The Barnstable Chronicles: Vic Greenley Comes Home - 9. A Florida Christmas and Beyond

Journal Entry – 12/16/2012

Holy mother-fucking shit! Yeah, making love to Andy was just about the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced in my short life! I think my boy was possessed by some ancient Greek sex god when he asked me to keep going when I came—the first time! I think I’m pretty much the luckiest boy in the world.

We just got back from our three-hour session at the aquatic center. There is a lot to get used to, besides the whole thing being outdoors. I love that they don’t use chlorine. They use a saline base to keep the pool clean. Sure is a lot better on the eyes!

The biggest challenge is that the aquatic center is in the flight path of the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood airport. Shit! I feel bad for the divers—those planes look like they’re going to land right on top of you!

Mom and Dad should be here around suppertime. Their flight was delayed big-time because of the weather in Boston. Damn! I’ll be back later. Andy wants me to fuck him again! Wow! I think I’ve created a monster!

And did the boys ever have a blast! First, Andy bent Vic over the room’s sofa and pounded him from behind. Soon after, Vic took care of Andy’s itch while they were in the shower. Just as the boys finished dressing, the room phone rang. Claire and Sam had finally arrived at the hotel, and everyone was starving.

The boys went up to their room, and Vic was thrilled to see his parents, trauma-free for once! No accidents, no homesickness—just pure happiness. Of course, Andy was rather shy at first, standing behind Vic as he hugged his parents.

As soon as Claire finished hugging her son, she stepped to Andy. “Andy! What a joy it is to finally meet you! My son is completely taken with you, and I’m sure his father and I will be by the end of the day!”

She kissed him on the cheek and wrapped her arms around him as only a mother can. Vic caught Andy’s eye and smiled as he saw tears of happiness well up in his boyfriend’s eyes.

“We can’t wait to see you dive tomorrow—but I have to admit, I think I’m more excited about you spending Christmas Day with us!”

“I’m excited too, Mrs. Greenley. I think this is going to be a Christmas of a lot of firsts.”

“Well, darling boy, the first “first” is that you call me Claire. And this is Sam.”

Same held out his hand to Andy, “So nice to meet, son. And thank you for bringing so much happiness to Vic. That means an awful lot to his mother and me.”

Claire took Andy’s hand and led him to the sofa. “So what other ‘firsts’ will we be looking forward to, Andy?”

“Well, this will be the first Christmas in my entire life that I won’t be working in my parent’s restaurant—and the second—well, it’s kind of embarrassing—I don’t think I’ve ever had a hug like that in my life. That was—wow!”

“Oh, you poor dear. I can guarantee a lot of those during this vacation!”

“Awesome! My family’s not much on showing affection or emotion. But that’s okay. Now I’m beginning to see where Vic gets it from.”

The foursome decided to eat in the lobby Bistro since the boys didn’t want to eat anything too heavy for the next day’s meet. Dinner consisted of good food and even better conversation. It didn’t take long for Andy to open up to Claire and Sam.

Claire and Sam sat opposite each other, as did Andy and Vic. Claire couldn’t help but notice the glances made by the boys to each other, and it warmed her heart to see her son so happy.

While the foursome was eating, Gavin and Alex walked into the Bistro and spotted Andy and the Greenley’s. They walked over to their table, and Vic introduced Alex as Gavin’s girlfriend. Andy noticed that Claire didn’t bat an eyelash, but he did notice a very slightly raised eyebrow from Sam. After a round of hugs and Merry Christmases, Gavin thanked Claire for the invitation to join them, but since this was one of the rare times he and Alex had away from the rest of their team, they would prefer to sit alone.

Claire was concerned that she overstepped her boundaries as soon she looked over to Andy. “Oh, dear Andy—that was so inconsiderate of me. I didn’t even think that would be uncomfortable for you.”

“Mom. You don’t have to worry about that. Andy and Gavin already know each other as competitors, and yesterday—well, I think they’re besties after hanging out together.

