"Sure, what's up?"

Dave took a seat across from his father and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked pale under his summer tan, and a bit haggard.

"I'm not sure how to say this…" Dave glanced across the room to his dad and then stared down at his hands. He swallowed once and took a deep breath.

Paul put the newspaper down on his lap and waited.

"Dad…I think I'm gay." Dave looked tentatively over at his father.

Paul blinked several times. He frowned and shook his head. Everything was happening in an echo chamber. "Son... what?"

Dave's mouth was suddenly dry. His tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. He forced himself to speak, "I'm gay."

"That is what I thought you said." Paul measured his words carefully. "What makes you think you're gay?"

Dave rolled his eyes, "Aside from the obvious, dad?"

Paul was at a loss. "Well, I mean…how long have you... felt this way?"

"For a while now. But I didn't really understand it for a long time. I guess I didn't want to believe it." Dave's eyes shone with tears. He had that nauseated sensation he often experienced before a game.

Paul saw the pained expression on Dave's face. He sighed. "Now you are sure?"

Dave was already onto the next topic. "Dad, Burt Hummel is going to be calling you."

"About this?"

"This?" repeated Dave with sarcasm. "This is just about the most important thing I have ever had to tell you! Can you even say 'gay'?" His voice was louder than he intended.

Paul met Dave's sarcasm was some of the same. "David, what do you want me to say? I'm in shock! My son, who gets expelled from school for bullying a gay kid, tells me he is gay!" Paul heard himself and immediately regretted it. He lowered his voice to its normal register. "It is just a lot to absorb, okay?"

Dave dropped his head. "Yeah, okay…"

"Are you in some kind of trouble with Kurt?"

"Well, not really… I mean I was… but we pretty much got it worked out. I was over at Kurt's house on Monday night…" Dave's voice dropped off.

"So why is Burt going to call me?"

"Because I asked him to help me talk to you."

Paul glanced across the room to his son and nodded. "Okay. Talk to me about…?" Paul lifted his eyebrows with a questioning look.

"Well, about what it is like to have a gay son."

"Okay… " Paul said thoughtfully, "I get that…but can I ask…how did you end up talking to Kurt's father?"

Dave's face flushed and he rubbed his hands together slowly. "I kind of made a mess of things at Kurt's house Monday night. I was there to talk about starting PFLAG and at the end of the meeting I…" Dave was searching for the words, "I made a pass at Kurt." Dave shrugged and sighed. "In the end we all talked it out-"

"Who's 'we'?" It seemed all Paul could manage was asking questions.

"Um, Kurt, Blaine, Burt and me." Then Dave offered by way of explanation, "Blaine is Kurt's boyfriend."

"So, David, while I'm trying to figure all this out, I just need to make sure I understand. You made a pass at Kurt—what does that mean?"

"I hugged him, dad. I said some things to him. And when he asked me to stop, I didn't stop. Then he kneed me."

"And you think you are gay because you hugged Kurt?"

Dave sat back on the couch and shook his head. He spoke slowly. "No, I think I'm gay because I have been in love with Kurt since we were in grade school. I hugged him because…because…" Dave sobbed and words rushed out, "because I couldn't help myself and I was so tired of hiding everything!" Hot tears ran onto Dave's cheeks and he quickly wiped them away.

His son's confession brought Paul up short. He stopped wallowing in his own thoughts and brought himself to see, really see the boy sitting a few feet away. Dave appeared miserable and scared. Paul was no genius when it came to raising a teenager, but he was no idiot either. And he loved Dave.

He dropped the long forgotten paper on the end table and moved out of his chair to approach the couch where Dave was hunched over with his face in his hands. He sat down beside his son, letting his arm rest firmly on his son's broad muscular back. Heat rolled in waves off of Dave. He slumped against his father and gave in to the tears he had been fighting on and off since the conversation began.

Paul could sense the tremendous relief it was for his son to begin shedding his burden of secrets, doubt and shame. This was the conscientious boy, the Eagle Scout, that he had raised. Paul settled back into the couch and slowly rubbed Dave's back. It was a powerful position to be in, to be able to through your words and touch, ease your child's heart and mind. Paul had never considered that his son might be gay. Things had been rough over the last year or so. Paul had no way to gauge it; Dave was his only child. He had lots of questions, but they could wait. Now was a time to listen to all that Dave wanted to tell him.

-To Be Continued-