Out of the Ashes
Billy 5
Timothy Lee
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Timothy Lee
Published by Smashwords
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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Table of Contents
Mirna Chen dabbed the damp tissue to her eye. "It was a beautiful funeral."
Her father, Mel Butler, walked somberly beside her, clutching her left elbow as if to steady her walk across the parking lot. "Yes, it was. Looked like most of the old neighborhood was there, today."
"A lot of people cared for him," Wei, Mirna's husband, said from beside Mel.
"Probably wouldn't have if they knew he was gay," Mirna said, sounding somewhat bitter.
"I don't know if that really would have mattered, " Mel said, adding, "besides, I doubt if word of that got out anyway."
"I think the funeral director did a great job of making him look as natural as possible after the accident. I really couldn't tell the difference," she said with Wei nodding without comment while loosening the black tie around his neck.
The sun was beating down pretty harshly upon them all as they slowly made their way across the lined pavement toward the wooden stairs that would take them up to Mirna and Wei's apartment, further draining the family members that had attended the afternoon funeral.
"We can be grateful that he's out of pain now," Mirna said.
"I was surprised to see your step-mother there," Wei said.
"Yeah," Mirna agreed, her voice suddenly turning bitter. "Brought the bitch out of her gin-soaked stupor and into the daylight. I'm surprised she didn't burst into flames the moment the sun hit her."
Mel chuckled. "Mirna, let's not go there, okay?"
"Dad, even you have to admit that she was the last person you would have expected to see there, considering her stance on homosexuals."
"Yes, well..." he replied noncommittally.
"I still can't believe that he's gone," Mirna said, again dabbing the tissue to her eyes. "It seems like only yesterday that..." she began to say before all at once crying out in pain. "Goddamnit, Billy, if you stab my foot with that damned crutch one more time I'm going to deck you."
"Oops. Sorry," her brother, Billy Butler, replied sheepishly, though knowing damned well that he had purposely targeted her foot with the rubber-tipped end of the weapon that was helping him cross the parking area. In fact, this had been the third time he had made a successful jab at her as she walked to his left, and he was rather proud of his accomplishments.
"Sorry, my ass," she insisted with a quick glare. "You're doing that on purpose."
"I am not," he defended, falsely. Since tormenting his older sister was one of his greater pleasures in life, Billy made it a habit of doing so as often as he possibly could without going so far that he would be slugged.
"Careful on the stairs, son," Mel cautioned with a well-placed hand to Billy's back for support.
"With any luck he'll fall and break his neck, too," Mirna claimed vindictively.
"Now, Mirna..." her father warned.
She turned to him, wearing a smile. "I'm only kidding, dad. Billy? Do you need my help?"
He cast her a quick frown. "Not on your life. The last time you helped me up the stairs I almost fell and broke the other arm," he told her while adjusting the cast engulfing his right arm supported by the sling hung around his neck. The arm was feeling extra heavy after only a week and he was anxious for the remaining five weeks to pass so that he could get the damned thing taken off. Even the plastic boot on his left foot was getting heavy. In both cases, though, he only had himself to blame. In fact, considering the severity of his accident on the freeway a week ago, he thought himself to be in pretty good shape.
"Yeah. How about that," Mirna mused aloud with a smirk upon her lips.
With the help of Mel on his right and Wei on his left, Billy managed to successfully navigate the treacherous wilds of the staircase to the second floor. Lacking the ability to hold onto the railing with his right hand made it a bit difficult for him, and with the unsteadiness of using a crutch for the left half, Billy was quite unsteady when going up or down. Therefore, he stayed to the apartment as much as possible these days.
"Oh my God, not again," Mirna complained after reaching the upper landing. "Billy, I swear, if you get any more flowers I'm going to open up a nursery and sell them all."
"What can I say? He loves me,” Billy commented with a broadening smile as he spotted the lavish bouquet of white roses in a clear vase standing before the door halfway down the balcony.
"I said it before and I'll say it again;" Mirna proclaimed, "there's just no accounting for taste."
"Your jealousy amuses the Royal One," Billy told her.
"Dad, please tell me that it's not too late to abort this one and try for another brother," Mirna told her father with a glance around Billy.
Mr. Butler laughed. "Sorry, it's pretty much a done deal."
Mirna then turned to her husband. "And I suppose murder is still illegal in this state?"
"Oh, you know you love me," Billy told her. "What would you ever do without me?"
"Live happily ever after comes to mind," she replied, giving him a friendly pinch on his ass. "I swear... First it was red roses, then yellow roses, then black roses, then purple with pink polka dot roses, and now white roses. Did it ever occur to him that you might be allergic to damned roses?"
"I think it's very romantic," Wei proclaimed from behind.
Reaching the front door, Mirna bent down and retrieved the little envelope in the flowers, withdrawing the card and reading aloud. "'To my boyfriend; a speedy recovery. Love, your greatest admirer.' I think I'm gonna barf," she then proclaimed, sliding the card back into the envelope and handing it to her brother. "Well, come on, let's get my sorry-excuse-for-a-brother inside before the neighbors see him and gather outside the door with torches."
With that proclamation, she unlocked the door, grabbed the vase and proceeded the others into the tasteful apartment where once again the extent of Billy's admiration was evident. Practically every surface was being occupied by vases of flowers and this made the front room smell like a floral shop. Mirna set the new addition to the collection on the coffee table beside the smaller colorful bouquet of carnations that she and Wei had brought Billy during his brief stay in the hospital following the accident.
