21. Glass Houses on a Rocky Beach

Late in the morning, almost everyone found themselves at Grand Haven State Park, which included the city’s beach. Once their spot was set up, Kevin and Curt decided to walk down the cement pier towards the red lighthouse. On the north side of the dock was the channel inlet for boats entering the Grand River, bordered to the north by the fisherman’s pier.

“WOODS!” could suddenly be heard in the distance.

“I think that lady on the boat is yelling at you. Does someone call you ‘Woods ’?” Curt asked.

“Oh my gosh, that’s my Aunt Gee.” Kevin said, then shouted back, “Geeeee!!” and waved.

Her husband was Kevin’s dad’s first cousin, driving the boat and keeping it in the current so that Aunt Gee could yell at Kevin. Then Uncle Gore turned on the boat speaker.

“We’ll call your dad and get the number where you’re staying. We gotta say hi tonight,” he said.

“You bet!” Kevin shouted with two thumbs up and waved. Suddenly, the horns of the boat sounded as if to say, “See you later,” and Kevin jumped, alarmed by the volume.

“Who is that?” Curt asked.

"My dad’s cousin and his wife. They are technically second cousins, but I call them Aunt and Uncle. Maybe that’s a southern thing? I dunno.” Kevin said.

“They do well. That’s a big boat.” Curt said.

“Yeah, they own a factory in Lowell. They have a house on the river with another boat. To the east of the orchard at my dad’s place, that’s the farm that services that factory.” Kevin explained.

“So I first found out what happens in the west field; now I know what happens in the east fields,” Curt answered in amusement.

“Yeah. So boring, I know. Sorry.” Kevin said, trying to shake it off.

“I like knowing these things. It’s cool. We don’t have anything like that in our family.” Curt said.

“So they will probably call tonight and invite us out on that boat. Would you want to go?” Kevin asked with a scrunched-up face. “They are super cool, and Aunt Gee is always so interested in anything I say. I’d bet they already know who you are.” Kevin proudly smiled.

The gang was eating sandwiches and discussing dinner plans at the beach camp. They approached the group in a teasing way.

“I hear a beach blanket bingo thing going on over here. Annette Funicello meets Frankie Goes to Hollywood? … or something like that.” Kevin said.

“ACCURATE!” said Joyce, who threw up both hands for maximum effect. “Come eat sandwiches, silly… silly boys.”

“A boat passed us on the pier, and it was my aunt and uncle, so if someone calls tonight looking for me, David, that’s what that’s about. We might go out with them for several hours before returning home.” Kevin said.

“How would someone tag along for something like that?” asked Nelson.

“Rude,” said Sarah.

“I mean, it is a big boat,” said Curt.

“Not rude. They are super nice. I’d love you to join us, but I’ll have to ask. I didn’t see Tobes, their son, on the boat, and they lost their youngest in a freak accident a few years ago, so I’m kind of like their spare kid sometimes, even though I’m ten years older than their son. Anyway, I’ll try.”

The Beach Incident

Curt leaned into Kevin as they were eating and fed Kevin a bite of his sandwich. Almost immediately, a man about 30 years old on a nearby blanket with his family said,

“Could you guys not do that? I don’t want my kids to see a couple of f*gg*ts. It’s disgusting.”

Everyone was so stunned that no one said anything. This empowered the man to continue grumbling.

“I’m not sure what we did,” said Curt quietly to the group.

“We didn’t do anything,” Kevin said as the group considered whether to respond.

Sarah started to get mad, which made Nelson think he had to say something.

“No, please don’t engage them. It just makes it worse. Please. Let’s just enjoy lunch on this beautiful beach with our friends.” Kevin said.

“Have you had this happen before?” Reby asked. Joyce looked stunned, which was rare for her.

“Yeah, I got shoved to the pavement in Atlanta once by someone asking for directions as I left work one night, and calling me the F-word like this high-standard dad did. That’s how I got this scar on my chin.” Kevin said.

“Could we maybe go?” Curt asked.

“We can, but it just emboldens them to do it to someone else the next time. It’s a tightrope with these types. You can’t win, so you just have to live your life.” Kevin responded.

They finished eating and then packed up to go back to the house. Joyce noticed that the Neanderthal from earlier times was covered in Coppertone oil, which made him gleam like he was shellacked in the sun. She took a separate route from the group and walked directly by him, kicking sand on him because she knew it would stick to the oil.

“Oh gosh… very sorry. I hope I didn’t ruin your day, old man.” Joyce said.

“What is your problem, b*tch ?” The man responded.

“That problem belongs to your little family, George. Does she know you hit on sixteen-year-old high school girls in front of the ice cream stand?” The couple was silent as Joyce continued.

“Well, she does now.” Joyce pulled down her sunglasses from the top of her blond hair and handed his wife a note with his phone number and name, written in his handwriting. She then rejoined the group.

“What was all that?” Reby asked.

“Fun. That’s what,” Joyce answered. "Glass houses shit."

“I hope they have a short ride home,” Reby said. “It’s going to be a tough one.”

They decided to eat at the house that night and wait for the call, which came in around dinner time. Since they had an eight-person limit, everyone was in the clear to go.

Sunday morning, Kevin and Curt dragged themselves out of bed and began cleaning, getting everything back in shape, washing the sheets, etc., while everyone ate breakfast and waited to dry. They had plans to meet Kevin’s aunt and uncle at noon at North Shore Marina.

