Tying the Knot - Ch. 11 (Sunny Hill Extra Story, Patreon Exclusive) (Patreon)

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Chapter Eleven – Your Family

When his mom pulled him away from the large crowd of friends, he had a hunch what it was that she wanted to talk about. Only as an aside, he had mentioned to her that he would be taking Matty’s family name, and although he could tell she was a little dumbfounded by his decision, he couldn’t tell whether she would want to address it later or not.

Now, he had his answer. Throughout the years, he had learned to read into his mom’s usual quirks, and at the moment, she looked like she wanted to tell him something important.

“Rusty,” she said, “have you talked to your dad about it?”

“What’s there to talk about?” he snapped and then reconsidered. “Sorry, mom, with everyone coming and all these preparations, I’m a bit tense.”

“A bit?” She smiled and took his arm, dragging him away from the flurry of activity that the entrance to the huge house belonging to Jonathan’s parents was presently witness to.

“I am so happy to be here,” she started on a light note. “This is a wonderful property. Francine and George are even more wonderful. I’ve never seen someone with such incredible organizational skills. They are truly outstanding people, and I’m happy that you got to know them.”

There were plenty of things left unsaid, but Rusty didn’t want to press his mom into dishing them out. If she felt guilty, it was already on her face. And while not so long ago he would have liked to hear her say the words, it no longer mattered. He was happy, and he wanted her to be just as happy, leaving the complicated past behind them, at least for a while.

“Okay, let’s get talking,” he said and took one deep breath. “About dad. What is that you want me to tell him?”

“First of all, is he invited? Along with Myra and the kids?”

“Matty made sure he got an invitation. Francine wrote all their names by hand, and she doesn’t miss a thing. I think he got the message.”

“What about your decision? Changing your name to Matthew’s?”

His mom continued to call Matty by his full name, but not out of a desire to keep a distance. Respect was what he read in her manner regarding his future husband, and it made him happy to see that.

“I haven’t told him yet,” Rusty admitted.

“And you want to spring that on him at the wedding? That wouldn’t be right,” Sharon said gently, like she didn’t want to spook him away from what she seemed to want him to do.

“Frankly, I doubt he’ll come. So what’s the point? And when I have enough money, I will pay him back for his financial effort on my behalf.” The words left his mouth one by one, at a staccato rhythm. Of all the topics to talk about in the world, talking about his dad and his strenuous relationship with him was definitely not on the top of his list.

“You shouldn’t have to shoulder that. And I talked to Francine. She will help me get a job with one of the charities she’s working with. It’s not going to be a hefty check, but I will pay your father back for what you call his financial effort. As we parted ways years ago, it wasn’t his obligation to pay for my mistakes anyway.”

Rusty looked at his mom as if he was seeing her for the first time. The lines of bitterness that usually framed her face appeared faded and subdued. She looked years younger, even though she was still frail after spending months lying in a hospital bed with medical equipment breathing for her.

“I know, don’t look at me like that. As I’ve recovered, I did my fair share of thinking. And what I discovered about myself wasn’t pretty. It’s all I have to tell you. I wasted years of my life doing nothing but looking back. I suppose that it takes a little tumble,” she said with a self-deprecating smile, “to change one’s ways.”

“I can’t remember if I told you how sorry I am for fighting with you that night,” Rusty said and put his hand over hers, the one wrapped around his elbow.

“You’ve only mentioned it a thousand times or so,” she joked. “Rusty, you were a kid, and I shouldn’t have burdened you the way I did. Even my pain was mine to bear. But none of that now. However, I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did. Don’t start your new life with bad things from your old life still dragging you down and pulling you back.”

“So, you think I should just give him a call and spring it on him, so to speak, over the phone?”

“I recommend that you meet in person with him for it. But the weddings are only a few days away, and I don’t know if he’d come to see you. This is for you. Something you must do for yourself.”

“Urgh,” Rusty grunted for show. “I could do without another Roy Parker speech on what a big failure I am.”

“I don’t know about that, Rusty. He pushed you because he wanted you to become a version of what he thought his son should be. That happened in our marriage, too. When they say that opposites attract, they forget to mention that some people shouldn’t jump onto that bandwagon. In certain cases, differences between partners can and will lead to failure. But you’re your own man now, Rusty. So go and talk to him, even if it takes you half a day to get there and back. I think your heart will be lighter once you get that off your chest.”

“You drive a tough bargain. Actually, no bargain,” he said with a sigh. “Since you aren’t offering anything in return,” he joked.

“I don’t have to offer. Your peace of mind should be invaluable, right?” She shook his arm a little to encourage him to agree.

She received it in the form of a strained smile. After all, his mom’s advice wasn’t bad at all. Over the last few days, since there had been no confirmation that Roy and his family were planning on attending the wedding, it had been on his mind to have one last talk with his dad before getting married.

