Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:05:35 -0600 From: David J Subject: All Good Things -- Chapter 9 Hello all! Sorry that this chapter has been so long in coming. I've been doing school stuff and working on Chapter 14. You guys know how I like to stay ahead of the game a little bit. Also, this is one of the shorter chapters of the story. I hope that you guys enjoy it none the less. As always, feel free to email me at boricuaholandes@hotmail.com if you have any questions or comments. There's also the yahoo group, at ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/futurecanadiansgroup, too. The chapters are posted there as soon as they're sent to nifty. I want to thank Ken all the work he's done with helping me make sure that the story is coherent and comprehensible. Gracias, tio... David ;) ----- All Good Things Chapter 9 -- The Vacation/Part II The time we spent in Puerto Rico was a time that I will always remember. We had fun. Tony and I not only made love on the beach that first night we were there, but every night thereafter. We would wait until the brothers went to bed and then sneak out to the beach for a little bit of time to ourselves. We alternated between me doing him and him doing me. There was little foreplay on those cool breezy nights; both of us stayed horny the whole time. Perhaps it was the mystery of doing it on the beach; perhaps it was the thrill of knowing that we might get caught; perhaps it was knowing that we might wake up one of our brothers and didn't want to have to listen about them not getting any while we were in Puerto Rico. On the last morning we were there, we woke to find them quietly watching cartoons in the living room. As we climbed downstairs, the three of them were watching cartoons in the living room. Gui was eating cereal; Martin was reading a magazine; Danny was sitting in the floor, in a position that suggested that he might have just finished a round of crunches. "I don't want to go home, Jake," Danny said before he even saw us in the room. "I understand," I said, bringing the attention of Tony's brothers to the fact that we'd entered the room. "Can we buy a house down here for vacations and such? It would be a nice to spend Christmas around the sand." "It would, Dann-o." "I'll have to talk to talk to Mom about it," Danny said. "Can we come down if you do?" Gui asked. "Sure," Danny said. "You guys are family, too." Tony seemed to light up with my brother's words. We relaxed the rest of the morning. The girls were leaving that morning as well, but before us. They stopped by the house more so that Maria could see Gui than so that the others could see Martin and Danny. Gui seemed to light up as she pulled his hand out of his pocket, wrote something with a black sharpie and kissed it before placing it back in his pocket. She kissed him lightly on the lips before joining the other girls in the car that would take them to their destination. The four of us teased him a bit when he came back in the house. "I'd expect that from them," he said pointing to my brother and their younger brother, "but not the two of you." He grinned at the two of us cheekily but came over to give us a hug. "Thanks for bringing me down, brothers." "No problem," Tony answered. He wrapped the arm that wasn't wrapped around my shoulder around his brother's and hugged him. It was really a sweet moment. The rest of the morning we spent relaxing and packing our bags for the trip home. By one, the car was filled with our bags and souvenirs we'd purchased for various people. We straightened up the house and put the sheets and towels in the laundry room as the owner had requested. By three, we were back on our way to San Juan for a 6 P.M. flight back to Charlotte. It had been a fun week, and as Tony pulled away from the house, I thought back to the time that I'd been able to spend with the brothers and with Tony. I smiled a little. The plane ride back was smooth and quick. In what seemed like a very short time, we flew from San Juan to Charlotte. When we got there, though, we were all very tired. Gui took us to Nani's house, but then left shortly thereafter to head home. Martin and Danny joked that it was probably so that he could talk to Maria without being disturbed by the annoyances of his little brothers, Danny, and me. Danny decided to hang out with Martin, but Tony and I had different plans. We were spending the evening and the night, if we could actually handle it, with his parents. I was skeptical because of what I'd heard; but he was nervous. He hadn't seen his mother in several months and was more than a little excited yet nervous at the same time. We wound our way out of Nani's neighborhood and within just a few