O’Melissokomos
The Bee Keeper

Daddy's Little Girl

by Londonboy

“Dad, are you gay?”

I choked on the sip of coffee I had just allowed to enter my mouth. I was at Starbuck’s with my twenty-one year old daughter and her question caught me off guard. I had never thought I’d hear her ask this question. I wiped my mouth and stared at the table. I knew I should answer her, but I couldn’t find the right words.

“Well . . . I . . . um . . . it’ just . . . that . . .”

“It’s fine if you are. As a matter of fact it would answer a lot of questions – mainly about what happened between mom and you.”

“I’ve told you many times that your mother and I still love each other very much.”

“Yeah, but she’s moved on. It’s been three years since she remarried, dad. To the best of my knowledge you haven’t dated at all.”

It would be kind of hard to tell her about the numerous one-night stands that had happened the first year after the divorce. I was sure my mature only-child could not have handled those stories. Or maybe it was I who couldn’t handle telling her those stories.

“I haven’t met anyone that I wanted to date.”

“Yeah, but I’d lay my money on the fact that you probably haven’t even looked for someone.”

“Guilty as charged. But maybe I’m old fashioned and I want someone to chase me!”

“Dad, get serious. Come on, are you gay?”

There was a long pause as I let my gaze fall back to the table and I drifted away. I thought about an I-Tunes gift card in my desk drawer at home that I had not yet used. I promised myself I would take it out today and buy a few songs online. I glanced back at my daughter’s waiting face. It was clear that the stubbornness she had inherited from me was going to cause her to sit there quietly until I answered her.

“Yes.”

“Now was that so hard?”

“Yes it was, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to say to you – well, beside the time your mom and I told you we were getting divorced. But this was almost as hard as that.”

“I guess I can understand that, dad, but I also want you to know it doesn’t matter to me. I’m a grown up person now – I can handle simple facts of life.”

“I don’t think being an almost fifty year old man and coming out to your daughter can ever be called simple.”

The look I received told me to quit trying to make everything so light and semi-funny. Emma was having none of my deflection – she wanted to talk about my sexuality and she wanted to talk about it now. I tried not to look her in the face. I was nervous she would see how scared I was. Suddenly, her small hand rested on top of mine.

“It really is okay, dad. I think I’ve known it on some level for very a long time. I love you and mom, you know that, but I didn’t really think you two were ever perfect for each other. I think I kind of always viewed both of you as each other’s best friend and that was cool, in a way. I think I can understand why you got married, why you had me, and why you stayed together so long. I’m just happy that both of you are now getting a second chance at life.

“I don’t think there will be any second chances for me, Emmalouie.”

This was my nickname for her since she had been a small child. It still caused her to smile, after all these years, and that made me very comfortable. She tilted her head as she stared at me. It was a very adult look she had on her face and I contemplated for a few seconds how fast she had grown up. Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was given the incredible gift of watching her be born! I smiled sheepishly.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, dad. I believe you really think you’ll never fall in love again, but I will have none of that. I do, however, think you need to make some changes.”

“Changes? What do you mean?”

“Well to begin with, dad, you’ve got to lose some weight.”

“What?”

“Don’t be offended, you just need to get back to the size you were when you and mom would take all of those really long walks around the park. I have a funny feeling that your entire exercise regime is limited to climbing the stairs to the subway.”

“That’s not true. Really. Because, usually I take the escalator.”

My daughter reached across the table and slapped my shoulder. It was a hard hit, too. I was too busy laughing to really recognize the pain. I wanted to move away from this awkward conversation, but I knew Emma would not allow it.

“I want you to get into shape mainly for yourself, dad, but there’s another reason, too. I’d like to introduce you to someone. Well, actually, I’d like to introduce you to a few people. You see I’ve met a man that I really like and I have a feeling he’s the one.”

