Chapter 28

“All of us in this household are very protective of Steve, and that concern extends to Roger, as well,” Charles said. “Steve was very fragile when he came to us. He needed a friend, and Roger has been good for him. From what you’ve just told us, it appears to be a two-way street.”

Mason looked at us for a moment. You could see that he was choosing his words carefully. Then he said, “If I’d met either of you in a business setting before all that publicity two years ago, I would never have pegged either of you as gay. You seem so normal. Frankly, I thought all gay men were like those people who march in the parades.”

“Think of an iceberg,” Charles said. “Ten percent of its mass is above the surface and highly visible. The other ninety percent is unseen. The flamboyant people you see marching in parades represent the tip of the iceberg, and, frankly, they’re an embarrassment to the rest of us—the unseen ninety percent.”