Anything Could Happen (16 page)

Oh my God! What did she say?

“How’s that bird coming along?” Gram asked, just as Uncle Bodie came into the kitchen and opened the oven, pulled out a roasting pan, opened it, and began to baste the small goose Austin had bought for the occasion. They’d been shopping, and he’d insisted he’d pay, despite his uncle’s protestations. He wanted to do something to show how much he loved his uncle, and to show his thanks. Wasn’t that what Thanksgiving was all about?

Austin had never had goose—his grandparents thought it was too greasy—but he was willing to give it a try. His uncle was no Todd when it came to cooking, but he could give his friend a good run for his money. The smell was certainly wonderful.

“Why don’t you ask Uncle Bodie,” he said, letting her off the hook, but still wondering what she’d said to Mrs. Sandburg. It could be almost anything! “I’m in charge of the side dishes.”

“Some of them,” his uncle corrected. “
Not
my stuffing.”

Austin handed him the phone.

“Hello, Wilda, dear,” he said, not taking his eyes off the goose. “Why yes, it looks heavenly…. Yes, I know you think goose is greasy. That is why I am making it for Austin and myself. You know we have more sophisticated tastes.”

Austin clapped his hand over his mouth.
Dear God. What was he saying?

“True. There is no sweet-potato pie that touches the miracle of yours. Maybe you could mail us a couple pieces?” He laughed. “Awww…. Thank you, Sis…. No…. Really…?”

Uncle Bodie closed the roasting pan and slipped it back in the oven.

“I miss you too…. It has been quite a while…. Christmas?”

Uncle Bodie stood up straight. “Why… that sounds interesting. I’ll discuss it with Austin, but I don’t see why not.” A slow smile crept over his face. “Wilda… that sounds wonderful.” His smile grew. “Yes… You too, Wilda, dear. Love you too. And Austin is doing great. You’d be proud.” He laughed. “Good-bye, dear.”

He hung up. “Guess what?” he asked.

Austin had an idea, and he hoped he was right. He’d stopped peeling potatoes as he began to figure out what his grandmother and uncle might be talking about. And he liked the idea. A lot. “Tell me,” he said, crossing his fingers.

“Your Gram has asked us to come up for Christmas. Spend a couple days. What do you think of that idea?”

Austin gave a whoop of joy. “I say yes!”

“A
USTIN
,
before we eat….”

“You want to say grace?” Gram always insisted on Thanksgiving grace. It amused him because Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas were the only days dinner prayers were important to her, and he’d never really known why. They weren’t churchgoers. He used to tease her about hedging her bets.

Uncle Bodie shook his head. “No. I don’t really do that, you know? Pray? To some old man sitting on a throne up there in the clouds somewhere?”

“You don’t believe in God?” It was only a question. Austin wasn’t sure where he weighed in on the subject himself.

“I don’t believe in some Zeus- or Odin-inspired deity,” he replied. “I think there is probably ‘something,’ but I don’t think I am privy to what
It
is. I mean, It must transcend anything we can understand if It created the entire universe, eh? And has lived forever? I think it’s foolishness to attribute any qualities we can comprehend to such a being. And I refuse to believe It micromanages us or cares who we sleep with.”

Austin gave a nod. Uncle Bodie’s words surprised him. His uncle didn’t talk about things like the nature of God. How did he respond to such words?

“But I do believe It responds, especially to gratitude.
So
, before we eat, let’s say—or I will, anyway—what I am grateful for. Will you indulge me?”

“Sure,” Austin said. In fact he was pretty sure he would indulge his uncle in anything.

“All right, then.” His uncle smiled. “First and foremost, I am grateful for you. I am thankful for your presence and your company. I was getting quite lonely, despite my dear little Lucille.”

Lucille, curled up on a pillow not far away, perked up her ears at hearing her name. She was keeping half an eye on what they were doing and looking for any dropped morsels of food.

“I needed someone who answered back when I spoke—in human words, that is. It’s been a long time since I’ve lived with anyone.”

Austin felt his heart expand. Who would have known this old man could move him so deeply? Now and so many times since he’d moved in with his uncle. How had someone become so important to him so quickly? A few weeks ago, he had hardly known the man, hadn’t seen him in a decade. And now? Uncle Bodie was a friend. A man who had given him freedom. “I don’t know what to say….”

