ten

Michael swayed his and Tab entwined hands back and forth as they strolled the busy New York City sidewalks. They both got their favorite flavors of ice cream from a nearby stand, slowly going through the cold dessert as they stayed in a nice silence.

There are different types of silences. Sometimes they're good, sometimes they're not. It was a good, well-needed silence.

Mike looked down at his daughter, her eyes were focused in front of them as she lead them through the crowds. She was street smart and book smart, something neither of her parents were.

Luke cleaned the stove top, trying to occupy his time until his family came back. He started to have a fear that someone Michael used to be associated with would come and find Mike again. It wasn't a fear he had until Michael got out of the cell that held him.

His phone interrupted his thoughts.

Luke always felt like a phone ringing just signaled something bad. He was 14, it was his mother yelling at him for lying about where he was. He was 19, it was his father begging for him to come home. He was 22, it was the court bringing him in for questioning. He was 32, it was the prison informing him of his husband's will to fight.

He pressed the green button, bringing it up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Oh, my God," a women's voice went, "Luke?"

"May I ask who's speaking?"

"Luke, my baby."

"Mom?" He froze, his hands gripping on to the edge of the counter tops for support. "Mom, is that you?"

She nodded her head, not caring that her youngest son couldn't see her. Her hand flew to her mouth as she swore she couldn't speak anymore.

He bit down on his lip and tired to think of something to say. "I'm sorry," his throat said before he could think it out.

"Baby," she cried out, "Are you okay?"

Luke's knees buckled as he fell to the floor, his knees hitting the tile ground. "Mom," was the only word able to fall from his quivering lips. It was worse than a wave of nostalgia. Sometimes, Luke would hear an old song from his childhood and hear his eyes begin to water. It was that feeling multiplied by about three hundred. "Nothing is okay."

"What happened? Do you need me to get you?"

Luke pushed out a chuckle as he sat down better, his back leaning against the oven. He kicked his feet out, stretching his toes to touch the middle island. He wiped at his eyes and started from the beginning, "Michael and I had a baby girl eleven years ago...," he trailed off, reciting each and every year through the exact pain he went through.

He felt like he was confessing his sins, even though he has done nothing wrong nor sin-worthy.

He was breaking down and his mother was, too. Luke couldn't believe the words coming from his mouth, he couldn't believe is was his actual life. He was a prison husband, a trophy husband.

Luke's mother sniffled on the other line as he took a breath. "He treats you well, right?"

"He does, Mom. Michael is the love of my life. Tattoos and all."

She swallowed a lump in her throat. "I'm sorry I drove you away."

"It wasn't you, I swear, it wasn't you." Luke wasn't getting away from his family, he was just following what his lover told him to do. "I'm so sorry it's been so long. I should have given you my number, my address. I should have visited you, I should have updated you."

"It's been hard for you, yeah?"

"It's been really, really fucking hard."

"Do you have friends? Anyone except for Michael?"

Luke curled up his knees, wrapping his hands around his shins. "I have one. I have Tab, obviously."

She surprised Luke with a laugh leaving her throat. "You were always like that. You had more friends that were three-years-old than friends your age. Geez, I miss you."

"Is Dad and all okay?"

"They're doing fine. It was a few rough years when all of us had to accept that you were actually gone. Those were really, really bad."

"I'm so sorry," he apologized once more.

"Do you think you could come home for a visit?"

Luke played with the end of his teeshirt. "I have to talk to Michael about it. Tab doesn't know anything about you. She hasn't asked since she was in first grade."

"Really?"
"It was Grandparent's Weekend and she didn't understand why she didn't have any." Luke left out the part of Michael going through an anger streak at the simple mention of his family. "She simply didn't ask again."

"She has cousins, a lot of them. Both of your brothers have had quite a few since you left," she informed him, "Please, please, come visit. I need to know you're okay."

"I'm okay."

Something in his voice led her to doubt him, she wasn't willing to push it, though.