Boo Time in Indy with Pussy Kat and the Boys
October arrived and ended swiftly in a whirl leaving behind conflicting emotions in a mess of random thought and blank stares. It certainly was a month full to the brim with activity and life - the first time this year we were wrestled off the couch long enough to spend an entire four weekends with an agenda worth noting.
But it almost ended on a sour note. It was almost a bummer of a denouement just before the best, [read: most fun] holiday of the entire year. And just before I had even picked out my costume…
* * *
Sunday’s rivalry turned into Monday’s tension. It was so bad you could cut it with a knife. I didn’t even feel like speaking to him. Not because of what happened. Not because of who came over. But because of the rejection from the night before Sunday even arrived. It was a slap in the face. An insult to rub into thick, silent wounds.
Of course every story has two sides and I’m always on my own. Some things just make more sense on paper - and then some things just seem mindless no matter which angle you rotate the sun dial.
As it was, Danny’s attitude for the duration of the week at work was sour. Monday he hardly even feigned interest in accomplishing anything at work. He would disappear for a half hour at a time and arrive only to tinker around on the as400 nonchalantly until it was time to clock out.
Sometime on the way back home on Tuesday night he finally broke the ice and said “didn’t you want to talk”? This was in response to his “we’ll talk tomorrow” huff in the midst of the argument on Sunday before Hawkins was let in the front door. Truly I didn’t really. I didn’t really want to deal with him or anything. In my opinion he had said a mouthful on Sunday night. I was fine with the silence. But a part of me was glad he broke the ice - a part of me hates when we argue. I noted that when we are at odds, things are not well for him. He even grumbled that he “didn’t even want to go to Indy” which is odd considering that seeing Alissa is what propels him forward. In a selfish way, a part of me relishes in this fact. Not because he seems miserable but because I still have that kind of effect on him. I feel so low on his totem pole most days that upon observation of this bit I wonder what must go on in his mind. Why doesn’t he simply write me off?
Of course, just the opposite is stated out of his mouth. “I know it bothers you when we don’t talk. Personally I don’t really care. But you said you wanted to talk so….”
This further serves to irritate me and the conversation really went no where before it even started.
What audacity- What nerve. I wanted to say, “Then why would your attitude towards the trip to Indy sour suddenly? Why the sour attitude towards everyone and everything this week if being at odds with me doesn’t affect you?” I said nothing.
Of course, in Danny’s mind “breaking the ice” translates as “things are all better now” but nothing is ever said that needs to be. And apologies are a world away.
So Halloween weekend approached. I knew that if things weren’t rapidly mended that it was going to make for one very awkward weekend for me. Danny would pretend -to an extent- that things were okay between the two of us in front of his friends all the while snubbing me to a point unnoticed by others but infuriating to me. And when we got back home things would be right back to where they were.
It was not looking to be a fulfilling trip. And somehow I wondered how we would even manage it - a part of me nearly backed out. Had it not been for Alissa’s guilt tripping I probably would have let the boys head on their merry way without me. But she did lose her father in August and the trip north meant the world to her. I swallowed my reserve though my heart was just not in Halloween this year. That is until Thursday..
I hadn’t bothered to pick up my costume. I bought a syringe and mask, fake blood and makeup: the original plan was to be a male nurse ala Silent Hill. There was even this male nurse costume that was a skirt and jacket combo -all I would have needed was some white shoes and some white leggings. I could have been a hot transsexual nurse but when I went back to the Halloween store at the beginning of the week before work all of the sizes left were XXL. Nevertheless I tried it on in the dressing room only to discover that about four of me could have fit comfortably into the costume. Discouraged, I had decided I would simply be a zombie and tear up some of the clothes in my closet that I had meant to give to the Goodwill. I could use some of the accessories I picked up and be an escaped patient of a mental ward. A list of possibilities were there - I would just need to do a bit of brainstorming. The bottom line is I didn’t want to put too much effort into something that my heart wasn’t fully into anymore.
