Chapter Fourteen

The cheese making contest was being held on Labor Day. Niles had already left for school in Boston and Noah was planning to leave the day after Labor Day. At least that's what he'd planned to do. His mom and dad were driving out that weekend to check up on him. They said they were coming to Amish country to see the farm market they'd invested so much money in, and to visit with cousins Jacob and Sarah. But Noah knew the real reason was that they wanted to see if Noah had changed at all that summer. They were checking up on him and he had a feeling that if they didn't like what they saw he'd wind up in Amish country for another six months.

And that wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world. As stifled and frustrated as he'd become with living in such a homophobic atmosphere, he didn't want to leave Filbert. He knew this would be the hardest thing he'd ever do in his life and it left him with such an empty feeling he had trouble sleeping at night. The thought of not being with Filbert, plus the thought of leaving Filbert in that homophobic atmosphere for the rest of his life made the situation even worse. For the first time he knew what it was like to care for someone so much his own needs came second.

It was an impossible situation because Filbert was so set in his ways, and so riddled with guilt, he'd never have the courage to leave. So Noah kept all his feelings to himself and said nothing that would cause any disruptions or pain. He wanted his final days with Filbert to be special, and happy, and memorable. He wanted to make good memories that weekend so that one day in the future, when something reminded Filbert of Noah, Filbert would remember Noah's time there with fondness.

On the Friday afternoon of Labor Day weekend, Noah ran into Filbert on his way to the kitchen in the market to make his final batch of cheese for the competition. He'd made so many batches of cheese so far he'd stopped counting. This final batch was the one that would either make him or break him. It's not that he wanted to make cheese for the rest of his life. He didn't even like eating the butter cheese he was making. It's just that he wanted to do something that would make him stand out just once in front of everyone in that community.

"Are you just getting back?" Noah asked. He knew Filbert worked part time at the tourist information center on Friday mornings.

"Yes," Filbert said. "I had a rough morning."

"What happened?"

"I quit," Filbert said. "It started to get really busy, the weekend tourists started to pile into the center in busloads, and I just decided I don't want to be there anymore. I've had enough. I'm tired of the stupid questions, I'm tired of pretending, and most of all I'm tired of being their token Amish guy. I don't have to do that anymore. I can live the rest of my life working here at the farm market very well. So I walked out."

Noah didn't know how to respond. He sounded down, which wasn't like him. "I thought you needed to have access to the computers there."

Filbert shrugged. "At first I did. But now that I have my own smart phone and lap top hidden in the barn, I don't need them anymore." He patted his pocket. "I even carry my phone with me everywhere now. No one has to know about it and I like knowing I have it."

"I see," Noah said. He wanted to change the subject to cheer him up. "I'm going into the back kitchen to make one final batch of cheese. It'll take my mind off my parents coming here tonight. I'm not looking forward to that."

"I'm looking forward to meeting them," Filbert said. "I've heard about them all my life. They're my rich wicked city cousins from New York."

Noah laughed. "I see you've been told the same stories I heard all my life about my big Amish cousins out here."

Filbert turned toward the main check out area. "I'll let you go," he said. "I have a few things to do up front. I'll see you later after work. I hear your parents are coming to the house for supper tonight."

Noah smiled. "It should be interesting."

Then he headed off in one direction and Filbert in the other. Noah's parents were staying at one of the Inns in town and that let him breathe a lot easier. If they'd been staying at the farm in the same house where he was staying he would have felt them judging him even more. At least with them in town at the Inn he wouldn't have to deal with them the entire time. Knowing his mom, he was preparing himself for all kinds of left handed comments and compliments.

A few hours later he set his final batch of butter cheese in one of the coolers and cleaned up his mess. He had a feeling this was the best batch he'd made so far. He'd practiced, he'd tweaked the recipe, and he'd worked hard to come up with what he was hoping would be the best butter cheese ever. He was as ready as he'd ever be for the competition on Monday in the town square. But more than that, he'd taken a chance and done something he never thought he'd be able to do. That left him feeling so light-hearted and satisfied it really didn't matter whether he won or lost. For him, the most important ingredient he'd added to that cheese was the love. The love of hard work, the love of dedication, and the love of creating something out of nothing. He would never forget that feeling, and he knew he would bring that feeling back to New York when it was time to go home.

When he finally walked out to the main area of the farm market he saw Filbert standing near the front entrance with his hands in his pockets. He was smiling and rocking back and forth on his feet. At first, Noah couldn't see who he was talking to, and then he spotted the big black Bentley in the parking lot. He knew it was his mom and dad's car. They only used the Bentley for long road trips, and no one else in that part of the world had even seen a Bentley. He wished just once they would have reconsidered and rented a regular SUV for the weekend. He wished they didn't always have to stand out so loudly. It could have been worse, though. At least they didn't glide into Charmingville in their helicopter.

He took a deep breath and exhaled, and then he headed toward the entrance to greet them. His mom spotted him first. She raised her arm, waved, and said, "Look. There's our little No-aaaaah. We're over here, dear."

He smiled and walked up behind Filbert. His mom was wearing one of her long blond wigs and a white suit, and his dad wore gray slacks, a white polo shirt, and a black suit jacket. Noah didn't run up to hug them. He stood behind Filbert, as if seeking shelter, and said, "Hello, it's good to see you both."

