Omorphi (67 page)

Christy explained what he wanted set up in the loft, and then turned frightened eyes to her. “Please do not look at the paintings.”

Bobbie patted Christy’s shoulder affectionately, and he didn’t flinch or pull away. “I won’t look at anything that you don’t want me to see.”

“Thank you. May I ask a question?”

“Anything.”

A smile flickered across Christy’s lips. “Why didn’t you ask Michael to reject me when he told you who I am and what they did to me?”

Michael fought not to cringe outwardly.
Nothing like being direct.

She became serious. “First, we believe that Michael is old enough and responsible enough to make his own decisions. Second, only your moral fiber, the cloth that makes you a good and honest person, matters. All the other things that may or may not come along with you are mere accessories that we can choose to don or not to don. Third, while what you’ve been through will certainly shape the rest of your life, and our lives if you and Michael remain together, it doesn’t have to in a negative way. In fact, it should inspire us to live life to the fullest.”

“You don’t mind that I am unclean, used?”

She frowned. “You can’t possibly apply those words to yourself.”

“I keep telling him that,” Michael added.

“You should listen to Michael. You’re young and have the whole rest of your life ahead of you. You’re a newborn leaf, opening yourself for the first time to possibilities that you’ve never known existed. There’s a whole world out there to explore. Live your life to the greatest extent possible. Abuse doesn’t define you. Always remember that.”

“You do not think I am a bad person for Michael?”

She smiled warmly. “Loving you has made Michael the happiest we’ve ever seen him, Christy. How could that be bad?”

“The influence my life can have?”

She laughed softly. “Some outside forces might be a pain in the ass, but I think—rather, I know—that you two are very good for each other.”

“And Dr. Sattler? He does not think Michael should reject me?”

She gave him an eloquent look. “No. He’s a little angry at Nero for not being truthful with us, but—”

“This is because of me. I have the word from
Kýrios
Santini not to tell anyone.”

“We know that, and Mac and Nero will work out their differences. Please understand, Mac is also a worrier. He doesn’t mind in the least that Michael is gay, but he does worry about the prejudices and risks that exist in the outside world.”

Christy nodded. “Okay, so you will tell me if you have a concern? You will be honest?”

Wow
. Christy was seriously taking his mom to task.

“I will.”

“Do you have a concern now?”

“Two. I would like you to call me Bobbie, and we don’t want to be late to the waterfront, so we need to get to work on the loft.”

Christy smiled.

“W
HAT
do you think, Christy?” Bobbie asked as she stood back and surveyed the loft.

Christy looked up at the skylight. “Michael, will you move the table for the clay a little to the left?”

Michael moved it slowly until Christy motioned with both hands to stop.

“Okay, I think I only need a tripod.”

“For the camera?” Michael asked.

“Yes. I forgot to ask Sophia to bring this.”

“Why do you need the camera?”

“I will take pictures of my scars and the paintings and me in stages so the police will know that they are my work, and they are true.”

“Ah, smart,” Bobbie said.

“I don’t get it,” Michael said.

“I believe what Christy is attempting to do is to certify his work.”

“This is the precise idea. The
Astynomía
cannot have any question that it is my work, and this is what happened to me.”

Christy was as resolute as Michael had ever seen him, and it warmed his heart that Christy had found a way to tell his story. “Excellent.”

Jake and Sophia unceremoniously entered the cabin in laughter, and Christy, Michael, and Bobbie peered over the loft railing at them.

“Christy!” Sophia shouted up at him.

“Hey, bro! We’re home!” Jake shouted.

“If I didn’t know better, I would say they have been drinking,” Bobbie commented wryly.

“I would believe this too,” Christy said softly.

Michael laughed. “No, they’re just that happy together.”

“Are you guys ready to go? We need to be at the waterfront in fifteen minutes,” Jake called up.

“You ready, babe?”

Christy nodded. “Where is Jerry?”

“I don’t know. Do you want me to call Rob?”

“I will do it.” Christy hobbled down the stairs and went to the kitchen phone. When it didn’t work, he shook it.

“You threw it, remember?” Michael said softly.