“A girl—a stunning girl—nothing will ever surprise me again.” Everyone looked at Sam and just stared. Then the giggles started. Then everyone laughed as Claire said, “I just hope they are happy together and not keeping secrets.”

“Don’t worry about Gavin, Mom. Alex knows everything and is super-chill about it all.”

“Good. And here comes the food!”

Dinner went smoothly, and it took no time at all for Andy to feel a complete part of the Greenley clan.

That night, the boys kissed and cuddled and fell asleep in each other’s arms. Andy observed that it felt like making love. Vic smiled and agreed that just being with each other was one of the best things he could have ever imagined.

The next morning, all four teams were at the aquatic center for the preliminary races and dives. Vic, Andy, Gavin, and Alex easily made it into the semi-final rounds, which were to be held that afternoon. Gavin was especially pleased since his parents would be there.

While Gavin’s specialty was the five and ten-meter platform diving, his coaches had convinced him to also compete in springboard. This tournament was his first time out competing in that element. Gavin was thrilled that he advanced to semis despite his nerves.

That afternoon, Gavin was on the three-meter springboard when his concentration was interrupted by a low-flying plane making its approach to the airport. He hadn’t experienced that during their warm-up the previous day, and it threw his timing off.

It was supposed to be a reverse, two-and-a-half somersault. It was supposed to be one of Gavin’s better dives. Unfortunately, his launch from the springboard was off. As he was coming down and spinning, he hit the back of his head on the board, slamming into the water and sinking to the bottom of the dive pool.

Fearing the worst, two of his teammates dove into the pool and headed toward Gavin. They looked at each other with fear as they saw the cloud of blood around Gavin’s prone body. Each boy took an arm and quickly brought him to the surface and then to the edge of the pool. Medics were already there and immediately applied CPR.

Gavin’s head was turned to the side, and in just seconds, he coughed up water and began breathing. He was placed on a backboard and then lifted to the gurney. Gavin’s parents were ushered out of the stands and to the ambulance. The rules were slightly bent so both parents could join him on the ride to the hospital.

Back at the pool, Andy and Alex held each other. While both were stunned at what they had just seen, Andy was able to comfort a tearful Alex. The officials called for a 45-minute break in the competition to give the teams time to regroup.

The swimming competition had already been completed for the day, and Vic was in the locker room when Andy came in. He explained to Vic what had happened and that Gavin was conscious and talking.

Coach Reese was on his phone, and the boys could see in his eyes that the competition would be called for the rest of the day and would resume in the morning. They would finish the diving semis at 7:00 a.m. and go as planned with the swimming finals at 10:00 a.m., followed by the diving finals.

As soon as scheduling decisions were made, Andy hurriedly changed. Soon, the boys were on their way to the hospital with Sam and Claire. When they got to the emergency room, they found Gavin’s parents along with a large number of his teammates.

Claire and Sam walked over to Lily and Bob Granger, Gavin’s parents. “Lily, how is he? How are you?”

“Oh, Claire. That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. They’re doing a scan on him right now, and the doctors are pretty sure it’s just a concussion. They say he most likely blacked out when he hit the board. Those two boys saved his life.”

Lily started crying at the thought of losing her youngest son. She leaned into her husband’s shoulder and composed herself. She sat up as soon as she saw the doctor walk into the waiting room.

“Mr. and Mrs. Granger? May I have a word with you?”

Lily and Bob stood and walked over to the doctor. “How is he? How is Gavin?”

“Well, every indication is that he’s got a fairly serious concussion. There seem to be no residual effects from being unconscious underwater. We’re very fortunate the boys pulled him out as quickly as they did. Now, we’re going to keep him overnight for observation and make sure there’s no swelling in the brain. That’s our standard procedure for this type of thing.”

“But he’s going to be alright?”

“From everything I’ve seen, there should be no problem. Of course, your son won’t be diving for a while—probably four weeks—until his doctors at school give him the all-clear.

“I would recommend he not fly or do a lot of traveling for at least a week after we release him. If you need to make some kind of arrangements, our nurse advocate will be able to help you with those.”

“Thank you, doctor. When can my wife and I see our son?”

