by Scott Damon
After light conversation, Calvin asked, “What kind of reactions did you get when you came out to everyone?”
“They weren’t bad. Lots of support. Some stupid jokes, but that’s the kind of friends I have. A lot of people just stayed silent, so I didn’t know what to make of that, but I didn’t push it with them.”
“Your parents and brother were ok with it?”
“Yeah, easier than I expected.”
Calvin paused a little. “I think my mom might be okay with it, but I’m more afraid of my dad’s reaction. I honestly don’t know how he would react. It was brave of you to come out to so many people.”
“I don’t know that it was so brave. It just seemed easiest to put it all out there at once and stop trying to hide it. It was almost easier than trying to decide who to tell and who not to.”
“Yeah, makes sense. At least for you.”
“Let me know if you ever plan to do it, so I can be there for you if you need it.”
Calvin blushed. “Awww…thanks, man. I will.”
They went on to discuss their backgrounds, favorite academic subjects, and other kids at school. Mostly, they talked about themselves and found much in common and some interesting differences. Both were into their sports, often programming their lives around them.
Calvin recounted, “Being a tall Black guy, the basketball coach tried to recruit me. It turned out I wasn’t half bad at it.”
“I just sort of fell into gymnastics. My parents enrolled me in tumbling when I was little and I stuck with it.”
“What about swimming?”
“I started competitive swimming at Whitman. It’s a relaxing alternative to the pressure of gymnastics at times.”
“You don’t think swimming is challenging?”
“Yeah, it’s plenty challenging. Gymnastics is just more important to me so I hold myself to a higher standard. I push myself harder.”
“I agree. Once you figure out what you really want, it’s easier to pour yourself into it.”
Calvin talked about moving from Baltimore when he was young and how disruptive it was. That was years ago, so he has adjusted now and feels he has plenty of friends. Jason lived all his life in Edgewood. His family travels often for vacations, but he would like to go to more places around the country and the world. They both talked about places they want to visit.
When the calamari came, Jason was a little timid, but once he tried it, he was sold. They finished it, talking about foods they liked and disliked. They agreed to try Asian food next time.
They split the check and walked towards the park. As they approached, they could hear the music and the crowd, although it wasn’t huge. They stayed towards the back and meandered as Calvin took Jason’s hand. Jason was surprised, as he was the one who was out, but he gladly held Calvin’s hand. Jason’s heart pounded, being close to another boy for once.
“Jason, how do you feel on stage in your loincloth?”
“I feel great. And generally comfortable. I’m getting into the character and what I’m wearing doesn’t cross my mind much.”
Calvin continued, “Well, you look great. I thought I would be self-conscious dressed in my skimpy warrior costume, but when I’m up there with you, I’m pretty focused – on you, actually – so I agree. I’m sort of not thinking about what I’m wearing then.”
“We’ll see how it is for actual shows, but the longer we go on, the better I feel wearing so little.”
“I agree.” Jason squeezed Calvin’s hand tighter for a second.
“Jason, I know I have a lot of unusual questions, but…”
“It’s okay. I like them.”
“Do you think Langley is gay?”
Jason smiled. “Okay, that one I didn’t expect. It crossed my mind. With this choice of a play, I thought maybe he was, but it’s an interesting play in any case. I guess last year he did West Side Story. What do you think?”
“I agree. There aren’t any clear signs of it. He hasn’t hit on anybody.” Both boys laughed. “But I don’t know if he’s married or anything either. Maybe he has a husband at home.”
“Yeah, maybe he’ll bring him to the premier.” The boys laughed loud enough again that a few people turned to glare at them before turning back to the concert.
Jason and Calvin talked a long time and got into the music. They moved close to the front and joined the crowd for a while, but ended up circling back to the quieter area where they could talk. Jason moved in to kiss Calvin and he responded. It was dark where they were, but there were still plenty of people around, so they kept the kiss short. Jason caressed Calvin’s back as they talked and they had a pleasant evening together.
Calvin walked Jason home and they kissed one more time, a little longer. They agreed to go out the next night too and were ready to spend a lot of time with one another, adding one more thing to Jason’s busy schedule, but this was so enjoyable, he was determined to fit it in.
It was close to midnight, but Jason’s parents were still up. They quizzed him about how it went. They joked about the pizza too, but said as long as it worked for them, it was great. Jason mentioned the concert and went to bed, thinking about Calvin.
Chapter 12 – Time with the Family
After more less-than-subtle hints from his mother, Jason agreed to bring Calvin over to meet his family. Before their next date, the boys arranged to spend a half hour with Jason’s parents. Olivia offered to cook dinner for the boys, but Jason wanted to ease into their time together. Derek was waiting in the den when they arrived. His parents gathered as soon as Jason and Calvin showed up.
Calvin tapped his foot, but he had told Jason he considered it low risk for the most part. It wasn’t like they had been together long and he felt confident he could be normal and likable for a half hour. Jason worried more about his family than about Calvin, but either way, it was walking into a dark cave carrying no light.
