Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22540 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
"Hey, nothing wrong with a good weiner," I shrugged, making him laugh again. That one was intentionally naughty. "Would you like some of my steak?"
"Sure, thank you."
I cut my meat in half and slid one piece into his plate, and Hayes gave me part of his dinner as well. It was a small gesture, but it showed how comfortable he was around me, as well as what a generous person he was.
"So, do you play any other sports?" I asked, wanting to learn everything about him.
"Baseball has always been it for me. I still play in a community league in the springtime, and it's a lot of fun. You know, I credit baseball for helping me figure out who I am."
"How so?"
"Well, after every game, Coach told all of us players to hit the showers. It wasn't long before I realized that I was in a room full of naked guys and I didn't hate it." That would be a pretty big sign. "At first it confused me, and led to a lot of questions. But once I realized what was going on, I stopped showering with the group. I waited until the other guys had cleared out; I didn't want an awkward situation to…arise, and I also didn't want to ogle the guys without their knowledge or permission."
Even in his formative years, Hayes had a heart of gold. "Did your teammates know that you were gay?"
Hayes shook his head. "I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable, and I wasn't ready to come out yet. As I grew older and got a better handle on my hormones and maturity, I realized that just because I was surrounded by these bodies didn't mean that I had to look at them. I minded my business and it wasn't a big deal. I did come out in college, and I was lucky to have supportive teammates and peers." I was glad that Hayes didn't face prejudice over his orientation. "What about you; do you play any sports?"
I thought my fluffy body type would be an obvious answer, but I told him, “No, I was never very athletic. Growing up, most of my free time was spent studying.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Hayes shrugged. “It sounds like all that hard work has served you well.”
I nodded and explained, “My dad raised me by himself. He always worked hard, physical labor jobs, and usually more than one at a time to make ends meet. We never had much money, but he always made sure we had food on the table. He always said that he wanted a better life for me when I got older; for me to live without worrying about whether or not I could pay my bills or buy groceries. So, he encouraged me to study hard and to get good grades. I remember him coming home from work late in the evening, dirty and exhausted, but he’d still sit up with me and practice my spelling words. He just wanted the best for me, and did all he could to help me get it.”
“He sounds like a great guy,” Hayes replied with a warm smile.
“He was so proud when I got a full academic scholarship to college, and it means everything to me that he got to see me walk across that stage for my diploma before he passed away.”
“I’m grateful you got to share that with him, but I’m so sorry for your loss,” Hayes offered, reaching across the table to take my hand.
“Thank you. I continue to push myself so hard in my career because I want to honor his wishes for me; I want to have a good life without financial woes, just like he wanted.”
“I’m sure he’s very proud of you,” Hayes said with a squeeze to my hand. “But part of having a good life is also taking time to enjoy it. Financial security is great, but everyone needs time to relax and take care of themselves too.”
Hayes was right; part of the reason why my father wanted me to get an education and find a high-paying job was so that I didn’t need to work myself to death, but that’s exactly what I had been doing lately. “You’re very wise,” I told him with a squeeze of my own.
“I got it from my grandma,” he explained. “Her motto was ‘work hard so you can play hard’.”
“I love it,” I smiled.
Conversation flowed between us as we finished our meals. It was as easy to talk to Hayes about simple things like movies (we learned that we both enjoyed watching documentaries) and music (we didn’t have similar tastes here, but could both agree that current pop music was garbage) as it was to dive into deeper subjects like family.
We also discovered that we both had a sweet tooth when we were offered dessert. I ordered a chocolate lava cake, while Hayes (wanting another ‘fancy’ option) chose creme brulee. Just as we’d done with our dinners, we split our food with one another.