Boy Story: The Road Taken - 22. The Happiest Place on Earth

The Happiest Place on Earth

It was still early April when I got a phone call from Parker asking if I could come over a little earlier than usual on Saturday.

“Sure, what’s up?” I asked.

“I want to ask you something,” he said being vague.

“Why not just ask me right now and save yourself the wait?”

“Um, well I don’t have all the details. That’s why I want you to come over when my mom is home,” he explained.

“Oh, OK. What time then?”

“Can you be here for lunch at around noon?”

“Alright, sure.”

I figured it was another offer like the gift certificate we used when we went out to eat. It was probably something he was thinking was a good idea, but his mother had all the details. My assumption was close, but about 1,200 miles off.

I got pretty good at timing the drive and arrived a little before noon. I walked up and noticed the inside door was open, so I walked in and closed both doors. I started up the stairs and announced, “Company’s here!”

As I slowly ascended the stairs, I noticed the shadow of a familiar figure against the dining room wall jogging toward me. He came into view sliding a bit across the kitchen floor in his socks, took two and a half more jogging steps, stopped in front of me, and we were kissing.

“Mmm, who said good service was dead,” I joked.

“Not me,” he replied as we continued kissing.

“OK, c’mon, we've got important business to discuss,” he said grabbing me by the arm and leading me to the den.

“Matthew, so nice to see you,” Ginny said when she saw me.

“Hi, Ginny, nice to see you too. So what’s going on?”

“Have a seat,” she said pointing to the sofa.

I sat and Parker pulled up next to me and wrapped himself around my torso.

“Parker! Would you let the boy breathe for God’s sake?” she scolded.

He gave a loud sigh and let go.

“So how much has Parker told you so far?” she asked.

“Nothing, really, just that he, or you, wanted to tell me something,” I said trying to figure out if I was remembering it right.

“Good, then it should be easy. Let me start from the beginning. My father, Parker’s grandfather, passed away almost two years ago…”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear,” I admitted.

“Thank you. When my father passed, he had amassed a small fortune and owned a large house. My mother was taken from us by cancer seven years prior. My father set aside funds for his three grandchildren to go to college, so it’s something of a free ride for them if they stick to state schools and don’t go crazy. Then we finally sold his house last month, and now I’ve got a little bit of money in the bank,” she stopped and offered me a glass of iced tea from the container she had out on the table. I accepted.

She continued, “Since Parker’s 18th birthday and his high school graduation both fall in May—well the ceremony is technically in June, but you get my point—I decided to combine the two and give him an extra special combination 18th birthday and graduation present from me and my deceased parents: An all-expenses paid trip to Disney World.”

“We’re gonna hit all three parks and stay in one of the nice hotels in the park, too,” added Parker unable to control his enthusiasm.

“Wow, that’s a great gift!” I declared.

“Of course, Parker would rather be seen dead than on vacation with his mother. So I will be going with my sister, Helen, and Parker gets to invite a friend of his choice...same deal—all expenses paid. That’s round trip airfare, admission to the parks, meals, transportation, and lodging at the exclusive Grand Floridian Hotel on the property. Everything!” she said emphatically.

“And guess who I want to go with me,” Parker said looking at me with a big smile.

“Are you kidding? Me? Really? Oh my gosh, that's like the trip of a lifetime!”

At that point Parker and I were both hugging each other and celebrating like we had just won the lottery. Actually, we kind of had.

Once I regained my composure, I asked, “So wait a minute...when is this trip happening?”

“Well, we will have to coordinate it before I book everything. When do you finish up with your classes?”

“Oh, that date is seared into my brain. It’s officially Friday, May 16th, but I'll be done with my exams on Thursday the 15th at 2:00. I’ll be packing up and moving out on Friday to beat the Saturday rush,” I already had my last day planned out in my head.

“So what I’m thinking just might work out here. You see, Disney gets really crowded once schools are out for the summer, so let’s see here...” Ginny pulled out Parker’s school calendar from the table next to her. “Well, Parker’s last day of class is Wednesday, May 21st, Senior Trip Day is the next day on Thursday, and Commencement Rehearsal is on that Friday. Now if we can fit the trip in during the nine free days between Commencement Rehearsal and Commencement Day, we’ll beat the summer rush. I know it’s cutting it a bit close, but if things work out the way they should, Parker will be there for the Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, June 1st without a problem. If something goes wrong and we get delayed, we still had a great trip, and Parker gets his diploma in the mail.”

“Oh Commencement! What a bore. You wouldn’t be missing anything. Believe me,” I gave him my honest opinion.

“Really?”

“Oh, God yes. I remember mine. It was hot and we were in the middle of a football field baking in full sun wearing black caps and gowns. Many students had the foresight to wear shorts under their gowns. Most, like me, did not. Then the speeches began: The key note speaker was a female congresswoman originally from our town, followed by the class president, and then the valedictorian (who went on and on). Then they read off the names one by one, you wait in line, get your diploma, sit back down, and wait until all three hundred odd people have gone up. We all just wanted to get the heck out of there and go home before we started passing out. I would have gladly missed that event. Sure, it’s the last time you’ll see your whole class together, but it wasn’t worth the ordeal.”

Ginny kept things moving, “So Matt, if we fly out on Saturday, May 24th, can you be here in this house, the day before?”

“You mean the Friday that Parker has his Commencement Rehearsal...the 23rd?” I asked looking at Parker's school calendar on the table in front of us.

“Yes.”

“Sure, I’ll drive over with my suitcase packed.”

“OK, are you sure you can do this? I’m going to buy the tickets in the next couple of days and after that it’s nonrefundable.”

“Oh, I’m sure. Nothing could keep me from going on this trip!”