Carl and Olivia had a long string of questions for Calvin, but they spaced them out. They all acted like it was casual conversation, although it could have been mistaken for an interview. There was a lot of smiling and a little laughter.
Derek listened and observed to begin with, and then jumped in, “Honestly, Calvin, I thought you’d be a little more street.”
Calvin burst into his biggest laugh of the night at that comment. “More street? I can be, but I think I’d lose you fast, Derek.”
“Try me.”
Calvin ignored the challenge. “Growing up Black, you learn to adapt your language for the occasion. I’m sure you do it too, although not as drastic as I do.”
“Maybe. But I want to hear it sometime.”
“Okay, we’ll talk street sometime and see if I lose you.” Derek smiled, as if he and Calvin would have a secret code between them.
Calvin remarked about some of the artworks on the wall and a sculpture on a table. Jason was so used to them that they blended into the background. His parents collected things on their travels and had an eye for finding quality authentic items. They provided a brief back story on each of the ones Calvin mentioned.
As the boys stood to head to a Chinese restaurant, Olivia hugged Calvin and told him she wanted him to join them for dinner sometime soon. Calvin assured her they would. Carl shook his hand and everyone was very polite with each other.
* * *
Carl let Jason drive that night. In Edgewood, most of the places the boys needed to go were within walking distance, but they were glad to have a vehicle this time. Both boys breathed a sigh of relief and Jason dove right in. “I think that went pretty well, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, not bad.”
“I doubt I could be that cool with your parents.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t be doing that anytime soon.”
“I know. I’m just saying.”
“I don’t know why you worry so much, Jason. You do fine with people.”
“At times, but I’m way more nervous than you seem to be.”
“Oh, I
was plenty nervous. I guess what I was most afraid of was they would ask me stuff about being gay.”
Jason laughed. “I understand. But what did you think they would ask you?”
“I don’t know. Nothing I can think of, but I wasn’t sure I would have the answers.”
“You’re right. I’m glad they didn’t. They never brought up anything about being gay.”
“They basically treated me like they would a girl you brought home.”
“Well, that won’t be happening anytime soon, either. I’m glad it was you, Calvin.”
“Me too.” Calvin gave Jason a quick peck on the cheek as he drove.
* * *
They chose a restaurant neither had been to before. Each boy had a family favorite Chinese place, but they preferred to start fresh. Jason noticed several dishes containing calamari, so they made a point of selecting one of those. They added some soup and a second less adventurous dish and were happy with their choices.
Calvin reflected on their conversation, “If that was my parents, my dad would have chased you out of the house. And my mom might have pretended you were a close friend and nothing more.”
“I hope you’re exaggerating, but I’ll take your word for it.”
“I don’t think I am. Sometimes I wish I could talk to them about us.”
“Yeah, it must be hard. It’s not like I’m talking about you all the time with my parents, but at least I know I can if I want to.”
“Hey, you better be talking about me.”
Jason rubbed Calvin’s leg with his foot under the table. “Don’t worry. I’d rather be talking with you, anyway. What’s your fortune say?”
“Mine says ‘Love conquers all.’ What about yours?”
“’Love is for those who seek it.’ I wonder if every male couple that comes in here gets fortunes about love.”
Calvin responded, “I doubt it. We’ll have to keep coming back to see.” They smiled and held each other’s gaze for a few moments.
The boys both had homework to catch up on, so they drove back to Jason’s house, shared an extended good-night kiss and Calvin made his way home. Jason had increasing trouble focusing on homework.
Chapter 13 – The Photo Session
As rehearsals continued, Calvin and Jason didn’t especially try to keep their relationship secret, although Calvin still wasn’t ready to come out to everyone. They acted like good friends when they were around others.
On weekends, when they could fit it in around sports, family, and homework, they spent most of their time together. They found some movies to go to, watching some and making out more in others. They took a lot of walks, talked incessantly, ate out when they could afford it, and found other reasons to be with each other.
* * *
The script for the play fell into place rapidly. Actors memorized their lines well and, for the most part, came to rehearsals prepared and enthusiastic. A few actors in minor roles dropped out, because they found it was taking too much time, it wasn’t right for them, or they lost interest. Langley made adjustments and they moved on.
One Tuesday, Langley informed the cast and crew they wouldn’t be rehearsing the next day. Instead, a handful of actors would be meeting with the photography club to take pictures for promotional materials – posters, flyers, and whatever else the marketing students wanted to use. Langley was proud the play generated activities for so many students to get involved.
Langley told the group he needed Tarak, Victoria, and three warriors for the photo session. He chose Mark, Calvin, and Stuart to accompany Julia and Jason.
The entire session lasted two hours. Tarak was needed in nearly all of the pictures, which was reasonable. Some were full-length, some close-up, and many in action poses. They used the set and props when they needed to. Tarak and Victoria had pictures together and Tarak posed with individual warriors and all three of them as a group. They weren’t going to use every picture they took, but they needed a good portfolio from which to choose.
