“Thanks, I’ll look forward to it. But Burke, uh, are you alone?”
“Yeah, bud. Marcy’s upstairs.”
“I don’t want to make problems for you,” I said, “so I’ve got to tell you that I’m out to some people in Stafford and will probably be discreetly coming out more in the coming weeks. If you’ve told Marcy we were good friends in high school, what’s she going to think when you invite me over, knowing that I’m gay?”
He chuckled. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but that’s not a problem. I’ve told Marcy that you and I fooled around some back then but that I haven’t touched another man sexually since. And that’s the God’s truth!”
“And she’s okay with that?”
“Yes, sir, she is. I’ve reminded her how much I love her pretty regularly now for forty-two years.”
“Whew! That’s a relief. Now, give me