Gently being lowered onto the black overstuffed couch, the injured man was relieved to take the weight off his left ankle, the torn tendons of which had yet to begin healing. Billy knew that it would take him about six long weeks before he would be out of his casts and walking again. He also knew that he had nobody but himself to blame, for it had been his decision to drive his motorcycle down the freeway at breakneck speeds while trying to outrun his problems. Unfortunately, the problems did not go away; they increased exponentially. Not only was he put out of commission, physically, but his beloved bike had been totaled. How Billy had managed to escape the Grim Reaper in the accident was anybody's guess, and as much as he wanted to believe it was his riding skills and quick thinking, he had to finally admit that it had been pure dumb luck that he was still alive.
"Can I get you anything, son?" Mel asked, standing to Billy's left and looking down with concerned, fatherly eyes.
"I'm fine, dad. Thanks. Well, I'm sure glad that Jack's funeral is over," Billy admitted.
His mind briefly visited the past, picturing the house in which Jack Benson and his family lived just down the street from the Butler household. It looked like any of the others lining the avenue except that inside was hidden an unsettling secret. Jack had a problem containing his erratic mood swings and infatuations with Billy, and it had thus remained into his young adult life up until his suicide. Billy next remembered finding Jack upon the bed a few short weeks ago; his life stilled by the single self-inflicted bullet through the head that lay upon the blood stained pillow. It was because of his discovery of Jack's body that he feared the blame for the suicide would have been pinned on him by the remaining members of the household. Surprisingly, Jack's mother, Regina, and younger brother, Calhoun, were nothing but cordial to him. In fact, they were even sympathetic, expressing their regret that he had been the one to find Jack on his death bed. Billy wisely left out the fact that, prior to Jack's having taken his own life, he had engaged in oral sex with the man. By all indications, the family did not know of Jack's homosexuality or of his infatuation with Billy, and it was better that they remained in the dark on both accounts.
"You know what I'd like right now?" Mirna asked, drawing all eyes upon her. "Some iced tea, but we're out of tea bags. Billy, be a good boy and jog down to the store for... Oh, I guess you can't do that, can you? Well then, hop on your bike and... Nope, I guess you can't do that, either," she said with a glorified sneer. Shaking he shoulder-length brunette hair out of her face, she cast her brother one of her favorite glares of superiority.
"Mir..." Wei cautioned.
"It's okay, Wei," Billy assured him, having actually found her intentional digs to be amusing, regardless of their accuracy. Immediately he wracked his mind to come up with his sister's Achilles heel and within only a second he struck up the idea of where it would hurt the most. "Mirna should stick to tea, considering how fat she's been getting lately," he said vindictively.
The grin on Mirna's face immediately vanished and she looked down to her stomach. "What? Who's getting fat? I don't have an overweight bone in my body and you know it, Billy Butler."
"Have you weighed yourself lately?" Billy asked.
"I don't have to. I never gain weight. I have always been 147 pounds and I never go over that, no matter how much I eat. I have a hearty constitution."
"Prove it," Billy now said, knowing that he had gained the upper hand. "Go weigh yourself now."
"Don't have to," she replied before turning to Wei. "I look the same as always, right?"
Wei studied her for a moment before replying, "Well, actually..."
"One more word out of your mouth and the only sex you'll be getting in this house is from my brother."
"It isn't all that noticeable," Wei defended with a chuckle. "Besides, you were too skinny."
Mirna's eyes widened at these words and her mouth dropped open. "Are you actually insinuating that..." she began before cutting her words off and turning to her father. "Dad? Do I look fat to you?"
"Of course not," Mel replied, chuckling. "You've just filled out a bit."
Mirna's mouth hinged open a little bit more now and she stared at her father in disbelief for a few moments before then turning to her brother. "Billy, I ought to break your other arm for this."
"Why?" he asked defensively, though with a mounting smile. "I'm not the one who can't turn away from an open potato chips bag." Smugly, Billy glanced to his father and Wei, finding them both to be observing Mirna's stomach, which to Billy's surprise, did show a modicum of growth. This had only been a needling point to use against his sister, but right before him was proof of his claim. This got him to wondering if maybe his subconscious had been at work when devising the taunt.
"I do not believe what I'm hearing," Mirna said just as a knock was heard on the front door. "You're all ganging up on me because my stupid brother... I highly doubt that I will be speaking to any one of you in an hour," she replied angrily, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly. As she spoke, Wei pulled open the door and quickly issued the caller into the room, and he was no more than two steps inside the apartment when Mirna hit him up for his opinion as well. "Forest, these three idiots are all saying that I've gained weight. You don't see it, right? ...and think very carefully before you answer or you might soon be talking in a falsetto."
Billy turned, his smile growing over the sight of his heartthrob stepping in. Forest Cooper was handsome as ever, dressed casually in khaki shorts and a green t-shirt, and just the sight of this man whetted Billy's sexual appetite. "Hi, Forest."
"Hi, Bill," he answered brightly, his sensuous thick brown mustache dancing to his words.
"Well?" Mirna demanded.
Forest turned his attention back to her. "You're not fat," he proclaimed.
Mirna pointed to him. "There, see?" she said with a glance around the room to those condemning her. She then turned back to Forest and said, "Good answer. You get to keep your manhood."
"That's comforting," Forest proclaimed. "Oh, good, the roses arrived. I was afraid that you might get here before they did and I wanted them to be here for you when you got back from the funeral," he told Billy.
"They're beautiful and I can't thank you enough, Forest." Billy held out his hand for the man to take, then pulled him down to the couch beside him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. This stirred up Billy's sexual juices even more and now he was feeling the unfortunately timed beginnings of arousal.
