Out Of The Closet - 13. Chapter 13: Holiday Vacations!

December 7 2019

I entered the house after a Saturday basketball game and in desperate need of a shower. “Hey mom!” I announced as he entered with dad and Toby. Mom couldn’t attend the game as she had a hangover from her fortieth birthday last night.

I went to my room to shower and change as I had a Christmas party to go to later this evening. Cody was hosting it, but Toby and I will have to not tell mom and dad about that one. “How was the game honey?” she called up to me as I was undressing.

“Great! We won! I need to shower!”

I loved taking showers after games, but not in the gross locker room showers when I don’t have to. After his shower, I got out and dried myself off. I checked my closet and drawers for clothes. No jeans. Great... I pulled on some boxers and went downstairs. “Mom?” She must be in the basement doing laundry... I opened the door and went down to our basement. “Hey, mom, did you wash any of my jeans?” I asked.

“No, Oliver. Your clothes are your responsibility now. You have to learn to take care of your own laundry.”

“I’ll be going to that Christmas sweater party later by the way. Toby said I was invited too.”

“Ah, okay. What are you going to wear? You can’t go in your underwear...”

“I know, mom,” I giggled. “I’ll have to wash some jeans before I go. I have that Rudolph sweater I can wear too.”

“Run it by your father. It’s not up to me.”

“Kay! Thanks mom!” I said before running back upstairs. “Hey dad,” I eagerly entered the kitchen and grabbed a pear to eat as a snack. Dad was sitting at the kitchen island drinking a beer.

“Oliver, put on some clothes...”

“Um, sorry, dad, I’ll go get dressed. But, I’m going to that Christmas party later with Toby.” I bit into the pear.

“I’m not sure, Oliver. If Cody is going to be there I don’t want you hooking up with him. He is a bad influence on you.”

I blushed. “I’m 17 I can determine for myself who is good and bad.”

“Is Cody going to be there or not?”

“No,” I said with a voice crack. FUCK…

“So Cody is going to be there…” Dad rolled his eyes. “You definitely can’t go.”

“It’s so clear you and mom favor Toby over me. It’s really obvious and you barely even try to hide it. You let him go out all the time and do whatever, while I can’t because I’m not into girls like he is.” Dad and I sat in silence for a bit. Very awkward silence, I might add. I stood up when I finished the pear and tossed the core in the trash. “Well, another boring antisocial weekend for me,” I sighed with a stretch. I went upstairs and put on some pajama pants and a white undershirt tank top because it was too cold to just hang out in my boxers. I spent the afternoon doing some laundry and playing video games while waiting for the cycle to finish. I got bored waiting. I went downstairs to grab a soda. I heard my parents speaking as I passed dad’s office in the hall.

I stopped walking and put my ear up to the door to listen. “Oliver is very upset,” dad explained. “He thinks we love him less than his brother.”

“He should know that isn’t true!” Mom sighed. “We love both of them dearly.”

“Do we? Oliver has been grounded for two months… And we’re forcing him into a marriage with some woman.”

“Yes. He was sodomized by that cursed Cody…” mom growled.

“Hasn’t he been punished for that enough?”

“NO!” Mom refused. “He will be straight. He has to be. We have to break that spell Cody placed on him!”

“A spell?!” Dad chuckled. I giggled quietly as well. Cody isn’t a magician!

“Yes. Cody has turned Oliver to the devil’s clutches.”

I gasped. “I can’t believe you would say that about OUR SON!” Dad yelled at mom before calling her a bitch in Korean. I heard him come for the door and I quickly darted away so I wouldn’t be caught eavesdropping. Thankfully, my clothes were done in the dryer. I folded up my pants and hung up shirts on hangers to take up to my room. That was the worst fight I ever heard between my parents. Am I driving a wedge in their marriage?!

I heard footsteps enter my room. I looked up. “Hey, Tobes.” My voice was shaky.

“Woah, bro. Are you ok?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Get ready for that party,” he said.

“I shouldn’t go. Dad does….”

“Dad told me you can go.”

“Really?” I sniffled. “He changed his mind?”

“Yeah. I’m not sure what happened,” Toby shrugged. “But we’re going to Cody’s house in like 30 minutes. Logan’s coming with us, too.”

“O-okay…” I sniffled. Toby turned to leave. “Toby…”

“Yeah?”

“Mom and dad had a fight.” I mentioned. My twin brother’s narrow eyes widened. “It was about… about me.”

“Oh…” He sat on the bed. “Was it bad?”

“I think so… I never heard them fight like that before.” I admitted.

“Well, do you think seeing Cody will help you feel better?” I nodded. Toby left my room to let me get ready.

I came down a few minutes later in my Rudolph sweater and some jeans. I had gelled up my hair and put on my snow boots. The snow in town from yesterday was plowed and shoveled, but out at Cody’s ranch the snow was still quite deep and in drifts. “Ready to go, bro?” I asked, a little more peppy now that I was excited to hang out with Cody. I grabbed my jacket from the hook by the door.

