Divorce can be nasty. Clement discovers how nasty gay divorce can be as he surveys the damage wreaked by his ex-partner in their soon-to-be-sold home. After cleaning the mess, he goes for a late coffee and dinner snack. The lone barista, Troy, recounts his traumatic car accident drama as they close the shop and share coffee and leftovers. Troy also reveals the pain of rejection he's felt for being gay. The two men share another connection: the next day, Troy starts a new position as a social worker, and Clement is a counselor, as well. So the next morning when Clement drives Troy to his new job, he knows they may cross paths again. It comes sooner than expected, though, when Clement returns to Troy’s office with an abused gay teenager who has nowhere to go. Try as they might, Troy and his new coworkers can find no available foster family. Suddenly Clement finds himself with a potential new family. Can things work out for the three of them?

Define Boink

After a minute, Troy sat up straighter, attempted to sip his coffee, choked, and said, “Shit. I was going to say something bright and practical, but I can’t summon the words. I’m lucky to be alive, I guess. I’m lucky the bus runs near here. I’m lucky I didn’t break down while everyone was still here! I’m sorry I dumped all this on you. And I still don’t know what to do. What do I do?”


We ate in silence for a while, both trying not to gulp, choke, or show other emotion, though I knew my eyes were shooting Cupid arrows, which couldn’t be helped.


“I got my dream job, and it’s a half hour drive from where I’m staying, which is with friends, because I just put everything I own in storage and was going to spend next week finding a new place near where I will be working! This is actually my last day here other than the holiday tomorrow.”


Chapter 4