Chapter 1: In Which Our Hero Returns Home From an Indiscretion to Face His Wife
It was after 4 am when Maxwell Atkins pulled into the driveway in front of his house. All the lights were off and everything was quiet, but Max was not fooled. He was in trouble and he knew it. He turned off the ignition and sat in the car for a moment, then pulled out his cigarettes and fished one from the pack. He lit it and sat, quietly smoking, thinking over the day.
It had begun like most Tuesdays in his life: he kissed his wife goodbye at 6 in the morning, drove to work, and spent the day fixing people's IT problems. It hadn't been a difficult day, just the normal, run-of-the-mill issues. And at 5, he left, fully intending to head for home. But it hadn't worked out that way.
As he left the building, he ran into Steve and decided to head over to a local bar for a drink. A drink. Just a drink with a guy he'd gone to college with and hadn't seen in a few years. That was all. He had called Emily and she understood.
So they went for that drink. After some mundane conversation on various topics you always discuss with someone you hadn't seen for a while, Steve dropped the bomb.
"Well, Max, there's something I haven't really told you. I did some soul-searching in college, explored my boundaries a bit. I hope you understand that I just want you to know this: I'm gay."
Max nodded, then frowned. "What about Julie?" he asked. Julie had been Steve's long-term girl friend. Everyone had thought they would get married after college.
"Well, I knew a little back then, but I hadn't really faced it."
"When did you first..." Max trailed off.
"Date a guy? It was a while, but I knew long before that. While I was with Julie, I met this guy and we messed around some, but it was really after Julie."
Max nodded again and looked down at his beer. "I think I need a drink," he said.
Steve smiled hesitantly and said, "Hey, this round's on me. It's the least I can do."
"Sure," Max said. "I'm gonna run to the can."
When he got back, there were two new cold beers on the table. Max sat and drank deeply, then looked at Steve. "Look, man, this is weird for me, but I'm not gonna freak out on you or anything. I'm not gay, but I'm not an asshole either, you know?"
Steve nodded. "Yeah."
"So what's Julie up to? Do you know?"