“We’re setting him up with a room right now and will have him moved in within the hour. Why don’t you grab some coffee or something from the cafeteria, and I’ll send someone for you once we get Gavin settled.”

Journal Entry - 12/22/2012

So, Gavin pulled a Greg Louganis and smacked his head in the middle of a dive. It was pretty scary there for a bit when he didn’t come up out of the water, but he was pulled out and revived.

He’s on the way back home to spend the rest of the holidays with his family. We did well in the tournament. UT came in second place, while I won the gold in the 400 and 800 individual medleys. Andy won the five-meter and came in a super-close second in the ten. He was a little disappointed, but I was able to take his mind off things with a long session of lovemaking.

We’ve been having a lot of fun doing tourist stuff here. Yesterday, we went to the Everglades and rode an airboat. Damn! Those things are loud as fuck! It was fun watching Dad chill out and have a blast. Today we’re going to be taking a one-day cruise to the Bahamas. We’re gonna do some shopping and a little gambling in the casinos over there.

Andy seems to be a little overwhelmed at times. Mom has gone out of her way to make him feel a part of the family, and Dad has been awesome, making sure to include him in the conversation and bantering.

Last night, Andy was nearly in tears when he told me how much he loved being a part of a family that cared more about the people than the customers in their restaurant. Then I was the one nearly in tears as we looked into each other’s eyes the entire time I was sliding my cock in and out of his amazing ass. I do love this boy. I know he loves me, too. It’s a fucking beautiful thing.

Journal Entry - 12/24/2012

The four of us went to midnight mass at one of the local Episcopal churches. It was really nice, but it was weird feeling air conditioning blow on us during a Christmas Eve service. Even though we didn’t do the church thing very often, it was always the Christmas Eve midnight mass that got me into the spirit more than anything.

Andy told us that he had never been to church since Sundays were such a busy day in the restaurant. He sat through the service with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. I have to admit this was a pretty awesome way to experience church for the first time. But by the end of the service, I could see tears welling up in his eyes as the entire place was lit in just candles.

We all exited the sanctuary singing “Silent Night” with our candles lit. We deposited our extinguished candles in the box at the bottom of the front step and headed to the car. Andy took my hand and told us that the service was probably one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his life.

Mom stopped all of us and placed a hand on either side of Andy’s face. “Oh, my darling boy—this is just the beginning. What makes Christmas beautiful is family. And now that you are part of our family—it’s even more beautiful than ever.” She leaned into my boy and kissed his forehead. He had a massive smile on his face as silent tears fell from his eyes.

We got back to the hotel, and I thought Andy was going to rip my arm off as he dragged me into our room. As soon as the door closed, he pushed me against it, grabbed my hand, and pressed it against his hardness. “I’m giving you three minutes to get that monster cock of yours in my ass. I need you so bad baby. Take me to bed and fuck me!”

So I did—but not until we quite literally ripped each other’s clothes off to the point where shirt buttons went flying all over the room. I picked Andy up and threw him onto the bed, his cock throwing drops of precum all over the place.

I moved him into a doggie position and spread his legs. But, before I rammed my cock into his hole, I dove my tongue in—pumping my head in and out of his amazing ass.

Andy moaned and cursed, pushing his ass into my face as I would dive in. “Fuck me now, Vic! Dear God, I need you in me now!”

I flipped my beautiful boy onto his back, and he threw his legs up to my shoulders. As soon as the head of my cock made contact with his smooth, wet hole—well, it surged another load of precum, and I eased into the warm, tight place I was growing to love sooooo much!

I love how Andy has this high-pitched grunt every time I push in and rub against his magic spot. It gets me so fucking hot. I’ve also learned exactly how Andy likes to be fucked. Start slowly, work up to an almost brutal pounding, and then when his eyes begin to roll into the back of his head, I slow down and pull him up so he’s sitting in my lap.

We slow down and kiss deeply. Andy’s legs and arms are wrapped around me as he eases himself down my throbbing cock. Just before I can’t take it any longer, I tell the beautiful boy in my arms that I love him, and as my cock begins to expand and pulse, I feel the warmth of Andy’s load shooting between us, filling the air with the warm sweet musk of our lovemaking.