There are a couple of things to note about Danny - he hates awkward silences and can’t deal with bouts of not communicating verbally for extended periods of time. The other thing to note is, he doesn’t hang out with people who look like shit in public. If we were going to continue with the Indy plans, then we would do it the right way. The idea of me throwing together something in my closet for Halloween did not go over well for him. “Let’s go shopping for your costume tomorrow before work,” he said casually Wednesday night. This roughly translated as “we’re going to find you a costume, no fucking way you’re walking around with regular clothes that night.”
Early Thursday afternoon we were up and about in efforts to pick up our rental car at Enterprise before heading to Lawrenceville for my costume. I didn’t really feel up to talking to him but the icy block nestled between us was swiftly melting. His attitude was warming and I didn’t want to seem like an ass for rejecting his obvious affection in the only way I knew he knew how to show it - through kindness and light bantering.
We walked thru the nearly-empty Halloween Shoppe several times picking thru the wigs and costumes and accessories until I nearly gave up and walked out empty-handed. Robin from Batman & Robin. Nah. A masked villain, Nah. A mad scientist, boring. Barney Rubble. Nah. A Pirate. So last year. A doctor with a boner. Err, no. Nothing really appealed to me. Then Danny held up some fuzzy cap that at first glance had the distinguished appearance of road kill. It was March Hare rabbit ears from Alice in Wonderland. I immediately fell in love and knew that even if I -didn’t- use it for Halloween, I’d at least have to make it an addition to my closet outerwear. We found a long, red velvety cape in a rack nearby and called it quits.
I remembered a black eye mask I bought at the Renaissance festival a few years ago with Maria, Kerri and Aaron and figured it would make for a perfect accessory. I at least wouldn’t be going in civilian clothing despite not having any -real- direction whatsoever.
Back at home, the mood was lifted. We sat in my bedroom looking at Youtube clips and joked like nothing had happened a few days before. He revealed to me that he had scheduled the night off of work because Kevin Yang was expected to arrive sometime during the night. It was before I had to jet for work that we made up in a big way dissipating any tensions, animosities or grudges that had settled and festered throughout the week.
For the first time in nearly four days it was looking as though Indianapolis would be fun and I jetted to work smiling throughout the night leaving him at home to play host to KYang for whenever he strode into Atlanta.
When I arrived back home he and Kyang were on their way back from the city where apparently they had met with Hawkins and his friends for drinks and food at some Mexican restaurant downtown. I took this time to pack all of the things I had wanted to take along on the trip and showered before their arrival. They arrived with Steven, who had unfortunately invited himself some weeks before when we mentioned the trip to Indy. I certainly didn’t exactly approve of him tagging along but I made it very clear to Danny that he would -not- be sleeping in the same bed as us for risk of blood spill when someone put their hand where it didn’t belong.
Now the original plan was to get a few winks then head out early in the morning. But Steven convinced Danny that driving straight to Indianapolis would be a better idea. So we loaded the Hyundai Accent and before I knew it, we were skating along the Interstate 85, first south and then North bound to Indiana.
Unexpectedly, Danny took the wheel first claiming that he was wound up and was more than likely going to crash as the sun rose higher. I called shotgun and kept him awake with banter and coffee from a QT stop just outside of the city while the homos took the back seat and slept. The trip was a good nine hours and was mostly uneventful. The first four hours Danny and I alternated - one hour he would drive, the next I would drive. The passenger always kept the driver awake.
At one point we stopped at a Resting Station to pee and Danny revealed that Steven wanted to grab the wheel so he would just sit in the back.
This went against the original plan so I balked. The deal was, I was to drive until I was too tired to go anymore -then- I would hand it over to Steven. I didn’t want to be put in a position where I’d be forced to keep Steven company in the front seat while the other boys slept in the back. I was nasty enough about it that Steven just backed off, shrugged his shoulders and climbed in the back seat. He manned the wheel sometime afterwards while Kevin remained sleeping in the back seat and I tried hard to rest beside him.
