Ch 10
The animated conversation that evening around the supper table was interrupted by the doorbell's chime. Everyone's eyes glanced to each other to check if anyone was expecting company, but head shakes all around denied it. Burt put one last forkful in his mouth and sighed, as he got up to answer it. It was probably somebody selling something again. He must have had three kids at his door this week already, selling candy bars to raise money for sports, or church or camp or something. He gaped in surprise at the elegant older woman he found standing on his porch and swallowed his food with a gulp.
The woman standing there was about seventy, but she stood proudly erect, with a pleasantly expectant expression. Her hair was silver and perfectly coifed and she was wearing a coat that Burt could tell from long experience with Kurt, undoubtedly came from a designer line. There was an imposing black limo waiting at the curb with its engine purring. "Hello? Can I help you with something?" Burt asked, mystified at what the woman could want.
"Good evening. This is the Hummel residence, I hope?" She asked, her voice and accent conveying that she was confident and from the upper echelon of society. Burt nodded, wondering why she was his door.
"I'm so sorry to disturb you at your meal, but this is quite urgent. I am Evelyn Pierce Anderson, Blaine's grandmother. May I speak to you concerning him? She was up front and to the point and obviously used to getting her own way, as she sailed past him into their house, at his gesture of invitation. She really didn't care whether she was disturbing him or not, he could tell.
"Certainly. Come right in." Burt muttered, as he watched her walk elegantly into the family room, with her eyes finding Blaine among the Hummel family at the dinner table. A pleased smile broke over her face.
Blaine half stood, his mouth open in shock at his grandmother's appearance.
"Nana! I..what…how did you find me?" Blaine stuttered out, shocked to see his grandmother here at the Hummel's house. As far as he knew, she hardly ever left New York. They always went to visit her, not the other way around
"Hello Binky. Come and give me a hug." She said fondly, using a nickname Blaine hadn't heard in ten years and raising her arms in invitation. Blaine went to her and hugged her gratefully, smelling the perfume she wore that brought back memories of years of solemn visits to her New York penthouse apartment, where he was admonished to sit quietly and not make a fuss by his parents.
Kurt grinned in amusement. Oh my god, Binky! He was going to remember that, to use as ammunition when Blaine pulled out 'Scooter'.
Blaine pulled away from his grandmother. What could she be doing here in Lima? He showed her to the couch where they sat side by side. She took his hand in his and collected her thoughts.
"I spoke to your father this morning, my dear. I called to see when your family might visit again and he told me you had moved out and were living here with the Hummels. Why dear? Has something happened? I can't understand why, when you still have a year of high school left to finish."
Blaine took a deep breath and reluctantly tried to find the words to explain to her why he couldn't be part of the Anderson family any more. His father must have been too ashamed to explain it to her, leaving it to him to destroy their relationship.
"Dad found out that I listed on the internal Dalton web site that I was gay and freaked out. He told me to never darken his door again." Blaine waited for her reaction, expecting her to recoil in disgust at him too. She had always been so prim and proper, demanding lip service to traditions that had almost faded out of existence, stuck in time since the day she had been presented to society as a debutante.
"Oh… I see." She said in a quiet voice. "I've wondered, for quite a long time now, if you might be gay. I suspected, when you preferred playing with the housekeeper's girls to the neighbour's boys. She sighed in acceptance. "If that's the way it is, then we shall all have to adapt. I refuse to lose my favourite grandson because my son is an intolerant prig and his wife is a pedant with a distorted view of what's appropriate."
Blaine nearly dropped his chin to his chest, unable to hide his shock at her words. It seemed she wasn't going to turn her back on him like his parents had. She saw his amazement and decided she had to explain why her attitude was so different from what he expected.
"Blaine, my dear, there was someone I cared about a great deal when I was a girl. He was my best friend through college and I rather hoped we might one day marry, but he eventually confessed to me why that could never happen. I still loved him when he admitted to me that he was gay, and I still love him to this day. You would probably never guess that this proper old woman was his hag, would you, dear?"
"Thank god, he and his partner managed to evade the AIDS and HIV epidemic that ravaged New York, years ago. He and his darling Adam have been together now for over thirty five years. They actually just got engaged, now that they can marry in New York, and he's asked me to be his groomsmaid. It will be a very small private ceremony with just their closest friends, of course, but isn't it wonderful how things have turned out?"