When we finish, we just hold on to each other—our hands caressing each other’s backs. We kiss. We whisper to each other. When we finally come down from our orgasmic high. We gently pull apart and make our way to the shower.

Of course, since we don’t have class or practice in the morning, we take our time. We clean each other, paying particular attention to our favorite parts. Of course, that gets us going again, and this time Andy pushes me to the rear shower wall, spreads my legs, and proceeds to pound my ass with all the strength and ferocity of the Energizer Rabbit. I love a good ass-pounding, and Andy is by far the best ass-pounder.

It’s funny, though. When I fuck Andy, his grunts are high-pitched and desperate. But when that boy fucks me—daaaaaaamn! The grunts are low, guttural, and show all the power he has with every thrust. So. Fucking. Hot.

After Andy dumps a load into my ass—and I cover the shower wall with one of my own—we clean each other again and head to bed for our proverbial long winter’s nap. Only it wasn’t all that long.

Journal Entry - 12/25/2012

About 7:00 a.m., my phone rings, rousing me from a deep sleep. “Good morning! Merry Christmas, sweetheart!”

Mom told us to meet in the dining room for breakfast in thirty minutes. I told her that wasn’t very much time, and she told me to share the shower with Andy. She also told me that we shouldn’t play around and get a move on.

Wait. Yes, my mother told me to share a shower with my boyfriend AND told me to keep my hands to myself. How fucking embarrassing was that?!?

After breakfast, we went up to Mom and Dad’s suite. Damn! They had a tree and stockings hung on the wall! We had a wonderful time. Andy and I had gone in together and got Mom and Dad a weekend at the Marriot Marquis in New York City, along with a pair of Orchestra seats to see “Wicked.” We got a bunch of clothes—sweaters, shirts, jeans—and—OMG!—Andrew Christian underwear. How the fuck did they know about Andrew Christian. The best gift was the latest X-Box and a bunch of games to go with it.

I got Andy a beautiful 14-carat-gold chain, which I helped put around his neck. He was crying and laughing at the same time. When I asked what was funny, he grabbed the box he had with my gift. I couldn’t believe it! It was an almost identical gold chain! I swear we had never mentioned it to each other. I guess we are that much in tune with each other.

It was so cool, spending Christmas with my family AND my boyfriend. Although we had officially been together for just over a month, it was that time in Florida that cemented the beginning of our relationship.

The boys were solid and completely into each other by the time they returned to school for the spring semester. The swim team made it into the NCAA championships but were soundly challenged in the finals by Michigan, Cal, and Arizona—all perennial nemeses. Texas finished a respectable second place, and while they hated losing, they returned to Austin with their heads held high.

The boys spent a quiet Spring break back in Barnstable. Andy loved the apartment the Greenley’s had built for Vic. The break was relaxing and filled with a lot of sex. The boys made love every night, every morning, and whenever they could—at least once in the afternoon.

The day before the boys had to head back to Austin, Vic got a call from his high school coach. He wanted to meet with Vic and his parents before he went back to school.

That evening, the Greenley’s, Andy, and Coach Walker were sitting at the kitchen table. The reason Coach wanted to meet was to let Vic know that he was starting to plan his retirement. But first, he wanted to see what Vic’s plans after college were. When Vic told him he didn’t yet have any, he paused, looked at Sam and Claire, then to Vic.

“Here’s the deal. I want to retire before I’m too old to enjoy life with my family. So—I propose to turn my coaching position over to you, son. I would like you to take over the swimming and diving program at the high school. I’d also like you to run the lifeguard program at the Community Pool. I’ve already spoken with the principal, and she is totally on board. Those admin types like nothing more than to have a former student come back and teach. You’re majoring in history, right?”

“Yes, sir. That’s right.”

“Perfect. The school is always looking for good history and social studies teachers. You were an excellent leader when you were a student. I can only imagine how excellent you will be as a teacher.”

“Oh—and Andy—I know all about your amazing prowess on the dive team at UT. I’m sure the school would love to have you come on board as a diving coach.”