At one point a hour or so before getting into Indianapolis, Steven stopped at a McDonald’s/filling station and we picked up some McSnacks. They acted so flamboyantly that apparently a few comments were made while we stood in line and a few odd glances were shot into our general direction while we ate at the table.
The south, in general, is pretty homophobic. I’d go so far as to say the south, in general, is pretty xenophobic. And Steven and Kevin are like two children who never learned how to act in public. There are places to celebrate your “gay” and there are places that you need to come down to earth and at least pretend to act like a normal person. Apparently They’ve never received this memo. So a couple of times throughout the weekend when they were alone for a bit they’d come back and say things like “We were standing at the ATM and some guy said ‘you need to go back to where you came from’.” Or “that guy just mumbled ‘faggot’ while I was standing in line.” This always shocked and surprised me because it’s never happened to me nor Danny when we’re together in public [or alone for that matter].
Now Danny may speak pretty gay but he doesn’t give off that appearance and people generally accept him even when he does speak because he gives off that ‘he’s just like my son’ charm. In the countryside, we definitely seem like outsiders due to the style the city allows us to indulge in but that may simply appear as snobbery to bumpkin folk.
Danny melts with embarrassment when being in public with Steven and Kevin because he hates the way they act. Now personally, I’m not about holding anyone back from being who they are but it’s not like their cool factor is 100. It isn’t as though we walked into McDonalds with Miss Jay Alexander. I’m pretty naïve to the silent heckling and forget that there are places in society that care what people look like and how people act, speak, and live. Unfortunately, Kentucky is definitely one of those places.
KYang drove us into the city sometime in mid-afternoon and Alissa met us in the parking garage soon after where we all got out, stretched about, exchanged hugs and proceeded to walk thru the mall in order to find the Westin Hotel where Alissa had booked reservations til Sunday.
The hotel itself was nice but still didn’t beat the first place we had stayed during our July visit last year -the place with the pretty glass elevators that omitted vertigo as they flew up and down. The place with the posh, spinning restaurant where me, Danny, Alissa and Leah Puckett couldn’t find anything on the menu that looked appetizing. It didn’t even beat the Hilton where we stayed for New Years.
It didn’t matter really. It was a brief stay and at least we wouldn’t be spending Halloween alone even if Steven had to tag along.
It turns out we were all starving so to satisfy cravings of food we ended up at a place down the road called “Ram Restaurant Big Horn Brewery”. Decent food even if what Danny originally wanted was unavailable for the day.
Alissa had planned on taking us to a Haunted House attraction just on the outskirt of the city so Danny, Alissa and I freshened up at the hotel while KYang attended Steven on a hunt for clothing at the mall so he could complete his transformation into a “Hipster Zombie”.
Alissa made me phone several bars in the area to inquire about whether or not we could dress up in our costumes while pub crawling. After I had gone thru the trouble, it was decided that wherever we would go a costume was certainly sure to follow regardless if anyone else in the city would be wearing one the night before Halloween.
But our first stop, before the bother of costume adornment, was the Haunted House or rather house(s) since it was apparently a cluster of various spooky attractions. We arrived in about twenty minutes or so after leaving downtown and were directed to parked in a field near the event.
Upon reading the disclaimer as we ascended the stairs to pick up our ticket at the Admission booth we all got a bit of the jitters. “Patrons may be touched by the monsters, but you cannot touch them. At some point in the attraction you may be shocked with electricity or sprayed with water… etc. etc. Not for the faint of heart..” I wasn’t aware that you could actually be touched here - certainly none of the haunted attractions in Georgia can boast this. But what made me a bit more nervous was the fact that they try to separate you once you’re inside. I wasn’t really excited about being shocked either -never been my jive as anyone can attest when I get out of my car wailing during the winter months. We huddled like a bloated 10-legged cow. Scooby and the Gang sans Scooby and of course, I was shoved in first with Danny clutching close behind me.
Turns out it was a cluster of haunted attractions. The first, was navigated completely in darkness as you fumbled your way trying to find the exit ala Dialogue in the Dark without the dialogue. Picked up a few splinters along the way as we felt up the walls.