He had wanted to get into Forest's pants ever since having met the man a little less than two weeks ago, but one thing or another prevented that from actually happening. His week in the hospital following the accident was certainly a deterrent, and although Forest had been with him pretty much around the clock and the opportunity had been there to engage in a little clandestine hanky panky, the two men had curtailed their lust.
"I'm waiting, Billy Butler," his sister insisted from her stance in the center of the room.
"Waiting for what?" he asked with a turn.
"For your lavish apology."
While he was growing weary of this conversation, Billy was nevertheless not about to back down on his claim. "One way to settle this once and for all; go step on the scale. If I'm wrong then I'll apologize."
"Wrong," she insisted. "If you're wrong you will lose a testicle."
"But if I'm right," he continued, ignoring her threat, "then I get to choose the diet you go on... and believe me, it won't be pretty."
"I think that I will bow out of this argument now," Mel said. He kissed his son and daughter and beat a hasty retreat before Mirna threatened any part of his anatomy as well.
"Well?" Billy asked his sister following the closing of the front door.
"Well, what?"
"Go on," he prompted. "Go weigh yourself."
"All right," Mirna then proclaimed. "In the interest of proving everybody wrong, I'll go weigh myself. Wei, prepare to service me all night long. Billy, I will expect a lavish apology to be printed on the front page of tomorrow's paper. And Forest, well... you were on my side so you're safe." With this she turned and exited the room donning an air of superiority.
"You really shouldn't be spending so much money on flowers for me," Billy told Forest.
"Oh, please," Forest said with a quick wave of his hand. "This means nothing compared to how I feel about you. When I heard about your accident on the freeway I thought that I'd lost the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life. I couldn't get to the hospital fast enough."
Billy thought back to when he had been moved from the Intensive Care room to a regular room and had found Forest sitting, waiting for him. After that, the man left the room only to eat and go to work. This was a devotion that told Billy all he needed to know about Forest; the flowers were merely icing on the cake.
"Exactly how did I get so lucky to have found somebody like you?" Billy asked.
"Wei gets all the credit for that," Forest claimed with a glance up to his employer. "He set the whole thing up. Incidentally, a little bird told me that somebody I know is about to celebrate his 25th birthday."
"Really? You are?" Billy asked excitedly.
"Not me, you," Forest said, giving Billy a playful pinch in his side.
Having been so involved with the excitement of the accident, as well as Jack's funeral, Billy had completely let slip the fact that he was, indeed, about to turn a quarter century old in less than 30 days. This was a milestone for him, and yet it had entirely slipped his mind. "I completely forgot about my birthday," Billy confessed. "So tell me, who is this little bird with the big mouth?"
"Holy fuck!" came the disquieting voice of his sister from another part of the apartment.
"Ah," Billy said with a nod. "I think I know the answer."
Wei immediately headed back into the hallway to answer the cry of distress, leaving Billy and Forest without a chaperone. Ordinarily, this would have been an open invitation to unobserved play, but seeing as how Billy had very limited mobility he was frustratingly unable to take advantage of their solitude.
"How are you feeling?" Forest asked. "You in any pain?"
"Not really. My ankle gets sore if I'm on it very long and my arm sometimes aches a bit, but for the most part I'm okay."
Forest cast a quick glance toward the empty hallway on the opposite side of the room. "You know, if there's anything I can do to help get your mind off the pain, all you have to do is ask."
"Thanks. I appreciate that," Billy answered sincerely.
"No... I mean; if there's anything I can do, just ask."
"And I appreciate that," Billy reiterated, unsure as to why Forest felt the need to repeat his sentence. To his knowledge his hearing had not been affected by the accident, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that Forest thought otherwise.
"You're not getting the picture," Forest said in a lowered tone while casting his glance down toward Billy's lap. "Anything I can do."
All at once it became apparent to Billy as to what the man was hinting at and he felt like an idiot for not having picked up on Forest's inflections and meaning in the first place. "Oh, gotcha. Well, now that you mention it, I think I actually might be in a little pain right now." The sexual overtones of Forest's offer were again stirring up Billy's hormones and he briefly thought back to their failed attempt at sex in Firefly Park a week ago. That, unfortunately, had ended in disaster when the police showed up unexpectedly and made short order of their hopeful encounter. Following that, Billy's accident pulled the plug on any other attempts so this was actually their first opportunity to steal away into his bedroom and finish what they had begun over a week ago without any unexpected interruptions.
The unfortunate part was that Billy was very restricted to what he would be able to do because of the cast and boot, and that dampened his spirits some although the prospect of Forest taking control while he lay back and enjoyed himself was rather intoxicating. In fact, Billy was now feeling the inner excitement mounting like that of a pending volcano and he was about to ask for help into his bedroom when his sister burst back into the room with Wei following behind. The look on Mirna's face was one of death and dismemberment. Wei looked amused.
"Billy Butler, I swear that this is all your fault," she demanded, drawing to a halt beside the black chair across from the couch.
"What's my fault?" he asked innocently.
"Three pounds. I've gained three damned pounds since our vacation to our aunt's place."
"That was only a couple weeks ago," Billy reminded her. "Have you been eating that much since then? Maybe it's water gain. Is it that time of the month again?"
"No, it isn't that time of the month," she said bitterly. "Although, maybe it is," she added thoughtfully. "That's probably what's going on. Where's a calendar?" she asked before turning and heading back into the kitchen at the rear of the apartment.
Wei stayed behind and sank down into the black chair, folding his hands across his lap. "I'm going to need for you to go in a little early today," he told Forest; his cook at the Chinese restaurant he owned and managed.
"Sure, no problem," Forest responded cheerily.