Blaine sat in complete astonishment at his grandmother's words, seeing a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. She was quite aware of how much she had staggered him.
"I never thought you gave a damn about me." He said softly, his watering eyes and quivering voice breaking her heart.
"Oh goodness, no my dear. I've always had a soft spot for you and Cooper. You know, you both inherited your talent from your grandfather, Blaine? God knows, it missed your father by a country mile. Your parents always felt that it would be better to encourage practical skills, instead of the arts, but Grandpa managed to do both and I have no doubt you can too.
I'm afraid your parents and I have seldom seen eye to eye on anything, so their visits have always been rather sporadic. They can't set me adrift and dump me altogether though, because I'm still on the Board of Directors." Nana chuckled as she took Blaine's hand and then got serious again.
"Blaine dear, do youeven want to go home? I can certainly talk some sense into your father, and your mother will, of course, do whatever he says. But I don't want you to live in a toxic environment, particularly if you don't want to be there. Perhaps you would like to come and live with me in New York instead? I know that you really loved being at Dalton, so I could help you spend your remaining high school year there and then, maybe you could come to me when you go to university?
"Think about it and tell me what you would like to do and we'll take care of it. Just remember, I love you, Binky. We haven't all turned our backs on you. I'm quite sure your parents love you too, dear. It's just been a lifelong habit to let others think for them, instead of making their own decisions. I may unfortunately be partly responsible for that." She shrugged, before she engulfed Blaine in another warm hug and stood, finding the Hummel family watching them in fascination.
"I would like to thank you for your kindness to Blaine. I very much appreciate it. Would you accept a small token in return for any expenses you might have incurred?" His grandmother opened her purse and took out a cheque already signed and certified for ten thousand dollars, Blaine could see. He was overwhelmed with the realization that he hadn't lost everyone in his family and had to hold his grandmother again, as he dissolved into tears. She held him and patted his back comfortingly.
Kurt got some tissues and approached shyly with them, hearing Blaine sniffing when his nose started to run. Blaine suddenly released his grandmother and turned to clutch Kurt instead. Kurt held him tight, rocking him gently to help him cope with the overflowing emotions he was dealing with. Mrs. Anderson saw how the boys held each other, with the same devotion she had seen in Timothy and Adam and realized that Kurt was very special to Blaine. She also began to understand Burt's generosity much better. She dropped the cheque unnoticed on the coffee table, in case the Hummels proved resistant to taking it, as everyone was still watching the boys.
Blaine gathered himself a few minutes later and mopped up the teary mess he had turned into. "I'm sorry Nana, you just kind of blew me away." He said to his grandmother, making her chuckle. He smiled back and pulled Kurt against him with a fond glance.
"Nana, I would very much like to introduce you to Kurt Hummel, my boyfriend. Meeting him and his whole family is the good part of this whole disaster. Carole Hummel here, is Burt's wife and Finn Hudson, is her son and Burt's step son. Kurt's mom died when he was eight." Blaine finished introducing his adoptive family.
"I'm very pleased to meet you all, I'm sure. I shall leave you now and let you finish your dinner. I apologize for disturbing you but I could not let Blaine think his family didn't want him for one moment longer."
"I happen to know that your father is distraught at losing you, Blaine, but Helena has him convinced that he can reform you or something ridiculous by using 'tough love'. She loves you too honey, but she has mush for brains, if she thinks that will make any difference to your orientation. Regardless of your decision about moving home, I will speak to them privately and educate them on the realities. I believe that they will change their minds and come to learn they made a grave error, so think about whether you are willing to forgive them."
"Please, call me, Blaine. I don't want to lose touch with you. Your parents have kept you away for quite long enough, by always being so reluctant to visit. I think that is my fault too, since I never kept it secret how I felt about your mother. I have some bridges to mend too, with all of your family. I really don't want to be a lonely old woman. Good night then everyone. It's a long drive home, so I will be on my way now."
Blaine saw that, somewhere along the line, she had subtly removed the cheque from her purse and left it on the coffee table, when he glanced down. She shook her head at him, letting him know not to point it out. He walked with her to the door and hugged her goodbye again, closing the door softly when she had left.
