Walking Together - an Urbis Arcana short
Like so many of my short stories, this started out as a throwaway line in another story. It takes seventeen years before the rest of the Urban Legends stories, when Dan, Hilly and Jas were months away from going to college, before their lives changed dramatically in ways they never expected. if you read He Moves in Mysterious Ways and Still My Ward, this might provide additional context. Maybe...
If you are curious, you can read up on the 22nd Chicago Pride Parade by checking out a Chicago Tribune article and the Chicago Reader write-up.
As always, comments and criticisms are welcome and very much encouraged.
Walking Together
June 30, 1991<
We got off the ‘L’ train at the Belmont station, right above a busy street. The trains pulled up on both sides of the old, wooden platform, and so many people poured out that I was amazed they could all fit. It seemed like you couldn’t turn your head without seeing rainbow flags and face paint. As soon as we stepped out, the crowd surged to the exits, and we kind of got pushed in their direction, down the stairs that led to street below.
“Wow,” Dan said as he grabbed the handrail. “So this is what Belmont looks like at Pride Parade.”
“They say the crowds keep getting bigger every year,” Hilly looked ahead with grim determination. “If this keeps up, they’re going to need a bigger station.”
“I hope so,” I said.
We didn’t really have much Pride apparel. What we did have were freshly screen-printed T-Shirts. Hilly’s and Dan’s said: “Gay Rights? Damn Straight.” Mine said: “Bi The Way: I Support Gay Rights.”
They seemed clever last month.
Slowly but oh so surely, the crowd pushed us into the lobby and out on the street. We didn’t need to ask anyone for directions - everybody was heading right, toward Halsted Street, the heart of Boystown.
“Whew!” Dan exhaled. “I can finally breathe a little. Jas?”
“I’m feeling a little squished, but I think I’ll manage. Hilly?”
“I think somebody grabbed my ass,” she adjusted her skirt and checked her earrings. “And I don’t think it was on purpose. But other than that, I’m fine. For now…”
We followed the crowd. The sheer number of rainbow flags was starting to hurt my eyes, to say nothing of glitter. The sun shone really brightly. There were a few clouds, but they were really thin, flat clouds. It was like God Himself decided to give all the Christian bigots a giant middle finger and make it the most awesome parade day ever.
I smiled to myself. We were going to march in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade. I still couldn’t quite believe that we were actually doing it. Out of all the reckless shit we’ve ever done, that was… pretty damn reckless. Like, launching fireworks from a boat reckless. When Clarissa invited us to join P-FLAG at the parade, we just said “sure” without really thinking about it. I mean, the F in P-FLAG stood for friends of gays and lesbians - which we definitely were. So it made sense.
It just didn’t quite seem real until now.
“Guys?” Hilly tried to peek over the heads of all the people ahead of us. “Do you have any idea where we’re supposed to go? I can’t see a damn thing.”
“Straight ahead,” Dan offered. “The parade starts at Roscoe, but Clarissa said everybody is assembling a few blocks south. She said she and the rest of the P-FLAG moms are going to be somewhere around Belmont and Halsted intersection.”
“So we have to survive, like, three and a half blocks?” Hilly grimaced. “Joy.”
“Two and a half,” Dan smirked. “I think we can survive two and half. Especially with all that eye candy.”
He kind of had a point. I’ve been to this part of Lakeview before. I’ve been to Boystown before. It’s not like I’ve never seen hot guys in tight clothing just walking around like it was nothing. But I’ve never, ever seen so many of them in one place. And the girls… Oh my God, the girls. Lesbians don’t really hang around Boystown a whole lot, but I guess they made an exception for the Pride Parade. And so many people went all out. Between the guys and the girls, there was so much exposed skin I thought I died and went to Madonna heaven.
What we really needed was a bi neighborhood. Gays had Boystown. Lesbians had Andersonville. Maybe we could take Bucktown. It would be punny. And no one would judge each other. Nobody would try to shove us into boxes. We would just be with who we want.
And everybody would be welcome to join in.
I looked ahead. The street visibility was still crap, so I focused on the next best thing - the couple in front of us. They wore really short jean shorts that were cut really high. I just wanted to stick my hands in their pockets and squeeze. Or, better yet, put my face right between…
“Jas!” Dan grabbed me by the arm and yanked me back “Red light!”
