Page 106 of Mine

He opened and closed his mouth, for once looking unsure. “That’s… I… I didn’t do that and honestly whoever did it, did you a favor.”

“Don’t fucking lie!” I yelled.

“Mijo, you do not take that tone with your father,” my mother said, coming up to me.

“He hired a PI to investigate me,” I said, trying to reign in my anger. “There are pictures of us in bed.”

I heard my mother take a sharp breath.

“You had him followed?” Tomás looked pale.

My father looked at all of us as silence consumed the room.

“Rodolfo,” my mother snapped.

“I’m doing what needs to be done to make sure his career is safe,” my father said, forgoing his facade of denial. “What are people going to say when they find out he is gay?”

“What will they say, father?” I growled.

“¿Enserio, Rodolfo?” My mother threw her hands up.

“You… you can’t be gay in sports,” he stammered, looking at my mother.

I laughed. “Who the hell said that, and I’m not gay. Is it because in your mind, gay men are feminine? You think we are lesser than straight men??”

“Why can’t gay men be in sports?” Tomás asked, stepping forward.

Our father looked at us with a scowl.

“You like men, what else would you be? You will be ridiculed, and they will turn on you,” he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Hunter is bi, and while not everyone is accepting, he’s had great teammates and they haven’t judged him for being who he is,” I said, glancing at Tomás who had a blank expression. “It won’t be easy, but I don’t want to be someone I’m not.”

“What did you plan to do with the pictures?” My mother asked, scowling at my father. “Did you plan to out your son, have them plaster his photos on magazines and gossip columns?”

“What did you think would happen when you did that, father?” Tomás had a fire in his eyes. “You don’t think this would hurt your own son? Your family?”

“I… I told them not to print his photo, but only Hunter and Valencia,” he scoffed.

I laughed. “You think they would listen to you?”

“My contact at The Jule told me they…”

“You can't be that stupid,” Tomas yelled. “You invaded the privacy of three people and sent the photos to a gossip magazine. You really think they were going to listen to you? What's next, you're going to hire a PI to watch mama and me, keep us under lock and key to save your image?”

“I’m just trying to keep our family safe.” My father looked at us and when he settled on my mother, his face softened.

“Rodolfo, how could you do this?” My mother asked, stepping away from my father. “I’ve sat by while you pushed these boys harder than any little child should and I’ve stepped aside when you were strict as they grew up, but this… this is the end.”

“Maria Anna, he should be focusing on?—”

“No! How about you focus on retirement, on me, on enjoying life instead of everything being about football or sports,” she yelled. “This is the last straw, Rodolfo. I can’t believe you would do this to your son, to your familia.”

“He’s too young to be thinking about anything other than hockey, what if he knocked her up?” he sneered.

“Well, then maybe I should be with a man,” I said, earning a scowl.

“So, what are you saying? Getting me knocked up was a mistake?” My mom yelled. “What should we call the second time?”

---