Chapter 10
Jon was terrified. Levi had told him how much of a father figure Gus was to him, and he didn’t want him to think that he was taking advantage of him. Levi insisted he didn’t need to wear anything special, but Jon was determined he had to make a good impression. The hard part was not looking like he was trying too hard, though. He pulled a pair of khaki jeans from the dresser drawer and pulled a polo shirt from the closet.
“Levi, is it just going to be the three of us?”
“Yeah, his wife Betty died last year.”
Levi looked him up and down when he came out of the office.
“You know you don’t have to dress up this much, right?”
“I know, but I want to make a good impression.”
Levi laughed and shook his head. “Let’s get going.”
“So why exactly did Gus invite us over?”
“Well, we are celebrating his retirement.”
“And I was invited because?”
“Because he wants to make sure I didn’t invite a serial killer into my home,” he laughed.
Jon looked at him for a moment, and then it hit him. Gus was looking out for Levi. He had mentioned that Gus was like a father to him, and now Jon felt the pressure and nerves build up in his stomach.
Levi could see that he was nervous. “Don’t stress it, just be yourself. Besides, he remembers you from the bar the other night, anyway. You made quite the impression.”
That didn’t ease Jon’s concern. He had been rather drunk. Drunk enough to serenade a man he didn’t know in front of a bunch of drunken strangers, and if he was completely honest, he didn’t remember a lot of his interactions with anyone other than Levi.
Levi pulled into the driveway, and the craftsman-style bungalow seemed to fit Gus’s personality, at least as far as he could tell from Levi’s description of him.
The old man was sitting on the porch waiting for them to arrive.
“Levi, I’m glad y’all could make it. You must be Jon.”
Jon shook the man’s hand firmly; the feigned formality told him everything he needed about how the night was going to go.
“Come on in. I gotta get the steak on the grill.”
He motioned both men through the house towards the back patio. Levi and Gus were chatting as they walked through. Jon followed closely, but let his eyes wander to take in his surroundings. The house was well kept, with lots of photos of Gus and his family. Levi couldn’t help but notice the young man in the photos resembled Levi. As they went through the kitchen, Gus handed them both a beer. “Steaks will be done in just a few minutes.”
The men stood on the patio chatting while the steaks were cooking. Levi had been right. Gus had a way of just getting you to open up, and it wasn’t long before he had heard all of Jon’s story. Levi put his arm around the younger man when his voice cracked, but he managed to not break down.
“I know it’ll always hurt, but you’ve got quite the guardian angel there, Jon. Don’t fuck it up.”
Levi looked at Gus. “You usually aren’t that blunt. You ok?”
“Yeah, this just brought up something that I wasn’t expecting it to. Levi, I never told you about the day we met, did I?”
“I remember it like it was yesterday, and I even told Jon about it. That was the day you changed my life and probably saved it.”
“Well, take a seat,” he said as he flipped the steaks. “I need to tell you the whole story.”
“I had spent the entire morning at the graveyard. You know Tim had only been gone a month at that point. A month to the day.” The old man sighed. “I was planning on selling the bar and leaving town. Betty wasn’t keen on the idea, but there were too many memories and too much guilt.” Gus stopped to take a drink and a deep breath.
Jon wondered what this man could be guilty of, and from his expression, Levi wondered the same.
Gus sighed. “Tim killed himself. In his suicide note, he said he thought he was gay, and that he would lose us. Damnit, we wouldn’t have loved him any less,” the old man teared up “and then when I ran into you. You looked so much like him, and after you told me what had happened, it was almost like God was saying ‘prove it, old man. Prove that you wouldn’t have been a bigot. Show him the love you would have showed your son,’ so I did.”
Levi walked over and embraced the old man. Jon didn’t know him well, but he placed his hand on his shoulder.
“I didn’t know.”
“No one did, and I didn’t want you to think I was helping you out of self-pity.”
The old man wiped his eyes. “The steaks are done. Levi, can you go grab the potatoes out of the oven, and grab us some more beer?”
“Sure thing.”
“Jon, I wanted to talk to you alone for a sec. He puts up a good front, but I know he’s really into you. If you hurt him, I swear to God…”
“I won’t,” he interrupted. “I promise.”
Levi walked back out.
“Talking about me?”
“Not at all. I was just asking Jon here about how the job search was coming along. How many applications did you say you got put in?”
“Fifteen today. I’ve got a good feeling about at least a couple of them.”
“Good, it sounds like we may have occasion to celebrate again soon. But tonight, it’s the official new management and transitional owner of the Ivory Dragon.”
Levi blushed, and Jon looked surprised.
“Oh, so you didn’t tell him?”
“No, because tonight we are celebrating your retirement more than anything. You deserve it.”
Jon raised his beer. “Here’s to new beginnings.”
Gus smiled. “To new beginnings.”