Need a drink? - [Male OC X Ford Pines] - Complete

6: Talk With Dad

I smiled as I unpacked the burgers from our bag, my newly plated Thunderbird a little ways away. "Thanks for buying lunch, Dad. It's nice to be able to just sit with you."

"Your mom is trying," he said opening his burger and pulling off the pickles to hand to me.

I traded him my tomato. "I know. She's just been kind of... Off lately."

"I don't blame her," Dad said under his breath as he added the new tomato slice to his burger.

Though I could hear it, I was sure I wasn't meant to. I sipped my soda, an uncomfortable feeling coming over me. I looked up to see Dad staring at me his arms crossed. "Sorry," I said. "You want to pray don't you."

"Uh... Yeah..." Dad said awkwardly. "Lord, bless this food and the hands that made it. Amen." He didn't start eating right away.

"Are you okay, Dad?" I asked.

He sighed, looking around as though looking for other people. "I just... I want to talk to you about something, James." He rubbed his face. "I just don't know what the best way to say it is."

I sighed. "I knew this conversation was coming with you too."

"Too?" Dad asked.

"You want to ask if I'm a homosexual right?" I hung my head. Why is hiding it so hard? "Mom had this conversation with me last month. I'm not-"

"James..." Dad touched my arm. "I already know your gay, son, and I don't care. I love you because you are my son, not because of who you love."

I looked at him. "How...?"

Dad chuckled. "Son, when you were four you wanted to take ballet as well as cooking classes. And I would have let you do both if I could have but we could only afford one."

I chuckled. "I did ask to do that, didn't I? I liked the tutus and slippers."

He sighed. "Maybe if I had put you in ballet, you'd be more comfortable telling me you're gay."

"If I did ballet, Stan would have beat me up," I laughed. "I'd be worse off."

"Maybe your right," Dad smiled. "And that Stanford boy is quite the catch."

I smiled. "Thanks. I really like him."

"I'm glad. He's a good boy. Very smart."

"I know," I said, holding back from gushing about my boyfriend. "He's great."

Dad sighed. "But that's not what I wanted to tell you." He took a deep breath. "James, you know I've had some health problems for a while..."

"Yeah," I said. "Has it gotten worse?"

"No," he said. "Not yet. But... at my appointment they took some new scans."

"The cancer's come back, hasn't it?" I asked.

"It's inoperable this time," he said. "I wanted to tell you myself, without your mother around. She's not taking it well and I want you to be prepared."

I looked at my food. "You're not going to live, are you?"

"James..." He grabbed my hand lightly and sighed heavily. "I likely won't be here to see you graduate next year."

"That's..." I wasn't hungry anymore as a pit formed heavily in my stomach. "That's too soon. I can't loose you that soon." Tears welled in my eyes.

"I know." Dad came to my side of the table and put his arms around me. "I know, James." I wrapped my arms around him, crying quietly into his shirt. I scrunched my fist in his button up shirt. Dad stroked my short hair. "It's okay, James. I'm not giving up yet. My body is still fighting. I love you, baby boy."

I felt his own tears drop into my shoulder as he squeezed me tighter. "I love you, Dad."