Cody and I walked out to his truck when he was ready to leave. I knew from the moment I laid eyes on him at the service station that he was somebody special, and I hoped then that he would like me. We spent a lot of time talking that day. They were doing a lot of sports activities, which ordinarily weren't my cup of tea, but I had fun doing that, for a change. For one thing, nobody made fun of me if I missed a ball or fell while I was skiing, and that made all the difference in my confidence. I wasn't exactly trying to impress Cody with my athletic ability because I knew that was a hopeless cause, but I was trying to show him that I enjoyed doing things with him. As the day moved on, I got to liking him more and more. We had a lot in common, even though he was a jock and I wasn't, and we talked about everything, from religion, to politics, to movies we liked, to what celebrities we thought were cute. I felt totally free and at ease with all of those guys, but I especially felt that way with Cody. Before he left, he asked me to do something Monday night. Without even thinking, I said "yes." I was starting my first job the next day, and I was a house guest. I should have taken those things into consideration before accepting his invitation. But I didn't. In fact, I didn't even think of those things. I wanted to spend as much time with Cody as I could. We shook hands, but, oh, God, I wanted to kiss him so bad. I wanted to put my arms around him and tell him he was the nicest, best looking, cutest, smartest guy I had ever met. He put his left hand on our right hands while we were shaking, and I wanted to embrace him. I knew people became aroused when they kissed, but had anybody else ever gotten a hard-on from a handshake? Ordinarily, if that had happened under any other circumstances, I would have died of embarrassment. That night, though, I wanted to put his hand on my crotch and melt into him in surrender. Kyle walked out to the street after Cody pulled off, and he chuckled a little when I looked at him. "You like him, don't you," he said. A part of me--the "in the closet" part--wanted to deny that I had any feelings for Cody at all. The other part of me, the real part, wanted Kyle and everyone else in the world to know that I thought Cody was the greatest. "I do, Kyle. I really, really do," I said. "We're going out tomorrow night." Kyle started laughing his joyful laugh, and he grabbed me in a hug right there on the street. "I could tell he liked you," he said. "Seth, I'm happy for both of you. Did y'all kiss good night?" "No, but I wanted to," I said. "This fella down here tells me something's been going on." Kyle was touching my penis through my shorts, but I didn't care. He stopped doing that in a second, though. "Sorry about that," I said. He laughed. "Don't be sorry, Buddy. It's supposed to do that when you're with a guy you care for," he said. "I know, but all we did was shake hands," I said. "So what? I'll bet you he was just as hard as you were," he said. "I hope you're right." "I pretty much know I'm right," Kyle said. "Kyle, ever since I met you and the other guys, things have been going well for me. I've been happy, and I wasn't ever happy before," I said. "I know, and it makes me happy that you're happy. We all really got to like you at Mardi Gras," he said. "I know you didn't think you were worth shit, but it turns out you're worth gold. We like gold." I laughed with delight when he said that. "Do you know what a Purple Cow is," he asked, changing the subject abruptly. "You mean, ice cream and a coke or root beer?" "Yeah," he said, laughing. "Let's go have one." I didn't know why he thought that was funny, but I was ready for one, too. * * * Kevin and Rick were still up, but nobody else was in the den. "Kevin? Rick? Can I talk to you all," I asked. Kyle was in the kitchen making Purple Cows for all four of us. "Sure, Seth. What's on your mind, Buddy," Kevin said. "First, I want to say thanks for having me. I really hope I'm not inconveniencing you guys," I said. "Seth, this is your home for as long as you're here," Rick said. "You're not inconveniencing us or anyone, Bud." "You're our friend, Seth, and our friends are always welcome here," Kevin said. "Thanks. Another thing. Would it be okay if I went out tomorrow night for a little while?" Kevin turned to Rick and said, "You were right." Then they both smiled at me. "With Cody," Rick asked. I nodded. "Sure," Rick said. "Just remember you have to work the next day. Not too late, okay?" "Yes, sir. I won't be too late." "He's a nice boy, isn't he," Kevin asked. "Yeah. He's a really nice boy," I said. "This is your time, Seth," Kevin said. "We want it to be good for you. And bring him around here any time you want to, okay? He's always welcome here, too." "Upstairs, too," I