Page 42 of Together Again

Isaac

Lisbon

When I got the call from Dorian to help with Diogo’s trip and reconnection with his family, I couldn’t have been more excited. I wanted to work with the LGBT Liberty Center in New York, and this was a good opportunity for one of our kids to go abroad and experience a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

We did a contest, but in the end,it was one girlwho wanted to teach languages that got the opportunity.

Marcia had barely stopped talking about it since I told her she was the one to go to New York. Unlike a lot of the kids, Marcia had a good, supportive family, but she struggled financially. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for her.

I’d been so busy with work and travel arrangements over the last week, I had given no thought to the fact that Max was the one who was chaperoning Diogo.

At first, I’d been in shock when Dorian told me. I couldn’t believe Max wanted to come anywhere near me and my center, but then again, I knew how committed he was to the Liberty Center, so it didn‘t surprise me thathe’d put his feelings aside to help someone out.

What he didn’t know was that I had a plan to get him alone so we could talk things through. I justhoped he accepted my olive branch.

* * *

The arrivals area at Lisbon airport was busy as usual. I was early, thanks to my nervous energy, so I’d sat in one of the cafés near the arrivals walkway with a bottle of water. I was prettysure a coffee wouldn’t help my already-racing heart or quiet the butterflies in my stomach.

When my hands were free again, I started fidgeting. The flight had just landed, but since they still had to go through customs and collect their luggage, I knew they wouldn’t be out for a while.

I was playing with my phone absentmindedly when it buzzed in my hands, causing me to nearly drop it on the floor.

“Hey, bro, guess what?” Alex said, so excited I could only guess Sofia had reached another milestone in her development.

“Let me think...Sofia asked if she could spend the weekend with her favorite uncle?” I tried.

“Not quite. Her only words are Ma and Mama. I’ve even tried bribing her, but it looks like the girls are sticking together on this one.”

“Maybe because she knows you’ll give her a snack anyway.” At nine months old, my niece already had both her dad and me wrapped around her little finger. Not that I’d have it any other way.

“Yeah, she’s fickle that way. What I rang for is that we have a date for her christening in February, and we’d like you to be Sofia’s godfather.”

“Oh, Alex,” I choked. “It would be an honor, you know that.”

“I know.” he said, “Anyway, are you at the airport yet?”

“Yeah.”

“How do you feel?”

“Nervous,” I confessed. “I know what I want to say to Max, but I’m not sure how he’s going to be when he sees me.”

“You’ll be fine. If he’s anything like what you’ve told me, he’ll want to hear you out. Plus, no one can ever say no to you.” He laughed.

“Not true. You say no to meall the time.”

“Not for the things that matter, big brother.”

I decided to change the topic since Alex was making too much sense for my liking.

“Can I see her?” He knew exactly what I meant, and in seconds, my screen changed to a video call and I could see the beautiful chubby face of my niece, her cheeks rosy from teething.

“Hello, Popcorn.” She opened her eyes wide and smiled at the sound of my voice. She stretched her arms to hold the phone.

“Sofia,” Alex said, “tell Uncle Isaac how much you love it when he changes your diapers.”

Sofia obliged with a bunch of baby sounds.