“Leave him alone,” Arthur said, an older version of Ethan. “If he loses his job, it’s fine. He’ll bounce back.”
“Jesus, I didn’t lose my job. I’m just dating Anthony.”
Silence spread across the cozy dining room. Anthony held his breath, counting until eleven before Ruth finally cleared her throat and said, “Well, good. Anthony’s a fine catch.” She smiled at him with such fondness, he couldn’t even say thank you.
“Hold on.” Arthur put down his fork. “In my days, dating meant...dating.”
“It hasn’t changed much,” Ethan said.
“Does this mean you’re a homosexual?”
“I’m bisexual.”
Arthur pursed his bottom lip at Ruth. “How ‘bout that?”
“Hush you. Don’t play games with him. You were sure he was gay when he was in high school.”
Ethan leaned forward. “Sorry, what?”
Arthur waved his hand dismissively. “You weren’t into sports, and you always kept your curfew—what was I supposed to think?”
“Many other things?”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it. I was fine with your possible homosexuality, and I’m fine with you dating Anthony. Hell, your mom and I were sure you’d end up marrying Chris!”
Ruth laughed. “We really were. Anyway, I’m happy for you two. Anthony, welcome to the family. If you ever need to bitch about my son, give me a call.”
“I... thank you.”
Arthur cleared his throat. “Anthony, I expect you to treat my son with respect and honesty.”
“Dad...”
“I’m speaking, Ethan.”
Anthony sat straighter. “Yes, sir.”
“We raised Ethan to be a good man, and whoever he ends up with should consider themselves lucky.”
“I do feel lucky.” He glanced at Ethan, who seemed about ready to hide under the table.
“Good. Is your business doing well?”
“Yes, sir. Never better.”
“And are you two planning on moving in together?”
“We just started talking about that.”
“I feel obligated to inform you that my Ethan can be a bit messy.”
“Dad!”
The conversation continued from there, and Anthony felt much lighter now that their truth was out in the open, fully accepted.
Once done with dinner, they moved into the living room to drink warm tea. Ethan and Anthony were to stay there the entire weekend, which would have been awkward if Ethan’s coming out hadn’t gone so well. Ruth brought out old photo albums to get Anthony better acquainted with the family, sharing funny stories as she flipped through the pages. In some of the newer photos, young Chris began to appear.
“I’ve never seen anyone as photogenic as Chris,” Ruth told Anthony.