“Don’t say anything. That’s not what this is about. This isn’t about you needing to thank me. This is about
me
thanking you. This is about me being thankful for you.”

“Oh,” Austin said quietly, not having a clue what else there was
to
say.

“Austin, I am thankful for your service. I am grateful for your youth—for reminding me that life goes on and that new generations will come, are coming, and it’s getting better. The world is becoming a better place despite the foolishness of some. I look at you and see a young gay man who is stepping into a gay world that now is no longer terrified or ashamed to be a part of the greater world around it….”

Uncle Bodie smiled and did that thing he occasionally did—he seemed to go away. To another place, perhaps another time?

“I am thankful I had Jimmy—the love of my life.”

Austin felt a jolt, a crack, a hurting. Jimmy? From—what?—sixty or more years ago? Jimmy was the love of his life? But Uncle Bodie was eighty. Had he been alone all that time?

But then he saw the smile on his uncle’s face. It was beatific. As if he were looking at an angel only he could see. No sadness. No regrets. If Uncle Bodie could feel these things, shouldn’t he as well?

If only I could think of Todd that way.

Maybe he could?

“And!” his uncle cried, startling both Austin and Lucille, who leapt to her feet and began barking, head pointed to the sky, one eye on her master. “And I am thankful for Lucille! She is the
light
in my life, aren’t you, girl?”

With a mighty double bark, she let him know she knew that very thing, thank you very much, and she was proud of it. Uncle Bodie laughed in delight. She ran to his side and stood on her hind legs, front paws on his thigh, and barked once more. He scratched the mane on either side of her face vigorously, and praised her and made sure she knew she was his reason for living. Her entire back end was wagging so hard Austin didn’t know how she didn’t fall over, and he joined his uncle in laughter. Lucille was a joy.

“Okay now, girl. Get down. Back to your place. Soon you will get some of this Thanksgiving feast for yourself.”

Lucille danced back on her hind legs, reminding Austin of a tiny horse, front feet waving in the air. She spun around, ran to her pillow, and threw herself down.

When the laughter died down, Austin decided it was his turn to speak. “Uncle Bodie…. My turn.”

“Really? You don’t need to.”

“Of course I do,” he said, knowing this was more than merely indulging an old man. “The first thing I am grateful for is that I’m gay.”

“Outstanding!” Uncle Bodie clapped.

“Over the last few days, I’ve had this growing feeling. It sounds weird, silly maybe, but it feels like I’ve been… well…
chosen
. I know
I
didn’t choose
it
. I would have been too stupid. But it’s like gay chose
me
.”

“Oh my,” Uncle Bodie said with a happy sigh. “Oh, Austin.”

“I feel like I’m standing on a ridge, looking down into this gorgeous valley, and it’s my… my…”

“Promised Land,” Uncle Bodie offered.

“Yes,” Austin cried. “Yes, that’s it.”

“And you have a lifetime to explore it. The rivers and creeks, the oceans and tributaries. The fields and forests and plains and mountains. It is yours by right. Sometimes there will be deserts and rattlesnakes and scorpions. But for the most part, there is joy, my boy.”

A rush swept over Austin, taking his breath away. For a moment, he couldn’t speak. And when he could… “I am so grateful—” He paused. “Uncle Bodie? I’m grateful that I had Todd as my best friend for most of my whole life. No matter what happens next—”

“Even if something is over, it doesn’t undo how good it was,” Uncle Bodie supplied.

Austin nodded. “—I will always have that.” He smiled. “I’m thankful for coming here, to Kansas City. For meeting actors.
Real
actors. I’m thankful for my new life. For my grandparents. But most of all—” Suddenly, his eyes were welling up with tears. “—I’m grateful for you. I’m grateful that you’re gay—but that doesn’t matter. I’m thankful that I’m related, that I’m
friends
, with you.”

Uncle’s Bodie’s eyes glassed over as quickly as Austin’s had, and it was apparent he was one step from crying. “Th-thank you, Austin,” he said, voice cracking.

Austin’s smile grew and a tear slipped down his cheek. “This isn’t about you thanking me,” he said. “This is about
me
thanking
you
.”

T
HE
dinner was wonderful. Yes, indeed, the goose was greasy, as Grams claimed. It reminded Austin vaguely of the dark meat of a chicken, but multiplied. It even tasted a little like chicken livers to him. “Strong.”