Emma paused to let these words sink in. She knew that I would definitely go all Spencer Tracy and Steve Martin on her, as in both editions of ‘Father of the Bride.’ She was very aware that I would need a few minutes to process the hidden message below this casual meeting of a male friend – well, not really just a friend, I guess. I blinked a few times and then forced myself to smile. I could feel that my face tried to cover up my true feelings, but it wasn’t succeeding.

“Say something, pops.”

I genuinely smiled at her nickname for me – pops. She had no idea how that simple word warmed my heart. The tension in my shoulders started to fall away and I exhaled deeply. I looked at my daughter and carefully chose my words.

“It’s kind of hard to not picture you as a ten year old right now, Emma. There’s part of me that wants to force you to still be my little girl, but I fully understand – on a conscious level – that it’s just not possible. You are a beautiful mature grown woman – someone that I have come to respect as much as I love. It’s going to be difficult for me to see some other man in your life, in the way that I believe you are insinuating, but I must. I just hope you’ll be patient with me. Let’s begin with some particulars, shall we. What’s his name?”

“Leo . . . Leo Parker.”

“And where is Leo from?”

“Right here in New York – upper east side. He comes from a long line of New York Parkers. His great grandfather started Parker Financial Group.”

It was a company I knew well. I had been a high-end broker for many years and retired comfortably two years ago, having decided to enter a new era of my life by teaching at NYU. Parker Financial was a well-respected powerful company. I was impressed.

“That’s a good firm. Does Leo work there?”

“No, he’s a teacher. He’s got a doctorate in philosophy and teaches at NYU, as well.”

I was instantly flabbergasted that my daughter had found a man who shared her old man’s two biggest interests – finance and teaching. I was certainly going to ask some work colleagues about the man. A little snooping was acceptable when you’re a father and your only daughter is dating someone new. No sane person would hold it against me.

“Listen dad, I need to get back to work, but I wanted to give you a heads up on two things. One, here’s a card for a personal trainer I want you to meet. I’ve paid for six months of one-on-one training and the fun thing is that you get to do it in the park.”

“Emmalouie, I can’t accept that.”

“Dad, no arguing. Just take the card and follow up on the sessions. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for me. Secondly, I need you to pull out your I-Phone. Go on, do it. Mark this date on your calendar, June 2. It’s a Saturday. You’re going to host a dinner party for Mark and his family. Don’t worry it will be small and you can get Valentino to cater it – I’ve already talked to him. He has the date on his calendar, too. I need you to promise me that you’ll make it very special. Keep in mind that there will be an announcement made that evening. Can you do this for me, dad?”

I looked at my daughter and just shook my head in affirmation. I laughed a little at how she had taken care of every little detail. This was definitely a trait she had inherited from her mother. I was a big picture kind of guy while she and her mother loved dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. I took the card from the table. My daughter had a big smile on her face and what looked like the beginning of tears in her eyes.

“I promise to make it a night you will never forget, sweetheart.”

“Thank you, old man.”

“Hey, hey, none of that. After my sessions with this trainer you are not going to be able to ever call me old. I’m going to look like a new man. By the way, just how many people will be at the dinner?”

“Just four, dad.”

“Four? You mean on top of you and Leo?”

“No, dad. It will just be you, Leo’s dad, Leo and me. Leo’s mom has been out of the picture for a while.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Well, what about your mom. I should, at least, invite her.”

“She and Grant will be in Paris.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. Well, should we do the dinner on a later date?”

“No, pops. I need it to just be the four of us this time. We can do something a lot bigger next time. I’ve gotta run. Please know that I’m calling the trainer tomorrow to make sure you have followed up. Seriously. Call today.”

“I will honey.”

“I love you very much, dad. I just want you to be happy. It’s time for you to be happy.”