Billy took this inconvenience to mean that another opportunity to sex-up Forest had slipped out of the palm of his hands. This was becoming a normal theme and he was getting extremely dissatisfied with the continuity. Therefore, he decided that he would take advantage of this small opening in time, and struggling to his feet (with Forest's assistance), he asked the man to help him into the bedroom where sexual magic awaited.
Unfortunately, his plan was derailed by Mirna who re-entered the room wearing a look of great anger. "Where do you two think you're going?" she asked, coming to a halt directly in Billy's intended path of travel.
"If it's any of your business - which it's not - I was going to my bedroom to lay down. My back is sore from walking with this damned crutch and..." he began to explain before his words were cut off.
"Your back... That's a new one. It's your front than you're concerned with, but we don't have time for you to have sex. We have a national emergency. I'm late."
Not understanding the emergency, Billy said, "Then get going. We'll hold down the fort while you're gone."
"Not that kind of 'late' you dope, I'm late late. I'm three weeks overdue for my period."
At this point, Wei rose up out of his chair. "Are you all right?" he asked his wife with great concern.
Mirna stared at him in disbelief for a moment before saying, "No, I'm not all right. I'm broken."
Billy chuckled at the mental image her words had painted before saying, "Maybe the vacation threw your cycle off."
"Nothing throws my cycle off, Billy. I'm as regular as a train."
"Then maybe you'd better get to a doctor," Forest suggested.
He was next to receive one of Mirna's award-winning glares. "No shit, Sherlock. Nothing gets past you, does it?"
While his sister was letting poor Forest have it between the eyes, Billy was busy doing a little mental calculating, and once reaching a sum he felt a peculiar wash of understanding come over him. "Mirna, you don't suppose that you're..."
"I'm two steps ahead of you, Billy," she responded, interrupting. "And, yes, that's exactly what I'm supposing. How the hell could that have happened? We've been careful. Fuck, I don't have time for a baby."
"A baby?" Wei asked in hopeful anticipating with a smile erupting upon his face. "Do you think you're pregnant, Mir?"
"Well, it would explain the morning sickness."
"That's fantastic," Wei proclaimed joyously.
Ignoring her husband's exclamation, Mirna turned back to her brother and said, "Damn it, Billy, this is all your fault."
"Hey, don't point your Witchiepoo finger at me. I'm not the one sleeping with you."
"I don't mean that, you asshole. I mean that you're the one who brought up my weight gain in the first place. I wouldn't have suspected anything if you'd kept your fat mouth shut."
Billy laughed at the illogic being laid at his doorstep. "Yeah, that's right; if I hadn't pointed it out you wouldn't be having a baby. Brilliant, Mirna."
All at once a peculiar look came over Mirna and she stood in silence a few moments before saying, "A baby? Crap."
Wei, who was appearing as if to be about to jump out of his skin in excitement, wrapped an arm around his wife and said, "Do you have one of those home pregnancy kits?"
She turned to him abruptly. "Why the hell would I have one of those here?"
"We need to get one to make sure," he said, fishing the car keys out of his pocket. "I'll be right back. While I'm gone, you should probably stay off your feet or have Forest cook something for you."
"Oh for..." Mirna replied angrily. "Just go. Get your damned test thing. I'll be fine."
With this Wei was out the door in a flash, looking like a kid that was about to be let loose in a candy store. In his absence, Billy and Forest merely stared at Mirna as if she were about to bear a child any minute while Billy was entertained thoughts about the prospect of having a nephew or niece, not to mention the change to Mirna's lifestyle. She had always been pretty carefree but this would bring all that to a sudden halt. Billy had no doubts that she would be a great mother - and most certainly better than their step-mother who treated he and Mirna as if they were excess baggage that needed to be placed in the attic and forgotten.
"What are you two idiots staring at?" Mirna said angrily. "I'm not going to explode. Go to your room and do whatever it is you perverts do to each other."
"Are you going to be all right, Mirna?" Forest asked sincerely.
"Of course I'm going to be all right. Now, go away."
Billy was not convinced. In fact, the worried look upon her face was concerning him, and although it was pretty obvious the cause for her worry, he reasoned that talking about it might not be the best thing to do at the moment. Therefore, it was probably better that he and Forest carry through with their plan in the bedroom.
"And just where the hell do you two think you're going?" Mirna asked, again stepping in front of Billy as he tried to hobble around her.
"You told us to disappear," he reminded her.
"Oh no you don't. This is a full-blown four alarm emergency and you're not leaving me alone at a time like this. Now, you two sit yourselves down on the couch and wait with me until Wei gets back."
"Mirna, we're both a little... how do I put is delicately?..."
"Sex is what caused my predicament so until this is cleared up there will be none of that in this household. You hear me?"
"Loud and clear," Billy replied with a chuckle, amused at her words and attitude. He understood her need not to be left alone at a time like this, and hoped that Forest would understand as well.
"Can I get you anything, Mirna?" Forest asked.
"Yeah, you can get your skinny ass on the couch and help me figure a way out of this mess."
"What mess?" Billy asked as he slowly worked his way back over to the couch with Forest' s assistance in steadying him.
"What mess? Are you serious, Billy? Isn't it obvious that Wei wants a baby? He nearly creamed his pants when I mentioned it."
Sliding down onto the couch, Billy propped the crutch up against the coffee table. "Of course he was excited. I'm excited. You're the only one who isn't excited."
"Tell me how excited you would be at the prospect of passing a Volkswagen out of your body," she said, taking her place in the black chair.
"Oh, come on. They have drugs and pain killers for that. You won't feel a thing," Billy assured her as Forest joined him at his side.