asked. "You mean, in your room," Rick asked. "Yes, sir," I said. "Depending on what you guys want to do, probably better there than down here," Rick said with kind of an evil grin. "You know the rules of the house, don't you," Kevin asked. "Yes, sir. You all explained them to me in New Orleans, and Kyle went over them this morning," I said. "Just keep those rules, and everything will be fine, Seth," Kevin said. "Can we take food to our rooms," I asked. My parents didn't allow that. "Sure. Just bring the dishes down the next day," Rick said. Kyle came back in with the floats. I'm sure I was grinning my ass off, I was so happy. "Look at him," Kyle said. "He's pretty cute, isn't he?" I felt myself blush. Nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, including my parents or grandparents, that I remembered, had ever said that about me before. "Don't go turning all red, dude. You are cute. At least I think so." "I think I need to go to bed," I said. Kevin, Rick, and Kyle were laughing. "Okay, Buddy. Good night," Kevin said. "Kyle, get him squared away with a uniform for in the morning, okay, Bubba. The paperwork stuff won't take more than an hour, and he needs to get started earning tips as quick as he can." "He's in my hands," Kyle said. "It's too late for that tonight, Kyle," Rick said. I didn't get it immediately, but Kyle sure did. He, Kevin, and Rick laughed. "Okay, Stud. You got me last, but don't be messin' with my brother, hear?" "Go to your room," Rick said, and he threw a pillow at Kyle. "Good night, bros. I love you," Kyle said. "I love you, too," they each said. * * * I thought sleep would be out of the question that night, but I was very wrong. I started thinking about Cody and about how good he looked naked, and I got an erection. I thought I would masturbate in a few minutes, but I wanted to enjoy the sensation of arousal for a while. The next thing I knew, the alarm clock was buzzing and Kyle was knocking on my door. "Good morning," he said, after he had come into the room. He was already dressed in his uniform. "You need to hurry up so you can eat breakfast with us." "I'll meet you downstairs," I said. "Okay, but don't fart around in the shower. We have to leave in forty minutes." "Okay," I said. It suddenly dawned on me that I was starting a job and that I would be seeing Cody again in a little while. I went into fast-forward, and I was showered and dressed in less than ten minutes. Gage had showed me how to "fix" my hair, and that took almost no time. That morning I was glad I didn't have to shave. Everybody was in the breakfast room when I got downstairs. Trixie greeted me with a little bark and a big wag of her tail. I thought for a moment that I was in some kind of sitcom on TV about the perfect family. There was a place set for me, and I dished up eggs, bacon, and toast for myself from the platters on the table. There was a big bowl of grits, too, but I didn't take any. There was a cup of coffee and a glass of juice waiting for me. Rick was shirtless and in running shorts, but Kevin was already dressed for the day. Justin, Jeff, Kyle, and I had on the navy blue bellhop uniforms we had to wear, and Tim and Brian were in shirts and shorts, also ready for work. "I'm going to school right after work," Kyle said. "Miss Ortega wants to talk to me, and I want to put in a couple of hours in the darkroom." "I'm going out with Ty tonight," Jeff said. "Out or in," Justin asked. Jeff grinned. "None of your business," he said. "Tim and I are supposed to go to the water park with our troop tonight. Are you going, Kyle," Brian asked. "Hell, yes. Somebody's got to keep you Tenderfoots under control," Kyle said. "That was low, Kyle," Rick said. "I know," Kyle said, grinning. "Jus, you're coming, too, aren't you?" "Am I invited," Jus asked. "You are now," Kyle said. "It's a public place. Anybody can go." Justin took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up. Then Kevin and Kyle both took one. I had forgotten anybody smoked. I hadn't seen anyone smoking all weekend. "Are y'all ready," Kyle asked. "Jeff, are you driving?" "It's your week," Jeff said, "but I will if you want me to." "No, I just forgot," Kyle said. "See y'all this afternoon." Kyle kissed Tim goodbye, and Justin kissed Brian. Seeing them do that was strange and wonderful, normal and bizarre, all at the same time. Nobody else even seemed to notice it.
