The Art of Being Gay - 19. The Gayest Man in the Whole World

The Gayest Man in the Whole World

“Would you quit fidgeting so much? I know you won’t know many people there, but they are a good group. Tyrell’s family is great,” Roy said, looking over at the squirming Chad. “All we have to do is enjoy ourselves. I even got out of giving a toast.”

“I’m not nervous,” Chad grunted. “I’m excited.”

“I am too,” Roy said, putting his hand on the mechanic’s knee. He quickly caught Chad’s eye and gave him a smile. “It’s exciting Tyrell and Hugo are finally getting their special day.”

“Is getting married something you want, you know, some day?” Chad asked. He watched the red haired man carefully.

“Of course. I’d marry you tomorrow.” Roy chuckled. “But, we have time. You’re not going anywhere now are you? Justin’s decided on the University of Minnesota next year so this is your home, right?”

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” Chad answered. He seemed to breathe a little easier, rubbing his face.

“That’s good.” Roy said, exiting the highway. “Last night was fun, weird but fun.”

“Your mom’s boyfriend seems like a good guy,” Chad said. “What was weird about it?”

“I’ve never seen her act like that before,” Roy said, checking the cross traffic. “She was such a girl last night. Every time Stan looked at her, she got so bubbly. My mother has always been as cool as a cucumber. She’s smitten I think.”

“She did seem happier,” Chad said, patting his suit coat pocket. Relieved he looked over at Roy. “Does it bother you she’s dating?”

Roy didn’t answer at first. He chewed his lip thoughtfully. “No. It doesn’t bother me. Remember, my dad’s been gone since I was a kid. It’s not like I had any hope of them getting together again.”

“Maybe it’s just different seeing her with a guy,” Chad said. “Has she ever dated?”

“Never. She always said she promised for better or for worse and she got the worst.” Roy shook his head. “I’m glad for her. Though bringing him to Tyrell and Hugo’s wedding is quite the big step, don’t you think?”

“Stan seemed fine with it,” Chad said, rubbing his face again. He patted his coat and closed his eyes. Try as he might, he couldn’t calm his nerves.

“It will be nice to see Peterson again,” Roy said, stopping at the light. “It’s been too long.”

“I’m still a little annoyed with him, but Wes is fine with him so I guess I should be too,” Chad said.

“Tyrell said he’s bringing a date,” Roy said. “I’m guessing it’s Silas.”

“No, I think he met someone new,” Chad said. “Hugo said Peterson’s been pretty secretive about it. I’m not surprised considering how close-mouthed he’s always been.”

“For such a dork, he’s quite the drama queen when it comes to his love life. Here we are,” Roy announced, parking in the lot. “It’s a lovely place.”

“It is,” Chad said. He felt his coat pocket again and then exited the vehicle. His legs were like rubber. This was a big mistake. How could he let Tyrell and Hugo talk him into this? Chad walked around the SUV and saw Roy waiting for him. He looked amazing in a dark blue suit with a green tie. Roy’s handsome, open face looked so happy. Chad felt his heart leap into his throat. He swallowed hard.

“Ready to go in?” Roy asked, grasping his hand. “I can’t wait to see what it looks like.”

Chad looked at the snow covered evergreens that surrounded the building. Light streamed out of the stained glass windows, making the snow look red, blue, and yellow in patches. The arches on the windows were adorned with more greenery, swags of pine branches with white bows.

“I’ve never been to a gay wedding,” Chad said as they approached the big, wooden front doors. “But then, before I met you I’d never done much of anything.”

“We have had quite the tour these last few months,” Roy said. He pushed open the door and they walked inside.

The sanctuary was festooned with white canopies covering the central aisle. The front of the church, by the altar, was arranged with dozens of white candles and big white bows. The gold from the candleholders gleamed in the candlelight.

“Tyrell or Hugo’s side?” a young man asked. He was smiling broadly.

“Tyrell’s I guess,” Roy said.

“Right this way,” the man in the tuxedo gestured and the two men followed.

“Isn’t it lovely in here?” Roy whispered. “I bet the dining hall looks fantastic.”

“I bet,” Chad answered. He tried to moisten his tongue. It seemed to be stuck to the roof of his mouth.

“There’s your mom,” Chad said, pointing to Kendra and a man with gray hair in a black suit.

