Seth’s Perspective
It was early morning and I had just left Marilee’s after picking up coffee for the team on the way into work, I walked the few blocks back to the office to enter through the front door. I was kind of zoning out thinking about the day ahead, and didn’t even notice the body sleeping on the front steps until I was almost to the top step “Excuse me” I said quietly, then repeated it louder, then louder still until the sleeping boy stirred.
He was young, maybe eighteen (maybe younger) and curled up hugging his giant backpack. He looked up at me with trepidation in his eyes and said, “Oh, um, I’m sorry… I… um... I’m waiting for Seth.”
I looked him up and down before I responded, “I’m Seth, and you are…?”
“Caleb. I’m sorry for sleeping on your steps but I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I was… um waiting for you” Caleb said. I just looked at him waiting for further explanation. “My mom and dad kicked me out of the house because, I’m, um… you know” he stopped there and just looked at me hoping I got the drift.
“Gay?” I asked.
Caleb nodded, “My friend Benji told me you helped him and his brother, and I could trust you.” We had helped Benji’s brother over a year ago. His father was a member of the old church that used to occupy BroMax Candle Company.
The guy looked tired, cold, and scared. I asked him his age and offered him a cup of coffee. He told me he was eighteen, and nodded his head eagerly in response to the offer of coffee. I gave him my cup which he readily grabbed and used to warm his hands before taking a sip. I unlocked the doors to The Village and invited him in.
BA had just walked in the back door and was headed towards the front desk when she saw the cold, ragtag kid hauling all his worldly possessions in an overstuffed backpack. She looked at me knowingly and I nodded. “Darlin’ come in and sit down” she said and Caleb took a seat in the waiting room. I set the tray holding her and Rodney’s coffee down on her desk, then went to drop my bag in my office while BA tended to Caleb. By the time I got back, BA had scurried into the kitchen to see what she could find for the kid to eat.
“Hey Caleb” I said, “come with me” and lead him into the therapy room. I left the door open as we talked to let BA know it was okay for her to come in with whatever she was able to scrounge up.
“So, how long were you sleeping out there, Caleb?” I asked once he had taken a seat on the couch.
“I got here about eleven o’clock last night, but I didn’t fall asleep until a little while ago” he said.
“You should’ve asked Benji for number, I would’ve come down to meet you last night” I said.
“He gave it to me, but my parents cut my phone service off before I could call you… Benji was the only call I made” Caleb added.
I reached in the Drawer and grabbed one of the burner phones we kept around, “Here, you can use this for now, moving forward, know that you can call me whenever you need me. Okay?” I asked and he nodded. “So, tell me what’s up with you” I said in my calming, therapist voice.
“Well, I’ve known I was gay for a while and I told my parents about it a couple months ago” Caleb said as he savored the hot coffee.
“How’d that go?” I asked.
“Okay, I guess” Caleb answered. “My dad said he didn’t approve, and that he didn’t want to see ‘any of that gay shit’ in his house. He told me being gay was ‘a bad choice’ and he expected better from me. He hasn’t really talked to me since then, he just mostly avoids me I was planning to go to NC State in Raleigh in the Fall… I guess he was just gonna ignore me until then.”
“And what about your mother?” I asked.
“She just kinda sat there while he lectured me, and then seemed to have forgotten all about it. She never brought it up again and everything was like… normal, ya’ know?” He said. “I guess things were okay with her.”
“So, what happened to send you looking for me?” I asked with a smile.
Caleb took a deep breath and was about to tell me what happened when BA walked in. “Sorry, Hon but We aint got crap to eat in this place” she said. “All I found was some stale junk food in there, these boys devour everything in sight. When was the last time you ate?”
“Lunch time yesterday” the boy said.
“C’mon, let’s finish this conversation at Marilee’s, I’ll buy you breakfast and you can tell me what happened” I said… okay, I admit it, I needed a damn cup of coffee too. Caleb left his stuff in my office and we walked over to Marilee’s. We talked a little on the way over, but I was saving the deeper conversation until we could sit down face-to-face.
We stepped up to the counter to order, Ella was working before school and said, “Hi Seth, what can I get you” she barely finished her sentence when she saw my guest. “Caleb! Hi. What are you doing here?”
Caleb was startled by the greeting, “Oh hey, Ella. Um… my parents kicked me out because of the gay thing” he said.
“That sucks” Ella answered empathetically. The two of them obviously knew each other, Ella obviously knew he was gay (and didn’t care), and Caleb seemed so much more relaxed around her. The two talked while Ella took our order, then me and Caleb found a table and sat down to continue our conversation.
