Between the Lines (14/17)
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Jason clicked open the email from Paige. He was hesitant to read it; he still wasn’t sure he wanted to continue with the project. He wished he had just let Kevin rest in peace. But he couldn’t simply ignore the woman - even if his curiosity wasn’t piqued, it would have been impolite.
Jason’s eyebrows rose as he read the email. Paige had been in touch with Cooper, as well as their cousins. (Jason rolled his eyes; of course his father had forgotten to tell him.) All were in agreement that the truth should be told. The others had convinced Cooper to give Jason the first chance to publish the detailed analysis, although Cooper had already given some of the more juicy details of the find to the media. There should be a small article in the arts section of the Sunday paper in two weeks, and then Jason had all the time he needed to work on it.
Jason sighed. It looked like things were going ahead, whether he wanted them to or not. The problem was there were other people that could be affected by this besides the Walker family. He would have to get involved again. Jason reached out and picked up the phone. The other end was picked up after the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Sherry? I need another favor,” Jason said.
***
Chad sat quietly in his living room, holding a book in his hands. Michelle hadn’t bluffed; she had moved out while he was gone. The apartment was rather empty without her things, but honestly, Chad wasn’t that upset by the break-up. At least not his break-up with Michelle.
Because, fine, maybe he and Jason hadn’t really been dating, not officially, but it still hurt when Jason said he was done with Chad. It didn’t seem fair. Their situations were entirely different. Did anyone really care if an English professor at a community college was gay? Probably not. But Chad’s life and career could and most likely would be ruined, if he came out.
He had made the mistake of trying to distract himself with Kevin’s poetry. That had probably been the worst idea he could have had. Now, every poem screamed of Kevin’s feelings for Scotty, and Chad imagined the loneliness he must have felt, made even worse by the fact that he couldn’t express it publicly. And beyond that, with every poem Chad read, he could hear Jason’s voice explaining the history behind the verse, or pointing out how Travis March was wrong, or excitedly realizing another piece to the puzzle.
Chad snapped the book shut. He stared at the ground and sighed. And then he jumped in surprise as the phone rang. He hesitated for a moment, then picked it up.
“Hello? Yes, this is Chad Barry.”
***
Kevin smiled to himself, remembering the unexpected discovery he had made on this last trip to France. After finally finding what he was looking for, he hadn’t wanted to leave. Eventually he realized he had to, but he was comforted by the fact that it wouldn’t be long before -
Kevin swerved the wheel quickly, overcompensating as he tried to get back into his lane. That particular curve was sharp, and he always took it just a little too fast. This time, he had barely slowed down. Kevin shook his head, and took a deep breath. Apparently, he was more tired than he thought he was. Good thing he was almost home.
Kevin sighed, settling into his seat. He propped an elbow on the side of the car door, resting his head on his hand at a slight angle. It had been amazing to see that place again. He had picked up some of the stone, held it in his hand. When he stood again, he had faced away from the newly-built town, looking out into the distance. There were more plants and the trees were taller, obviously; nature had rebuilt as well. But it was familiar enough. Kevin had closed his eyes, inhaled deeply as he searched his memory for Scotty’s scent. Being there again, it was so vivid. He could almost hear Scotty’s voice as he -
Kevin opened his eyes wide, startled at the sound and feel of loose gravel beneath the tires of his car. It took him a moment to figure out where he was and what was happening. He turned the wheel sharply, but it was too late. People talk sometimes of lives flashing before eyes, every important event and loved person remembered in a split second. That wasn’t the case for Kevin, though. The only thing he could focus on clearly, in the moments before the impact, was Scotty.
***
"Hello?”
“Hey Jase, it’s Sherry.”
“Hey! Tell me you got something.”
“Yeah, I do.”
Jason sighed in relief. It had been almost two weeks since he called her; he was running out of time to get in touch with Scotty, if he was still alive.
“What did you find?”
“Well, first, I’m sorry it took so long. I had to find out about two soldiers, just in case.”
“Two?” Jason asked, confused.
“There was a Scott Wandell and a Thomas Wendall, who went by his middle name, Scott. Both were in the same unit and, interestingly enough, both had Canadian fathers.”
“That’s a…crazy coincidence.”
“Yeah, so like I said, I had to look into both. There was some confusion sometimes, it seemed.”
“Understandable.”
“OK, so first - I’m sorry to say, both men are now deceased.”
Jason was silent for a second. It had been a long shot, he knew, but he had hoped that…
“Oh.”
“Wendall was killed in action, so he’s definitely not our man.”
“And Wandell?”
“Captured in the same battle. It had been a rout - almost three-quarters killed, most of the rest taken as POWs.”
“Crap!”
“Yeah, so he spent the rest of the war, which wasn’t that long by that point obviously, in a POW camp.”
