Chris and Mr. Ryan are gay. We know what gay is. You don’t have to explain it to us. It’s when two men or two women love each other. Duh…!”

Austin said, “I like Mr. Ryan! I’m glad he and Uncle Chris are going to get married!”

Chloe said, “Well, yes, Mr. Ryan seems like a nice man. But as I said, God teaches us that a real marriage is between a man and a woman. What they want to have is… I don’t know… kind of like a pretend marriage.”

Whitney said, “That’s not true! Two men or two women can get married now! They made it legal several years ago. Anyway, if Uncle Chris and Mr. Ryan love each other, they should be able to get married. I want them to be happy together!”

Tyler was grinning as he drove the car. “Out of the mouths of babes.”

Whitney said, “Daaad…! We’re not babies!”

Tyler chuckled. “I said babes, not babies. It’s an expression. It means sometimes kids will speak the truth when nobody else will.”

Chloe turned around and faced forward. She said nothing for the rest of the drive home.

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Thank you for reading this excerpt. I hope you enjoyed it! Here are links to purchase Maybe Now:

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This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

Previous books in the “Gay Tales for the New Millennium” series:

Maybe Next Year | Instant Adult | Open Books, Closed Sets | If I Seem Quiet… | Karma Train from Kansas | Maybe Now

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© 2024 by Dave Hughes. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission by the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

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