minutes were pulling onto the street that Tony had grown up on. Time seemed to move slowly as we drove toward the end of the dead-end street. The very last house on the right was his parents' home. It was the place where he had grown up. It was the place where I found out he'd had his first kiss. It was the place where he'd stood up to his parents and brothers and come out of the closet. We sat in the car for a moment. "You OK?" I asked, rubbing his arms as he raised the top on my car. "Yeah. I am fine," he answered. I hate to harp on the way he can say something with his eyes, but his eyes spoke of nervousness and anxiety at the first meeting of his parents since the evening he left their house. "Tony..." "OK...so I'm a little nervous. I'm worried that something is going to happen." "Don't be. You're dad seemed sincere enough." "That's true, I guess." He stopped for a second and looked out the front window. "How is it that you're not nervous?" "Babe. To be honest, I'm scared shitless, but then again, I don't know these people at all." "Yeah..." "And from what I understand, it's normal to feel nervous about meeting your boyfriend's parents for the first time." "True," he said smiling. "So let's go meet the Cisneroses." "Cool. Jake?" "Yeah?" "I love you." "I love you, too, Tonito." We stepped out of the car and walked toward the door. Mr. Cisneros met us at the door, giving both of us a solid hug. He was happy to see us. `One down and one to go,' I thought as he made idle chit chat. We had yet to see Ms. Cisneros though, but from the sound of something frying in the kitchen, she was cooking something. I followed Tony into the kitchen. Despite the fact that he hadn't been here in months, he still knew all the shortcuts through the modest, middle class house. "Mom," Tony said. "Antonio," she said, not turning to face him. "How are you?" "I'm fine. Thanks for asking. You?" "I'm good," he said, turning to look at me. "Mama," Mr. Cisneros said, "Tono ha traido alguien." (Tony has brought someone.) "Oh. Perdoname," she said, turning from the stove to see me standing closely behind her second of three children. It wasn't quite a cold look, but it wasn't warm and inviting either. It was almost as if she were trying to tell me that she resented me for taking her son away from her. "Soy Magdalena Cisneros," she said, extending her arm. (Oh. Sorry. ...I am Magadalena Cisneros.) "Soy Jacob Henry." "Mucho gusto." (Nice to meet you.) "El gusto es mio, senora." (The pleasure is mine, ma'am.) "Si ustedes me puedan perdonar por un rato, puedo terminar con esta cena." "Is there anything I can help you with, ma'am?" I offered, as a good guest should. "No," she said, returning to the stove. It was going smashingly at that point. Tony took me on a quick tour of the house, showing me the room that he'd spent his childhood in. "What the hell?" he whispered as he entered his old room. It was completely bare. There were no sheets on the bed, no pictures, awards, or trophies on the wall. His desk was cleaned of all clutter. It smelled as though they'd sterilized the room when Tony left. Tony opened his closet door. It was empty. The bathroom that he shared with Gui was empty. He went into Gui's room, which was left the way it was when Gui had moved out of the house. He came back into his room and walked across the hall into Martin's room, which was still messy and cluttered. He gently closed the door and walked back into his bedroom. He looked like he was devastated. "Do you even want to stay for dinner?" "If you don't want to be here, we can go." "Dinner is ready," Ms. Cisneros called throughout the house. "Let's stay for dinner, and then we can go," Tony said, taking my hand and pulling it to his mouth. He kissed it gently. "Thank you." "For?" "Tonight." "Antonio. Dinner!" his mother called, curtly. "Fun times ahead," Tony said as he kissed my hand once again. We walked out of his room and toward the dining room. Mrs. Cisneros was bringing what I grew to know were her famous empanadas. They smelled so good, almost as if I were eating a meal at one of my friend's houses in Cuba. Tony and his father sat at the heads of the table, while Ms. Cisneros and I sat across from each other. Tony and his dad exchanged pleasantries and compliments for his mother's food. Tony was horribly pissed off at his mother, but was taught not to show such anger and resentment toward his parents in their presence. "I just hope it is not too spicy for Jacob," she said. "Actualmente, Senora, esta cena as magnifico. Muchas gracias para cocinarla." (Actually ma'am, this dinner is magnificent. Thank you very much for cooking it.) "Hablas muy bien espanol." (You speak Spanish well.) "Aprendi en Cuba." (I learned