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Bishop let go of Edison and came and stood in front of Mike. Rayne inched away to give them their space, but he didn’t think he’d ever get used to how striking Mike and his son were when they were standing side by side.
“Dad. Thank you for being a teenage father and handling it like a boss. You may not have always made the right decisions, but you acknowledged your mistakes, and you turned yourself into a man that we all admire.” Bishop gripped Mike in a spine-cracking hug. “Thank you for not abandoning me when times got rough. I may have doubted myself a lot, but one thing you never did was give up on me. You made me work hard for a better life whether I wanted to or not.”
The crowd was starting to murmur warm sentiments as the toast came to an end and so did Mike and Bishop’s embrace.
“If you all will give me just one more moment, and then we can get this party started right.” Bishop’s deep voice rose, lightening the dramatic moment. There were several cheers around the yard, but it quickly died down when Edison came forward with a framed photo.
Or at least Rayne thought it was a photo until Bishop took it from Edison and turned it around and presented it to his father. They all got a look at the document encased inside the mahogany frame at the same time, and the gasp and cheers that sprang up from the crowd were loud enough to be heard in the neighboring city.
“Bishop.” Mike stared at the frame, his hands shaking slightly as he seemed to fight the tears threatening to spill over. “You passed the GED.”
“I would’ve never even tried to take it if it wasn’t for you,” Bishop said.
“I knew you were gonna pass. I never had a doubt.” Mike’s slight grin turned into a full-blown victory smile before he passed the framed diploma to Rayne and grabbed Bishop in his arms like he was a ten-year-old kid and spun him around until Bishop had to wrestle Mike off him.
“It’s been a long, hard four years, but he did it.” Edison came up and rubbed his husband’s back. “He has your drive and determination, Mike.”
Manny held his beer high in the air and shouted, “A toast!”
“To the patriarch! To my dad, Mike motherfuckin’ Stockley!” Bishop yelled.
“To our patriarch!” They all raised their glasses and called out in unison before the party went into full swing.
The End
