by Megan Slayer
“You’re a smart kid, Christopher.” He whipped his phone out of his pocket. He dialed his father at the police station. The call went straight to voicemail. He gritted his teeth. The chief probably had too much going on already. He pressed the numbers to call Colin while he waited for his father’s line to free up.
“Is it bad?” Chris asked. “I know those are pride flags, and whoever did that doesn’t like you or us or whatever.”
“Yeah, someone’s really pissed off.” He groaned. “Why don’t you go upstairs with Darcy? Find a movie or something and watch it in my room.”
“Sure.” Chris nodded. “Sorry, Dad.”
“It’s not your fault.” He dialed Colin’s number and waited for Chris to exit before he muttered, “It’s not anyone’s fault.” Not really. Being gay shouldn’t have the stigma it still carried. Who gave a rat’s ass who anyone else was doing as long as they were all of age and consenting?
After three rings, Colin answered. “Did they hit you too?”
No hi. No how are you. Nice. “I’m going to assume the flags aren’t just at my house.” Fuck. He’d hoped it was an isolated incident.
“They’re on my front lawn. At the house Jordan owns. Colt’s got them in front of the restaurant and his house, plus they’re at Ashley’s place as well as Niall’s. Coincidence? I’m not buying it,” Colin snapped. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. That band of…ugh.”
“What do we do?” Bobby asked. “I don’t know if it’s against any laws since it’s not permanent, but I’m not sure how to proceed.”
“Jordan has his friends on the police force on it. I’m sure your dad’s being inundated. I’d report it as vandalism. It’s not permanent, but it is on your lawn, and I doubt you normally decorate with that many defaced pride flags.”
“That would be correct.” He wasn’t one to fly the rainbow colors on normal days. If someone asked, he’d tell, but he wasn’t going to advertise.
“I’m sick of this. What do we have to do? It’s not like we’re cramming our lifestyle down the collective throat of Cedarwood. We’re living our lives,” Colin growled. “I thought this was a good town with decent people. I’m starting to wonder.”
“I’d be interested in seeing how many yards were defaced. That’s a lot of flags out there, and if there are the same number at the different places you listed, as well as ones you don’t know about…then this was coordinated.” He didn’t know the law, but he knew his math. Someone wanted to send a pretty big message.
“We had a great turnout at the festival. Jordan and I thought we’d made strides toward getting this hate erased,” Colin said.
“You did. People came out and had fun. You also didn’t force everyone to accept that you’re gay. That I’m gay. Whatever.”
“Not to be a prick, but what’s your point? So what about the flags being a coordinated effort? Someone—probably on the Coalition—is pissed, and this was their way of showing it.”
What’s his point? “Are that many people really against us? Think about it. There were a few pride flags at the festival, and the bands were LGBTQ friendly. All kinds of people were there. They wanted a party and didn’t seem to care who we partnered up with.” He paused. “How do you know that many people are really pissed? What if this is a smaller group that’s gotten more…enthusiastic?”
“I don’t know.” Colin sighed. “We’ve got kids. I don’t want them in harm’s way. I feel like I’m failing all of them.” He paused and the line went silent for a minute. “If you don’t like someone, you don’t bully and insult them in order to get your way. At least that’s not what I’m trying to teach Gage.”
“That’s the kind of message this flag shit is sending. You’re right. It’s telling kids, no matter what their orientation might be, that it’s okay to use scare tactics and anger to get your point across.” Bobby clenched his fist. He hated what was happening and wasn’t sure how to stop it, but damn it, he’d try. His kids—all of the kids in Cedarwood—were too important for them to give up.
“I love living here, but not like this,” Colin said.
Bobby paced the length of the living room and thought about the situation. There had to be a solution. But what? He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll call the police department, but I’m making more calls. Something has to change, and it’ll have to start with us.”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking of doing, but I’m game to help,” Colin said. “We can’t do much more than we’re already doing. Keep me posted.”
“Will do.” He disconnected the call, then dialed his father. “Hey, Chris?”
