Foggy Nights

Thursday, February 18th

I got woken up by Charlie early that morning. He was feeling like he had gotten more than five hours of sleep. He was happy. He kissed my nose, and put his tongue in my ear. That wasn't that nice, Charlie! I grumbled. I opened my eyes, and I checked the time on my phone. It was almost eight o'clock in the morning. I told him that we were going to go to McDonald's for breakfast. 

We went to McDonald's first. We ordered hot cakes, English muffins, hash browns, coffee, and chocolate chip cookies. Charlie was pretty happy for the first time since he found out that he was a young host carrying FFI. I was very happy to see that Charlie wasn't being paranoid or sleep deprived today. I knew that times when he was this energetic, would be things that you would see throughout moderation. It was sad, but FFI did make Charlie sad, and really depressed often.

After we finshed eating, we headed home. My mother would probably suspect that we'd be still sleeping, but she gets up later than us on a daily basis.

She was sitting on the couch waiting for us. We walked through the door, and she asked us where we had gone off to. I told her that I took Charlie to eat breakfast at McDonald's. She ruffled through Charlie's hair, and told us to tell her next time we left the house so early in the morning. Why does she have to worry so much about us?

Charlie wanted to leave again. He said that it was his mother's birthday today. He said her house was two and a half blocks away from my house. He wanted to walk anyway. We told my mom that we'd probably be gone for a while. Charlie and I walked and talked about how his mother was like.

"She is homophobic, and I don't think that she will accept you like I do. She wouldn't like her son marrying somebody who can't make children for them." Charlie sighed and grew quiet. "I had a boyfriend in grade school, and they were furious with him. I got moved to a different school, where I also fell in love with another guy there too. I was 14 and I didn't care what she thought."

Wow, moving schools just because of a relationship between their son and another boy; I knew that she hated faggots, but she was insane!

"I hope that your parents will accept me as your fiance. I will never stop loving you, despite other people's disregards." I kissed him and we held hands, walking the rest of the way there. Charlie told me that his dad doesn't care about his love life, but he always took his mother's side; never his own.

We arrived almost an hour later at Charlie's parent's house. There was a door-knocker and a button that would ring the doorbell. I did both, and Charlie laughed. He said that one or the other was fine. I chuckled.

The door opened, and Charlie's father swung his arms around his son. I think he was also crying at the sight of seeing the child that he abandoned for the first time in years. He ushered both of us inside the house. 

"Hi, I'm Roderick, and you are...?" He said, shaking my hand aggressively.

"I'm Andy, it's nice to meet you. I'm Charlie's fiance." He took his hand away from the handshake in shock.

"How old are you boys anyways?! Are you both twenty?!" I could tell that this news was freaking him out. I knew he was shocked and hadn't seen his son in a long time, but he was already starting to get on my nerves.

"Dad, he's 17 and I'm within reach to almost being that age. We came to wish my mother a happy birthday, but I also wanted to tell you something personally." Charlie was good. He got me away from giving Roderick a piece of my mind, and he got him to stop asking stupid questions.

"Oh, about that... Your mother is out shopping with her girlfriends. She was treating herself to something she promised she'd do with her friends." He sighed. "So, Charlie, what do you want to tell me about?"

"I should've told you the day I found out, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I have been carrying FFI for almost four months now. That's why I have an engagement ring on my finger also. It's because I might die before I can share a family with Andy!" He teared-up and wiped his tears away. "I couldn't tell you or mom because you take her side, and I didn't want another homophobic fight!" He cried and ran out the door. I ran after him.

I saw his pain and I comforted him with a kiss on his right cheek. I asked him why he had to tell his father. He said he needed someone to care if he lived or perished in nothingness. I told him that I cared about him. He sniffled and went back inside. It started to downpour. I didn't want Charlie to get sick and for his symptoms to worsen.

We came back inside the house and saw Charlie's dad crying. Repeating over and over that he shouldn't have sent his ill mother to fend for Charlie. He stopped after he saw us both staring at him.

The door burst open, and Charlie's mother was asking for her husband to shut the door and carry her bags to her bedroom. She saw Charlie and froze. She yelled at him saying that he had to break-up with me.

Damn it, Charlie! Why couldn't you take that ring off before your mother appeared?

Charlie said that he and I were officially getting hitched on his birthday that was almost two months away. There was no way he was going to discard someone he loved! We loved each other enough to decide to get married. At least my mother agreed with the idea.

Charlie got a box of tissues, and told his mother about him carrying FFI. I held his hand, and hugged him when his mother started to cry like her husband did a while ago. Charlie shed a few tears and wiped them away. 

Charlie's mother accepted our marriage, and gave Charlie and I a group hug. Roderick came and hugged the both of us and we disbanded from the hug to talk about the upcoming event. 

We talked about the plans and the catering, we were asked by Charlie's parents why the wedding was going to be on Charlie's seventeenth birthday. I told them that we had decided on his birthday, because it would be a memorable moment for us. They agreed with us. 

After we talked about Charlie's and my wedding plans, Charlie's mother introduced herself as Sharlene. I thanked them for understanding and for respecting our decision. We left their house, but they told us to come back to visit them sometime. 

We walked home as the sun was starting to  set, and I told Charlie not to die just yet. And to make me the happiest man alive on our wedding day. 

We stopped walking on the sidewalk and Charlie started to cry. I didn't know why, but I knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong Charlie, please tell me what's wrong." I looked panicked, and Charlie laughed at me and I relaxed my nerves after he wiped away his tears.

"I just never thought that my parents would be so accepting to us." He felt the back of his neck, and sighed. "I-I was just scared that they would reject me after my I had and broke up with a second boyfriend." He blushed at me.

We both blushed at each other. And I kissed his forehead. "I love you, Charlie."

"I love you too, Andy." Charlie held my hand and we walked the rest of the way home.