“But he survived that? I mean, clearly, because he came to L.A.”
“Yep, believe it or not, the Germans generally treated the soldiers pretty well. They respected the Geneva Conventions, at least for Western POWs. There were issues of malnutrition, of course, and it certainly wasn’t fun, but…it could have been worse.”
“So what do you know about him?”
Sherry took a breath, and Jason could hear her rustling through papers on the other end of the line. “He dropped out of medical school to enlist and was a medic for the Army. Like I said, his dad was from Canada, but he grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. The Army didn’t have any address for him in L.A., so he apparently didn’t stay there long-term. After the war and a few months recuperation, he worked odd jobs - never went back to med school, as far as I can tell. He moved away from Mississippi close to two years later and eventually ended up in Ontario, where he opened a restaurant.”
“Any…any kids? Did he get married, like Kevin?”
“Officially single, but who really knows, right? The last known information the Army has on him includes a name and address of a family friend, who I guess was a caretaker and then the executor of his will.”
“When did he die?” Jason asked.
“Last month.”
Jason was silent for a minute. “You’re kidding me. Last month? Last month?!”
“Tell me about it,” Sherry said.
***
Jason stared at the front page of the arts section in disbelief. He had been expecting a small article, a blurb with a few quotes from Cooper. But Chad gave an interview for it as well, and the thing exploded. There was a large picture of Kevin, right next to a picture of Chad, and it had made the lead story.
Jason sat down slowly as he read. He skimmed through the early part of the article, which merely repeated all the details that he knew already. And then he got to the section on Chad.
California native. World War II hero. Relatively obscure poet beloved by his devoted fans. Forbidden love with a tragic end. This is the kind of story Hollywood dreams of. Until recently, there was a planned biopic of Kevin Walker. Although that independent production eventually lost funding, several major studios have already expressed interest in making a film of Walker’s life. Soap star Chad Barry, who had been cast as Walker in the movie, hopes he has another chance to play the role.
“I feel a very strong connection to Kevin Walker. As I learned more and more about his life, I realized a lot about myself as well. I would love to see a film get made, especially if the whole story is told. The right people would definitely need to be involved for it to work, including Jason [McCallister], who is an absolutely brilliant scholar. I just hope I’d be considered for the part again. This is a story that needs to be told, and I think, as a gay man myself, I could bring some real understanding to it.”
The article went on to mention that this is the first time Chad acknowledged his long-rumored sexuality, but to Jason’s surprise, they continued to focus primarily on Kevin’s life and the discovery they had made. Jason had a feeling that wouldn’t last, once the tabloids and less-professional publications picked up on it. Jason exhaled quickly, trying to absorb Chad’s confession, trying to convince himself that Chad did it for himself and not for any feelings that he might have had for -
Jason reached over, grabbing his cell phone. He scrolled quickly through his contacts list and called Chad.
***
The sound of the phone startled Chad. He had turned off most forms of communication with the outside world, hoping to avoid as many people as possible. The Skinny Minnie had the story, as did several other blogs. Chad hadn’t left the house yet, but he imagined the tabloids were already beginning to cover the story. He fielded angry calls from his publicist and manager, but Chad hadn’t apologized or backed down.
Chad sighed, picking up his phone and looking at the caller ID screen. Jason. Chad felt his heart skip a beat. He answered, warily bringing the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Chad? It’s…it’s Jason. I figured you’d have your phone off by now.”
“Not the cell,” Chad explained. “Only a few people have this number.”
“Oh.”
“You saw the article?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I was really impressed, Chad. I’m - I’m so proud of you. I can’t believe you did this all by yourself. You should have - I would have…been there for you.”
“I did it for me,” Chad said by way of explanation.
Jason paused, swallowing. “I understand.”
“Yeah.” Chad took a deep breath, forcing a rather cheerful tone to his voice. He didn’t want Jason to feel guilty or obligated. “So, I feel pretty good about it, actually. I think I’ll take some time to figure out, you know, who I am and what I want.”
“Good. That’s good.”
“What are you going to do next?” Chad asked, unable to hide his concern anymore.
Jason looked down, his heart threatening to break all over again. “Well, I - I guess I’m going to write something up, try and get a book published, maybe.”
“Good,” Chad said. “Good. You can’t just stop now.”
“No, I’m beginning to realize that.”
There was a long silence.
“Anyway,” Jason said. “Sherry found out what happened to Scotty Wandell. He moved to Ontario; he died last month.”
“Holy God!” Jason smiled as he sensed Chad’s cringe. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to - ”
“That was pretty much my reaction too,” he said. “I’m going up to Canada next week. I’ve been in contact with the woman who was in charge of his will and everything.”
Chad didn’t say anything for a moment. “Need any company?” he finally asked.
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Jason ducked his head, smiling even as he tried not to get his hopes up.
