Hugh nodded, eyes softening a little. He knew that despite his father, and coincidentally his brother's, prejudices, that he'd had a fairly supportive environment, particularly within the communities he'd moved in within Seattle. Although he could remember the 90s enough, he hadn't been old enough for it to really impact in the same way that it would have for Theo. There was enough of an age difference between them for him to know that. "I would think traveling would make it somewhat easier - at least to the extent that people would not automatically know the relationship." Although Hugh suspected there had been places where it would have been highly frowned on, perhaps even dangerous. Archaeology seemed to potentially lead to that.
Hugh nodded. "I don't know her at all, but I'd like to think for you that she would have wanted to be there. I know not everyone has a mother as supportive as mine, but I'll offer the idea of it anyway. Actually, if she ever comes to visit, I would suggest that the possibility that she adopts you is a strong 80%? She's kind of a force of nature." He laughed. "I'm reserved in comparison." Definitely more reserved at this point in his life when he'd been so much a hermit, but he was trying to be his old self again more frequently. More outgoing, less inwardly focused, more focused on the people in front of him.
"I'm half tempted to go online and see if I can google what response you don't remember making," Hugh teased. He was unlikely to really do so, at least partially because he suspected he might end up down a rabbit hole of things he would rather not see. "But honestly I think I might have done the same. It's not as if people know they're based on your family so much, but that does make that an entirely different question, doesn't it? You adopted Elaine, right? She's not genetically either yours or Jamie's? And if that's a terribly rude question, please feel free to not answer, I just had gotten the impression that you adopted."