My head snapped up at that question. Then I sighed, staring at my coffee. “I don’t care if he wants to watch porn or people on PrivatelyYours.” Yeah, sometimes I mentally disparaged those guys that paid to see me. I should have been more grateful since they were paying my bills.
Maybe on some level it did sting to know that Ken was one of those guys, but in the end if that’s what he wanted to spend his money on, that was his decision.
So, what was it that I was upset about? “It’s not about him knowing about Magic Marco. It’s about the choice he made to keep that knowledge from me, even as we got closer.”
That choice made me question everything we had built together, everything he’d told me.
Alonso sighed. “It’s not easy. But people make mistakes. They keep secrets out of fear or uncertainty. It doesn’t always mean their feelings aren’t real.”
I mulled over his words, the conflict raging within me as I ran a hand through my hair, my mind swirling in chaos. “I can’t even think straight right now.”
Alonso nodded. “Listen, Mia is having a great time with us this weekend. Why don’t you go home. Take some time for yourself,rest, and try to sort through everything that happened? We’ll drop Mia off in the morning, give you the space you need.”
I sighed, rubbing my temples as the weight of exhaustion pressed down on me. A good night’s sleep and some time to think—and cry—in the privacy of my home would help me decide what to do next. “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, brother.”
“Of course,” he replied, touching my shoulder. “You know I’m always here for you.”
***
The silence of the house without Mia to distract me just made the voices in my head even louder. I needed fresh air, so I went to the backyard.
I weeded and pruned my garden, doing my best to stay distracted. But my thoughts kept returning to Ken. Hurt and betrayal from Ken’s secret gnawed at me relentlessly.
But then, all of a sudden, I’d remember his kind patience with Mia, his gentle touch with me. The way it felt to hold him in my arms.
Was I throwing away a chance at happiness because of my fear and pride? Because he hurt my feelings by not being honest with me?
What would I have done if he had come to me with the truth early in our friendship? I couldn’t even imagine the embarrassment that I’d have knowing her teacher masturbated to videos of me.
Fuck, I’d probably have pulled Mia from school and left town that day.
I had just put away the garden hose and was heading inside when my phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting my thoughts. It was Elena, her voice tinged with concern. “Hey Marc.
I straightened. “Is Mia okay?” I asked, worried.
“She’s fine,” Elena assured me, then continued. “Marc, do you have Facebook?”
“No, never got an account,” I replied, wiping my dirt-streaked hands on my jeans. “I hate that stuff, you know that.”
She let out a long sigh. “Something happened, and you need to see this. I’m sending you some screenshots.”
A few seconds later, my phone buzzed with incoming messages, and I opened them with a sense of unease. The first image was a Facebook post on the elementary school parents’ page, and my heart sank as the screenshots Elena sent turned my blood to ice.
An anonymous parent posted:
“BEWARE: The father of one of the kindergarten students used to dance NAKED online for money. Is this the kind of person we want around our innocent children? He goes by ‘Magic Marco.’ Disgusting! The school needs to do something about this immediately. Our kids aren’t safe!”
Nausea churned in my gut as I scanned the blurred images from my account and malicious comments, each word a heavy blow.
“OMG, that’s so inappropriate! Who is it?”
“The school better take action.”
Fuck. Everything I had worked so hard to build for Mia and me was crumbling around me.
“Marc, are you still there?” Elena asked quietly.
I put the phone on speaker so we could talk while I looked at these. “Yeah. I’m here. Who did this?”
