When Michael Knapp brings his lover Dan Biggs home to meet his parents, he doesn't expect things to go smoothly. His mother's been trying to marry him off for years, and sometimes he isn't even sure his father knows he exists. He has always felt like the shadow son, competing with his terminally stupid older brother and smart-mouthed little sister for his parents' attention. Coming out to them over dinner seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally get noticed.<br><br>But an unexpected phone call interrupts his announcement -- Aunt Evie, the family matriarch, is dead. With Dan in tow, Michael follows his family to Sugar Creek, where he spent his summers growing up, to prepare for the funeral.<br><br>Amid an overabundance of memories and relatives, Michael's world begins to slip. His dysfunctional family, Evie's death, and an old friend's confession all threaten to smother him. Worse, in his grief and confusion he seems determined to inadvertently push everyone away, including his lover. Can he and Dan move beyond his family and his past to a new life together, before Michael's insecurities tear them apart?

It's All Relative

“Ray ain’t all there,” Aunt Bobbie says in a matter-of-fact tone of voice that leaves no room for argument. “Never has been. Don’t you go telling him I said that, though, you hear? If I were your mom, I might’ve stopped there and given up all hope.”


My lover snickers into his hoagie.  16: By the Creek


When we’re finished eating, I ask Dan if he wants to take a walk. It’s grown dark out, but there are citronella candles lit at the tables and a large spotlight shines down over the backyard like the one my parents have glaring behind their house. There’s a feeling of suspended animation in all that bright light with the night tucked into the trees and around the corners of the house, and kids running around the edges where dusk begins.


Chapter 52