Lazy Valentines (Lazy Days)

an adopted daughter who's no longer a part of this family. Her child is no flesh and blood of mine."
    "She's still part of my family."
    His mother ignored his statement and rattled on. "So you are my last hope of being a grandmother. That's an impossible thought isn't it, if you keep the notion you have in your head that you prefer men?"
    "I'm not getting into this with you again, Mother." Scott pictured Devon, sweet, caring, Devon who loved him. If anything could get him through a conversation with his mother, Devon could.
    "How long has it been since your last date, Scott? Or do the gays even call it dating? I heard a phrase on television the other night… let me think… oh yes, they called it hooking up. Is that what you and your supposed dates do, hook up? I'm willing to bet you aren't any more successful with the men than you were with the girls, given your failure to handle newness."
    He hadn't told her on purpose, it just wailed out of him in the midst of frustration and goddamn anger. "I have a boyfriend and we do much more than just hooking up!"
    And right there with that sentence, Scott had fallen into her trap.
    "Really, Scott, such vulgarity."
    He'd snapped back at her, his frustration not sated in any way. "You always bring out the best in me, Mother." Oh, Dev, I need you so much right now.
    "So if this man is so important to you or even actually exists, when will you be bringing him by for your father and I to meet?"
    Scott had done his best impression of a goldfish, his lips flapping and sucking air but no words forming on his tongue let alone spewing out into the phone. He should have known better after so many years. His mother claimed her victory with the disappointed clicking of her tongue.
    "I thought as much," she said, her voice as emotionless and cold as ever. "Lying about imaginary boyfriends at your age? Really. Has your desperation finally sunk that low, Scott? When was the last time you saw your therapist anyhow? Maybe you need your medication changed again. You know how you get when you're not dosed right."
    "At the summer house," Scott blurted.
    "Pardon me?" his mother said so damn politely Scott wanted to poke her in the eye through the phone. "What about the summer house?"
    "I think Dev… I think my boyfriend might like the beach, so I'll… I'll bring him to the summer house when you and father are there." He had no idea if Devon liked the beach or not. It would be a good idea to ask him soon.
    His mother clucked again. "But that's months away, Scott. Do you think he'll even still be around then? What did you say he did again?"
    "He will be around and I didn't say."
    "I'm thinking your birthday in April would be the perfect time to introduce him to us if he's still—"
    "Don't say it again, Mother. Fine." His resolve crumbled as it usually did when she confronted him. "I'll bring him in April as long as he's free."
    "Would you prefer dinner at home or at the club?"
    "Are you cooking?" He tried to get a dig in but she didn't bite.
    "Don't be ridiculous. Selena will be preparing the meal."
    "That's fine then."
    "I'll have your room and the guest room made up since I'm assuming you'll stay the weekend."
    "No promises and we don't need two rooms."
    "Well you're certainly not staying in the same room under my roof."
    "I'm thirty-two years old… one room or we don't come at all."
    The conversation had ended much the way it began, abruptly. His mother made some often-used, backhanded comment about the failure that was Scott's life, hung up and as usual, Scott shuffled around the room, chanting and pacing to get himself out of the panic attack he'd known was coming.
    He didn't understand why he still let his mother draw him into her crap after so long but what was done, was done. For some unfathomable reason, he still cared about what she thought. Or maybe he just wanted to finally throw all her taunting and bullying back in her smug face.
    Now all was left was for him to prove to her that he was happy with his life, that he could experience new things and that he did have a boyfriend who would stick around long enough to come to dinner and to the cottage. And oh yeah, he also had to figure out how to tell Devon that they had a very uncomfortable date in April… if Devon was still around in April.
    No !
    He refused to think that way. Devon would be around. Devon loved him and he loved Devon and nothing his mother could do or say would change that…geez Louise what the fuck had he