Anything Could Happen (6 page)

Guy didn’t say anything.

“Then out of the blue, three days later, Joan shows up at my house. Says Todd won’t talk to her. Said that for months the sex was getting worse and worse, and then he started ignoring her. Oh, I hated her. At least she’d been getting Todd. She stole his virginity. She took what was mine. Damn. Crap. Not what was mine. But I sure
wanted
it. And there she was bitching about not getting enough! Then all of a sudden, she’s, like, grabbing me. You know,
grabbing
me. I wanted to punch her. Then I thought, oh, what the crap. It was time to finally find out if I was really gay.”

“You didn’t know already? I mean, you took a load the first time—that can be an acquired taste—and you didn’t know you were gay?”

“She was so… soft,” Austin said, ignoring the comment. “I kept thinking,
I’m supposed to like this
? But I didn’t. I was having trouble staying—” He swallowed. “And right in the middle of this, I started remembering wrestling in high school and how the other guy’s bodies felt against my own, all hard, all muscly. I guess—it’s stupid—but I guess I just thought she’d feel like that. I couldn’t get it up, Guy.”

“Until you thought about the wrestling?” Guy asked.

Austin nodded. “Yup. So I just closed my eyes and did it. I thought about wrestling. I pretended I was wrestling naked. I thought about Todd and his cock, and then I was stiff as could be, and I pounded her as hard as I could so I could hurry up and get it done with. And she was loving it. She kept yelling, ‘Harder!’ And I wanted her to shut up because she was reminding me she was a girl and then—dammit—I felt guilty because I didn’t even want her. I was
using
her. I was trying to prove something and, shit. She didn’t know. Guy. I was using her!”

Guy reached out and laid a hand on Austin’s shoulder. “Austin. It’s okay. She was using you too, you know.”

“I don’t know that.” He grew silent again, got his thoughts together. Drew in the tears. He had to finish the story, and he didn’t want to start crying again. He took several deep breaths. Clenched his hands into fists. Then slowly relaxed.
Do it. Say it. Hurry
.

“So we finished,” he said. “And there’s Todd. He’s standing there watching us. I don’t know how long he’d been there. But Joan and I were both so shocked, and then she leaps up, covering herself, and starts crying, and I’m frozen—can’t say a damned word—and Todd runs out. I yell out to him, but he’s gone. Joan is, like, hysterical by this time. Crying and crying. And my grandparents have woken up, and Gramps is, like, getting ready to come downstairs, and I’m telling him not to, and Joan is getting dressed, and she’s totally freaked out. Guy—I didn’t know what to do. Would you think I was scum if I told you part of me wanted to punch her lights out? She started it. If she hadn’t, I would have never thought to come on to her, and dammit, Todd ran out on me too.”

To Austin’s frustration, the tears were threatening again. “Joan called him a dozen times over the next few days. I was too afraid. God, I wish I had. Because then? Then Todd was gone. One day his van was just gone, and his parents wouldn’t say where he went. I felt like I had died.

“Joan kept getting worse. She’d show up at my place and want to talk and then start crying again.”

Austin shook his head. “But to tell you the truth, it was the talking that did it, Guy. Finally, it hit me. I’d spent all those years being so jealous of her—sometimes even hating her—and God, Guy. She… she was just a girl like… she was just a person like me. She was human—like me. Just wanting love—like me. She was totally, completely in love with him. Had been her whole life. Todd was all she ever wanted. All her life she’d known—the whole crapping
town
had known—that they’d get married and have kids and then grandkids and one day be buried next to each other in the cemetery at the edge of town.

“She started sharing how she knew she wasn’t going to college. Her family couldn’t afford it. And she hadn’t gotten good enough grades to get any scholarships and, crap, that was like me too. She said Todd was all she ever wanted and all she ever thought she’d have. And now he was gone and she didn’t know what to do… and she started… looking at me…. And I knew. She was thinking,
Well, maybe Austin
. That’s when I told her….”

“You came out to her?” Guy asked surprised. “But I thought—”

“I never actually used the word ‘gay,’” Austin said. “I just looked at her, told her I understood, took a deep breath, and told her that I loved Todd too. And when she didn’t quite get it, I told her I was
in
love with Todd too.”

“God. How did that go over?”

