Page 43 of Saved By the Pitcher

James gasped. He realized with a wave of nausea that his father had Billy beaten because of James’ relationship with Mike. “But Mike and I are just friends.”

Charles slammed his hand down on his desktop. “Don’t lie to me on top of defying me. I had people watching your apartment. Male friends don’t share their spoons of ice cream with each other. They don’t touch each other the way you two touched. And unless one is drunk beyond awareness, they don’t spend an entire night in the other’s one-bedroom apartment.”

“You had Billy beaten?” James asked, even though he had already figured that out. He just wanted to hear his father admit to his vile behavior.

“Don’t blame me,” Charles replied. “It wouldn’t have been necessary if you had listened to me.”

James tried not to tear up from the guilt. “It wasn’t necessary at all! If you wanted to take your rage out on someone, why didn’t you have them beat me? Billy didn’t do anything.”

“James, contrary to what you may think, I’m not a monster. If I had had you smacked around, you would have had to pull out of your show. Nobody wants to watch a lead actor wearing bandages and sporting a fat lip, now, do they? I’m not trying to keep my boys from making a living. A bruised face won’t affect your brother’s ability to perform his menial bartender job. More importantly, I’m guessing William taking your punishment will do more to keep you in line than anything I could have done to you.”

“How do you live with yourself?” James’ voice cracked. “He can’t even afford the medical bills.”

“Don’t start blubbering, James. I know it may be a lot to ask of someone who gives their body to another guy to then act like a man, but how about you give it a try? William will heal just fine. Instructions were clear that he wasn’t to suffer permanent or serious injuries. As for his bills, he’s still on my insurance until he’s twenty-six years old, remember? Since you’re no longer covered by me, I considered that as well. As I said, I ensure punishment is administered in a way that doesn’t cause too much hardship for either of you. You’d think you’d be grateful.”

“Grateful? Billy had to go to the emergency room. He’s your son!” James cried.

“And he’s your brother. If you care about him, stop putting him in harm’s way. I told you that the beating was because of you. But you’re right that he is my son, which is why I have a responsibility to steer him right. I had to stop that ridiculous notion he had of marrying that…girl. Taking the ring should stall that idea for a while. It will take him a long time to save the money to buy another. By then, I hope he’ll have come to his senses,” Charles explained. “The fact that you needed to be set straight—pardon the pun—provided an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Or, in this case, one stolen stone.” James’ father grinned at his play on words.

James was taking deep breaths, squeezing his knees so hard he thought his knuckles might pop through the skin that covered them. “How did you know about the ring?”

Charles laughed without glee. “Again, do you think you boys do anything without my knowledge? The better question is, why were you accompanying and helping him? What were you thinking? He’s too young to get married. William is incapable of taking care of himself, let alone a family.”

“And the fact that she’s biracial had nothing to do with your objections, huh?” James spat.

“That doesn’t help,” Charles stated without shame. “You’re running out of time to have children, James. If, God forbid, William is the only one of my sons to carry on my name, I’d like it to be with someone other than her. Her race isn’t the worst part. If she came from a strong, reputable family, I could tolerate the marriage.”

“Her parents are wonderful,” James shot back. “Far better than you were at raising kids.”

Charles sighed, signaling he was tired of trying to reason with a son he viewed as ignorant. “James, you’ve always confused a doting parent with a good parent. I know lots of people who indulged their kids then wondered why the ingrates turned into drug addicts or deadbeats. If it weren’t for your mother and other terrible influences in your life, you would be far more successful. I should have done more to guide you. That’s why I keep trying to help, even if it doesn’t seem like it to you. You don’t need to like me. My job is to make you a better man, not to be your friend.”

James rolled his eyes with disbelief, but his gesture was ignored by his father, who continued. “Unlike William, the literal runt of the litter, you had—and still have—promise. You’re handsome—very much so. Those may be the only good genes your mother passed to you. If I looked like you and had your ability to charm, I’d have made it to the Oval Office. If you turn your life around, it could still happen for you.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t want that!”