Christy hissed something under his breath, reached for his cell phone, and called Rob. “Hello, Rob, this is me, Christy…. It is…? Okay, is Jerry there…? Ah, okay. We will find him there…. Yes, we’re leaving now…. Let me see.” He turned to Michael. “What time will we return?”

“We have school tomorrow, so I’d say around eight or nine.”

“Michael suggests 9:00 p.m… okay, thank you… wait, please….” Christy hobbled to the pine shutters covering the hole left by the absent window and peered out. “No, the window is the same…. Okay.”

“Everything okay?” Michael asked as Christy hung up.

Christy looked pleased. “It is the first time I called Rob on the telephone.”

Michael grinned. “Cool.”

“It is. Stephen picked Jerry up an hour ago. They are already there.”

“Okay, you ready to go?”

“Yes.”

“Michael, honey, we need to move the wheelchairs from my car to yours,” Bobbie reminded him.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about those.”

“I can take care of those, Mrs. S,” Jake offered.

“I’ll help you. Christy, get your scarf and maybe some Tylenol in case you start to hurt.”

“I think a sweater too,” Sophia added.

M
ICHAEL
finished buckling Christy into the front seat and turned to his mom. “Are you going to meet Dad there or go home first?”

“I’m going to meet Anna there. She said Nero and your father would be along in a bit.”

“Do you think they’re still hashing it out?”

“Don’t worry about it. They’ve had differences before.”

He gave her a long considering look and couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of guilt for not being entirely upfront with his dad. “Okay, see you there. Jake, see you in front of Carrello’s?”

“No, man, the parking lot, unless you plan on pushing two wheelchairs by yourself.”

“Oh yeah. Okay.”

T
HE
security SUV filled Michael’s rearview mirror and Christy’s hand slid onto Michael’s thigh as he drove. He covered it with his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. He’d missed Christy terribly over the past week. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“It is nice to be home. Thank you for the forgiveness.”

Michael glanced at him with a smile. “No problem, babe. I’m just glad we worked it out.”

Christy shook his head. “I cannot believe you don’t punish me.”

Michael made a face. “Never, Christy. That’s inhumane, remember?”

“Will you explain this arcade to me?”

“You never—?” Michael stopped himself. Of course Christy had never been in an arcade. “It’s a big warehouse kind of building with nothing but games inside it. All kinds of games like pinball that Sophia likes. And a lot of noise and screaming kids.”

“This is fun?”

Michael chuckled. “Only when you’re in the mood for it. Mainly, I wanted to take you to the waterfront to see the water. I like it and thought you might too.”

“What game do you like?”

“I’d have to say air hockey, but I like Foosball too. My dad is a serious air hockey champion.”

“What is Foosball?”

“A miniature soccer game on a table. I’ll show you.”

“Sophia likes this pinball. I looked it up on the Internet, and there are so many kinds. What do you do with it, exactly?”

“There are levers on the side of the table, and you try to bat a little metal ball around to hit things and gain points. If you do really well, the whole machine lights up.”

“Is there something that I can do?”

Michael glanced at him and saw sadness in his eyes.

“You can play every one of these games, Christy. It just takes time to learn them and practice.”

“I am not coordinated with my hands.”

“Yes, you are, or you wouldn’t be able to paint. We’ll find something that you can do.”

“Like what?”

“They have a Ferris wheel there and a carousel.”

Christy’s eyes lit up. “A carousel with painted horses?”

“Yes.”

“I want to do this.”

Michael smiled. “You’re on.”

“What is this wheel?”

“The Ferris wheel is a giant, upright wheel with seat cars along its rim. The wheel turns, and the cars adjust as it turns to keep you upright so you can see high above the city. If I remember right, the first one was made for the World Expo in Chicago in 1893.”

Christy gasped. “It is a very tall wheel where you can ride to the top? I believe I have seen pictures of this. They have one in London called the London Eye.”

“I wouldn’t know about that.”

“Is there anything else I can do?”

“There’s also a roller coaster. I guarantee we’ll find lots of things for you to do.”

“W
OW
,
Christy, you look great!” Jerry shouted as Christy carefully stepped down from the SUV with Michael’s help.

Christy smiled. “Thank you. You do not think it is too daring for people?”

