Love Means Courage - Andrew Grey

the football practice field.
    Families had spread their blankets all over the lawn, and Len looked for his mother and Jerry in the fading light, finding them near the middle of the throng. They’d saved them a place, and Len spread the blanket and they sat down. After making introductions, Len got out Geoff’s toys, and the toddler began running them around the blanket. They talked until Mari approached and settled on the blankets. Cliff introduced her to Lorna and Jerry, and Geoff pulled on Len’s sleeve, pointing to the ice cream truck. Cliff stood up. “I’m going for ice cream, what would everyone like?” Orders were given, and Cliff began to thread through the maze of blankets.
    “I’ll go with you.” Getting up, Mari began making her way as well. Geoff settled in Len’s lap, running his cars up and along his arm. “I always hoped you’d have children.” Lorna said regretfully.
    “I know, Mom. You always wanted to be a grandmother.” He turned his head toward the ice cream truck and saw Cliff and Mari waiting in line, deep in conversation.
    “Len!” He turned, realizing Lorna was speaking to him.
“Sorry.”
“I was asking how things were going?”
    Len sighed. “We had a little trouble at the Dairy Barn the other night.” He told her about the woman confronting them. He also told her what he’d said, and both Lorna and Jerry doubled over with 207
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laughter.
“Serves her right for being a busybody,” Jerry said as his laughter subsided. “Sometimes I wonder what people are thinking.”
    “So do I.” Geoff began squirming, and Len saw Cliff and Mari coming back, carrying the ice cream goodies. Len noticed that Cliff looked about ready to explode. His face was red, and his arms were shaking. He handed out the ice cream before sitting on the blanket, taking Geoff and settling him on his lap. To say there was something wrong was an understatement, and Len watched as Cliff opened Geoff’s ice cream sandwich and gave him half, eating the other half himself. “What is it, Cliff?”
    To Len’s surprise, he shook his head and looked like he was blinking back tears. He managed to croak a quick, “I’ll tell you later,” and returned his attention to Geoff, who was happily devouring his ice cream.
    Boom!
Geoff jumped and looked up as the first shell burst in the sky, and then one after another left its trail of colored sparks and light.
    Geoff pointed at each one, looking around as if to make sure everyone else saw the wondrous things he was seeing. Len barely noticed the fireworks—his attention was on Cliff and the way his jaw was set and how his anger had faded only to be replaced by what looked like fear. He looked to Mari, but she was intently watching the fireworks.
    When the boom of the last shell reverberated over the crowd, people clapped, and then the crowd all seemed to lift to their feet as one. Belongings were gathered, and everyone began wandering back to their cars. Len hugged and said goodbye to his mother and shook Jerry’s hand before the older couple walked to their car. Mari stayed with Cliff and Len as they walked toward the cars. Geoff rested 208
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against his father, head on his shoulder, almost immediately falling asleep.
Both Len and Cliff said goodbye to Mari when they got to the parking lot, and she hugged both of them before walking to her car.
    Len desperately wanted to ask what was going on, but he remained patient until they got Geoff into his seat and the stuff stowed in the trunk. “What happened?”
    “I’ll tell you at home, once he’s in bed. I don’t want him to hear the swearing, and there’ll be plenty of it.” Holy shit, what was going on? Len climbed in the car and drove back to the farm. Cliff stared blankly out the window—no conversation, no furtive looks, nothing. This was so unusual that Len was beginning to wonder if he’d done something to make Cliff so angry.
    Parking his car in his usual spot, he started unloading as Cliff took Geoff inside and straight upstairs to his bed. Len brought the things into the house and put them away as best he could. He was finishing up when he heard Cliff come down the stairs. With a little trepidation, he met him in the living room.
    Cliff looked pale as he sat on the sofa. Len sat next to him, and he was immediately pulled into a hug and felt Cliff’s chest heaving against him. “She’s going to try to take Geoff away from me.” Len wasn’t sure he’d heard