“How do you know Ella?” I asked.
“We go to school together… we’re kinda friends I guess” he answered. That was as far as that conversation went. I was glad to learn he was still in school and had some friends.
“Back to our conversation… so, what happened to send you looking for me?” I asked again.
He took another deep breath, then sighed it out, “I was laying on my bed talking to a friend of mine on the phone when my dad burst into my room and threw my keys at me and yelled, ‘I told you to keep your gay shit out of my house.’ I hung up the phone and asked him what he was talking about. ‘That damn rainbow flag on your keychain. I told you to keep this gay shit outta my house. It’s bad enough you’re a faggot, but do you really need to broadcast it to the world?!’ Caleb paused.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I said. “He went off on a tangent over a rainbow keychain?” I asked in disbelief. “That’s really all there was to it?”
Caleb nodded, “Yup, that’s really all there was to it. I swear. It just triggered him and set him off. I left my keys on the kitchen counter; he saw the keychain and went berserk… end of story” he said.
There had to be more to this… right? Something that innocent couldn’t have put him over the edge like that. “C’mon, Caleb. Level with me, there must be more to this.”
“I swear to god, Seth. It was just the keychain and he lost it” Caleb said, looking me in the eyes, his innocent face wreaked of sincerity. I believed him, and let’s face it, sometimes it’s the little things that trigger people. “He started lecturing me on morality, STD’s, and hell, and how his only son being a little queer was and embarrassment to him and a stain on his family name, then he said, ‘maybe living on your own will make a man of you’ and started pulling all my clothes out of the drawers and closet and piling them next to me on the bed. It was just weird, it came outta nowhere and I didn’t know what the heck was happening, but he was like possessed.” Caleb stopped talking just as Ella brought our food.
“Hey Cay, how are you getting to school? Need a ride?” She asked.
“Um, I don’t know if I’m gonna go today, I gotta find a place to stay, and figure out what to do next” He said. He was still in high school, and had to worry about where he was going to lay his head, and how he was going to eat… talk about getting thrown into adulthood.
“I’m off in a half hour if you change your mind” Ella said before she walked away.
I had so much more to ask him, but one thing I knew for sure was that dropping out of school wouldn’t help. “Hey, why don’t you go to school with Ella, and let me work on finding you a place to stay and figuring out some options for you?” I said. Caleb just looked at me as he devoured is breakfast sandwich. “You can ride back here with Ella after school and we can continue then. Sound like a plan?” I asked. He nodded as he ate. Just then Max walked in and saw us sitting in the corner.
“Mornin’ guys” Max said walking toward us.
“Hey Max, this is Caleb. He’s a new client” I said. Caleb looked at me funny when I used that word. “Max is the founder of The Village. He owns the Candle company across the street where bunch of our guys work there.”
“Nice to meet you Caleb” Max said shaking his hand. “I can’t stay, I need to get back to work, just needed a little break and a caffeine boost” he made quick small talk, then he left.
After Max was gone, I told Caleb a little about him and more about The Village. “So, are you good with going to school today?”
“Yeah, but I’m kinda gross from sleeping outside” He said.
“Well, we have a shower at the office, you can clean up there but you better move fast if you’re going to ride with Ella” I said. While he wolfed down the rest of his breakfast, I talked to Ella about the plan. She was good with it. We hightailed it back to The Village where Caleb showered and changed, then gave me some more information so I could get started on finding him a safe place to stay. Before he left with Ella, I said, “Hey, I know there’s a lot going on but I promise we’re in this with you. We’ll figure it out, you’re not alone.” He humbly thanked me, nodded, and went off to school with Ella like nothing happened, they were just two friends going to school. I knew inside he was a scared little puppy, but outside he was just your typical teen.
After Caleb left, we rallied the troops. Me, Rodney, and BA met in the therapy room to come up with a plan to help him. Rodney did a quick background check, there were no red flags and his story checked out. We went through our list of local sponsors to try to find him a place to stay and kept striking out. My first thought was Harris and Terrence, but Terrence was in Boston. Then we thought about Tommy and Darius, I spoke with Tommy and he informed me they were “on a break” apparently there was a little trouble in paradise (I hated to hear that, but Tommy said they were working through it). We tried a couple others and no luck.
