When you don't want to know something, is it a good idea to make a surprise visit ? The facts told us it was NOT a good idea. We had no explanations as Roy turned the car around and drove back to the airport. He didn't say a word. I could see he was furious, angry, betrayed, disappointed and yes... deceived. He had not expected to be faced with what we saw. Neither was I. We knew that something like that could happen. It was bound to happen. Junior was young and alone, miles and miles away from home for a whole year. It was almost normal that he would need some sexual relief.
We returned the car to the rental company and went inside the airport terminal and changed our return flight. We had several hours to wait. We sat down at a coffee shop.
-I knew it would happen, said Roy, and I can even accept it according to the circumstances, but I was not prepared to be faced with it like we had to witness Junior kissing someone so passionately and neither seeing him walking down the street hand in hand. It is not something you do with a hook-up. It is obvious there is a stronger bond between those two.
-We don't know Roy, I answered, we don't have all the necessary data to analyze the situation, but you are right that it didn't look like a hook-up. I don't want to have a confrontation with Junior over the phone. We'll have to wait till we see him in person. I think that from what we saw, it is not something that happened on the spot. Junior and his friend must have known each other longer than that. I wonder if he knew that guy before he even moved over here. If that's the case, I would really be hurt.
-Do you really think it could be the case ?
-I don't know Roy. It seems we don't know Junior that well suddenly. We didn't expect what we saw or better said, what we were not supposed to see. Seeing Junior with a cigarette in his hands was a shock for me and proves we misjudged him. If we were wrong on a small detail like smoking a cigarette, what else are we wrong about ? We know the basic principles of our relationship being Love, Respect and Trust and that last one has just undergone a serious earthquake. He never talked about having a friend over here.
Just then, a message reached Roy's phone.
"Where are you?"
There was no hello, just a cold and rational question. Roy showed it to me and asked what he had to answer. I told him to be honest as he had always been.
"At the airport, ready to board to fly back home"
-We still have over two hours before we board the plane, I said.
-Yes, but we are ready, aren't we ? I don't want him to come here and have a discussion about this whole thing. I am not in the mood for that. Al... do you remember what he said before he left ? He said he came here to study and not to have sex. Remember ? We trusted him although we knew that at his age, being without sex for a whole year was almost impossible, but he promised.
-I know what you mean. I have been through a similar situation with Robin. I had made some mistakes as well, I agree. In this case it is different as I am sure Junior wanted to hide what was happening and he probably hid it to avoid hurting us. He is not a bad boy.
-I do agree that he is not a bad boy, but nonetheless, whatever happens, I'll have a difficult time trusting him again. Jeez Al ! If he can't keep his cock in his pants after being away only three months, then there is a serious problem. You know how he thinks about condoms and how he hates them. Is he having unprotected sex with that guy like he had with us ? We were tested and committed to have sex without condoms because we promised and vowed to not have sex with others.
-We don't know if his friend has been tested or not. I don't think Junior would jeopardize his own health. I don't think that is the issue here. You pointed the problem : trust ! If we ever have sex again with Junior, we will have to use condoms again, but right now I don't know if I want him in our bed. Yes, we fell in love with him, I won't deny it, but as long as we don't have the complete explanation, I put my emotions on hold with him.
We were finally called to board the plane. We had not received anymore messages from Junior. The flight was eventless and we reached home and went straight to bed. Neither Roy nor I were in the mood to make love. We just held each other tight and fell asleep.
We were woken by the doorbell. I pulled on some jeans and a T-shirt to open the door. Ron was standing there but I couldn't read his face. I made an immediate connection with his presence and what had happened the night before. I invited him in, called Roy and went to the kitchen to make some coffee. Ron opened the conversation.
-What happened last night ?
We told him in detail what we had witnessed. Ron had a deep sigh.
-I saw his friend when I was there. Junior said it was "just a friend" but I had some suspicion that maybe there was more. I didn't say anything because I didn't know for sure. You just confirm that my suspicion was probably right and I hate it...
Ron had a difficult time. He was thorn between the love for his son and the friendship we had as co-workers.
-Junior called me last night... He was crying...
It broke my heart to hear that.
-What did he tell you ?
-He told me exactly what you told me, that he had been kissing on the street and that he had had sex with his friend. Of course, he didn't mention the cigarette !
-Did he mention if that "friend" was somebody he met there or if it was somebody he had met before moving ?