The others houses had monsters that would follow you; one had an electric torch that he’d hit passersby with that would emit a small electric shock kind of like being shocked by static electricity when you get out of a vehicle. I evaded his torch but I think Alissa and Steven weren’t so lucky. We made them go first thru most of the attractions while Danny and I trailed behind them and KYang brought up the rear.
We were in a haunted submarine at one point that squirted water into our faces.
And another house consisted of multiple torture rooms one of which an angry killer forced KYang onto a dirty cot as he yelled at him in angry syllables.
At one point we were lead through a house with creepy clowns one of who would follow us at a great distance before we came out of the exit doors relieved.
One of the last attractions was outdoors. As I had lead the group thru a grove of trees, at one point someone popped out of the ground grabbing at our feet and consequently separating me from the others. Up ahead was a hulking 6’5” [at least] lumberjack of a man wielding an ax and a psycho woman-child who tried to keep me from getting back to the group by pulling on my arm and inviting me to “dinner”.
The entire attraction took probably less than an hour to navigate and it was a campy hoot. Wasn’t quite as “terrifying” as Netherworld so much as it was like a PG rated John Water’s movie.
* * *
Back at the hotel we scrubbed up and donned our costumes and makeup. I put on my ears and cape and gave myself a black nose. “You look like the Big Bad Wolf,” I believe it was Kevin who remarked. And so I became The Big Bad Wolf that ate Little Red Riding Hood (hence the cape.) It was hardly the best costume and not even a particularly good one but the ears made for an elaborate show and even if no one could guess who I was, I at least was -something-.
Danny was a Native American Indian and even went thru the trouble of spending 50 bucks for a nice Headdress that he ordered online and a good pair of moccasins. I helped him paint a red band across his eyes and he cut fringes into a wolf t-shirt he picked up online that looked similar to the one a small shoppe in Helen wanted to charge over twenty bucks for. He capped off the look with some Indian costume jewelry he picked up at the Halloween store and a dream catcher necklace he bought in Helen from the sweet old racist shoppe keeper. His mother had braided a feather into a strip of hair he’s kept longer than the rest of his hair since his last cut at Jack McNutt’s. The feather stayed on for weeks before he had me cut it out one night. I suppose it goes without saying that his costume looked stellar compared to the rest of us.
Alissa wore a slutty kitty costume with little black ears and whisker makeup. I have to admit that she did look adorable.
KYang just looked like himself though the idea was to play a coked out 70s go-go boy in hot pants.
Steven looked like a Geisha in white cake makeup but the intension was to be a hipster zombie. “Hipster” is his favourite word and he uses it every ten seconds to describe the type of boys he falls in love with. Of course, no true “hipster” would ever really give him the time of day. It didn’t help that he wore Danny’s cheap, discarded $15 headdress that stuck straight up like a fire crown sitting atop his head as a finishing touch to his costume. Danny and I picked it up one day while costume shopping at the Halloween store but it was so ugly that he was going to toss it out until Steven picked it up and brought it home one day when he saw it on our dining room table.
It seems Steven is going thru a copycat stage with Danny. He resents the fact that he and I are so close and so he compensates by trying to get even closer. It doesn’t help that -like a professional asshole- I always ham it up by declaring loudly all of the things he and I do together. I do this because I know Steven still likes me and I like to make my point in the rudest possible way; it’s how I always deal with pushy people who can’t take a good old fashion hint.
At one point, while in the parking garage awaiting Alissa’s arrival when we first got to Indy, he made an unusually snide remark to Danny stating something to the effect of “what, you can’t do anything without him?” after I inquired about a show Danny watched that I hadn’t seen. I could have throttled him.