I watched them all day Sunday. I knew Cody, and I knew Seth, but I didn't know either one very well. It didn't take more than an hour for those two to get a thing going that I knew was going to last at least all summer. They were busy talking to each other all day long. They did stuff with the rest of us, but I had the feeling that if we all vanished into thin air, they wouldn't have even noticed. That Cody boy was cute, too. I could tell that sucker had pumped some iron in his day, and he had the sharpest tan line from his bathing suit I had seen in a long time. Rick had a sharp tan line, too, from running in just a Speedo, and I thought that was pretty damn sexy. Kyle and the rest of us spent too much time in the sun bare-ass to have a really crisp one. We had 'em, but they were sort of fuzzy and not all that distinct. I liked being outside naked, but your tan line definitely suffered. By the end of that Sunday, I knew that Seth and Cody had hard-ons for one another. I knew both of them were just as cherry as the day is long, and I hoped they had a good time busting those for one another. Seeing them that day, I knew that was coming, too. It was just a matter of time. "Hey, Jus," Cody said, when I saw him that morning. He was a valet, so he had to be outside more than I did. Those guys would come in the lobby with us, though, to get out of the heat. They let them wear shorts, which I thought was only right. "Hey, Cody. Did you have a good time yesterday?" "I had a great time. I really liked your boy Seth," he said. "Yeah, he's a nice guy, isn't he?" "Very nice," he said. "At first I thought he was a little plain looking, but that makeover really made a difference, didn't it?" "Get out of here, boy. You know you were horny as hell for him right from the first," I said. He was laughing. "Was I that obvious?" "It was obvious to me two fine guys were interested in each other," I said. "We have a date tonight. It's the first date I've ever had with a guy," he said. "What are you going to do?" "I thought maybe ride some go-carts or something. Is that too stupid?" "I don't think that's stupid at all," I said. "I love go-carts, and there aren't too many places you can do that, that I know of. Except here." "I hope he has fun, and I hope he likes me," he said. Likes you, I thought. Shit, he'd stick his ass up in the air for you in a heartbeat, son. "I think he likes you, Cody. Y'all will have fun." "Where is he," he asked. "He's still up at the Taj Mahal signing his paperwork. He'll be here soon." The employees all called the Goodson Building the Taj Mahal, including Kyle. I asked Jeff what that meant, and he told me about some beautiful temple in India or something. I knew Kyle didn't have a fucking clue what that was all about, and I wasn't going to tell him. The closest thing I ever came to a building dedicated to me was a portable toilet at Mardi Gras that said "MEN." * * * The bell captain assigned me to train Seth when he got to the hotel, and he was another quick study. He had spent time in hotels before, so he pretty much already knew what to do. I watched him slip his first tip into his pocket without even looking at it, and I thought that was pretty classy. I was going to do it that way from then on. I didn't count it or anything, but I always looked. I wasn't going to do that anymore. Later that day I watched Cody slip a tip into his pocket without looking at it. Yep, I thought. Two of a kind. Seth wanted to hang out with the valets. I wonder why. Jason, the bell captain, noticed. "Justin, tell the FNG to get his ass in here so he can take his turn. Has he got something for Cody, or what?" "Or what," I said. "I'll take care of it." "Seth, Jason told me to tell the FNG to get his ass inside so he can take his turn. That's you, Bubba." "What does FNG mean?" "Fucking New Guy," I said. "Am I in trouble," he asked. "Hell, no. Kevin doesn't even know who Jason is." "Kevin? Why would he care," he asked. Shit, I thought. Your little cherry ass doesn't even know how this all works. "Kevin's the boss, man. Didn't you know that?" "He's the boss of this hotel?" "This one, and ten others," I said. "And Rick's the boss of sixteen gift shops, including the one where Brian and Tim work." "I didn't know any of that." "Did you know Kyle owns all of it? Or his daddy, anyway?" "I figured Kevin knew somebody to be able to get me this job without even an interview, but I didn't know any of this," he said. "Yeah, well, it's true. Did you notice you went to the Goodson building this morning and that Kyle is Kyle Goodson?" "Shit, Jus. I feel like a total dumbass," he said. "Why? You think Kyle and those guys are going to go around bragging? If Kyle ever bragged about any of that shit, we'd kick his ass from here to Christmas." "My God," he said. "Kyle's on strict orders from Kevin not to pull rank, which he did last summer to save my ass from jail." "This is way more complicated than I had thought," he said. "Kyle acts like he's just an ordinary person." "He is an ordinary person. Kyle is more scared of fucking up than any of the rest of us are. You see how much he hustles? Ninety percent of that is just Kyle being Kyle, but the rest is fear of fucking up." "What would happen if he screwed up," he asked. "Would Kevin fire him?" "He might transfer him, but I don't think Kevin could really fire Kyle. It is very complicated," I said. "I can see that. I'll cool it with Cody, though," he said. "Just till tonight," I said. "Heat it up all you want to tonight, Bubba." "Justin!" I was laughing, and he was, too. "Young love," I said. He hit me, and we both laughed hard.
