Page 24 of Outside Looking In

“Seriously? Are you part of a cult?”

“We say a prayer thanking the Lord for our dinner every night,” Walt said.

“Oh.”

“It’s a tradition Mum started. Would you like to lead the prayer?” Franny asked. “You get to make a new one.”

“Me? Just so you know, the last time I was in a church, I was on my knees but for completely non-religious reasons.”

Mark’s eyes widened in panic. Liam looked about ready to spit his beer out.

“Because I was cleaning the floors,” Nathan added. “Okay, let’s give it a whirl. Right, I see we’re all holding hands.”

Liam held Nathan’s hand and squeezed it tight to keep him on track.

“Um, Dear Lord,” Nathan began, absolutely at a loss for words. The only time he called out to God was during sex, and considering the lack of stamina of his last few sexual partners, the Lord was not listening. “Thank you for this food. Thank you for being…a friend. You’ve traveled down from heaven and back again. Your nutrients are true. Lord, you are a pal and a confidant.”

“Is thatThe Golden Girlstheme song?” Mark asked.

“I…is it? I was just spitballing here.”

Liam rolled his eyes and turned to Nathan again. “Can’t you be serious for one—”

“We love that show!” Mark said. He and the kids laughed.

“How did you know we liked it?” Franny asked.

“Sofia’s my favorite,” Walt said.

“You watchThe Golden Girls?” Nathan asked. “But you’re all so…straight. I mean, I didn’t know it was broadcast here.”

“I don’t watch it,” Liam said.

“I figured, since you have no sense of humor,” Nathan shot back.

The table got quiet. Mark and the kids shared a solemn look.

“My wife loved that show. They rerun it on one of the television stations, and she got us all hooked.”

“She even had a pillow with the characters on it. Is it still in the basement with her other stuff?” Walt asked his dad.

“Still there, son. My wife was a bit of a hoarder,” Mark said with a laugh.

“So is my dad. Was.” Nathan took a sip of water. “Your wife had great taste.”

He took it as some kind of sign. Maybe he and his mum could’ve bonded over watching episodes, like so many gay men and their mothers had in the past. He held up his glass. “For my prayer, let’s do a cheers to Mariel, shall we?”

“Hard out,” Mark said.

“To a wonderful woman, full of love and mystery and wonder. Mariel, if you can hear us, we think about you everyday,” Nathan said, with more seriousness than he expected. His voice got thick, and the table let out a solemn, uniform “Amen.”

He looked over at Liam, expecting to find the suspicious glint in his eye, but the farmer nodded warmly at him, his ice blue eyes twinkling in the light. It unexpectedly sent a shiver up Nathan’s spine.

“Let’s eat,” Nathan said.

Chapter 8

Liam