Now Danny can pull off outrageous styles and colours and look both fashionable and handsome. He does this on a daily basis and people don’t really think anything unusual of it because it’s the way he operates. But when Steven picks up one of Danny’s yellow or red headbands and puts it on his little brillo pad head it just makes him look like a ninja turtle where Danny can actually look like a retro 70s model. He’s nervy enough to borrow things without permission so he’ll grab Danny’s chap stick or headband or beer without asking. Of course Danny doesn’t say anything - the $4 stick of Burt’s Bees chap stick then becomes Steven’s property as does the beer. I chuckled, “next he’ll be wearing your underwear.” He’s like the annoying younger brother who hasn’t quite found his identity - but it starts to look a little uncool when you’re nearly 26.
So five hot messes took a cab to Broad Ripple and ended up at a club where we were the only assholes in costumes. Well, a couple of slutty ghosts flitted in and a Vegas Showgirl and some random costumes of this that and the other. But we were definitely outnumbered. Danny and I stood at the bar in the crowded little club and watched a couple of the dancing girls who were gyrating their hips on a platform above the crowd. KYang and Steven danced about and Danny tried to disassociate himself from both of them. It may be fine to dance if it’s your thing but this was hardly a club to be popping your pussy, especially if you don’t own one, if you catch my drift. And the two of them may as way have sprouted wings and floated around the bar. It wasn’t long before we were out and ended up at Peppers, the same club where the midget worked the coat check for New Years. Sadly, no midget this time and the admission was $10 but the drinks were only 25 cents. One dollar bought four bottles of Bud Light. I couldn’t have asked for better. They could dance like fools and I could drink at the bar until the illusion of fun took over me.
The rest of the evening consisted of me sitting at the bar sipping on drinks like I always do with Danny by my side -embarrassed of the boys and not wanting to hit the dance floor with Alissa. I think it would have been a better night if she had taken them to a homo bar so they could have at least gotten rid of some of the pent up booty shaking night rumbles that apparently they were stricken with.
The night ended drunkenly but not overly so. Alissa did forget her phone at the bar but remembered to get the cab to stop at the Steak N Shake near the hotel for food. The same restaurant we met up with for our first meal together during the New Years trip.
A bit of a fiasco when the security guard made Danny remove his headdress to which he nearly had a meltdown after realizing a woman with a hat was allowed to sit at the shake bar. “Why is that lady able to wear her head piece?” “Yours has outrageous feathers in it,” was the almost comical explanation offered by the Hood Rat Security. Alissa, still moaning about her phone and Danny, irritated and suddenly with loss of appetite both decided to leave the restaurant shortly after we were seated which left me to watch over the homos alone.
What I didn’t realize until after I had eaten was that I left my debit card in the hotel so that I wouldn’t overspend and all of the cash that I had withdrawn was spent on admission to the bars and drinks throughout the night. I had to bum money off of Steven for my meal. He was reluctant but I assured him I would pay him back.
While waiting for our order, I received a phone call from a sheepish Danny talking about how hungry he was and if I could bring them food. This required Steven to cough up even more money. I didn’t feel completely bad considering that he bummed on everyone for drinks throughout the night and had not intended on paying Alissa for his portion of the hotel. In fact, I was the only person man enough to give her cash for the hotel stay. Danny hadn’t paid but they’ll often pay for one another’s plane tickets during visits so I figured his wasn’t a big deal. But Steven and Kevin are pretty cheap and I didn’t think the money situation would ever have come up. For the rental car I had made it very well known how much they would owe me by sending messages on Facebook so that no miscommunication about my generosity would arise.
I walked back to the hotel with chicken nuggets in a bag and snuggled next to Danny who was sandwiched between me and Alissa. It was blissfully cold out but I slept pretty good for being so cramped. Steven snuggled next to Kyang in the bed over.
The next morning I woke up with a chicken nugget in my hair.
October 30th
It seems Danny’s bad luck with food was an ongoing occurrence. We slept in, played around at the hotel and finally roused when our stomachs needed food. We walked about the mall and finally situated ourselves on Buca di Beppo sometime in the late afternoon recalling the wonderful experience we had during the New Years trip.
