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Darren and Richard	By : Leneanna Category: Singers/Bands/Musicians > Savage Garden Views: 1741 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the members of Savage Garden. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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So we get to Tracey’s and greet Darren’s family, and dole out gifts. Darren and I change into swimsuits and stake our claim on two lounge chairs in the shade. It’s overcast, but still very warm. The pool is beautiful, but I’m not quite ready for a swim just yet. We’re relaxing, enjoying the serenity, until this one neighborhood kid shows up. I could sniff this kid out as trouble from a mile away. You know the type: The one in every crowd who goads the others into picking on the smallest kid in the bunch. The ringleader. Chief-bully-in-charge. Call him what you will. He was one of Jordan’s friends, and I disliked him the moment I laid my half-closed eyes on him. Tracey is quietly telling us that this kid’s family just moved in, and she just doesn’t trust him. Another kid’s mother had told her he’d already gotten in trouble at school, and the semester’s just begun. She keeps a close eye on him when he’s over, and has already warned Jordan against letting this little punk talk he and his pals into doing something they know is wrong. Jordan’s a good kid. And certainly not a follower, so he’s not intimidated by this little trouble-maker. Darren and I exchange knowing glances. We’ve both had more than our share of run-ins with neighborhood bullies as kids ourselves to know one when we smell one. Then we happen to overhear a conversation between Jordan, and Ryan, the bully, taking place in the shallow end of the pool.

“So, Dude, if Darren and Pete are your mother’s brothers, who’s ‘Uncle Richard’?”
“He’s Darren’s partner.”

The kid laughs.

“What, you mean, like, they’re faggots?”

You could’ve heard a pin drop as the adults exchanged horrified glances. The look on Darren’s face said it all: He was instantly back on the playground, being shoved around by the ghosts of bullies from his childhood. I was filled with rage, but I took a deep breath, and waited to see what Jordan would do.

“That’s not cool, Ryan. Darren and Richard are my uncles. You take that back!”
“No! It’s the truth.”

I’d heard enough. I stood up.

“I’ll handle this.”

I stroll over to the boys. Jordan looks like he’s ready to deck the little fuckwit.

“Ryan, is it? Come on out here, son. I’d like to talk to you.”

Just to make the little bastard squirm, I put my hand on his shoulder and lead him to a corner of the yard.

“Ryan, how fair do you think it would be if someone tried to make you feel bad because, say, you were born on a Tuesday, and everyone else was born on Wednesday?”
“I have no control over that.”
“Alright then. What about if you were born with blue eyes and everyone else had brown? Would that make you inferior because you were different?”
“No, because I can’t control that either.”
“Ah, so then what makes you think it’s any different for gay people?”
“I dunno.”

By now, he’s squirming, looking at his feet.

“Son, gay people don’t choose to be attracted to the same sex. That’s determined before birth. So if I were you, I’d think long and hard before I picked on someone for being different. And I believe you owe the adults here an apology, starting with me and Mr. Hayes.”

The jerk mumbles “Sorry” under his breath, makes an excuse, and leaves.
Jordan gets out of the pool, near tears.

“Uncle Richard, I’m so sorry.”

I hold my hand up.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

I give him a hug.

“I think your friend just left here a little smarter than when he arrived.”
“He’s no longer my friend. I don’t need friends like that. Uncle Darren?”
“Come here. He’s just lucky it was Richard that dealt with him instead of me. I might have shown the little shit how it feels to get a beating from a “faggot”. Did I happen to mention that I really hate that word?”

Jordan laughs.
Well then. Not bad for our first day in Australia, eh?

“You guys are so cool! I love you guys!”
“Alright then. Who’s up for a chicken fight?”
“I’m on Uncle Richard’s team!”, Sarah shrieks.

Darren dives in, swims the length of the pool, and returns to the shallow end. I haven’t gone in yet.

“Is it cold, Darren?”
“Nah. It’s really nice. Come on in.”

I’m not one to just dive right into 28,000 gallons of cold water. I have to acclimate, an inch at a time. While I’m sitting on the edge, gradually immersing one toe at a time, 10-year-old Adam sneaks up on me with a bucket of water. Darren knows full well what’s about to happen, and never clues me in. What the little booger doesn’t know is that I’ve got fast reflexes. Even as I’m taking 5 gallons of cold water over the head, I reach around and grab the culprit, dragging him in with me. Bucket and all.

“Aw, no fair!”
“Mess with the best, die with the rest!”

We had a lovely time in the pool with the kids. I even convinced myself to pick at a piece of chicken. At least I trusted the cleanliness of the food. We were sitting around the picnic table, and Jordan brought up the earlier incident, in a manor of speaking.

“Uncle Darren, did you and Uncle Rich have to deal with guys like Ryan when you were in school?”
“More times than you can imagine.”
“You too, Uncle Rich?”
“Oh yeah. In my second year, I transferred to an arts high school, so things got a lot better then.”
“Were there more....kids like you there?”

Tracey interjects.

