The Future Awaits
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Chapter 12
The next evening is the 4th. The town traditionally puts on a fair and fireworks display so we all go. After we grab a burger, fries, and a drink at one of the stands, we find places on the waterfront from which to watch the fireworks.
Tommy looks at the crowd of summer people milling around and shakes his head. "Too many people. Just like the rez in summer. Only difference is they look at us Indians like we're somethin' from outer space, 'stead of real people."
"Oh, gee! You mean you aren't?" Mike moans.
"Ain't what?"
"From outer space. Heck, that's why I roomed with you. I was gonna spy on everything you did wasn't normal and write a story for English about rooming with an alien."
Tommy fishes a chunk of ice from his drink and drops it down the back of Mike's shirt.
"That's cold!" Mike jumps up and shakes his T-shirt until the ice falls out.
"Gotta cool off your imagination. Hell, if there's any alien in our room, it's you."
"I'm no alien."
"Heck you ain't. Indians was here first. That's why we're Native Americans. You ain't."
"Tommy's right, Mike. Europeans came later." Tor says with a grin. "But you'd better bury the hatchet if we're going to live together."
"Just teasing, dad."
"Yeah. First time I ever had somebody to have fun with." Tommy adds.
"Drew, let's take the boys to see The Lost Colony. Tommy hasn't seen it, and it won't hurt Mike to bone up on his history. What about next Friday?"
"Great. Gives us a good excuse to come back home. Long as you're up, Mike, you can take this trash over to the can."
He gathers it up and grins at me. "That's right; pick on me just because I'm the only one got all his arms and legs."
Tommy snickers and Tor gives Mike a hard swat on his behind. "Damn right! And be grateful. Move it."
If our being away has created this playful mood in Tor and the boys, I'm willing for it to go on, as it must. Mike's hardly back beside Tommy before the first rocket bursts in the sky, filling it with brilliant colour.
It's over far too soon for Tommy. "Oh, man, that was somethin'. This has really been fun."
The next Friday, we're back home just in time to grab a sandwich before leaving for the theater. From past experience, we go armed with pillows to sit on, jackets in case the breeze picks up and it turns cool, and mosquito repellant. If the wind is off the sound, those salt-marsh mosquitoes can be vicious. Mike fills Tommy in on the basics of the story while we're waiting for the play to begin. Finally the lights dim.
The play has hardly begun when I notice Tommy is totally absorbed in it. At the sight of the human totem pole, I hear Tommy whisper to Mike, "That's bull shit. Indians ain't never done nothin' like that."
"It's theatre, babe, not historical accuracy," I tell him.
Towards the end of the play the Indians and colonists begin the fight scene. Tommy gets so engrossed, he forgets himself and yells loudly, "Go, Indians!" He's thoroughly embarrassed when the people around us laugh, especially two dark skinned young boys sitting just in front of us. The man next to them hisses, "Shut up," and raps each boy on the head with his knuckles. When the lights come up at the end of the play, he turns and looks at Tommy kindly. "You got no need to be embarrassed. A man ought be proud of his heritage, unlike these two knuckleheads of mine. They're ashamed of being Indians. What's your people?"
"Eastern Band Cherokee."
"We're Navajo from Arizona. We stopped up to Cherokee on the way here. You from there?"
"I was raised there, but I don't have no family." Tommy puts his arm around Mike's shoulders. "My brother and me are at the university."
"How come your brother's white?" The younger boy asks, pointing to Mike.
"Cause I've got Anglo family now."
"If you're Anglo, how come you're Indian?"
"He just told you he come from the reservation, dumb ass." The older boy replies.
The woman, obviously their mother, smacks the kid across the mouth. "I told you about that language," she says.
"I wanna know how they're brothers?" The younger one, I guess to be about eight, persists.
Tommy pats the boy on the head. "Cause I was roomin' with Mike at college, and his dads," Tommy points to Tor and me, "give me a home."
"You got two dads?" The kid asks Mike.
"Yeah."
"No mama?"
Mike shakes his head. "Nope."
"Man that's somethin'. Ain't never heard of nobody having two dads before."
"I do. I got the best dads and brother in the whole world. We have lots of fun." Tommy says.
"They don't care you're Indian?" The older boy asks.
"No way. I was scared they would, but they even adopted me. They treat me just like they do Mike. I love them a lot."
The man smiles at us. "You're a lucky man."
"Don't I know it." He looks at the two boys. "Be proud you're Indian like me, but there's some awful good Anglos, too. Like my dads and brother."
"I'm glad you told them that," their mother says. "Maybe they'll believe you."
Their father shakes hands with Tommy. "I hope they've learned something. We've got to go now."
"You all have a good trip." Tommy says.
A few evenings after our weekend, Mike is out somewhere, when Tommy comes in and sits down across from me. I can tell from his diffident expression that he wants to ask me something serious.
"What's up, babe?"
"If Mike's adopted like me, how'd his name come to be Torrence like yours?"
"A friend of ours who's a judge helped Mike change his name legally, because he wanted it."
"Oh."
"Why did you want to know?"
