Cheddar's, Chapter 2
Adam was used to rising early most days because of swimming practice, so he didn't sleep in as late as he might have on Sunday morning. Parker was already up, showered, and dressed in a kind of business-casual style.
"Who's your date?" Adam joked.
"God, I guess."
"Huh?"
"I'm planning to go to the service at Grace Episcopal. Having heard your remarks at Darrin's house, I figured you wouldn't want to join me, so I let you sleep."
"Do I have time to make it?"
"Well, yeah, if you shower quickly and grab a bowl of cereal. I'll set things out to eat if you're eager to go, but I'm not going to pressure you!"
"I'll go," Adam called as he hurried to the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, they were on their way. The church was in the heart of town, near campus, so it was a short walk. Had they driven, they might have had to park further away than the distance from Parker's apartment.
The service was fairly "High-Church," with a short homily and the serving of the Eucharist. Adam stayed in the pew when Parker went to the communion rail because he'd never received instruction in the Episcopal faith, and figured he wouldn't be allowed to participate. Later, Parker told him that Fr. Winkler didn't exclude baptized believers, but Adam said he wasn't sure he even was a believer anymore.
There was a short social hour in the parlor after the service, and a number of people in attendance welcomed Adam. He felt happy about the experience, especially when he saw another teen from his high school being embraced by the priest. Dave Newton was out and proud at school, so the hug from Fr. Winkler looked like a good indication that he was accepted at church despite his orientation. Maybe Adam didn't have to abandon his faith because of his attraction to members of his own sex after all.
The boys ate lunch after changing into sweats for lounging around the apartment. Both had a little homework to do, but not a lot. They talked about a number of things in the free time they had.
"I'm going to see my counselor tomorrow and sign up for the free and reduced lunch program. I have practically no income, so I should be eligible for the free part, I think," Adam said.
"Will you be embarrassed about asking for help?"
"Nah, I'm going to let everyone know that I have to do it because my parents won't support me. That should make the gossip mill in a few days, and my parents will be the ones who're embarrassed. It will make them look like deadbeats in the eyes of their friends. It might even cost my dear father a few car sales."
"Uh, does he own Baxter Motors?"
"Yup."
"You didn't say what he did, and I didn't make the connection right away."
"I've been trying to forget him; can you blame me?"
"Nope!"
"While I'm at it, I think I'll apply for food stamps and maybe get things from the county food bank. That will save money too, and you won't have to feed me all the time."
"I don't mind feeding you! Whatever you decide to do, we'll try to have a good dinner here at home or at Cheddar's. I'm not going to allow you to stint on food!"
"Yeah, and how are you going to make me do what you want?" Adam teased.
"Look kid, we've figured out I'm a full three months older than you are, so I'm the boss!"
The two of them play-wrestled on the living room floor for a couple of minutes until Adam popped wood. Self-conscious about his state of arousal, he flipped over on his stomach, but it was too late not to be caught.
"I'm sorry," he sighed.
"Hey, it's okay," Parker squeezed his neck affectionately. "It happens to all of us."
"Yeah, but I don't want you to think I'm hitting on you. I feel so self-conscious."
"I said it's okay. If you were aroused by being in close contact with me, that's not the worst thing in the world. It certainly doesn't hurt my ego!"
"Thanks! You're a great guy."
On Monday morning, both were up early. Adam made quick work of his morning ablutions because he would shower after practice and eat breakfast before his classes began. He grabbed the lunch he'd made the night before. He would brown-bag it while he waited to get on the lunch program so he didn't spend too much out-of-pocket. Carefully extracting his bike from the narrow garage, he pedaled off to City High.
Parker took a quick shower, dressed, and ate a bowl of granola. He, too, had packed his lunch. He walked to classes since he didn't have far to go.
In the cafeteria at noon, Adam spent a bit of his precious money for a carton of milk to round out his lunch. Leftovers from the meal Parker and he had made the night before looked a lot more appetizing than what the school had to offer that day.
He sat at the usual table, where some of the swimmers often gathered, and was soon joined by a several other guys who were envious of what he was about to eat.
"Wow! That looks really good!" Darrin enthused. "Your buddy, Parker, must be a gourmet cook."
"He is good, but we made this together. You can find a lot of great recipes on the `net."
"So, who is this Parker person?" Jim wanted to know.