"All right. Here's the deal," Kyle said. Seth was out on his date with Cody, and Jeff was off with Ty. The rest of us, the mainstay kids and Rick and I, were in the den after the water park. "We fly out there on Sunday, August 2nd, and we fly home on Saturday, August 15th," Kyle said. "What are you talking about," Rick asked. I knew he knew Kyle was talking about a trip to see Chris, but Rick never let Kyle get away with anything that easily. "I'm talking about a trip to see Chris," Kyle said. "You knew that, asshole. Don't even say you didn't." "So what is this fly shit? I thought we were going to drive," Rick said. "It'll take us four full days to drive there, and four back. If we fly, we can be there in a day, and a day back. That'll give us more time there," Kyle said. "Plus, we won't have the wear and tear on the car." "So how much is this going to cost," Rick asked. "Nine hundred each, round trip. Delta. And we've all got the money," Kyle said. I watched Rick closely. He was trying to find holes in Kyle's plan. It was a game they played, but it was a good one because it really made Kyle plan and think. "Are we going to leave Trixie here? We could take her, if we drove," Rick said. "Three hundred dollars, and I'll pay it," Kyle said. "Dogs fly all the time." "You've figured this all out, haven't you," Rick said. "Yes, sir. That was my job, wasn't it?" "Wouldn't we have fun driving up there," Rick asked. "Yes, sir, of course we would, but I would rather see my brothers spend time learning at our country's beautiful National Parks and wealth of historic sites in Montana and the states immediately around there than driving down Interstates listening to Garth Brooks," Kyle said. "You little shit," Rick said laughing, and he threw a pillow at Kyle. "Say it," Kyle demanded. "Say what?" "You know what. Say it, damn it," Kyle said. "Okay. You got me last, asshole." Kyle and the other boys laughed. They had been noticeably quiet during that exchange. "Okay, we got to get serious about this. We rent a car, right? A big one. His dad's some kind of teacher, I think, so he'll be off." "He's a professor, Kyle," I said. "Ain't that a teacher?" "Yeah, basically. Go on," I said. "Jeff told me he doesn't want to go on this trip. He wants to go on a trip with Ty during that time. They want to go to Key West and someplace called South Beach," Kyle said with a look of disgust on his face. "I don't understand that, but that's what he wants to do." "And you accept it, don't you," I asked. "Yes, sir. I don't see that I have a choice but to accept it, but I don't understand somebody who grew up in Florida wanting to go someplace hotter than this hell we live in instead of someplace cooler in August," Kyle said. We all laughed. "Have you checked all of this out with Chris's parents," Rick asked. "Yes, sir. I talked to his daddy twice. It's going to be him, Chris, and Chris's brother who go adventuring with us. The dad is really excited about it, and Chris is about jumping out of his skin. We can rent an eight-seater, like we've got, but one of us would have to hold Chris, anyway. Or we could sit four in the middle seat with him. He's so little." "You really care a lot about this, don't you, Bubba," Rick said. "Yeah. I care a lot about it," Kyle said. "Bottom line, Tim and I are going, or I'm going by myself, if he can't go." We were quiet for a few moments, reflecting on the importance of what Kyle had said. Kyle had taken care of Chris much more than the rest of us had, and I knew he loved him. It wasn't a "gay thing," by any means. It was a human thing. I knew they emailed each other regularly, maybe every day, and I knew there was a bond between those boys that would probably last a lifetime. One was golden and severely disabled; the other was golden and gay. I guess it was the gold that bonded them so well. "Make the reservations tomorrow," Rick said. "We're all going." Tears were trickling down Kyle's face. "I think this is an ice cream moment," Justin said. "Yeah, me, too," Rick said, and he and Jus got up to fix it for us.
