seats,
actually."
"Why?"
"You're pacing a hole in my floor, that's
why."
I smiled and sat down next to him on the
sofa.
"Better?" I asked. He smiled and cuddled up
next to me. He held my hand, kissed it, and calmed me down.
"Now, what is it that you actually want to
do? Generally."
"I want to help people," I said.
"Do you know how?" he asked.
"I'm not sure yet. I want to help the sick,
that's fine. But I really want to help people who don't have
resources. People in poverty. People who left school. I just want
everybody to have a chance, you know? Shit happens, but people
don't need to be punished for it for the rest of their lives."
"Sounds good to me," he said. He kissed me
lightly on the temple.
"Just take a breath, slow down, and think
about what you want to do. I'm here for you."
"I appreciate that," I said, kissing him
back. "I didn't interrupt you when I came over, did I?"
"Well…"
"I can go, it's no problem."
"No. Don't go. I was working out back. But
you can come help. Or watch. Whichever."
"I'll help. No problem."
We walked through his house, through the
kitchen and the back door, and down the rusty iron stairs leading
to the backyard.
The yard was enclosed by a tall wooden fence
on all sides. There was no way you could see from outside just how
large the space was. The vast majority of it was a garden. A gravel
driveway led to the basement garage.
Dante led me through an old, sad looking
trellis with ivy growing up it. The garden was divided into several
lanes. It all looked green to me, but Dante had a ball explaining
what exactly he was growing.
"Okay, over there you got some carrots, you
got some chard. We got a whole row of peppers over on that side.
Some chili peppers, bell peppers. All nice and colorful, right?
Onions and radishes over here. That row there? Berries. Nothing but
berries. And way in the back are a few avocado trees."
"And what's right here?" I asked, pointing
off to my left at a wild looking patch of shrubbery that didn't
even seem like part of the garden.
"Oh, those. They're just herbs."
"Just herbs?" I repeated.
"Yeah, they don't have a name. Anyway, you
like it?"
"Yeah, it's cool," I said. "This keeps you
pretty busy, huh?"
"Yeah man. It's fun, though. Relaxing, too.
You'll see. Hey, grab some extra gloves off the porch, let's get
started."
I grabbed the work gloves and helped my man
weed his garden and harvest some radishes.
"Where did you learn how to do this?" I
asked.
"Family," he said, throwing a radish in the
basket he asked me to hold.
"Oh, okay. Were you raised on a farm or
something?"
"Nah, not quite. You could say I was raised
in the south. Living off the land was normal for us."
"Where in the south?"
"Louisiana. But DC is home now."
"You got brothers and sisters?"
"Brothers. A lot of 'em. All over the
place."
"I have four siblings all together. They all
live in New York, though."
"I see. You the baby, aren't you?"
I smiled and looked away.
"That obvious, huh?"
"Lil' bit," he replied. "But you not spoiled.
Not that I can tell."
"I'm not, really. So did you go to high
school here?"
"Oh, uh, naw. Back in Louisiana."
"When did you graduate?"
"19…"
"19? Dude, how old are you?"
He smiled wide.
"Old enough," he said slyly.
"I see I gotta watch you," I said with a
raised eyebrow.
"I gotta watch you, too, my man." He tossed a
radish at me and laughed.
We worked for a while in his plain little
garden, but it was fun. I never thought in a million years that I'd
actually be doing something like this with a guy I was crazy about.
But I suppose stranger things have happened.
July 4
DC was hot. As in, over-a-hundred-degrees
hot, with no end to the heat wave in sight. Not a cloud in the
sky.
The Freemasons across the street from
Magdalene House were hosting their annual Fourth of July block
party despite the oppressive heat. From the Dollar General to the
beauty school down the block, each storefront had a different kiosk
set up with
actually."
"Why?"
"You're pacing a hole in my floor, that's
why."
I smiled and sat down next to him on the
sofa.
"Better?" I asked. He smiled and cuddled up
next to me. He held my hand, kissed it, and calmed me down.
"Now, what is it that you actually want to
do? Generally."
"I want to help people," I said.
"Do you know how?" he asked.
"I'm not sure yet. I want to help the sick,
that's fine. But I really want to help people who don't have
resources. People in poverty. People who left school. I just want
everybody to have a chance, you know? Shit happens, but people
don't need to be punished for it for the rest of their lives."
"Sounds good to me," he said. He kissed me
lightly on the temple.
"Just take a breath, slow down, and think
about what you want to do. I'm here for you."
"I appreciate that," I said, kissing him
back. "I didn't interrupt you when I came over, did I?"
"Well…"
"I can go, it's no problem."
"No. Don't go. I was working out back. But
you can come help. Or watch. Whichever."
"I'll help. No problem."
We walked through his house, through the
kitchen and the back door, and down the rusty iron stairs leading
to the backyard.
The yard was enclosed by a tall wooden fence
on all sides. There was no way you could see from outside just how
large the space was. The vast majority of it was a garden. A gravel
driveway led to the basement garage.
Dante led me through an old, sad looking
trellis with ivy growing up it. The garden was divided into several
lanes. It all looked green to me, but Dante had a ball explaining
what exactly he was growing.
"Okay, over there you got some carrots, you
got some chard. We got a whole row of peppers over on that side.
Some chili peppers, bell peppers. All nice and colorful, right?
Onions and radishes over here. That row there? Berries. Nothing but
berries. And way in the back are a few avocado trees."
"And what's right here?" I asked, pointing
off to my left at a wild looking patch of shrubbery that didn't
even seem like part of the garden.
"Oh, those. They're just herbs."
"Just herbs?" I repeated.
"Yeah, they don't have a name. Anyway, you
like it?"
"Yeah, it's cool," I said. "This keeps you
pretty busy, huh?"
"Yeah man. It's fun, though. Relaxing, too.
You'll see. Hey, grab some extra gloves off the porch, let's get
started."
I grabbed the work gloves and helped my man
weed his garden and harvest some radishes.
"Where did you learn how to do this?" I
asked.
"Family," he said, throwing a radish in the
basket he asked me to hold.
"Oh, okay. Were you raised on a farm or
something?"
"Nah, not quite. You could say I was raised
in the south. Living off the land was normal for us."
"Where in the south?"
"Louisiana. But DC is home now."
"You got brothers and sisters?"
"Brothers. A lot of 'em. All over the
place."
"I have four siblings all together. They all
live in New York, though."
"I see. You the baby, aren't you?"
I smiled and looked away.
"That obvious, huh?"
"Lil' bit," he replied. "But you not spoiled.
Not that I can tell."
"I'm not, really. So did you go to high
school here?"
"Oh, uh, naw. Back in Louisiana."
"When did you graduate?"
"19…"
"19? Dude, how old are you?"
He smiled wide.
"Old enough," he said slyly.
"I see I gotta watch you," I said with a
raised eyebrow.
"I gotta watch you, too, my man." He tossed a
radish at me and laughed.
We worked for a while in his plain little
garden, but it was fun. I never thought in a million years that I'd
actually be doing something like this with a guy I was crazy about.
But I suppose stranger things have happened.
July 4
DC was hot. As in, over-a-hundred-degrees
hot, with no end to the heat wave in sight. Not a cloud in the
sky.
The Freemasons across the street from
Magdalene House were hosting their annual Fourth of July block
party despite the oppressive heat. From the Dollar General to the
beauty school down the block, each storefront had a different kiosk
set up with
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