Carr Benton found himself single after ten years of marriage. Turns out it wasn’t all that hard. No bickering nor having to explain his comings and goings. He did miss his son and thought about him often. Junior was a delicate little guy. He was going to miss his smiles and sense of humor. He was smart as a whip and had a quirky point of view. He wanted to be there to teach him to toughen up and meet life head-on and not assume the fetal position with each obstacle. His Mother thought his sensitivity should be nurtured. Not being there meant she had free reign to imbue him with some sort of Seattle coffee house bullshit. Thoughts of him brought painful pangs to his heart.
He remembered the first time he got to hold Junior. He was such a tiny thing. Watching his facial expressions and trying to guess what the little guy was thinking. The little guy had his toes and fingers counted hundreds of times by his parents and grandparents. Thankfully, the resulting count added to twenty each time. The first time Carr thought he detected a smile on the baby’s face, He was ecstatic. “Look, he’s smiling at me!” Carr said with a big smile. The coming years of sacrificing for his son were going to be worth it. At that moment he bonded with his son.
His mother-in-law was in the room when that happened. “That’s gas.” She interjected.
“Bitch”, Carr thought to himself.
There was a boy named Dwight who hung around the feedstore looking for odd jobs. He didn’t have a Dad and Carr liked trying to help him when he could. The kid wasn’t given a very large blackboard. It was easy to erase and quick to fill. The lad did have a purity of heart though. He was the kind of kid you just wanted to help. Whenever the opportunity arose, he bought the kid a good meal, and his brothers and sisters were included if they were around. He made sure he and his siblings had what they needed for school. Money for field trips, gym shorts, and supplies for school projects. The principal was aware of Carrs’ education and his love of books. He never hesitated to call him and let him know when the kids needed something for school. His ex took his son but she didn’t take his desire to help kids.
Dwight was determined to build a life. He could take advice that was meant to help in that quest. He was a slow learner and school was difficult. The teachers knew he was trying as hard as he could. That earnest look on his face when asking a teacher for help would melt the most jaded of hearts. Their memories of wanting to help children learn came flooding back when they were dealing with Dwight. They did everything they could to help him. Teachers do want to teach.
Juniors’ life wasn’t nearly as merry. He was not confused about who he was. He did not want the same things as other boys his age and he knew why. He was gay and that is the way he wanted to live. Dear Mom was horrified by that turn of events. Not so much her, but her family sure didn’t like the prospects of a gay grandson. The men in her family liked the idea of retiring to the library with a snifter of brandy and a fine cigar after dinner. And certainly not discussing “Window Treatments” while there. This was a family whose wealth originally came from the whaling business. How New England can you get? To have a grandson who asked for a feather boa for Christmas was an eye-opener, to say the least.