"That's not what my women friends at the office tell me. They said it was the most painful experience of their lives. I would have to be crazy to want to go through that."
Billy studied his sister a few moments. "Is that the only reason? The pain of childbirth?"
"No, of course not," she admitted. "But it's a pretty damned good reason."
"Not sure if you're ready to be a mother, huh?" Billy asked.
"You got that right. Do you realize what all is involved with a rug rat? Diapers and midnight feedings and constant crying, not to mention the stretch marks."
Billy smiled broadly. His sister did have valid points and concerns, although he knew that once the baby was born her mothering instincts would kick in and she would be happy as a clam. "You have to admit that having a child of your own would be fun."
"Your idea of fun and mine differ tremendously," she said with a scowl. "This throws a wrench in the works of my happy, carefree life. I don't want to be tied down to the apartment 24/7, Billy. Everything will change. I'm 28 years old and a kid ages you. A year down the road I'll look like I'm 75. Fuck."
"Oh, you will not. Besides, they say that new mothers look younger than they actually are," Billy argued, although he could not readily recall whether he had actually heard this. Still, an optimistic made-up fact was better than the pessimism that Mirna was now spewing.
Granted, she was going through a hurricane of mental and emotional changes, and as such, deserved to be concerned about the future, but all this was purely conjectural at the moment. She might or might not actually be pregnant so all her worry was a bit premature. While Billy shared and understood her concerns, he was also becoming more and more excited about the prospect of an addition to the family. Wei would be able to continue the Chen name, Mirna would have the joy of raising and nurturing her own child, and Billy would be placed on permanent babysitting duty until the child turned 15 or 16.
Mirna was quiet for a few moments, her eyes cast down upon the floor. Finally, she looked up to her brother and said, "Billy, I'm really scared right now."
Ordinarily, that would be his cue to rush over to her and throw a reassuring arm around her shoulder, but seeing as how this would take an act of congress because of his handicaps he decided it best to try to comfort her long-distance. "I know you are, Mir, but either way it will be a good thing. You're surrounded by people who love you and will help you every inch of the way. You're not alone."
"Yeah, I know that," she admitted somberly. "It's just that this was so unexpected. Wei and I always used condoms. We thought we were being as careful as possible."
"Well, you two had to have slipped up at least once," he said with an evil grin.
Mirna considered this a moment before shaking her head. "If we did, it wasn't intentional... unless you can get pregnant by having oral sex."
"Hasn't happened to me, yet," Billy said with a mounting smile.
"Yeah, knowing your veracious sexual appetite you probably would have been preggers every nine months since you were eighteen," she told him, chuckling.
"Probably," he admitted while briefly mentally scanning through the countless sexual escapades in his life.
"Wait a minute," Mirna suddenly said, sitting up in the chair and looking contemplative. "There was that one time that we did it in the bathroom at yours and Abraham's place."
Instantly Billy was thrust back to the not-so-distant past in which he and his lover of four years, Abraham Adoni, had shared a loving home. Unfortunately, over the past year Abraham had been mired in a depression and had somehow drawn to the conclusion that an affair might be the answer to his problems. It was the discovery of the two men together in bed that had triggered a brief bout of amnesia in Billy. This discovery had also been an inadvertent catalyst in Billy's freeway accident as he tried to flee his problems and that only compounded his difficulties.
"You and Wei got it on in our bathroom?" Billy asked in disbelief.
"Kinda," she admitted sheepishly. "Wei was horny, and..."
"I get the picture," Billy said, quickly interrupting.
"Oh please, it's not like you've never done it in my house," she scolded.
"I'm not denying that. I would just rather you spare me the sordid details," he defended.
Mirna seemed to disregard this statement and turned her attention upon Forest. "What about you? What's the story of your family?"
"I have two older brothers; Camden and Liam, and a younger sister; Maya," he said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. I mean, do they know that you prefer the company of men?" she asked impatiently.
"They know I'm gay, yes."
"Your sister ever been pregnant?"
"She's married and they have one son, yes."
This was news to Billy who turned to his friend. "I never knew that she was married." While he had thought to know everything about Forest's family, he now had to admit to the fact that he actually only knew their names and standing in rank of age.
"Did she have a difficult pregnancy?" Mirna asked dubiously.
Forest shook his head. "No, not at all. She said it was a very easy one."
"Well, that's comforting. Where the hell is Wei with that pregnancy kit?" she demanded.
"Mirna, he just left a minute ago. Be a little patient," Billy scolded.
"Patience? You ask for patience?" she asked, her eyes narrowing threateningly. "When you have something inside you that's growing then you can talk about patience. Until then, keep your damned trap shut. God, I hate men!"
Laughing, Billy decided it a good gesture to change the subject to something that Mirna hated more than being pregnant. "So, I guess the insurance company will be replacing the bike."
This statement brought a glare from Mirna. "How the hell can you sit there and talk about replacing the death trap that nearly killed you? Did the accident scramble your head or something? Anybody with half a brain would have sworn off motorcycles after breaking their arm and messing up their ankle on one of those things."
That did the trick, Billy thought to himself. She had bitten onto the hook and now it was up to him to reel her in and keep her on the line until Wei returned. "It wasn't the bike's fault that I was driving like a maniac," he told her.
"No, but it was the bike's fault that you didn't have adequate protection around you," she stated bitterly. "At least with a car you have an airbag. What is it with you and your loyalty to that damned thing, anyway? Are you trying to prove your masculinity? I'll bet that's exactly what it is: you're trying to prove that you're a man. Well, I got news for you, Billy Butler, a motorcycle doesn't make you a man. Accepting responsibility makes you a man, unlike some who get a woman pregnant and then take off for the store and then don't come back to take care of the new mother and the unborn child."