“Oh, thank you, coach. But I’ll be going to med school as soon as I graduate.”

“Are you boys going to be able to graduate in four years?”

“Three years,” both boys chimed in.

“What the—??”

Vic cleared the confusion. “We’re taking on full loads over the summer sessions. We both want to finish in three years, so we can move on and get our lives going.”

“I guess I’ll be retiring a year sooner than I expected—and that’s definitely alright by me!”

And that’s precisely how it played out. The next two years were filled with a lot of studying and swimming. The highlight of both years was the NCAA championships. UT hosted the 2014 event and came in second place to Cal. It was a major disappointment to the boys, but Coach Reese made them see how much they had improved since the previous year.

The next year was pure gold for the team. The 2015 championships were held in Iowa. The Longhorns captured their 11^th national title, tying Ohio State for the most titles won by a single team.

During the 2015 season, the U.S. Olympic Committee approached both Andy and Vic about trying out for the 2016 team in Rio. While it was an honor to be considered, Vic knew that both Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte would be on the team and that he wasn’t close to their level. He and Andy both felt that this was a turning-point season for the Longhorns and decided to dedicate themselves to their team and their studies, making Coach Reese a happy and relieved man.

As far as their studies, things went exceptionally well for Andy and Vic, and both were scheduled to graduate at the end of the second summer session. There was to be a small ceremony held at the UT Tower on Sunday, the 16^th. On August 14^th, both boys had finished their last classes and drove to the airport to meet both sets of parents.

The boys were uncharacteristically quiet as they drove out to the airport. It was Andy who finally brought up the elephant in the room.

“I hate this. I know you do, too.”

“Hate what, babe? Meeting our parents?”

“The end of us—the ending that we both knew was going to happen.”

“Yeah, I hate it, too. It was a great three years. I don’t think I could have made it if it weren’t for you.”

“Well, I know I couldn’t have made it without you, Vic. You taught me so much about life, about myself—hell, no matter what else happens in my life, I will never forget or not love you for all things you did for me.”

“You do realize that you taught me just as much, don’t you?”

“Yeah, we were damned good for each other. I know we’ll probably not see each other again after Sunday night, but I will always love Vic Greenley.”

“And I will always love Andy Cho.”

Both boys had tears flowing as they parked the car. They headed into the terminal and stood at the bottom of the escalators—the escalator that would bring parents into their world. The first to arrive were Sam and Claire. There were a lot of hugs and tears. The best surprise for Vic was his parents brought his cousin Ian with them.

When Vic hugged his younger cousin, he couldn’t believe how muscular he was getting for a junior in high school. He whispered into Ian’s ear, “Holy shit Ian! If you get any sexier, you’re gonna have to beat the boys away with a baseball bat!”

Ian whispered back, “Is this him? Your hot-as-fuck boyfriend?”

“Yeah. His name is Andy.”

Vic broke the hug with Ian and introduced him to Andy. Andy gasped when he took in Ian’s beauty. The boy’s blonde, curly hair framed his angelic face, and his dimples only added to the sparkle in his eyes.

“Mom. Dad. Since I haven’t seen Ian in such a long time, is it okay if he spends tonight with us in our place? He can sleep in the spare room.”

Everyone agreed to the plan, and in less than ten minutes, Jin-ho and Young-sook Cho were coming down the escalator. Andy was smiling. He hadn’t seen his parents in the three years since he left California for Texas. His mother was smiling, and his father seemed to be rather emotionless.

Andy hugged his mother, and she returned it, with tears in her eyes. Andy then hugged his father, and he didn’t seem to know what to do about that. With hesitation, he placed his hands on Andy’s back. The three spoke briefly in Korean, and Andy then turned around and introduced Vic’s family to his parents.

After the luggage was gathered, the two sets of parents picked up their rental cars, while Vic, Andy, and Ian got into Vic’s car. Everyone had directions to the hotel, and it was decided to meet in two hours for dinner.