Austin actually laughed. “She didn’t say anything for what seemed like forever. And then she just sighed and said she guessed she’d always known.”

“Wow.”

Austin nodded. “After that, believe it or not, we became… not friends, really… but….”

“Compatriots?”

Austin managed a smile somehow. “Yeah. That’s it. Thanks, Mr. Writer. I began to see she was really nice. All those years I’d made her a rival. A villain. Lex Luthor, or Darth Vader, and all she was really was a girl in love with the same guy I was in love with. We started hanging out and keeping each other company. She did most of the talking. It made it all bearable.

“Finally, we heard that Todd had moved to Kansas City. When you live in a little town, you pretty much always find out each other’s business. If you don’t, people will just make something up instead. I mean, Joan and I were already being teased about being a couple. So I went to Todd’s parents’ house again—determined to find out the truth. I went there all polite, but assertive, and got his mom to tell me it was true. Then his stepdad showed up at the door, and they claimed they didn’t know where, exactly. Said they didn’t have a phone number or anything. I found it hard to believe, but with parents like his, maybe Todd really had just run. A week or so later—two days ago—I left.”

“And you came looking for him.” It was a statement, not a question.

Austin nodded. “That’s right.”

Guy let out a long sigh and looked away. “Dammit.”

“What?”

He glanced back. “Austin, I owe you an apology.”

Apology? Austin stared at Guy and saw those eyes of his appeared so—what? Sad? Hurt? “Why?” he asked.

“For coming on to you like I have been,” Guy continued. “You’re in love with Todd. You made that clear. You come all this way to find him, and I didn’t respect that.”

“It’s okay,” Austin said.

“Nope. It’s not okay. I was thinking with my dick. I guess I forgot I don’t have to sleep with someone to be friends with them.”

That made Austin raise his eyebrows.

“I’m a romantic too,” said Guy. “At least I was. I fell in love with the theater because of
The Sound of Music
and
Phantom of the Opera
and
Les Miz
. And somewhere along the line, I settled on
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
and
Fool For Love
. Although
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
is about the best play of all time. Still, maybe it’s time to start believing again.” He stood up, reached out, took Austin’s chin in his hand, and lifted it so they were gazing deep into each other’s eyes. “If you have a chance to live the Cinderella dream with Todd, I sure as fuck am not going to take it away. As a matter of fact, I know what I am going to do.”

“What?” asked Austin.
What?

“I’m going to help you find Todd.”

T
HE
problem with the toilet was a simple one. All it needed was a fifteen-dollar float, and it took Austin all of an hour to replace it. He was glad of that because Guy was coming down for lunch and they were going to begin a plan of attack to find Todd.

Nine apartments. That’s what Gatton Point had—nine apartments. According to Uncle Bodie, there was always some little thing or another going wrong in their building, and if he was lucky, all the problems should be so easy as a toilet tank float. It wasn’t that there was anything worse about the apartment building than any other, but the building was over a hundred years old. But still, usually the worst problem was a clogged sink or pipe, he’d been told, and there was a snake in the basement that would usually take care of that lickety-split. He might have to replace a garbage disposal or the blade on a ceiling fan. Or maybe change a lock for a new tenant, which rarely happened as most of the people who lived in the old building had been there for the majority of their adult lives. The couple directly above Uncle Bodie had lived there since they married forty-nine years before.

“This year will be fifty,” Mrs. Penrose had told him when his uncle took him around to introduce him to the tenants. “How about that?”

“I think that’s pretty special,” Austin had replied. “I hope I’m lucky enough to find someone and be with them as long as you.” Todd, maybe? How wonderful would that be?

“How old are you?” she’d asked.

“Twenty,” he’d answered.

“Same age as my Mannie when we got married. I was eighteen.”

“You’re sixty-eight?” He smiled. “I would never have put you a day over fifty-five.”

“Why, aren’t you the sweetest thing,” she replied while reaching out and patting his cheek. “Such a sweet young man, Bodie. You should be proud.”

Austin quickly finished the last of his cleanup, and got downstairs as Guy was coming through the front door. “Hey there, Cinder-fella,” Guy said and winked.

Austin crossed his arms. “Wouldn’t I be Prince Charming? After all, I’m the one doing the searching. Not Todd.”

