Que Sera Sera. (Whatever Will Be Will Be.)
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CHAPTER 1: Events take an unexpected turn.
This is a story for those of you who have seen Get Real. This is the third story I have tried writing, my first two I wrote simultaneously as they were pretty similar to each other (ah, the wonders of computer multi-tasking). Please forgive me if I don't get the slang quite right as I'm an Australian who has had a very multi-cultural upbringing and tend to get my slang mixed up even here in Oz. This story starts at about the time Steve is about to give his 'big speech'.
Steve enters the school's assembly hall and hears Mr Alcock the principal announce, "Ah, the wanderer returns. Ladies and gentlemen, Steven Carter."
There is applause as he walks up to the stage, and on the way there he starts to feel a little dizzy. He manages to shake it off as he is presented with his prize and is shown the microphone to say a few words.
He starts, "I'm very proud…. I'm very grateful to have won for the school. But I.. uh, ..I feel a bit of a fraud. You see I wrote about growing up as I imagined what it must be like for most of you. But there was another article which was to be included in the school magazine, but it was censored because it was about a young guy who just happened to be ….gay. I wrote that article. I wish you could have read it so you could understand." another wave of dizziness hits him and he says quietly, "This is so difficult," before continuing. "I'm sick of feeling totally alone. I want to have friends who like me for who I am," he starts to cry a bit, "I want to be part of a family who loves me for who I am, and not someone I pretend to be to keep their love," he sees his father walk in and sit down, "I'm sick of hiding. Of feeling sad and scared. Have you any idea!" he cries a bit more, "There must be more of you who feel like this! Like I do. Just speak out!" he looks toward John who slightly shakes his head at him, "Thanks for proving my point." yet another wave of dizziness hits him but he continues, "Um….I'm gay. Sorry mum, dad, but you can bet your life you're not the only parents out there with a gay son. Its only love. What's everyone so scared of? Thanks for listne……." he doesn't get to finish the word as his eyes roll up and he collapses on the stage.
Nothing happens for a moment as nearly everyone is still in shock from Steve's speech, with the sole exception of John, who upon seeing the only person he has ever truly loved collapse, races onto the stage, regardless of the consequences, and gathers Steve into his arms. "SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!" John yells as he cradles Steve, "Oh Steve, what have I done to you?" he cries softly and watches as Steve's parents and Linda also rush up to the stage. Shortly, Sarah Carter and Linda are kneeling down next to John and Steve, while Graham Carter stands next to his wife while a small crowd surrounds them.
Raymond Dixon pushes his way through and says to John, "Johnny, let Mrs Carter take her son now."
"Please dad, Mrs Carter, let me hold him till the ambulance gets here. I love him. He's my boyfriend. Dad, I'm sorry, but I'm gay too." John says to everyone's amazement.
As John is completing his last sentence, Steve starts to revive, "Johnny, mum," he says noticing them first, "What's happened?"
"Steve, dear, you collapsed as you were finishing your speech, just lay there quietly please till the ambulance gets here." Sarah tells her son as he tries to sit and fails as John still has a tight hold on him.
"Can you ever forgive me Steve?" John asks him, "I'm so sorry I did this to you. You must really hate me."
"We've had more romantic moments Johnny," Steve replies quietly, "Of course I can forgive you. Could you loosen your hold a bit, you're crushing me."
Raymond Dixon then goes over to where the principal, Mr Alcock, is standing and says to him, "I trust you will want to keep this incident as quiet as possible?"
Mr Alcock replies, "Of course, it wouldn't do for the papers to get hold of a story like this. I have the school's reputation to consider."
Raymond Dixon glares at him then goes on, "And I trust you won't take any action against my son and Steven Carter?"
Mr Alcock answers looking a bit nervous under Raymond's glare, "I don't think that will be necessary, the sooner this all dies down the better."
"I'm glad you understand."
Mr Alcock then goes to the front of the stage and announces, "School dismissed, the prize ceremony will continue at Monday's assembly."
Soon almost everybody has left the hall, leaving the Dixon's, the Carter's, Linda and Mr Alcock alone on the stage. Steve is struggling a bit to try and sit up, but as John is stronger than him he doesn't succeed. "Let me up Johnny, I feel much better now."
"Steve, darling, please just stay where you are, till the ambulance gets here," Sarah tells her son, "I would feel better if you did."
"Ok mum," Steve replies just as the ambulance officers arrive with a stretcher.
