Page 19 of Stained Hearts
“Good. You’re excellent at it, and I would hate to think that kind of talent would be lost.”
“Thank you. That’s really nice of you to say.” Aiden turned away slightly. “I’ve had to work harder to get taken seriously. Even when I went to my classes, the other people there seemed to think I had to be coddled. It was always ‘Oh, here. Let me do that for you’ or ‘Are you sure you can handle that? It’s pretty big.’ Never once did anyone say, ‘Hey, you’re doing great! Keep up the good work.’”
“Not even Olivia?”
“Psh. She doesn’t count. She’s my sister. There’s a rule that says you have to be nice to your brother, even when you want to choke him.”
I thought about Robert and all the times I’d wanted to throttle him. “Yeah, no. That rule doesn’t exist.” I moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder. “Too many people see what they believe are a person’s limitations. I see a person who is strong enough to overcome them. What you’re doing is extraordinary, and not because your legs work differently. If I’m honest, it’s more likely them seeing a problem is what made you stand up and work twice as hard to show them you’re every bit as good as they are.”
He chuckled. “Olivia says she has to work three times harder to prove that she’s as capable as any man. And even after that, there’s a guy in her office who will still try to mansplain things to her like she’s an idiot. And she sits there and seethes while he’s doing it, just waiting for him to stop talking long enough to rip his tongue out.”
Why did it make me so proud to know that Aiden had someone fierce in his corner?
“She sounds like an incredible sister.”
“You don’t know the half of it. She took me in after I told her I was gay, and then when our father told her I was no longer welcome home, she did everything she could to make this place somewhere I felt safe and happy. She’s been more of a motherandfather to me than both our parents, and…. Oh, I’m oversharing again. Sorry.”
“No, not at all.” Listening to Aiden speak, I couldn’t help but think back to my parents. When I came out as gay at twelve, they took me to Chuck E. Cheese and we had a party. A few years later, when Robert came out, they waited until I got home from school, and then we went out again. Never once did they make me feel weird or different. All they ever made both of us feel was loved.
“My parents aren’t like that. They’re…. God, I can’t even begin to describe how awesome they are. Robert and I never had to worry about whether they’d accept us for who we are. They were fair and even-handed when dealing with both of us. Never once did I feel like they played favorites. I guess I just can’t see how a person who says they love you in one breath can suddenly change their minds.” I wasn’t sure how much I should relate, but I had to tell Aiden about my father. “My dad? He’s this big, buff, butch man. He’s six-and-a-half feet tall, has red hair, and sports a beard and mustache. If you saw him, you’d probably think lumberjack. The day I went in to tell them I was gay, I stood close to my mom, because I was terrified about how he’d react, even though I should have known better. He jumped out of his chair and stomped toward me. I cowered and covered my face with my hands. He grabbed me and I screamed until I realized he was holding me to his chest, telling me how fucking proud of me he was for coming out to them. It was the one and only time I feared my father, and it’s the one thing I’m most ashamed of.”
The conversation was getting too deep. While I had no problems being friends with Aiden, listening to him talk, hearing his voice crack, and seeing the pain in his eyes made me want to stand between him and the world.
“I should really go.” I got up and started for the door, but then something took hold of me, and I glanced over my shoulder. “You’ve got my number if you ever need to, you know, talk or something.”
“Really?” He sounded so grateful. “I might take you up on that, then. Have a good night, Tom.”
Warmth blossomed in my chest as I left the building, and damned if it didn’t last all the way home.
“TODAY Icut the last few pieces of glass. I know it’s taken longer than I said, but I should have it done in a couple of weeks.”
Why did that make me sad? Aiden and I had talked pretty much every day since I told him it was okay to call me, and we’d fallen into a routine. For the last six weeks, after Olivia left for work or if she’d gone out, he was on the phone with me, talking about the project. Then he’d segue into talking about Noel and Lincoln, then back to Olivia and how he loved her but she was driving him nuts. He never seemed to run out of things to say, and I hung on to every word.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not in a hurry. Take as much time as you need.”
Aiden sighed. “Do I talk too much?”
Wait. What? “Where’d that come from?”
“My phone shows I’ve been talking to you for two hours. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do. Aren’t you at work now?”
Ah, we hadn’t discussed my “job.”
“I’m retired.”
“Huh? Aren’t you a little young to be retired?”
At least he hadn’t said what so many others did.You don’t lookthatold!
“I worked as a sales rep for Northwestern Mutual from the time I was eighteen. After twenty years, I’d amassed enough capital to retire. I get a good pension and live a comfortable life.”
“Oh.” I could see him nibbling his lip. “I’m sorry.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting that. “Sorry for what?”
“Being nosy. Olivia’s always telling me I need a filter from brain to mouth. I tend to blurt out what I’m thinking, consequences be damned.”
And I liked that about him. He was… I didn’t even know how to say it. Vibrant. And when we talked, everything seemed a little bit brighter. I was going to miss it once the project was done.