And with that my daughter stood up, leaned across the table, kissed me on the forehead, and was out the door before I could say anything in response. I then watched my twenty-one year old daughter actually skip down the sidewalk after leaving the building. For a few short minutes she was truly back to being ten. Emma always skipped when she was very happy. My heart was filled with a mix of emotions. I had finally told my daughter I was gay, my only child had just basically told me she was soon to be engaged, and I was being forced into meeting with a trainer so I could lose the extra forty pounds that had been added to my frame since my semi-retirement. I didn’t know which feeling to allow to bubble up to my head first, so I simply did something to distract myself. I called the number on the card. A husky male voice answered the phone.

“Hey, this is Marco.”

“Um, yes, I’m calling because my daughter gave me your card. It seems like I have some sessions with you.”

“Yes, this must be Mr. Thomas. You’ve got one awesome daughter, sir.”

“Don’t I know it! Please call me Richard.”

“Yes sir, Richard. Well, I’m supposed to let you know that we’ll meet at Emma’s favorite spot in the park tomorrow morning at eight. She says you don’t have any classes tomorrow, so we can have a good two hour workout.”

“That’s Emma for you, she knows automatically that I have no other plans. I’ll see you there at eight, Marco. Thank you.”

Marco ended up being a huge Italian stud who seemed to take an instant shine to me. For the next three months we met four times a week and he pushed my ass harder than ever before in my life. I had been inspired by my little talk with Emma and it had enabled me to get beyond some imagined barrier that had been preventing me from working hard to reinvent myself as a gay man. I dropped thirty-four pounds and actually rebooted some of my muscle, which had been missing from my body for about twenty years. I actually felt and looked great by the time June 2 rolled around. I had only seen Emma once during that time and it had been early on. She had no idea the true changes that Marco had made to her old man. I had even gotten highlights in my hair and contacts – things that my daughter had suggested for years. When I looked in the mirror after getting dressed for the dinner party for my daughter’s soon-to-be fiancé and his father, I felt sure that I would make a good impression on these important people. It was a beautiful evening and Valentino insisted that the party be held in the perfectly manicured back yard. I did not argue with him – no one ever argued with Valentino. He was an artist and expected everyone to love his taste. I was thankful that Emma was coming early, since it would be hard for her to gush about the changes to my appearance if Leo and his dad arrived with her. I’m sure she was coming early partially to check me out before the company showed up. I was not disappointed by her reaction when she arrived.

“Oh my gosh, dad, you look amazing. Look at you! I love the highlights and are you wearing contacts. I am so proud of you. And do I see muscles through that beautiful silk shirt? I do, don’t I.”

Emma reached out to grab my upper arms. I had wanted her to gush this way but it felt a little over the top. I was proud of my work, though, so I quickly adjusted to her remarks of praise.

“Wow, feel those arms. I can tell that Marco has definitely made some improvements.”

“Hey now, your old man had something to do with it!”

“I’m sorry, you are right. Great work, dad. You look about twenty years younger and bigger than I ever remember. If I weren’t your daughter I’d be all over you.”

“Now that’s just wrong.”

We were both laughing and she went up on the balls of her feet to give my cheek a kiss. Emma also looked very beautiful in a dark blue cocktail dress with spaghetti straps. She forced me to turn so we could see our reflection in the mirror located in my entranceway. We made a smashing pair. I did take a moment to note how young and vibrant I looked. At that exact moment the doorbell rang and I looked at my daughter.

“Leo is very punctual.”

“Well, maybe some of that will rub off on you.”

“Maybe . . . but it’s more likely that I’ll influence him. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and I’ll get the door. I want you to be a surprise. The way you look they might think I hired some younger man to impersonate my dad tonight.”

With that she pushed me down the hall. I watched her turn back to the mirror to check how she looked again – a sure sign that this man meant a lot to her. I took a deep breath and walked through the kitchen into the spacious back yard. I knew Emma would be shocked that I had allowed Valentino to move the dining room table and chairs outside – allowing the evening to have a French countryside feel. I heard deep voices in the hallway responding to the lilting sound of my daughter. I could feel my stomach doing flips because I was nervous. I was about to meet my future son-in-law and his father, and that made me very uneasy.

