The Future Awaits
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Chapter 32
The next morning, Tommy knocks at our door before Tor and I are finished dressing.
"Tommy! What are you doing here so early?" Tor asks. "The jeweler won't be open for another hour, yet."
"I want to talk to you and Drew, first," he says solemnly.
"Okay. I'll get us some coffee." The reason Tor and I try to stay at this motel is because coffee machines are provided in the rooms.
"I want to stay here with Mike. I still want to teach, so I want to try for a doctor's degree like you all have got."
"You realize it's going to require a lot of work." Tor says.
"I know I'm not all that smart, but I want to try."
His expression and words bring tears to my eyes. He wants so badly to succeed and please us. "Tommy, nothing would please Tor and me more. You're graduating with grades high enough to get in graduate school, so we're willing for you to attempt it. We do want you to have Doctor Ashford as your advisor. He's willing to help you and Stephan both, and you guys can help each other."
"Thanks, dad. I'll try my best."
Tor pulls him up and hugs him. "We know you will, babe."
We drop Tor off on campus for a meeting with Langford, then I take Tommy to the jewelry store to have his watchband fitted. Mike, I assume is helping Carol pack.
When our errand is done, Tommy and I go back to campus. We're walking toward the dorm, when I hear Stephan yell, "Drew! Tommy! Wait up." We turn to see him and two older people getting out of his car.
Stephan hustles them toward us. "Mom, dad, This is Doctor Drew Torrence and Tommy, one of my suitemates."
His father stares at me with raised eyebrows for a moment. "Did I understand you to say Doctor Torrence, son."
"Right. Drew's a full professor."
Stephan's father looks at me apologetically. "I apologize for our son's rudeness, Doctor Torrence."
"Please, don't. Tor and I told him and Luc to use our first names. It's quite awkward to try to address two PhD's with the same last name."
"Then you're the Torrences Stephan thinks so highly of. His e-mail is filled with how much he and Luc want to have the same type of relationship you and Doctor Tor have. You have been most kind to help them." His mother says.
"If Stephan chooses to be gay, I'm happy he's had a positive role model to follow. He tells us your sons are kind and accepting as well." He clears his throat. "May I ask how it is your sons are, well, normal? I find all this sort of thing terribly confusing."
"The word is straight, dad." Stephan says with a smile.
"Our sons are adopted, of course. But you'll find there is scientific evidence that being gay is a matter of genetics, not choice. Tommy and Mike understand that."
"The literature Stephan sent us said much the same thing."
"If you can find a gay parents group in your town, you will get a lot of support and help. I wish Tor and I could have had that support when we were in school."
"Hi, guys!" I hear Mike yell.
"Mr. and Mrs. Wolf, this is Mike, our noisy son."
"Hello. Where's Luc, Steph?"
"Probably up in the room."
Typical of a college student, Mike leans back, cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, "Hey, Luc! Come down here."
Stephan laughs. "Now you see why Drew said Mike's noisy. Tommy's the quiet one."
"I have to be. Mike don't give me a chance."
I laugh. "Don't mind us," I tell Stephan's parents. "Mike's usually quieter."
"Mike, what the hell you … I'm sorry, Mr. Wolf, Mrs. Wolf. I didn’t know you had gotten here. It's nice to see you again."
"And nice to see you, Luc. We hope you will come home with Stephan again. His mother and I understand things better now."
Luc's smile is radiant as he puts his arm around Stephan. "I'm so glad for Steph's sake. I love him very much."
"We understand that now, son," Stephan's mother replies. "I hope you will give us the opportunity to make amends for your last visit."
Stephan kisses her. "Thanks, mom."
Luc shakes his head. "I wish you and Mr. Wolf could talk some sense into my parents."
"We'd like to meet them, Luc." Mr. Wolf says.
"They won't be coming up, sir. But even if they did, I doubt you'd like them. They're convinced this is a phase I'm going through, and they're determined to break Steph and me up. Having Mike and Tommy and Drew and Tor be so great has kept us going."
