Chapter 24

Leo thought his father would never shut up about including Granny Marble in his upcoming May visit to Beau Pre to introduce Jay to the family as the love of his life. He could hardly get a word in edgewise during the contentious phone call.

“Yes, she’s your grandmother, but she’s also my mother, son,” Joseph was saying. “I’ve known her longer than you have. Why go out of our way to upset her at her age? She’ll be 90 in six months. All these years, she’s had this particular pristine impression of you. Maybe it’s best we don’t disturb it. At least we’ve agreed that your uncle Brady doesn’t need to be brought in on this just yet.”

“Yes, I gave in to you on that one. But I’ll soon be 36, Daddy. Jay is going to be a part of the rest of my life, and I’m proud of us. I want to share the love we have for each other with everyone closest to me. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. You sound like you’re still looking at it as something to cover up and hide, and we don’t see it that way. So, for the record, is Granny Marble in good health? She wouldn’t just keel over from weakness if I told her the truth, would she? She’s never been a ‘case-of-the-vapors’ type, you know.”

“Of course she’s well. I don’t think she’s ever been sick a day in her life. She’ll live to be 120 and receive some sort of proclamation from the White House which she’ll put in a gold frame.”

“I think you underestimate her all-around, Daddy,” Leo said, chuckling. “Strong of body, strong of mind.”

But Joseph would not quit. “Yes, that’s true. But there’s this AIDS thing going around, too. Don’t you think your grandmother will worry herself to death about that? I have to be honest with you and say that your mother and I worry about it quite a bit ourselves, despite your reassuring letters to the contrary. They’re painting such a drastic picture on the news, I sometimes have to turn it off to get some peace of mind. Your mother feels the same way.”

Leo continued, determined not to give up. “I grant you that AIDS is not a walk in the park for anyone. But Jay and I take precautions, and we are monogamous, the same way you and Mama are. I have every reason to believe that we will continue to be safe, and you have to trust us on this. My being gay is not something abstract that you can just brush off semantically. It’s who I am and will always be. Now, I’m in love at last, and I never thought I would get there with all the missteps and mismatches I’ve had in my life. I was always on the outside looking in.”

Joseph was silent for a while. When he finally spoke, he sounded less anxious. “You do have a way with words, son. But then, that’s how you’re making your living down there. We’re awfully proud of you for that. We look forward so much to reading your magazine.”

“Then just stretch that a little to include the person I love and want to spend the rest of my life with. You’re gonna love Jay, and he’s gonna love you, no two ways around it.”

“I have no doubts that we will, but I still have reservations about telling your grandmother. I guess we can’t stop you from telling her about Jay and that aspect of your life, but I’d like for you to think it over carefully. You don’t have to tell her everything.”

“I have a plan in mind, Daddy,” Leo said, sounding mysterious. “Jay and I will play our parts, and I think we’ll be a hit.”

“You and your theatrical flair. It’s been there inside of you from the very beginning. Why you aren’t an actor, I’m sure I don’t know.”

“I have been at times, and I’m still a singer, and I can’t very well let go of any of it now. By the way, how was your latest checkup?”

Joseph’s joy oozed through the phone line. “All clear again. Still cancer-free, and the smoking patches are working fine for me, too. I guess some people do get second chances in life.”

“Some get more than that,” Leo said. “I’m always keeping an eye out for the signs.”

As the result of last-minute negotiations, Joseph and Louisa had agreed to meet Leo and Jay at Granny Marble’s school, which she had finally closed down six months ago after twenty-five, successful years of teaching the people of Beau Pre piano, voice, organ and violin. She had sold off all her pianos except for one of the grands that remained in the spacious recital room; and it was on that last one that Leo planned to play and sing a selection of his favorite R&H numbers, after introducing Jay to his three family members as his new roommate down in New Orleans. Everyone had dressed for the occasion, and Granny Marble had once again chosen her favorite lavender outfit.

All the formalities went off with polite efficiency, Joseph offering a vigorous handshake, and Louisa and Granny Marble their genuine hugs.

“I see you changed your mind,” Joseph whispered to his son, taking him aside at one point. “I think it’s best.”

Leo managed a smile and headed toward the piano where he took his seat. Then he turned to his audience of four and said, “Granny, I remember so well how you had us introduce our pieces at our recitals, so I’m going to do just that right now in tried and true fashion.”

“Excellent.”

He took a deep breath. “I shall now play and sing ‘If I Loved You’ from Carousel; ‘You Are Beautiful’ from Flower Drum Song and ‘This Nearly Was Mine’ from South Pacific. This is my way of thanking you, Granny, for introducing me to the world of music at the tender age of five. Ever since, it has sustained me through thick and thin. I will be forever grateful for that.”

“Thank you, dear grandson. It was my pleasure,” she said, bowing her head graciously.

As Leo began his performance, he was careful to maintain eye contact with his audience, landing more often than not on Jay’s adoring face. He missed not a note in any of the three pieces and thought he had never sounded so relaxed, his voice so nuanced.

