He nodded, not having much to say. Jovanis had never bonded with his stepfather. Margie married when he was an adult, so he never cared to establish a relationship with him.
“You should come around more often. We’d love to have you.”
Jovanis snorted a chuckle. “Nah, y’all good.”
Alain cocked his head. “You family, Jovanis. It would be nice to have you around more so that you and Josiah could bond more. I’m sure your mother would love it.”
Jovanis shrugged. “I’ll think about it.”
Margie passed out cake to everyone while Josiah opened his gifts. The more Jovanis watched, the more his envious nature surfaced. Why couldn’t he get this as a child? Why was he summoned to move into the projects with his uncles and become a delinquent? His life never made sense. Jovanis never had clear answers as to why things transpired or why he’d thought differently than other little boys.
“Oooh, I got new gymnastic shorts,” Josiah cheered.
“Gymnastics?” Jovanis questioned, drawing attention to him.
“That’s what I said,” Mel added, chuckling. “Why couldn’t he play basketball or football? What the hell is he doing in some gymnastics?”
Margie smacked her lips, folding her arms over her chest. “Excuse me, there are tons of little boys who train in gymnastics.”
“You making him soft.” Fish shook his head.
“I think y’all are reading too much into this,” Alain defended his wife. “The way Josiah used to flip and flop around here, we had to put him in something.”
“Tell me about it. That’s why he couldn’t come to my house no more,” Aunt Kita griped.
“I’m surprised Margie didn’t send him away,” Jovanis said. “You know you couldn’t show no signs of being soft around her. Or maybe that was just me. Her homophobia was worse back then.”
Margie gawked at him, laying her hand over her chest. “Van, really?”
“What the fuck you mean ‘really’?” he snarled. “You know what? You really are something else. You know that, Ma.”
She peered around the room, sporting an expression of embarrassment as everyone looked at her.
“Let’s go outside.”
Jovanis didn’t decline her offer. Instead, he followed her out to the backyard where there was a bounce house.
“What is your problem? Why would you say that in front of everybody?”
His eyes widened at her audacity. “Are you not the same mother who sent me away when I was ten years old?”
“I did that so that your uncles could help you be a man.”
“Bullshit. You did that because you thought I was gay.”
Margie’s head reared, eyes watered without warning as her chest heaved. That declaration knocked the wind out of her.
“I wouldn’t say that, Van.”
“Be real, Ma!” He almost groaned. “You know what you did. You thought I was soft. You suspected that I was gay. So, you sent me to Fish and Mel’s under the guise to toughen me up, but you didn’t want me to be gay. Why is that?”
“Why is what?” She looked around, not wanting to look him in the eye.
“Why would it have been so bad if I was gay?”
Margie’s eyes were red, showcasing pain. Jovanis wasn’t moved by it since she had abandoned him emotionally the day she dropped him off at his uncles’ house.
“I’ve always loved you, son. You're my first born,” she cried, ignoring his question.
