Tommy gave him a nod and then got into his truck. Mike climbed into his own truck and drove the couple of short miles to the diner, Tommy following him. The diner was fairly packed, and they had to wait a while to be seated. It wasn’t too long, however, before they were sitting in a booth, facing each other. Mike grabbed a menu and handed one to Tommy, and theyscanned them in silence. There was plenty of noise around them, everyone talking animatedly.
“Seems like lots of folks had the same idea,” Mike said once he’d decided on his breakfast.
Tommy looked around and shook his head. “I didn’t think there’d be this many people havin’ breakfast at this time o’ the mornin’.”
“Hey there, what you boys havin’?” Their waitress—Lola, according to her name badge—appeared at their table, pad in hand, pen poised.
“I’ll have the country fried steak, hash browns, two eggs over easy, and biscuits and gravy,” Tommy announced.
Mike had to smile at that.Gotta love a guy with a good appetite.
“Coffee with that?” Lola asked. Tommy gave a polite nod. She turned to Mike and gave him an appreciative smile. “What ’bout you, honey?”
“I’ll have two bacon, two link sausage, two eggs over easy, grits, and whole-wheat toast. Coffee for me too.” Much as Mike would’ve loved the biscuits and gravy, he had to watch his waistline. The camera always added ten pounds, or that was how it felt when he saw himself in the finished product. Mike wasn’t a vain man, but he did have an image to keep up.
Lola nodded. “I’ll be right back with your coffee.” She walked off, her ass wiggling under her tight skirt. Mike leaned back and clasped his hands together on the table, regarding Tommy. The young man fingered the collar on his shirt and then rubbed the back of his neck. Mike’s gaze was drawn to his blackened eye.
He pointed to it. “That’s quite a shiner you got yourself there. What happened?”
Tommy glanced at the table. “I was clumsy, is all. I walked into a door in the middle of the night.” He sat very still, notmeeting Mike’s gaze but keeping his eyes focused on the shiny metal tabletop.
Yeah, right….
“Mmm-hmm. Wanna try that again?” Mike kept his voice low. When Tommy jerked his head up to stare at him, Mike gave a half smile. “Working in a bar, I get to observe a lot of people. You learn a thing or two about body language.” When Tommy swallowed, Mike softened his expression. “What really happened?”
Tommy’s shoulders hunched over. “I finally came out to my folks, and it didn’t go so well.” He clammed up when Lola returned with the coffee, waiting until she’d walked away before he continued, his voice ragged. Mike listened in silence, relieved to notice Tommy becoming more relaxed as he got into his story. When Tommy finished, Mike let out a sigh.
Some people don’t deserve to have kids.
He picked up his coffee cup and drank some of the aromatic brew before speaking. “Kid, I wish I could say that’s the first time I’ve heard a story like yours, but unfortunately it’s not. I know that’s no consolation for you. Iwilltell you that it does get better.”
“I keep hearin’ that,” Tommy said quietly, “but you know what? I don’t see how.” He stared gloomily into his coffee. “My own family doesn’t want anythin’ to do with me.”
“Now come on.” Mike leaned forward, elbows on the table. “You got a lot going for you. From the sound of it, this roommate of yours—Ben, is it?—has a nice family, and they’ve clearly taken to you. And you’re gonna end up with more family than you ever thought you’d have.”
“What do you mean?”
Mike smiled. “We don’t get to choose our blood relatives, more’s the pity. But you’re gonna find there are lots of people out there who you willcallfamily—gay guys, their friends and allies,theirfamilies…. With all the shit that gets flung our way, we tend to stick together and support each other.”
“I s’pose.” Tommy sighed. “Can’t be worse than the family I got now,that’sfor sure.”
“And not to take anything away from what you’ve gone through, but you’re one of the lucky ones,” Mike told him.
“How’d you figure that?”
Mike pointed to the counter where a clear plastic box sat, stuffed with dollar bills and coins. “See that? It’s a collection box for Lost-n-Found. They’re a charity based here in Atlanta. They take care of LGBTQ kids that get kicked out by their families, just like you. Only, they have nowhere to go. We’re talking kids that are homeless, living on the street, with no way of fending for themselves. And they’re minors, for God’s sake.”
Tommy’s eyes glistened. “Geez, when you put it like that, Iamlucky.”
Mike nodded. “See? At least you have a roof over your head.” He knew Tommy was hurting, but he was a damn sight better off than a lot of kids in Atlanta. It would be all too easy to join him in a pity party, but negativity never had sat well with Mike. He’d always been a ‘glass half full’ kinda guy.
“An’ they said I’d always be welcome there.” Tommy’s face glowed. Mike nodded in approval, pleased that the young man was starting to see the positive side of things. It was a likable trait in a person.
Just then the food arrived. They both dug in, and conversation dried up for a while. When they slowed down and Lola had brought them more coffee, Mike noted Tommy’s distant expression, the napkin he’d torn up into little pieces.
“What’s wrong, Tommy?” he said softly.
Tommy pushed his plate away from him and sat back. “I was just thinkin’ ’bout my schoolin’.” He grew quiet for a moment, his lower lip caught in his teeth. “My major is in organicagriculture. The whole point of me doin’ this is so’s I can take over the farm.” He looked Mike in the eye. “But if I’m not part of the family, why am I doin’ it? What is the damn point of this degree?”