Mr. Wolf glances at his watch. "Please let us take all of you to lunch."
"That's very kind, but surely an imposition. There are four Torrences." I say.
"None at all, after all your kindness. Where's the other Doctor Torrence?"
I'm about to answer when Stephan yells, "Tor! Hurry up." His father looks at him and shakes his head again.
Tor is introduced, then follows a discussion on where to eat. Stephan is all for the steak house until Tor tells him it's open only for dinner. The boys finally decide on Gino's, a nice Italian restaurant within walking distance, which is good considering the crowd of parents on campus.
We're early enough to get immediate seats at a table for eight. After we've placed our orders, Stephan's father looks at Tor. "I thought Stephan said you used a hook like his, Doctor Torrence."
"I do for work." Tor pulls up his sleeve. "This is a myeoelectric arm. The main problem with it is that it can't be used where it might get wet, and a marine biologist plays in water quite a bit," he says with a smile.
"It looks so real I thought I had misunderstood. Now I can see why Stephan wants one." He smiles at Stephan. "If Doctor Torrence will tell us where he got his, that will be your graduation present from your mother and myself."
Stephan jumps up and hugs them both. "There's nothing I want more."
Tor smiles at them. "The university hospital has an excellent prosthetics department. Since Stephan's in school for the summer, they can fit him properly without interrupting his class schedule."
"We'll see them tomorrow, son."
"Thanks so much, dad."
After eating, Tor and I go back to our motel to change clothes for graduation, then meet Sephan's parents and Luc and find seats together. The speaker, to my surprise, is witty and entertaining and, best of all, brief. Finally the dean calls Mike's name, with an announcement that he graduates magna cum laud.
Tor leans over and whispers to me, "Why isn't it suma?"
"Girl problems last year. He made a B in one course. "
"Damn."
Tommy receives his diploma with a happy smile. In a way I'm more proud of him than Mike, because Tommy has worked hard for his, not to mention the obstacles he had to overcome.
Stephan is almost last in line to graduate. I see a brief look of shock cross the president's face when Stephan calmly takes his diploma in his hook, then shakes hands. Luc gives a cheer, and Stephan smiles in our direction. Stephan's parents are beaming.
As soon as we find the boys after the ceremony, I shoot an entire roll of film, particularly after I hear Stephan's dad lamenting having left his camera at home. We exchange addresses so I can send him a set of the prints. They beg Luc to come with them when they return home.
"See you guys in a couple of weeks," Tommy says as we take our leave.
As soon as we're home, I develop and print the film, and send prints to Stephan's parents, getting an immediate response. I'm glad to hear they have all stayed relaxed and Luc and Stephan are enjoying themselves. Mr. Wolf adds a note saying our brief visit at graduation has helped him understand a lot of things about his son, and it has drawn him and Stephan closer.
Mike and Tommy are in and out, spending a lot of time on the beach, and bemoaning the lack of their girl friends to the extent I begin to worry that they may do something foolish, particularly Mike with his instant whims that are not always carefully thought out. In a way, it's a relief when we pack them off to school again.
The next weekend, they show up at home with Stephan and Luc in tow. As soon as they've taken their bags up, Stephan comes clumping down the stairs on a peg-leg, still wearing shorts. It's also the first time I've seen him without his hook. His lower arm ends about midway. "You were right, Drew. This peg is really comfortable to wear, especially when it's hot. If the buildings weren't air conditioned I'd use it on campus." Then he grins at me. "Luc loves seeing me on it."
"I can't help your being so beautiful. Remember, it's your stumps that brought us together."
Stephan smiles at me. "Never thought I'd say it, Drew, but it's almost worth it to have a guy like Luc."
"Just almost?" Luc questions.
"Who knows, you might have liked me with all my arms and legs."
"Maybe, but I sure as hell love you like you are."
