Conversations

Section 6 —

“That’s weird but cool!”

(Alan POV, Charlie – After Will walks through the door with
Don.)

[Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 23]

“Dad!”style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  Charlie said, his
eyes wide as he walked into the kitchen. 
“Don brought home … a guy!”

Alan looked up from his lasagna and chuckled at the
expression on his youngest son’s face.  “I
know.  And I hope to god that this is the
same person that’s Don’s been pining after for the last couple of months.”

Charlie blinked. 
“Pining?”

“Yeah,” Alan said.  class=GramE>“Pining.  Don may not
be as obvious as you are when you’re having romantic troubles but he’s had all
the symptoms – staring off into space, sighing for no apparent reason, getting
agitated and leaving when a romantic scene comes on in a show.”

“But … a guy!”  Charlie said
again, as if Alan hadn’t grasped the fact.

“Yes, Charlie.”  Alan said
patiently.

“You’re not surprised?”

“I knew this was a possibility.”

“You knew …”style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  Charlie’s forehead wrinkled in
confusion.  “Who is he?”

Alan thought about telling Charlie that this was the man
who’d saved Don’s life, career, and everything else when his oldest son had
self-destructed.  However, that was Don’s
story to tell.  “He’s Don’s boyfriend.”

“’Boyfriend?’style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  Don said that?”

“Yup.”style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  Alan peeled the cover off the lasagna and
began cutting it.

“Wow, boyfriend.”style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  Charlie said slowly, and then, with sudden
realization, “Dad, we both have boyfriends!”

“I’ve noticed,” Alan said wryly.

“Isn’t that … weird?”

“Yes, it’s weird,” Alan laughed.style='mso-spacerun:yes'>  “But the Eppes family has never been normal,
why stop now?”

“But …” 
Charlie waved his hands. 
“What about grandchildren!”

“I know,” Alan sighed. 
“Maybe I’ll just have to join some Make-Me-A-Grandfather organization.”

Charlie’s eyebrows rose. 
“I don’t think there is such a thing.”

“There’s Big Brothers and Big Sisters
organizations.  Why
not one for lonely old men and kids who need spoiling and lots of useless
advice?”

While Charlie pondered that, Alan picked up the lasagna and
went out to find his oldest son and a man he needed to learn a lot more about.