Reverberations - 1. Reverberations

(Wednesday, October 13^th, 1998)

At 10 years old, Caleb was unsure why he focused on the news story, nor why his attention was drawn to a brutal murder thousands of miles away in Wyoming. However, before he could give himself a reason, the TV screen turned black.

“You’re too young to know about that stuff, Caleb. Don’t you have a big test tomorrow?” His mother clamored.

“Yeah mom, I…uh…Social Studies…” Caleb raced out of the living room, feeling as though he had done something dirty and wrong by watching the news.

(Thursday, June 26^th, 2003)

At 15 years old, Caleb lived with fear. A secret shame of what he was, hidden from the world. He didn’t know who to trust with this secret, nor if people including his own family would accept him for who he was. He flipped on the television and heard a groundbreaking news story coming from the US Supreme Court. Due to his joy of the moment obscuring his spatial awareness, he did not notice his father had been watching his joyous rapture. Caleb quickly changed the channel.

“Got any plans for the weekend, Cale?” his dad asked trying to avert an uncomfortable truth in his mind.

Caleb shyly answered, “Matt and Carolyn are heading to the beach, and they invited me. I’m going to invite our new neighbor, Jason, too.”

(Monday, May 17^th, 2004)

After school, Caleb and Jason, both 16 years old, were lounging around Caleb’s home. Caleb had revealed his secret to his parents and they were accepting towards Caleb and any “special” friend, which only Jason fits. Both boys knew they had an undefined relationship deeper than friendship. They knew they wanted to be with each other, but had no plans or words to express their desire. A news story popped up that caught their attention and kept it for an hour.

Caleb asked quizzically, “So…uh…marriage.”

Laughing, Jason gave Caleb a kiss, “I think we should start off by calling each other boyfriends, but I wouldn’t mind if that’s the end result.”

(Monday, November 10^th, 2008)

Caleb, who just turned 21 years old, was angry at the world. Angry his family had lost their home thanks to unscrupulous mortgage lenders. He was angry that Proposition 8 passed in California, and angry that Jason, his boyfriend of 5 years, had forgotten his birthday. His roommate would be spending the night at his girlfriend’s dorm, so he was completely alone. He sulked in his college dorm room preparing his pre-law final essay, but the spirit had left him for the lost causes in his life.

Someone was knocking at the door, which Caleb tried to ignore until he heard the familiar voice of Jason.

“Cale, open up before I have to make a big gay scene,” Jason extorted in his overly dramatic, though endearing, tone.

Caleb sighed and opened the door.

“Dude, chill it. I am glad most people know I am gay and are okay with it here.”

Jason understood and laid the cake down.

“Happy Birthday, Cale, I knew you were feeling down, so I wanted to surprise you.”

“I just feel like nothing ever gets fixed, Jase. Corporations keep making billions off false promotions, stealing peoples homes and money. Religious fundamentalists with money coming from the same crooks use the fear and instability to make lives harder for people like you and me. What’s the point in fighting?”

Jason considered thoughtfully.

“Cale, I’m not studying to be a lawyer like you. Maybe Obama will do something, maybe he can’t. All I know is you and I are here right now, I got you and you got me. We didn’t need the world to approve of us.”

(Friday, June 26^th, 2015)

Caleb, at 28 years old, was about to leave his old career and relationship status. A month ago, he had accepted a job as an assistant district attorney, having worked in the last few years at a public defense law firm. He had delayed assuming his new role until after his long-deferred wedding plans. At their reception dinner, Jason and Caleb began the customary toast and roast as new spouses.

Caleb spoke into his lapel microphone raising his glass of champagne, “I am happy to welcome all of you to our wedding, which I hope will be one of many after today’s ruling. You know I met Jason 12 years ago, today, we hit it off instantly…”

Jason interjected, instantly recognizing the comedy setup, “…Yes, but it took another ruling from a Supreme Court for this guy to ask me out…”

(Monday, June 4^th 2018)

At 30 years old, Caleb has had a very bad day. His twitter account had been flooding him with stories after the latest setback from the US Supreme Court, along with other personal and professional hindrances.

Caleb stared at a chocolate cake.

“Jase, what is this? Our anniversary is 3 weeks away.”

Jason smiled and poured a glass of red wine, “I heard about what happened with the job and I saw the news about the big cake case.”

“I expected they would choose someone else. I’m not exactly their ideal candidate despite the record. I used to feel like the token gay guy. Like I’ll be paraded down the street just to prove my office is tolerant. Now, I feel like they’ll start having me prosecuting gays with Jim Crow laws. When did I sell my soul to the devil, Jase?”

(Monday, June 15^th 2020)

At 32 years old, Caleb was trapped at home with his husband, Jason. Despite the grim prospects of the pandemic, they were optimistic. They had moved to a large progressive city on the east coast and Caleb had taken a vacant district attorney post.

“I told you Gorsuch wasn’t as bad as people thought,” Caleb wrapped Jason in his arms

“Well, all we need now is a new President and a few more judges on the Supreme Court. Maybe you?” Jason commented.

“Well, you never know what the future might bring…”