“I hope so.” I was cautiously optimistic. “Every time my heart starts feeling full, the rug gets pulled out from under me.”
Rodney walked in the door. “How come you didn’t come in early like you have been?” I asked.
He looked at me and panicked. “Uh. I. Should I? I don’t know.” That was what he finally landed on. “I guess I was nervous about the meeting and didn’t want to face you before we sat down.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “I told you this is half meeting with the owner of Gentry Construction, and the bigger part is talking with your Uncle Aaron. Let’s go to the back room where we can talk.” I grabbed a couple of water bottles from the small fridge beside Sarah’s desk. “Rose, Daisy, let's go.”
Both dragons landed on my shoulder. Rodney was already in the back room. I realized that he hadn’t called them like he usually did. It was good to see Rodney was taking it so seriously, but he was nervous. Ihated that it was causing him so much anxiety. The dragons would help soothe him while we talked.
Rose was technically Sarah’s, but she had been with them since Rodney was three. She has been in the family now for sixteen years. Rodney can apply for his dragon at twenty-four, the minimum age for placement. He was a legacy member, so he was guaranteed one as pups became available. Placement was his only choice unless there was a baby within the family.
I entered the conference room and closed the door. I set the bottle of water on the table. “Did you forget someone?”
He looked up at me, momentarily confused. “Oh, Rose! Yes.” I shrugged my shoulders, and both dragons went to him. Rose pushed against his chest, chirping and rubbing on him. Daisy got on his shoulder, cuddled his cheek, and wrapped her tail around his neck. They could sense his unease. Their nature was to comfort.
“You need to exhale.” I heard him blow out air. I don’t think he realized he was holding his breath. “Let’s start with why you are so nervous. There must be something here I am not aware of.”
He looked everywhere but at me. He was petting the crap out of poor Rose. Her entire body squished down each time he stroked her. I sat and waited. I can call on the same patience as his mother when I need it. I knew he would eventually say what he needed to say.
“I love baseball,” he said very quietly. “I know I am particularly good at baseball. I even know that I might be able to join the MLB someday. I don’t want to be a professional baseball player.”
I nodded my head. “Fair enough. Is there a particular reason you made this decision?”
“Yeah. I’ve spent time with the guys on both teams where I have scholarships. I don’t like them. There are some great guys, don't get me wrong, but some are bigoted assholes.” He said withvenom in his tone. “I don’t want to be around people like that. On a baseball team, even the good guys let it happen. They don’t tell them to stop or to shut up. It’s disheartening and frustrating.” He looked at me, scowling.
“You know you can go to any school in the country you can get into. The scholarship shouldn’t be your determining factor. I told your mother I would help you through college, and I mean it.”
“It’s not even that. I’ve been around enough baseball teams to know that queer people aren’t genuinely accepted like they should be. Sure, out players will be tolerated, but there is still that undertone at games, in the locker room, and even at public events. I don’t need to tell you how it is in professional sports. I don’t want to hide my identity just to fit in.” I looked at him curiously.
“I sense that your feelings about this are not about the solidarity of your amazing gay Uncle?”
“It is a little bit but mostly about my truth. I’ve never mentioned this to Mom, but I’ve been with men and women. I don’t want to hide that; you know the news cycle will eat the fact that I am bi up. I can’t do it. It would ruin baseball for me. I would rather play city leagues and date whomever I want without anybody caring. Honestly, I didn’t even want to tell you and Mom.”
“Well, you know we support you regardless of who you have in your life. What I do care about is you not addressing this with us.”
“I guess I was embarrassed that I was giving up something so many people dream of. Teams scouted me in high school and wanted me to commit to a future in the league. Giving that up because of whom I dated, loved, or slept with seemed selfish. You and Mom do so much for me, and I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“I don’t think it’s a selfish reason. I have seen a lot of changes in society over the years, but we aren’t there yet. Rodney, I genuinelyunderstand. River is working with a couple whose agent wanted them to return to the closet because two men aren’t the ideal vision for hockey players.” I shook my head.
“Is it the two hockey players that play on rival teams?”
“Yes, it is. Both athletes are being signed to Hot Shots next week. River felt he should protect them from those that wanted them to hide their truth.” Just the reminder of River’s concern for them made me warm inside.
Rodney smiled. “That’s good.”
“Well, now that I know why you don’t want to play baseball, let me lay out what I am willing to offer you,” I told him the same thing I told his mother.
“To get any kind of promotion, you will need your degree.”
“That seems fair.”
“Until then, you can be my apprentice, and I will teach you how I do things. Keep bringing me innovative ideas and working hard. I see potential, and if you choose this path, I will help finance your first building.”
“Thank you for believing in me and letting me have another option.”
“You’re welcome. I feel like you’ve made your decision. You can always change your mind. I will understand and support you no matter what you do. With that said, I want you to start working with manufacturers to get better and exclusive deals on things we use in our apartments.”
He agreed to be on call on Saturday and Sunday and would be the point person on Friday. The other days, we would work around his classes.