At noon I met Max for lunch and gave him the lowdown on Caleb. “Asher’s old apartment is open, why don’t you just move him in there?” Max asked. Protocol of The Village was for the boys to stay with a sponsor first (at least for a couple of days) so we could get to know them before we moved them into the delicate eco-system of Harrington House. We had skipped protocol a few times before, but I had apprehensions about doing that with caleb.
“I plan to… eventually. But he’s still in high school, never lived on his own, and he has a lot of local friends.” I said, “I hesitate to put him in there until we can assess his maturity level. We don’t need Harrington House turning into the local high school hangout” I laughed. “Besides, he seems strong, but I don’t want him to feel lonely and abandoned. He needs to be around people.” Harrington house was quiet with Ash gone, and Trevor still in Phoenix helping him move.
Max understood my hesitation and threw out a few more options… all of which we had exhausted already. Then, to my surprise, he volunteered to take Caleb. I wasn’t going to ask him because he and Brody had a lot going on with the constant growth of the Candle Company, Brody’s demanding career, Teddy, looking for a little girl to adopt, plus they already had Craig living in their guest house. But in true BroMax fashion, he offered, and with one confirmation call to Brody… Caleb had a temporary home. That’s how The Village worked.
Ella returned Caleb to my office after school as promised, and we continued our discussion. I told him that Max (the red haired guy he met at the coffee house) and his husband were going to let him stay with them for a while, I explained they lived near me and I’d get him to school until we got a better plan together. We talked about what he needed, getting him a parttime job, his future, etc. About all he could handle at that moment was a discussion about the present. We set his goals at staying safe, finishing his last semester of school, and making sure he could still go to college in the fall. We talked about his parents and the possibility of a reconciliation, but he feared his father too much to consider that now. It sounded like his mother was afraid of his father too… so we couldn’t rely on her to keep him safe. He hung out and did homework while I finished the workday. Max had asked that I drop Caleb off at BroMax Farm when I ran carpool, Brody would be there to get him settled. When it was time, we jumped in the Atlas and headed out.
“I hope you’re okay with kids because I have carpool duty” I explained.
“Kids?” Caleb said with a scrunched look on his face. “I thought you were… you know. um like me”
“You can say gay around here, Caleb” I said with a chuckle. “And I am. My husband and I have two kids and a foster son we’re trying to adopt.”
“Gay guys with kids?” He said with a scoff of disbelief. “Um, I’ve never known any gay guys with kids before.”
“Well, you do now. Max and Brody, the guys your staying with, have a 6 year old too… Teddy. He goes to school with my oldest, you’ll meet him soon” I said prepping him. Our first pick-up was Izzy and Ali. Poor Caleb, he had NO CLUE what he had just signed up for but he was about to find out. He waited in the car while I got the kids from Mrs. Mavis. On the walk to the SUV, I warned Izzy and Ali that I was giving a friend a ride. Izzy asked a million questions that went unanswered.
When we got to the car, Izzy climbed into her seat while I lifted Ali into his and buckled him. Izzy was waiting to be buckled in when the bombardment began, “Hey guy. Who you?” she asked Caleb.
He smiled sweetly and answered, “Hello, I’m Caleb. Who are you” and shook her tiny hand. Oh my god that smile. That sweet, giant Izzy smile. Caleb had her at hello.
“I Izzy, dat Owie, Dat Zeff, dis is ow cow, we gon’ get Fweddy n’ Teddy den go to BwoMax and see da’ goat.” (Izzy to English translation: ‘Well hello! It’s nice to meet you. I am Izzy, that’s Ali, and that’s Seth. This is our car and we’re on our way to pick up my brother Freddy and his friend Teddy from school. Then we’re going to take Teddy home to BroMax Farm where I’ll introduce you to Jimmy the goat. It’s wonderful having someone new to talk to’). While she spoke, I had moved to the other side of the SUV to finish buckling her in and did my damnedest not to crack up at her Asso-esque rambling. Izzy LOVED having a new audience to entertain, I looked at Caleb and he seemed to love it too. “Hey guy why you heo?” Izzy asked.
Caleb corrected her, “My name is Caleb” he said trying to get her to say his name instead of “guy.”
“Caywub” she repeated.
“Cay-Leb” he repeated annunciating the “L” in his name prominently.
“Cay – Wub” she repeated. This went on a few times, (with Izzy smiling all the while) until she finally got it “Cay-Leb.”
“Yeah! That’s it he said excitedly” and cheered her on. It was a small win, but Caleb needed a win of any kind and reveled in it. “And he’s AH-Li” He said emphasizing the L in Ali’s name. Then repeated the same routine with Ali’s name as they did with Caleb’s until Izzy got it. Again, they cheered. Caleb had found a friend in Izzy. Izzy’s diction lesson had killed the time until we got to the school where the boys were playing with their friends in the school yard until they saw the Atlas and came running.