Guy grinned. “Prince Charming it is.” He held up a paper bag. “Hungry? I brought lunch.”

“Starving. What’d you get?” His stomach growled at the very idea of food.

Guy laughed. “You are hungry. Isn’t Bodie feeding you?”

“Sure,” Austin answered, unlocking the door to his new home. “I just ran out without breakfast. Wanted to get a lot done.” He waved Guy ahead of him. “I want to do my part.”

“You’re doing your part,” Guy said.

Lucille came dashing into the room, barking her fool head off, apparently surprised she hadn’t heard them coming in.

“Lucille! Control!” Uncle Bodie came in the room from the direction of the kitchen. “How many times must I tell you? You need to behave with decorum.”

Lucille danced happily at Austin and Bodie’s feet. Austin bent and scooped her up, and she immediately began to lick his face.

“Lucille! Some people don’t like doggie kisses.”

“It’s okay,” Austin said. “Remember, Uncle Bodie? I told you I don’t mind.”

“You did? I don’t remember.” He stepped up and began to scratch Lucille behind the ears. “Oh wait¸ yes I do.” He smiled. “Did you hear that, Lucille? You can kiss Austin, but remember. All things in moderation.”

Lucille gave a bark as if accepting the deal and then began to lick at her master’s fingers.

“Do I smell garlic?” asked Guy.

“Garlic? Oh. Yes. I’m making spaghetti for dinner. My homemade sauce. Guy, can you make it for dinner?”

“I’d love that, Bodie, except I’m working box office tonight. But speaking of food, I brought lunch. They’ve started serving sandwiches at The Shepherd’s Bean.”

“What?” Austin asked. “The shepherd’s been what?”

“The Shepherd’s
Bean
. It’s a coffee shop. Serves the best damned coffee I’ve ever had.”

“Oh. Didn’t I meet the guy who owns the place at your party?”

“Yes. You did. He’s a great guy. And the new sandwiches he serves there are pretty good too. I guess they’re making some kind of trade with a little deli-slash-bakery called Lovin’ Oven down by City Market. Sandwiches for coffee.”

“Then let’s all sit down in the dining room,” suggested Uncle Bodie. “I’ll get some plates. Anyone want something to drink? Austin, put Lucille down and wash your hands. I would tell you that on the best of days, but Lucille needs a bath badly.”

Austin bit back a laugh. The eighty-year-old man was making him feel fifteen years old. He didn’t think about arguing, though. He set down the dog, who immediately ran to her owner and wiggled around his feet as he got plates and glasses out of the kitchen cabinets.

“I hope everyone likes turkey and swiss,” said Guy. “You’re not a vegetarian, are you, Austin?”

Austin shook his head. “Not hardly. I love meat.”

Guy winked. “I bet you do.”

“I
know
he does.” Uncle Bodie eyes twinkled as he began placing plates and napkins on the table. “Anyone want milk?”

“You have ice tea, don’t you, Uncle Bodie?” Austin asked, ignoring the teasing.

“I do, son. Although milk is better for a growing boy.”

Austin couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m hardly a growing boy anymore.”

“Guy. Tea or milk?” Uncle Bodie headed into the kitchen.

“I’ll take milk,” Guy answered. “I’m still growing.”

“When do you start your next show?” Bodie called from the kitchen.

“Casting call is Saturday.”

“What’s it going to be?” Austin asked. “I think you told me last night, but I’d never heard of it before.”

“I’m not surprised,” Guy said. “It’s not very well-known yet. I hope to help with that. It’s a pretty controversial piece called
Tearoom Tango
. Took me forever to talk the board into letting me do it. I saw it at the Fringe Festival in New York a few years ago.”

“New York,” sighed Austin. What he wouldn’t give to go to New York.

“You know, I was serious about you being perfect for one of the parts. The Kid. You should audition for it.”

“You really want me to try out?” Austin blinked in surprise.

“You’re an actor,” Guy said with a wave. “Why not?”

“I-I’m surprised is all.” How amazing! He was being offered the opportunity to audition for a play. He hadn’t done anything in almost a year. Sure, he’d hoped to do something again, but he hadn’t expected anything so soon.

“It’ll go into rehearsals in a few weeks and then hit the stage a month after that. Rehearsals start for
The Importance of Being Earnest
tonight.”