After the applause and cries of, “Bravo!” and “Beautiful!” had faded away, Leo got up, moved to Jay’s side and said, “This book Jay brought in with him that he’s holding now is a calculus textbook. He’s almost never without it. He’s so enamored of math, particularly higher math, that he solves equations in his spare time to relax.”

He turned to face Granny Marble. “When Jay found out you had taken a double major in math and music at Randolph-Macon and then had used it to start up your own music school from scratch, he was most impressed. He also figured that your math training made you a very good businesswoman. About that, he was not mistaken.”

That brought out Granny Marble’s best smile, and she said, “Not everyone appreciates math the way I do—the way we do. What an interesting young man you are, Jay. I’ve always said, the higher the math, the higher the intellect.”

He thanked her, and then Leo said, “The thing is, Granny, I only inherited half of your genetic components. The music part, obviously. But I’m missing your math gene. I’ve always struggled with it and even got a D in calculus at Sewanee. It was part of my two-semester math requirement to get my degree, even though I was majoring in Music. I just kept asking myself every time I went into that classroom, ‘When on God’s green earth am I going to use this? I’m not going to work for NASA.’ I guess I’m just not as complete as you are.”

“You’re making way too much of this,” she said, blushing. “I’ve always been a believer in celebrating differences.”

“Exactly. But I wanted to take this opportunity to let you and my wonderful parents know that I’m no longer incomplete. Jay is my missing better half when it comes to math. With that infinity symbol of his, he goes where I dare not go. He solves where I dare not solve. Meanwhile, I run a few arpeggios on the piano and warble my way to happiness.”

“How clever,” Granny Marble said with warmth in her voice.

“Yes, it is,” Louisa added, exchanging furtive glances with her husband, who looked slightly apprehensive.

“But even if Jay were lousy in math, he would still be my better half,” Leo said, putting his arm around Jay’s shoulder. “Family, please welcome into your hearts, the love of my life. My very special someone.”

The moment had arrived. There were a few seconds of silence, but not long enough to generate any tension.

“Welcome to the family all over again, Jay,” Louisa said, hugging him even more genuinely than she had before.

Joseph patted him on the shoulder and said, “Same here, young man. We couldn’t be happier.”

Then it was Granny Marble’s turn, and she did not take long to express herself eloquently. “Your young man is charming, Leo. As for you, I’ve suspected this about you all these years but haven’t let on, of course. Apart from that Rebecca Bentley back in high school, you never mentioned a girlfriend once you got out in the working world. Never once. No two people are alike, but I did have a point of comparison. Your father was the exact opposite. A girl in every port, as they say. Until he found our wonderful Louisa, of course, and then the sailor was home from the sea for good.”

She nodded toward her daughter-in-law, who was beaming, and then continued. “Being a math major, I can put two and two together with the best of them. Which brings me to this: Leo, I’ve loved you since I laid eyes on you with all that red fuzz on your head, and you have done nothing but continue to sing your way into my heart ever since. That red fuzz runs in my family. You were one of mine. Still are, of course. Believe it or not, I can understand what it’s like to be different, appearances to the contrary. When I was a freshman at Randolph-Macon, I would get funny looks from all the boys in all my math classes. Their attitudes didn’t change much all the way up to my senior year. It seemed the higher the math, the higher their resentment or suspicion, I don’t know which. They wouldn’t even date me, not that I would have had anything to do with most of them. Quite the conceited lot. Most of them are at that age. Women weren’t supposed to be interested in subjects like that. We weren’t even supposed to go to college back then, but your great-grandfather saved up all those years that he worked as a train conductor and put me through school. I made the most of it, and I’m thankful I had the good sense to realize the gift I’d been given. So now, it turns out that I have a grandson who doesn’t fit the pattern, if there is one size that fits all anyway. That’s nonsense, of course. I didn’t exactly fit, either, and I’ve managed quite well in life. I have a strong feeling that you and Jay will manage quite well, too.”

“I love you, Granny,” Leo said, hugging her tightly. “I think we will, too. We plan to give it our best.”

“Thanks for your good wishes, Mrs. Marble,” Jay added. “That means a lot to us.”

“Moms, you never told me and Brady all that about how you were treated in college,” Joseph said. “You always painted such a rosy picture for us as a happy pioneer and trailblazer. You said you waltzed through it all. Never had a care in the world back then, and now we get this testimonial.”

“My dear son, there are lots of things mothers don’t tell their children for their own good,” she said, with a wink. “But what I want to tell everyone right now is that I insist on taking all of you out to dinner. My treat. This news calls for a celebration. We would do no less if Leo were bringing the girl of his dreams home to meet us for the first time.”

“Moms, that sounds delightful,” Joseph said. “We appreciate it, of course, but that’ll amount to quite a tab.”

“Joseph,” she said, her eyes trained on him like laser beams, “I just sold five pianos, including one of my baby grands. Plus, my savings account is quite healthy after all those years of teaching. I think I can afford to take my family out on the town now and then when the occasion arises.”

“And we accept your offer graciously,” he added, looking a bit sheepish. “Your treat, it is.”

“Thank you. Everyone, order anything you want on the menu, and save plenty of room for dessert.”