"C'mere Bobby." Jack put an arm around his son and steered him to the living room. Ennis, who had been sitting in an armchair whittling, rose and started to leave the room. Jack caught him by the shirt. "Oh, no. You are part of this. Stay." Jack turned to Bobby who'd sat on the couch. "I told you we'd talk, so let's talk."
Bobby nodded. "What happened? What changed; why'd you leave?"
Jack took a deep breath and explained how things had been drifting between him and Lureen for years and then glanced at Ennis. "And, Bobby, part of all that, and why I'm here now is," he took a breath and, out of the corner of his eye, saw Ennis tense, "because Ennis and I, uh, we," he paused and ran a hand over his face. "We're involved."
"Involved?"
"I hesitate to say romantically, but that's the general idea."
Bobby's mouth fell open in horrified disbelief as he glanced quickly between his father and Ennis. "You're joking. You have to be joking. Tell me you're joking."
"I wouldn't joke like this, Bobby."
"You left my mother for a man?!" Bobby got to his feet without noticing he had.
"It's a lot more complicated than that, but yes."
"The fuck is wrong with you?!"
Jack flinched as if struck and stood slowly. "Bobby," he said almost too calmly. "I know this isn't easy for you but, just, it's a complicated situation and—"
"Why would you do this?!"
"Because I love him, Robert!"
Ennis looked at the floor. He was leaning against the wall near the door to the kitchen. Just then, Junior came through the other door, frowning, having heard the shouting from upstairs.
Bobby snorted. "This ain't new, is it? You cheated."
"I have done all I can to not hurt anyone and still keep myself sane. Yes, I cheated, and I am anything but proud of it. You are old enough to know how it feels to want to be with someone and not be able to, and I know you've had your heart broken—I think the same girl is responsible for all that. I have been livin' feelin' like that for as long as you have been alive. This is the best way I can fix things. It's still crap, I know, but it's better than me an Ennis both bein' miserable an' me goin' 'round behind your mama's back. Can you just try to understand that I'm doing my best to do things right?"
"There ain't nothing right 'bout you shacking up with some queer," Bobby spat.
A loud crack sounded through the room. Eyes wide, Bobby put a hand to his now stinging cheek. Junior had crossed the short distence between them and smacked him, hard. "Don't you dare," she hissed, "ever call my daddy that again."
Bobby stared at her a moment then sneered. "Stay out of this."
"I am part of this!" She stomped her foot.
"Bullshit."
"Bobby, please—"
"Jack," Ennis began.
"Shut up, faggot."
Junior grabbed the front of Bobby's shirt, Ennis clenched his fists, and Jack said, "Bobby!" all at the same time.
"What the devil is going on in here?" Sue had been in the kitchen and now appeared in the doorway. Silence fell under her scowl. "Sit. All of you." She crossed her arms and watched her orders be obeyed. "Jack, Ennis, you're supposed to be adults, act like it. This whole situation should not have gone this far downhill this fast. Bobby, you are being unreasonable and not just rude but absolutely mean. You're not listening or making any attempt to understand. Your father is trying to talk to you about something that is very uncomfortable for him. It would be a lot easier for him to lie to you, but he respects you enough not to. Ennis is a good man and he loves your father. I'm gonna talk to you more in a minute. Junior, did you smack him?"
Junior looked down. "Yes ma'am."
"Violence is not the first thing you should resort to but I say every woman ought to have a good arm on her. Bobby, come into the kitchen, we're gonna talk."
Sullenly, Bobby followed his grandmother out of the room. Jack closed his eyes, slumped forward and hid his face in his hands. Ennis put an arm around him. Feeling awkward, Junior slunk back upstairs.
A/N: Can I just say that I found this chapter really hard to write? The things Bobby says...