Horizons Read Free Page A

Isn’t that a girl’s name?”
    He cracked a smile. “My real name is Jude. Jody’s a nickname that stuck.”
    “Doesn’t it bother you to have a girl’s name?”
    “Not at all. What about you, Clark? Were your parents big Superman fans?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You know, Clark Kent, Superman’s alter ego.”
    “I was named after Dwight Clark.”
    “Who?”
    “San Francisco 49er. Best wide receiver ever . He was huge in 1981, the year I was born.”
    “In case you haven’t noticed,” Jody said, leaning forward, “I’m not a big football fan.”
    “I forgot,” Clark noted. “Let’s change the subject, then. Tell me about your girlfriend?”
    “No girlfriend.”
    “Why not?”
    “I’m gay.”
    “Oh.” It shocked me to hear him say it out loud. He was so matter-of-fact about it I was jealous that he was so sure of himself.
    “You don’t look gay,” I shot back, immediately realizing how stupid that sounded.
    Jody’s surprise was evident in the shift of his body and his raised eyebrows. He looked confused by my last statement. Finally, he cocked his head to the right. “Do you think we all wear mascara and sequins?”
    “No,” I said quickly, backpedaling like mad. “I don’t know much about your world.”
    “I didn’t think so,” he said, taking a sip of water and getting serious again. “Does it bother you? Being with a gay man?”
    “Why should it? You don’t look gay. Besides, you’re my doctor; nothing else.”
    “Right,” Jody said, never taking his eyes off mine. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks again. Could he tell about me? Did gay men just know about other men who were attracted to them, but too scared to do anything about it? Was I sending out some sort of signal I wasn’t aware of? My mind was filled with a thousand questions, but all I could think to ask was, “Have you always known you’re gay?”
    “I knew something wasn’t right when I preferred watching Martha Stewart over Monday Night Football. ” His easy tone settled my tension. “Then when I started salivating over Sean Connery’s hairy chest, I knew I had issues.”
    “I’ll bet,” I replied, unable to keep the smile off my face. “Were your parents pretty cool?”
    “They were, after they got over the initial shock. My father had me when he was in his late forties. He was a widower when he met my mother, and by the time I was a toddler, he was old enough to be my grandfather. He spoiled me rotten,” Jody admitted with a grin. “Dad’s never been able to stay angry at me for longer than a day, so when I came out, he took it in stride and began his quest to make me the best-educated gay man in Illinois.”
    “How?”
    “By keeping me disease free. He was rabid about safe sex, and I had videos hurled at me left and right. At the time, I thought it was all a little over the top, but as I got older and learned more, I realized what a loving thing he did. Mind you, this was all coming from a straight man with two grown sons. He could have just ignored me, hoping it was a phase that would pass, but he chose to be honest and open, which made an incredible difference in my state of mind.”
    “You’re lucky they accept you for who you are.”
    “I am. My parents were way ahead of their time. They acted like PFLAG parents long before they ever heard of it.”
    “What’s PFLAG?”
    “It’s a support group for parents of gay kids.”
    “What about your mom? Do you two get along?”
    “She’s a sweetheart, but I was always closer to my father.”
    “That’s great,” I said.
    He must have heard the envy in my voice because he asked, “I know we talked about this before, but you never really gave me an answer. Don’t you and your dad get along? He seemed very interested in you and your career.”
    “That’s an understatement.”
    “Oh?”
    “Let’s not talk about him. I want to enjoy my dinner,” I said, forcing a smile. The idea of discussing my father and his obsession