Marco - 1. Chapter 1

How many roads must a man travel to find a home? Marco, with two rejections, knew how many roads he had to travel to find someone to love. They say a third time might be a charm. It just might prove true for Marco.

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“Let’s take a shower, and then we can get something to drink. It was a rough practice session.”

“I don’t think he pushed this much last year. This tournament must be a big deal for the coach.”

“I heard he has an opportunity to head up the athletic department at Uni. Maybe he thinks a good performance will land him the job.”

“If he gets the job, who is going to coach us?”

“Maybe Adam. He’s been coaching defense for some time now. That would be a promotion for him.”

Tony and Marco played on the University’s soccer team. They were teammates in high school and now at the University. Their relationship involved more than being teammates. They are also lovers.

Sitting at a table in the cafeteria, “Tony, have you thought about setting a date?”

“Not really. We still have two more years to go before we graduate. I think we should wait until then. Who knows, we may not be working in the same city.”

“I get the feeling you are not serious about what we agreed upon.”

“Well, there are still a lot of unanswered questions.”

“Hey, guys, what are you talking about? You look very serious.”

“Hey, Vinny, I was trying to get Tony to commit to a date for our wedding.”

“Why are you pushing so hard for this? If Tony doesn’t want to commit right now, leave him alone.”

I thought that was a good idea, so I got up and left them at the table. From now on, I’ll leave him alone.

When I got home, one look from my mother and she knew something was bothering me. It’s like mothers have a secret ability to determine that something is wrong just by looking at you.

“Here, sit down. I’ll get us a coffee.” Sitting two cups of coffee on the table, “I know something is wrong. Tell me what has you upset.”

My parents knew I’m gay and have been dating Tony since my Junior year in high school. They have been supportive.

“After practice today, I tried to get Tony to commit to a date for our wedding. He keeps stalling, and then Vinny showed up and said to leave him alone.”

“Did Tony say why he was reticent about setting a date?”

“No, he made some comment about what would happen after we graduated. We may have jobs in a different city or state. We had talked about that and agreed if that happened, then we would address the issue. I'm getting the feeling that he wants out.”

“Maybe a cooling-off period would be best. He will either conclude that he will work through this with you or go a different route. It wouldn’t hurt for you to give him his time. That may turn out best for you in the long term. Pushing someone into a binding commitment may be a cause for regret later. Give it some time. Let him be alone for a while and see how it goes.”

I hugged mom and went to my room. I still had some homework to do.

Sunday, we went to church. Usually, we would sit in the same row as Tony’s family. This time we sat in a different row on the other side of the church. Tony looked over, mouthed ‘hi,’ I mouthed ‘hi’ back. Vinny looked over and gave me a nasty glare. I ignored him.

Monday morning. I usually give Tony a ride to school. This morning I left a few minutes earlier and didn’t wait for Tony. He wanted his space, and he will get it.

Tony and I didn’t have any classes together. Usually, we would meet for lunch, and I’d wait for him to go home. Today, I ate lunch with a few of my classmates, and I didn’t wait to take him home. The rest of the week, I followed the same pattern.