“Shit!” I looked up, and saw that, holy crap, where the hell did that intersection come from?
“Sorry. I was distracted.”
The couple glared at me and crossed to the other side of Belmont.
“And would you look at that,” Dan shook his head in exaggerated dissapointment, “You scared them off. Naughty, naughty Jas.”
“I couldn’t help it!” I pouted. “They were so hot!”
“I know,” Dan smiled. “So hot and so very, very gay. What more could a girl ask for?”
“Oh, don’t even joke,” Hilly rolled her eyes. “So many hot guys and none of them want to fuck me. It’s not fair! At least Jas has options.”
“I keep telling you,”I replied, “Girls are fun. Don't knock them until you tried.”
“They have tits. You know how I feel about man-tits. Actual girl-tits are, like, six times worse. Pass!”
“Don’t listen to her,” Dan put his hand over my shoulder. “Breasts are awesome. Breasts are the most fantabulous things in the world. Don’t let this silly heterosexual person ruin them for you.”
“I won’t,” I winked. “To be honest, I kind of feel sorry for her. Poor Hilly will never know what she’s missing.”
Hilly glared at us, letting us know that she thought we were being completely ridiculous. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was so glad she and Dan were here. I kind of hoped we’d have a larger group, but Kristie bailed, Tina went to the Taste of Chicago with her boyfriend and Gena looked so miserable and guilty that I told her that it was okay - she didn’t have to go. I hoped that I could at least count on Dan and Hilly, and I’ve never been so happy to be right.
Hilly was my best friend since I started high school. Dan was… I wouldn’t call him “boyfriend” exactly, but these days, he was definitely more than just a friend.
We kept walking down Belmont. Up ahead, I could see the floats lined up the next intersection. We couldn’t miss the parade staging area if we tried.
This was going to be fun.
I just wished my parents would come out to see me. Hell, it would be nice if they ever wondered who I’m sleeping with. But no, that was never going to happen. Not with my parents. I could have an orgy in their living room and they’d pretend they never saw anything. But if I have an orgy on live television, that would be a different story, because God forbid I do anything embarrassing!
“Jas?” Dan said gently, carefully. “You okay?”
I followed Hilly’s gaze and noticed that I clenched my firsts a little too tightly. Like, to the point where it kind of hurt.
Crap.
If they were anyone else, I would try to pretend that it’s nothing. But we’ve been through way too much together, and they knew exactly what my parents were like. They experienced it first-hand.
“Not right now,” I said. “But I’ll be better. Honest. Just give me a few moments.”
In a few months, it won’t even matter. We would be in college, living on campus, and I’d only have to deal with my parents for about a fourth of a year. Yeah. That would be nice.
Hilly and Dan exchanged glances.
“Okay,” Hilly said. “We’re almost here. Clarissa said P-FLAG will be right by the intersection, right?”
“Somewhere around there,” Dan said. “She mentioned something about security moving things around….” He stepped on his toes and peered ahead. “I think that’s them between the Windy City Gay Chorus and Free Press float.”
“Awesome!” Hilly grinned. And it was.
The Chorus guys were walking around the float, practicing. After everything I saw on the way to the Parade, they seemed almost conservative in their dress shirts and slacks. The float for Free Press, one Chicago’s two major gay newspapers, had cute guys sitting along the edges with bags full of copies. Which was pretty damn brilliant. With all the people at the Parade, they couldn’t ask for better advertising.
We walked over to the intersection, past the metal barriers. The police was out in full force. A few of them walked around. Others biked back and forth, carefully examining the faces in the crowd. If all the scantly clad people bothered them, they didn’t show it.
“I guess the city is finally starting to take the Parade safety seriously,” Dan deadpanned. He scanned the crowd anxiously.
“They better,” Hilly frowned. “Mayor Daley is supposed to be marching, so if anything happens, they are sooo screwed.”
Last year, somebody tried throwing rocks from the crowd. I don’t think they ever caught the guy. Or girl. Whoever it was, the cops lost them in the crowd.
“Come on, you guys,” I said. “You’re making me nervous.”
