Heteroflexible

The room warmed with the sound of all my dancer friends chuckling, clutching their mouths, hiding their smiles and tears of joy for the two of us.

“Jimmy Strong, I want you to be my forever thing officially,” said Bobby. “Even if you already are, in so many ways. Will you do me the honor of being my husband?”

I don’t cry.

Ever.

But on that day, staring into the bottomless pools of Bobby’s warm brown eyes, I felt tears resting at the tops of my Strong-boy cheeks. Even all of my friends seemed to hold their breath, waiting for my answer, waiting for this perfect moment to pass that would promise us to each other in mind, body, and soul.

I took his whole hand into mine—ring and all—and pulled him right off his knee and up toward me for a kiss.

That was my answer.

The room exploded into applause I didn’t hear, because I was consumed with my beautiful man who knew just how to sweep a country boy like me right off his dancing feet.

And I can’t wait for the day to come that I can finally call the boy Bobby Strong, my man, from here until the end of my days.

“Are you ready?”

Bobby’s gentle word in my ear snaps me back to the present. I give my fingers a wiggle in between his. “For this? Or just to get a rolled-up piece of paper and throw my cap up in the air?”

He just chuckles and kisses me, taking my lightly-spoken words for an answer.

I fucking love this guy.

Soon, Bobby and I are sitting in a sea of chairs full of caps and gowns and a whole lot of blue. After a long procession of names and speeches and obligatory congratulations passes, each of us have our turn to walk the stage.

I feel the eyes of my family and Bobby’s on me as I proudly strut across that stage like my walk is just another choreographed dance of mine. My chest bursts with pride when I accept my diploma, shake the dean’s hand, and join the rest of my graduating class back in our seats. It’s a lot of hard work that pays off in a culmination of cheers, proud smiles from the audience, and a fancy bit of paper.

In time, the magic words are spoken over the speaker, then the sky becomes painted in swirling graduation caps, dancing blue tassels, and screams that shake the heavens.

When Bobby and I reunite with our friends and family, we do so with our hands held and beaming smiles on our faces. Even from a distance, I can already see my mama and papa with my brother and Billy, and even Grandma who flew in with my family to see my graduation. Bobby’s mama and papa are among them, too, both of our families having united over the years into one big mishmash of happiness, zaniness, and all kinds of craziness.

“Joel and Mindy would’ve come,” my brother assures me after his due congratulations and a too-tight, bone-crunching hug, “but they’ve got their hands full with twins, Lord help them both. Oh, and your little pen-pal buddy Toby says hi, by the way. He starts his senior year at Spruce High in the fall. That boy is Mr. Tucker’s right-hand man, I swear. He’s damn near runnin’ the place, same as Billy was years ago.”

“He’s a good kid,” I say with a smile. “Too bad Spruce is still full a’ little shitheads who won’t leave him alone.”

Tanner shakes his head. “Don’t get me started on how full of misbehavin’ little shitheads our high school careers were. Shit, I’m still recoverin’ over here from Billy’s and my ten-year high school reunion last summer. Lance even flew in for it—he cut his hair all short, lookin’ like some kind of Hollywood movie star—and that was an explosion in and of itself. Phew! Oh, and speaking of Lance, did you know that he—?”

“Tanner, dang it!” comes Billy after finishing up a quick little convo with Bobby, interrupting whatever it was my brother was going to say about Lance. “Don’t hog your brother! Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy,” he then greets me cheerily, a warm smile on his face. “There was a time I had thought I’d never see this day, that Jimmy Strong graduates from college. I’m so damned proud of you.”

“Is that a tear in your eye?” taunts my brother.

Billy shoots him a look, then pulls me in for a hug. “Congrats, Jimmy. We’re all so proud of you.”

I hug him back, then slap a hand on my man Bobby and pull him over to us. “It’s all thanks to this man for gettin’ me through the hard times over the years. Lord knows we’ve both had them.”

Bobby looks me in the eyes, bursting with pride and joy. Then, with due attitude, he goes, “Better bet it was all because of me.”