“We’ll sit with them, if that’s okay?” Roy asked the usher.

“Sure,” the man said and nodded for the men to go ahead. Roy and Chad sat next to them and Kendra gave them a big grin.

“You made it and on time,” she said. “Are you all ready for the big event?”

“Yeah,” Roy said, smiling back. “We were promised this would be the wedding of the century.”

“Yes, dear,” Kendra said, her smile becoming a knowing one. “Are you ready?”

Roy looked at her, confused. Chad nodded and swallowed. He patted his suit coat and grinned sheepishly. Kendra nodded and patted her son’s hand.

“You’re ready,” she said.

Roy turned to his boyfriend with a puzzled look. Chad shrugged and opened up the program. He only knew a few of the names, but they made for a nice distraction.

Roy leaned over and whispered into his mother’s ear. “What does that mean?”

“Never mind, dear,” Kendra said. “Enjoy the event.”

************

“It was a beautiful ceremony,” Roy said, grabbing Tyrell and giving him a bear hug. “Your cousin has a lovely voice.”

“She does,” Tyrell said. “I’m happy it’s over. Even though it’s the second time around, this one was official. I was pretty nervous.”

“You couldn’t tell,” Roy said. “Now, we’ll just enjoy the reception and you get to open presents.”

“We said no gifts,” Hugo said, pulling the red haired man in for an embrace. “You bought us a gift last time around.”

“As Ty said, this was an official wedding. We had to give you a little something,” Roy gushed. “Chad’s been protecting it with his life. He keeps checking to make sure we didn’t forget it.”

“Yeah, um, sure,” Chad said. He smiled at them uneasily.

“Roy!” a robustly built woman called out. “Get your butt over here and give me some sugar.”

“Delia!” Roy hollered back and he rushed over to her.

Tyrell looked around and pulled on Chad’s arm. “You brought it, right?”

“I can’t do this today. It’s too strange,” Chad stuttered. “It’s your wedding day.”

“Nonsense. This is the best present you could give us. We’ve been waiting for this for quite some time,” Hugo said. “We already had our day. This is for Roy.”

“Chad, promise you won’t chicken out,” Tyrell hissed. “I can’t wait to see the look on his face.”

“I don’t know,” Chad said. He felt his pocket and his nerves began jangling again. “In front of this whole crowd?”

“We insist,” Hugo said. “I’ll announce you right before the dance begins. You got everything else ready, right?”

Chad nodded and swallowed hard. “If you’re sure it’s okay. I’m so anxious.”

“It’s all been arranged. Now, go say hi to my mother. She’s got your boyfriend in a chokehold.” Tyrell nodded toward the two of them chatting. “I can’t wait.”

“Okay,” Chad said. He walked over and was quickly embraced by the woman. He thought she squeezed the last of his breath from his chest.

**************

“Peterson!” Roy called out as they entered the church basement dining hall. Sure enough, the blond man was dressed in a suit sitting at a round table. Next to him was a brown haired man, holding his hand, and looking at them in surprise.

Roy and Chad quickly walked over to them. “It looks like we’re sitting with you guys,” Roy said happily. “How’ve you been?”

“I’m doing well,” Peterson said. “I’m, um, really glad to see you guys.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Chad said, and was quite surprised he meant it. “Who is your friend?”

“Oh, yeah,” Peterson said. “Let me introduce you to Matthew.”

The brown haired man stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Roy and Chad. Race has told me so much about you.”

“Good to finally meet you,” Roy said, shaking the man’s hand. Chad shook his hand and then they took their seats. “It was a nice service, wasn’t it?”

“It was,” Peterson said, clearing his throat. “They really did up the place. I’ve never seen a wedding reception quite like this.”

Chad looked around only now noticing the white everywhere. The tablecloths were white. There were white paper lanterns hanging in bunches over each table. The walls were draped with more white cloth. All the white would have been too much if not for the pots of flowers everywhere.

In the center of each round table was a square pot brimming with pansies of all colors; their purple, yellow, magenta, and blue faces happily smiling at the guests. More pansies, banks of them, were positioned along the walls. Overall the effect was light and spring-like.

“Tyrell’s never been very conventional,” Peterson chuckled. “It’s very lovely though.”

“It is. So, let’s hear about what you’ve been up to,” Roy asked. “And I want to know about you two getting together. I have to say, I wasn’t expecting this.”

