Page 63 of After the Rain

"Wade, thank you for coming," Richard said as we settled into our chairs. "Family matters are always delicate, but they're too important to avoid."

"I appreciate the invitation," I said, though the formal atmosphere made it clear this wasn't a social gathering.

Margaret served homemade pot roast while Richard steered conversation toward my adjustment to single life and appropriate male role models for Cooper. Sarah sat across from me, barely touching her food, watching nervously as her parents maneuvered toward their real agenda.

"Wade, Sarah mentioned you've developed a friendship with Cooper's teacher," Richard said, cutting his meat with deliberatecare. "That seems... unusual for a straight man to seek out social relationships with homosexual men."

The barely veiled accusation made my skin crawl, but I kept my voice level. "Ezra and I became friends because we both care about Cooper's education and wellbeing."

"I'm sure that's how it started," Margaret chimed in, her tone sweet but poisonous. "But I hope you're being careful about the influences Cooper is exposed to. Children are so impressionable at his age."

I looked at Sarah, hoping for some sign that she was uncomfortable with her parents' approach, but she was staring at her plate like it held the secrets of the universe.

"If your concern is about Cooper's influences," I said, setting down my fork, "perhaps you should focus on teaching him acceptance and kindness rather than suspicion and prejudice."

Margaret's sharp intake of breath suggested she wasn't used to being challenged in her own dining room. Richard's expression darkened, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

"Wade, family court judges care deeply about the moral environment children are raised in," Richard said, his voice carrying the weight of a threat. "I hope you'll keep that in mind as you make choices about your social associations."

The implication was clear. They weren't just expressing concern—they were preparing for legal action.

"Are you threatening to challenge my custody of Cooper?"

"We're suggesting that there might be ways to address this situation that protect everyone's interests," Margaret said smoothly. "Cooper's stability, Sarah's reputation, your own privacy."

"My privacy?"

"Public relationships attract public scrutiny," Richard explained. "Small communities can be unforgiving when theyfeel their values are being challenged. It might be better for everyone if certain aspects of your personal life remained private."

I looked around the table at these people who had once welcomed me as family, who had celebrated Cooper's birth and attended his first birthday party, who were now threatening to use my sexuality as a weapon against my relationship with my son.

"So you want me to stay in the closet to protect your reputation."

"We want you to consider what's best for Cooper," Sarah said quietly, speaking for the first time since dinner began. "My parents have shown me studies about children of gay parents, statistics about social adjustment and peer relationships."

"Studies funded by anti-LGBTQ+ organizations to support predetermined conclusions."

"Wade, please," Sarah continued. "They've explained how custody decisions work, what family court judges consider when determining a child's best interests. If there's controversy surrounding Cooper's home environment, if there are questions about stability or appropriate influences..."

She trailed off, but the implication was clear. The Fletchers had been educating Sarah about the ways my sexuality could be used against me in court.

"Sarah, do you really believe that Cooper is unhappy or unsafe with me?"

She looked up from her plate for the first time, and I saw tears in her eyes. "No. But I believe that things might get harder for him if this becomes a public issue."

"Things might get harder, or your parents have made it clear that they'll make things harder?"

"Wade, that's not fair," Richard interjected. "We're concerned about our grandson's wellbeing. If your lifestylechoices create controversy that affects Cooper's social development, his relationships with peers, his sense of identity, then yes, we have a responsibility to intervene."

"My lifestyle choices? You mean being honest about who I am?"

"We mean making private matters public in ways that affect innocent children."

I pushed back from the table, feeling the walls of the dining room closing in around me. "Cooper is the happiest, most well-adjusted kid I know. He's thriving academically, socially, emotionally. The only threat to his wellbeing comes from people who want to use my sexuality as a weapon against our family."

"Wade, please sit down," Margaret said. "We're not finished discussing this."

"Yes, we are. Because I'm not going to sit here and let you convince me that loving my son authentically is somehow harmful to him."

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