Langley noticed Jason flinching when the photography advisor, Mr. Greene, started applying makeup to parts of his body to highlight things for the camera. It was his face at first, but later his chest, arms, and abs too. He explained the purpose of each thing he applied to the photography students and they understood better once they could see the results through the camera’s view. Towards the end, he applied oil to many parts of Jason’s body so it would glisten. Those turned out to be some of the best shots.
As Langley watched, he realized he hadn’t prepared Jason for the makeup and oil he would need to wear during some scenes. Jason’s nervousness convinced Langley he better introduce the ideas soon and incorporate them into rehearsals. It was one more thing Jason would have to grow comfortable with by opening night, which was now four weeks away.
Jason wasn’t the only one who appeared to be troubled by this application of makeup. Calvin shifted his weight and stared at the ground each time Mr. Greene touched Jason. Greene was just carrying out his professional duties, but it came across as overly intimate. Calvin never brought it up, but he was quieter than usual when the boys were together that night.
* * *
The next day, Jason was exhausted, so he took one of his infrequent naps. It reinvigorated him to an extent. He went looking for Derek to see if he wanted to play video games or shoot hoops. When he bounded downstairs in his loincloth, Jason picked up on voices, but he was at the bottom before he realized his mother’s book club was meeting in the living room.
“Jason, is that you?” his mom asked.
“Yeah Mom, just looking for Derek.”
“He’s outside. Come in here for a minute.”
“Mom…I’m in my loincloth.”, edging towards the door. “I thought you were meeting at someone else’s house tonight.”
“We were, but she came down with a bug. Come in here, and at least say hi.”
Jason lingered at the doorway, all eyes focused on him. “Hello everyone.”
Most said “hi” or “hello”, with one woman a little louder saying “Hello Tarak.”
His mom explained, “It’s okay, Jason. They all know you’re playing Tarak. In fact, most of them want tickets when they’re available.”
“Oh, I think we all do.” claimed one neighbor.
Olivia continued, “They insisted we read Tarzan of the Apes this month, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, a classic.”
Jason interjected, “Yeah, mom, I know who wrote it.”
His mom let him go. “Okay, go find Derek. I’m sure he’ll want to do something with you. Let us know when tickets go on sale.”
“You’ll be the first to know, mom. Have a good book club, ladies.”
There was lots of murmuring as Jason left the room. Jason was glad she was supporting him. Sometimes, they connected better than other times.
Chapter 14 – One More Casting Call
The hair and makeup people had been preparing all along, but hadn’t been incorporated into rehearsals. Jason’s hair was growing convincingly long for the role of Tarak, as he had only been getting minor trims once he landed the role. It was time to start incorporating makeup into the rehearsals to give the makeup artists practice and have the actors get used to it. That in itself was uneventful and everyone accepted it. One aspect unique to this production gave people a little pause – the need to apply oil to the bodies of many of the actors. Not only did the makeup people not have time for that, it was more intimate and they needed to be respectful about appropriate genders and how people were touched.
Langley decided they needed to recruit a boy to spread oil on males and a girl to do it for females in scenes where the actors needed to look like they’re sweating. For Tarak, it would be for fight scenes, the torture scene, and a few others.
Langley posted notices around school to find people willing to do this. He ended up with more boys applying than he expected. He brought them in to verify their comfort level with it and to check their speed and thoroughness. The assumptio
n was they would apply oil to all the actors who needed it during each break in the action.
One of the boys people assumed to be gay applied, as well as another gymnast, and a variety of active and shy kids from throughout the school. Langley gave them each a chance to put oil on Jason and some of the actors playing warriors.
As students applied oil to Tarak’s body, Calvin fidgeted. He pulled Langley off to the side and asked him, “Mr. Langley, what if actors applied oil to each other instead?”
Langley was caught off-guard but thought it was an interesting idea. “Calvin, that might work, but then your hands would be slippery. That could be dangerous, especially when grabbing ropes, weapons, or other things.”
“I suppose that’s true. That would be a problem. I just…”
Langley thought about it more. He could see Calvin wasn’t objecting to oil applied to him, but something else was bothering him. He was still puzzled, looking for more information.
Calvin stammered, “Okay, let’s do it your way. I don’t have any better idea.”
As Langley returned to the tryouts, some of the candidates were business-like and did the job quickly and mechanically. Others were more tentative and cautious and needed to be encouraged. Most avoided eye contact with the person they were oiling. The cast stood motionless and ended up with considerable oil on them by the end.
Langley chose two boys and two girls to do the job. They could share the task if both were available or back each other up if some nights they couldn’t make it. He was glad to have this over. He knew he was walking on thin ice at times.
* * *
Jason caught up with Calvin as soon as he could. “Cal, what’s going on. What was your problem today?”
Calvin hesitated, but then blurted out, “I can’t stand other guys touching you! Anyone really, but especially guys. You’re my boyfriend and I didn’t like seeing that.”
Jason was stunned and flattered. “Yeah, I get it. I didn’t like seeing those other boys touching you either, but it’s all part of the play.”