Boston can put us in touch with one."
"What home in Boston?" Liv began. Then it hit her. Instantly, her good looks vanished. Her features hardened and her mouth twisted into a grimace. "Oh, Jesus!" she exclaimed.
The intensity of her reaction seemed to bewilder her husband. Since he must have known what she thought of homosexuals, Marker concluded he must have understood all along that Christ and Franklin were a gay couple and only now realized that his wife had not.
"I won't allow it!" Liv finally found her voice. "Couldn't she have left it to a Christian group that works on curing these youngsters?"
Christ put a hand on his partner's wrist and clenched it tightly. "Steady, Jay."
"Then you're contesting the will?" Marker asked.
"Of course I am! What do you think?"
"Are you sure, Liv?" her husband asked. "Do you think you should?"
"I've never been surer of anything in my life. It's my decision. I'm her daughter."
"I only want to spare you what could be a very unpleasant business in the long haul. Do you think it's worth it?"
She turned to Marker. "Are these men willing to give up their claim?" She wouldn't speak to them, wouldn't look at them.
"It isn't their claim," he reminded her. "They're only acting as representatives."
"And we're not willing," Christ said in an icy voice.
Liv glared at them. "I'll fight it tooth and nail."
"Then I advise you all to get yourselves a lawyer," Marker said.
Christian Worthy
His wife's reaction to her mother's will flabbergasted Eric. He knew from a chance remark she'd let fall here and there that she wasn't exactly big on homosexuals, but he'd had no idea she felt this vehemently about it. While he had done his best to keep up appearances, giving a polite nod in Jay and Baron's direction, which Liv fortunately didn't see, she'd stomped out of the office without so much as a goodbye to the attorney. Now, in the car on their way back to the hotel, she seemed unable to drop the subject. She kept talking on and on about it. He was getting irritated.
"I'm glad now they won't let us stay in the house," she said. "Can you imagine living next door to those people?"
"Can't this wait till we're alone, Liv? I'd have thought that after the fuss you made about not wanting the children to hear—"
"I haven't said a word about you know what."
"No, but it disturbs them. That explosion in the lawyer's office, for example."
"I couldn't help it. I'm sorry. It caught me off guard."
"Surprised me, too," Eric began. "Not that it's unlike her to leave something to char—"
"Not just the will. Those men."
"You mean you didn't realize…?"
"You mean you did ?"
"It's kind of hard to miss. Didn't you see the look the preacher gave them?"
"At the cemetery? I thought that was for the black man."
It had never occurred to Eric that a person could be both prejudiced against gays and at the same time blind to their presence. It made sense, though, now that he thought about it. "I suppose it must've seemed worse to him, their being a mixed gay couple," he said.
Liv shuddered. "Just picturing—"
"Don't!" Eric interrupted. Then, in a calmer voice: "I do wish you'd let this slide, Liv. Just see how upset it's got you."
"Oh, I'll calm down eventually."
"I hope so," he said doubtfully. "Maybe when we're back home you'll see things in a different perspective."
"I'm not going home. I'm staying here until I've seen this through."
"But we have a plane in three days!"
"We can cancel."
"I'm going home then, Liv. I have my job, you know. I dropped everything at a moment's notice to come here."
"Then go."
"I thought you didn't like Macon!"
"I don't, but I have a job to do here."
"It doesn't need you here to get done. What about your real job?"
"You mean my paying job? I'll ask for a leave of absence. Or I'll find another. This is more important."
"More important than our lives?"
"This situation is part of our lives, and I'm going to see it through."
"And the kids?"
"The kids will stay with
"What home in Boston?" Liv began. Then it hit her. Instantly, her good looks vanished. Her features hardened and her mouth twisted into a grimace. "Oh, Jesus!" she exclaimed.
The intensity of her reaction seemed to bewilder her husband. Since he must have known what she thought of homosexuals, Marker concluded he must have understood all along that Christ and Franklin were a gay couple and only now realized that his wife had not.
"I won't allow it!" Liv finally found her voice. "Couldn't she have left it to a Christian group that works on curing these youngsters?"
Christ put a hand on his partner's wrist and clenched it tightly. "Steady, Jay."
"Then you're contesting the will?" Marker asked.
"Of course I am! What do you think?"
"Are you sure, Liv?" her husband asked. "Do you think you should?"
"I've never been surer of anything in my life. It's my decision. I'm her daughter."
"I only want to spare you what could be a very unpleasant business in the long haul. Do you think it's worth it?"
She turned to Marker. "Are these men willing to give up their claim?" She wouldn't speak to them, wouldn't look at them.
"It isn't their claim," he reminded her. "They're only acting as representatives."
"And we're not willing," Christ said in an icy voice.
Liv glared at them. "I'll fight it tooth and nail."
"Then I advise you all to get yourselves a lawyer," Marker said.
Christian Worthy
His wife's reaction to her mother's will flabbergasted Eric. He knew from a chance remark she'd let fall here and there that she wasn't exactly big on homosexuals, but he'd had no idea she felt this vehemently about it. While he had done his best to keep up appearances, giving a polite nod in Jay and Baron's direction, which Liv fortunately didn't see, she'd stomped out of the office without so much as a goodbye to the attorney. Now, in the car on their way back to the hotel, she seemed unable to drop the subject. She kept talking on and on about it. He was getting irritated.
"I'm glad now they won't let us stay in the house," she said. "Can you imagine living next door to those people?"
"Can't this wait till we're alone, Liv? I'd have thought that after the fuss you made about not wanting the children to hear—"
"I haven't said a word about you know what."
"No, but it disturbs them. That explosion in the lawyer's office, for example."
"I couldn't help it. I'm sorry. It caught me off guard."
"Surprised me, too," Eric began. "Not that it's unlike her to leave something to char—"
"Not just the will. Those men."
"You mean you didn't realize…?"
"You mean you did ?"
"It's kind of hard to miss. Didn't you see the look the preacher gave them?"
"At the cemetery? I thought that was for the black man."
It had never occurred to Eric that a person could be both prejudiced against gays and at the same time blind to their presence. It made sense, though, now that he thought about it. "I suppose it must've seemed worse to him, their being a mixed gay couple," he said.
Liv shuddered. "Just picturing—"
"Don't!" Eric interrupted. Then, in a calmer voice: "I do wish you'd let this slide, Liv. Just see how upset it's got you."
"Oh, I'll calm down eventually."
"I hope so," he said doubtfully. "Maybe when we're back home you'll see things in a different perspective."
"I'm not going home. I'm staying here until I've seen this through."
"But we have a plane in three days!"
"We can cancel."
"I'm going home then, Liv. I have my job, you know. I dropped everything at a moment's notice to come here."
"Then go."
"I thought you didn't like Macon!"
"I don't, but I have a job to do here."
"It doesn't need you here to get done. What about your real job?"
"You mean my paying job? I'll ask for a leave of absence. Or I'll find another. This is more important."
"More important than our lives?"
"This situation is part of our lives, and I'm going to see it through."
"And the kids?"
"The kids will stay with
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