VII Stability

Time had passed and Ian started university. It was easier for him to get around from Álvaro’s apartment than from his parents’ house.
• Álvaro: “You can stay over whenever you want. As far as I’m concerned, you can even move in with me if you want. We can even fix up the second room, which I pretty much use as a storage room, put in a desk, a computer, whatever you need to study… and it already has a little bed for when you don’t want to sleep with me… what I don’t know is whether your parents will be too happy about it.”

• Ian: “My parents have always given me a lot of freedom, since I was a kid. Now that I’m of legal age, I don’t think there’ll be a problem. I can tell them I found a place that makes it easier for me to get to university… the bad thing is they’ll think they should increase the money they give me for rent… and I don’t want that, taking money for something different from what they give it to me for. I don’t want to scam them.”

• Álvaro: “Well, we’ll have to think about it. For my part, you know I wouldn’t charge you anything even if I were dead.”

Two weeks later, Álvaro, after a spectacular session like all of them, tells Ian that something had occurred to him, that he had more or less sketched out a plan.

• Álvaro: “It turns out that a few days ago my nephew visited me, with whom I’ve always had a wonderful relationship. He came to tell me that he had confessed his homosexuality to his parents and wanted to do the same with me. When he did that, I felt almost obliged to tell him that after my marriage I had ‘converted,’ although I should have told him that ‘they converted me.’ He’s your same age and started university this same year, just like you. My plan is for you two to meet and for him to go to your house several times, making sure your parents are there. Then he would be the one, in front of your parents, to suggest that you could stay at his uncle’s house. Your parents will probably say something about paying rent, but even if they don’t say anything, my nephew would tell you that you could stay for free because what his uncle needs is company, that when he got divorced he had a serious depression and then continued antidepressant treatment. That he himself would like his uncle not to be alone and that it would also be good for someone to help him with part of the cleaning of the apartment. There’d be a few little white lies, but not many, and at least not financial ones. For the most part, the story is true.”

• Ian: “You’ve worked that out well, although I’m not sure my parents won’t insist on paying something.”

• Álvaro: “My nephew would flatly refuse; I’d make that clear to him.”

• Ian: “Well then, let’s get to work. When will I meet your nephew?”

• Álvaro: “If you want, I’ll call him right now.”

The plan worked wonderfully. Álvaro’s nephew made a very good impression on Ian’s parents. When they learned about the uncle’s depression pro...