Stifling a laugh, Billy watched his plan erode and decided to take a different course. "I notice that Abe never visited me in the hospital," he said of his former lover. Admittedly, Billy was still very much in love with the man, and yet Abraham's lack of an appearance following the accident seemed to speak volumes of his failing interest in keeping their relationship going.
"Oh, don't even go there, Billy," Mirna warned indignantly. "I told you before the accident what kind of a twerp he's become. Face it, Billy, you're yesterday's flavor. He's got a new ice cream cone to lick, now."
These words did hurt, as did the fact of Abraham's betrayal by dumping him for another man after their years together, but Billy needed to remain emotionally strong right now. He now had Forest who had proven his caring and interest many times over and that meant a lot more than the failings of Billy's past relationship. At least it should have meant more.
Flooded with sudden memories of his and Abraham's happier past, Billy told his sister, "I can't say for sure whether or not he's still with that guy. Abe did say that it was over, and..."
"And I told you that he was lying," she said, interrupting. "The other guy's car is always outside the house."
"It might have broken down there. You never know," he defended.
"In over a week and a half they would have had it repaired if that was the case. Face it, Billy, it's over."
"But he told me that he wanted me back," Billy said, now totally immersed in the confusion and pain that had proceeded - and ultimately been the cause of - his accident. "Mirna, I still love him. I can't just walk away from four years of my life."
"Of course you can," she insisted. "Look ahead, not back."
"You know," Forest said, standing, "Wei wanted me to go in early today so I'd better get going. Bill, I will see you later, and Mirna, I hope everything turns out all right for you." Having said this, he nodded to both and then headed outside without giving Billy a kiss goodbye.
Once the door had closed, Mirna turned to her brother and said, "Good going, Billy. You drove off another one."
Having been so completely immersed in Abraham, Billy had completely forgotten about Forest, giving no consideration to what impact his words might have on the man. Clearly, by proclaiming his sustained love for his past lover, Billy had inadvertently made it abundantly clear that he would be going back to Abraham at the first opportunity. This, however, had not been decided upon since Billy was still on the proverbial fence and, at this point, could easily swing either way: Abraham or Forest. Unfortunately, from what Billy remembered having just said, Forest would have no other choice but to assume that Billy had chosen Abraham. Therefore, the man had left so that he would no longer be a distraction or temptation. This was very bad. Billy had very strong feelings for Forest and the very last thing that he wanted was to chase him away.
Mirna studied him harshly a few moments before saying, "You'd better get your ass out there and get him back before he disappears from your life completely."
Knowing the truth behind these words, Billy rose to his feet as quickly as he could and hobbled to the door on his crutch. Once outside, he approached the railing in time to catch the tail end of Forest's car as it rounded the corner of the driveway onto the street and at that moment Billy felt a great heaviness bear down upon him. He had made many a blunder in his lifetime but this was one of his greater efforts and now the guilt of his recent words stabbed at his heart.
Once more he was being faced with a choice, and a decision had to be made. He could no longer straddle the fence and leave two men hanging, waiting for his decision. Billy needed to draw a line in the sand and cross over to one side or the other before it was too late and he lost both men... that is, unless it was too late already. Forest's rapid exit made it pretty obvious that he considered himself to already be out of the running so Billy needed to act now. Either he would go back go Abraham, or he would go running to the restaurant and tell Forest that he had misspoken and wanted him only.
This was exactly the same confusion that had caused him to hop on his bike that fateful day, and feeling it once more, Billy knew that he would do exactly the same if he had his bike right now. But running away would not solve his problems or cause a miraculous decision to appear, it would only make things worse. But which choice would be the right one?
Slowly, Billy turned and made his way back inside and onto the couch. "He's gone," he proclaimed quietly to Mirna.
"Yeah, I kind of gathered that by the long face. I think it's time that you made up your mind one way or another about Abraham."
"I know," he said, exhaling heavily and laying his head back against the couch. Gazing straight up he found that the white popcorn-style speckled ceiling appeared as if to purposely resemble the endearing characteristics of Abraham's face and Billy immediately considered this a sign of divine intervention. The fates were making up his mind for him and assumedly steering him in the proper direction.
"You realize that Abraham only wants you back so that he won't lose half of everything to you. Right?" Mirna asked, disrupting his decision process.
He lowered his sights to her. "You don't know that for sure."
"Shit. Billy, how many times do we have to go over this? Don't you think it even the slightest bit coincidental that he came to get you back on the very same day that he got papers telling him that he would have to give you half the assets of yours and his estate? The only reason for him wanting you back is so he won't lose anything. You'll sign something, clear him of any debt or loss, then he'll dump you faster than a dead fish."
Her point had been made quite clear the day of the accident but Billy was having a great deal of difficulty wrapping his mind around the belief that Abraham could do that to him. With Mirna insisting that the 'other guy' was still with Abraham, though, it complicated matters. Unless Billy knew for sure whether Abraham was still with this man, he would be unable to make an educated decision.
"I need for you to drive me over to my old house, tonight. I want to talk to Abe," he finally declared.
"And in the meantime? What about Forest?" she asked.
"That's why I need to talk to Abe tonight. After that, I can go to the restaurant and talk to Forest and tell him one way or another."
"Well, since you won't listen to reason, I suppose it's better than nothing. But I'm telling you, Abraham is going to continue to lie to you in order to save his ass."
Tired of hearing this, he cast her a glare. "You don't know that."