“Sorry, Jas,” said Dan.
“Don’t worry,” Hilly said. “It’s going to be fine. It better be fine. I don’t want to be only fine thing out here.”
I couldn’t help it - I laughed. Just a little.
The P-FLAG group was bigger than I expected. There were Chicago moms I recognized from Rainbow Alliance meetings, but I didn’t recognize most of them. They were probably from the suburbs. And, looking closely, I was kind of surprised to see a few dads. That… impressed me. Maybe there was hope for my parents yet.
They all wore purple or white T-Shirts. Many of them had a buttons. And the posters - lots of colorful, handmade posters. “Equal Rights For Everyone.” “Everyone Deserves DIGNITY.” “I LOVE MY GAY SON.”
“Jasmine!” Clarissa swooped me in a big hug. “I am so glad you could make it!”
I cringed at the ‘Jasmine,’ but Clarissa was nice enough to invite me in the first place, so I let it go.
“And look at who you brought! You guys are amazing!” Clarissa hugged Hilly, then Dan. “Did you make those T-Shirts?”
“I ordered them,” Hilly smiled sheepishly. “My dad knows a guy who runs a screen-printing company, and he agreed to give us a huge discount.”
"I paid,” I added.
“We all pitched in,” Dan said. “Jas just had a bigger pitcher.”
Because, whatever else I could say about my parents, they gave me plenty of spending money.
“Well, it’s good to see you,” said Clarissa. “The parade is going to start soon, so you better be ready.”
“Are we supposed to stand anywhere in particular?” Dan asked.
“Not really. Nobody here is that formal. Just stay close to us and you’ll be fine.”
I looked out to the street ahead. Halsted seemed both too small and too big. Pretty old buildings loomed above the crowds, and it seemed that every other roof was filled with people. There were a few floats ahead of us, and quite a few floats behind us. And all those cops walking around, riding their buses. Up ahead, sirens blared and car horns honked. A helicopter flew overhead.
Holy crap. This was serious. I was seriously in the middle of the parade. I’m probably going to be on TV. Holy crap! What if my parents see me? What if somebody starts throwing bricks? Hell, what if somebody starts shooting? I can’t handle this crap, I can’t.
“Guys?” I looked at Hilly and Dan. “I don’t know if I can do this…”
Hilly put her hand on my shoulder
“Yes, you can. We’ve been planning this for months. You know you can do this.”
“I don’t know… Is it too late to go home?”
Dan glanced at his watch. “No. But if you go now, you’ll never forgive yourself.”
“Jas, listen to me.” Hilly urged. “I know that you are nervous. I know that you’re scared. But you are not going to face it alone. You have us. Me. Dan. Everybody at P-FLAG. We are here for you. We are going to be with you every step of the way.”
“Nobody ever said it’s going to be easy,” Dan said. “If it was easy, everyone would be doing this. But… It’s like Hilly said - we don’t have to do this alone. We are here together. We can help each other. We’re going to walk with you. And if you won’t walk, I guess we’re just going to have to carry you.”
“We’ll do it,” Hilly nodded. “Don’t think we won’t. I’ve been working out.”
My eyes felt heavy. The whole world got a little blurry
I wiped me eyes and readjusted my glasses. “Guys...” I said, and I heard my voice breaking. “Thank you. Seriously.”
“You are very welcome,” Hilly smiled. So did Dan.
They reached over and gave me a nice, two-sided hug.
“Alright, everyone!” Clarissa shouted from somewhere behind up. “Looks like we are moving!”
I opened my eyes and yeah, but there was definitely forward movement. The float in front of us crawled forward, and the P-FLAG parents started walking forward.
Behind the barriers, the crowd watched us. When they saw the P-FLAG banners, a few applauded, but most of them just kept watching. Off to my right, several cameras went off, nearly blinding me.
Well, I guess my picture was going to wind up somewhere. And it was probably going to be all squinty and cringing.
To my left, Dan reached over and out his arm around me.
“See,” he smiled. “This isn’t so bad.’
“Nobody is throwing rocks,” Hilly said as she put her hand over my other shoulder. “And look, they’re cheering for us.” She waved to the crowd and, sure enough, a few people cheered. “See.”