“Yeah,” Toby said. “Bye, dad. We’ll be back later,” Toby smiled.

The party was held in the old barn at the Matthews’ ranch. The barn had been unused for nearly 40 years and Cody had been cleaning it up for the last couple weeks for this party. Logan, Toby, and I had to hike through the snow for a bit to reach it but thankfully a path had been made by all the people walking out there.

Cody was happy to see me and kissed me. “Glad you could make it, baby.” I shook the snow off my boots and removed them. The barn had been renovated with a wood floor.

We began making out for a minute, until Cody had to go attend to party guests. “Want me to help?” I offered.

“No, Ollie. Enjoy the party,” Cody kissed my forehead. “I’ll be back in a few minutes once I get the snacks out of the kitchen.”

I was happy for Cody. He’s an introvert like me so this is the first time he’s hosted a party. I’ve had a few at home because I have an extrovert for a brother.

The party wasn’t large. Cody invited like 8 people to this thing. But definitely more had shown up, so Cody was a bit nervous.

I hung out with Logan and Matt for a bit, pouring myself a glass of ginger ale with a cherry. Cody arrived with bowls of pretzels and puppy chow and left them on the snack table. I went to get some pretzels when Cody requested my help to round up all the unwelcome guests and figuratively kick them out. Logan helped too, of course. Overall the party was a lot of fun once Cody stopped working and relaxed.

When the party was dwindling down, it was dinner time. Cody brought some pizza from the house. It was just me, Cody, and Logan left at this point. The barn was a bit of a mess. “I’m sorry Toby ditched,” I said.

“Not your fault,” Logan said. “He needed to get Morgan home by her curfew.”

We cleaned up some of the trash left behind, and Logan went to walk home, while I followed Cody into the house and to his room. I clammed up when Cody started undressing. “Um, I don’t think I am in the mood tonight… sorry…” I blushed.

“Oh, I’m not either,” Cody admitted. “I was just changing into PJs cause I’m tired. Party drained me.” Phew…

Cody and I chatted for a bit until we fell asleep.

December 8, 2019

I lit the second Advent Candle on the altar in the Sanctuary for Sunday Mass. I was in my church clothes: a white dress shirt with a pink tie, khaki slacks and boat shoes, with a necklace of Rosary beads. I took my seat with Toby and Logan before Communion was taken. Father Nestor gave his sermon on the Christmas season and being generous to those not fortunate and those facing discrimination and persecution during the December holidays. My mom had freaked out this morning when she found me in Cody’s bed and dad had to calm her down before we went to Mass at our catholic church in Newton.

After Mass, Toby and I were in the Youth Group room with Logan, playing foosball at the table. “Oliver, is everything okay?” Logan asked with concern in his voice.

“Um, yeah,” I blushed.

“I saw your dad go into a confession room,” Logan said.

“Wow…” I bit my lip.

“Maybe he finally feels bad about his favoritism,” Toby said.

“Not really our business,” Logan said. “Those rooms are private for a reason.” He paused. “But I do hope your parents come around. Even my dad’s cool with me dating Matt.”

“That’s great, Logan,” I smiled.

December 13 2019

Final exam week was FINALLY over. Senior year is halfway done! I drove home from school with Logan and Toby. It was around noon, as we had early dismissal after sitting the last 2 90-minute exams. Like Cody, Toby was in a bunch of honors classes this year while Logan and I were not. “Oliver, can you get the mail?” Toby asked me from the passenger seat.

“Why can’t you?” I asked as I put the car in park and turned the heater and engine off.

“Cause I’m gonna piss my pants if I don’t run inside right now.” Toby quickly unbuckled and got out, running for the house. I giggled. I said goodbye to Logan as he walked next door and I went inside, dropped my backpack in the kitchen, and grabbed the mail key. Outside, I opened the mailbox. There were two things: one for me and one addressed to Trevor. I laughed. I rarely ever see Toby’s real legal name printed out. I legit can’t even remember how Toby became his nickname. Both letters came from university addresses. Mine was probably another rejection but I brought them inside. Toby was in the kitchen preparing a sandwich for lunch. “Heyyy Trevor…” I waved his envelope in front of him.

“I will punch you…” Toby teased, snatching the envelope from me. “Looks like you got something too. Maybe UEC accepted you.”

“Probably not,” I sighed, grabbing some pasta from the fridge to eat for lunch. “I’m too nervous to check.”

“We’ll open together, okay…” Trevor (eheheheh) offered a smile.

After eating, I nervously opened my envelope while bro opened his confidently.

Dear Oliver Jeong, We are sending this letter to congratulate you on your acceptance to the University of Eastern Colorado in the major of Web Development.