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Jason clicked open the email from Paige. He was hesitant to read it; he still wasn’t sure he wanted to continue with the project. He wished he had just let Kevin rest in peace. But he couldn’t simply ignore the woman - even if his curiosity wasn’t piqued, it would have been impolite.
Jason’s eyebrows rose as he read the email. Paige had been in touch with Cooper, as well as their cousins. (Jason rolled his eyes; of course his father had forgotten to tell him.) All were in agreement that the truth should be told. The others had convinced Cooper to give Jason the first chance to publish the detailed analysis, although Cooper had already given some of the more juicy details of the find to the media. There should be a small article in the arts section of the Sunday paper in two weeks, and then Jason had all the time he needed to work on it.
Jason sighed. It looked like things were going ahead, whether he wanted them to or not. The problem was there were other people that could be affected by this besides the Walker family. He would have to get involved again. Jason reached out and picked up the phone. The other end was picked up after the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Sherry? I need another favor,” Jason said.
***
Chad sat quietly in his living room, holding a book in his hands. Michelle hadn’t bluffed; she had moved out while he was gone. The apartment was rather empty without her things, but honestly, Chad wasn’t that upset by the break-up. At least not his break-up with Michelle.
Because, fine, maybe he and Jason hadn’t really been dating, not officially, but it still hurt when Jason said he was done with Chad. It didn’t seem fair. Their situations were entirely different. Did anyone really care if an English professor at a community college was gay? Probably not. But Chad’s life and career could and most likely would be ruined, if he came out.
He had made the mistake of trying to distract himself with Kevin’s poetry. That had probably been the worst idea he could have had. Now, every poem screamed of Kevin’s feelings for Scotty, and Chad imagined the loneliness he must have felt, made even worse by the fact that he couldn’t express it publicly. And beyond that, with every poem Chad read, he could hear Jason’s voice explaining the history behind the verse, or pointing out how Travis March was wrong, or excitedly realizing another piece to the puzzle.
Chad snapped the book shut. He stared at the ground and sighed. And then he jumped in surprise as the phone rang. He hesitated for a moment, then picked it up.
“Hello? Yes, this is Chad Barry.”
***
Kevin smiled to himself, remembering the unexpected discovery he had made on this last trip to France. After finally finding what he was looking for, he hadn’t wanted to leave. Eventually he realized he had to, but he was comforted by the fact that it wouldn’t be long before -
Kevin swerved the wheel quickly, overcompensating as he tried to get back into his lane. That particular curve was sharp, and he always took it just a little too fast. This time, he had barely slowed down. Kevin shook his head, and took a deep breath. Apparently, he was more tired than he thought he was. Good thing he was almost home.
Kevin sighed, settling into his seat. He propped an elbow on the side of the car door, resting his head on his hand at a slight angle. It had been amazing to see that place again. He had picked up some of the stone, held it in his hand. When he stood again, he had faced away from the newly-built town, looking out into the distance. There were more plants and the trees were taller, obviously; nature had rebuilt as well. But it was familiar enough. Kevin had closed his eyes, inhaled deeply as he searched his memory for Scotty’s scent. Being there again, it was so vivid. He could almost hear Scotty’s voice as he -
Kevin opened his eyes wide, startled at the sound and feel of loose gravel beneath the tires of his car. It took him a moment to figure out where he was and what was happening. He turned the wheel sharply, but it was too late. People talk sometimes of lives flashing before eyes, every important event and loved person remembered in a split second. That wasn’t the case for Kevin, though. The only thing he could focus on clearly, in the moments before the impact, was Scotty.
***
"Hello?”
“Hey Jase, it’s Sherry.”
“Hey! Tell me you got something.”
“Yeah, I do.”
Jason sighed in relief. It had been almost two weeks since he called her; he was running out of time to get in touch with Scotty, if he was still alive.
“What did you find?”
“Well, first, I’m sorry it took so long. I had to find out about two soldiers, just in case.”
“Two?” Jason asked, confused.
“There was a Scott Wandell and a Thomas Wendall, who went by his middle name, Scott. Both were in the same unit and, interestingly enough, both had Canadian fathers.”
“That’s a…crazy coincidence.”
“Yeah, so like I said, I had to look into both. There was some confusion sometimes, it seemed.”
“Understandable.”
“OK, so first - I’m sorry to say, both men are now deceased.”
Jason was silent for a second. It had been a long shot, he knew, but he had hoped that…
“Oh.”
“Wendall was killed in action, so he’s definitely not our man.”
“And Wandell?”
“Captured in the same battle. It had been a rout - almost three-quarters killed, most of the rest taken as POWs.”
“Crap!”
“Yeah, so he spent the rest of the war, which wasn’t that long by that point obviously, in a POW camp.”