On the way back to campus, Andy felt the need to explain his parents’ behavior. “I’m sorry if my parents made you guys feel a little uncomfortable. They don’t know how to deal with people unless they are customers in the restaurant. And my dad, well—I don’t think he has an ounce of emotion in his body.”

Ian spoke up next. “Andy, it’s all good. I’m sure meeting a bunch of Greenley’s in a strange city is overwhelming for just about anyone. I’m sure things will warm up at dinner tonight.”

Andy turned around in his seat. “So, you’re Ian. I’ve heard all about you for so long. It’s great to finally meet you!”

“Ummm, just what have you heard, Andy?”

“Well, let’s just say your cousin taught me a lot over the last three years, and when I asked him how he became such a good teacher, he told me about the fun you two had over the summers.”

“Oh, God. Vic!?!? How could you!?!”

“Chill, Ian. I had to tell him. Now he’ll agree to the fun I’m planning for tonight.”

“Fun?”

“Ian, I’m guessing Vic is planning for me to have my first three-way before he and I part ways.”

“Woah—sounds like fun! But damn, it sucks that things have to end with you two. There’s no way you can keep things going?”

Andy sighed. “No, there really isn’t. We’ve been talking about it, and I’m going to be here for med school, and Vic’s going back to the Cape for his new job at the high school.”

“It still sucks.”

“Yeah, we’ve had a lot of long nights talking about it. And you know—Vic will always be the boy who helped me in so many ways. I’ll always love him. But we both knew that it wasn’t going to last beyond our college years. It just came around faster than we both wanted.”

“Okay, boys—change subjects! This weekend is all about celebration! And I plan to make sure everyone has a great time!”

The boys got back to the dorm and headed up to the room. As soon as the door closed, Andy and Vic began to take Ian’s clothes off.

“What the fuck?”

“Hey cuz, once that door closes, it’s a no-clothes zone.”

“Nice! But why am I the only naked boy in this room?”

Right on cue, Vic and Andy undressed each other, deeply kissing as they did.

“Wow! This is so fucking hot!”

As soon as Andy and Vic were naked, Andy pulled Ian in and kissed him. “Yeah, Vic taught you well!”

Ian then pulled Vic into them for a full-on, three-way kiss. When Vic broke the kiss, he told the other boys that there wasn’t enough time to have full-on fun, but he did lead them into the bedroom, where the three boys enjoyed jerking each other off for a nice triple nut.

Okay, boys. Quick showers and we have to get dressed to meet the parents for dinner. Ian showered in Andy’s room while the other boys showered together. In less than ten minutes, all three were clean and dressed. They headed downstairs and drove up the highway to the Embassy Suites, where both sets of parents were staying.

Dinner was in the Lynx Bar and Grill, off the hotel lobby. Sam had already arranged for dinner to be put on his bill, hoping to avoid an argument between families. Mr. Cho was not very happy about it but calmed down when Sam told him he could take care of the next meal.

The conversation was light and cheerful for the Greenley’s and the boys. However, the Cho’s didn’t participate unless they were directly asked a question. Ian noticed that Andy’s parents kept glancing at their son and his interactions with Vic. It was as if they were figuring out the relationship the boys had shared over the past three years.

Mrs. Cho, however, was both pleased and surprised at how much her son had grown—becoming his own man. Mr. Cho noticed the profound change in his son as well. Only he was wondering what caused his son to become so self-assured and outgoing.

After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Cho went up to their room. Mr. Cho was the first to speak. “나는 우리 아들이 게이라고 생각한다. (I think our son is gay.)”

“우리 아들은 게이라는 걸 압니게이. 나는 그가 어린 소년이었던 이래로 알고있다. (I know my son is gay. I've known since he was a little boy.)”

“그 미국 소년이야. 그는 내 아들에게 이렇게했다. (It’s that American boy. He did this to my son.)”

“그가 우리 아들에게 한 유일한 일은 그에게 훌륭한 사람이되는 법을 보여주는 것이 었습니다. (The only thing he did to our son was show him how to be a wonderful man.)”