"Fine, have it your way. Tell you what, let's take Wei's car and park down the street and just watch the house for awhile."
"What for?"
Mirna shook her head. "You would make one lousy detective, Billy. To see if the other guy is still there or not, of course."
Billy frowned. "I'm not going over there to spy on him, I just want to talk to him."
"Humor me," she said in a tone that left no room for debate.
Billy again cast his sights above, this time seeing Forest's face on the ceiling. "Fine. Whatever."
At that moment Wei entered the apartment, looking frazzled; as if he had run the entire way to the store and back. In his hand he clutched a plastic bag which he handed over to Mirna. "Here you go."
Taking the bag, Mirna stood. "Fuck. I'm almost too afraid to find out to do this damned thing." Digging the box out of the bag, she scanned the printing on the back briefly, then thrust the box at her brother. "Here, Billy. Go pee on this thing and get back to me with the results."
"What?"
"So? Where is this mysterious white car that you've been telling me about?" Billy asked as he and his sister sat in Wei's dark, silent car, peering out the windshield.
Mirna had parked at the end of the block, granting the two a clear, unobstructed view of the complete driveway, which contained only a single car; Abraham's. Unfortunately, from this vantage point the neighboring house blocked Billy and Abraham's home, making it impossible to peer into any windows and Billy was rather anxious to do some peeking inside to see what Abraham was doing. And with whom!
"It's been parked there every time I've driven by. Maybe the other guy's at work or something," Mirna said softly, almost as if she were afraid of being overheard down the street.
"I really feel like I'm kind of snooping on him or something, and it doesn't feel right. I should just go talk to him," Billy said beneath the increasing sensation of guilt.
"You'll sit here with me and you'll like it," Mirna insisted with a hand to his arm, just to make certain that he did not make a mad grab for the door handle.
Resigned to the fact that he was on the losing end of any possible argument (at least for the time being) Billy settled back in his seat and prepared for what could turn out to be a very long wait. "Did you see the disappointment in Wei's eyes when you told him you weren't pregnant?"
"Did you see the relief in my eyes when I found out I wasn't pregnant?" Mirna countered.
"He was really hoping that you would give him a child."
"He and I have discussed this until we're blue in the face, Billy. Neither one of us is ready for a kid right now. We both have our careers and plans to buy a house in the near future, and a baby would put the kibosh on those in a big hurry."
Billy sighed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Still, Wei was pretty disappointed, tonight."
Mirna nodded. "Yeah, I guess he was, but he'll get over it. Now I have to figure out why I'm late. Not only that but I really did gain three damned pounds - thank you, again, for pointing that out to me."
"My pleasure," Billy assured her with a smile.
"Expect a letter bomb in tomorrow's mail," she replied bitterly.
Rolling things over in his mind, Billy contemplated his next move. If nothing happened in the next half hour he was definitely going to go have a chat with Abraham and end this spying business. After that, he would have his sister drive him over to Wei's restaurant and talk to Forest - assuming that Forest was still speaking with Billy after the unfortunate and inappropriate choice of words back at the apartment.
"You do realize that we're not exactly invisible here," Billy pointed out, seeing as how the street light directly overhead pretty much announced their position. "We may as well have a red neon arrow pointing down on the car."
"Well, where else was I supposed to park? In the fucking driveway?" she asked.
With theirs being the only vehicle parked alongside the street on the entire block, they did stick out like a sore thumb, but lacking any viable disguise or camouflage, their current position on the street was pretty much their only option. Abraham did know of Wei's car but Billy was banking on the proposition that his partner would more readily recognize Billy or Mirna's car, were he to step outside for whatever reason, and therefore not make the connection between the two inside and the less-noticeable vehicle.
"So, have you heard anything from Troy and Fred?" Mirna asked, referring to the gay couple who had taken Billy into their home when he had been suffering from amnesia merely a few weeks back.
"I don't know why you have such trouble with remembering their names," Billy reprimanded. "It's 'Adam'. Troy and Adam... as in: and Eve."
"Yeah, I know. I just say 'Fred' to get you riled up... as in: and Ethel."
"Well, stop it. And, no, I haven't heard anything from them. I imagine they don't even know about my accident. How long have we been sitting out here? I'm getting bored."
Mirna glanced down to her watch. "We've been sitting her for exactly three minutes. Your lack of patience is astounding."
Billy felt his jaw drop open and he turned to his sister so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash. "Me? You're one to talk about being impatient. You have a cow if there's more than one person ahead of you in the grocery store, and I won't even begin to describe what happens to you when you get behind the wheel of a car. Your driving scares the hell out of me."
"Oh, stop being the drama queen. There is nothing wrong with my driving, and the only reason I get upset at the store is because no matter which line I get in, that one will turn out to have the longest wait. Somebody will be trying to use an outdated coupon or complain that fourteen identical TV dinners counts as one item in the twelve items or less lane. I just have no patience for idiots, that's all."
"I would work on that impatience, if I was you."
"You're one to talk, Billy Butler," Mirna countered just as Billy pulled the door open and started to get out. "And just where the fuck do you think you're going, mister?" she asked, grabbing his arm.
"I'm tired of waiting. I want to go peek in some windows."
"...says the king of impatience," she said.
"Okay, I admit that I'm impatient. I still have to get over to Forest and talk with him, tonight, so I don't have time to just sit here and do nothing."
"And what do you hope to gain by becoming a peeping Tom?"
"You know damned well what I hope to gain, Mirna. Now, are you coming with me or not?"
"That would be 'not'. I don't want to get arrested for peeking in windows, and neither do you," she said, increasing her grip on his arm. "Now, close the damned door, turn out the light and sit here patiently. If you're lucky some guy will walk by and you can get a quickie while you wait."
