CHAPTER 16 #2
The police officer seemed downright exhausted by this performance.
He trudged to the back room. Ten minutes went by.
Then twenty. Sharon shot them a reassuring nod, as if she knew that everything would be fine.
A heavy door squeaked open. A different officer escorted a scrawny Hispanic man into the waiting area—Iván, judging from the way Fernanda crushed him in a hug.
“Thank you for protecting the community,” Sharon said over their noisy reunion. “I appreciate the caution and expediency with which you handled this matter.”
She ushered them all outside. From there, it was a short ride to the sports bar, where everything had gone down.
Payment was handled right there on the sidewalk, Silvia looking away in discretion.
Loud voices drew her attention back again as the happy couple walked to their car, Fernanda swatting her husband along the way.
“What were you thinking? You idiot! The next time you decide to play hero, think about your wife first. You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“I don’t need you to translate that for me,” Sharon said, turning to her. “Thank you for your help. And your patience. Now what can I do for you?”
“Oh!” Silvia’s mind went blank. “Um…”
“Is everything all right with your parents?” Sharon prompted.
“Yes! That’s why I’m here. I want to do what you do. That is… I’d like to be a lawyer. I’m taking a business law class at school.”
“That’s great,” Sharon said, her tone supportive, but only in the way a baseball player might respond to a young fan who was aiming for the big leagues.
“I can type,” Silvia said, trying again. “And I’m really good at taking notes.”
“Wait,” Sharon said, looking her up and down. “Are you asking for a job?”
“No! I would work for free.”
“The hell you will!” Sharon said. “This is fantastic! My usual paralegal went on maternity leave, and as you saw, the temp working the evening shift can’t speak Spanish.
I’ve been meaning to hire someone but…. This is going to save me so much effort!
You’re still in high school? We’ll work around that. When can you start?”
Silvia stared. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah! As long as you don’t mind translation work. Taking notes is fine. I need that too, but this way, you’ll be in the thick of it with me. Give it a week or two, then decide if you still want to be an attorney.”
“I’m already sure,” Silvia said. “Especially after tonight.”
Sharon grinned. “If this is your idea of fun, there’s plenty more where that came from. Can you stop by the office after school tomorrow?”
“Yes! I’ll be there.”
They discussed a few more details on the ride back to the office where she had left her pickup truck.
After they parted, Silvia stood in front of the building, her dream feeling much more realistic than it had this morning.
Even if she didn’t get into law school, she could act as a translator.
At least until Sharon’s paralegal returned from maternity leave when, presumably, Silvia’s services would no longer be needed.
She intended to make herself indispensable and learn all she could until then.
Tonight had steeled her resolve. Silvia wanted to help people. More than just about anything.
— — —
Cameron felt the car seat lean as the passenger in the back gripped it in excitement.
“You would freaking love it!” Omar was saying.
“I’m not into musicals,” Anthony replied without taking his eyes off the road.
Omar looked at Cameron in disbelief. “Does that make sense to you?”
“Even I’ve seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” he murmured.
“See! Anthony, all you do is talk about music, but you don’t wanna watch a movie that is literally full of music?”
“It’s not the same thing,” Silvia said from the back.
Cameron’s seat leaned again as Omar turned to address her.
“You love music videos. How are musicals any different?”
“Musicals are visually driven,” she replied. “People go to see them.”
“People go to see concerts too.”
“True,” Anthony said grudgingly, “but you can listen to an album without seeing it. The music comes first. Any sort of visual performance is secondary.”
“Whereas musicals are designed as a stage performance,” Silvia added. “They’re meant to be seen.”
“Whatever,” Omar replied. “You guys like music. You should like musicals. This one especially, my dude, because there’s a muscular guy who runs around in nothing but shiny gold underwear for the whole movie.”
“I’m listening,” Anthony replied.
“Dr. Frank-N-Furter created him as a sex slave. Speaking of which, you’d love Tim Curry’s character. He’s a transvestite! There’s a whole song about it and everything!”
Cameron tensed. “Anthony isn’t a transvestite.”
“He wears makeup,” Omar replied.
“That isn’t the same thing.”
“Okay, fine, so he doesn’t wear women’s clothes.”
“He did at the slumber party,” Silvia chimed in.
Omar twisted to face her. “Wait… What?”
She nodded. “You should have seen him. He was so pretty.”
Omar’s head swiveled again, this time to the driver. “When did this happen?”
Anthony shrugged.
Omar did too before returning his attention to Cameron. “That just proves my point. Anthony is a sweet transvestite. He’d love the movie.”
“I’m what?”
Cameron bristled. “It’s the name of a song.”
“All right,” Anthony replied. “I’ll watch it.”
“See?” Omar demanded. “I know what he likes.”
Cameron placed a palm on Omar’s forehead and pushed, forcing him into the backseat again.
“Too much?” Omar asked while laughing.
“You’re always too much,” Silvia replied.
“Hey, don’t blame me. You’ve been having an affair with a textbook. I’m attention-starved!”
“I’ll let you rub my feet,” Silvia said, pulling up her legs. “How’s that sound?”
“I’m into it.” Omar settled back and took her feet into his lap. “I’m really glad we’re doing this. We need the break. Especially now that we all have jobs.”