He couldn't help the enormous smile on his face when he turned around after he closed it behind her, shared by everyone else in the room.
Burt deposited Mrs. Anderson's check in an account he opened for Blaine the next day, to be used when he started school again. The money he insisted on paying for the room he lived in was earmarked to go into it too.
Finally, relative peace descended on the Hummel family, now consisting of three seventeen-year-old teenagers, two of whom were dating each other, and two parents. Blaine continued to live over Hummel Tire, and eat his meals and spend a great deal of time with the Hummel family, especially Kurt. He and Kurt applied for their Dalton scholarships, and waited apprehensively to hear back about them.
Blaine kept in regular phone and email contact with his grandmother and encouraged her to re-establish a relationship with Cooper too. He asked her to consider reinstating his brother's access to his trust account so he could stop mooching on all his friends. He also casually mentioned that she might want to remember that keeping Coop in the family was probably advisable if she ever wanted great grandchildren, if that might possibly have some effect on her decision.
Blaine and Kurt were dating officially now, going out on the weekends for dinner and to see movies or the zoo or just shopping together. Burt wondered if his advice about waiting to start a physical relationship was being ignored as he watched Kurt and Blaine sharing their secret smiles, that weren't a secret at all.
Burt understood that once it started, there was very little he could do to stop the avalanche of emotional and sexual feelings the two boys shared. They believed they were in love and, who knows, they might actually be in love. Kurt returned from their dates with dopey smiles, and occasional hickeys, so freaking happy that he just couldn't rain on his parade, no matter what they were up to.
Actually, Kurt and Blaine really tried to take Burt's advice to heart, believing that he was probably right, and they should get to know each other better first. They tried to keep it platonic, but it seemed like they simply couldn't resist each other. As soon as they started to touch each other they were done for. It was only the lack of opportunity that kept them from exploring as much as they would have liked to. They weren't allowed to go to Blaine's room at all or to Kurt's room, when his parent's weren't home and neither was comfortable doing anything much more than kiss, while his parents were home.
Kurt's Navigator truck was simply too uncomfortable to do much with that ginormous console effectively creating a wall between them. They both eyed the back seat, spacious enough for doing much more, but where could they park where they were assured they wouldn't be interrupted? It didn't get dark until 9:00 o'clock this time of year, and the dusk lasted another hour after that.
They both knew the police checked the area around the shop at night and being spotlighted by a cop with a flashlight while they were making out was a scene they both wanted to avoid. Kurt considered parking the truck inside Hummel Tire's shop, but then gave up the idea, knowing his father would be very disappointed in him if he found out about it, and he probably would, somehow. They had to be content with just kissing each other goodnight for now in the Hummel Tire lot, when Kurt dropped Blaine off after their dates. Not being able to do any more made them feel like they were starving all the time, though.
It was nearly two weeks later before a very well dressed business man entered the shop looking extremely uncomfortable to be there. Burt craned out the window and saw a black Porsche parked in the lot that had to be the man's car. He took in the dark hair and amber eyes and guessed who it was as the man looked from one face to another trying to decide who he should talk to. He picked Zeke.
Burt saw Zeke direct him toward the front desk area, where Burt was working on ordering the fall inventory of snow tires and all-seasons. Burt had assigned Blaine and Finn to paint the shop during slow times and today they were working at the back of the building, out of sight of passers-by and Mr. Anderson.
He wasn't mistaken with his guess. "Hello, are you Burt Hummel?" the man asked, sounding less self-assured than Burt expected him to. For someone in charge of a corporation he expected more confidence, although this situation was surely way out of the man's comfort zone, Burt assumed.
"Yep, that's me. I guess you must be Blaine's father." Burt stood and offered him a hand to shake. If the man had come here looking for him, Burt decided to meet him halfway and listen to what he said, though his anger at him was still simmering not far below the surface. Blaine had become very near and dear to him already and just knowing this man had ejected a helpless boy out into the street simply because he told his friends he was gay…well, Burt was a tolerant man, but kids and animals being mistreated made him want to slap some sense into him.