"I … well, you and Tor tell me I'm your son, and Mike calls me his brother, but I ain't." He lifts his head and I can see sadness in his eyes.
"Why would you say that, Tommy? You are to us."
"Cause my name's Parks."
"Are you trying to tell me you want to change your name to ours?"
He gives me a hopeful look. "You'd let me?"
I go over and pull him up in a hug. "Of course we will. We love you."
"It ain't a lot of bother?"
"Some paperwork is all. It won't be half as hard for you as it was for Mike, because you're an adult and custody won't come into it. When you're sure about this, let me know and I'll call Doug. He's a judge and our lawyer. He'll be happy to help us."
"Ain't a lawyer goin' to cost a lot of money?"
"Just a few bucks for filing the papers. It's nothing."
He smiles at last. "Let's do it, but don't tell Mike and Tor."
"Why don't you want them to know?"
"I want to be sure it's goin' to happen first."
"Okay. I'll call Doug and find out when we can see him."
Doug is delighted to hear from me and tells us to come on Friday afternoon. He and Ted will be happy for us to stay overnight. I tell Mike something has come up about Tommy living with us and we have to see Doug. He's happy to stay home since he has a date.
On the drive up I tell Tommy about the year I lived with Doug and Ted. He expresses interest in seeing where I lived with my dad, as well as Doug's house.
Ted's at the door the instant we pull up in their drive. "Andy!" he yells, then pulls me into a hug and kisses me. Tommy looks astonished. When I introduce Tommy, Ted kisses him as well. "You're a beautiful young man. I'm thrilled to meet you. Come on in." Ted shows us to a room with twin beds, and goes back down to begin cooking dinner. Tommy looks uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"Does he always act so sissy?"
I have to smile. "I'm sorry I forgot to tell you. Ted gets carried away very easily. He only acts like this at home with people he knows well, like me and Tor. Don't worry about him making any moves on you. He and Doug have lived together for years, and they're faithful to each other."
He looks relieved. "I'm glad you and Tor don't act like that."
"Ted's a very kind man. This is why I told you not to stereotype people. I could show you some gays who are what most straight people think of when they think of gays, but you've got to remember that gay people are as different from each other as any others. Just think of this as more of your education."
"Okay."
After dinner, Doug takes Tommy into his study. Ted and I catch up on things. When they come out, Tommy's smiling, and I hear Doug tell him, "Andy knows what you'll have to do yourself. As soon as I have the papers in order and filed with the clerk, I'll send them to you."
"Thanks."
"I'll tell you now, Tommy, that you're as welcome here at any time as Mike. Andy is very dear to Ted and me. His sons are too."
Ted pours us all another cup of coffee and asks, "How many more sons are you going to adopt, Andy?"
I shrug. "Who knows? I guess Tommy's the last though. I wish Tor and I had found him earlier."
"I wish you lived in this district. I could use some good foster families to place kids with especially a gay one." Doug tells me.
"I hope the ones you've got now are a hell of a lot better than the one I got sent to."
Doug grins. "You got your revenge."
"Oh? How?"
"If you hadn't run away, I'd have never thought about it, but after I became a judge I had them investigated thoroughly, then yanked their license. Really threw social services in a tizzy."
"They weren't that bad. I just hated them after they acted like they did about you and Ted."
"Perhaps, but not very soon after you ran away they began to abuse the children in their care. They were careful, but they were spending much of the money on themselves, not the children."
Tor comes up the following weekend. He hands an envelope to Tommy, and asks, "What does the court want with you? Have you been in any trouble, babe?"
I see Tommy's face blanch when he reads the return address. When he hands the envelope to me, we go in the bedroom. I rip the seal, taking out a number of forms. On top is a note from Doug listing the organizations that will have to be informed of Tommy's name change.
"Think you're going to like being Tommy Torrence?"
"For real?"
"That's what all this paperwork is for. Come by the office after your last class on Monday so we can go to the registrar and get everything changed."
He grabs me in a hug. "I don't hardly believe it. Now you're my real dad."
"I know."
Tommy runs into the living room and throws himself on Tor. "Whoa! What's going on here?"
"You and Drew are my real dads now. I'm Tommy Torrence."
"Huh?" Tor looks at me.
After Tommy releases him, I explain our visit to Doug and show Tor the change order. He smiles and hugs Tommy. "I'm glad you think so much of us, but you were our son before this."
"I know, but now I really feel like it. I can't wait to tell Mike."
It hits me how to get a good one on Mike. I tell Tor and Tommy my plan, then we settle back to wait.
When he comes in, I say, "Mike, I want to introduce you to someone."
He takes us in and, seeing no one new, looks puzzled. "Who?"
I take Tommy's hand and pull him over. "This is your brother Tommy Torrence."
"Hell, I know he's my brother," he says before the last name I used dawns on him. "Torrence?" Mike frowns. "You forget his name's Parks?"
"No way, babe. It's Torrence, just like yours and mine."
He thinks for a minute then grins at Tommy. "You got it changed?"
Tommy hugs him. "I sure did. Now we're real brothers, 'cause we got the same name."
"That's great, big brother."
To be continued...
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