Steve is placed on the stretcher and as he is being taken out, John asks Graham and Sarah, "Can I come to the hospital too, Mr and Mrs Carter?"
Graham, starts to say something, but Sarah interrupts, "Yes John, but I think you should have a talk with your parents first." They then follow the ambulance officers and Steve outside. Mr Alcock also departs.
Linda turns to John, "After you talk to your parents John, I'll take you see Stevie. I would like to have word with you too. When you finish, just look around for me. I'll be pretty easy to find."
Linda then departs, as John and his parents leave the stage and sit on some of the seats below.
"Mum, dad, you're not angry or disappointed with me are you, for what I just said up on the stage earlier?" John asks nervously, fully expecting his parents anger to come down upon his head.
"Only a little son, in that you should have told us earlier. Your mother and I had guessed that you might be gay about a month ago." Raymond tells him while ruffling John's hair.
"How? What gave me away?" John asks with surprise on his face.
"It was the last time you saw Christina. I watched you arrive home, and then saw you talking with Steven Carter although I had no idea it was him at the time. The thing which really gave it away then was when I saw you hug him." Veronica Dixon adds. "I talked it over with your father and told him that if you ever told us, I would tell you my little secret in return. Johnny, you are 18 now, old enough to make your own decisions about your life. If our plans for you are not what you wanted, then so be it, your happiness is far more important. Now the little secret I wanted to tell you is that I'm bisexual." John looks at his mother in amazement. "Your father already knows dear, in fact he knew before we even got married. And, yes dear in case you're wondering, I have a mistress, just as I hope your father still has his. Raymond dear, are you still seeing Lucinda or have you traded her in for a newer model?"
"I'm still seeing Lucinda, Vee. I apologize for not passing her regards on to you from the last time I saw her." Raymond replies kissing his wife's hand.
John sits there with his jaw hanging open, not only have his parents told him they each have a mistress, but that they are open about it with each other. He had always thought his parents were so prim and proper, "Then you don't mind that I'm gay?"
"Why should we John? Your mother and I have read enough stuff to know that you don't choose to be gay, its just how you are. After we suspected that you might be, we looked up all the information we could find on the internet so we would be prepared." Raymond tells his son.
"Now Johnny, go and find that lovely young woman, who offered to take you to see your man." Veronica says to John. "Phone us if you're going to be late."
"We'll have another talk, if you like when you get home." Raymond tells him.
"Thanks mum, dad. I hopefully won't be too late." John gives his mum a kiss on the cheek and to his surprise his dad hugs him. He then departs to find Linda, his parents not long after head for home themselves.
After Linda has finished saying her bit to John in the hall, she leaves to find Jessica, Wendy and Mark sitting on the benches just outside. "Hi Mark. Mind if I join you?"
"Hi Linda. Sure, grab a seat." Mark then introduces Linda to Wendy and Jessica.
"Linda, did you know that Steve is gay?" Mark asks her after she sits down.
"Yeah, I did. Stevie dear told me about 2 years ago. How about you?" Linda replies.
"I had no idea. He could have told me, after all I've been friends with him since we were 6. He could have trusted me."
"Well dearie, I think he was more scared of losing your friendship if he told you and you didn't react well." Linda tells Mark.
"How about you, Wendy and Jessica. Did either of you know?" Mark asks them.
"Steve told me about a month ago. I only found out about John earlier today." Jessica says and at the same time Wendy replies, "I had no idea, but to find out today that he and John Dixon…... How could he do that to me, he knew I wanted John."
"Actually, I think your words were 'Romeo, Romeo, cover me in honey and suck it off with a straw.' if I remember correctly." Jessica says to Wendy who blushes as the others laugh.
"Hey! What about me?" Mark says.
"Well Mark dear, I have a jar of honey at home. Shall we see what parts of you I can cover with it and then suck off?" Wendy tells Mark who blushes a deep crimson as the others laugh again.
When Mark recovers, "Wow, who would have thought that John 'superman' Dixon would also turn out to be gay and that he and Steve would….." he flounders for a bit not quite knowing the right words to say.
"Hmmm, Steve told me about him and John about 5 weeks ago, but I didn't really believe him until today." Linda announces, "I'm going to be taking John to the hospital to see Steve, and I'm warning him that if he ever hurts Steve again, I'll… I'll drown him in a tub of kittens." The others all have a laugh at that.
"Linda, if I give you my phone number, will you let us know how Steve is? I'm really worried about him." Jessica asks her.
