The Perfect Family (44 page)

A guy caught up with his mom and Jamie recognized him from the Gay Alliance. His mother hugged him, then brought him over to meet Erin Crane. “This is Luke Crane’s mother. Sam’s from the Gay Alliance.”

“Hi, Erin.” He turned to Jamie. “Hey, kiddo. I met your father, you know.” His dad
had
gone to a PFLAG meeting, which Sam was also involved in.

“He liked it.”

“Maybe you and your husband can join us at PFLAG sometime,” Sam said to Luke’s mother.

Mrs. Crane cleared her throat. “I’d like to come, at least.”

When they started to march, Jamie walked beside Luke, both of them flanked by their mothers, which was totally cool. Music wafted back to them from a float ahead of them bearing a
Grease
theme. A small marching band playing patriotic songs was in the mix. Walkers greeted onlookers and lagged back to talk to other participants.

Another man came astride with them. His shirt read
Sorry, I don’t do girls
. “Jamie, Luke, hi.”

“Mr. Markham!” Jamie couldn’t believe their social studies teacher was there. He was one of two African American people who worked at Sherwood.

His teacher must have caught Jamie’s surprise, because he grinned. “Didn’t know, did you, kid?”

“Nope.”

“I wanted to say something when you two came out, when all that happened at school. But a long time ago, I made a choice to keep my private life separate from my professional one, so I didn’t. Since I have a house in the city, my decision was easy to live with.”

“It might not be so private anymore, if you do this.” Jamie gestured to the TV cameras shooting footage.

He shrugged. “I know. Hiding who I am doesn’t seem right anymore.”

After Mr. Markham left, Jamie asked Luke, “Did you suspect anything about him?”

“Not a clue.”

A screech came from the sidelines. A woman screamed into a bullhorn, “Christians unite against homosexuality. Reform, sinners.” Among her group were people raising signs that read FIND THE CURE AT UNITED MINISTRIES and GOD WILL JUDGE YOU.

Jamie and Luke turned away from them. He caught sight of Anabelle staring at the protestors. Tears sparkled in her pretty blue eyes. Lisel tugged her close. And Jamie got scared for a minute. Then his mother moved in nearer and linked her arm with his. Erin did the same with Luke.

And Jamie didn’t feel afraid anymore.

But the piéce de résistance came when they saw someone waving to them from the side. It was Allison, his cousin. She was with a group of girls who she left and started walking with the church group.

Jamie asked, “Al, what are you doing here?”

She pointed to her button. It said
Ally
, which meant she was straight and supportive. “I was hoping to see you.” She linked arms with him, too, and walked along as she spoke. “I know Mom reacted badly to you coming out, and I’m pissed as hell at her for it. Of course, I don’t share her feelings, so I came here, hoping to find you.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah.” Gesturing to the other side of him, she whispered, “Is that your guy? He’s seriously hot.”

Jamie laughed and said out loud, for the first time in his life, “Yeah, that’s my guy.”

*

The day after the pride parade, Maggie was in the laundry room, finishing up the week’s loads when Jamie came down the hall with Buck. It was in this place that their family’s journey had started all those months ago. She knew from his face that this was an easier visit for him. Her son seemed happy, at peace, and that made the past turmoil in their lives worth it.

“Hey, buddy! What’s up?”

Jamie scanned the laundry room. “Nothing like the last time we talked here.”

She smiled.

He held out a white envelope. “This is for you.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s sappy, but I wanted to do something just for you, because of how you helped me through the last few months.”

She took the envelope. It was stiff, like a card.

“Shall I open it now?”

“As soon as I leave.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, Mommykins.”

Still smiling after Jamie, Maggie leaned against the dryer and opened the envelope with total joy in her heart. The card was handmade and on the front was a Photoshopped depiction of the myth of Hades and Persephone and Demeter.

The myth was about the god of the underworld who had stolen a young girl, Persephone, from her mother, Demeter, the goddess of the harvest. Demeter had gone crazy over the loss of her daughter and cursed the earth with famine. The story was used by the Greeks to explain the seasons. Zeus, the king of the gods, resolved their conflict by allowing Persephone to spend three-fourths of the year with her mother—when crops would grow—and one with Hades, when the earth would be barren.

It was, basically, an allegory about a mother’s love and the lengths she’d go to for her child.

Maggie opened the fold, and inside was one of Jamie’s poems. Once again, she smiled.

My Mother’s Journey

Like Demeter, my mother went to hell and back for me.

She battled Hades and challenged Zeus.

She brandished the sword of a mother’s wrath

At any who stood in her way.

Like Demeter, my mother suffered.

Her religion abandoned her,

Her family fell into the depths of darkness,

But she held the lantern as she led them out.

Like Demeter, my mother wept

In the privacy of her own domain.

Her world turned upside down,

The unfairness of life too great a foe.

But, like Demeter, my mother triumphed.

Because of her bravery, her family reunited,

Because of her grit, four became one,

Because of her determination,

I can walk in the naked light of day.

Was Persephone as grateful as I am?

Did she get down on her knees

And thank a mother who would have sacrificed all

To save her blood and flesh?

There is no love like a mother’s for her child.

The universe revolves around it,

The gods revere it, respect it, yield to it.

My mother stands tallest among

Those women who have walked this earth,

A pillar of the Amazons,

Harboring a well of courage

Mere mortals cannot fathom.

After reading the poem, Maggie shed a few tears and thanked God for all she had in life. Then a crucial insight came to her. Maybe Mike couldn’t go to the pride parade, maybe the prom was hard for Brian, and maybe the homophobic people in her world would never come around. She didn’t have the perfect family, the perfect life, but she didn’t need that anymore. She was genuinely happy with what she had now.