***

“When are we going?” Matty asked. He had half-expected Rusty to take a sudden decision about his dad’s silence, and he was half-ready for a roadtrip, even with things getting crazier and crazier at the Hamilton estate. Good thing his parents were already there, and his mom especially had quickly become part of Francine’s inner circle. Those women were ready to take over the world, for sure. They would start with five weddings, but who knew where they would go from there?

Rusty’s silence at his question made him look up from his phone. Why did they have to have so many flower arrangements? But it had been him who had begged Francine for something to do, and now he had no right to complain.

“I think you’re too busy with those flower things,” Rusty eventually said.

“What?” Matty frowned slightly. “You don’t want me to come with you?”

Rusty grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. “You know I can’t live without you and all that jazz, which I reserve for the vows, but this is one battle I want to go into by myself.”

“Are you sure about that?” Matty asked. “I feel like we’re already joined at the hip, and if you leave by yourself to face the dragon, my hip will miss yours.” He smiled as he joked, to show Rusty that he trusted his decision.

“Oh, really?” Rusty faced him and rubbed his crotch suggestively against Matty’s until he made him snicker.

“We’re on such a tight schedule that I’m afraid we don’t have the time to get freaky.”

“Yeah, I know,” Rusty said and pulled away with obvious regret etched on his face. “If anyone told me getting married involved going without proper sex for a week or so before, I would have thought twice about it.”

“No way, so you don’t love me anymore because you can’t score with me for a few days?” Matty teased him.

“Nah, it’s just that my dick has a problem with it,” Rusty explained in his usual shameless manner. “But now I get why people say their wedding day is the happiest day of their lives and all that.”

“Hmm, what’s the angle here, ‘cause I don’t get it?” Matty asked.

Rusty leaned over and whispered in his ear. “It’s because they get to nut after being forced not to for so long.”

Matty guffawed and pulled Rusty’s ear playfully. “It’s usually girls saying that and they don’t nut.”

“That’s not true. Everybody nuts,” he said, opening his arms wide.

“More like everybody’s nuts when it comes to weddings,” Matty replied. “So, you’re really doing this on your own then?”

“I’m thinking myself strong enough,” Rusty confirmed. “And if he’s going to be pissed about it, what’s he going to do? Disown me?”

“That’s a good way to give yourself courage. But make sure that you drive carefully there and back. And keep me posted.”

Matty gave Rusty a short kiss. He had intended it to be short, but that wasn’t a standard word in Rusty’s vocabulary, and his kisses always lasted.

“Go do your thing,” he said and squeezed Rusty’s shoulders, looking him in the eye. “I’ll still be your flower boy when you get back.”

***

He had announced his visit over the phone on the way there. While his dad had offered a clipped assurance that he would be home when he arrived, he had heard Myra over the phone whispering something at Roy. He had heard the words ‘your son’ and ‘you should’, so he supposed that she must have played a role in his reluctant agreement.

It didn’t matter anymore, he told himself, his hands on the wheel, and his eyes on the traffic ahead. His mom had got one thing right; this thing was sitting on his chest and it weighed somewhere between a ton and two. As a grownup, he needed to put on his big boy pants and have the conversation. The bright side was that once he had said it, he wouldn’t have to talk about it with his dad ever again, because that cat would never go back into the bag.

***

Gabriel and Anna were the first to greet him, and Rusty was equally excited to see them again.

“Look at you, how big you’ve grown,” he congratulated Anna and took her in his arms. He extended his hand to Gabriel, but instead he received the offer of a bro fist. He bumped his against his brother’s. They definitely grew up fast.

“Where’s dad?” he asked after greeting Myra, who gave him a bright smile.

Although he had secretly or maybe not so secretly hated her for taking his dad away, none of those feelings were left in him now. Myra was definitely different from Sharon since she was a quiet person, with none of the sometimes nervous energy Rusty’s mother moved around with. Maybe his mom was right, after all. Some differences couldn’t be overcome, not even by people who loved each other.

“He’s waiting for you in his study. Don’t worry, it’s actually a glorified name for a room where Gabriel plays video games half the day. Your dad barely uses it. However, he feels like you’re here on official business.” She squeezed his arm briefly. “Congratulations on the upcoming wedding, Rusty.”

“Are you guys coming?” he asked, fishing for information.

Myra looked away, showing embarrassment.

He didn’t need any further confirmation of his suspicions. His dad’s stance on the matter must have remained unchanged.

***

The room looked nothing like an office, just as Myra had described it to him. It was more like a gaming room, as Gabriel’s mark on everything was present from the figurines on the shelves to the special type of chair for gaming in which his dad now sat, quite uncomfortably.

“Hi, dad,” he said, not waiting for a hug or a handshake. “I’m here to talk to you about something important, and then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Okay, son, go ahead,” Roy replied. “I know, however, what you want to say. We won’t be at your wedding.”

“Yeah, since you didn’t confirm, I didn’t think you would be. A bit of a waste of goodwill on Matty’s part, but I told him that you wouldn’t, so I’m not shocked or anything.” He took a short breath to ready himself. “There’s something else.”

“Do you need money?”