Chris rounded the corner from the hallway into the living room. “Right here.”
“You’ve been there the whole time, haven’t you?” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll find out about all of this sooner or later. Okay, will you take pictures with your phone and email them to me and to your grandfather? I would, but I’m trying to call him.” When the call didn’t go through, he dialed again.
“You want pictures of the lawn?” Chris held up his phone. “Okay.”
“It’s for proof.”
Chris rolled his eyes, then plopped onto the couch. “It’s sending. Five photos and they’ve got the time stamp. I downloaded a sweet app that makes them look like they were taken by one of those old camcorder things.”
Old camcorder things… Jesus. “Thanks.” After two rings, the call connected. “Dad?”
“I’m going to assume you have new landscaping,” Chief Gagnon said. “Something in the rainbow category?”
“How’d you guess? I’m not the only one who called, am I?” Bobby asked. He shooed Chris out of the room and held his hand over the receiver. “Keep an eye on your sister. Thanks.”
“I’ve had over twenty complaints this fine morning alone. I’ve got two officers writing up the complaints and three more investigating each. I see Chris emailed me photos of yours. Wonderful.”
“How big is Cedarwood, Dad? Six thousand people? Something like that.” He thought that was what he’d remembered from the article in the paper.
“We hit sixty-five hundred last summer.” Chief Gagnon groaned. “This is ridiculous.”
“I’m guessing twenty homes being targeted isn’t that much for a town this size, then, is it?”
“There’s more, but it’s unusual. I don’t know if it’s only gay people who were singled out. I didn’t ask them for their sexual persuasion.” Chief groaned again. “Sorry, son. This is getting out of hand. I know a lot of the people in these reports, and I can’t say all of them are gay, but the lion’s share are.”
“Jesus,” Bobby bit out. “Fuck.”
“Jesus could probably do more than I can. Look, I have to go. Call the desk and make a formal report. Keep the kids inside and call your mother. I don’t want her to be alone, although I haven’t heard anything from her about our house having new lawn ornaments.”
“Will do. Thanks.” He hung up and settled on the couch. Something had to be done. This was more than crazy or out of hand. People were being targeted, only because of who they loved. He dialed the main line at the police department and filed the report. He’d have to go down to the station later, but according to the officer, they were swamped. He’d wait.
Bobby dialed his mother’s cell number. Instead of the call going through, he got a text saying she was out driving. He returned to the window. Hopefully she was on her way to the house.
Speaking of the house, he needed to get in touch with Remy. God. What kind of shit storm had rained down on him? Remy was a good person too, but he had a public job and wore his sexuality on his sleeve. He’d already had incidents with people at the swim complex.
His phone vibrated in his hand. He glanced down at the screen. Remy. His heart hammered as he answered. “Hey.”
“Tell me your day is better than mine,” Remy said.
“I doubt it. I’ve got hate flags all over my lawn. You?” He nudged the curtain aside as his mother pull
ed into the driveway. Bobby left the window. He rushed across the house to the garage door. He opened the door to the second garage bay and motioned for his mother to park in there.
“I’m covering the story,” Remy replied. “I’m supposed to report on the hate flags for the front page. My editor knows I’m gay. I didn’t hide it at the paper, but goddamn it, they think I’m the perfect person to cover the story. I don’t want to cover this crap.”
“Babe, I’m sorry.” Bobby held the door for his mother. “Hang on.” He turned his attention to his mother. “The kids are upstairs. Dad wants you to stay here until things blow over, meaning probably when he gets off work later.”
She nodded and patted his arm. “I’ll find the kids. Thanks.”
“Sorry.” Bobby focused on Remy. “Mom’s here. It’s all gone to hell in a handbasket.”
“I’m sure,” Remy said. “This isn’t your fault any more than it’s mine or Colin’s or whatever. I’m tired of lying about who I am in order to fit in, but I’m more tired of kids who want to come out being scared because of shit like this. No one wants to be the target of this stuff.”