His father shook his head. “When are you going to get tired of being trod on, son? You want me to stop controlling you, then show me you’re capable of directing your own destiny in a way that makes me proud. This singing and acting garbage…if you persist with it, then at least use it to build a fan-base you can leverage later to run for a political office. That possibility has kept me from interfering with your current musical production because, despite its hateful commentary about people in my party, you have a chance to win the top award—a Tony, is it?” Charles waited for a response but received nothing other than a look of surprise. “If you win, James, then you have power in your field, right? Won’t it allow you to demand better parts, more money? Maybe then you’ll understand what I mean. Being the man with the power is everything, James. Without it, you’re groveling for scraps. With it, you decide who gets them and who doesn’t.”

“It’s not my place or anyone else’s to play God,” James chastised.

“Bullshit,” his father snapped back. “Men have played God since they learned how to fight. And you know what, James? The masses crave it. They want to follow someone they believe is divinely inspired, blessed with the strength and will to make the decisions that affect their lives. It’s a relief for them not to live with the consequences of making those decisions themselves. Most people are followers, and if they see you as the man to lead them, you can say or do anything and their support remains unwavering.”

“I have to go,” James said, starting to rise from the chair.

“Sit down!” his father bellowed. James dropped his butt back onto the seat. “If you fail to take what you want, someone with less ability will step over you to claim it. You’ll be in the muck with everyone else. I have lower expectations of William, which is why I haven’t pushed him as hard. But James, you’re wasting the gifts you were given. Now you have a chance to change the course of your life. Win that Tony and get the fame and accolades that come with it. Down the road, you can parlay that notoriety into a political career, like Reagan and Trump did. As a bonus, that will attract a different type of woman than the ones you’ve fraternized with. And for God’s sake, if you must indulge your sick attraction for men, wait until you’re married with a family and have a successful political career. Then, like half the politicians in this country, you can do as you please and threaten to destroy anyone who tries to spill your truth.”

“I can’t even believe you’re saying this. You hate my political views. Me being a politician would be your worst nightmare,” James snarled.

“You’re wrong,” Charles replied. “My greatest fear is our name being forgotten. We could be a dynasty, James. So, you’d be a politician with different views than mine. Who cares? If I thought I had to change my position on issues to stay in power, that’s what I’d do.”

James decided to scuttle the discussion of politics, knowing it would be a debate he couldn’t win. No matter how much he rejected the notion, his father wouldn’t relent. “Why did you bring me here?”

Charles sighed. “Let me spell it out for you more clearly. The first thing I want you to do is call it quits with that worthless underwear model. If nothing else, I would think you’d be smart enough to see he’s using you. If he’s just ‘come out’ as you people call it, then what makes you think he’ll want to settle for only having had one man in his life? You’re his experimental toy, and you’re letting him play with you. If this becomes public later in life, you won’t be able to deny the homosexual liaison you had with him. It’s bad enough I had to cover up your last tryst with a homo. To make things worse, you’ll be a joke when he leaves you for someone even younger. And mark my words, James—he will. If I know you, you think this is love. For him, you’re just a mouth, an asshole and a new set of parts that interest him.”

The comment wounded James, and he realized it showed on his face when his father removed his eyeglasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in apparent frustration at James’ sensitivity. The senator put the glasses back on and sighed. “As you know, I’m up for re-election this fall, and I don’t need my base questioning why I can’t control my own son’s deviant behavior. Allowing you to star in that woke musical is bad enough.”

“Of course, it’s about you,” James shot back. “You don’t care about whether I get hurt.”

“On the contrary. I do care. In fact, I wish very much he would hurt you right now and be done with the inevitable. Then, you could move on,” Charles argued. “But what I’d like a whole lot better is for you to beat him to it. You’d leave with your dignity intact, providing you don’t tell him that you’re breaking up with him because of me. That would just make you weak and pitiful in his eyes. Be the man who tells him you’re done playing with him. You think I’m mean, but you’re the one who forces me to use a stick. James, I’d much rather use a carrot. Once you’re done with this Mike Cooper mistake, I can help you. I could use my money and connections to influence votes in your favor for the Tony award. From there, we can accomplish so much together.”