Chapter 18
“Reba’s gonna have a baby, Tom,” Jack told his friend.
Tom’s face lit up. “That’s fantastic, buddy. When?”
“Next April.” It was September of 1979, and he’d turned twenty-five a few days before. Just knowing his wife was pregnant made him feel as if he were on top of the world.
“Yes!” Tom was almost giddy. “You’re going to be a daddy. And I’ll be his uncle.”
“Uh, no, buddy.”
“Okay, semantics.” Tom waved it away. “Her uncle.”
“Neither.”
“Jack, there’s only the two sexes.”
Damn, but Tom was making this difficult. “You see, it’s…Shit.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “It’s like this, Tom. I can’t have you for a friend.”
“What?”
“I can’t—”
“Because I’m gay.” It wasn’t a question. Tom knew Jack’s daddy had almost gone through the roof when he’d learned his son’s friend was