“What are you going to do?” Colin had just asked him that question too. Does anyone really have the answers?
“I’m going to cover the story. It’s my job, and I’d like to keep that job.” Remy paused. “But I have some counter-story ideas. There’s an LGBTQ support group meeting coming up, right?”
“Later tonight, why? Colin will probably cancel it or have it somewhere other than the church.” Where’s Remy going with this line of thinking?
“This story has more than one side. I want to tell the story of those who were targeted. I want to show the public the people of Cedarwood are great people, regardless of their sexuality.” Remy said. “Do you mind if I come over tonight?”
“I’d be pissed if you didn’t.” He massaged his temple. “Rem, you’re important to me, and I want my people around me at a time like this. You’re one of those people.”
“I like you too.” Remy chuckled. “You’re not a bad person, and neither am I. This is a shitty scare tactic, and if I can, I’m going to help put an end to it.”
“Be careful. Your crusading is sexy, but don’t get hurt while you’re out chasing ghosts.” He wished he could’ve sounded more upbeat, but he was beginning to think the whole situation had gone too far.
“We’re stronger than this. All of us. I might be doing this for what amounts to nothing, but I’ve got a good reason,” Remy said.
“You’ve gained confidence. I like it.”
“Being with a great guy tends to help.” Remy laughed again. “You’re pretty special to me too.”
“Right back atcha.” Bobby sighed. “I’ll keep an eye out for you.”
“Sounds good. I’m at the city building. Looks like the Coalition meets there. I’m supposed to talk to the head of the group in ten minutes. I’ll call when I’m on my way. Love you.” Remy hung up.
Bobby stared at the silent phone. Love you? What the hell? He and Remy hadn’t ventured into using that word. Not yet anyway. He liked Remy—a lot. It could be love, but he wasn’t ready to admit it out loud. His head swam. Remy loved him. It didn’t feel wrong, but different.
He roamed the house and locked the doors. His family, save for Remy and his father, were safe and there with him. He ventured upstairs to his bedroom.
“I’m going to talk to your dad,” Esther said. “I’ll be right back.”
Neither child answered. Apparently whatever movie they were watching was more interesting.
Esther stepped into the hallway with Bobby, then over to the stairs. She sat on the top step with him. “That’s quite a sight out there.”
“Are there any at your house?” he asked.
“No. The Coalition wouldn’t dare. Your father still has a lot of clout in this town. People respect him, even if they don’t like that his son is gay.” She patted his thigh. “It’s none of their damn business.”
“He’s supposed to set an example. I’m not helping that image.” He wasn’t ashamed, but more irritated. Who gave the Coalition the right to determine who could and couldn’t live in the town? “Are you sure your friends are against the Coalition? It seems like the group has long arms.”
“They don’t like the division, no. Most of my friends either have a child or grandchild who is gay or they know a gay person. We want Cedarwood to be a place of acceptance,” she said. “A place to raise a family no matter how it’s made up.”
Her words rang in his head. A place to raise a family no matter how it’s made up. He could use that as a slogan, but for what? The festival hadn’t worked as well as they’d thought. But those words could band people together. He clasped his hands. He had no real idea how to get people organized.
“Hey, Dad?” Chris called. “Practice is cancelled. Coach doesn’t want us out running in this climate. He says there are community issues that are impeding our practice. We’re supposed to get a run in, but whatever time and wherever is up to us.”
“Okay,” Bobby replied. He turned his attention to his mother. “Mom, I’m stuck. This is affecting the kids. No practice? I don’t want him out there running while this is going on, either, but how do I know it’s not because I’m gay and the coach doesn’t want to deal with me? I’m not on best-friends terms with him, and I haven’t talked to him in a few days, so I can’t be sure it’s not a team-wide decision.”
“You’re getting worked up over something you can’t control.” She grasped his hand. “It’s probably for the entire team. No one really wants the kids out there if they can’t be supervised while this is going on. Where’s Remy?”