“Jordan, maybe Uncle Richard would rather not talk about it.”
“No, really, I’m fine with it. Yes, there were more kids like me. Keep in mind that I was still questioning my sexuality at that point. I suspected that I probably was gay, but I hadn’t yet had a real relationship with anyone, boy or girl, so I wasn’t completely sure. I had a lot of close friends in high school. Some gay, some straight, Some, like me, still trying to sort themselves out. I dated a few girls, but we were really more friends than anything else, looking back on it.”
“When did you...um...?”

I know what he’s trying to ask, and I smile and motion toward his little sister, whom I suspect doesn’t need to know that at 8 years of age.

“We’ll talk later, yeah?”

They have this totally cool firepit at Tracey’s house. The kids had a ball roasting marshmallows. So did Darren. Not sure my stomach was up to all that sugar yet, so I passed. But I knew Jordan wanted to finish our talk, so when Tracey took Sarah in to have her bath, I seized the opportunity.

“Jordan, show me the goldfish pond you’re working on.”

His eyes lit up, and he jumped up. We walked to the corner of the yard.

“So, where were we?”
“You sure you’re alright talking about this, Uncle Rich?”
“Absolutely.”
“How old were you when, um...you know?”

I laugh.

“When I lost my virginity?”
“Yeah.”
“Sixteen.”
“With a girl or a guy?”
“A girl. We were friends. She knew I was trying to figure things out.”
“So how did you know you liked boys better than girls?”
“Well, I think after I’d been with a girl, I was more confused than ever. I mean, I liked it, but I still felt, I dunno...empty? I was like, ‘Is that all? That’s what all these blokes are always going on about? Big deal!’ I dated a few other girls during high school. I thought maybe I’d be more into the whole thing with someone else, but no. So I decided in my junior year to concentrate on getting accepted to university, so I really didn’t date anyone for awhile.”
“You didn’t try dating any guys?”
“I thought about it, but I hadn’t met anyone I was really attracted to, and since I found the whole ‘sex with girls’ thing to be a bit of a disappointment, I figured there’d be time for that later. And then I met someone.”
“A guy?”
“Yeah. The school I really wanted to go to was having an open house for prospective students. A weekend thing. That’s where I met Tristan. Same age as me. Also a theatre student. We got together over that weekend. Completely rocked my whole universe. Needless to say, I no longer had doubts that I was gay. I knew I was. We started seeing each other on weekends.”
“Were your parents supportive?”
“Yeah. I think that’s where Darren’s and my experiences differ. My folks probably suspected I was gay long before I knew for sure, but it was never an issue. In fact, they brought it up before I did. They told me they just wanted me to be happy, and to follow my heart and be honest with myself, no matter where that led. I was well aware that a lot of people were not going to be as open-minded as they were. I think when I came home from that weekend, they immediately knew something had happened. I mean, I was head-over-heels in love for the first time with this boy. I couldn’t stop talking about him.”
“How did you tell them that he wasn’t just a friend?”
“I think they figured it out pretty quickly. My Mum asked me. But they weren’t upset about it. I guess they figured it would happen sooner or later.”
“What did they say?”
“I think she said something like, ‘You’re in love, aren’t you, Richard?’”
I said, ‘Is it that obvious?’
‘Honey, you haven’t stopped talking about him. Just be careful, please, Richard. There are diseases out there that can kill you.’
‘I know, Mum. We used protection.’
‘You’re a good boy.’”
“She really said that?”
“Yeah, she did.”

I smile.

“So what happened with him?”
“Well, we went to University together. We dated for almost two years, but we kind of grew apart.”
“Were you sad when it ended?”
“Yeah. I was. He was my first love. You never forget them, no matter who they are.”
“Did you try to stay friends?”
“We tried, but we were traveling in different circles by then, so we didn’t see that much of each other. I dated a few different blokes after that. Didn’t really get serious with anyone until after I’d graduated.”
“And then you met Uncle Darren?”
“No, that wasn’t until about 12 years later. I had one other serious relationship before I met Darren. We were together a few years, but it just didn’t work out. Maybe it wasn’t meant to, because then I never would’ve met your uncle.”
“You and Uncle Darren really love each other a lot, don’t you?”
“Yes, we do. I think we met at a point in both our lives when neither of us were sure we’d ever meet someone to spend the rest of our lives with. It’s funny how that happens sometimes.”
“Thanks, Uncle Rich.”
“You got it. Oh, and Jordan? About that jerk? Don’t take any crap. You know I’d never suggest violence as a way to solve anything, but don’t let anyone push you around, okay?”
“I won’t.”

Tracey drove us back to our hotel later that evening. We were so tired. We just lay in bed talking before we went to sleep. We talked about Jordan. Darren wonders if the kid might be struggling with his own sexual identity, or if the whole thing was him feeling like he had to defend us. Either way, he’s a cool kid. And if he is gay, at least he’s got role models, and maybe his folks will be better equipped to handle it than Darren’s were. Although they did come around to it pretty well. Not sure his father will ever be 100% okay with it, but he’s got no choice. Tomorrow, Darren’s going to visit his ex-wife and their dogs. I’m staying here. Don’t need to get in the middle of that.
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Darren and Richard