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That first one person to remember.
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Publié :1/6/2023 19h53
Dernière mise à jour :26/5/2024 16h16 9012 vues
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I didn’t know what was up with Riley, my sisters husband. We had been special friends in high school. He was my only friend really. I kept to myself mostly. We met in gym class my sophomore year. He was a class ahead of me same as my sister. Through me he hooked up with my sister, which I thought was a bit insulting in a way, since we did a lot together before they dated, he had a car. From then on she was always around. I didn’t think I had a right to hold him for myself. It was his choice and he didn’t ask my opinion. We never went to a physical stage but at some level, I hoped that that was what we both wanted. They dated, married and went to college in another state together and now they moved back.
“I need that filter now.” Riley said. I swiveled around to the stack of supplies. “Do you always strain the lacquer? I asked as I held it out to him.
“This time yeah. I don’t want my sprayer messed up.” I thought though, he meant fucked up. I payed him what he needed for the materials. After a couple of good coats we were done.
“Thanks for helping me out with this.” I replied a bit apprehensive. We hadn’t talked in some time. I had bought some unfinished bookshelves that I was going to hand paint but on a lark Riley was working in his garage spraying a refinish job. I payed him what he needed for the materials. After a couple of good coats we were done. These weren’t going to be enough space for my books but it was what I could afford.
The thing about Riley, he was real sexy when I first saw him heading for the locker room showers. I was shocked that he came up to me after that class. He looked real hot in his all white boxers. The view of his behind is in etched in my memory. We had eyes for each other but we never had a conversation about that. It just wasn’t possible to confess we were attracted to each other. Our families just wouldn’t appreciate their boys being gay. We still were members of the church and trying to pray the gay away. Sadly, our gayness was even a kind of secret to each other.
“They need to sit for a bit to out gas before you move them, to harden the finish.” He tried to avoid my eyes. Nothing more was said. I felt a bit awkward. So I manhandled the cases from inside of the face frame to walk them out toward the open air. “Don’t fuck them up.” He yelled.
“Hey, do you want to talk about something? I don’t need a cold shoulder every time we meet. What did I do? Are you mad at me?”
Riley looked around to peek out the garage door for any ears to hear us. “This isn’t…” He pointed at me and himself alternately. “I think I fucked up. I was so ready to dick around and you weren’t coming around and I thought I’d make this, normal thing, the marriage work.”
“There isn’t any… You should have at least talked it out with me before you sought out my sister for fuck sake.”
“We never talked about any sex stuff.” He just stared at me. We heard the screen door squeak and just looked at each other.
“Riley? Is it ok to hang some sheets on the line now? Are you finished spraying?”
“Yeah we are done.” Rileys stuck his head out of the small garage door to speak to Siss.
“Are you ready for some ice tea? Stinky. She remarked. Come out of there. That can’t be good for you.” Sis stood in the door way.
We never talked about anything again. I moved on, they moved away again. I heard odd stuff about them through the grape vine of the family. I still got birthday and Christmas cards from them. About 10 years later they were divorced with a son.
Within a year after that day I left the church when I was 22. I was tired of the enmity with the church. Crazy thing is I also married and tried to continue to pray the gay away in my own way knowing that that wasn’t even a thing. I appeased my family until they passed.
Some thirty years later I happened to see Riley’s name on Facebook. I messaged him. We met up in Palm Springs. I was euphoric at the meeting. We cleared the air but of course we were different people. I met his husband, a super guy.
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