The day of Sherwood High School’s Junior Prom and the Davidsons’ pre-prom party dawned bright and warm and full of sunshine. Maggie chose to see the beauty of the Saturday afternoon as a good omen and was looking forward to the event.

“You did a terrific job with the lawn,” she told Mike as they stared through the window to the backyard. She’d already set out trays for snacks and small desserts on the umbrella table, reminding her of the Valentine’s Ball. That seemed a lifetime ago, which in a way it was.

Mike slid his arms around her from behind. “The guys helped with the yard.” His smile was the old Mike’s. “They’re going to be okay, Mag. Maybe Brian will have a tough time with this”—he swept a hand to encompass the lawn and therefore the party—“but they seem pretty at ease with each other. You should have seen them joking around like old times while they raked and weeded.”

“I’m glad.”

“And I can’t believe the change in Jamie’s attitude about the prom. He’s so excited about going.”

She hadn’t told Mike about the card their son had given her. She wasn’t keeping much from him anymore, but she didn’t want Jamie singling her out to hurt her husband. She did share it with Gretta, though, who cried. Maggie leaned into Mike. “I have a good feeling about this party.”

“Since we’re expecting multitudes, we’re off to the right start.”

In an odd twist of fate, the majority of Jamie’s friends had decided to come to
their
party after Shirley Lewis’s proclamation that Jamie and his date weren’t welcome in her home. She’d called their house about a week ago…

“Maggie, I don’t know how to say this tactfully, but I would like to re-invite Jamie to our pre-prom bash.”

“Re-invite him? Why? Just last week you told Mike you wouldn’t do that.”

“Kyle’s furious at me for hinting that Jamie would be better off not coming to our party. Now none of the other kids in their circle want to come to our house. Apparently they think I’m prejudiced!”

Maggie bit her tongue.

“In any case, Jamie’s welcome here with anybody he wants to bring. Jim’s done fantastic work in the gardens and I’m planning a big spread.”

“I’m not canceling our party. We’ve done a lot of preparation, too.”

There was a long silence. “Are you punishing me for what I said about Jamie?”

“Shirley, this has nothing to do with you. We’re simply having a pre-prom party for Jamie and his friends.”

“What will I tell Kyle?”

She paused for a moment, thinking about how precious sons were. “That he and his date are welcome in my home. So are you, to take pictures, if you like…”

The doorbell chimed, dragging Maggie from thoughts of the unpleasant conversation. Buck barked from the family room and scurried to the front of the house. Somebody had put a bowtie around his neck.

Maggie checked the clock. “Oh, Lord, who’s that?” Neither of them had showered. “It’s not time for guests yet.”

Mike kissed her head. “Let’s go see.”

They crossed through the kitchen into the foyer together. Mike opened the door.

And there stood Maggie’s big sister. Dressed in a printed sundress, she held a big plate of Italian cookies in her hands. “Hi, there.”

“You don’t have to ring the bell, Caroline.”

“I know. The door was locked.”

She handed the cookies to Mike. “Hey, there.” Then she hugged Maggie. “My girls are coming in an hour and bringing the cake, but I wanted to get here sooner.” She smiled and Maggie found more comfort than she could express in her sister’s moral support.

“What can I do?”

“It’s all pretty much done.”

“Great timing.” She angled her chin upstairs. “Is Bri in his room?”

“Yes.”

“All right if I go see him?”

They hesitated. Caroline gave them a knowing smile. “I’m good with guys like him, Mags. I can hang with him awhile. He must feel bad about not going to the prom with Heather.”

“He won’t talk to me about it.”

“Ah, well, aunts are different.” She kissed Maggie’s cheek. “Go get ready.”

Mike and Maggie cleaned up in record time, and Jamie trundled downstairs before the guests arrived. Dressed in a raven tux, a snowy white shirt, and a green cummerbund, he was so handsome, and grown-up, Maggie got all misty-eyed. “Oh, my Lord, do you look beautiful.”

He gave her a sham frown. “Guys aren’t beautiful, Mom.”

From next to her in the kitchen, Mike punched his shoulder. “My gay son can make a statement like that?”

Both Jamie and she froze.

“What?” Mike asked.

“You joked about me being gay, Dad.”

“I did?” He held up the digital camera. “Move in closer with Mom and smile.” Without fuss, the camera recorded that quiet hallmark in their lives.

“Where’s Luke’s boutonnière?” Jamie asked.

It had been odd buying the single rose for Luke instead of a corsage for a girl, as Maggie had done for previous proms. But that was okay, too.

Luke arrived next, holding his own flower box. Maggie was in the living room when Jamie answered the door. She recognized traces of the jitteriness of first love manifest itself in her son as his date stepped inside. “Hey, guy.”

“Hi, Jame.” Luke’s tux was black, too, and she noticed his and Jamie’s cummerbunds matched in color.

Coming to the foyer, Maggie motioned to the outside. “Is your mother in the car?”

“She’s not coming.” His eyes were sad. “My dad made her go to a dinner at the country club.” He shrugged. “I told her it was okay.”

“No matter,” Mike said smoothly as he joined them. “We’ll make doubles of all our shots.”

Jamie stood there for a minute, darted an anxious glance to his father, then hugged Luke. It was a big, warm embrace, full of support and sexual pull. Mike turned away and Maggie admitted to herself that it
was
still hard watching Jamie with a boy. But some things were longer in coming and she accepted that, too.