The cheers escalated asDrew gave a small wave.
“Butthen there’s another twist.” To his other side, Franco gestured forCaleb to stand up, which he did awkwardly, nearly knocking down hischair. “For the first time in Wordplay history, we’re incorporatingmusic into a performance,” Franco continued.“Pianist-extraordinaire, Caleb Salve, everyone.”
Caleb, bold andbrave. It took extreme effort to smile atthe fired-up crowd, but he did it. He sat back down on wobblylegs.
“Go, Caleb!” Kate’s voicethundered across the room. He smiled, feeling some of the tensionebb.
“So,we’re doing this?” Franco nodded to Drew, then to Caleb, who bothresponded with head bobs. Rubbing his palms together, Francogrinned. “This piece, written by Drew and yours truly, is entitledCome Out.”
Fingers slightly shaking,Caleb began playing Chopin’s Raindrop. Franco’s voice, clear andcrisp, came in after a few bars of the melancholicmelody.
I hate to be the bearer ofdrama,
But the closet is noNarnia.
Inside the closet, thegrass ain’t greener;
The air, certainly notsweeter.
No swift and mightycentaurs
Off to fight the goodwar.
No benevolent and wickedwitches
No feasts of exoticdishes
No hordes of mythicalbeings
To crown you as kings andqueens.
Franco stepped aside andlet Drew take over the microphone.
Closets are forclothes
Not for that part ofyourself you loathe
If you want to see thelight,
Outside the closet, youmust take flight.
Out here, we are our ownAslan
Our own demons, we beslayin’
We cook our ownfeasts
Bring out our innerbeasts
We revel in our collectiveroar
Find out what our voicesare for.
Drew paused, looking atCaleb expectantly. He continued playing, fingers slipping off thekeys, heart hammering in his throat. It took a few more bars untilhe found his voice.
If you decide to comeout,
We welcome you to ourfold,
Home of the brave andbold.
More than mere kings andqueens,
We declare ourselvesworthy human beings,
Savoring a life of truthand openness
Breathing in air filledwith sweetness.
Out of the closet, wechoose to be free,
Remembering that gay isanother word for happy.
The final noted lingeredin the air, shimmering before it faded.
Applause came like a roar,swallowing him whole. Like Jonah, Caleb felt he was in the rumblingbelly of some beast, the clamor making his ears ring, his heartsing. He sat still for a moment, for an eternity, losing all senseof time.
Something else washappening inside him. He stared at the blurry keyboard, feelingsomething lifting off him. A burden? A secret? A weighty thinggrowing wings, gliding into the air. In his mind’s eye, Calebwatched it break free. Whatever it was, he could feel its happinessfrom its newfound freedom.
And then a feeling oflightness flooded the spot that the thing had vacated. It settledinto the nooks and crannies of his insides, making its homethere.
He felt a tug on his armand he looked up. It was Drew, his face cracked open with a smile.“Come on,” he said.
Quickly wiping his eyes,Caleb followed him to the front. With Franco and Drew on eitherside of him clasping his hands, they raised their arms and bowedlow to the never-ending applause.
Caleb was still taking itall in when Franco drew him in for a hug. Laughter fizzled upCaleb’s throat. He was still shaking when Franco released him andDrew gathered him close—Drew’s chin on Caleb’s shoulder, heartbeatto heartbeat. “I’m so proud of you,” Drew said into hisear.
A flurry of movementcaught Caleb’s eye, and before he knew it, Drew’s arms werereplaced with thinner ones that held him just as tightly. His firstthought was that it was Ginny. But no, Ginny didn’t have this longhair that smelled of strawberries. Caleb hugged the girl closer.“Thank you, Tara,” he whispered.
She pulled back, beamingup at him.
And then Caleb finally sawit. The thing he had been hoping for. She was there, standing amongthe audience a short distance away from him.
The last time Caleb sawhis mom, he thought that her hasty departure defined the end oftheir relationship. But he was wrong. Life constantly grew andexpanded, always making room for change. Proof of this was Caleb’sown life, which had transformed so much over the past weeks. Andnow that his mom was there, Caleb knew that his life wasn’t donechanging.
Still, there wereconstants. Change was one; love was another. Despite life’suncertainties, Caleb knew that love was something he and his momcould never give up on.
This, then, was thedefining moment. Seeing his mom’s face etched with . . . not griefor heartbreak or torment. Though her cheeks were stained withtears, she was smiling, nodding and nodding her head. It felt likewhatever had come between them vanished, and finally, Caleb couldread the poetry in her eyes.
Yes, Caleb.
Yes, my son.
Yes, I’m willing tounderstand.
Chapter 24:Harmony
What was it about bluethat calmed him down?
Caleb knew it wasassociated with peace, loyalty and yes, even sadness. But none ofthese was the reason that had endeared him to the color.
But now, he remembered. Itwas because blue was the color of the sea, deep and vast, pulsingand calm at the same time. The sea was a constant during the timewhen his own father had been a constant in his life. Trips to thebeach were the highlight of his dad’s homecomings, which, in turn,were the highlight of Caleb’s growing up years. To him, blue meantbeing happy with his family.
It had taken years for himto return to this version of happiness, but here he was at last,reliving the sensations that had marked his childhood. His feetsprinkled with sun-baked sand. The smell of coconut-scentedsunscreen on his skin. The polyester fabric of his shorts clingingto his thighs as he stretched out on the reclining chair, limbsheavy from treading water.
And then right in front ofhim, all this beautiful, infinite blue glittering under the sun. Anendless supply of peace and calm, all his for the taking. Here,time didn’t matter. Even his internal metronome had gone on abreak.
“What do you say aboutdriving lessons next week?”
Caleb groaned, turning tohis side to throw his mom an anguished look. Beneath the straw hatthat covered most of her face, she didn’t even spare him a glance,her eyes glued on a page of the paperback she washolding.
“Ma, do I haveto?”
Finally,
