When Evan returned to the living room to talk to Kenny, the news reporter had just mentioned Evan’s name. There were two people on this particular news show discussing what had happened with Jeffery and Darin, trying to figure out whether or not there would be any ramifications as a result of Jeffery’s indiscretion. They didn’t know Jeffery and Evan had agreed to an open marriage. Evan knew their faces but not their names. He usually got his news online.
Reporter one said, “How do you think Jeffery Charles’s husband, Evan Littlefield, will react when he finds out? I hear they are living in separate apartments in New York, but neither one has officially announced plans to divorce.”
Reporter two said, “I’m not sure how Evan Littlefield will react. He’s a very reclusive author. There were rumors he was in rehab recently but nothing was confirmed.”
That was when Evan lifted the remote and muted the volume. The last thing he needed to hear was some idiot trying to figure out his life when he still hadn’t figured anything out yet himself. He turned to his son and said, “This is how Evan Littlefield is going to react. He’s going to take his son to the Museum of Modern Art this afternoon and he’s not going to say a word to the press about anything. It’s none of their business what goes on in his private life, or in his marriage.”
“We’re going to be hounded,” Kenny said.
“We’ll wear hoodies and sneak out the back way,” Evan said. “We’ve been through it before and we’ll get through it again.” In his neighborhood they would blend right in with everyone else. This was another reason why he loved living there. He never could have done anything like this if he were still living in the townhouse.
Kenny sent him a frustrated glance and asked, “That’s it? You’re not pissed off or anything? How can you let him get away with that? He just cheated on you, in case you haven’t heard.”
“It’s not as simple as that,” Evan said. He sat down on the sofa next to his son and reached for his hand. “Your father loves us and that’s all that matters.” He knew this sounded lame.
“But you’re married to him,” Kenny said.
“Your father is not like other men, and it’s time you realize it. You’re not a child anymore. Your father is a complicated man who moves to the beat of his own drum, pardon the bad cliché. We have an open marriage, which isn’t all that uncommon for gay men. So he didn’t really cheat on me. I wish he’d been more discreet about it. But that doesn’t mean we still don’t love each other, and that doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
“If you were so happy about this open marriage thing, then why did you move out?” Kenny asked.
“I didn’t say I was happy about it,” Evan said. “I said I understand your father. There’s a difference. When he said he wanted an open marriage I decided to give him the room he needed. If I had fought him, our marriage would have ended and I would have lost him, and I didn’t want that to happen. I still love him too much and I’m not ready to give up on him. I know it’s hard to understand, but it’s the truth. That’s the best explanation I can give you.”
Kenny made a face and turned away from him. “And look where that got you. You wound up soaked in booze, in a back alley, then in rehab.”
Evan grabbed Kenny’s arm and held it tightly. “Oh no, that’s not how it works. I take full responsibility for my actions and your father had nothing to do with my drinking. I have an alcohol problem because I’m addicted to a substance. I have that under control now and I’m not going back to rehab again. I’m not blaming my alcoholism on anyone anymore.” While he said this, he felt a little shaky. He could have killed for a drink to get him through this conversation.
“Well, you can take it from him, but I’m not,” Kenny said. “I don’t want anything to do with him anymore after this. I’ve had it.”
Evan lowered his voice. He put his arms around his son and said, “It doesn’t work that way, Kenny. You can’t divorce your dad. As soon as he lands in New York he’s going to talk to you about all this and you’re going to listen to him.”
“Oh no, I’m not,” Kenny said.
“Oh yes, you are,” Evan said. “Like it or not, he’s still your father and he hasn’t done anything wrong to you. He’s done nothing but love you and give you the best he could possibly give.”
Kenny’s voice softened this time. He turned to Evan and said, “You can’t tell me that what just happened didn’t change things forever. If there was hope for you moving back home, it’s gone now.”
Evan had to stop and think about this before he answered. “You’re right about that. After this, your father and I might never get back together. I honestly don’t know how I feel anymore. He seems okay with this open marriage and I’m not. I was hoping he would eventually get tired of it. But that doesn’t seem to be happening and I’m getting older and I want something different.” He thought about Carson again, but didn’t mention him to Kenny.
“Does that mean you’re getting a divorce?”
Evan held his son tighter. “I don’t know,” he said. “At this point the only thing I know is we’re going to take it one step at a time and get through this crisis. It will die down eventually. It always does. You’ll see what I mean.” Then he closed his eyes for a moment and wondered what “fresh hells” awaited him next.
Chapter Ten
In a move that surprised both Evan and Carson, Kenny arranged for his dad and his teacher to meet at a small bistro in the Village to discuss his grades. This happened a few weeks after Jeffery’s sex scandal with the multi-million-dollar social media king, Darien Bloomberg. Since then, Jeffery had explained everything to Kenny, he’d gone public with the social media stock, and the sex scandal had died down to the point where people seemed more interested in whether or not social media would be a profitable investment than how often the Wall Street Shark was boning Darien Bloomberg.
While all this had been happening, Evan had been working on his next historical novel during the day and seeing Carson on the sly in the evenings. In lieu of what had happened with Jeffery and Darien in Silicon Valley, Evan thought it would be easier on his son if he didn’t know his other dad was sleeping with his English teacher on a regular basis. Evan also had to be careful about what he did in public because the press had been following him ever since Jeffery’s sex scandal.