The Waterfall

Cavern Behind the Falls

8:39 PM, Sunday, January 22nd, 2023

France, Oregon

Patty sat in her rocking chair at the apartment she shared with Tess and their daughters.

Tess was in the girls' room, tucking them into their bunk bed.

"Mom," said Annie, the younger daughter. "What is Mommy reading?"

"Well," Tess answered. "Her grandfather, your great-grandfather, kept a diary, and he wanted her to read it."

"What's in the diary?" asked Kam, the middle daughter.

"Well, I'm sure mommy will tell us when she's ready."

Casey, the oldest, came out of the bathroom, holding her toothbrush.

"Mom said something about Great-Grandpa Murr 'hiding something,'" she said.

"Like in 'hide and seek?'" Annie wondered.

"Casey, please, go brush your teeth," Tess said.

"That's not a denial," Casey smirked, going back into the bathroom.

Tess sighed. This revelation had really shaken things up in the family. If the girls were asking this many questions, who knew how the other Newmans would react?

Patty was still reading the diary when she and Tess were ready for bed themselves. Tess saw this as she came out of the bathroom, rubbing moisturizer on her hands.

"Patty, for god's sake. You've had your nose stuffed into that book since the moment we got home. You have plenty of time to read it."

Patty looked up at Tess. "My grandpa was living through me."

"What?"

"It all makes sense now. This is why he was so supportive when I came out. This is why he always asked me about my dates, my social life— Murray Newman was gay by proxy."

"That's not- What?!"

"He was right. People in his generation don't talk about things like sex and sexuality. What if he stayed in the closet because of pressure? Was he using me as his only connection to the LGBTQ+ community?"

"What about Fred?" Tess asked pointedly. "Didn't they reconnect a few years ago? Why wouldn't he be another connection to the community?"

Patty shoved her face in her hands and groaned.

"I forgot. Oh, God. I'm sorry, Tess, but this is quite the shock. Please understand: I want answers. My grandpa had a secret life."

Tess took her wife's hand in hers.

"Patty," she said. "Calm down. I know this is a big surprise, but if you want answers, you need to pace yourself. In fact, if you promise not to read anymore tonight, I will call down to the retirement village to see if Fred is available for lunch sometime this week. Now, deep breath."

Patty took a deep breath. "Fine. Fred might know more, anyway."

"Good," said Tess, taking the book and placing it on the console table. "Now, let's get some sleep."

Tess turned out the lights and crawled into bed with Patty.

But now, neither of them could get to sleep. They were both curious as to what happened next in the story of Fred and Murray.

3:18 PM, Friday, August 15th, 1952

Berberry Falls, France, Oregon

Here they were: Fred and Murray's last summer before the former started his senior year.