"Of course." Linda replies. As Jessica gives Linda her number, John walks up.
"Hi Dixon." Mark, Wendy and Jessica say while Linda goes, "You ready to head off John?"
"Please, its John." He tells them nervously, "I'm ready Linda, you wanted to say something to me didn't you?"
"Yes John. I just wanted to warn you that if you ever hurt my Stevie again, I'm going to drown you in an extremely large tub of kittens."
"Linda, if I ever hurt Steve again, you will be more than welcome to do that to me." John replies with a nervous laugh, "I'm such an idiot. I was too concerned with my 'image' to see what really matters to me, but no more. After today, Steve is far more important to me than any phony 'image' people may want me to be."
The others look at him in amazement. "Is this really John Dixon?" they think, "He really must be smitten with Steve to act this way."
Jessica smiles at John, "Can we ask you some things before you go?"
"Sure." replies John nervously, "I may as well face the music sooner than later." and he gives a nervous laugh.
"So how long have you and Steve been together?" Jessica asks.
"Since the night of the ball, 2 months ago. After Christina dropped me home I nicked a bottle of my dad's whisky and had drunk about half of it by the time I got to Steve's place. He wasn't home when I got there, so I waited just down the street until I saw him and Linda arrive. I heard him tell Linda that he was leaving his door on the latch, so after Linda went to her place I just went in and asked to use the loo, which I really needed to. After that we talked for a bit and did some other things and I ended up spending the weekend with him." John tells them with a nervous grin.
"So the little tart got to have a night of debauchery after all." Linda sighs, "And with the most gorgeous hunk in Basingstoke at that." John blushes as Linda finishes her comment.
"So how did your parents take the news about you being gay?" Wendy asks.
"They guessed it about a month ago. The last time I saw Christina, Steve was waiting for me after she dropped me home, and we had a bit of a blue. When we were hugging and making up, my mum was watching from her window. They had been waiting ever since then for me to come honest with them." He tells them. "Now that I have, it seems to be no problem. They told me that I'm old enough now to make my own choices in life."
"Well, that's enough for now. Come on Johnny, lets go and see if you can make an honest man out of my little tart." Linda tells him as she gets up as the others laugh, "See you all later."
They all say their farewells and John and Linda head off for the hospital in Linda's corvette.
"Cor, what has Steve got that he could steal John Dixon away from Christina 'super model' Lindman?" Wendy asks Mark and Jessica after John and Linda have departed.
"Aside from his wicked grin, flashing blue eyes, soft seductive voice and caring manner, which is what I fell for." Jessica replies sighing, wishing once again that Steve was straight, "Its probably what he has between his legs that did it."
"Hmmm, yes well, lets all go for a coffee. We can talk about it more in more comfortable surroundings." Mark says starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the way the girls are talking about his friend.
Graham and Sarah Carter are sitting in the back of the ambulance with Steve as it takes them to the hospital.
"Steve, why did you have to tell the whole school that you were gay, before you told us?" Graham asks his son.
"Yeah right, dad. With the way I've heard you talk about the 'dirty old queers' in the woods, I was afraid that you would gut me and hang me out to dry or throw me out of home. I was also afraid that you and mum wouldn't love me any more." he replies with a few tears.
"Steve, we would never do that. Your father and I will always love you." Sarah tells him wiping away his tears, "Besides I've known you were gay for quite a while now." she continues as Graham and Steve give her a surprised look.
"Why didn't you mention it to me, Sarah?" Graham asks his wife.
"Dear, I felt it was Steve's place to mention it to us first. What if I had been wrong?" Sarah replies.
"Well you weren't. If you had mentioned it to me, it might have made things a bit easier on me today." Graham adds, "So Steve, did this Dixon character have anything to do with your collapse and that cut on your head?" He then asks his son.
"Dad, I don't want to go into that right now. But it's something I will sort out between myself and John."
"Ok, but its going to take me a while to get used to the idea of you being gay."
"I know dad, I'm just relieved that you took to it better than what I expected."
"Yes, well in future if you have any more big announcements to make, please come to me or your mother first. We do love you, you know." Graham says.
"Thanks dad, that means a lot to me." Steve replies.
The Carter's spend the rest of the trip to the hospital talking about what Steve plans to do with his prize money. When they arrive there, Steve insists that he can walk to the emergency room and does so. Graham and Sarah fill in the paperwork that a nurse hands them and as they are finishing, Linda and John arrive.
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