A House Is Not a Home by James Earl Hardy Read Free Book Online Page A

be your sibling, but not raised as one.”
    â€œHuh?” Mitchell and Adam groaned.
    â€œI’m not young enough to raise another child,” she declared.
    â€œForty-nine isn’t old,” Mitchell reminded her.
    â€œYou’re right, it isn’t. My being pregnant is proof. But it’s not about my age but the stage of life we’re in. We’re both looking forward to retiring; me in five years, Anderson in seven. And it takes a lot of energy and patience to be a parent. When I was in my twenties and thirties it was a struggle; in my fifties and sixties, it would be an ordeal . I haven’t been in mommy mode for a long time—and I don’t want to take that trip again.”
    Mitchell’s eyes grew wide. “You mean . . . you’re gonna put the baby up for adoption?”
    â€œIn a manner of speaking, yes.”
    She glanced at her husband. “We’d like you to raise the baby,” Anderson revealed.
    Mitchell pointed to himself. “Me?”
    â€œYes. I never thought we’d have a baby, but here we are. We couldn’t have our child being raised by strangers. We want to keep him—or her—in the family. And we think this is the best solution.” Anderson looked at Adam. “Since you’ll be a father soon, we didn’t want to triple your pleasure.” Adam’s wife, Lynette, would be giving birth to twins in November.
    â€œThanks,” Adam breathed, somewhat relieved.
    Mitchell was overwhelmed. “Wow. I . . . I . . . I don’t know what to say.”
    â€œWell, we hope you’ll say yes. It’s a major undertaking. And it will be a major adjustment for you.”
    â€œAnd Pooquie ,” Mitchell’s mother added.
    Anderson nodded. “Just think about it. And talk it over with him.”
    â€œOkay. I will. We will.”
    â€œBut don’t take too long,” his mother warned. “We would like an answer before my water breaks.” They all laughed.
    Even though he knew his answer would be yes, Mitchell took a week to mull things over. He planned to quit his job at Knowledge Hall six months after the baby was born and stay at home until she (or he) entered the first grade (his mother and Anderson would be depositing child-support money into an account each month that would help supplement his income free-lance writing). Given how territorial Raheim could be, Mitchell was surprised but pleased that he was just as excited about the baby (in fact, Raheim painted and decorated the nursery and built the crib himself).
    At the end of his mother’s first trimester, they learned the baby would be a girl. No one was happier about this news than Anderson. Why? Because, as he explained to Mitchell one afternoon as they were going over some of the adoption papers, the chances were slim to none that a female would “turn out” gay living in a household with two SGL men.
    Anderson then apologized. “I’m sorry for thinking this way. It’s . . . it’s silly.”
    â€œIt is,” Mitchell agreed.
    â€œAnd it’s stupid.”
    â€œIt’s that, too.”
    â€œI mean, I see how you are with Raheim’s son.”
    â€œYes, but that’s his son. This might have been yours.”
    â€œUh . . . yeah.”
    â€œI’m not really shocked that you feel that way. After all, you’re heterosexual.”
    â€œIt’s still no excuse.”
    â€œNo, it isn’t.”
    â€œAnd you’d think that after so many years being your stepfather . . .”
    â€œYou’d know better? Well, you do know better.”
    Anderson shrugged. “I guess old beliefs . . . they do die hard.”
    â€œIndeed. It’s very hard to totally shake them off. They become a part of you.”
    â€œFunny thing is, I didn’t really consider that until someone else mentioned it.”
    Hmm . . . “Was this