They hopped in, crawled over the second row, and buckled themselves into their spots in the third row. Freddy kissed his sibling(s) and Teddy said hi to everyone, they never even noticed the stranger in the front street. “Hey guys, this is Caleb” I yelled to the kids in the third row buckling themselves in. “He’s going to be staying with Teddy’s family for a while.” Our kids were all used to people being in and out of our homes so it didn’t faze them.
“I call the top bunk” Teddy called, and Caleb gave me a look thinking he had to share bunkbeds with a six year old.
“I think he’ll be staying in the guest room” I corrected, I could see the relief on Caleb’s face. I gave our client’s a lot of credit… the first couple of days with us could be scary. We circle the wagons and take control to make sure they’re safe and have what they need… but from where they’re sitting, we were just a bunch of strangers making plans for them that they didn’t fully understand yet. It was a time of loneliness and uncertainty, and it took bravery to trust strangers.
“Cool, you like Sketti’? We’re havin’ Sketti tonight” Teddy said totally unfazed by the situation.
“Can we have basketti too, Dad?” Freddy asked. I marveled at our kids as they just went with the flow, and Caleb was just another friend. We were raising them to accept everyone and believe that there was always room at the table. I agreed to make my ‘special basketti’ for them (yeah, spaghetti with Mozzarella and parmesan on top… the kids thought I was a frigging culinary genius). Caleb just rolled with it as the kids told him about school and asked him a million questions. I think he was happy for the diversion.
We pulled up the long drive to BroMax Farm and parked near the old barn. Jimmy was waiting for us, “Dat Jimmy. He a goat” Izzy explained to her new friend Caleb. She showed Caleb how to pet Jimmy (she was a pro at goat petting).
Brody came out of the barn to greet Caleb, “Hey Caleb (pronounced like Kay-Lub), “I’m Brody, Max’s husband and Teddy’s Daddy, we’re glad y’all are stayin’ with us, make yourself at home” Brody had that sweet, southern charm that was just endearing.
“Thank y’all for lettin’ me stay” Caleb responded, his accent wasn’t as strong as Brody’s, but it was there.
“Dad, we’re havin’ sketti for dinner, right?” Teddy shouted as he came walking up to us with his backpack on.
“Yup, that’s the plan unless Caleb doesn’t like spaghetti” Brody said.
“He LOVES it” Teddy said, making sure the menu didn’t change.
“Let me show y’all around” Brody offered and we all followed him. He brought us out back and introduced Caleb to Maverick and Craig who were working in the greenhouse. The two guys welcomed him, Craig explained how they grew the herbs for the Candles they made at Max’s company, and Maverick talked about how they were adding another two acres to planting in the spring, etc... The conversation turned and the guys voluntarily shared their stories with Caleb. They shared their history with The Village and BroMax, trying to help him understand how we could help, the three of them had similar stories. Next, Brody led us into the house and gave Caleb the lay of the land making his way up to the guest room, “Welcome to your home away from home” he said. Caleb dropped his overstuffed backpack down on the bed.
“My room is across the hall” Teddy explained, “you can play with my stuff if you want.” It was cute how Teddy and all our kids vied for Caleb’s attention and just saw him as another friend.
When the tour was over, we all walked back downstairs and out to the Atlas where we said goodbye, “I’ll pick you up in the morning and bring you to the office, and Ella will take you to school. After school we can talk about next steps in making you independent. Sound good?” I asked.
“Um yeah” Caleb chuckled, “It’s a lot to take in.”
“Well, just take in this,” Brody said, “Y’all can stay with us until you figure it all out, and we’re all here to help ya’.”
“Thanks” Caleb said with a sigh of relief.
I loaded my brood into the Atlas and we headed home with Izzy Yelling at the top of her lungs “Goodbye Caleb” with perfect diction. Caleb and the BroMax crew waved back as we drove away.
“So, Spaghetti for dinner?” I asked my three rug rats.
“YEAH!!!!!” Freddy yelled leading the other two in a group cheer.
The rest of the night was uneventful. Zach came home and we ate spaghetti and meatballs slathered in melted cheese together while the kids told us all about their days. After everyone was tucked in and fast asleep, Zach and I cuddled naked in our bed, just happy as fuck to be together, and surrounded by love.
To be continued…