I couldn't believe what happened to my car. Kyle and I were sitting in the break room at the hotel, talking and having a coke, when Jus burst into the room to tell us to come quick. We ran across the lobby, which ordinarily we would never do, and ran outside to the parking lot. One guy in a uniform with shorts was scuffling with another guy over a can of paint. When we got to the car and saw what he had done, Kyle jumped on the guy who had done it and slammed him into the door of my Jeep. The paint smeared, and the guy got it all over his uniform. He was a bellhop, too. Justin and I pulled Kyle back before he had a chance to hit the guy. I knew Kyle was furious, just like me, but we didn't want him to get in trouble for hurting the guy. I knew the car could be repainted, if necessary, and it wasn't worth a police record or hurting someone. We later found out the guy had mental problems. That made Kyle mad, too, but at himself for getting so angry at the man. Kyle seemed a little quiet and distant that night, like he had plenty on his mind. We got undressed and got in bed, like we always did. "Hold me," he said real softly. I put my arms around him and snuggled him. "Are you mad at me," he asked, again softly. "Why would I be mad at you, Babe," I asked. I knew he was feeling guilty for what had happened, but, if anything, I thought he had been pretty restrained. I had learned in my religion class at church that anger is sometimes justified. We had talked about that in connection with September 11th, and I thought the same thing applied to what happened with my car. "Because I'm so mean," he said. "You're teasing me, right?" "Sort of, but I don't feel very good right now." "Don't you think you made me proud today? I'm always proud of you, Kyle, but you stood up for me," I said. "But he's sick," Kyle said. "You didn't know that when it happened, though." Any time I touched Kyle like I was touching him just then, I got hard. And he got hard, too. "Turn around," I said. He turned to face me, and his dick was pointing straight up at the usual forty-five degree angle. Kyle's dick was beautiful to me, and I love to look at it, especially when it was hard. I knew he wanted me with everything he had in him, and that made me as happy as anything in the world could ever make me. It wasn't just how good he made me feel physically, although that was pretty great. It was the idea that he wanted to make me feel good, the idea that he wanted me that did it for me. I started rocking against him, my dick rubbing on his. The sensation was incredible, but the emotion was almost overpowering. In my mind, Kyle was the best of everything, and I was the only one he wanted. "Do you think we'll still be doing this in twenty years," I asked. "Yeah. Of course we will be. Why wouldn't we?" "Do you think you'll ever get bored with me," I asked. "Don't talk like that. You know I'll never get bored with you, you little monkey." He grinned when he said that, and I knew whatever hurt he was feeling before was then a thing of the past. We continued thrusting into one another, and our rhythm was totally synchronized. When we came, we came big. * * * The next day we found out that Seth was coming for a visit. I knew he really liked us, and I knew he and Kyle had been writing email to one another back and forth. Seth was kind of like a "case" for Kyle, and I knew Kyle was going to love having his "patient" on hand. I wasn't prepared for how different Seth looked from when we had seen him in New Orleans. Kyle said he had had surgery on his face but that Seth didn't think it had done any good. Well, in my opinion, it had done tons of good, and, while he still wasn't the kind of guy that people look at and gawk because he's so handsome, you also didn't look at him and feel sorry for him. He had started getting a lot more outgoing at Mardi Gras, and he was that way from the very beginning when he came to see us. Kyle and Justin had decided their job for the summer was to get Seth hooked up with a guy they worked with named Cody. I had seen him at school, but he was a senior and I was only a sophomore. We didn't cross paths that often. Cody was really good looking, though, and he was very well built. I had gone to a few wrestling matches with Kyle and the others, and that boy was solid. He was a good wrestler, too, although our team was pretty shitty, overall. The second day Seth was here, he and Kyle ran into Cody when they had gone to get gas for the boat. Kyle had invited him over to ski and hang out with us, and I think he and Seth really got to liking one another. Kyle came to bed after me that Sunday night. "Are you awake," he whispered. "Yeah. Where have you been," I asked. "I've been downstairs with Seth and Kevin and Rick," he said. "Cody asked Seth out tomorrow night." "Is Seth excited," I asked. "Oh, yeah. Real excited," he said. Kyle had his arms around me, and I could feel that he wanted me as bad as I wanted him. We made love. "You know what's happening to us," he asked. "No, what?" "I think we're reaching a point where we don't have to do everything together all the time." "What