“He gave me a second chance,” Matthew said, leaning over Peterson. “I screwed up by not being there for him. I’ll never do that again.” Roy and Chad both nodded.

“Right after Christmas, I called Matthew and asked if we could talk,” Peterson said. “I’m glad I did. Lots of things have changed.”

“Like what?” Chad asked. The two appeared very much together. Matthew didn’t have a wedding ring on.

“I pulled my head out of my ass finally,” Matthew said. “I told my wife all about how I felt. She wasn’t too happy about it, but I had to be honest, finally. We’re trying this again.” Matthew lifted his hand clasped firmly in Peterson’s. The blond man blushed with happiness.

“I’m glad it worked out,” Roy said. “By the way, you’re forgiven, Peterson.”

The blond man rubbed his eyes. “Thanks. I’m really sorry about-”

“Don’t mention it,” Chad interrupted. “We’re friends. That means we let the little things go.”

“You have to excuse me for a minute,” Peterson said, getting out of his chair. He walked swiftly back toward the rest rooms.

Roy and Chad settled back in their chairs and smiled at Matthew.

“I need to thank you guys,” Matthew said after clearing his throat.

“For what?” Chad asked.

“For being friends with Race,” Matthew choked out. “Sorry. He’s changed so much. Before we broke up, he was always so nervous to be seen with me even when it was a place no one knew us. He’d get so uncomfortable and it scared me. Not that I was any help to him. I fell in love with him, but I couldn’t give up my wife and family. It was too hard especially when we were both so terrified all the time.”

“We didn’t do much,” Roy said. “All we did was go some places and experience a little of the gay life.”

“I don’t know what it was, but he’s so much more comfortable now. I am too, because of it. Anyway, thanks,” Matthew said. The man wiped his eyes and smiled at them gratefully.

“You’re welcome,” Roy said, his own voice catching. “I’m glad to see he’s happy. He obviously adores you.”

“I know,” Matthew said. “Living without him these past few months has been awful.”

“Talking about me?” the blond haired man asked, breaking them out of their daze.

“I was, babe,” Matthew said, reaching up to take his hand. “I was thanking them.”

“Oh,” Peterson said, sitting down and smiling at Roy and Chad. “Yeah, I guess we should.”

Roy turned and looked at Chad. The mechanic wiped his eyes and leaned in for a kiss. Tenderly, their lips met. “You’re welcome,” Chad said, not looking at them as he fell into Roy’s eyes.

It was time.

**********

“What are Wes and Angus doing here?” Roy whispered to Chad as Lonnie finished his best man’s speech about his brother. “They don’t know Tyrell that well.”

“I haven’t a clue,” Chad lied. He was trying to keep his heart-beat steady. The appearance of their friends a little early was troublesome. “Maybe Jamie invited them. I’ll go talk to them.” Chad got up and scurried over to them

“That’s weird,” Roy said. He turned to chat more with Peterson and Matthew as the mechanic disappeared into the crowd. Meanwhile, Chad was doing damage control.

“What are you doing in here?” Chad asked, pulling on Wes’ arm and dragging them back through the doorway.

“You invited us and-“ Wes said, his eyes wide open. Angus looked at Chad, confused.

“It’s the next door, you guys. You almost ruined the surprise,” Chad stammered fitfully. He pointed down the hallway to another small gathering of people. What he saw made his eyes bug out.

“Mom, dad?” he called out in a hushed voice. Carl and Maureen looked over and smiled at him. Chad marched down the hallway, still dragging Wes along with him. “What’re you doing here?” A growing smile was arching his lips.

“I invited them, Dad,” Justin said, stepping around from the other side of his parents. “They wanted to come.”

Chad didn’t know if his heart was going to stop. It was both racing and laboring to beat. Seeing his parents there was a bit much. It thrilled him they’d come, but did he have the courage to do what he wanted now?

“Don’t be upset,” Maureen said, smiling. “When Justin told us about this, your father and I talked. We decided this was something we didn’t want to miss.”

“But, I had no idea,” Chad stuttered, trying to tame his shock.

“Son,” his father said, holding out a hand. Chad let go of Wes and stepped forward to grab it. His father pulled the man into his embrace. “We’ve missed too much of your life. Your mother and I wanted to share this with you.”