“Dad, this looks gorgeous!”

My daughter’s voice intensified my nervous state as I turned to gaze upon her and our guests. She had momentarily forgotten everything because she was so overwhelmed by the beautiful table in the middle of the yard. The first thing I noticed about the two people with Emma had nothing to do with Leo, her boyfriend, who had his arm around my daughter’s waist. No, the first thing I noticed was how beautiful the father was – and how big. The man looked like someone had put together Robert Conrad’s face and Lou Ferrigno’s body. I kid you not. The guy easily dwarfed his son. He had the smooth handsome face and nicely cropped hair of the guy that used to float my boat on the early television series “The Wild Wild West.” There were flecks of gray at his temples that only enhanced his good looks. And he had a build similar to the bodybuilder that most made my cock get hard. I forced myself to look at Leo. The man had his dad’s nice complexion and much of his handsomeness, but more matched me in size. It was hard to look at Leo while his dad stood behind him – your gaze wanted to travel to the larger man instinctively.

“Dad, this is Leo and Leo’s dad, Stan Parker. This is my dad, Richard Thomas.”

“It’s great to meet you, Leo, Stan.”

I shook the younger man’s hand first. It was the same size as mine and the force of his grip was similar to me. I then turned to the behemoth just beyond Leo and almost fainted when fingers that made the man’s paw look like a baseball mitt engulfed my hand. I then felt a jolt of electricity shoot through my body when the older man’s grip seemed to crush the bones beneath my skin. It was a warm handshake and Stan pumped so hard that my arm jerked wildly.

“Are you sure this isn’t you’re brother, Emma? You didn’t tell us your dad was so young.”

“Behave dad.”

Leo sounded a lot like Emma as he playfully chided the older man. Leo also let his elbow fly back into the big man’s stomach. It was obvious that the younger man’s elbow jab was barely felt by Stan. It was as if he didn’t even notice. We were all laughing, but I could see that Stan quickly looked at his son – checking to make sure he hadn’t really stepped over any line and that Leo was just joking. This was exactly how Emma and I usually interacted. I smiled warmly at their interplay with each other.

“Dad’s been working out with a trainer. He looks great, doesn’t he?”

“Now, now, Emma. Enough of that.”

“No, Richard, you do look good. I mean I don’t know what you looked like before, but you seem to be in great shape.”

“Well, standing beside you I feel kind of small and puny.”

“Don’t worry, you get used to it Mr. Thomas. I’ve felt that way for my entire life.”

“Leo, please call me Richard.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

There was a slight pause in the conversation and everyone just stared at each other. My hosting skills kicked in immediately and I could see a look of relief flash across Emma’s face. I could also tell from the corner of my eye that Stan was staring at me – and he was also pleased when I moved the conversation forward.

“How about some wine, everyone? I have a bold cabernet and a light pinot grigio.”

Everyone opted for the white wine since it was such a warm evening. I also suggested that we could move to the cabernet once dinner was served. Both guests and Emma were pleased with that plan. I invited everyone to move to a corner of the large patio for some appetizers and to comfortable furniture where we could sit to chat. Leo sat in one of the large wicker chairs and I noticed that Stan moved to do the same thing. It was clear, however, that he was simply too big. I quickly decided on an alternative.

“Stan, why don’t you join Emma on the sofa and I’ll sit here. It’s closer to the wine bottle and that way I can be ahead of the game for refills.”

I pointed to the large sofa that matched the chairs. I could also see relief in Stan’s eyes and I was pretty sure my suggestion had won me brownie points. I think his more than ample lats would have squeezed into the chair uncomfortably and caused it to stick to his body when he stood up. As it was, when he sat down on his end of the sofa the piece of furniture squealed because of his weight and Emma’s body was sent slightly into the air as her end quickly went up.

“So, it looks like you’re not sitting behind a desk all day, Stan. I think there must be some time for the gym, judging by your bulk.”

