“I would’ve gone with you if I’d known you were going to talk to him about it.” Dominic spoke into his phone as loudly as he could without yelling.

The cell reception was kind of choppy on the windward side of the island. The rough, mountainous terrain at the heart of the island and the dense forest made it difficult for the ancient tower to maintain complete coverage.

“It’s not a big deal,” Miguel said with a bit of a smile in his voice. “You got to avoid the doctor’s speech about safe sex. He did a blood test and confirmed what we already knew.”

“So now what?” asked Dominic. He was standing on a small hill near a parking lot. An older, weather-beaten marina stretched out along the shore below. Perched just beside that was a large warehouse, equally weather beaten and gray, with a sign that read “Kenny’s Shellfish” hanging above the front door.

“Well, I’m going back to get one of my casts off in two weeks. Five or six weeks from now I’ll possibly be getting the other one off. And finally, in about nine weeks from now we can go in for our first ultrasound.” Miguel rattled off the list with a growing tone of uncertainty in his voice. “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to afford all of these doctor’s visits.”

“I’ve got a couple of ideas. Don’t worry too much right now. Just get some rest. Are you going back to my apartment or your parents’ house?” Dominic began to make his way down towards the marina docks.

“I’m going to go back to my parents’ house. Your place is too hot this time of day.”

“Okay, I’ll see you at the bar tonight then.”

“Okay, yeah...I lo—I’ll see you later.” Miguel hung up before either of them could say anything else.

Neither of them had taken that extra step and said those three words yet. Their relationship was moving faster than either of them had intended and in nine months they were going to be parents. They’d made plans for the future and Dominic had used the word boyfriend a few times, but they still hadn’t spelled out exactly what they were to one another.

All Dominic knew was that he wouldn’t do what he was about to do for anyone else.

Several small motorboats were moored along the docks. Some of them had small crews preparing to head out. They watched Dominic carefully as he walked along the dock towards the warehouse. It wasn’t common to see new people here. This particular business venture belonged to one man and one man alone. He wasn’t about to let anyone in that he didn’t approve of.

Summoning up all of his courage, Dominic entered the warehouse.

Long tables filled the interior. Large piles of oysters, clams, and mussels covered the tables. People busily sorted them into boxes while others carted filled boxes off to be weighed. Nearly every square inch of the room was dedicated to the sorting, packing, and prepping of shipments.

While the crew inside the warehouse wasn’t large, the cramped space made it feel like there were too many people in the room.

The smell of fish and salt was something that Dominic had grown up around and he’d thought he was used to it. The scent inside the warehouse, however, was much more potent than anything he’d ever before experienced.

“Well, well, well.” A booming voice cut over the chaos of the warehouse. A large, graying man with leathery skin and eyes like thunderstorms, crossed the room towards Dominic. “I thought I’d die before you ever set foot in this place.”

“To be honest, I thought so too.” Dominic chuckled nervously.

“If you’re here then either someone’s died or you want something,” the man said as he looked Dominic over with a sour expression. “So, is it your father? Or that daughter of mine?”

“Mom and Dad are fine,” said Dominic. “Can we step outside? It’s a bit loud in here.”

“You and your father, so sensitive.” His grandfather clicked his tongue against his teeth in disapproval. “Fine, then.” He gestured towards the door.

Once they were back outside, Dominic tried to clear his head and focus again. He’d forgotten how intimidating a presence his grandfather could be.

“So if they’re not dead, then you’re here because you want something. Last time I saw you, you were asking for a loan to start your own restaurant. On an island with more restaurants than it knows what to do with and you wanted to open another one. If that’s why you’re here, I’ll tell you the same thing I said last time...” The old man frowned at him severely.

“I don’t want anything, abuelo. At least...I don’t want anything I don’t earn.” Dominic met his gaze with a challenge in his eyes.

His words seemed to cause some amusement in the old man because he started laughing.

“So now you’re here asking me for a job?” His laughter continued. It was an odd sound that starkly contrasted with the countenance of the man behind it. Like laughter at a funeral.

“Yes, I’m asking you for the job you offered me when I graduated high school.” Dominic stood his ground. It was the only way he could prove to his grandfather that he was serious.

“That was over...fifteen years ago.” The old man dabbed at the tears forming in his eyes from all the laughter. “You want me to give you a job that I offered you over fifteen years ago. Oh my, you must be desperate.” He seemed to be calming down a little now. “I thought you already had a job you were perfectly happy with. Wasn’t it bartending or something?”

“Yes, but my situation’s changed.” Dominic was reluctant to give his grandfather details about his life. He’d never been quite sure of the old man’s stance on homosexuals.

“So what? You want me to put you on one of my boats and send you out to my secret oyster beds just because your situation has changed? Do you have any idea how much money people have offered me for the location of those beds? And the clams, where do I get them from? Everyone wants to know.”

“By your own admission you’re desperate. Your situation’s changed. If you’re badly in need of money you could learn my secrets and sell them off to someone like Julio for a nice windfall. Of course, it’ll only be a fraction of what those beds earn me in a year so you’ll be losing out.”

