An Unexpected Gift

by Brandon Carlisle

  Andy was putting the dishes in the dishwasher when we came into the kitchen to say good night. "Are you going to the fair in the morning?"

  "Yeah. I think I'd like to help again."

  I smiled at the way he tried to downplay what was going on. "Andy, Patrick told us that when he returns, he wants to date you. It was nice of him to tell us that. He didn't have to. You're both adults. It shows he cares and respects both you and us. We like him. We just want you to be careful." Putting my arms around him I gave him a hug. "Good night, Andy."

  Isaac squeezed his shoulder. "Good night, son."

  When we retired for the night, I lay there, in Isaac's arms, my mind unable to shut down. Andy was an adult, but it seemed he was never given the tools to grow up emotionally to be an adult. He was still stunted in some areas. Now, from what we learned from Patrick, Andy felt comfortable enough with him to tell him a lot of his past. Some pieces we weren't aware of. Come Monday evening we needed to sit down with Andy and see if we could reach that level of trust.

  The rest of the weekend flew by, and by Sunday night they had packed up their booth from a successful weekend, and Andy was depressed about their upcoming departure. He and Patrick talked late into the evening on the sofa with Patrick telling him they could talk on the phone every evening if he wanted, until he was back in the city. Patrick promised he could help him set up the store and unpack the apartment if he wanted when they returned. Anything to remind Andy that he would be back.

  One thing Patrick encouraged him to do was to focus on his painting while he was gone. He made Andy promise he would paint at least six days every week until he returned, and would tell him on the phone how he was progressing and what else he was doing. It was amazing, the effect Patrick had on Andy.

  The following morning, bright and early at seven, they were on the road returning to Arcata, and I could have sworn I could see Patrick shedding a tear as they drove away. Andy could not hide his disappointment as they pulled away and dashed into the house and to his room, shutting the door behind him.

  Isaac said he would get ready and head to the office, suggesting I should stay home with Andy for a while and come in later.

  *****

  I knocked on Andy's door and opened it. "Can I come in?" He was lying face down on his bed, arms folded under him, and I could tell he'd been crying from his sniffling. He nodded yes. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I rubbed his shoulder. "I know it hurts. But you know he is coming back. It won't be that long until you see him again."

  Wiping his nose with his pillowcase, he rolled over on his back. His eyes were red and puffy. I pulled a handkerchief from my back pocket and handed it to him. "I know, but it's so weird. It wasn't like this with Elias. I haven't even known Patrick that long. At the same time, it's like we've known each other even longer. We like the same things. I love to watch him work. The way he can take a piece of wood and create such delicate animals. He likes my paintings. All of them. Even the dark ones." The look in his eyes showed his secret slip, and he sat up.

  A slight smile crossed my lips. "Andy, we know about the paintings. We wanted to talk about that, and a few other things tonight. Patrick told us some of what happened with your parents. He thought we already knew. We didn't say anything."

  He looked down and fingered the bedspread. "I'm sorry."

  "You have nothing to be sorry for. Maybe it's our fault. Andy, there is nothing you could ever tell us that would make us ever change our feelings towards you. We love you. You are a member of this family, and that will never change. What happened in the past was never your fault. There is no shame or anything you have to be embarrassed about." I pulled him into my arms and held him close. "In every way that is important, you are our son, and our love for you is unconditional."

  He pulled away and looked me straight in the eye. "I'm ready. I want to tell you about all of it, Sebastian."

  "Wait." I placed my finger on his lips. "Isaac should be here for this. Let's wait until tonight over dinner when we can sit down and take our time."

  It was time to change the subject. I brushed the hair from his eyes. He was letting it grow long, and I liked it. I ran my fingers along the length at the back. "What are you going to do? Let it grow out and tie it back?"

  "Yeah. Patrick likes my hair this way, and I've wanted to have it long. It feels good."

  "Have you placed any thought into what you want to do with your art going forward?"

  Andy scratched his head and looked at me. "Can we get some coffee?"