If somebody took a picture of me at that moment, they’d probably catch me grinning like an idiot. I didn’t care. I honestly didn’t.
I was too busy having the time of my life.
2011 (c) strannik01
If you are curious, you can read up on the 22nd Chicago Pride Parade by checking out a Chicago Tribune article and the Chicago Reader write-up.
As always, comments and criticisms are welcome and very much encouraged.
Walking Together
June 30, 1991<
We got off the ‘L’ train at the Belmont station, right above a busy street. The trains pulled up on both sides of the old, wooden platform, and so many people poured out that I was amazed they could all fit. It seemed like you couldn’t turn your head without seeing rainbow flags and face paint. As soon as we stepped out, the crowd surged to the exits, and we kind of got pushed in their direction, down the stairs that led to street below.
“Wow,” Dan said as he grabbed the handrail. “So this is what Belmont looks like at Pride Parade.”
“They say the crowds keep getting bigger every year,” Hilly looked ahead with grim determination. “If this keeps up, they’re going to need a bigger station.”
“I hope so,” I said.
We didn’t really have much Pride apparel. What we did have were freshly screen-printed T-Shirts. Hilly’s and Dan’s said: “Gay Rights? Damn Straight.” Mine said: “Bi The Way: I Support Gay Rights.”
They seemed clever last month.
Slowly but oh so surely, the crowd pushed us into the lobby and out on the street. We didn’t need to ask anyone for directions - everybody was heading right, toward Halsted Street, the heart of Boystown.
“Whew!” Dan exhaled. “I can finally breathe a little. Jas?”
“I’m feeling a little squished, but I think I’ll manage. Hilly?”
“I think somebody grabbed my ass,” she adjusted her skirt and checked her earrings. “And I don’t think it was on purpose. But other than that, I’m fine. For now…”
We followed the crowd. The sheer number of rainbow flags was starting to hurt my eyes, to say nothing of glitter. The sun shone really brightly. There were a few clouds, but they were really thin, flat clouds. It was like God Himself decided to give all the Christian bigots a giant middle finger and make it the most awesome parade day ever.
I smiled to myself. We were going to march in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade. I still couldn’t quite believe that we were actually doing it. Out of all the reckless shit we’ve ever done, that was… pretty damn reckless. Like, launching fireworks from a boat reckless. When Clarissa invited us to join P-FLAG at the parade, we just said “sure” without really thinking about it. I mean, the F in P-FLAG stood for friends of gays and lesbians - which we definitely were. So it made sense.
It just didn’t quite seem real until now.
“Guys?” Hilly tried to peek over the heads of all the people ahead of us. “Do you have any idea where we’re supposed to go? I can’t see a damn thing.”
“Straight ahead,” Dan offered. “The parade starts at Roscoe, but Clarissa said everybody is assembling a few blocks south. She said she and the rest of the P-FLAG moms are going to be somewhere around Belmont and Halsted intersection.”
“So we have to survive, like, three and a half blocks?” Hilly grimaced. “Joy.”
“Two and a half,” Dan smirked. “I think we can survive two and half. Especially with all that eye candy.”
He kind of had a point. I’ve been to this part of Lakeview before. I’ve been to Boystown before. It’s not like I’ve never seen hot guys in tight clothing just walking around like it was nothing. But I’ve never, ever seen so many of them in one place. And the girls… Oh my God, the girls. Lesbians don’t really hang around Boystown a whole lot, but I guess they made an exception for the Pride Parade. And so many people went all out. Between the guys and the girls, there was so much exposed skin I thought I died and went to Madonna heaven.
What we really needed was a bi neighborhood. Gays had Boystown. Lesbians had Andersonville. Maybe we could take Bucktown. It would be punny. And no one would judge each other. Nobody would try to shove us into boxes. We would just be with who we want.
And everybody would be welcome to join in.
I looked ahead. The street visibility was still crap, so I focused on the next best thing - the couple in front of us. They wore really short jean shorts that were cut really high. I just wanted to stick my hands in their pockets and squeeze. Or, better yet, put my face right between…
“Jas!” Dan grabbed me by the arm and yanked me back “Red light!”
“Shit!” I looked up, and saw that, holy crap, where the hell did that intersection come from?