are you talking about," I asked. "Well, like today. You wanted to fly kites with Brian instead of spotting with me in the boat." "Did that bother you," I asked. "No. Just the opposite. That's my point. Last summer it would have bothered me a lot, and I would have wondered if that meant something about if you still loved me. Today, all it meant was that you wanted to fly kites with Brian. Do you see what I mean?" "Yeah, I do see what you mean. A year ago I would have been afraid to tell you 'no' about spotting. Now I know it's okay for both of us to do what we want. It doesn't change anything about us, does it," I said. "No. Not a thing. I think we're more secure with each other," he said. I was quiet for a few moments. He was holding me, and that felt so good that I never wanted it to change. "You know something, Kyle?" "What?" "I think the way we make love is getting better, too," I said. He chuckled a little. "I was just thinking those exact words," he said. "I love you so much." "I love you more," I said. He continued to hold me, and we drifted off to sleep that way.
I'll probably remember my first day at work for the rest of my life. Kyle drove us to work, and he dropped Justin and Jeff off at the hotel. Then he took me to an office building where I would have to learn about the personnel handbook, sign forms, and listen to the lady go on about withholding tax for tip employees. Craig, Kevin's brother who is also a lawyer, had told me to read everything carefully before I signed it, but I didn't really have time. Nobody else read anything, and I didn't want to be the only nerd who slowed everybody down by reading. There were twelve of us getting jobs that day. Everybody else was in jeans and shorts and stuff, but I was in a uniform that Kyle had given me. I felt really out of place, and one guy even asked me where I had gotten it. I told him a friend of mine had let me wear his, which was true. At the end of the session, they gave us each two uniforms, and a tee shirt, a baseball cap, and a mouse pad that all said "Goodson Enterprises," and tickets for two complimentary meals for up to thirty dollars each at a hotel that was part of the chain. They made sure we didn't get tickets to the restaurant at the place we were going to work, though. Kyle had told me to meet him on the deck behind the coffee shop on the first floor of that building. He was sitting at a table facing the ocean when I walked up. "Hi," I said, when I got to the table. I think I startled him because he jumped a little bit. "Hey," he said. He grinned at me. "Did everything go okay?" "Yeah, I guess so. I was the only one wearing a uniform, though." "Shit, Kevin didn't even think of that," he said. "I'm sorry, dude." "It was all right," I said. "Do you want some coffee," he asked. "No, but I could use a coke," I said. "Yeah, me, too. I'll be right back." He went inside the coffee shop, and a really cute waiter came up to ask me if I wanted a menu. I told him no. Kyle came back in a second with two cokes and two huge pastries for us. "What did you do while I was in the meeting," I asked. "I just visited with some people I know here," he said. "You're going to start as soon as we get back. Those other people will start tomorrow, probably." "There were a bunch of different hotels. They all had different uniforms, though. Not all of them were going to be bellhops." "Yeah, I know. This company owns a bunch of places. You really work for the company, not the hotel. Did you know that?" "Yeah, they said something about that," I said. "It's not important," he said. "These things are good, aren't they?" He was referring to the pastries, and they were very good. "Shouldn't we go," I asked, after we had finished our snacks. "In a minute. This breeze feels good." He was quiet for a few moments. "I'm glad you and Cody hooked up," he said. "Yeah, me, too." "If you have any questions about, your know, intimate things, you can always ask me or Kevin and Rick," he said. It was so cute the way he said that that I had a surge of love for him at that moment. "Thanks, Kyle. And thanks for being my friend," I said. "We're more than friends now, dude. We're brothers. All of us in that house are your brothers, and brothers don't let each other down." I had felt a kinship with Kyle from the first day I met him, and there he was, making it explicit. The torture I had inflicted on myself for years had ended four months before because of him, and now he was taking me to the next level of acceptance and happiness. I had been vaguely in love with Kyle all that time, but I knew any return on that was out of the question. I felt for Cody what I had been feeling for Kyle, and the difference was Cody was available, and apparently willing and interested. I didn't know how many other guys went to the first day of their first job in a state close to nirvana, but I certainly did that day.
