Ends of the Earth

“Oh, you’re here! We didn’t hear the car.” Robert appeared, his dress shirt sharply pressed and cufflinks shining. Jason was glad he’d worn his best slacks and button-up shirt, although he’d rebelliously considered sweatpants and flip-flops. His father said, “Your mother’s just putting the finishing touches on some carrot roulades and caramelized onion tartlets. Come in, come in.”

Robert ushered them inside and awkwardly shook Jason’s hand and patted Maggie’s shoulder. He rubbed his palms together. “What can I get you? Maggie, we squeezed some fresh juice for you. Do you like juice?”

She looked to Jason before nodding mutely.

“Great!” Robert said too loudly. “Jason, are you a beer man? Wine? Spirits?”

In the surrealness of his father offering him a drink, Jason realized he hadn’t brought a bottle of wine, which was what grown-ups did when they went to someone’s house for dinner. “Uh, whatever you’re having. Beer, I guess?”

“Beer it is. Stella okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

Tim stood nearby, and Jason ached to pull him into a hug. But he didn’t know how to make that happen, so he followed his father into the sitting room, where his mother soon appeared with trays of appetizers, including macaroni and cheese bites, clearly geared for Maggie’s taste buds. Shelly wore a knee-length floral dress, her golden hair done up in a fancy swirl.

After uncomfortable chitchat about the weather, the Phillies, and Maggie’s favorite subjects at school, they moved into the dining room. The beef and roasted potatoes filled Jason’s nose, a hint of rosemary bringing back bittersweet memories.

Shelly passed a china dish to Jason. “Your favorite kind of potatoes. Remember? The rosemary and sage are growing so well in the garden this year.”

Nodding, Jason spooned a bit of everything onto Maggie’s plate. His mother sat at the head of the table to the left beyond Maggie, Tim across from them, and Robert at the other end to the right. The chandelier over the table was different than Jason remembered, sleeker and more modern in a horizontal design.

They ate quietly for a few minutes, everyone complimenting the food a little too zealously, even though it really was delicious. Maggie picked at her plate, eating little bites. Jason had always tried his best to make her a variety of food with lots of vegetables, but rarely anything as fancy as this. The tenderloin was wrapped with a strip of perfectly crisp bacon.

His mother sliced neatly into her meat. “So, Jason. Do you have a girlfriend?”

Ugh. Just the conversation he wanted to have. “No. I haven’t had time to date.”

“Oh.” Her smile was strained. “No girls your age at the, uh, factory?” She said factory the way she would dirty sock while pinching it between two fingers and asking whose it was.

“No.” Jason chewed a brussels sprout and tried to decide if he should just tell them and get it over with. What was the point of all this if he wasn’t going to tell them who he really was?

Before he could say anything, Maggie spoke, her eyes flinty. “Why should he only want to date girls? Maybe he likes boys. There’s nothing wrong with boys liking other boys, you know.”

In the silence following Maggie’s declaration, his parents blinked, then Tim laughed triumphantly. “I knew it.”

Perhaps Jason should have been angry with Maggie for outing him, but he exhaled in relief. At least it was in the open. He smiled at her as his father said, “Oh.”

His mother still held her knife and fork above her plate. “Well. We—”

“Think it’s wrong? Disgusting? A sin?” Jason finished for her, tapping his foot restlessly. He should just take Maggie and go. This had been a mistake.

“No.” His mother frowned, her sculpted brows drawn close. “May I please finish my sentence?” After a moment of silence, she said, “When you were in high school, your father and I questioned whether you were gay, but then everything happened and we assumed you weren’t. No, we don’t think it’s wrong, or disgusting, or a sin.”

His father added, “The Breslins’ boy is homosexual. Captain of the rowing team at Yale. He just graduated, actually. We could introduce you.”

Jason swallowed a burst of hysterical laughter. He had to be dreaming. Things were actually going all right with his family. “Uh, thanks, but that’s okay.” He glanced at Tim. “You knew?”

Shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth, Tim shrugged. “I figured probably. Dunno why. Just something, I guess. It’s not like I care. It’s cool.”

Shelly sighed. “Please don’t talk with your mouth full.” To Jason, she said, “So, are there any boys you’re interested in? Stephen Breslin really is handsome, you know.”

“No! He’s going to be with Ben. Not anyone else.” Maggie glared, as if daring anyone to argue, including Jason.

“Ben?” Shelly smiled encouragingly. “Who’s this Ben?”

“Ben Hettler,” Maggie answered. “He’s a park ranger, and he’s smart and funny, and he saved me.”