Turns out what was a dream the first time ended a nightmare the second time at bat. The Pepsi wasn’t that magical blend it was in December and the service was horrible. We were lead to a hallway at the front of the restaurant facing the street. I had never seen an eatery so fascinating in scope and windy with corridors. Danny ordered a chicken pesto number which didn’t come out with the rest of our food. After it was brought to her attention, the server apologized and walked to the kitchen. She came back some time later and said in a near caustic accusatory tone: “Okay, so what did you order? Because they’re not finding it on the menu. They could put some chicken in pesto sauce if you’d like.” Danny settled sheepishly like a child being reprimanded and when she returned placing a bowl of what looked like white soup with chicken chunks we all stared with our mouths open. Not one noodle existed in the entire bowl. Needless to say, Danny took a couple of bites of the chicken and was done. Alissa was livid; she wrote on a napkin a nasty note to the waitress declaring that she was the worst server in the world. Not only did she not get the order right but she was mean to Danny AND she forgot to add chicken to her Chicken Caesar salad. We didn’t tip her and ran out of the place before she caught wind of the stiff.
KYang and Steven went back to the hotel while Danny and I rode with Alissa to pick up her phone at the club.
It was a beautiful ride. Indianapolis at this time of year is so lovely that gives the appearance of a movie set. The houses we passed were so inviting, so homey and peaceful that I imagined myself growing up here. Growing up in one of those stately houses adorned with jack o’lanterns on the stairs with their twisty driveways.
Trees lined the roadway and because of the shedding expulsion at this time of year waved picturesque leaves in whirls and swirls along the roadway and into the windshield of the car as we whizzed past. We had been here before but never quite ridden thru the city past the downtown area in the daylight hours. It was a marvel.
Being firmly situated on a grid, the city itself is so much easier to navigate than Atlanta. Skyscrapers could be seen in the near distance from the lawns of many of the houses dotting the street and all one need do is get in their car and drive straight in order to be taken directly to the centre of the city proper.
We grabbed her phone from an associate at Peppers and enjoyed some of the crisp, autumn weather while walking along the roadway before heading back into the city to catch up with the boys and scrub up for the night’s festivities.
Whereas the previous night we stuck out like sore thumbs, tonight we fit right into the crowd. We ended up at some gay club per KYang’s request and walked about downing a few kool aid shots and snapping a few photos of patrons around the bar. The bar itself was quaint -it gave off the stuffy, comfy feeling of an English pub and there was an upstairs area that lead to another bar and hallway that lead to a small porn shoppe. It was very small but it had appeal - more of an old English piano bar vibe than a dancey shimmery club vibe. Perfect for me but the others were soon bored by the clientele.
Kevin introduced Danny and I to poppers which, for the most part saved the evening from completely drowning. We were the only participants and we’d sneak off into the bathroom to stiff the contents of a little bottle that smelled similar to paint thinner or nail polish remover. It gave a brief high and made Danny horny but the effects only lasted five minutes and though we sniffed throughout the night I soon bored of it and gave up. It’s not like I’m completely down with sticking something up my nostrils or partaking in the consumption of illicit drugs. I was game only because it’s completely legal and sold in most sex shoppes but it wasn’t until the ride home when I revealed to Summer (who’s down with most drugs) what we had done that she said we should steer away from poppers because it’s caused “sudden sniffing death” or something equally more ridiculous sounding. We survived the weekend but it was enough of a concern that I would never do it again nor would I allow Danny if I could help it.
We ended up at Peppers again. Danny and I huddled downstairs while the others danced. He was a bit sour due to the boys’ being out of their element and getting really annoyed with Alissa for heckling him. Kyang and Steven were getting antsy about going to a gay bar, Danny was getting royally pissed at Alissa for trying to make him dance and Alissa was just getting drunker and drunker. At one point the boys said they were going to leave for another club. “Let ‘em go,” Alissa said to me in a drunken slur. “They have no money for a cab and the cover charge.” Danny and I were going to stay behind with Alissa and eventually they simply forgot about the plan or changed their mind.
