bang on the door. “What the hell are you doing in there, Ellis?” Mom shouts. “Get your ass out. Breeze is coming by to pick me up in half an hour and I need to get in there.”
Well, at least I don’t have to worry about getting rid of my hard-on anymore.
B REEZE , I come to learn, is the guy Mom met at Tootsie’s last night. He called while I was in the tub, and the two of them decided to hang out for the day.
“Look at us,” Mom says happily, checking her makeup in the mirror next to the door in the living room. “We’ve both got dates today. How sweet is that?” Her thick hair is loose, tumbling down from under the knit cap she has tucked on her head. She has on her brown corduroy jacket, tight blue jeans that show off her curves, and knee-high brown leather boots. She’s really gone all out for this guy.
“I hope you have a good time.” I’m still in the process of getting ready for my date. I’ve got on jeans and a T-shirt, but nothing else so far.
“I hope you and your guy have fun too. Here.” She opens her shoulder bag, pulls out a twenty, and hands it to me.
I hate to take the money from her, especially since she got stiffed Friday by those two ladies at her job, but I don’t protest. I grab the money and slip it into my pocket. “Thanks, Mom.”
She looks at me, and her eyes suddenly light up. She grins and reaches out to tousle my hair like I’m five years old again. “My pretty little gay boy.”
I blush, embarrassed. “Aw, stop it, Mom. Please.”
From outside comes a series of sharp beeps. Mom’s eyes light up to a whole new level. “That’s Breeze,” she says quickly. She pulls on her gloves. “El, make sure you lock up the apartment when you leave. And don’t lock yourself out, okay, because I’m not sure when I’ll be back. See you later.” And then she is out the door and gone.
I’m in a hurry now myself. Saul will be here in about twenty minutes, and I really want to look good for him. My clothes look secondhand because that’s mostly what they are. Mom gets a lot of our stuff from the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores. I pull on the red plaid flannel shirt that is my favorite because it makes my upper body look bigger than it actually is. No belt, because I want my jeans to sag a little in a way that hopefully makes me look cool and tough. I put on thick socks and my sneakers, wishing I had some cologne to cover up the girly scent of the soap I used in my bath (the only kind of soap Mom buys). Ten minutes later, I’m standing outside in front of the building, bundled in my jacket and waiting.
Saul pulls up at noon exactly.
He doesn’t smile, but he nods at me through the window. I climb in, grinning helplessly. “Hi, Saul.”
“Hi, El. It’s good to see you.” He gives me a quick look as he drives off.
I stare at him, fascinated by his presence. He has that fresh, clean smell again, dressed in a loose, thick white cable-knit sweater and black cargo pants. His face and neck are flushed. There is a gray duffel bag in the backseat. “Did you work out or something today?” I ask.
The crimson in his face and neck deepens. “Yeah. I got up early this morning and did some weightlifting at the Y. You have to balance out muscle building with aerobic work for your heart, so I went back to the Y a little while ago and did the treadmill.”
“Wow. You must be pretty tough. I wanted to work out this morning, but my muscles ached so much I could barely walk.”
“That’s a sign that you had a good workout. A good workout tears down your muscles. That’s why they ached. But it’s also how you build up your body because when a muscle gets torn down, it grows bigger so it can handle the weight better next time you work out.”
“Oh.”
“I thought about you last night,” he says, giving me another glance. “I wanted to give you a call, and then realized I didn’t get your number yesterday. Let’s make sure we exchange numbers today,
Well, at least I don’t have to worry about getting rid of my hard-on anymore.
B REEZE , I come to learn, is the guy Mom met at Tootsie’s last night. He called while I was in the tub, and the two of them decided to hang out for the day.
“Look at us,” Mom says happily, checking her makeup in the mirror next to the door in the living room. “We’ve both got dates today. How sweet is that?” Her thick hair is loose, tumbling down from under the knit cap she has tucked on her head. She has on her brown corduroy jacket, tight blue jeans that show off her curves, and knee-high brown leather boots. She’s really gone all out for this guy.
“I hope you have a good time.” I’m still in the process of getting ready for my date. I’ve got on jeans and a T-shirt, but nothing else so far.
“I hope you and your guy have fun too. Here.” She opens her shoulder bag, pulls out a twenty, and hands it to me.
I hate to take the money from her, especially since she got stiffed Friday by those two ladies at her job, but I don’t protest. I grab the money and slip it into my pocket. “Thanks, Mom.”
She looks at me, and her eyes suddenly light up. She grins and reaches out to tousle my hair like I’m five years old again. “My pretty little gay boy.”
I blush, embarrassed. “Aw, stop it, Mom. Please.”
From outside comes a series of sharp beeps. Mom’s eyes light up to a whole new level. “That’s Breeze,” she says quickly. She pulls on her gloves. “El, make sure you lock up the apartment when you leave. And don’t lock yourself out, okay, because I’m not sure when I’ll be back. See you later.” And then she is out the door and gone.
I’m in a hurry now myself. Saul will be here in about twenty minutes, and I really want to look good for him. My clothes look secondhand because that’s mostly what they are. Mom gets a lot of our stuff from the Salvation Army and Goodwill stores. I pull on the red plaid flannel shirt that is my favorite because it makes my upper body look bigger than it actually is. No belt, because I want my jeans to sag a little in a way that hopefully makes me look cool and tough. I put on thick socks and my sneakers, wishing I had some cologne to cover up the girly scent of the soap I used in my bath (the only kind of soap Mom buys). Ten minutes later, I’m standing outside in front of the building, bundled in my jacket and waiting.
Saul pulls up at noon exactly.
He doesn’t smile, but he nods at me through the window. I climb in, grinning helplessly. “Hi, Saul.”
“Hi, El. It’s good to see you.” He gives me a quick look as he drives off.
I stare at him, fascinated by his presence. He has that fresh, clean smell again, dressed in a loose, thick white cable-knit sweater and black cargo pants. His face and neck are flushed. There is a gray duffel bag in the backseat. “Did you work out or something today?” I ask.
The crimson in his face and neck deepens. “Yeah. I got up early this morning and did some weightlifting at the Y. You have to balance out muscle building with aerobic work for your heart, so I went back to the Y a little while ago and did the treadmill.”
“Wow. You must be pretty tough. I wanted to work out this morning, but my muscles ached so much I could barely walk.”
“That’s a sign that you had a good workout. A good workout tears down your muscles. That’s why they ached. But it’s also how you build up your body because when a muscle gets torn down, it grows bigger so it can handle the weight better next time you work out.”
“Oh.”
“I thought about you last night,” he says, giving me another glance. “I wanted to give you a call, and then realized I didn’t get your number yesterday. Let’s make sure we exchange numbers today,
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