“Covering the story for the paper.” He stood and started down the steps. “I’ll be right back. I need to make another phone call.”
He made his way to the first floor of the house and stopped in the kitchen. Anger bubbled within him. When he glanced over his shoulder, he noticed Chris in the doorway.
“Don’t ream out the coach, Dad. I know you want to,” Chris said. “He’s trying to keep us safe.”
“I know and I appreciate it, but this has gotten too big.” Christ, he was on edge. With so much happening, he wasn’t even sure what to tell his children. We’ll be okay? He had no guarantee they would be. This will blow over? Eventually, but how much damage would be done in the meantime? Don’t worry about what’s going on and live your life? Yes, but he wanted to make sure they were protected. He preferred to be honest with his children, but he had no idea what to do.
“Dad? He’s gay too.” Chris shrugged. “He’s got a boyfriend in Cleveland, but he won’t bring the guy here because he’s afraid he’ll get fired from his job at the school.”
Bobby paused. He’d had no idea about the coach. Then again, he hadn’t exactly asked. “Who else knows?”
“He won’t say.” Chris leaned on the island in the kitchen. “Is Remy okay?”
“I need to call him again, but I hope so.” Now he had that worry too. He knew the kids were safe. His father was the chief of police. He had the safety of the station surrounding him. Remy? He was walking into the fire. Fuck. He met Chris’ gaze. “What do you think about this situation? Be honest. You’re my pragmatic child.”
Chris snorted and folded his arms. “I think people need to chill and get over themselves. The more they single people out, the more we’re all divided. It’s like my comic books. Once you start carving society up, then you’re setting everyone up for failure. It’ll all fall apart.”
He had such a smart kid. Observant too. He’d figured out the situation better than most of the adults. The question was, how were they going to fix it? Bobby couldn’t change the minds of the Coalition. If he could, he wasn’t sure how.
Bobby checked his phone. No messages or skipped calls. He missed Remy. “Hey, Chris? What do you think about Remy?”
“What? Him and you?” Chris’ eyes widened. “You want to know what I think? Are you going to marry him or
something?”
“I want to know if you like him.” Marry Remy? Jesus. First Remy uses the word love and now Chris mentions marriage. He wasn’t ready to go to those points just yet.
Chris hesitated. He wobbled his head. “Yeah, Dad. I do. He makes you happy. You smile a lot more than before, and you’re not all stressed like when Neil was around.” He shrugged. “He’s quiet and all, but he’s chill. I guess he’s handsome. I’m not into dudes, but Darcy thinks he’s hot.”
“Dudes…you’re making fun of me.” He needed the moment of levity to digest what Chris had said. His daughter thought his boyfriend was hot. His son wasn’t interested in men but liked Remy. The rest of the world was fucked up—at least in Cedarwood, it was—but his family was stable.
“Uh, yeah…I’m making fun of you. You’re ancient.” Chris laughed. “In all seriousness, Remy’s way better than Neil and Terry.”
“Really? Terry too?” He hadn’t expected to hear that. “I had no idea.”
“Terry was all right, but he got too intense. It was like if we didn’t want to do what he wanted to, he’d tell us you’d get pissed. We went along with most of those trips and went to those restaurants because he wanted to.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Holy shit. He’d thought Terry was so stable. “I had no idea.”
“Dad, he said you knew. He said he’d tell you, and we trusted him.”
“Chris.” Now he wondered what else his former partner had done. “Was that all? He’s history, so feel free to talk. I won’t hold any of it against you.”
Chris scratched his forehead. “He didn’t do anything, like, illegal.” He shrugged again. “I saw stuff on his computer, but when he found out, he told me he’d—ugh. He said he’d send me and Darcy off to boarding school. That it was what you wanted, and the only reason we were still around was because of him.” His voice cracked. “Dad, I knew he was full of shit. You’re honest with us. If you were thinking of that, you’d have brought it up and made sure we were okay with it.”
“I had no idea.” And now he second-guessed his choice in lovers. “Was there anything else?”