“Sure it is, but so what? That’s their problem. Did you bring me a chair?”

“We did.”

“Cool!”

Stephen walked up and shook Michael’s hand. “Thanks for the invite, Michael. Jerry’s happier than a pig in sh—crap. He’s never been allowed to do stuff like this.”

“Seriously?”

“Uh-huh. His parents aren’t a little backwoods, they’re seriously backwoods. All this science and machinery is bad juju. How are you doing? Jerry said something about Christy losing his temper this morning.”

My, news does travel fast.
“Yeah, we had a little disagreement, but it’s cool.”

“Hey, man.” Jake walked up and smacked Stephen’s shoulder, and they shook hands.

“Hey, Jake. Sophia, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced. I’m Stephen.”

Sophia eyed him evenly. “You’re the one who caused the problem in the bathroom,” she accused.

Stephen lowered his eyes. “Yeah, I did. I apologized to Christy and Michael, and I’m sorry to you too.”

“You will behave when you are with my cousin,” she ordered.

Stephen raised his eyes to hers. “I will. I promise.”

“You had better or my Jacob will teach you a lesson.”

Stephen’s brows shot up, and he looked at Jake, who chuckled. “No worries, bro.”

Michael opened the back of the SUV and pulled one of the wheelchairs out, and Jake grabbed the other.

“Where are our parents?” Michael asked.

Jake gave Michael an appraising look as he snapped the chair into place. “As I understand it, they’re having a chat down at the Crazy Clam. They said to join them there for dinner when we’re done. By six.”

Michael gave Jake a worried look.

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll work out.”

“Yeah, okay.” He wheeled the chair over to Christy. “Ready, babe?”

Christy looked out at the water, seemingly mesmerized by the view.

“You okay?”

Christy nodded slowly, his eyes still on the water. “I did not realize how much I missed the water until now. I have never lived away from it.”

“We can come back whenever you like.”

He turned to Michael. “I wish to paint this.”

“Then you will.”

A smile filled Christy’s face before he turned and sat in the wheelchair carefully.

Jerry wheeled up next to him. “Ready, man?”

“No races, little dude,” Michael warned.

Jerry eyed Christy conspiratorially, and Christy grinned in return.

“Don’t even think about it. Control your guy, Stephen.”

Stephen ran a surprisingly gentle hand along the pink streak in Jerry’s hair. “Settle down, Jeremiah.”

Jerry shook Stephen’s hand from his head, and his purple glasses slipped down his nose. “Don’t call me that. I hate that.”

“Why? It’s a very nice name,” Christy said.

Jerry pushed his glasses back up his nose. “It’s what my dad calls me. I hate it. Come on, let’s go!”

They walked and wheeled along the waterfront until they arrived at the front of the arcade. Christy spotted Lisa first. “She is there.”

Michael waved, and Lisa, George, and Jorge walked up, big smiles filling their faces.

“Thought you’d never get here, Mike. It’s great to see you, Christy. Jerry, you too. Real proud of you, we are. How you both doing?”

Christy beamed up at her. “Thank you, Lisa. We are good.”

“Yeah, thanks, Lis.” Jerry spun his chair in front of her.

“Sorry we’re late. We were putting Christy’s cabin back together,” Michael said.

“Is everything okay after the fire?”

Christy smiled up at her. “Yes, but I broke the new window this morning.”

“How’d you manage to do that?”

“I threw something, and it did not hit Michael. It hit the window.”

Okay. TMI.

Everyone looked at Michael, varying degrees of horror and surprise on their faces. “Ah, yeah, Christy lost his temper.”

“Damn, Christy! You actually threw something at Michael?” Jerry asked.

“More than one thing. I threw the phone, a book, the pitcher, the knife block, and the toaster.”

Okay.
Way
TMI.

Lisa’s jaw seemed to have come unhinged. “Honey, what were you so upset about?”

Christy looked like he’d swallowed a lemon, and Michael stepped in for a save. “It’s my fault. I got into his personal crap.”

“Then you deserved it.”

Michael ruffled Christy’s hair, careful not to dislodge his barrettes. “Yeah, I did.”