“Gamey,” said his uncle. “They say there’s things to do about that, but hell. A goose is a game bird, after all. I like that flavor. I grew up on it. So did Wilda, I guess, but then again—like I told her—we homos have more sophisticated palates.”

Austin couldn’t help but grin.

Uncle Bodie’s stuffing was as good as promised. And Austin was pretty proud of his green bean casserole. He’d used one of Todd’s tricks—sour cream and fresh-cooked mushrooms instead of a can of mushroom soup, with green
and
yellow beans. And the mashed potatoes turned out surprisingly like home—Grams had taught him to leave in some diced peeling and add at least a stick of butter.

He didn’t even attempt Todd’s pumpkin pie, though. That had been art. Somehow his friend had added a clear layer over the top, like a glaze. Then, right when it was time to serve, Todd had taken a large serving spoon and wacked it right it the middle, causing it to look like a shattered frozen pond. Beautiful. It had been a candy recipe, apparently, one that involved lots of Karo syrup, candy thermometers, watching it all boil, and never looking away for one second because the temperature was critical and… way more than Austin was going to try. So store-bought was the solution, with a pecan pie as well.

“Too much for two people, but both will hold over quite well in the refrigerator,” Uncle Bodie had said while they shopped. “It’ll be an excuse to get Guy down here later, don’t you think?”

Austin hadn’t said anything.

“Did I tell you?” Uncle Bodie said when Austin brought the pies to the table. “Guy is going to make your birthday party.”

“Really?” Austin asked, cutting a large piece of the pumpkin pie. “What about his play?”

“He’ll be getting out of there about the same time we’re starting,” his uncle explained.

Austin placed his pie on a plate and sat back down. A smile slowly spread across his face. What a nice birthday present. He took a bite of pie. Delicious.

“I take it the idea pleases you?”

He felt a heat spread across his cheeks. He nodded. “It’ll be nice.”

“I was hoping you’d feel that way.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Austin stomach gave a pleasant flutter.

“Well, good. I wasn’t sure how you were feeling lately. I wasn’t sure how things stand with you two.”

“I’m not sure either. But I guess I’ll find out Saturday.”

“Good. Excellent. And if all goes well, I have another idea.”

“What’s that?” Austin forked up another bite of pie.

“I think we should invite Guy to Buckman with us.”

Austin froze, the piece of pie halfway to his mouth. “Huh?”

“The poor boy has no one. His family has rejected him. He shouldn’t spend Christmas alone.”

“But….” The idea simply stunned Austin. “I just figured….”

“You just figured what?” Uncle Bodie scooped out another spoonful of stuffing from its casserole dish, dessert apparently not on his agenda yet.

“Well,” Austin managed. “I, ah…. He didn’t want to have Thanksgiving with us, so I just figured he wouldn’t want—”

“That’s because he and a bunch of his actor friends who couldn’t go home because they’re in that play are eating together. As director, he felt he needed to lead it with his boss. I forget her name….”

“Jennifer,” Austin supplied, and felt a wave of… something. He wasn’t sure what. Jennifer Leavitt was the woman who had heard he was all that and a box of crackers, and then he’d made a fool of himself in front of a roomful of people by running away.

“Lesbian? Very sweet woman? Single too, I think….”

“You sure do know a lot, don’t you?” Austin asked, barely stifling a barb in the process. Why did his uncle insist on bringing up things he didn’t want to talk about?

“I do, don’t I? Now about taking that boy to Buckman. Good idea? I think it is.”

“I-I… I mean, do you think he would even want to go?” Austin wondered aloud.

“I don’t know. I know it would be sad for him to wake up on Christmas morning all alone—and to maybe spend the day alone as well. Wouldn’t that suck a big glass of Tang?”

Austin swallowed hard. “Yeah. It would.” It would suck bad. So why did he feel like he was about to break out into a sweat? Take Guy home to Buckman? What would that be like? Spending real time with him? Hours and hours on end, several days in a row. Austin felt a shiver. It reminded him of the day Guy had let him use his coat. Austin’s heart started beating faster. To spend real time with Guy would be nice. To really get to know him, even better.

“Okay,” he said. “Why not?”

“Why not indeed?” Uncle Bodie asked.