in Cuba.) "Eres cubano?" (Are you Cuban?) "No, senora. Soy canadiense. Mi padre fue diplomatico." (No ma'am. I am Canadian. My father was a diplomat.) "Bueno..." (Nice.) We continued our pleasantries until I was red in the face. Tony and his dad watched as she and I exchanged ourselves. Mr. Cisneros could see his wife's disgust; Tony could see mine. The dinner was good, but it was nothing spectacular. It was a simple Cuban dish of empanadas flavored with beef. She also served a concoction of rice and beans which I had never eaten before. There was no dessert, which didn't upset me. As we finished dinner, she took Mr. Cisneros' plate with hers to the kitchen. I followed in with mine and Tony's. She started the water and began to rinse the leftovers from the plate. "I can get those," she said as she tried to take them from me. "My mother would be angry at me if I didn't offer to help." She looked at me oddly. "Mais elle n'a pas de probleme avec ta relation avec mon fils." (But she doesn't have a problem with your relationship with my son.) "Non. Elle n'a pas de probleme avec que je suis gay." (No. She doesn't have problem with the fact that I'm gay.) "You just think you are so smart, don't you?" she asked, waving a wooden spoon in my face. Tony's mother or not, this lady was not going to talk to me like she was in that moment. "Yes ma'am. I know I am. I at least realize that Tony is a great man. If only you could see that as well." "He was a great man before you made him gay." "I didn't make him gay. If anyone did that, it was you, because sexuality is determined in the womb, according to a study done recently in Canada." She was a bright shade of red. She was angry, but then again, I was too. I went into her home at the invitation of her husband and in support of the most important person in my life. "All you fucking Canadians think you're God's gift to the world. You think you know everything. But what do you know about the Bible? Are you familiar with Leviticus 18:22?" "Yes. I am aware of that verse." "Do you know that it is an abomination to sleep with another man as you would with a woman?" "Did you know that there is no such word for abomination in Hebrew?" "I think it is time you left my house." "Gladly." I walked out of the kitchen, into the living room, where Tony and his dad were pleasantly talking. I almost hated to take Tony away from his father, but there was no way in hell I was staying in that house any longer than I had to. I caught them in the middle of a belly laugh, and my guilt went through the roof. It was almost on par with my anger in that moment. "Tony, babe." "Yeah, Jake." "Can I talk to you for a moment?" "Sure," he said, taking my hand and leading me to the back deck, which was attached to the living room. I was so angry that I started to cry. He pulled me into him and hugged me, rubbing my hair in the process. It was so sweet. "I can't stay here any more." "Why? What happened?" "I know she is your mother, but she hates me. In a few minutes, she has offended my relationship with you, my nationality, and my faith. And I have been NOTHING but nice to her." "I'm sorry babe. We can go. You go and get the car warmed up, and I will be right there." "Alright." I turned and walked down the steps into the backyard. I walked around the house and to the driveway, where my car sat, waiting on me to click the button on the keychain and get in. There was no way, though, that I would be going back into that house as long as she was there, and she would never be welcome in mine. I was balling as I started the car. I grabbed my phone and tried to call Danny's phone, but there was no answer. "Damnit!" I screamed in the phone as I sat there and waited on Tony. In a moment, Tony's dad came out of the house and walked toward the car. I pushed the button to lower the window that I would have to scream at him. He walked around the front of the car, though, and got in the passenger side of the car. "Jake." "Yes sir?" "I want to apologize for the way she acted." "It's not your fault, Mr. Cisneros. You had no way of knowing. Thanks for being pleasant yourself, though." "When I came to see you two last week, and invited you over, I had no idea that she was going to act like this. I promise you that it was a total surprise to me." "No worries. I think you're a great guy, Mr. Cisneros." "And Magda is normally a very good, very nice woman." "Who doesn't like her son's boyfriend." "I think you are good for Tony, and that he is good for you," he said. I turned to look into his eyes. It was amazing to see how much he and Tony were alike. His dad had beautiful blue eyes, just as Tony did. "I am sorry again," he said as Tony walked out of the front door, his