Anthony had taken over from Silvia at the record store, her boss happy that he wouldn’t have to search for a replacement.
Cameron was busy with the chair restoration project, cane-weaving proving to be surprisingly therapeutic.
He had mixed feelings about how full their schedules were, since their time together was limited.
Then again, he supposed it was good practice for what was to come.
Cameron had some misgivings, but now wasn’t the time to address them.
They arrived at the mall, had lunch in the food court, and browsed stores together.
“Check it out,” Omar said, in reverent tones. He nodded across the main corridor. “Victoria’s Secret! I’ve always wanted to go in there.”
“So why don’t you?” Silvia asked.
“By myself? People would think I’m a perv.”
“But you are, Blanche!” Anthony said in a raspy voice. “You are a perv!”
Omar chuckled. “Great movie. Hey, now that I have a girlfriend…” He looked hopefully at Silvia.
“I can get you in,” she said. “Just don’t ask me to reveal Victoria’s secret. Women take a sacred vow at puberty to never reveal it.”
“I bet she has a dick,” Anthony murmured.
Silvia gasped. “Who told you?”
“This is going to be so rad!” Omar rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Are you guys coming?”
Cameron shook his head. “I’m pretty sure gay men turn to ash when entering that store. Knock yourself out. We’ll wait here.”
Anthony seemed slightly disappointed by this decision.
“Let’s sit over there,” Cameron said, nodding at a bench a few stores down. He yearned for privacy, still hounded by concern.
Anthony took his arm when it was offered. He seemed distracted. So when they finally sat, Cameron leaned forward to catch his attention and wasted no time in getting to the point.
“Omar doesn’t know about Annie. Does he?”
Anthony went rigid. Then he shook his head.
“How come you haven’t told him?”
Anthony’s gaze moved over the people walking by as he continued to nibble his bottom lip. Then he shrugged.
“You guys tell each other everything,” Cameron pressed. “But he didn’t even know about the slumber party makeover. And now you’re playing it up like some sort of joke.”
“You mean the crack I made about Victoria’s Secret?”
“Yes! You remind me of how I acted back in junior high. I was always making jokes about gay people. I guess to test the waters, or maybe I just needed to express it somehow. But you don’t have to worry about Omar. He’ll never turn his back on you. No matter what.”
Anthony met his gaze. “Is that what he said?”
“It’s what we both know. So why are you holding back?”
Anthony swallowed. Then he shrugged. “He wouldn’t get it.”
“So educate him! You’ve already come out once. You know how it goes. We’re always convinced that people will have a meltdown, even though most of them don’t. He’s not going to reject you.”
Anthony pressed his lips together and looked the other way.
Cameron waited patiently for him to respond, but the silence remained thick between them.
“This isn’t what we agreed to,” he said. “We promised to be real with each other, in the time that remains.”
Anthony sighed. “Sure, but at the expense of hurting each other’s feelings?”
“Why not? I want to feel it all! Good or bad, because someday soon, I’m going to wish I was sitting here, getting my heart broken by you.”
Anthony swallowed. He scooted closer, snaking his arm around Cameron’s own, their fingers intertwining. “I’m going to miss you so much.”
“So be with me now. The real you. No holds barred.”
Anthony nodded. “I uh… I am scared that Omar will reject me. Not as a friend, because you’re right. We’ll always be that to each other. But there’s one last hope.”
Cameron felt the sting of jealousy, but he ignored it. Understanding the person he loved was more important than his wounded ego.
“Isn’t that all the more reason to tell him?”
“No,” Anthony croaked. “I’m afraid he won’t really see Annie as a woman, or find her attractive enough for us to…”
“Finally be together,” Cameron finished for him.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It makes sense. So what’s the plan? You’ll be Anthony to him and Annie to everyone else?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t have all the answers yet.
That’s another reason why I’m waiting. So I can explain it to him definitively, no matter what he ends up thinking.
” Anthony looked over at him suddenly. “I’m so grateful to you for letting me explore this.
I feel secure enough to do so with you. I couldn’t with him.
As close as I am to Omar, what we have is special.
Because of who you are and how you make me feel.
So thank you. I love you in a way that I’ve never loved anyone else. Even him.”
Cameron searched green eyes, seeing nothing but sincerity there. Anthony wasn’t trying to make him feel better. He was simply speaking the truth.
“I love you too,” he replied, his heart bursting with the emotion. “Enough that I hope you get what you want. If it can’t be me…”
“Forget about all that,” Anthony said dismissively. “I’m with you. Nothing else matters to me right now.”
Cameron leaned forward. They kissed, both of them having to wipe away tears after pulling away. Which was fine. With any luck, by the time he moved, neither of them would have any more left to cry.
Anthony’s attention moved across the storefronts, settling on one in particular. Cameron followed his gaze, but there was no sign of the others.
“You’re desperate to go into that store, aren’t you?”
“I must know her secret!” Anthony hissed theatrically.
Cameron laughed. Then he stood and offered his hand. “Let’s go find out.”
He pulled Anthony to his feet, noticing the sorrow in his boyfriend’s gaze. Cameron’s own was probably similar. They needed something to look forward to instead of always dreading the end. As they walked together, he realized exactly what that should be.
“What?” Anthony asked when noticing his smile.
Cameron’s grin got even bigger. “You’ll see.”