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I laughed and whispered as I ended the call, “I’m sure you did. You’re one step ahead of things, aren’t you?”
In front of the house, I expected Rick, but it was Chandler. He opened my door for me, smiling. “Dad just told me.”
As I exited my car, I was a little nervous. “Is that okay with you?”
“Yeah. In fact,” he said, ducking his head, “I wanted to talk to you first.”
“Oh?”
We didn’t go into the house, and Chandler instead led me in the opposite direction, toward the trees across the drive. “Don’t worry, I’m not taking you to sacrifice you to the chickens or anything.”
“I had no such worry.”
Through the trees we went but came to a clearing that was set right in the center of a stand of aspen. There was a wicker garden set, table, and chairs there that looked to be very old, but well-maintained.
“These have been here a long time. My grandma used to bring me here to tell me stories about my mom.”
We sat and I understood the gravity of the place, of his memories there. I also understood his bringing me there was huge. I just hoped in a good way.
“My dad doesn’t know me. I know it’s cliché to say, but he doesn’t understand me. He was raised in that generation that doesn’t get therapy, the one they make all the TikToks about, you know? They had to drink out of garden hoses and all that shit.”
“I know the one,” I said, laughing.
“I get it, I’ve heard all their stuff, but that wasn’t my dad. He was privileged, obviously, and so was I. He doesn’t get that with my generation, that’s not a great thing. It alienates us a lot of times. Sure, I have friends at my school, but the regular townies, they avoid me.”
“Is that why you took on the emo persona, or is that something else?”
“A little bit of a lot of things. The first time he saw me like this, he freaked. But, the kind of dad he is, he tried to understand and in that…”
“He didn’t get it, went too far, bought you stuff he thought you’d like?”
Chandler was a handsome young man, and when he granted his rare smiles, they lit his face all the way into his eyes, like his father. “You got it.”
“The thing is, Chandler, he’s at least trying. A lot of parents would have told you to wash your face and put on other clothes. I think part of why he wants me here is that he wants someone to mediate helping your relationship before you go off to college.”
“You’re perceptive. I think that’s the biggest reason. Sure, he worries about me going into the big, bad world, but more than that, he wants me to choose to come home on my long weekends or holidays.”
“Are you okay with working on that?”
“Yes,” he said and leaned to whisper, “And you need to help me out.”
Confused, I teased, “I’m getting paid to do that, Chandler, but help you out with what, exactly?”
“You don’t understand. Help meout. Help mecome outto him.”
I fell back on the wicker and felt all the air leave my lungs. Coming out to a parent was one of the scariest, private things imaginable. “Chandler…”
“I know, I know, that definitely isn’t in your job description and I don’t even blame you if you won’t. It’s not a deal breaker, but I think I’ve been pretty chill about having someone come here to babysit me, telling me how to live in the world and all that shit. For me,tome, this is a small ask.”
“It’s not small, but I get it. And, I’m not opposed to doing it, but I may not be the best one for this. I never had to come out to either of my parents. They both died before I could even consider that.”
“Please?”
His eyes pleaded and his mouth was curved down like a classic cartoon frown, and it made me laugh. “You’re going for drama, right?”
“How’d you know?”
“Because you’re an amazing actor already, if not a little cheesy. Fine, but can I get settled in a few days first?”