  We headed towards the kitchen and ran into Isaac in the hall. He looked at both of us, concern etched in his face. "Everything okay?"

  Andy grabbed my hand and smiled at Isaac. "Yes. We're having a family meeting tonight over dinner." He let go of my hand and gave Isaac a hug before he left for the office. "See you tonight, don't be late. I have lots to tell you."

  Isaac gave me a quick kiss and winked at Andy. "I promise."

  We grabbed coffee and sat at the kitchen table. Andy told me about the artists who had viewed his work, and a few of the gallery owners that had seen his paintings. Those Abby had not told us about. Two gallery owners wanted to display several of his paintings, but he was hesitant. When I asked why, his answer was exactly what Abby mentioned to us. "They are personal." I only nodded. "Can I show you?"

  I set my cup down. "Are you sure?" I thought for a moment. "Andy. Would you mind if we wait until Isaac could also see them?"

  "Yeah. Maybe you're right."

  "Listen, Gregor will deliver the statue we talked about this morning on his way out of town. Isaac put a large rock on the lawn where we want to put it. Would you show Gregor where to leave it when he comes? We want to have the angel pointing away from the house towards the street."

  "Sure."

  "Great. I'm going to finish getting ready for work. You have a great day. I want you to call us if you need anything. Promise me?"

  "I will."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Revelations

  Isaac

  When I got to the office, Elizabeth handed me the requests from the city supervisors about placing day care centers in their districts. News of our success with the one we started in the Tenderloin had spread and people had requested that such a program start in their neighborhood. We had prepared a questionnaire and distributed it to the district supervisors for completion. As the requests came in we had Elizabeth sort them by district and then neighborhood. I reviewed them based on need and available resources. Looking to see if adjoining neighborhoods could share a center, and which were in the most need of help. The biggest issue was making sure the supervisors did their due diligence first and checked if there were any resources available with the city and state first, before coming to us. I had been reading the papers, and the economy had taken a major downturn which meant fewer stay at home parents and an increasing need.

  When Sebastian arrived, he filled me in on his discussion with Andy, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Even though Andy said everything was okay, I still wasn't comfortable until I heard from Sebastian. We were to have a family dinner just as we planned. To keep it simple, we decided on Chinese takeout.

  Reviewing the requests for the day care centers kept us occupied for the rest of the day. It also got our wheels spinning once again. If we opened the day care centers, we could offer, at certain times of the year, health care opportunities such as free vaccinations and certain health screenings. By the time the day was over we were past ready to head home. Sebastian called the house and Andy wasn't there, so he took the chance and called Abby's. Sure enough, he was upstairs painting. She put him on the line and Sebastian pushed the button for the speaker.

  "Hey, guys."

  He sounded a lot happier than this morning. Sebastian looked at me, and I nodded for him to go ahead. "How does Chinese sound for dinner?"

  "Awesome. Can we have some Dim Sum?"

  Now it was my turn. "How about some General Tso's Spicy Chicken, Szechuan Beef, S
pring and Shrimp Rolls, and regular and fried rice to go with the Dim Sum?"

  Andy was quiet for a second. "Can we also have some Sweet and Sour Pork?"

  Sebastian laughed. "Sure. If we have any leftovers, you can have them for lunch tomorrow. We're heading out the door. Now, do you want to eat in the dining room or just hang out in the living room?"

  "I'll clear the coffee table. I think there will be lots of talking tonight so the living room would be better. Don't you think?"

  I tapped Sebastian on the shoulder and he smiled at me to go ahead. "I think it's a great idea, Andy. We'll see you soon."

  *****

  As we were about to open the gate, we stopped and admired the sculpture in the garden. It was perfect. Gregor had positioned it so that the angel was facing the east with the hands reaching towards the morning sun. Sebastian turned smiling. "Maybe it's a sign."

  Walking through the door we found Andy had cleared the coffee table, putting everything in the dining room. Plates and napkins were already set out, along with silverware. None of us were proficient with chopsticks, but Andy had some at his place setting. He brought out a glass of milk for himself and was setting it on the table. "So, what are you guys having? Since some of it is spicy, I decided on milk. Do you want some? Or would you rather have wine or iced tea?"