I felt torn with all of the opposing animosity in the air and it made for a somewhat awkward evening even if tensions were forgotten by the time we exited the club. But I was thankful that Danny’s anger was directed at Alissa or the guys. His attitude this weekend toward me was completely different than the beach weekend. He was warm and generous and not in the least stand- offish. On the ride home to Indy he and I spend over the first half of the ride lying down in the back seat resting; He motioned with his hands in a gesture that suggested I put my head on his chest while he slept. It was a welcome change to see his anger projected elsewhere - a very rare thing to happen these days.
We met a few characters that night downstairs at Peppers including a girl named Julia from Russia or Romania that was dressed like a Ninja turtle. She was very sweet and we all took turns talking with her until she bored most of the others which required me to step up to the plate and pretend to enjoy looking at photos in her camera of her friends. A F-list celebrity named Gary from MTV’s Teen Mom walked by and Alissa had to get a photo with him. For the most part I walked around and snapped photos of random people who Danny or Alissa or Kevin wanted to get photos with. Mario and Peach. Jesus (or Moses). Shakira (who looked more like Kesha). The list went on.
Alissa hailed a cab once the place closed and we ended up at Steak N Shake for a second night in a row. The hostess sat us in a corner booth nestled to the side of the room. The place was packed with late night pub crawling younglings waiting to get their fill of cheap, greasy meat and fries. I would hate to work this kind of crowd. I don’t know if it was the time or the beer or the previous tensions but the hamburger I ordered - some Wisconsin butter burger thing- was remarkable. Though I was completely oblivious, surprise surprise, Kevin claims that he was gawked at and taunted by the table next to us. When we exited the club he made a big scene about it yelling at them from across the room. A cop came out of a side door as we walked along the sidewalk and asked him if it would suit his fancy to be jailed in the shorts he was wearing. It was freezing out but Kevin was freeballing in loose nylon booty shorts. I walked ahead not wanting to deal with a belligerent Kevin and Steven took my side as he shook his head saying “we’re more mature than them, Charly.” I rolled my eyes as he grabbed my arm. I could have vomited at the comparison.
This particular night I slept uneasily in the middle of the bed between Danny and Alissa. It was so stuffy in the room and the A/C never worked properly so that I felt as though the duvet would snuff out my life before sunrise. I didn’t want to move for fear of waking Alisa and I couldn’t position myself in a way that my back was lying flat so that I spent most of the night with half of my body using Danny as a bed pillow.
Upon waking Alissa remarked of how uncomfortable she was. How I hogged the bed and the covers. I told her I wasn’t trying to hog the covers I was trying to remove them and that I couldn’t even sleep with my back flat. “next time Danny definitely gets the middle.” I chuckled. I certainly wasn’t going to argue with that one.
We packed, loaded the cars and then walked to the Weber Grill for food. Danny, Alissa and I ordered the beer can chicken. It was a bit of a disappointment but the server was remarkable and as a result was tipped well.
We bid adieu, issues our hugs and was on our way back for the long trip home. Kevin and Steven drove most of the way. Danny and I played in the back seat while the sun set and napped on and off for most of the ride taking the wheel only after dark for the rest of the ride home. Danny was let off the hook this time around and didn’t even have to man the wheel at any given point during the trek back to Atlanta.
First stop was in Suwanee to a Suntrust so Steven could withdraw the money he owed me before we dropped his ass off in Buford. Sadly, I had to bring it up because he would have left without thinking twice about reimbursing me. I think the consensus was relief after he left the car even if he was all smiles and hugs and I’ll-miss-you-guys.
It’s not secret that I find Steven a bit grating but what we didn’t realize until after this trip was over was that he’s cheap. He’s the guy that gets everyone to buy his drinks at the bar. Who won’t pitch in for gas or hotel or rental cars unless he’s asked to. Who thinks it’s okay to borrow your chapstick or your hat or your hoodie or your jacket without asking.
That last night at the bar he tried to grab both Alissa and Kevin’s drink at one point. Alissa let out a cute, girly shriek and held her drink tighter - he backed off. He also faced rejection that night when he tried to bum from Kevin who said in a harsh tone “Where is your drink? Where is your drink?” as he pulled his hand away from Steven’s advance.