“But he survived that? I mean, clearly, because he came to L.A.”
“Yep, believe it or not, the Germans generally treated the soldiers pretty well. They respected the Geneva Conventions, at least for Western POWs. There were issues of malnutrition, of course, and it certainly wasn’t fun, but…it could have been worse.”
“So what do you know about him?”
Sherry took a breath, and Jason could hear her rustling through papers on the other end of the line. “He dropped out of medical school to enlist and was a medic for the Army. Like I said, his dad was from Canada, but he grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. The Army didn’t have any address for him in L.A., so he apparently didn’t stay there long-term. After the war and a few months recuperation, he worked odd jobs - never went back to med school, as far as I can tell. He moved away from Mississippi close to two years later and eventually ended up in Ontario, where he opened a restaurant.”
“Any…any kids? Did he get married, like Kevin?”
“Officially single, but who really knows, right? The last known information the Army has on him includes a name and address of a family friend, who I guess was a caretaker and then the executor of his will.”
“When did he die?” Jason asked.
“Last month.”
Jason was silent for a minute. “You’re kidding me. Last month? Last month?!”
“Tell me about it,” Sherry said.
***
Jason stared at the front page of the arts section in disbelief. He had been expecting a small article, a blurb with a few quotes from Cooper. But Chad gave an interview for it as well, and the thing exploded. There was a large picture of Kevin, right next to a picture of Chad, and it had made the lead story.
Jason sat down slowly as he read. He skimmed through the early part of the article, which merely repeated all the details that he knew already. And then he got to the section on Chad.
California native. World War II hero. Relatively obscure poet beloved by his devoted fans. Forbidden love with a tragic end. This is the kind of story Hollywood dreams of. Until recently, there was a planned biopic of Kevin Walker. Although that independent production eventually lost funding, several major studios have already expressed interest in making a film of Walker’s life. Soap star Chad Barry, who had been cast as Walker in the movie, hopes he has another chance to play the role.
“I feel a very strong connection to Kevin Walker. As I learned more and more about his life, I realized a lot about myself as well. I would love to see a film get made, especially if the whole story is told. The right people would definitely need to be involved for it to work, including Jason [McCallister], who is an absolutely brilliant scholar. I just hope I’d be considered for the part again. This is a story that needs to be told, and I think, as a gay man myself, I could bring some real understanding to it.”
The article went on to mention that this is the first time Chad acknowledged his long-rumored sexuality, but to Jason’s surprise, they continued to focus primarily on Kevin’s life and the discovery they had made. Jason had a feeling that wouldn’t last, once the tabloids and less-professional publications picked up on it. Jason exhaled quickly, trying to absorb Chad’s confession, trying to convince himself that Chad did it for himself and not for any feelings that he might have had for -
Jason reached over, grabbing his cell phone. He scrolled quickly through his contacts list and called Chad.
***
The sound of the phone startled Chad. He had turned off most forms of communication with the outside world, hoping to avoid as many people as possible. The Skinny Minnie had the story, as did several other blogs. Chad hadn’t left the house yet, but he imagined the tabloids were already beginning to cover the story. He fielded angry calls from his publicist and manager, but Chad hadn’t apologized or backed down.
Chad sighed, picking up his phone and looking at the caller ID screen. Jason. Chad felt his heart skip a beat. He answered, warily bringing the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
“Chad? It’s…it’s Jason. I figured you’d have your phone off by now.”
“Not the cell,” Chad explained. “Only a few people have this number.”
“Oh.”
“You saw the article?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I was really impressed, Chad. I’m - I’m so proud of you. I can’t believe you did this all by yourself. You should have - I would have…been there for you.”
“I did it for me,” Chad said by way of explanation.
Jason paused, swallowing. “I understand.”
“Yeah.” Chad took a deep breath, forcing a rather cheerful tone to his voice. He didn’t want Jason to feel guilty or obligated. “So, I feel pretty good about it, actually. I think I’ll take some time to figure out, you know, who I am and what I want.”
“Good. That’s good.”
“What are you going to do next?” Chad asked, unable to hide his concern anymore.
Jason looked down, his heart threatening to break all over again. “Well, I - I guess I’m going to write something up, try and get a book published, maybe.”
“Good,” Chad said. “Good. You can’t just stop now.”
“No, I’m beginning to realize that.”
There was a long silence.
“Anyway,” Jason said. “Sherry found out what happened to Scotty Wandell. He moved to Ontario; he died last month.”
“Holy God!” Jason smiled as he sensed Chad’s cringe. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to - ”
“That was pretty much my reaction too,” he said. “I’m going up to Canada next week. I’ve been in contact with the woman who was in charge of his will and everything.”
Chad didn’t say anything for a moment. “Need any company?” he finally asked.
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Jason ducked his head, smiling even as he tried not to get his hopes up.
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