Page 72 of His Choice

Aaron’s father jerked his head back. “What? Why wouldn’t you be? Aaron’s not…” He caught himself, dropping his shocked expression. “Been forthcoming before now.”

“He lives with his gay roommate, Dad,” Jaylen replied. “Which isn’t a big deal, except every time I talk to Aaron, all I hear about is Mikey—more than he talks about himself. And you know Aaron—that’s out of character to spend time discussing something other than his favorite subject.”

“Stop it, Jaylen,” her mother snapped. “Really! You’ll give Mr. Walker and viewers the wrong impression of Aaron.” She turned to face the screen again, gauging my reaction. “Aaron just likes to tease. He knows that bragging about himself drives Jaylen crazy. With his father and me, he only asks about us. You know how sibling rivalry is.”

Jaylen rolled her eyes. “Whatever. All I’m saying is, any conversation with Aaron the last few months has been Mikey this, and Mikey that. Without him confessing anything, I was beginning to think he has feels for the guy. What still doesn’t make sense, though, is why Aaron then agreed for the two of them to compete for someone else on this show.”

Interesting. On the surface, I could infer that Jaylen was in the dark about everything. On the other hand, she could be in the know, and her comments might have been made to reinforce the plan Aaron had shared with them. She was doing a good job of raising questions as to whether Aaron was falling for Mikey, just as he had hoped viewers would begin to suspect by this point in the program. Perhaps this moment was meant to be pivotal, where the family had colluded to raise doubts in my mind about Aaron, justifying why I’d drop him from consideration.

“Well, I’ve suspected Aaron is interested in Mikey, too. It certainly makes me hesitant about Aaron, I must admit,” I announced, helping them advance their narrative. “He’s wonderful, but I wouldn’t choose someone who’s into another guy.”

“Oh… It’s all quite confusing,” Aaron’s mother stated. Looking at the three family members, I had to say, they really did seem unsure of what was going on. Well played.

We ended the conversation with awkward pleasantries. It was safe to assume that viewers would now understand that Aaron was off the list.

Daryl’s mother had met with me next. She had explained that she had raised her child on her own, and only God knew who the father was. It wasn’t far into the discussion before I realized she was eager to use the time to pitch her homemade jewelry and occasionally complain about how she was one of life’s victims. I had to keep steering the conversation back to her son.

When she did talk about Daryl, she described how he had been a difficult child, which contributed to her inability to ever find a ‘good’ man. She explained that she still wasn’t convinced Daryl was gay as opposed to trying to find a new way to torment her. The two had many fights about it, but she decided it wasn’t worth any more of her emotional investment. It hadn’t hurt that he had started paying her rent, thanks to money he made from modeling for an OnlyFans account. While she claimed that she found that disgusting, it apparently didn’t bother her enough to refuse his cash. She admitted that she hoped he would find a rich man by using the site, but possibly snagging one on a ‘queer dating show’ was just as good.

Although her confession made me question whether Daryl even liked me versus my money and status, it elicited my sympathies. I didn’t care for his mother, and I imagined it had been hard growing up with her for a parent. The situation reminded me of Keller’s, where he’d been raised by an abusive father. Knowing Keller had not only overcome it, but had helped his dad become a better person, gave me some hope that Daryl could find a happy ending, too. Surprisingly, his mother’s remarks had me reconsidering Daryl as a possible selection during the finale. It was easy to fantasize about being the guy who’d make life better for him. In the little amount of remaining time to film, Daryl would need to prove he was actually interested in me for love, though—not just as a piggy bank.

Before finishing interviews, I reflected on how the personalities of the friends and families I had spoken with seemed to fit—for better or for worse—with the contestants they were advocating. It made me question how my mother and I seemed so different from each other.

Mikey’s mother and father continued the pattern of what I had been experiencing. They were unassuming, modest, and on the quieter side.

“We were surprised to hear Mikey had the courage to go on the show,” his father admitted. “He’s…shy. Perhaps painfully so, at times.”

The mother blushed. “Contrary to what we’ve seen from him on television. I want viewers to know that was…an aberration.”

“I get the sense you think he did something wrong?” I asked.

“The provocative photo of him, that costume contest and your…time with him…in the pool were a bit risqué,” the father cut in, then shook his head. “For our tastes, anyway. I suppose things are different in your part of the country.”

“Not really,” I disagreed. I imagined Mikey’s parents just applied a different standard when it came to two men, but I refrained from pointing that out. “Mikey has been very respectable. Honestly, I didn’t think there was anything scandalous about the picture or his costume. He only had his shirt off. And yes, we kissed in the pool, but that was all. None of that was so shocking really…was it?”

The mother shrugged. “I suppose in this day and age, anything goes. We might seem old-fashioned to you, Mr. Walker. But we know our son, and I worry he’s feeling pressured into doing things that make him uncomfortable—either by the people involved in the show or someone else.”

“Someone else?”

Mikey’s father grunted. “His roommate, Aaron. That boy probably convinced Mikey to go on that show, and I can see him having a hand in everything that’s happened since. He’s a wild one.”

I almost laughed at the description. “I believe Mikey’s confidence has grown in the short time I’ve known him. If I may, I’d offer that Aaron has had something to do with that. It seems to me, your son only does what he ends up believing might be in his best interest. I haven’t witnessed Aaron coercing him.”

“It’s just that Mikey’s young and impressionable, and his roommate influences him,” Mikey’s father replied.

I nodded. “I don’t think he does in a negative way. From what I’ve seen, Aaron’s truly trying to help Mikey find love. Aaron told me he wants your son to be happy, and I believe him. They have a strong friendship, and it’s clear the affection goes both ways.”

Mikey’s mother nodded. “I don’t think Aaron’s intentions are bad either, Mr. Walker. But that doesn’t mean his advice is always what’s best for Mikey’s temperament. We’ve asked Mikey to consider relocating to Pittsburgh, but I don’t think he’d walk away from that boy. You know, Aaron is the first male friend Mikey’s had. First, we were surprised when Mikey told us Aaron is straight. I guess we didn’t expect a heterosexual would want to room with a gay man. Now we learn Aaron likes men, too. It makes more sense, but it’s very confusing at the same time. How does someone just…start liking another sex?”

I thought about my friend Adam. “It does happen. I have a dear friend who was sure he was straight until he met the man who’s now his husband. Maybe something just clicks…” I shrugged. “Or maybe in their case, Mikey knew all along and just told you Aaron was straight so you wouldn’t misconstrue their relationship.”

“Oh, Mikey wouldn’t lie to us,” his mother said, shaking her head. “I think the most likely scenario is that Aaron was less than honest with our son. He probably chose to have a gay roommate because he was struggling with those feelings himself. Coming out isn’t the easiest thing to do, of course. Mikey’s father and I are trying to be supportive. Maybe Aaron’s parents aren’t as…tolerant as we are.”

I overlooked her self-delusion. “Well, I’ve spoken with them. I think they’re fine with it now. Regardless, I agree with you about the difficulty of coming out. Your son is brave. I like him very much,” I assured them.

Mikey’s mother smiled. “That’s good. You seem like a nice man. I’m sure the producers are the ones making you look bad.”

“I, uh… Thank you,” I sputtered.