“I can’t believe we’re really doing this!” Br’er exclaimed as their plane taxied down the runway, gathering speed for takeoff. Still cautious, Ray had driven them to a small town about an hour from home to catch their flight to New York. As the aircraft rose into the sky, Br’er turned to Ray and asked, “Just to be clear, you’re taking your son on a trip to New York to congratulate him on getting paroled from prison, right?”
Ray shook his head and laughed. “You’re terrible!”
“Well, I want to make sure we have our stories straight,” Br’er said with mock seriousness.
“No,” Ray countered, “My friend and I are going to New York just for fun.”
Br’er smiled. He realized Ray hadn’t referred to him as his boyfriend. But ‘friend’ was a step up from ‘son’ in Ray’s inching closer to being comforta
