"Thanks again for inviting me to Thanksgiving dinner with your family," Kelvin, son of world-famous megachurch pastor Eli Gemstone and youth pastor at the Salvation Center, told his boyfriend Keefe as the "Welcome to Richmond Hill" sign appeared. It was an elegant suburb of Savannah, new-looking, with trendy shops and cool-sounding restaurants like the Himalayan Curry Cafe.
"Well, you invited me to dinner with the Gemstones last year," Keefe, a reformed Satanist turned assistant youth pastor, said. "So it's only fair to make you endure my family's craziness. Have you been studying the family tree?"
"I have it memorized. Your Mama, Beth. Don't ask about your Daddy. Your sister Liz, age 45, and her husband Henry. She's a child psychologist, and he's a dentist. Henry's son from his first marriage, Austin, who teaches high school English, and his wife...um..."
"Becky."
"Right, Becky. Liz and Henry have another son, Jimmy, age 8. Boy, I hope our heart-healthy green bean casserole will be enough."
"It will be fine. No one in my family eats heart-healthy anyway."
"Ok, who else...Your uncle might be coming. He's gay, but you only found out a couple of years ago. He was closeted when you were growing up." He paused. "You don't mind letting them think that you're just the assistant youth pastor? I'm not ashamed of us or anything...it's just...well, I'm a Gemstone."
"I don't mind," Keefe said, lying a little. It took the family years to accept him -- his sister still didn't like to talk about it much -- and now he had to hide? Pretend that the love of his life was a buddy? It felt wrong.
But Kelvin was always skittish. He didn't even realize that he was gay until he was over 30. Everyone else knew the moment they saw him in one of his flamboyant outfits. Keefe suspected that he would prefer to identify as a masculine-presenting demiboy, but they could save the gender-identity conversation for later. Much, much later.
The full story is on Righteous Gemstones Beefcake and Boyfriends
m worried about the timing of these events. What time do the guys go to bed, and what time does Mama Chambers offer them pie? Figuring that Thanksgiving Dinner is at six pm, the rest of the family probably leaves by 9, and the guys go to bed shortly thereafter? It's a little early, but after hanging out with the family for six hours, they want some alone time. Daedalus begins the sexual activity immediately after getting into bed, so by 9:15. Keefe runs to Kelvin's room, and they start having sex, but they're only barely starting when Mama Chambers offers the pie. Maybe 9:30 pm. I guess that's reasonable.
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