  I shrugged my shoulders and turned to Sebastian. He looked at Andy. "Milk sounds good." Andy went back in the kitchen. While he was gone, we set everything on the table and took off our shoes, pulling out the table so we could all sit on the floor. "Sebby, I think he's going to try again."

  He grinned, and we waited until Andy returned to start dishing out our dinner.

  Once he sat down, we dished out our food and Sebastian and I waited while Andy picked up the chopsticks.

  He aligned them with his fingers and went for a piece of Sweet and Sour Pork. It slipped out of his grasp and he tried again. Once it slipped, he pierced it with a chopstick and put it in his mouth. He scowled and looked at us. "I'm not in the mood to deal with them tonight", he scowled as he talked with his mouth full.

  We burst out laughing and he glared at us for a moment before joining in. An awkward silence fell over the meal and it was Andy who broke it. "Since I was the one keeping the secrets, I guess I should be the one to start."

  Sebastian coughed. I guessed something went down the wrong pipe and I patted him on the back. Turning back to Andy I waved my hand. "I wouldn't call it keeping secrets, Andy. I mean, there were parts of you that you didn't want to share."

  He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Anyway, I never told you all about my family. My father didn't like that I wasn't masculine like him. He also hated that I wore my hair longer, and I didn't like sports. That I preferred drawing and music. He said I acted like a fairy. When I was twelve, my English teacher noticed me drawing in my notebook during lunch and she said I had talent. She gave me a box of colored pencils and a sketchbook. I drew on my breaks and in my room when I was home. Dad noticed how much time I spent drawing and said it was what fairies did. He tore up my sketch book and broke the pencils, forbidding me from doing it anymore."

  Andy rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands and sighed. Taking a gulp of his milk, he continued. "When he came home from bowling later that night stinking of beer, he took me into the kitchen, grabbed a pair of scissors from a drawer, and sat me in a chair. He looked at me and told me if I moved he might end up cutting off an ear. Grabbing a fistful of hair, he cut, saying now I will look like a boy. It was a mess. When my mother came in the kitchen, she looked at me in shock. He told my mother to fix it and went to bed. She did her best but for a while it looked horrible and I wore a knit cap everywhere."

  Andy sniffed but there were no more tears. Now there was only anger in his eyes. "I tried to stay away from drawing and it lasted for a while, but after a year and a half I used my allowance to buy drawing pencils and paper. I kept them hidden in my backpack. My mother didn't even know I had them. I would draw when no one was home and then put everything in my backpack because no one ever looked in there. It worked for a while. Then I did something stupid. I had a crush on a guy at school. He was a jock. God, he was so handsome." Closing his eyes there was a brief smile on his face. When he opened them again, the anger was back, and it was fiercer than before.

  "Cameron played baseball and football. I was so focused on drawing him one afternoon when I was home alone, I didn't hear a thing. My mother was visiting her sister across town and my father came home early. He found me in my bedroom working on a portrait of Cameron. He threw a fit and once again broke the pencils and tore up my drawing and sketch pad."

  I looked at Sebastian and had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. He reached out and took my hand. Andy continued.

  "He grabbed me by the arm and shook me. Then he backhanded me across the face and split my lip."

  Andy's lower lip quivered, and he wiped his eyes. I turned to Sebastian, and he looked like he would cry. "Andy, why don't we take a break?"

  "No! I need to finish this. He dragged me to my bedroom door and placed my hand in the jam and slammed the door on it, breaking my fingers."

  I heard Sebastian gasp, and I thought I would be sick.

  "When my mother came home, my father was sitting in the living room drinking a beer and watching TV. She found me in my room curled up on my bed, cradling my hand. When she came in my bedroom and saw my hand she screamed and lost it. She went into the living room and slapped my father and wouldn't stop, telling him to get the car so we could go to the hospital. He was so shocked by her reaction, he did. On the way, she sat in the back seat with me and whispered in my ear that I should tell them I caught my hand in the front gate when I came home that evening. Luckily, it wasn't the hand I wrote or drew with. It still gets kinda stiff if it gets really cold."