“Yeah, I try to work out a little, Richard. It keeps me level-headed in the middle of the craziness at the office.”

“It is more than that, dad. Richard, my father is actually an amateur bodybuilder on the side. He competes regularly in contests across the state. He’s actually taken a bunch of titles in the masters division.”

“That’s impressive, sir.”

I raised my glass to Stan and I could see his son’s words and my actions had embarrassed him. His face was red and he glanced downward. My heart actually reached out to the man – his actions were so in conflict with his size. I knew another moment of silence was coming so I scrambled to find another way to keep the conversation going. I did not choose as well this time, however.

“So I’ve been divorced for a few years, how about you, Stan?”

“Um, dad, Stan’s not divorced.”

I could tell by my daughter’s voice when she answered that something unspoken was hanging in the air. Stan and Leo looked at each other with alarmed faces. I panicked a little because I figured the reason the group had become a little tense was that Mrs. Parker might have died. I immediately felt stupid and started to try and find a way to salvage the conversation. Stan, however, saved the day this time and what he said could not have affected me more if someone had tossed me into a raging fire.

“I’ve never been married, Richard. A surrogate carried Leo until he was born and I have raised him by myself. He’s always been in touch with his birth mom, but it’s just been us two for these twenty-three years. He’s my pride and joy.”

My face must have shown confusion. The three people sitting around me seemed to be looking at each other and somehow magically deciding who was going to tell me something important. I looked straight at Emma and made a quick face that said “what?”

“My father is gay, Richard.”

I had my glass at my lips right at that moment and I was taking a big nervous gulp of wine. Leo’s comment made me choke and spit wine into the air. I could feel drops of the liquid dribbling down my chin. I looked from Emma to Leo to Stan. The big man smiled and nodded his head. I looked back to his son, who nodded his head. Finally, I returned my gaze to Emma, who chose to speak.

“Yep.”

“I hope that’s not a problem, Richard.”

I glanced quickly at the big man and started shaking my head emphatically.

“Of course it’s not a problem, Stan. Good for you, man, good for you. And raising a child alone must have been hard. You have my utmost respect. I’m just a little surprised, that’s all. And I’m sorry about spraying wine everywhere.”

I turned back to Emma who was staring at me intently, raising her eyebrows and tilting her head. I could tell she wanted me to add something more to what I had already said. My face flushed red and I turned to our two guests.

“And . . . um . . . I’m . . . I mean . . . well, I’m gay too.”

“Well I’ll be damned.”

Stan was so shocked that he didn’t have time to filter his thoughts and prevent his mouth from saying the first thing that flew into his head. I was surprised, as well, at my words, but I was still alert enough to catch a pleased glance between Emma and Leo, which seemed a little suspicious. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see what was happening here. I wanted to stand up and insist that Emma follow me to the kitchen, intending to let her know this little matchmaking session was over, but then I glanced back at Stan. I saw his big arms pressing against his shirt sleeves, his chest heaving up and down as he breathed, and a face that brought back many memories of late-night cock tugging sessions underneath my blankets as a teenager. Robert Conrad had worn such tight pants that my mouth would go dry when the television panned his entire body. I also had a couple of magazines that featured spreads on the giant Ferrigno hidden between my mattress and box springs until I went to college. Looking at the man caused my uneasiness with the situation to dissipate immediately. If this was, indeed, a blind date, a fellow could certainly not do any better than Stan Parker. I took another sip of my wine and leaned back in my chair. I noticed that Stan was now looking at me with a different gleam in his eye, as well. The mood of the group shifted dramatically – there was a sudden burst of energy in everyone. I didn’t have time to fully sort through all that had changed because Valentino came out and announced it was time for dinner. I watched the sides of wicker sofa even out as soon as the huge Stan stood up from his seat. For a split second I contemplated what it would feel like to have all of his weight on top of me. I probably would end up squealing just like the sofa did.

To be continued

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