Parker came up to me pretending to be holding a microphone, and he said, “Matthew Bancroft, you just finished your sophomore year of college. What are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to Disney World!”

Then something suddenly hit me, “Hey, wait a minute...?”

“What?”

“Did you say Parker’s birthday? When is that?” I asked.

“What, he hasn’t been dropping hints about what to get him since you met him?” Ginny inquired.

“No, it never came up.”

“Wow, you are lucky. His birthday is May 4th, it’s a Sunday, but we’ll be having his party the day before on Saturday afternoon. I assume you’ll be invited,” she said looking at Parker.

Parker confirmed, “Of course, he’s the first one on my guest list.”

Suddenly my social calendar was filling up.

We heard the front door open, and a voice called out, “The food’s here!” A woman appeared holding a bucket of chicken and a bag with all the accessories. She appeared to be around Ginny’s age, maybe a bit younger, and she was wearing a very interesting coat made up of colorful cloth patches sewn together.

“Hi, Aunt Helen!” Parker called out.

“Parker! My gosh, you get better looking every time I see you,” the woman replied.

“You always say that.”

“Because it’s true!” she declared.

“And this is my boyfriend, Matt!”

“Well, let me get a good look at you,” she said removing her sunglasses.

“Oh, so you’re Aunt Helen. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” I tried.

“Not as much as I’ve heard about you, Matthew.”

At that point, I got a twinge in the pit in my stomach because I was pretty sure from her response that she heard about the incident in the hallway. You know how sisters talk.

“You’re all we hear about from Parker these days,” she added.

OK, maybe I was premature on that call.

“Hey Parker, it looks like you’ve done alright for yourself,” she said with a wink.

Well, I guess the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, as far as Aunt Helen knowing about Parker’s sexual orientation. And she seemed perfectly cool with it.

“Here Matthew, make yourself useful and take this bucket,” she said.

I knew right away I was going to like Aunt Helen. She had an eccentric, playful way about her, and I could tell she didn’t mind busting chops on occasion...even if it was her own.

So Ginny handed out the paper plates and the drinks while Parker was setting out the sides. I opened the chicken bucket and picked out a couple of pieces.

“Take as many pieces as you like. That’s a 12-piece bucket and we don’t want to fuss with leftovers now, do we?” Helen encouraged us.

“Helen has come over because we are beginning to make our trip plans today,” Ginny stated.

“And because Parker was dying to show off his mysterious new boyfriend,” Helen added.

“Well, I’m not all that mysterious...here I am,” I announced.

“So Parker, where can I find gorgeous men like this?” Helen asked while looking me over. I must say I felt a bit uncomfortable...but also a bit sexy.

“Ha ha, I found him at the mall, but this one’s mine!” he said leaning over and placing a hand of ownership upon my back. It was cute and made me smile.

“Oh, is that why everyone is forever going to the mall? I always figured they were just out shopping. Now I know what they are shopping for,” Aunt Helen joked.

“Hey, aren’t you still married?” Parker chastised her.

“I may be married, but I still like to look at the new models out in the showroom,” she confessed.

“Sounds like you’re looking to trade in your old model,” Parker kidded her.

“Who, John? Well, I suppose I’ll keep him because he puts up with me and is occasionally willing to take his lumps.”

“Hey, isn’t Uncle John going to Disney with us?” Parker asked.

“Nah, he says Disney is for little kids. He’d rather go to a coaster park. He’ll have to do that with Jess because I don’t have the stomach for it.”

She saw the blank look on my face. “Jessica is my daughter, Parker’s cousin. She’s 15 now and every bit the daredevil her father is, God help us.”

Just then the phone rang and Ginny went to answer it in the other room. Parker announced, “I’ve gotta see a man about a horse. I’ll be right back.” And he was off to use the bathroom.

“Alone at last,” Helen said to me wrapping her hands around my left bicep. “So where do you hail from Mr. Matt?”

“Ah, the north shore...Peabody to be exact.”

“Oh, what’s your last name?”

“It’s Bancroft.”

“Hmm, Bancroft...from Peabody. Can’t say I know anyone from Peabody, so that doesn’t help. Not that I’d know your parents anyway.”

“And what’s your last name?” I asked her.

“I’m Helen Walters and my husband is John.”

“So do you prefer I call you Helen or Mrs. Walters?”

“Well, you can call me Aunt Helen since you’re like part of the family now.”

“OK, that works.”

“And you go to state college, do you?”

“Yup, just finishing my sophomore year.”

“Well, you seem like an intelligent boy. And Ginny told me you were able to change Parker’s mind about college. How did you manage that?”

“Well, it helped to offer the right incentive.”

“Oh, and what was that?”

“Me!” I joked.

“Ha ha. Well you’ve done a good deed and made my sister very happy.”

“Well that’s what friends are for,” I repeated the line from the song.

“You know, Parker is a national treasure,” she said quietly as if she were telling me a secret.

“Yes, and I love him dearly,” I was quick to point out.

“Mmm hmm, that’s why I like to make sure he’s in good hands...and uh, other assorted body parts,” she said giggling at her own joke. “Oh, I’m so wicked!”

And then she continued on a more serious tack, “But I do like the vibe between you two, so far...you seem right for each other. Heaven knows Parker deserves a bit of good fortune in his budding love life. That’s why I’ll give you this one important piece of advice...”

She leaned over to whisper, “Don’t fuck it up! You read me?”

“Loud and clear!” I replied.

“Good.”

“What’s good? You must be talking about me,” Parker wisecracked returning to the table.

“Incredible is good, remember?” I reminded him.

“Oh we’re back to that again, are we?” Parker said smiling.

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