  I made a move to go hold him and he raised his hand. "Don't. There were times he would get so frustrated trying to teach me sports, like catch or throwing a football, that he would whip me with a belt afterward. One time when he tried to teach me boxing, he got so angry that he ended up knocking me out cold."

  "My God! What a bastard!" I turned and Sebastian's mouth was hanging open. He looked at me. "Can he be prosecuted for this?"

  "The last straw came when, as I already told you I got caught sucking a guy's cock at school. Well, it was the jock I had a crush on. He was the popular athlete and had a girlfriend, so he only received a warning because he said I seduced him. Me, I already had a reputation because of my long hair and being different, so my parents were called.

  When we got home from school, my father hit me the moment we entered the house. I thought he would kill me. My mother went to the kitchen and grabbed a pot. She waved it at him and threatened to kill him if he touched me again. She said she had been talking to the minister about me. He said I was sick and needed help. They had a place they could take me to cure me with prayer and treatment. Momma told me that if I went with them, I could come home afterward. If not, Dad wouldn't allow me home. The look on my father's face told me I had no choice. I knew he'd end up killing me if I didn't go. My mother called the minister and they agreed to take me later that afternoon. She packed a bag for me and I waited in my room until they came."

  Andy waved his hands in the air. "It's in the past and they are out of my life for good. I don't want their shadow hanging over me anymore." He raised his glass of milk and we joined him. "This is my life now. I have a real family I love and treasure, and the possibility of a real boyfriend I am thrilled with. One thing that was funny about the religious guys who were going to fix me was that when I was sitting in the van to go and be cured, the guy next to me was feeling up my leg."

  He chuckled at the memory and it helped to lighten the mood. I smiled at that, but the hypocrisy of what happened with those people that would 'cure' them and yet take advantage stuck in my throat. "I don't think you have to worry about the part about having a boyfriend. Patrick seems to be head over heels for you."


  Sebastian tapped his fork on the table. "Now, let's eat before the food gets any colder."

  *****

  Sebastian cleared the containers and brought out iced tea, and then we cracked our fortune cookies. It was then that I tackled the question on both Sebastian's and my mind.

  "So, tell me about your art upstairs." This was what I wanted to understand.

  "Well." He scooted himself out from under the table and leaned against the sofa. "One day I couldn't seem to paint or make any headway. I was frustrated and angry. I had been working on your picture but couldn't seem to get in the mood. Abby asked what was wrong. I told her about some of my dreams. About my parents and what they did. What I had to do to get by on the streets. I made her promise never to tell anyone, especially you guys."

  "But why?" I could hear the hurt in Sebastian's voice.

  "Because… because I wanted none of that to infect what we have. My life with you guys is too good. I didn't want to bring any of that ugliness here, into our home."

  I tried to understand, but I felt I was missing the point. "Andy, it wouldn't change anything. Least of all what we thought of you."

  "No, but I wanted to keep those memories far away from here."

  Sebastian slid next to him. "Andy, the point is, you couldn't keep them away. They were in your dreams, and they came out in your art."

  He laughed at Sebastian's words. "Yeah. Abby said the same thing when I finished my first painting. You never saw it, but it was scary. She told me to keep it up. To work out all my demons. She said the emotion was raw. She also said it was beautiful, deep, expressive. I thought it was scary. Abby tried to get me to look at it again but I couldn't. I wanted to paint something beautiful."

  I looked at him and flicked his ear with my finger. "Sometimes you can't avoid it though. Can you?"

  "No." He blushed. "I did give in to her guidance. Once I continued painting from my dreams everything flowed. It all came out and I couldn't stop. That was when she called several of her artist friends and gallery owners to look at my work for their opinions. Several said they should be on display." He sipped on his glass of iced tea. "Eventually I could paint other things. I was able to finish the painting of you guys."