"Yes. I'm Bernard Anderson. I understand that Blaine has been living with you, since…he left home." The pause in his sentence made Burt hopeful that the man felt some shame for what he had done. That was good. Possibly there was hope for him yet.
"Since you told him he had to leave, you mean…with nothing. No money, no friends, no shelter…nothing!" Burt corrected him bitterly, unable to hold his peace, in spite of his best intentions. "Did you know I found him in the park, playing his guitar and singing for money to buy food? That he must have done that for days, because he smelled like had been living in those clothes since he left your house? I let him earn a few bucks here and then brought him home to feed him supper. He was starving! Not your typical teenaged boy, haven't-eaten-in-five-hours starving, but haven't-eaten-decently-in-days starving. What the hell were you thinking? Where did you think he would go?"
Burt could tell he was getting riled up. He took a calming breath, trying not to let his blood pressure get out of hand. Anderson was looking cowed and ashamed, not responding at all to Burt's comments. The guys in the shop had all stopped working and were staring at Burt in shock. They'd seldom heard him yell at anyone.
Kurt heard his father's voice being raised, the words unclear, but the emotion was clear enough; his dad was incredibly pissed off at somebody. He emerged from the back office and peeked into the front reception area and saw a dark haired man dressed in a thousand dollar Hugo Boss, his head hanging in shame at Burt's tirade…oh… That had to be Blaine's father.
Kurt entered the shop area, knowing he had to calm his father down, before his heart suffered any ill effects from the strain. The man glanced at Kurt, his eyes taking in the boy dressed in another fabulous outfit, with his tight pants, expensive pointed shoes, and bow tie, the entire outfit screaming "I'm gay, and proud of it".
"Hey Dad…you've got to calm down. You know you shouldn't get excited." Kurt said soothingly, his hand on his father's arm. He ruined the effect when he glared back belligerently at the man who had thrown Blaine out of his house, with exactly the same expression his father had recently worn on his face.
"Yeah, I know Kurt. I'm better, now that I got it off my chest. This is Blaine's father, Kurt. And this is my son, Mr. Anderson." Burt put his arm around Kurt's shoulders, to show his love and support. Kurt looked up and smiled at him, understanding exactly what Burt was saying. This is how you should treat your son.
"I'm pleased to meet you, Kurt. My mother told me about how much you're family helped Blaine, when I let him down. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you stepped in and gave him a safe place to live. I know I was wrong, but I truly expected him to come home again and do as I asked. I've already lost my oldest son and now I've messed everything up with him too. I put what strangers thought of my son, before how I felt. I do love my son, Burt. I never wanted him to be in any danger."
"I just…His life is always going to be harder, now, than I wanted it to be. I wanted everything for Blaine, Burt. I wanted him to take over the family business, get married and have the grandkids we were hoping for. Instead, I took everything I could away from him."
"He can still have all those things, Bernard. Being gay doesn't mean he can't take over the company, get married and have kids one day. Love is love, they say. Times are changing. Too slowly, but they are changing. Support your son, Bernard. Demand his rights… treat him like he deserves everything you have and more. He's a wonderful boy. You should be very proud of him. Just as proud as I am of my son."
Kurt couldn't help feeling a rush of pride, listening to his father and wished every gay…and yes, every straight boy could have someone like his father in his corner. Mr. Anderson nodded, considering Burt's words. Blaine married, with kids? Well, why not? Ohio might take longer than some states, but hopefully they would all get marriage equality eventually.
"Kurt, can you go out back and ask Blaine to come in here? His father would like to talk to him." Kurt nodded and went out through the shop to look for him.
"Have you never had any problems accepting your son? Was it always this easy for you?" Bernard asked Burt once he was gone, hoping for some insight.
"Sure, I've had lots of problems with it. I'd like him to have an easier time of it too, but the situation is what it is. He has no choice but to deal with it and neither do I. He's an amazing kid and I couldn't ask for a better son, so we're working it out as we go along."
"Um…he and Blaine are sort of…ah, dating each other, you might be interested to know. I don't mind telling you that is giving me some trouble to accept, but Blaine is a good kid, so I'm grateful for that much. Kurt's never dated anyone before this." Burt shrugged as he confessed to Blaine's father, his difficulty in accepting that his son was growing up and starting to explore his sexuality.
