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.Itwas about time the Colonel stopped demanding that Wes be someidealized version of himself.Part of Wes s anger was self-directed, buthe was through trying to get along with the Colonel.Either he acceptsme or he doesn t.Early morning sunlight filled the informal dining space whereWes had eaten his breakfast with his mother and the Colonel everymorning before school.He d always remembered this room as beingwarm and cozy, especially on those mornings when the sunlightstreamed through the large windows facing his mother s perennialgarden and reflected off the walls, which were painted a golden yellow.He remembered how his mother used this room to winter over herprize-winning germaniums and how Glenda used to prune the plants sothat they could be repotted the following spring.As Wes stepped intothe room now, though, it seemed larger and colder than heremembered.There were no geraniums on the buffet, and even themorning sun didn t seem to warm the room today.The Colonel lookedup from his newspaper and removed his bifocals. Why are you here? he asked flatly. I want to talk to you about what happened last night, Wes said,noticing that he had not been invited to sit down.The Colonel folded the newspaper and placed it on the table andlooked away. Go on. Wes walked around the table so that the Colonel was forced tolook at him. Alicia was not lying about what she saw.I am in love with TylerWilliams and I hope to make a life with him. The Colonel remained silent and Wes began to wonder whetherthe Colonel had heard him.Suddenly his father launched out of hischair.He stood and slammed his fist on the table so hard that the chinabounced. No, goddamn it! You son of a bitch don t you tell me that youare a filthy queer! You are my son! The Colonel stepped forward,clenching his right fist toward Wes.Instinctively, Wes stepped back,and the Colonel lowered his fist and sank back into his chair. Youdon t deserve the Stanhope name, he said through clenched teeth,refusing to meet Wes s gaze. You disgust me.Leave this house andnever come back.I m through with you. Wes turned and walked to the front door.Nothing about theColonel s reaction had surprised him.Oddly, Wes no longer felt angertoward his father all of that had been replaced by a mixture of reliefand pity.He took one last look around before walking back to his car.Before he closed the door, he thought he heard the Colonel crying.Wes started the car and had begun backing out of the drivewaywhen he saw John and Glenda run toward him from the side door.Johngestured to Wes to stop.Wes put the car in park and stepped out of thecar.Slightly out of breath, Glenda put her arms around his neck. Wecouldn t help but hear what happened, Wes, she said, stroking his hair. Honey, I, she said, looking at John, we need you to know that welove you and that you will always be a member of our family.You re agood man, Wes.You hold your head high, now, you hear me? Your daddy will come around, John said, nodding. You knowhe can be a hothead. Wes hugged them both. You two mean so much to me.I loveyou both. We love you too, baby.It ll all be okay, you trust old Glenda. Thank you for letting me know how you feel, he said as tearsbegan to fill his eyes.Turning to John, he said, John, I don t knowwhether my father will change his mind, but it doesn t matter anymore.I can t be someone I m not, and he can choose to accept me or not Ican t be responsible for his decisions, only my own. Taking theirhands in his, he said with a grin, I should go before the Coloneldecides to load up his hunting rifle.I ll be in touch with you, he said,kissing Glenda on the cheek and giving John another hug.Wes pulled out of the driveway, leaving John and Glendastanding there with their arms around one another s waists, wavinggood-bye to him.He took one last look at the old house, squared hisshoulders, and drove away.Wes glanced at the clock on the dashboard.It was still early, buthe decided to try to reach Alicia.He parked his car along the Batteryand placed a call to Alicia s home.He wasn t surprised when his callwas picked up immediately by Alicia s voice mail greeting.She couldstill be asleep or more realistically, he reasoned avoiding himaltogether.He left a message asking that she allow him to stop by todiscuss what had happened last night.He then tried her cell phone, butagain heard Alicia s voice mail greeting.His text message also wentunanswered.Wes sighed.He could only imagine what Alicia must be feeling.He sat downon one of the benches that dotted the walk along the Battery.Duringthe summer, the Battery was bustling with tourists and Charlestoniansseeking a cool breeze from the harbor and a brief respite from thestifling humidity.This morning, he was one of the few people there.Looking out onto Charleston Harbor, he realized with a deepeningsense of sadness that, after finding the one person he d ever connectedwith, he could end up alone.There was no guarantee that Ty would staywith him, but he needed to worry about that later that didn t changewhat he had to do now.Heading back to the car, Wes decided that he would drive toAlicia s.He wasn t sure whether she would see him, but he decided that he had to try.Wes parked across the street from the condominiumbuilding and noticed, through the glass walls of the first floor, thedoorman sitting at a desk.He took a deep breath and walked into thelobby. Good morning, Wes said cheerily as he approached the desk.The doorman looked up and nodded.Guessing that the doorman had just started his shift, he said, Youweren t here when I left a couple of hours ago, were you? No, that was Chester. I thought so.Say, I left my laptop upstairs in Alicia Lawford spenthouse last night, and I forgot it this morning when I left.I m justgoing to run up and get it.I have a key, Wes said as he showed thedoorman a key to his house on Sullivan s. Well, I should really call first, the doorman said slowly. I m not sure Alicia would like that very much, Wes said. Wewere out quite late last night, and when I left she was sleeping. Weswaved the key again. Well, okay, the doorman said as he returned his attention to thesports page.Wes rode the elevator to Alicia s floor and rang the bell.Hewaited for a minute or so and rang the bell again.He heard footsteps onthe other side of the door and then nothing.He leaned his head againstthe door and said, Alicia, it s Wes.Please open the door, I want to talkto you. Much to his surprise, the door opened.Alicia looked awful.Hereyes were swollen and rimmed with tears.Her complexion was paleand her face was expressionless. What do you want, Wes? she said impatiently. I want to talk with you, Wes said quietly.Alicia turned and walked into the living room.She sat on the sofaand folded her arms. I can t imagine what you think we have to say to one another. Alicia, I want you to know that I never intended to hurt you. You re a fucking liar! Alicia screamed. How could you? Youknew that I was in love with you and you led me to believe that therewas a chance for us once the hospital was built! And I, stupid ass that Iam, went along looking forward to every chance I could get just tosee you and to spend time with you
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