"He's my housemate."
"You get to live out from under the parental roof?" Paul exclaimed.
"Not so much get to' as have to' since I turned 18 and my parents pitched me."
Before anyone had the opportunity to ask Adam why he'd been sent packing, Dave, whom he'd seen at church yesterday, came to join the table. He'd never sat with the group in the past, so everyone was surprised by his presence.
"Um, hi. Is this seat taken?"
"Nope, help yourself."
Darrin was not surprised that Dave chose to sit with them, but he didn't let on. By the way Dave was monopolizing Adam's attention, he assumed Dave must have figured out the reason Adam was no longer living at home. Some of the other guys were working it out, suspecting that Dave was on the prowl.
Ms. Anselm, Adam's counselor, was shocked that he'd been ejected from his home. He told her the reason, and his orientation didn't seem to offend her at all. In fact, she was ready to take his parents on over their bigotry.
"How could they do that? This isn't the dark ages!" she said insistently. "People are more enlightened today."
"Not if they're religious zealots," Adam shook his head.
"So, they didn't give you an allowance or anything to live on?"
"Nope."
"They can't do that!"
"Sure they can. I'm 18 as of last week. Getting kicked out was my birthday remembrance."
"Where are you living?"
"I stayed with Darrin Vogel on Thursday, but then my dear mother told his mother about my orientation, and I wasn't welcome anymore. Um, Darrin was okay with it, but his parents are like mine.
Anyway, a customer from Cheddar's took pity on me, so I'm living in his apartment with him."
"Be careful. You're a good looking guy and his motives may not be pure! Older men can't always be trusted."
"He's only a few months older than I am and he's a freshman in college. He's really great, but I think he's also really straight," Adam continued, with a dreamy look in his eyes.
"Hmm... Maybe he's the one who needs to be on his guard," Ms. Anselm teased.
Adam blushed as he looked down toward his hands, suddenly seeming to find them fascinating.
"I'm sorry, that was unprofessional of me."
"It's okay, I'm happy about your attitude toward, uh, my crush. I kinda wish he'd show a little interest in me, but maybe that would complicate things."
"Well, I can't help you there, but if you can give me an idea of how much your wages are at Cheddar's and give me a low estimate of the amount you make in tips, I'm sure I can get you qualified for help with your food. I'll run it through as quickly as I can. In the meantime, we have an emergency fund to pay for your breakfast and lunch immediately. I'll give you this card to show at the cafeteria. I'm sorry it doesn't cover dinner."
"Parker's fed me all my meals but one since Friday night, and I think he'd continue, but I don't want to be a leach."
"He sounds like a very nice young man. I hope things work out for you, if you're attracted to him."
"Thanks, Ms. Anselm," Adam blushed again. "He's a keeper, and I wish I could have him all to myself."
Parker had a good day too. It felt to him like his world was brighter than it had been last week. His teachers and classmates seemed friendlier than they had in the past. He wondered why they were changing.
In the middle of his Psych I class, he had an epiphany of sorts. Maybe he was the one who was evolving. Perhaps it had been his self-imposed emotional exile that had kept him from making connections with others. Could it be that Adam was altering his personality?
The other thing that struck him was that he really liked the idea of delving deeper into what made people tick. Perhaps he WOULD major in psychology like he'd been considering. He'd always had a kind of protective nature, just like what he was doing with Adam.
He was jolted out of his musing by his professor's question.
"Mr. Grim, you seem to be deep in thought. Do you have a question, or are you taking a short vacation from class?"
A couple of students tittered.
"Uh, well, Dr. Forman, it's related to our topic. I was wondering, do you think that forming a relationship with another person can actually change one's personality?"
"Yes, I do. Otherwise people wouldn't write love songs. From ancient times, we have Venus taming Mars, Delilah conquering Samson, and the like. On another level, people can be changed by association. Perhaps it's only amplifying traits they already have – evil people tend to join gangs to find their cohorts, just as good people find theirs. But even people who grow up as bigots can come to love people they've been taught to hate, as was noted in the life of Derek Black, the son of a Klansman recently."
"Could I use the topic of `change by association' as my research/study project?"
"That's an excellent choice! I'll stop giving my input, lest I taint your
investigation."
"Thanks!"
"I hope the rest of you can follow Parker's example and come up with something to research that has meaning for you. If not, I do have a long list of possible topics."