I had to go up to school after work that Monday to meet with Miss Ortega, the principal. She was a really cool lady, and I would say that all the kids, except for a handful of gangsters in the school, loved her. She didn't take any shit from anybody, but you could tell she loved her job and she loved us kids. I think she was actually married, so she should have been "Mrs." Ortega, but about half the people just called her Miss Sally. That's what I did. She was petite, slim, and had gray hair. She was like everybody's mama, but don't let that fool you. I had seen her cry her eyes out on September 11th when she called a special assembly in the auditorium to sing some patriotic songs and pledge to the flag before they sent us home, and I had seen her kick some major ass when the son of the head football coach and some of his friends had gotten busted for weed on campus by the school district's drug dog. She was fair but strict, and I thought that's what us beach rats needed. "Thanks for coming up here, Kyle," she said. "Where are you working?" "The Laguna," I said. I stuck my chest out so she could see the hotel logo on the pocket. "Do you like it?" "Yes, ma'am, I love it. I think I want to do hotel work as my career." "I'm sure Gene's glad about that," she said. "You know my dad?" "Kyle! Duh! I grew up here. I babysat your father when I was in junior high school." I took a big gulp. I didn't know that, and I didn't know where that was going. "I got a phone call from my mother the day Clay was born and one the day you were born, son. Telling me about you guys." I didn't know what to say. She changed the subject, and I was glad. "Let me get to the point of this, though. I'm sure you're eager to get home to Tim." When she said that, I almost fucking fainted. She knew! Oh, my God! "I want you to be the student representative on some interview committees. We have to hire six new teachers this summer, and my policy is that the whole school community is involved. You'll have exactly the same vote as the parent who is president of the School Advisory Committee, the two representatives of the other teachers, and the representative of the administrative faculty. I'm an ex officio member of the committee, but I don't get a vote. I do have veto power, though. I tend to exercise it sparingly, too." "Why me?" "Why do you think, Kyle?" "President of Student Government?" "Exactly," she said. "Are you all right with this?" "I didn't know this was part of it," I said. "I'm sure you didn't, but we've done it this way for the five years I've been at this school. Are you up for this?" "Yes, ma'am, I can do this," I said. "I knew you could. Are you still using the darkroom?" "Yes, ma'am. I've sold eight pictures in New York already," I said. I didn't want to brag, but that just slipped out. "My God, Kyle! That's wonderful. Are you represented by a gallery?" "Yes, ma'am. It's in Soho," I said. "I'm so proud of you." "Thanks. I developed and printed all but the first two here, too." She picked up this little electronic thing on her desk and said into it, "Memo to the editor of The Marlin: Consider a feature story or news story about Kyle Goodson as a professional photographer." "Miss Sally, they're going to want pictures, and I can't give them the ones I've sent to the gallery," I said. "Those have to be exclusive." "Do you have any that aren't exclusive?" "Yes, ma'am, I have a bunch of those," I said. "They can use those, then, if they want to," she said. "My husband and I are meeting our son and his partner for dinner, Kyle, so I'm afraid I need to cut this short." "Your son and his partner," I asked. "Yes, our son and his partner. Our only child. He's gay, Kyle. Do you have a problem with that?" She was so damn cute when she said that. "No, ma'am, I don't have a problem with that," I said, grinning big. "I didn't think you would. Bye, Kyle." We got up together, and she kissed me on the forehead. I left then thinking, How'd this happen to me? Two days later, Tim and I looked up her address in the phone book, and we took her a hamper of live crabs that we had caught. The hamper basket had a lid that went with it, and we made sure it was secure so the crabs couldn't get out. I wrote "Love, Kyle and Tim" on the lid with a Sharpie, and we left it on her doorstep. We rang the bell and ran for Tim's car. Her husband came to the door and found them, and he smiled big when he saw what it was. He knew the truth about what he had there. I hoped he and Miss Sally enjoyed them. Two days later, we found the empty hamper on our door step. It had a note that said, "Thanks. More. Sally." I laughed my ass off when I saw that note. "She's going to get all she wants," I said to Tim. |