“Nice boat!” Curt said as he boarded. “I’ve never been on a boat before. Thank you for letting me tag along.”

Kevin loved how naturally courteous Curt was.

“Thank you and welcome aboard: ‘Dutchess.’” Uncle Gee said. “Woods will get the name.”

“Named after your mayonnaise brand,” Kevin said. “I’m quick. Oh, also, thank you for letting me bring a few friends. Sarah, Nelson, David, and Reby. We had a few others who had to head back home. We brought food if you’d like.” Kevin said.

“It’s been a while since we have seen you. You’ve been here about a year now?” Asked his aunt.

“Yup, it was a year ago this month, and it’s going well…. I made many great friends,” Kevin responded.

“I hope I’m not reading the room wrong, but is there something here?” His aunt circled in the air in front of Kevin and Curt. “You two seem to be sitting close together.”

Kevin was a little embarrassed. Curt and their friends weren’t sure how to read that question. They knew Kevin’s family was very conservative, which might get awkward. Kevin surprised everyone and took Curt’s hand.

“Curt is my boyfriend. I hope that won’t come as too much of a shock. Dad told you I came out, right? That’s why I moved here.” Kevin explained.

“He did, and we are so happy for you. Curt, it’s a bizarre family. Someone told me to tread lightly, and I’m going to give you the same advice,” his aunt advised. She mouthed so her husband couldn’t hear her to him, “They are sooo dry and English,” and then smiled at him.

While Kevin and Curt talked to his aunt, Nelson and David asked his uncle about the boat.

“It’s a 1969 Hawkins Linwood 58-footer. It’s the same age as Kevin,” the uncle said.

“So you live on the boat when in Grand Haven?” David asked.

“We do. We got this to save on hotel bills and didn’t have to buy a little apartment, which seemed ridiculous since we are only an hour from here. Plus, we can go out deeper into the lake with this one since it’s bigger and is more stable,” explained the uncle.

Then they took a tour of the boat. Sarah and Reby stayed for the interrogation Kevin and Curt were going through with his aunt.

“So you all met at school, I take it?” asked the aunt.

“Yeah, Kevin had Sarah in his class the first day, and we are all friends, so he sat with us for lunch, and then Sarah introduced him to Curt,” Reby explained.

“Our friend Joyce would say that we keep him around for his accent, but we just love him,” said Sarah.

“He’s a joy, isn’t he? He brings life back to that drab farm of his dad’s. But I have to say that I guess since I’m family,” his aunt said.

“Max wanted to take you offshore a little since you’ve never been on Lake Michigan before. We won’t take up your whole day. What time do you have to be back home?”

“Are a couple of hours enough time? I thought we’d trouble you guys until about three or so.” Kevin suggested.

“Yeah, that’s great,” she said, quickly turning towards her husband. “Honey, they need to be back at the marina at 3 pm.”

“This is so nice of you to take up your day with us,” Curt said.

“Oh, pishawww,” said the aunt. “I picked up who you were to Woods from the pier. I had to meet you. You are lovely, aren’t you? What is your last name?”

“Ryan,” Curt responded.

“Ryan?” She turned back to her husband to ask, “Honey, what was the name of that kid who won all those awards in Ionia County? The basketball player.”

Curt swallowed hard. He knew she was talking about him. Kevin squeezed his hand. Sarah and Reby both had automatic smirks on their faces.

“Curt Ryan. Wait… are you that Curt Ryan?” the uncle asked.

Curt looked embarrassed and cautiously said, “Yessir, that’s me.”

“Wow... I can’t wait to tell my brother about this tomorrow. Aren’t you like a sophomore and already a varsity-level point guard?” the uncle asked.

“Well… I’ll be a sophomore in the fall. I was on varsity my freshman year.” Curt explained.

“I never knew that they allowed that. That’s incredible. I heard you had a room full of Gus Macker awards,” the uncle asked.

“I have a few, yes,” Curt said.

Everyone watched this conversation like a tennis match, with heads and eyes going left and right at every question and answer. Kevin looked at Curt to see if he wanted him to interrupt the interrogation.

“It’s fine,” Curt said quietly to Kevin.

“Would it be okay to step back on the cockpit and get some air? I love the smell of the mist while a boat is en route.” Kevin asked.

“Oh sure! ... I’ll bring out some drinks,” the aunt said.

“We will help,” said Sarah for her and Reby.

Outside, Kevin stayed silent, but Curt knew what he wanted to ask. Was he okay? Was that interrogation too much? Did he do the right thing by pulling him away to the back of the boat?

“Thank you. I’m fine. It’s a lot sometimes when it comes out of nowhere like that.” Curt said.

“I know. I thought explaining who you were to me would be hard, but the celebrity boyfriend is the big deal.” Kevin said.

“I am not a celebrity.” Curt lightly demanded.

“You kind of are, and over the last year, it’s starting to grow. That’s a good thing, though. Talk is how you get a scholarship. That’s what you want, right?”

Kevin knew not to bring up the NBA aspirations. That was too big for Curt to want to deal with any time soon. That was for the scouts when he was at university. He had a few years before he had to deal with that.

This was the first time in a long while that Curt had come close to a panic attack. Kevin had learned to watch for any new changes or indications.

On the ride home, Curt napped on Kevin’s shoulder. Even with the minor hiccups, Kevin was grateful for such a great weekend. Now the clock started ticking to homecoming, where Curt would need to participate in the court events.