Over dinner, the guys discussed their day. It was great for both of them to have someone who took interest in his life, just as he was supporting his housemate.
Adam shared a bit of his discussion with Ms. Anselm, leaving out the part about his crush on Parker. He did say he'd come out to her, and it had gone extremely well. He mentioned that he had a temporary meal ticket and should have a permanent one soon.
He also told Parker about Dave's lunchtime doings. As he discussed it, he tried to watch Parker's reaction. It seemed to him that his housemate was quite displeased with Dave's apparent hitting on him.
"Um, I can't tell you what to do, but I'd be careful. Dave was looking at you the way the wolf eyed Little Red Riding Hood when he saw you in the church parlor yesterday."
"Okay, Dad, I'll be wary," Adam teased.
"Hey, I'm not trying to boss you around and tell you whom you can date."
"I know; actually I'm happy that you care."
Indeed, Adam was very happy. It seemed to him that Parker had at least fraternal feelings toward him. Perhaps those could grow into something more. He could only hope.
The next morning at breakfast in the cafeteria, Dave showed up at the table where Adam was eating alone.
"Hey, I kinda got the feeling yesterday that you and I are on the same team." Dave smiled.
"I've never seen you swim," Adam cocked his left eyebrow.
"No, I meant..."
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Adam grinned. "I'm only out to Parker, Darrin, and my counselor, but I suppose it won't be a secret for too long. From the way everyone seems to have accepted you, I doubt anyone will get bent outta shape."
"Yeah, most people have been tolerant. I think it's true of our age group in general, if the articles on the `net are accurate.
But what I wanted to talk about was to see if you'd go out with me. I have a couple of movie passes for this weekend – like Friday or Saturday."
"It's nice of you to ask, but I work both nights."
"Maybe we could find another time."
"I'm flattered you'd want to date me, but right now I have a lot on my plate."
"Yeah, and probably a college man in your bed," Dave said in a snarky tone.
"Nope; if it's anyone's business, we have our own twin beds, and we're not having sex. I resent your attitude."
"I'm sorry, it's just that you're so cute, I can't imagine that he could keep his hands off of you."
"Maybe he's straight."
"I don't think so. He was very protective of you Sunday. When I tried to get near enough to have a conversation, he steered you toward the door. You'd better keep an eye open. Don't drop the soap in the shower, if you know what I mean!"
The homecoming football game was on Thursday night this year, so Adam could attend if he wanted to. He mentioned something about it to Parker, who suggested they go together. Adam agreed it would be fun.
It was the next day that Dave asked him to see the game with him. When Adam said he was already going with Parker, Dave seemed upset. It made Adam all the more certain that he wouldn't date Dave under any circumstances. The guy seemed like he'd be jealous and controlling.
Parker and Adam had a good time at the game. They ate hotdogs, and drank sodas, which both rarely did. It was kind of a free night out. To top it off, the home-team won. Parker suspected the activities director tried to schedule teams for special events which weren't stiff completion, so the local guys would look better in front of their classmates.
They went to bed immediately upon returning to the apartment. Tomorrow was, after all, a school day.
That night, Adam was awakened about 2:00 a.m. by sounds of agony coming from Parker's bed. Evidently, he was having a very bad dream. Adam wondered what to do. He didn't exactly feel like he should crawl into the narrow bed and hold him, yet he had to do something. He got up and knelt by Parker, gently stroking his hair. Immediately, his housemate settled down, sighing softly. It must have been the right thing to do. Adam wondered if Parker would have any recollection of it in the morning.
Author's notes: Here is a link to the story about a white supremacist who changed because of minority guys who befriended him:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-white-flight-of-derek-black/2016/10/15/ed5f906a-8f3b-11e6-a6a3-d50061aa9fae_story.html?wpisrc=nl_az_most
Thanks to the following who emailed me after the first chapter was posted: Paul R, Zero M, John L, Wayne, Geoff S, Bill K, Hotrod, Bill D, Jae B, Tom A, Lawrence and Douglas, Vern, Dave B, Skip M, John D, Jim W, GCD, Dan B, Dalton C, Lance C, Joe W, Mendy D, Guy R, Bill B, Jeremy R, Ott H, JW, David F, Jim L, Darell R, Paul F, Neal H, and Michael P. I love receiving feedback from you.
David