Amused by her ridiculous notion, he soon realized the truth behind her words and pulled the door closed, dousing the interior light. Indeed, if Abraham or a neighbor were to call the cops, he could very well be arrested and that would most definitely delay his talk with Forest back at the restaurant. "Damn it, I hate just sitting here doing nothing," he complained, slumping down in the seat and readjusting the crutch that had slipped down beside him a moment ago.
"So, count sheep," Mirna said lightly.
"That's for sleep, not spying on a lover."
"Then count penises."
"Oh, you're a million laughs," he scolded while trying his best not to laugh. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Billy turned to discover a man strolling along the sidewalk about five or six houses down. The figure was slowly making his way toward their car and Billy briefly feared that the guy was a homeowner who might be coming to them to inquire as to what they were doing in his neighborhood. "Somebody's coming," he warned his sister.
"Very good, Billy. You win a gold star," she said condescendingly.
"I'll bet it's one of our neighbors. He's already called the cops and now he's coming to..." he began before being interrupted.
"So what are you worried about? You live here, too, you know... at least you used to. If it's one of your neighbors then just tell him that you lost your house key and you're waiting for Abraham to come home so you can get inside."
"Then how do I explain why we're parked down at the opposite end of the street?"
"Ran out of gas," she replied simply.
"Got an answer for everything, don't you?" he growled.
Studying the slowly approaching man a bit longer Billy found something increasingly familiar about his gait. The guy seemed to be walking very lightly, almost as if not to be touching the ground. There was only one person in this city that Billy knew to walk like that but he had not been seen in a number of years so it surely could not be him. Or could it? With an increasing sense of dread, Billy leaned forward in his seat in the hopes of better identifying the man in time to beat a hasty retreat were that to be necessary. Sure enough, as the man passed beneath a streetlight he was positively identified as an old acquaintance of his and Mirna's; Stewart Murphy. This was one of the last people that Billy needed to get involved with this evening, for to be discovered by Stewart was to spend the rest of the evening with Stewart. The man was a human leech who had fallen hard for Billy immediately upon their meeting some six years ago at a party that Mirna had dragged her brother to.
Billy noted that the man still looked mighty fine in his white shorts and tank top. Stewart was always painfully skinny, although his obvious workouts had paid off in muscular structure. His short white hair was not the color Billy remembered from their last meeting years ago, which pretty much proved that Stewart had decided to bleach it at some point. Moreover, a clear line was visible at the ears where the white hair ended and the black stubble of facial hair began, and at first glance it appeared a little strange, but after a few moments it began to actually look pretty damned good on him.
Regardless of the man's striking good looks, Billy was not in the mood to deal with Stewart. Not right now. He had enough on his plate and did not need an extra helping of distraction. "Quick, get us out of here!" Billy instructed while simultaneously ducking down in the seat.
"Is that who I think it is?" Mirna asked, herself leaning forward in her seat. "Is that Stewart?"
"Yes. Start the car. Go, go, go."
"Oh, don't be a clod, Billy. Stewart is a great person. He really likes you."
"That's the problem; he likes me a little too much. I can't deal with him right now. Please, get us the hell out of here."
"God, it's been years since we've seen him. I wonder what he's been up to?"
"Who the hell cares, Mirna?" Billy said in desperation while contemplating reaching over and turning the key in the ignition to get the show (and their hasty retreat) on the road.
"Since when did you become such an antisocial elitist?" Mirna asked as she began to roll down her window.
Disbelieving his eyes, Billy said, "What the hell do you think you're doing? We'll never get rid of him if he sees us."
Unfortunately, it was too late. Mirna had stuck her hand out the window and was now waving it back and forth. "Get over yourself, Billy."
Returning the wave, Stewart leaned down a bit in order to better see through the windshield, and once recognizing the occupants of the car a broad smile spread across his face. He then hastened his pace and swept up beside the car, leaning over. "Mirna? Is it really you?"
"Hey, Stewart," Mirna said brightly right before the man leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips.
Billy, meanwhile, was trying his best to scrunch down in the seat enough that he might somehow be overlooked. Unfortunately, as soon as Stewart pulled away from Mirna his eyes settled directly upon her passenger, making it plainly obvious to Billy that there was no escape.
"There's my guy. Hey, Bill, how's it hangin'?" Stewart asked as he pulled the back door open and slid in behind the two, igniting the dome light.
"Close the door," Billy instructed quickly. Remembering his sister's incriminating words, Billy squelched his desire to demand Stewart remove himself from the car, and, instead, forced a smile to his lips. "Good to see you again, Stew," he said as sweetly as he could.
"Hey, good to see you, too," Stewart returned, giving Billy a playful jab to the shoulder. "What are you two doing out here? Shouldn't you be home humpin' your husband, Bill?"
Thinking fast, Billy said, "We just had the house fumigated. We can't go back inside yet."
"Yeah, that's a bitch," Stewart said. "So, where is that tall piece of dark meat, anyway?"
"Abe's still at work," Billy lied.
"What have you been up to?" Mirna now asked with a turn in her seat to be able to look back.
"Been chillin'," Stewart replied. "Hey, what's with the crutch?" he then asked, wiggling the top of the crutch that extended over the back of the front seat.
"I had an accident on the motorcycle," Billy confessed. "I'll be okay in a couple weeks, though."
"Yeah, you gotta be careful on those things. So, what's going on with your chocolate bar and that piece of vanilla cake he's always hanging with?"
This remark caused Billy to also turn in his seat in order to look directly into Stewart's eyes. "What?"