“Will you just shut up, you paranoid old bastard?” snapped Dominic so loudly that several of the nearby boat crews stopped to look at them. “You always suspect the worst of everyone. You always treat everyone as if they’re out to screw you over. That’s why you live alone and never see your family. That’s why I almost didn’t come to see you even though you’re probably the only one that can help me right now.”

“But I had to believe that somewhere deep down you’re just a lonely old man that wants to be included in the lives of his family. I had to believe that you might want to help me set up a stable future for your great grandchild.”

At first, Dominic thought the old man might laugh at him again. Instead, he was silent as he turned and stared out to sea. The gruffness was not gone from his expression, but there was a touch of something else in his eyes now.

“This business was supposed to secure a future for Julia. I had intended to send her to school in America. You know she wanted to be an actress?” The old man’s was much more even-toned now. “There is no way for someone to become an actress on this island. But I would’ve done anything for her. Then, your father sinks his claws into her and drags her down. Keeps her trapped on the island.”

“I resented him for that. I resented her for giving up on her dream even when I hadn’t. So I focused on my work. I built this place up from the empty nothing that it was when Kenny had it. I turned it into something to be proud of. Easily one of the highest grossing businesses on the island right now. Yet, never once did either of them want anything to do with me. Except to ask for money.”

“Then when you were born I tried to be part of your life. They pushed me away and told me that I would be a bad influence on you because I was so invested in my work. So I returned to my work because there was nothing else for me.”

“When you graduated high school I offered you a job and you turned me down because you didn’t want to end up like me. You didn’t want to be someone obsessed with their work. So I returned to my work because even you had rejected me.”

“When you came to me a few years ago asking for a loan I almost gave it to you simply because I was truly glad that you had thought to ask me for help with your dream. After all, I had created this business to help my daughter, why not help my grandson.”

“But when I challenged your business idea, instead of telling me what you planned to do to make it work, you turned your back on me and called me a bitter, selfish, old man obsessed with his work. So I returned, once more, to my work. What was meant to be a tool for me to give my family what I needed has become a curse that seems to forever separate me from them.”

“Now, you’re here, standing in front of me, hoping that I value family enough to help you with yours.” The old man shook his head as he looked back towards Dominic.

“Abuelo...” Dominic hadn’t expected this outpouring of emotion from his grandfather of all people. Had he really judged Matías Santiago so poorly?

“No, no...” Matias shushed Dominic. “I...think the blame falls on both parties. There may have been things I could have done to try and mend the void in our family. But it’s too late for things like that. This...this may be the opportunity I have waited for.” He took a deep breath. “Come with me.” He took off walking along the dock at a brisk pace.

“Where are we going?” asked Dominic, struggling to keep up. For a man of his age, Matías was still extremely limber.

“I thought, perhaps, I’d take you to lunch. You can tell me about your situation. The child you’re going to have, and the woman that’s going to stand by your side.” Matías paused and looked back at Dominic with a quizzical expression on his face. “What’s troubling you now?”

Dominic clenched his fists as he tried to summon up the courage to continue. There was no telling how this situation would play out, but one thing was certain. His grandfather would learn the truth sooner or later anyway. Keeping it a secret would only postpone the inevitable.

“You see, abuelo, there’s something that I haven’t told you about me. I wasn’t keeping it a secret. I just never really got the chance to tell you before.” Dominic knew he was delaying, but some small part of him was reluctant to risk losing the fledgling spark of connection that they’d established.

To his credit, Matías stood silent and waited patiently for Dominic to continue.

“I’m not...that is...I’m gay and your grandchild is being carried by my boyfriend.” Silence hung in the air for a long moment.

“So this is one of those male-pregnancy things? I thought...those are extremely dangerous. I have enough money saved, we could fly him to America to have the baby if that’s what you’re worried about. I think I heard that the Americans have a much better success rate with these pregnancies.” Matías immediately began digging in his pocket for his cell phone. “When is the baby due? I can arrange to have him on a boat to Florida in less than six hours.”

“N-no...I mean, thank you, abuelo. That’s not necessary.” Dominic struggled to catch up with the conversation. The old man was taking this better than he’d expected. “It’s a lot safer now. The president had his baby delivered by the doctor right here on the island. It was all over the news not that long ago.”

“Yeah, but he’s the president. Of course they’re going to treat him better. That’s the way these things work.” Matías was incredibly serious in his assessment of the situation.

“A lot of men on the island have had perfectly healthy pregnancies these last few years. The doctor here is good. There’s nothing to worry about. Miguel went and saw him today, and he said we’ll have the first ultrasound in nine weeks. So it’s still very early.” Dominic was still trying to get a grasp on the situation. His grandfather hadn’t even batted an eye when he’d mentioned that he was gay. Relief flooded through him. He had been worried that the old man would turn away from him when he learned the truth. His reaction had left Dominic with feelings of hope for the future.

“Miguel, eh? I suppose I’m going to have to meet him before too long. I never got the chance to meet Frederico before he married Julia. I’m not saying I would’ve stopped the wedding, I just would’ve liked to get to know the guy first...” Matías shoved his phone back in his pocket and began walking again. “We’d better get moving. If we hurry we can beat the lunch rush.”