Rusty gave Roy an incredulous look. “No. I’m getting paid by the opera company I’m with, and even if it’s not a lot, I’ll manage. We’ll manage,” he added.

“Okay, what is it, then?”

Was there a way to say it without creating unnecessary drama? Although, since Roy Parker was a man in favor of fully repressed feelings, Rusty didn’t expect an outburst.

“I’ve decided to change my name to Matty’s,” he said directly. “As we make things official and everything.”

That did cause a reaction, and Rusty felt a strange sort of triumph at seeing the play of conflicting emotions on his dad’s face. He observed how Roy picked up an action figure from the desk and stared at it, as if he couldn’t understand what sort of toy it was.

“And how did you come to this conclusion? That you should do such a thing? Is it a thing between gay men?” Roy eventually asked.

“Not necessarily. Some people choose to keep both their names. Others, like me, choose to take their partner’s family name.”

“You have a family name,” Roy said quietly.

“And I will have another,” Rusty replied, as calmly as he could manage. “Because I do have another family now, dad.”

Roy leaned back in his chair and ran his hands over his face. Only then, as if he had mustered the courage, he looked at Rusty. “Are you trying to punish me still? Is this what this decision of yours is all about?”

“No, dad. If I was doing such a thing for the reason you mentioned, that would be bad thinking on my part. No, I made this decision because I want to part ways with the things keeping me back.”

“And your family’s name is one of them? How so?”

Rusty stared back at his dad without fear. “As much as I played it differently in front of everyone with eyes to see, I haven’t enjoyed being Rusty Parker as much as people thought. I was playing a role. Always wanting to please them. To please you.”

“And?” His dad’s eyes were trained on him, following his every move. “Why stop?”

“Because I don’t want to do that anymore. I intend to live for myself from now on. Not just myself, but for my family, too. Also, fighting losing battles is not a healthy thing to do, I have discovered. I can never please you.”

“That’s not true, Rusty.”

The sudden emotion in the loud words took him by surprise. His dad, however, appeared to recollect himself quickly. Back was the stony façade, and Rusty would have loved to see more of it crumbling, not because of some twisted wish to see his dad breaking down, but because he wished he could meet the man behind the mask, at least once in his life.

“I’ll be going now,” Rusty said and got up from the bean bag he had been sitting in until then. Myra was right. This was Gabriel’s gaming room, not some office. It actually made him happy, that his dad had given his other son this room, instead of being his usual cold self.

Roy remained unmoved. So Rusty braved another look at him, with his hand on the doorknob. “I also want to extend an invitation to the wedding myself. If you and your family want to be there, you’re welcome. You don’t even have to confirm beforehand.”

“They are your family too,” Roy pointed out, his lips pursing in the same grim line that marked his entire personality.

“Yes, that’s right. And I’d love to see Gabriel and Anna there. Unless you think I set a bad example for them or something.”

“That’s not the reason,” Roy replied coolly.

Rusty shrugged. “The ball is in your court, dad. I’m not one to give advice since I’m just starting my life as an adult, but maybe show the little guys a bit more of your true self. Although I feel like they do get more of you than I ever did. I used to envy them, you know? Not anymore. It’s not their fault, and it never has been. See you at the wedding, dad.”

Before Roy could wedge in anything else, he walked out. His mom had been so right. His chest felt a lot lighter.

“How did it go?” Myra hurried to him. Gabriel and Anna were right behind her, although they probably didn’t understand everything about the drama happening in the world of grownups.

“It’s his decision now,” Rusty said. “I said what I had to say. And if you feel like it, even if he doesn’t want to be present, know that you and the kids are welcome.”

Myra offered him a strained smile. “I don’t know, Rusty. I wish I could tell you ‘yes’.”

Gabriel crossed his arms and frowned. His sister did the same. Their copycat game made Rusty smile.

“Why can’t we go?” Anna asked rebelliously.

“Ah, damn,” Rusty said, “I didn’t mean to cause a conflict in the family. I feel like I just broke a window and now I’m running away.”

Myra waved and smiled. “Don’t worry. We can deal with broken windows now and then.”

“Are you going already?” Gabriel asked, his face pinched in the middle from too much frowning. “When are you coming again? I have so many things to show you.”

“I don’t know, buddy,” Rusty said and crouched to ruffle his brother’s hair. “But we’ll figure something out.”

“Our door is open, Rusty, whenever you want to visit. Even if you only come to see your siblings,” Myra assured him. “You have to hurry back, right?”

“Yes, a lot of people are holding the fort, but I must do my part.”

“Let’s walk Rusty to the car,” Myra said to her kids.

Rusty had his hands full instantly since both his brother and sister wanted to hold them.

“We’ll come to the wedding,” Anna said stubbornly. “I can’t miss my first royal wedding.”

“Royal wedding?” Rusty asked Myra with a helpless look in her direction.

“Don’t ask. Kids and the Internet today,” she said and laughed.

A light note for the end of his visit was something he hadn’t imagined, but there they were. Rusty felt his step getting lighter as he walked to the car, his siblings flanking him like soldiers.

TBC

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