Stephan says, "Fool," and gives him a kiss before he turns to me. "Do you ever read any gay fiction, Drew?"
"Once in while. Why?"
"I ran across a new book while I was home. Luc likes it as much as I do. I brought it along because I thought you and Tor might like to read it."
When he comes back with it, he suddenly stops and opens it, then looks at me in shock. "Oh, shit! This is dedicated to Tor. You wrote it!"
I haven't told anyone yet. My free copies came during exams and I forgot about them, but now my secret's out. "Afraid so, Stephan."
Tor snatches the book from Stephan's hand and looks at it. "That's why you got that letter under your old name. Why didn't you tell me?"
I grin. "Didn't want to be accused of wasting time. I wrote it just to see if I could."
He gives me a mock scowl. "Guess since you dedicated it to me, I'll have to forgive you for one lapse into trash. Just make damn sure it doesn't happen again."
"But it will. I'm already planning a sequel. I'm getting sick of writing nothing but text books," I tease.
"Do, Drew," Stephan begs, "your characters are great."
"See, Tor? A librarian likes it, so it can't be all bad."
Stephan looks at me in surprise. "Haven't you checked? It made the ten top-seller list in Publishers Weekly and got a good review in Library Journal. I saw it in the library when I was unpacking books. It looked so good I got a copy for Luc and me."
Tommy's mouth is open. "You mean dad wrote that book?"
"Sure do."
"I gotta read it, too," Mike declares.
"Okay, guys, okay. I know when I'm beaten." I go up to my storage area and bring down five copies from the 'freebies' the publisher sent me. I sign four, adding little personal notes, and pass them to the boys, then write in a copy for Tor, What more can I say? under the dedication. He hugs me when I hand it to him. "Next time I'll give you one, too." I tell Stephan.
He holds out the copy he bought. "Would you sign this one for me to send to my parents?"
"Do you think they'll read a book like this?"
"I don't know, but mom'll be thrilled to have an autographed book on the shelf."
I sign it Best wishes, A.J. Halloran. "I would prefer you not tell her who I really am. Just say you happened to meet the author at a signing or something."
"Yeah!" Tor growls. "Can't have people knowing academics write garbage."
"How do you know it's garbage, Tor? You haven't even read it yet," Luc says in my defense.
"Fiction, isn't it?" Then he grins and kisses me. "Good going, babe."
"So what did you guys do over break?" I ask Luc and Stephan over dinner.
"Took Luc home with me for a week."
"Yeah. We had a great time together. Tell you one thing, those damn lakes are sure cold. I can't believe Steph actually learned to swim in water like that."
Stephan grins. "Feels good in August when it's really hot."
"And your parents?" Tor asks.
Stephan smiles. "They did what you suggested, Drew. They found a parents of gays group and joined. Came as real shock when they found one or two of their friends were members. They've really mellowed out."
"Couldn't have been nicer," Luc adds. "Steph and I met a few gay guys our age and we had a great time together. Damn, I wish somebody could get through to mine. They thought it was terrible I wanted to go home with Steph instead of staying home, but a week was as much as I could take."
"What happened?" I ask.
Luc grimaces. "They kept making dates with their friends' daughters for me. I know a few of them so it wasn't too bad, except the girls weren't any happier with a date arranged by their mothers than I was. Mostly it was the third degree my dad gave me after every date. You know, didn't I think so and so would make a good wife for a young man who's going to be a big professor and all that shit. I went back to school a couple of days early just to get away."
"Tell Drew and Tor all of it," Stephan demands.
Luc shakes his head sadly. "I did it again. I got pissed and told them as far as I'm concerned, I'm already married to Stephan and they'd better accept it."
"Bet that went over like a lead balloon," Mike says.
"I expected fireworks, but it wasn't as bad as last time."
"Let's hope they are beginning to adjust to the idea," Tor says.
Luc snorts. "At the rate they're going they'll be dead of old age first."
To be continued...
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