The final shock of the Sidney Washington Jr. story came when Mrs. Washington asked to meet with David and Gavin. She told them Sid was physically at the location of the attack, but she knew he didn't actually have a part in beating David.
David said Mrs. Washington's answer when Gavin asked why they should believe Sid wasn't one of the guys who actually took part in the pummeling astounded them.
"Because," Mrs. Washington had said, "my son is gay, too."
Apparently and understandably, Sid Jr. didn't want his friends to know. "So, that's why he didn't back out. We tried to not tell his father. But now, if we admit Sid Jr. is gay, perhaps some charges against him would be reduced."
David said that if they don't tell the truth about their son, then they're selling him out for his father's career. But if they do, then Washington loses everything he'd worked for.
It was a conflict of emotions I knew all too well.
Every catering job I'd had helped prepare me for the weeks leading to the Project Lazarus gala. The planning seemed all the more special because of the important role Lazarus House played in the New Orleans community for over twenty years.
As driven as I was to make sure the catering was as spectacular as the event, my brother and Max were even more determined to make sure I wasn't the frump of the evening.
After countless shopping trips, I fell in love with a frothy dress with an ankle-length blushing pink tulle skirt and champagne-shaded silk halter top. Even Ben would become a prince that night and wear his first tuxedo.
Julie, Trey, and Nick would be sharing a table with my dad and stepmother, who managed to "squeeze us in" between vacations.
I hadn't heard much from Gavin. David said he was busy with the lawsuit and other projects. I promised myself that, after the gala, I would call him. I owed him that. He not only challenged me to confront what I most feared, he reminded me—just by our spending time together—that relationships require more than steamy love scenes to endure. The kind of romance in the books I'd been holding on to seemed empty and pointless. So much so that I packed all the books in a box and carried them to the street curb so the waste maintenance company would take them where they belonged.
That night, my Cinderella transformation left me barely recognizable, even to myself. I tottered into the den, still wobbling on my spikey heels, until my sharply dressed son reached out to steady me. "Mom, you look like cotton candy."
I held my son's face in my hands. "And, you, mister, are one sharp-looking guy. If you don't have a date, I'm yours."
I looked around the room. My brother, finally free of casts and braces and crutches, and Max, both tuxedoed, standing together. "Would you look at us?" I reached out to David and Max. "Who would have thought? What a difference a year makes."
David leaned over, kissed me on my cheek, and whispered in my ear. "What a difference God makes."
"Time to go. You can't be late for your first gala." Max reached for the door, wearing a grin the size of the Gulf of Mexico.
David held my elbow and steered me to the door. "Don't worry, Princess, we made certain you'd have everyone you needed to make tonight wonderful."
"Everyone? I think you meant everything, right?"
"No," said Max as he opened the door. "He meant everyone."
I managed to glide toward the open door in time to see a handsomely dressed Gavin standing halfway between the front porch steps and the door. He held one exquisite red rose.
"Gavin . . ."
He grinned at me and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Well, Sis?" David asked behind me.
I peered over my shoulder at him and Max, smiled and nodded, then turned to Gavin.
"I'm ready," I said. I stepped out the door and into Gavin's arms.
Discussion Questions
How would you have responded to David's phone call that Saturday morning? Or have you been Caryn, having someone you love confirm that he or she is gay?
If you were Julie, what would you have told Caryn? What did you think about their conversation?
Did this novel challenge any of your assumptions? If so or not, explain.
David's fiancé, Lauren, seems to adjust to his announcement better than Caryn. Why?
How does Caryn's faith increase in the novel? Or does it?
Did the story being told from Caryn's point of view help or hinder it as it unfolded? How might it have been a different story in third person?
At the basic level, beyond the issue of a person being gay or straight, what do you think this novel is about?
Caryn fills the voids in her emotional and physical lives after Harrison's death with highly charged romance novels. Is this "emotional pornography" an issue in the lives of married women as well?
When it comes to sexuality, how do we pick and choose the things we condone?
What other instances are there in the novel of "broken sexuality"?
Did you, like Caryn, assume Gavin was gay? What does this reflect about Caryn, about us?
Max and David consider themselves Christians. Do you see being gay and Christian as mutually exclusive?
How is the title significant to the events in the novel?
Why would this novel be considered "not-your-usual Christian fiction"?
RESOURCES
Project Lazarus (www.projectlazarus.net) was founded out of compassion and service to all people. Project Lazarus provides services to people with AIDS who can no longer live independently or whose family can no longer take care of them.
The Trevor Project (www.thetrevorproject.org) is determined to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources including our nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital community and advocacy/educational programs that create a safe, supportive and positive environment for everyone.
The Marin Foundation (www.themarinfoundation.org) works to build bridges between the LGBT community and the Church through scientific research, biblical and social education, and diverse community gatherings. Andrew Marin's book is Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community.
The Gay Christian Network (www.gaychristian.net) is a nonprofit ministry serving Christians who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, and those who care about them.
When Christians Get It Wrong Adam Hamilton tackles the issues—homosexuality, politics, faith and science, other religions, and suffering—that keep young adults away from church and demonstrates what Christianity is supposed to look like.
The Matthew Shepard Foundation (www.matthewshepard.org) tries to raise awareness and promote human dignity for everyone by engaging schools, corporations, and individuals in dialogues. These dialogues take many forms; some are presentations, some are interactive seminars, and some are web-based. Ultimately, they try to cross boundaries between straight and gay in order to bring people together.
A portion of the royalties from this novel will be donated to
The Trevor Project and Lazarus House
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Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
The Edge of Grace Page 27