-No, he didn't, but I will ask him as soon as I hear him again. By the way, he doesn't know that I came to see you. I just wanted to have a confirmation of what he was telling me. I really don't understand what went through his head. When he told me he was in love with both of you, I could see it in his eyes he was telling the truth. Junior has never lied to me or at least, that is what I think.
Roy showed him the picture he had taken and Ron couldn't do anything else than to confirm it was the same guy. That confirmed that Junior was in a kind of relationship with him as Ron had gone about two months earlier to see his son. Ron was as devastated and disappointed as we were. How on earth were we going to solve that problem ?
-For the moment, Roy said, I don't want to hear or see Junior. He betrayed my trust. He didn't show any respect and I won't talk about love, because at first sight, it is inexistent now. Tell me how much I owe in that financial plan we made up for Junior and I will transfer that to him, but after that, for me, it is over ! My emotional side tells me to forgive him, but my rational side forbids it.
Roy stood up, undressed and went outside to jump in the pool. He was desperately trying to work off his frustrations and deception, swimming laps at an incredible speed. Ron looked at me.
-Will he be ok ?
-Yes, he will, but it will take time. I am afraid though that he will forgive Junior, but he will never forget what happened. Roy is the kind of guy that knows only black and white and when he makes up his mind, it is very difficult to make him change it. He gave his word to help Junior financially, and that's what he will do, but after that, as he said, it will be over and out.
-What about you Al ? Be assured that whatever you say, it will not affect or work relationship.
-I don't know Ron. It is not the first time I am confronted with such a situation. The first time I forgave because I knew it was not Robin's fault. Am I ready to forgive a second time ? I guess I can, but you have to understand I love Roy from the deepest of my heart and I live with him. The least I could say is that it would be awkward to continue something with Junior when I perfectly know Roy would not approve it. I can do and think whatever I want and I know Roy will respect that, but I want my relationship with Roy to continue. We both fell in love with your son Ron and we both are very much disappointed... Roy had the best reaction possible by driving away and back to the airport. I was tempted to ring Junior's bell and confront him immediately, but it was probably not the best idea.
To show Ron we had nothing against him, we invited him for brunch. It was inevitable that the conversation came back over and over about Junior, to the point that Roy almost got mad.
-Isn't there another subject of conversation ?
Ron looked apologetically and I felt the anger in Roy's voice. Was it anger ? Or was it just that he was hurt more than what he showed ? Once Ron left, I took Roy in my arms.
-You can't blame Ron, I said, he is not responsible for what his son did.
-I don't blame him Al. It is just that for the moment I don't want to hear anything about this traitor. I am angry, yes, because I trusted him. Maybe we took some things too much for granted. I perfectly understand he is young and had some physical needs, but on the other hand he made a promise. He has not been faithful to his word. That is the reason of my anger. We accepted him like he was, what he wanted and even helped him to achieve his goals and that's the way he says thank you ? Sorry, but I don't get it. I can accept if he has hooked up to satisfy his sexual needs, but you heard Ron. This is an on-going something and he lied about it to his father. If he can blatantly lie to his father, he can lie to us as well. I can't possibly trust him anymore.
Roy was right and I couldn't disagree with him. I thought back to the time Robin and I had a conversation with Ricky and Ramses who so clearly warned us about the dangers of a threesome. Had they experienced the same things ? I told Roy about that conversation that was so clear in my mind and it was obvious they had had similar events happening in their lives and have such a powerful opinion about it.
-Listen Al. I know and agree that having that boy in our lives and bed was great when it happened. Yes, I admit that the sexual part was fantastic and we both loved it. We should agree that if the urge rises to live that kind of thing again, we should rent a hooker. It would be a commercial transaction with no consequences. I can tell you this : from today I want you and just you in my emotional life. I want to make love to you and with you and nobody else.
He dragged me to the bedroom and we made love, desperately trying to forget that once we had a third person in our bed and lives. Roy pushed all my buttons and we reached a tremendous orgasm, together and simultaneously. It involved even more kissing than ever before and we both penetrated the other, being in perfect communion and being connected in so may ways. We even used condoms as we didn't know anymore if the sex with Junior had been safe like we thought. In the evening I extracted blood from both of us to have new tests done.
