The Journey Back

Kenneth and Daniel Myles had wrapped up a rather quiet lunch date over tacos, bullfights, and admiring college beauties from two separate places in their lives. It had been...good...for Kenny to finally actually meet his father after most of a lifetime only judging the absent man by his mother's reports. Kenny had tried to ask his father what had happened between the couple at around the time that their meals finally arrived. It was, from there, decided that that conversation didn't need the audience of other restaurant patrons. Instead, Daniel Myles now cradled a picture album filled with his son's childhood memories and the pair had at least met up for lunch. Since Daniel had left the home while Kenneth was barely two years old, this was the aspiring college freshman's lasting memory now...

The father and son left the Mexican restaurant (with the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, coed cutie serving as hostess and waitress) after a good meal and got into Kenny's car to drive back to campus. This had been Daniel's alma mater too and he had insisted on touring what the campus looked like today. It could have been kind of fun for Kenneth to spend more time with his father and form his own opinion of the man, the myth, and the legend. However, he'd have plenty of time for small-talk when they were out of the vehicle and in a public audience again. In the car, part of his father's tale of leaving still perplexed Kenneth; and the college freshman had enough on his plate just trying to fit in to the new college community.

Finally, an overhead traffic light turned red and Kenneth sat on the brake for a moment before craning his neck to face Daniel Myles, flaked out in the passenger seat with the photo album.

"You left mom," Kenneth asked, unsure how to finish the inquisitive, "for a guy?"

Daniel glanced up from the album and glared over at his long-lost son and current chauffer.

"Son, your mother knew that I'm bisexual." Daniel answered. "Her parents were the ones who didn't want us to marry; she understood and accepted me as is. At least, that is, until I found someone new. Then, she didn't accept me anymore."

"...I think that that technically has more to do with you finding someone new, not with your choice in a brand new mate." Kenneth answered.

Did this traffic light always take this long?

"Alright; touche." Daniel chuckled as though that would repair the broken bridges in the family dynamics. "I'd really like us to spend more time together, now that you're out of the house and at campus and everything. I think that you'd really get to like Mike once you get to know him. He's..."

"...Mike Myles?" Kenneth repeated incredulously, automatically picturing a comic book superhero; or villain.

Daniel thought about his new husband's name for a moment and shrugged.

"Well, nobody's perfect." he answered, timidly.

The traffic signal finally displayed a greenlight for traffic to move again; and to get Kenneth back to campus and back to a surface level conversation with his father sooner.

"Mike is really much more of a ladies man than even your old man is." Daniel was adding. "He might even help you with some of this new crop of coeds on campus."

"I'd just as soon leave the dating advice on my birth father's plate." Kenneth answered, abruptly.

"Right; of course." Daniel answered, flummoxed by his last choice of words.

A second traffic light in their journey turned green before Kenneth had time to come to a complete stop and he turned onto the campus community that he attended now and his mother and father's alma mater where they had met and fallen in love.

"Last stop: the campus of THE Grand Valley State University; all out for the campus walking tour." Kenneth quipped, shutting off the car and unfastening his seatbelt before opening his door.

"Well, look at this place!" Daniel observed glancing about. "It's modern!"

Kenneth pictured a former college campus straight out of the stone-age and withheld his opinion. Suddenly, rather than unbuckling and exiting, Daniel settled a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Now, Kenny-Boy," he added with a slight quirk of his lips, "who is this Brad that your sister keeps texting me about?"

Kenneth's words froze in his throat for a moment. Their mother had allowed Ashley continued contact with the father; but not Kenneth? Finally, Kenneth reasoned with himself that his sister now lived on her own and had simply made the attempt of her own accord. The lingering question was, if Kenneth had thought it inappropriate to mention a new person in his mother's life, why hadn't his older sister reached the same conclusion? He'd have to talk about that personality quirk of hers next time they met. For now, he reclosed his driver's door behind himself for extra privacy.

"Well, ...dad," he answered, thinking on his feet, "you know how you found someone new quite a while ago...?"

Daniel seemed rather comfortable hearing the story of a new person in Sheila Myles (-Reynolds's) life. Therefore, Kenneth relaxed as he continued the explanation of events of the last five years of home life...