The letter went on for a while about dorm selection and stuff, but my eyes just began watering. “I… I got in….” I sighed. “I GOT IN!”

“Nice, bro,” Toby balled up his letter and threw it across the room rather aggressively.

“I’m guessing you didn’t?” I asked, which earned a sad groan from Toby. “Well, you got accepted by a bazillion schools so you have choices. This is the only one that accepted me!”

“You’re right,” Toby shook his head. “Who cares if some stuffy New York music school rejected me?”

“They missed out for sure,” I stood up.

Later that evening, my parents didn’t believe me when I said I got accepted into college. My reputation as a dumbass precedes me. They read the letter though, and for once this year they were truly happy for me.

December 24 2019, Cheo-yeong, South Korea

It was a frosty Christmas Eve in Korea. My family joined my Korean grandparents in visiting family in South Korea for Christmas. I’ve only been here a few times in my 17 years, but it’s a nice place. While we were in Asia, we’d also be visiting mom’s side of the family down in the Philippines to start up the new year 2020.

The arranged marriage had been called off by dad, as he saw how miserable I was being forced into a relationship. This continued straining my parents relationship because mom wanted me to stay in the arranged relationship. She would be spending Christmas Eve with us since she lives across town and her family is friends with mine. We’re staying at the house of my 103 year old great grandmother. She’s a very sweet old lady and I don’t know if I’ll be seeing her again. She’s lived a long and interesting life. She remembers a time when Korea wasn’t split up.

I heard the doorbell ring and I ran to get it, trying not to slip on the tile floor in my socks. “Hey, Su Lee,” I greeted her in Korean. Why even try speaking English while I’m here? Lol! She shook the snow off her boots and came into the house and left the boots by the door. Su Lee lost interest when I told her I was gay, but she became more interested in Toby, who’s between relationships AGAIN cuz he actually sucks at dating lmao.

My family had found out about the arranged marriage and the following cancellation. Nanna asked me if I am with someone else who I do love. I had to be honest with her because she’s my great-grandmother.

“You’re right, I’m dating someone else. I’m homosexual. I have a boyfriend back in America. I love him so much. But my parents don’t approve. They set me up with her.”

I hated being a strain on their marriage, but I also just want to be honest and live my life. Especially now that I am on the verge of adulthood with high school ending in 5 months.

Christmas Eve dinner went well. Korean beef, rice, and plenty of vegetables and dessert! A bit different than American Christmas, but still really good. LITERALLY NO ONE was shocked when it was revealed that I’m gay. I guess I’m just too obvious. I had the blessing of my Nanna though.

“Oliver, your grandfather, my son, moved to America so his children & grandchildren could live free. The opposite of the evil tyranny of North Korea. You need to live life to the fullest because we don’t have forever.” She began crying in happiness for me. My mom rolled her eyes. So rude of her. I am very thankful for my freedom, though. I very well could have been born in North Korea if my grandparents didn’t escape to America. I never learned how Nana escaped here to the South though. She never said. All I know is it happened when I was very little.

Later that night, we went to Midnight Mass, a Catholic tradition. The older generations did not go, as they’re not into spiritual matters, having been raised in communist indoctrination in the North. But Christmas Eve Midnight Mass is always a beautiful experience.

December 31 2019, Cipangu, Philippines

While it was cold and snowy in Korea, it was hot and sunny in the Philippines where my mom is from. I am not as close with the family I have here, but I’m definitely less comfy coming out to them. Mom says her family is very religious and wouldn’t accept me. So I know where she inherited her homophobia from. Toby and I were relaxing on the beach in board shorts. I was already getting a bit darker skin tone after getting a bit paler this winter back in America. I took a long sip of coconut water before going into the ocean for a swim to cool off. It felt weird as hell to swim on New Year’s Eve. My cousins on mom’s side of the family were playing in the water. They were all ages 6 to 13, so Toby and I were kind of in charge of watching over them, being the oldest kids in the family. The water was clear and beautiful. I could see all the fish and the corals, and my bare feet were clearly visible on the sandy sea floor.

After a couple hours at the beach, Toby and I lounged around the bungalow in our swim shorts after showering off the sand and salt before coming into the house. The cousins had returned to their nearby homes as well. Being out in the sun made me tired. I wasn’t used to this heat. I had been drinking plenty of water, so I should be ok. Toby and I fell asleep for a nap to be able to stay up until midnight.

That night, we had a big dinner. I helped mom and Gran-gran with some of the cooking. We were going to be eating some fish my cousins caught down at the beach. Staying up until midnight, I had a couple beers with the adults. Questions came up about my dating life, and I just told them that I’m single. I was tempted to GUSH about Cody, but knowing mom, that would be a bad idea.

At midnight, Toby and I congratulated each other on a new decade. 2020 is gonna be a great year. We start college and begin to gain adult independence. In a few days we’d go back to Colorado, and try to start our last semester of high school jet lagged as hell.