Roy and I tried to convince ourselves that our love for Junior was over, but we fooled ourselves. The love we had felt for him was so deep that it would take time to get it out of our systems. Just before we fell asleep, Roy asked me if I realized that Junior had not even tried to call us or send us a message. He had called his father and cried, yes, but he hand't thought of calling the persons that were directly involved and concerned. It was yet another disappointment. In the morning Roy and I made love again and I gave myself over to him as I sensed it was what he needed. It was Sunday and still hadn't heard anything from Junior. We had breakfast on the porch and ate as it was a physiological need. I knew the whole situation affected Roy more than what he showed when he said he wanted to get out of the house and have a mindless drive in the country, seeing other things and even go for a long walk along the nearby seashore. We walked for hours with our bare feet in the water. The weather was fantastic and we soon took off our T-shirts. We walked in comfortable silence, hand in hand. The much needed peace in our lives came back.
Monday morning called us back to reality and work and soon we were drawn back to the time before Junior, when it was just Roy and I. We never heard about Junior again. Roy and I made the promised money transfer to him as we had promised before he left, but that money was transferred back to our accounts. Somewhere deep inside we knew that Junior would do that. I mentioned it to Ron one day. He sighed.
-I heard he is working with a doctor who practices herbal medicine. It seems he wants to get his Masters on his own as he has sent me back the money I transferred to him as well. Our last phone call didn't go that well when I told him that he hadn't acted properly. It was not like the first call when he cried all the time. This time it was a rebellion I talked to, who told me to mind my own business and not interfere in his life. I am afraid it is not the same Junior we knew when he left town. I don't have the slightest idea what is going on with him.
Ron was devastated and thought that maybe Junior was seeing the wrong people. He was an adult and should know what he was doing, but Ron didn't see it very positively. He didn't understand how his son had changed so drastically in such a short time. My heart broke when I saw him like that. Junior had always been his pride.
Weeks and months went by and we all got back to a normal life. Roy and I managed to "forget" about Junior although I still had that nagging feeling that there was something going wrong. I didn't want to talk about it with Roy as he shut down completely when he just heard the name of Junior.
-Listen Al. We loved Junior with all of our hearts. He betrayed us and didn't even bother to give us the slightest explanation. Our lives go on. We have some wonderful memories, but that's all there is : memories. We can't base our lives on memories. We are happy together and we learned from our mistakes. So, now we forget about him and that's it ! We love each other and that's all that matters.
I couldn't get Junior completely out of my mind. It was more : I saw that Ron was not well at all and probably got sick with worries, too. I tried to enquire discretely with Roberta who confirmed that Ron was not well. He tried to get in contact with his son without any success. What was it that changed Junior so drastically ? Or should I ask who ? Apart from the guy we saw with Junior, we hadn't the slightest clue of his acquaintances where he was and even that guy was a total stranger to us. As we reached the date where Junior was supposed to get his Masters, Ron had been looking on the website of the university to see if there was any mention of his son's achievement, but there was nothing. He also tried to find the doctor in herbal medicine where Junior was supposed to work, but once again, without success.
Ron even went back to where he had visited his son and stood before a closed door with no answers. He enquired with neighbors to see if any of them knew Junior, but the only information he got was that he had moved. At the university they said that Junior was an adult and that they couldn't give out any information at all. Ron had a picture of Junior in his hands and tried to ask whoever he was crossing paths with if they knew him. Once again it seemed like a death path. He walked through the huge parking lot, trying to see if he could spot Junior's car and crossed the city from north to south, hoping to see the Mini Cooper, but that was searching for a needle in a haystack.
We were all worried, not only for Junior, but most of all for Ron. Even if Roy pushed the whole thing to the back of his memory, it was obvious he was worried as well. His anger became stronger as it was fueled by the worry. He couldn't even pronounce Junior's name and called him the "little prick" most of the time when he couldn't avoid mentioning him.
It was at the end of the summer, when I went to work, that I saw something strange at the medical center. I didn't make an immediate connection, but there was a car against the wall of our building. It was only when I was closer that I hardly recognized the car and it was only when I saw the numberplate that I was sure who that car belonged to. Junior ! I rushed inside and Roberta informed me that indeed, Junior was in my consultation room and that Randy was attending him. She told me to not get scared.
I immediately went to my consultation room. Randy was busy but I didn't know what he was doing. Junior was laying down on my examination table.
When I saw his face, I couldn't believe my eyes !