Filbert stepped to the side and nudged him in the back. "Go hug your mom. Don't just stand there."

Nancy blinked, and then she smiled. "That's right. Listen to your cousin Filbert. Get over here and give me a hug, dear."

They'd never been an affectionate family, with hugs and kisses and warm sweet greetings. So it left Noah's jaw dropping to see his mom smiling so much. He gave her a hug and said, "You look wonderful, mom. It really is nice to see you again." And then he turned to his dad and gave him a hug. "You, too, dad."

"Well, son," his dad said, "It's good to see you looking so well." He spoke with his deepest, authoritative tone, the one he used when he wanted everyone to think he was the consummate straight businessman.

His mom smiled at Filbert and said, "I hear you've been a very good boy this summer, Noah." Her way of exaggerating certain words seemed more pronounced for some reason, which probably had something to do with her feeling insecure about being so far away from New York.

"Yes," his dad said, "Filbert says you've been the perfect guest and employee."

Noah looked at Filbert and smiled, and then he shrugged and said, "It's been a nice summer. I can't complain about anything."

"And you didn't get caught naked with a bunch of strange men anywhere," his mom said. "Good for you. I'm so proud of you for that alone, dear. You kept your pants on." The fact that her expression remained dead serious made that comment even worse. If she'd been joking around it would have sounded so much better.

"Oh my God," Noah said.

Filbert looked up and laughed.

"I'm only stating that I'm proud of you," his mom said. She turned to Filbert and frowned. "Our Noah sometimes has trouble keeping his clothes on, especially if there are basketball players around."

Filbert patted Noah on the back. "Well, he's been good this summer. I haven't seen him take off his pants in public once."

Noah shot him a look and shook his head. He knew Filbert was only humoring his mom.

Edwin said, "I have a feeling that's because you've been such a good influence on him, Filbert. I don't think I've ever seen Noah so calm and mature before. It's like he's not even the same person."

"He was a little wild when he arrived," Filbert said. "But I set him straight…so to speak."

Noah rolled his eyes.

"Good for you, Filbert," Nancy said. "I was hoping someone might influence him this summer, because God knows I've never been able to tame him. Frankly, I wasn't sure what would become of him, but now I think he might have half a chance."

"I'm still here," Noah said. "I can hear you."

Filbert put his arm around Noah and said, "Calm down. They mean well. They're just happy for you, is all."

Noah nearly fell over sideways when Filbert put his arm around him.

Nancy smiled. She looked at the way Filbert had his arm around Noah and said, "Thank you, Filbert. That's exactly right. All we've ever wanted for Noah was for him to meet the right man and be happy."

Noah didn't want them to get the wrong idea, so he set them straight before any of this got out of hand. "Well, I'm happy, but I still have to meet the right man. Filbert and I are just good friends. So don't go jumping to conclusions. Filbert is Amish, first and foremost. And I'm not even sure he's gay. We're in the friendzone and as far as I know that's not going to change." He saw no reason to mention they'd been having sex all summer. He'd always believed that a self-respecting gay man should die with at least one or two secrets no one else knew about.

Noah's father frowned. "Interesting." He never was much of a talker, especially when Noah wanted to hear some wise advice.

Nancy couldn't stop talking. She tilted her head and stared at them for a moment. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult anyone. I just thought that maybe you two were a couple now. You seem so right together."

"No offense taken," Filbert said. "Right, Noah?"

Noah nodded. "No offense taken."

"Well we're still thankful, Filbert," Edwin said. "You seem to have been a good influence on Noah. I'm glad you became friends."

Filbert just shrugged and looked into Noah's eyes. "He's been a good influence on me, too."

His mom laughed. "That's shocking. I wasn't sure he could get through a week without taking his clothes off in public."

"Now dear," His dad said.

"He's been the perfect guest," Filbert said.

After that, Nancy said she wanted to check into the Inn and take a short nap before supper. She'd always been big on naps. Noah and Filbert walked them back to the Bentley, helped them get inside, and watched them pull out of the parking lot.

When they were gone, Noah looked at Filbert and said, "Do you see what I mean? They're never just normal. They have to be flamboyant. They have to exaggerate and make everything larger than life. And they're basically clueless. I hate to think about what's going to happen tonight at supper with your parents."

Filbert put his hands in his pockets and said, "I like them. I was expecting the worst from what you've been saying all summer, and all I saw were two nice people who care about their son. I'm sure they'll be fine tonight. If they aren't, and if they say anything unusual, my mom and dad can handle it."

Noah wasn't so sure about that. Even though he'd been there all summer, he'd learned very little about Jacob and Sarah. They seemed to function on a daily basis with a routine that rarely changed. Sarah was the typical overbearing mother of an only child, and Jacob was the silent force who rarely showed even the smallest sign of emotion. If they had any suspicions about Filbert and Noah, they never dared mentioned them aloud. One of the most obvious things Noah would take home from his time spent with his Amish cousins that summer would be the importance of discretion and denial. They may not have practiced any English customs, but they knew they existed and they were, indeed, curious about them. Whenever they did veer away from the strict Amish way of life on occasion, they had a way of making it seem as if it had never happened. It was interesting to watch, and even more interesting to partake in it. And dangerous, too, especially if a gay young man from New York happened to fall deeply in love with the most wonderful Amish man in the world.