“Sorry. I was distracted.”
The couple glared at me and crossed to the other side of Belmont.
“And would you look at that,” Dan shook his head in exaggerated dissapointment, “You scared them off. Naughty, naughty Jas.”
“I couldn’t help it!” I pouted. “They were so hot!”
“I know,” Dan smiled. “So hot and so very, very gay. What more could a girl ask for?”
“Oh, don’t even joke,” Hilly rolled her eyes. “So many hot guys and none of them want to fuck me. It’s not fair! At least Jas has options.”
“I keep telling you,”I replied, “Girls are fun. Don't knock them until you tried.”
“They have tits. You know how I feel about man-tits. Actual girl-tits are, like, six times worse. Pass!”
“Don’t listen to her,” Dan put his hand over my shoulder. “Breasts are awesome. Breasts are the most fantabulous things in the world. Don’t let this silly heterosexual person ruin them for you.”
“I won’t,” I winked. “To be honest, I kind of feel sorry for her. Poor Hilly will never know what she’s missing.”
Hilly glared at us, letting us know that she thought we were being completely ridiculous. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was so glad she and Dan were here. I kind of hoped we’d have a larger group, but Kristie bailed, Tina went to the Taste of Chicago with her boyfriend and Gena looked so miserable and guilty that I told her that it was okay - she didn’t have to go. I hoped that I could at least count on Dan and Hilly, and I’ve never been so happy to be right.
Hilly was my best friend since I started high school. Dan was… I wouldn’t call him “boyfriend” exactly, but these days, he was definitely more than just a friend.
We kept walking down Belmont. Up ahead, I could see the floats lined up the next intersection. We couldn’t miss the parade staging area if we tried.
This was going to be fun.
I just wished my parents would come out to see me. Hell, it would be nice if they ever wondered who I’m sleeping with. But no, that was never going to happen. Not with my parents. I could have an orgy in their living room and they’d pretend they never saw anything. But if I have an orgy on live television, that would be a different story, because God forbid I do anything embarrassing!
“Jas?” Dan said gently, carefully. “You okay?”
I followed Hilly’s gaze and noticed that I clenched my firsts a little too tightly. Like, to the point where it kind of hurt.
Crap.
If they were anyone else, I would try to pretend that it’s nothing. But we’ve been through way too much together, and they knew exactly what my parents were like. They experienced it first-hand.
“Not right now,” I said. “But I’ll be better. Honest. Just give me a few moments.”
In a few months, it won’t even matter. We would be in college, living on campus, and I’d only have to deal with my parents for about a fourth of a year. Yeah. That would be nice.
Hilly and Dan exchanged glances.
“Okay,” Hilly said. “We’re almost here. Clarissa said P-FLAG will be right by the intersection, right?”
“Somewhere around there,” Dan said. “She mentioned something about security moving things around….” He stepped on his toes and peered ahead. “I think that’s them between the Windy City Gay Chorus and Free Press float.”
“Awesome!” Hilly grinned. And it was.
The Chorus guys were walking around the float, practicing. After everything I saw on the way to the Parade, they seemed almost conservative in their dress shirts and slacks. The float for Free Press, one Chicago’s two major gay newspapers, had cute guys sitting along the edges with bags full of copies. Which was pretty damn brilliant. With all the people at the Parade, they couldn’t ask for better advertising.
We walked over to the intersection, past the metal barriers. The police was out in full force. A few of them walked around. Others biked back and forth, carefully examining the faces in the crowd. If all the scantly clad people bothered them, they didn’t show it.
“I guess the city is finally starting to take the Parade safety seriously,” Dan deadpanned. He scanned the crowd anxiously.
“They better,” Hilly frowned. “Mayor Daley is supposed to be marching, so if anything happens, they are sooo screwed.”
Last year, somebody tried throwing rocks from the crowd. I don’t think they ever caught the guy. Or girl. Whoever it was, the cops lost them in the crowd.
“Come on, you guys,” I said. “You’re making me nervous.”
“Sorry, Jas,” said Dan.
“Don’t worry,” Hilly said. “It’s going to be fine. It better be fine. I don’t want to be only fine thing out here.”
