Read Coda 01 - Promises for Free Online Page A

one so you might as well quit hoping. As far as I can tell, Matt isn’t ever going to do his duty in that department.”
    “You might have noticed that I’m not physically capable of producing a child on my own.” There was not a hint of humor in his voice. Matt was staring at his plate. I had a feeling this was not a new argument.
    “Don’t be a smartass with me. It’s past time for you to marry and settle down. You’re not getting any younger.”

    “We’re planning a vacation,” Lucy said suddenly, in a desperately obvious ploy to change the subject.

    Lizzy jumped in with her. “That’s great, Lucy. Where are you going?”

    “Florida, I think, although I don’t know if we should go to—” “Are you dating anyone?” Joseph did not seem to be aware that the topic of conversation had been changed.

    “No, Dad. I’ve been busy. It’s not that easy to meet people.”
    I was actually a little surprised at that, since I knew there were several single women in town who would have killed for a date with him.
    “Bullshit! What about Jared here?” I just about jumped out of my chair. For half a second, I thought he was suggesting that Matt date me . But then he went on. “I’m sure he can introduce you to someone. Jared, you have a girlfriend, right?”
    “Uh,” I was feeling terribly off balance, considering what a simple question it was. “No, sir.”

    “Why the hell not?”
    “Well.” Matt was turning toward me with sheer horror in his eyes, trying to warn me, but it was too late. The words were already out of my mouth. “I’m gay.”
    Matt’s head went down, elbows on the table and fingers laced behind his head like somebody had just yelled “duck and cover.” Lucy’s mouth formed an O of surprise, and her fidgety fingers went in to overdrive.
    “You’re gay?” Joseph’s voice was terribly loud and slightly slurred. “You mean you’re a fag?”
    “Well….” I was looking around the table for help, but there didn’t seem to be any forthcoming. They were all frozen in states of dreadful anticipation. Our dinner had turned into some kind of movie of the week, and no matter how poorly acted it was, nobody seemed to be changing the channel.
    “So you like to fuck other men up the ass?”
    That woke them all up. Everybody at the table jumped a little when he said that, but Lizzy recovered quickest. She turned back to Lucy and said loudly, “I’m sorry, Lucy. I missed what you said. Where in Florida are you going?”
    Lucy was visibly shaking now, fidgeting with her necklace. “Well, I was thinking of Fort Lauderdale, but I’m not sure if only kids go there. Maybe Orlando? Have you been there?”
    “I haven’t, but my brother—”
Lizzy didn’t get to tell us any more about her brother. Joseph suddenly stood up, knocking his chair over behind him
    in the process. Matt looked up, startled, as Joseph pointed a finger at me and said, “Are you fucking my son? Is that what’s going on here?”
    “No!” Matt and I both said in unison, and Matt said, “Dad, enough!”

    “Joseph!” Lucy’s voice was a quiet plea. “We are guests here. Sit down.”
    He didn’t listen. “I knew a man like you in the Marines,” he said to me. “Married and everything, and one day his wife comes home and finds him fucking another man in her bed. Earned himself a dishonorable discharge.”
    Matt’s hands were white knuckled fists on the table in front of him. “You were friends with James for six years before that happened, Dad. Remember that? He was a good guy.”
    “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“He was your friend. You should have stood by him.”
    “You don’t know what it’s like in the Marines. You took the sucker’s way out. Don’t try to talk to me about what I should or shouldn’t have done. You don’t know a goddamn thing about it.” He picked up his wine glass and frowned at it blurrily when he saw that it was empty. He picked up Lucy’s and drained