Page 49 of Big Britches
In the wee hours of the morning, when Pedro tried to leave, Titus begged him to stay. After a little persuasion, he remained, and they slept in each other’s arms for the rest of that magical night.
Titus called Silas the next day. He told him he had big plans for his property's landscaping development, and that he found Pedro to be the perfect candidate for the job. Silas balked at losing his best employee for three days a week, so Titus threw more money his way until he agreed.
The nights preceding Pedro’s workdays on Titus’s property were often the ones when he would sleep over. Roz became accustomed to seeing him there. She would tease Titus about it when Pedro was away, but she, too, was growing fond of him. She saw firsthand the profound effect he was having on her widowed friend. Conversations around the house had become much livelier, and Titus was running errands. In town. He was becoming an active participant in life again, and not just a passive observer.
The kids adored Pedro. Tucker and Shelly kept track of the days he was going to be there and, often, would even forgo the pool for a chance to work in the flower beds with him.
Tucker was especially enamored. At first, Titus and Pedro kept their relationship subdued in his presence, fearing an adverse reaction to introducing a new familial component. But, to their relief, the boy accepted Pedro, gravitating to him as any child would to a mentor or caring adult.
The biggest transition was Titus, though. He wanted to share everything he knew with Pedro, so much that they were going out together—once, sometimes twice a week. They were cautious, shopping for groceries at night or choosing takeout over dining in. But as their relationship grew, Titus resented having to do such things. If he could dine with male friends like Alden without question, why should dining with Pedro be any different? The town of Spoon, though insignificant to most, was important to Titus. He was proud of his heritage there and wanted to share it with Pedro.
That’s what he told himself. The truth was, he was content. Deep down, and he wanted others to know of his newfound happiness.
The first time they ate in a restaurant together was at the local burger joint, the Dairy Dream. Titus explained to Pedro that the independent fast-food restaurant, established in 1953, had been a frequent teenage hangout for decades. They felt at ease there, eating chili cheeseburgers and drinking peanut butter milkshakes amongst the younger generation. Pedro marveled at the photo wall and trophy case where there were many award plaques and cups for multiple achievements regarding HOCO high school football—state championship paraphernalia, and team photographs, many of which included Titus.
On one of their visits to the Dream, Titus casually traced his finger across the table and stopped. They were sitting at a booth in the back, and he was pointing at some miniature etched graffiti. Pedro eyed it closer, making out a tiny grouping of letters and numbers.
BT23.
“When did you do that?”
Titus shrugged. “I don’t remember. One night. I was probably bored, listening to the other guys ramble on about girls.”
Pedro shook his head with mock disapproval. “Defacing private property… you little vandal you.”
“You can barely see it. I had to point it out to you.”
“Still.”
“Just remember, if you’re ever here for lunch without me, you can sit here. It’ll be like we’re together.”
It was a frivolous notion, like something a teenager would say. But Pedro bought it hook, line, and sinker.
Their burgeoning affection not only got Titus to venture away from home, but also out of town. Pedro took him to Maria’s, the Mexican restaurant in neighboring Morehead. There, he spoke with the family who owned the small establishment in their native language, knowing what Titus would like and ordering their meal without ever glancing at a menu.
The restaurant had been busy that night. Titus saw they were drawing the occasional glance from familiar faces, but he didn’t care. The food was beyond delicious and Titus proclaimed that Maria's was where they would eat every Saturday night until the end of time.
They tried their best to be careful, but it was becoming difficult not to touch sometimes when out and about. They preferred movies, discovering a level of comfort within darkened theaters. Titus had never been that big on catching films upon release, always opting to rent the videotape months later. But Pedro was fond of seeing films on the big screen, no matter what genre, and Titus couldn’t resist indulging him. So, they went to The Rialto on the square in downtown almost every Tuesday night when something new was playing.
They watched the harrowing Apollo 13, and even though Titus knew the outcome, he still worried about the astronauts making it home.
They saw Congo and Batman Forever.
“Is that a nipple I see on his costume?” Pedro whispered.
“I do believe it is.”
“It’s weird, don’t you think? Like they’re naked even though they’re not.”
“I like it,” Titus purred, slinking down in his seat and squeezing Pedro’s hand.
Roz babysat for many of these dates, but they would sometimes take Tucker with them if the movie rating was suitable. They saw Casper and Pocahontas, the former being an enormous hit with Tucker, the latter not so much. Titus and Pedro, however, found themselves riveted to the Disney film’s plot of forbidden love.
But most nights they stayed at home, playing with Tucker in the pool, cooking out on the grill, and relaxing to the nightly firefly spectacle.
Early on, they tried to hide their love from Tucker. Pedro slept in either a separate room or out in the guest house, where Titus would later sneak out to meet him. But that arrangement didn’t last long, as the trio was quickly becoming a family.
One morning over breakfast, they broached the topic with Tucker, nervous about how he would respond.