I couldn’t help it - I laughed. Just a little.
The P-FLAG group was bigger than I expected. There were Chicago moms I recognized from Rainbow Alliance meetings, but I didn’t recognize most of them. They were probably from the suburbs. And, looking closely, I was kind of surprised to see a few dads. That… impressed me. Maybe there was hope for my parents yet.
They all wore purple or white T-Shirts. Many of them had a buttons. And the posters - lots of colorful, handmade posters. “Equal Rights For Everyone.” “Everyone Deserves DIGNITY.” “I LOVE MY GAY SON.”
“Jasmine!” Clarissa swooped me in a big hug. “I am so glad you could make it!”
I cringed at the ‘Jasmine,’ but Clarissa was nice enough to invite me in the first place, so I let it go.
“And look at who you brought! You guys are amazing!” Clarissa hugged Hilly, then Dan. “Did you make those T-Shirts?”
“I ordered them,” Hilly smiled sheepishly. “My dad knows a guy who runs a screen-printing company, and he agreed to give us a huge discount.”
"I paid,” I added.
“We all pitched in,” Dan said. “Jas just had a bigger pitcher.”
Because, whatever else I could say about my parents, they gave me plenty of spending money.
“Well, it’s good to see you,” said Clarissa. “The parade is going to start soon, so you better be ready.”
“Are we supposed to stand anywhere in particular?” Dan asked.
“Not really. Nobody here is that formal. Just stay close to us and you’ll be fine.”
I looked out to the street ahead. Halsted seemed both too small and too big. Pretty old buildings loomed above the crowds, and it seemed that every other roof was filled with people. There were a few floats ahead of us, and quite a few floats behind us. And all those cops walking around, riding their buses. Up ahead, sirens blared and car horns honked. A helicopter flew overhead.
Holy crap. This was serious. I was seriously in the middle of the parade. I’m probably going to be on TV. Holy crap! What if my parents see me? What if somebody starts throwing bricks? Hell, what if somebody starts shooting? I can’t handle this crap, I can’t.
“Guys?” I looked at Hilly and Dan. “I don’t know if I can do this…”
Hilly put her hand on my shoulder
“Yes, you can. We’ve been planning this for months. You know you can do this.”
“I don’t know… Is it too late to go home?”
Dan glanced at his watch. “No. But if you go now, you’ll never forgive yourself.”
“Jas, listen to me.” Hilly urged. “I know that you are nervous. I know that you’re scared. But you are not going to face it alone. You have us. Me. Dan. Everybody at P-FLAG. We are here for you. We are going to be with you every step of the way.”
“Nobody ever said it’s going to be easy,” Dan said. “If it was easy, everyone would be doing this. But… It’s like Hilly said - we don’t have to do this alone. We are here together. We can help each other. We’re going to walk with you. And if you won’t walk, I guess we’re just going to have to carry you.”
“We’ll do it,” Hilly nodded. “Don’t think we won’t. I’ve been working out.”
My eyes felt heavy. The whole world got a little blurry
I wiped me eyes and readjusted my glasses. “Guys...” I said, and I heard my voice breaking. “Thank you. Seriously.”
“You are very welcome,” Hilly smiled. So did Dan.
They reached over and gave me a nice, two-sided hug.
“Alright, everyone!” Clarissa shouted from somewhere behind up. “Looks like we are moving!”
I opened my eyes and yeah, but there was definitely forward movement. The float in front of us crawled forward, and the P-FLAG parents started walking forward.
Behind the barriers, the crowd watched us. When they saw the P-FLAG banners, a few applauded, but most of them just kept watching. Off to my right, several cameras went off, nearly blinding me.
Well, I guess my picture was going to wind up somewhere. And it was probably going to be all squinty and cringing.
To my left, Dan reached over and out his arm around me.
“See,” he smiled. “This isn’t so bad.’
“Nobody is throwing rocks,” Hilly said as she put her hand over my other shoulder. “And look, they’re cheering for us.” She waved to the crowd and, sure enough, a few people cheered. “See.”
If somebody took a picture of me at that moment, they’d probably catch me grinning like an idiot. I didn’t care. I honestly didn’t.
I was too busy having the time of my life.
2011 (c) strannik01