“앤디는 월요일 이후로 혼자있을거야. 그는 다시 진짜 남자가 될 것입니다. (Andy will be on his own Monday. He will become a real man then.)”

“우리 아들을 사랑하니? (Do you love our son?)”

“나는 그의 아버지 다. 물론 나는 그를 사랑한다. (I’m his father. Of course, I do.)”

“그럼 너는 그를 내버려둬! 그렇지 않으면 그는 아버지를 싫어하게 될 것입니다. 너가 원하는게 그거야? (Then you will leave him alone. Otherwise, he will hate his own father. Is that what you want?)”

“당연히 아니지. (Of course not.)”

“나는 앤디가 너무 행복하고 자신감있는 것을 본 적이 없다. 나는 네가 그것을 본 것을 안다. (I have never seen Andy so happy and confident. I know you see it.)”

“그러나 그는 내 유일한 아들입니다. (But he is my only son.)”

“그리고 그는 항상 우리의 유일한 아들이 될 것입니다. (And he will always be our only son.)”

“우리가 뭔가해야 해. (We have to do something.)”

“네가 옳아. 우리는 그를 사랑합니다. 우리는 그를 받아 들인다. 우리는 그를지지합니다. (You’re right. We love him. We accept him. We support him.)”

“이걸 어떻게 압니까? (How do you know this?)”

“나는 그의 엄마 다. 우리는 항상 이런 것들을 안다. (I’m his mother. We always know these things.”

“나는 모른다. 나는 무엇을해야할지 모른다. (I don’t know. I don’t know what to do.)”

“넌 뭘해야 할 지 알 잖아. 자러 가자. 우리 아들은 내일 졸업하고있어. 그것은 우리 가족에게 큰 날입니다. (You know what to do. Let’s go to bed. Our son is graduating tomorrow. It’s a big day for our family.)”

Journal Entry - 8/16/2015

We did it! We graduated, with honors, mind you—and in just three years! The ceremony was fucking brutal. Why do they hold it outdoors in 98-degree heat?? Admin morons.

Friday night was a blast with Ian joining us for a three-way. Andy was amazed at the possibilities. He ended up in the middle of a Greenley sandwich. He was fucking Ian while I fucked him. If the neighbors ever wondered what was going on in our suite, they knew for sure now! Especially with all the noise coming from the room!

On Saturday, UPS came and picked up the boxes filled with my shit. We then moved Andy into his new apartment on West Campus. When we got back to the dorm, it was eerily empty, save a change of clothes for the next day.

Ian stayed in Andy’s room last night. He insisted on it—so I could have one last night alone with my boy. It was beautiful—making love for hours. Afterward, we held each other and cried a bit. But we knew that we both were blessed to have spent three beautiful years together. We learned so much from each other and became better men for it. I know that if and when I find someone to share my life with, it’s going to be amazing.

The strangest thing happened after the ceremony. We were all standing around, taking pictures. After Mom told Andy and me to pose together, we looked at each other instead of looking at the camera. After the photo was taken, Mr. Cho called me over to him and his wife.

“Victor. I don’t understand the relationship you have had with my son. But I want to thank you. Thank you for loving him. Thank you for helping him grow and prosper. Andy is very fortunate to have had you in his life.” He held his arms out and hugged me—a REAL hug.

Mrs. Cho stood there and watched her husband’s breakthrough. She had tears in her eyes. Andy stood there with his eyes as big as saucers and his mouth hanging open. Mr. Cho broke away from our hug and moved to Andy.

“I am proud of you, son. More than you will ever know. I love you.”

Wow! Andy completely broke down as his father hugged him. Mr. Cho reached out and pulled his wife into the hug.

Later, as we were saying our goodbyes, Andy told me that was the first time his father had ever said he loved him. Blew him away!

Mom, Dad, Ian, and I had to go straight to the airport after saying our goodbyes to Andy and his parents. It was sad but weirdly—it was exciting. I start my new job tomorrow. I have officially been hired as a new U.S. History teacher at Barnstable High School. And yes, I’m the new swimming coach.

It’s time for a new chapter. Look out, Barnstable! Vic Greenley’s coming home!