mother close behind him yelling something at him. His dad waited at the car for Tony to come around. They exchanged a quick hug before Tony got into the car. "Call me later, son." "Alright Dad. I love you." "I love you too, Antonio." "Let's go," he said to me as his mother came closer and closer to the car. We drove down the street in silence for a few minutes. "She actually tried to tell me that you were humming `It's raining men.' Can you believe that?" "Considering I've only heard the song twice and don't know but two words of it." "I didn't think you would do something like that." "Did she tell you that I caught her making comments in French?" "Nope." "Did she tell you that she was quoting the bible to me?" "No. But it doesn't surprise me." "Tony. I really do love you more than life, but I will never go back in that house again." "I understand babe." We pulled up to Nani's house a few minutes later. She wasn't expecting to see us that evening again, since as far as she knew, we were going to be staying the night with Tony's parents. We recounted the story to her, Danny, and Martin, the latter two of whom wanted to go see Tony's mother right then. I went to be shortly thereafter, without Tony. I needed a few minutes by myself. I wasn't able to go to sleep though until Tony was in the room. He was so cute as he tried to come into the room quietly so that he wouldn't disturb me. He quietly pulled the covers back and climbed in behind me, snuggling up against what he thought was my sleeping body. I didn't dream that night, but partly because every time I would get to sleep, imagines of that woman would come into my mind. By the next morning, I was more tired than I had been the night before. "I thought they were staying at Mom and Dad's last night?" I heard Gui in the living room ask. "They were supposed to, but your mother was being your mother," Nani answered. "Damn. I was hoping that this would be different. That things for them would turn out differently. Tony was telling me last night that there is nothing but the bed and the desk in his room. All of his drawings that he wasn't able to get off the wall, everything was gone." "Oh man. And he had some good stuff." "I know. I will have to ask your father about that later." "Man. Jake is such a nice guy, too. Why did she have to treat him like that?" "If I had to guess, Guillermo, it's because of her own ignorance. I will admit. I don't know that much about the gay lifestyle, but he is still my grandson. That's what I told you and Martin. He is still your brother." "Yes ma'am." "I almost want to just go over there and beat her ass myself." "Don't say that. She may be evil on earth, but she is still your mother." "I know, but she didn't even give him a chance, it sounds." "No. But then again, that is Magdalena." Tony lay there sleeping calmly, but I couldn't stay there any more. I pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt and went into the living room to find my keys. "Dude," Gui said as I came into the room with a face that was still puffy from crying the night before. "I'm so sorry about last night." He then stood up and gave me a hug. I wrapped my arms around his chest as he did with me and let myself be comforted in his embrace. "You OK?" "Yeah, Gui. Gracias." "No problem." Tony and I returned to Auburn later that day, but not before Mr. Cisneros came by to see us off. He gave us both big hugs as he had done the night before, and sent us on our way. As we drove back, Tony was able to make me laugh at his antics. He was acting silly, but it was just what I needed to start to feel better. By the time we were back at the apartment, I was in good spirits once again. Despite what we'd been through with his mother, Tony was in an excellent mood, and I was well on my way to that as well. As we entered, the faint smell of familiarity brought me back to all the good times that we'd shared in the apartment together. A few of his frat brothers came over that night to hang out with us, but didn't stay too late. They had a few beers and were off before the evening news even started. As soon as he was sure they were out of sight, he pulled me into the bedroom and made love to me. God that sex was good. For the following week, we relaxed a bit as I slowly began getting things ready to begin teaching. I got two weeks worth of PowerPoint presentations ready to show the students that would be taking my classes over the next week. All in all, the time that Tony and I spent alone over those couple of weeks were almost better than the trip that we'd just been on and the encounter with his mother. It was a trip that I shan't soon forget for all the memorable experiences that Tony and I had over that time.