“He’s very handsome,” his sister said with a slight nod of approval. While true, there was so much more to Ezra than his appearance, and Roman found that maybe for the first time ever, he actuallywantedto introduce his boyfriend to his family.
“He’s got a good heart too,” Roman said.
The kids were eager to play with their new gifts, so they said goodbye soon after and then it was just Roman and his parents on the video call.
“So, how did you meet him?” his mother said with a raised brow.
“He’s the one I’ve been telling you about. My housekeeper, Ezra.” Roman’s grin snuck up on him as it often did whenever he thought about Ezra.
“Housekeeper?” his father asked, even though his mother had no doubt informed him already. “You’re only one person. How much of a mess do you make, son?”
His parents were working class through and through, and though they’d celebrated his successes over the years (and certainly appreciated the investments that allowed them to retire early), they also made sure to keep him humble. Roman ignored his father’s jab and said, “Ezra is a wonderful man who takes very good care of me and our home.”
“Ourhome, is it?” he persisted. “Is his name on the mortgage?” His mother tutted at him, and Roman was reminded of why he was always so reluctant to have these conversations with his father. He tried to keep his relationships to himself or tell his mother only the bare minimum, but she always ended up sharing it with his father too.
“See, that’s why I don’t tell you about the men in my life,” he said to his father. They’d gone from not discussing his sexuality at all, to his dad trying to argue him out of it, to him passing judgement on his choice in partners.
His dad’s face contorted to the portrait of martyrdom, “What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. You always have something to say about the man I’m dating.” Somehow Roman always reverted back to his adolescent self when arguing with his father.
“So, you’re dating this man?” his father asked as though he’d weaseled the truth out of him.
“Yes,” Roman said and forced himself to take a deep breath.
“Well, I just call it like I see it,” his father said stubbornly. “Like that fool who wrecked your car and doubled your insurance rates.” Roman scowled. That would be Anthony. “Or the gold digger who fleeced you and ruined your credit.”
“Ruined” was an exaggeration, though Sebastian had certainly racked up a lot of credit card debt. He hadn’t even told them about Chet who’d taken his Rolex and a few other choice items on his way out the door. His reasons, when later confronted about it, were “emotional distress compensation.” That was the point at which Roman had sworn off relationships altogether.
“Ezra’s not like that,” Roman insisted, upset that he would be lumped into the same category as the trifling men he’d dated in the past.
“Well, when do we get to meet him?” his mother asked in an attempt to defuse the situation.
“I don’t know.” Roman was less enthusiastic now about the prospect, not to mention Ezra might have moved on by the summer—not something he even wanted to contemplate.
“Maybe when we come down for vacation? I’ll make sure your father behaves,” she said with a smile, but there was really no censoring the man. He’d given Roman so much grief over the years—about retiring early from football, staying in New Orleans instead of moving back to be near them, getting into the restaurant business, dating foolish men… Roman had moved beyond needing his father’s approval on his own life choices, but the thought of him making Ezra feel unappreciated or uncomfortable did not sit well with him. And for that reason alone, Roman vowed to be firm with his parents.
“Listen, this man is very important to me,” Roman said. “I’ve known him for a while now. He’s studying computer programming at Loyola, and he’s very focused and driven. He’s also kind and very thoughtful. Too good for me really.”
“Baby, no man is too good for you,” his mom said because for as hard as his dad was on him, his mother tended toward the opposite extreme.
“In any case, if you do have the opportunity to meet him, you need to be nice and make an effort to get to know him because I feel very… protective toward him.” Roman was afraid of how he might respond if his parents were rude to Ezra.
“We know how to act,” his father said, taking offense.
Roman resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Well, enough about me. What have the two of you been up to?”
His father told him about the 1970’s Mustang he’d been restoring and his mother caught him up on the goings on of her sisters and their families. Once they’d finished talking, Roman glanced around at all the festive decorations Ezra had hung before he left, including the Christmas tree they’d trimmed together, and felt so lonely without him there. His house had never felt so empty before, and just the thought of Ezra leaving at the end of his Spring semester was unbearably gloomy.
“Merry Christmas, cutie,” Roman said once he’d gotten Ezra on the phone a little while later.
“Merry Christmas, Roman. Have you talked to your parents yet?”
Roman smiled, touched that he’d ask. “Yes, I just got off a video call with them.”
“Did Desmond and Jada like their gifts?” Ezra had done a lot of research on both toys and was highly invested in the outcome.
“They loved them. I’m their favorite uncle for at least another month or so.”