Most times in one’s life are like a movie with scenes flashing across a screen. We are parts of that motion picture, but for the most part they are replayed and considered with differing degrees of emotion. Once in a while, there is a moment that captures the viewer, pulls him in and makes him an integral part of the action. This was Chad’s moment on the screen. He was overwhelmed and it gave him a burst of confidence. Surprisingly, it calmed him.

“I’m glad you came. What I’m going to do is pretty important to me,” Chad said, swallowing his tears of joy, the sweetest he’d ever experienced in his life. “Thank you.”

Chad chatted briefly with them, Justin giving him a final hug, and he turned and raced back down the hallway. Roy looked up as he neared their table.

“What happened to them?” Roy asked.

“They’re invited to the dance. I showed them where to wait,” Chad said, his breath light and airy. Roy looked at him, so relaxed and at peace. “We’ll see them in a few minutes.”

“They could have-“ and then Roy was interrupted by the sound of spoons on clinking glasses.

“Now, it’s time to open up the dance floor,” Hugo said, standing up. “We’ve got some lights and music so don’t be afraid to get your groove on. But first, Tyrell and I have an announcement.”

“I wonder what this is about?” Roy asked Chad. He turned his head as the sliding doors opened up. A DJ was positioned at the far wall. Next to him was a small gathering of people. Roy realized he knew these people. His mouth dropped open.

“What are Justin and Candy doing here? And isn’t that your parents?” Roy gasped. Chad didn’t look around. He stared straight ahead, his lips quivering and his cheeks bright pink.

“Chad, what’s going on?” Roy asked again.

“You’ll find out in a moment,” he heard his mother’s voice say. She was standing behind him, her hands on his shoulders.

“What the-?”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Tyrell began, standing up next to his husband. “We have something special planned for this evening. Since Hugo and I already had our special day over eight years ago, we wanted to make this event something different. My best friend in the whole world is here and his boyfriend has a little something to say. Chad, you’re up.”

The crowd started clapping, the ovation getting louder as Chad stood and marched stiffly across the dance floor. He took the microphone from the DJ and closed his eyes. He could feel every nerve firing off at once. Chad took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

“My name is Chad Sullivan and I only recently came out of the closet. I’d lived my entire life hidden away, afraid of what I felt. I’d never even kissed a man before. Then I met the most wonderful man in the world. His name is Delroy Smith though most of you know him as Roy.”

“What is he doing mother?” Roy pulled her close. “What’s going on?”

Chad continued, “Roy saw how scared and hurt I was. He proposed to be my guide and show me what it means to be gay. At first I thought it was kind of silly. That all changed once I got to know more about how we are all different. Some of us like to dress up and entertain. Others like to enjoy playing a game together with others who are like minded. Many of us are just figuring out how to be comfortable in our own skin.

“I kept thinking as Roy showed me all these different ways of being gay that something would click in me. I’d figure out what being gay really means. In the process of discovering more about myself I fell in love with Roy, utterly and completely. It didn’t matter what we were doing as long as it was together. You see, Roy makes me happy.”

Chad’s voice wavered. He stopped speaking and looked over at Justin who gave him a thumbs up.

“A very wise young man once said to me, ‘You know dad, gay means happy too.’ I never really thought about what that meant, until last week. I’m both gay because I’m in love with a man and I’m gay because he makes me so happy. Being happy really is an art.”

Roy had tears streaking down his cheeks. He shook with the emotions that were barely contained. Kendra kissed the top of his head.

“So, I have a question for Roy. I don’t know if I can ask it without some help. Roy, you’d make me the gayest man in the whole world if you say yes.” Chad nodded at the DJ.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF8QykqGRq4

Could I have this dance? came spilling out of the speakers. Chad handed the DJ back the mike and turned. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a little velvet covered box. Slowly, the mechanic got on one knee and looked over at his stunned boyfriend.

Roy stood up. He looked at his mother who was beaming. The red haired man rushed to the dance floor. He reached Chad and looked down at him. Nodding, he let the man put a ring on his finger.

“Thank you,” Chad said. “I promise to make you as happy as you make me.”

Roy pulled the other man up into his arms. “I’ll dance with you forever, Chad. I’m just as gay as you are.”

The two men danced slowly and without noticing as the others joined them on the dance floor. They only had eyes for each other. Their life was filled with gayness.

The End.