Kevin felt sick and went straight upstairs to bed when we got home. He left for Orlando first thing the next afternoon. Danny and I returned the rental car and came back to speak with Nilsa who was waiting on the sofa for us. She seemed in a good mood but said she needed to talk finances and seemed a bit uncomfortable at bringing the subject up. Danny and I sat on the red sofa and waited for her to start.
Basically she said she was budgeting she and Kyle’s money over the weekend and doesn’t have enough to split the rent four ways any more so she has no other option than to split it three which meant that Danny and I would have to be paying more for rent.
We sat silently for a while. I waited for Danny’s advances and I predicted he would take this opportunity to attack her. The doorway that held in his pent-up emotions regarding the current living situation was finally thrown ajar.
I was right. “What are you doing with your money, Ma?” “How is it that when you were living on your own and Kyle wasn’t working you were able to come up with over $700 for rent in addition to all of the bills?” “Why is it that now that we’re splitting everything that you can’t seem to manage it?”
She began crying saying that it was difficult for her to admit failure in front of us. Difficult for her, at this age, to be so financially ruined. She wants nothing more than to move back to Puerto Rico but cannot seem to save a penny and it’s stressing her to the point where she doesn’t know where to turn.
I felt terrible for her but was glad Danny spoke his mind. All sympathies aside, I’m not able to save money either. Financially this has not been the best year for me and I’m in more than $20k credit card debt. But I ALWAYS pay my bills on time and always have money for rent.
The fact that she wanted us to split the rent when she has a grown man occupying a room that Heather would move in tomorrow irritates me beyond what I could express here. From my vantage point, he’s not my brother or even a close friend so how am I benefiting from his occupancy? I only allow it because I love Danny and care for his mother.
Danny ripped into her about how she babies Kyle. How’s she burned all of her bridges with the family because of what she allows Kyle to get by with. He wasn’t nasty but his tone was very stern, caustic and matter-of-fact. There was no play involved in his soliloquy. It was the tone that a parent would speak to an irritated child who can’t seem to pull their mess of a life together.
I just sat there beside him and let them work things out. I was annoyed with the news yet deeply sympathetic over her situation. I thought about when I turn 50 if I’ll be in a similar predicament; it was a scary moment to consider. And I’d be more sympathetic towards her if it wasn’t for Kyle. It’s the thought of Kyle acting like a 19 year old boy-man that had me fuming. Kyle’s under the mind set that he’s living with his mother rather than roommates.
The conversation ended better than it began. No one got particularly ugly. When I told her that the first of the month is hard for me because I have to pay rent and a hefty credit card bill on one pay check, Danny suggested that we continue to split the rent but let her off the hook on the bills. “I have to talk with Charly about this in private first because if affects him too but it’s just a suggestion.” Immediately I warmed to this idea. We were already going on three weeks without payment on our $200 electric bill that was looking to be a 2-in-1 for November. She had already informed me that she would only be able to afford rent or the electric bill by the first of November. When I told her I would get with Danny to see if he could cover it she changed her tune saying she would pay rent but hold on electric and specifically “not to get him involved.” She knows he would have been a lot less eager to sweeten the deal for her.
This plan would work for us. Danny’s good for his money and this way we would always be on time paying bills and still be paying the same for rent. She agreed and that was the end of things. I was so thankful for the way Danny handled things. That he and his mother have such an earnest relationship. That I never have to worry about battling her with finances because he’s already started the punches.
Halloween was over. And sure I’ve had better times but at least I didn’t have to celebrate the best holiday of the year at home. And at least Danny and I were not at odds with one another.
Even if life seems to be in a distant state of disharmony, I have to keep in mind that things could always be worse. And one day, in the near future or far away from now, I’ll think about these times and realize that I didn’t have it so bad after all. That the rent isn’t so big of a deal. That Nilsa and Kyle aren’t so bad. That quarreling here and there with Danny is better than being alone…