Evan's head went back. "I would never do that."
Kenny laughed and said, "But I know you thought about it."
This was true. Evan often did overcompensate because his son was straight. And he did this because he didn't want Kenny to think he was trying to influence him with gay culture. He also wanted Kenny to know he loved him no matter what his sexual preference was. This, for Evan, was important. He often worried Kenny might wind up resenting him if he didn't treat him like a straight kid. He'd felt that way growing up as a gay kid when his parents treated him like a straight kid. He didn't want to make the same mistakes, and in turn he wound up going in the opposite direction, to the point of looking foolish at times. So Evan laughed and said, "Okay, I thought about it. But I didn't do it. No girly magazines under the mattress. I promise."
Kenny placed his jeans on a shelf in the closet and said, "What do you want to do for dinner? We can go out. We can order out. Or we can just call the grocery store on the corner and have a few things delivered."
When Evan heard him mention having groceries delivered, he flung out his hand and said, "No. I'd rather not order from the grocery store on the corner." The last thing he needed was for the nineteen-year-old delivery man to show up.
Kenny's head tilted back. "Why?"
He laughed and said, "I did that yesterday. The kitchen is stocked with the best junk food ever made. I think we should order take-out from the sushi place two blocks away." He knew they delivered and the person who delivered was a woman, not a man.
"Cool," Kenny said. "I'll get the menu. Are the menus still in the same drawer?"
Evan smiled when he heard Kenny remembered where he kept the take-out menus. He hadn't even spent a weekend with him in the last year. "Yes. They're still in the same place as always."
* * * * They ate so much sushi that night Evan plopped on the sofa and didn't have the energy to reach for the TV remote. He held his stomach and said, "I have to be careful. I'm not used to eating that much."
Kenny sat down on a black leather club chair and flung him a look. "Seriously? Dad, you barely ate anything. I'm the one who ate like a pig. You're skin and bones."
Evan hadn't gained any weight since he'd been discharged from Havilland and he hadn't been paying attention. "I guess you're right," he said. "You did eat way more than I did. But I'm still not used to eating that much." When he drank, alcohol tended to make him look swollen. It also made him hungry. Without alcohol, he had to remind himself to eat otherwise he would forget.
"Can we watch Star Wars tonight?" Kenny asked. He'd seen each Star Wars movie at least a dozen times and it had become a ritual to watch them together. Kenny had been fascinated with the Star Wars saga since he'd been a kid. As child, he'd even worn Star Wars Halloween costumes. He'd been every male character in the film. And he'd thought it was hysterical the year Evan had decided to dress up for Halloween as Princess Leia. Thankfully, Kenny had no idea that Jeffery thought Evan dressed up as Princess Leia was even more entertaining. That night he'd fucked Evan for so long he had bruises on the back of his legs the next morning.
"Of course we can," Evan said. "But let's sit and talk for a few minutes." He hadn't been alone this way with Kenny in a long time and he wanted to get to know him as a young adult. He knew there were still hints of him as a child, but for the most part he was almost grown. He wanted to know the kind of man his son was going to turn out to be.
Kenny placed the TV remote on a glass topped table next to the chair and said, "What should we talk about?"
"What's Mr. Savione like?" Evan asked.
"He's a good teacher," Kenny said. "I like him."
"How would you feel about me going out to dinner with him?"
Kenny hesitated for a moment. He tended to think first before he replied to any question. This time it took a little longer. "What about Dad?"
Evan shrugged and said, "I'm not sure how he'll feel about it. Your father and I have a complicated relationship that is very personal. We've talked about seeing other people and we both agreed it's okay as long as neither one of us gets emotionally involved." He'd never actually talked about this openly with Kenny. He wanted to do it because he suspected Kenny had to be wondering about their arrangement.
"I'm not sure I understand," Kenny said. "If two people love each other I don't get why they can't live together and be happy with that."
Evan laughed. "I'm not sure I understand it either, kid. But that's how it is right now and there's not much I can do to change it. You know I love your dad, and you know I have never talked down about him to you. And I never will do that. But he's a complicated man and I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to change him anymore."