Bernard's face showed his discomfort with the idea that his son was dating Burt's son, but at least he had a chance to digest the idea before Blaine returned, with his face and coveralls liberally splattered in white paint, wiping his painty hands on a rag. Kurt was following right behind him, concerned about Blaine confronting his father. He had a telltale smear of white paint on his cheek that had somehow gotten there since he had gone out back.
"Hi Dad. Kurt said you wanted to talk to me?" Blaine said, sounding calm. He wasn't sure that he wanted to ever return to his family, now that he had found acceptance with the Hummels, so what his father had to say to him really wasn't all that important. Knowing that fact, made it much easier for him to sound unconcerned.
Then he remembered their last encounter and suddenly his equanimity dissolved. He glanced back to Kurt who gave him an encouraging smile and held his arm, though carefully, to avoid getting paint on his clothes. He had hugged Blaine before he went out front and assured him he would support him, but it hadn't been easy, considering he had to ensure his clothing stayed well away from the mess Blaine had all over him.
"Hello Blaine. I came here to apologize to you for my behavior. It's not an excuse, but I was so shocked to learn that you were comfortable enough to tell all your friends at school when we still had no clue you were gay. I'm sorry I was more worried about my business and social relationships than about ours. Do you think you might ever be able to forgive me? Your mother and I would like to ask you to come back home. It's like a tomb around there without you. I promise to do my best to learn how we can stay a family."
Blaine could feel warmth flooding him in reaction to his father's words, but it didn't yet reach all the way to the frozen spot his father had put in his soul. It wasn't gratitude for his apology at all, though, or his admitting he'd been wrong. It was his acknowledgement that he deserved some respect. Blaine knew he wasn't ready yet to run right back into his parent's home just because his father admitted that he had behaved badly.
"Dad, this isn't just about what happened when you found out I told people I was gay. A lot of what you were so mad about, was because I did something you didn't agree with. You've never been willing to listen to what Cooper or I wanted. You've always just made decisions and expected us to say "yes, sir" and deal with it. If you want us to be our own men, then you have to be willing to hear what we have to say and maybe compromise about some things."
"Cooper took off because he knew there was no chance you would let him do what his heart told him he had to. If you had given him a chance to explore acting, he might have decided by now that it wasn't what he wanted, but now he's committed, with no other choice left to him. You don't need to keep the leash so freaking tight."
"I love to perform Dad, but I like the idea of becoming a lawyer too, and working to help build something my family built from the ground up. I just don't want to have it jammed down my throat! Can't I have both? You and Mom have never come to see the Warblers perform, but they all tell me I'm pretty good, Dad. I'd like to see how far I can take it. There will always be law school waiting for later.
"There's one other thing we need to talk about, Dad. I've found a home here, with the Hummels, where they all treat each other with respect…and I found Kurt." Blaine smiled fondly at his boyfriend who smiled back lovingly, taking his hand proudly, regardless of the paint smears. "He's so special. I think I might be falling in love with him. Can you deal with that, Dad? With me wanting to date Kurt, and maybe one day sharing my life with him? Because that is going to be a deal-breaker. If you can't accept my boyfriend, then I can't accept your apology." Blaine shrugged offhandedly and stared his father proudly in the eyes, calmly waiting for his reaction.
Burt put his hand on Blaine's shoulder in support, so freaking proud of him, he felt tears welling.
When Blaine gave his father an ultimatum, he surprised Bernard immensely. He had expected his son to gratefully return home as soon as he gave him permission. The fact that he was in no rush to do so came as rather a shock. He seemed speechless, with surprise. Blaine took pity on him, thinking he might need some time to discuss it with his mother.
"How would you like to think about it and maybe Kurt and I could come for supper Sunday night? I'd like to talk to Mother and find out if she is willing to make some changes too. We'll talk Sunday, and I'll think about things and decide what I want to do." Blaine suggested confidently.
His father nodded silently, agreeing to Blaine's proposal. He looked to Kurt with a small smile. "I guess I'll be getting to know you better, Kurt. I look forward to seeing you both then on Sunday. Thank you again, Burt. Goodbye." He shook Burt's hand and left to return to his wife and tell her that they might have to earn Blaine's trust and respect before they got him back.