10. Diego
DIEGO
Diego wasn’t sure how it happened, how they’d gone from strangers to such intimate friends. Well, lovers. Too soon to call each other boyfriends. Diego wasn’t sure about what all that entailed anyway, but they were definitely seeing each other almost every day, if not at work then for play.
Wylie’s name was consistently at the top of his messages and there were several photos of him in his camera roll, including the most recent, a selfie of him pouting with his big, blue eyes staring at the camera because he hadn’t gotten what he wanted.
In that instance it had been for Diego to blow off work and go waterskiing with him and the girls.
Wylie got his wish a few days later on Diego’s next day off, which had made for a memorable afternoon.
Diego had a real problem saying no to this man.
They’d been on a few more dates just the two of them: to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, to a seafood place on Indian Rocks Beach that Wylie claimed had the best grouper bites (he was right), and then, as a throwback, they went to the skating rink.
Wylie was decent enough at roller skating, but Diego kept winding up on his ass, not to mention all the little kids falling everywhere on the rink and tripping him up.
They’d ended up turning in their skates and playing video games in the arcade instead.
Wylie was a whiz at most of those old school video games and traded in his tickets for a little stuffed sea turtle, which now sat propped on Diego’s dresser as a momento from their date.
If the inmates at PCI could see him now…
Wylie was making him soft.
But, honestly, Diego deserved a little softness in his life, didn’t he?
And besides that, Wylie was interesting and fun to be around.
He was a different kind of addiction, a healthy one, Diego hoped, though he was wary of developing any sort of dependence on another person.
He could tell himself all day long that it wasn’t serious, and they were just having fun, but the feeling Diego got whenever he saw that Wylie had messaged him or when he first caught sight of him at the pit, and especially when they were meeting up for a date–that feeling made him nervous.
Presently, Diego was at Sunset Village for a Fourth of July barbecue Wylie had invited him to.
The pit was closed for the holiday and Wylie had finagled a bunch of meat at discounted prices from Frank.
The residents of Sunset Village had all contributed sides, everything from a bomb-ass mac n’cheese to a suspicious-looking casserole known simply as, “the green stuff.”
Wylie and Diego manned the grill while an interesting mix of seventies rock and reggaeton played on the speakers.
After everyone had stuffed their faces, they congregated around the main yard in lawn chairs and waited for the city fireworks display to begin.
Wylie was handing out lit sparklers to all of his neighbors while Kayla followed behind him, waving around a glowstick in her chubby fist. “Unki Wy,” she called him, trailing him like a puppy, not unlike Diego himself.
It seemed no one was immune to Wylie’s charms.
Brian MacPherson was notably absent, and Hannah was chatting with one of Wylie’s neighbors while keeping an eye on Kayla, a red Solo cup of sweet tea in one hand.
Diego thought about the overnight bag he’d packed, now sitting somewhere in Wylie’s trailer, and the invitation he’d received earlier that day via text, Stay the night?
It had included prayer hands and the pleading face emoji as well as the eggplant, peach, and sweat droplets.
Diego was still learning this new form of text-speak but had deduced that orgasms were on the menu.
Was Diego really going to give up his ass tonight? He shifted in his seat. It seemed a strong possibility.
“How’s the pit been treating you?” Nancy asked as she took up the empty chair beside him, a half-finished cigarette in one hand and an ash tray in the other. Diego swiftly switched mental tracks.
“Good, ma’am. Frank’s started me on the smokers. He puts in long hours, and I’m sure he’d like to sleep in a couple days a week, spend some more time with the kids.”
“He’s got three now, is that right?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. The littlest one’s still in diapers.”
“Call me Nancy, Diego,” she said with a warm, weathered smile.
Calling a former teacher by their first name? Blasphemous. “How about Mrs. Miller?” he suggested.
“Lord, no, Mrs. Miller retired. It’s just Nancy now, I insist.”
“All right, Nancy,” Diego said with some hesitation. “How’s retirement been treating you? Were you happy to leave Largo after all those years?”
“Lord yes, I was. Wish I’d done it sooner. I miss the kids–some of them–but a lot of them still come by here and hang out from time to time. Lesson for you, young man. Start saving early so you don’t have to work like a dog till the day you die.”
“Solid advice,” Diego agreed, recalling how Nancy had always been one of those teachers who didn’t try to bullshit you about what the real world was like. She was straight-up about everything, a quality she and Wylie had in common. “It’s pretty cool what you did for Wylie. After his mom died.”
She nodded and took a long drag of her cigarette, shaking her head.
“No child should have to go through what that boy went through with his mother. And that father of his? Useless. I swear, these people have kids and then just throw up their hands like it’s someone else’s responsibility to take care of them. ”
“Well, you certainly stepped up.”
“Kid’s easy to love. Hard worker. Always thinking of other people first. Rare these days.”
“Rare throughout all days, I’d say,” Diego surmised.
She hummed in agreement. “So, Diego, what are your intentions for my Wylie Fox?” Her shrewd eyes narrowed on him and her eyebrows raised expectantly.
Diego should have known they’d get here eventually. His former English teacher wasn’t going to go easy on him, never had. “We’re taking it one day at a time. Figuring things out as we go.”
“He has plans to go to law school, you know?”
“Top ten percent. You don’t have to worry about me tying him down, Nancy. I’m on birth control.”
She let out a throaty laugh, which then turned into a rasping cough. Diego patted her bony back a few times and when she finally recovered, wiping tears from her eyes, she said, “I remember you being a funny one. Clever when you decided to show up.”
“Yep. I was a handful back then. Trying to change my ways. But seriously, I know Wylie has goals, and I’m not going to stand in his way of achieving them. Promise.” He made the Sign of the Cross, just in case she doubted him.
“It’s not about you, personally. Lord knows you’re the nicest man he’s brought home in a while now.” She gave Diego a stern look. “And it’s not because you’ve been in prison either, just in case you’re thinking it.”
Diego appreciated her candor and that she stated the imbalance between Wylie and him, even if she wasn’t going to hold it against him.
Better to get it out in the open than to tip-toe around things.
“Thank you for saying that. You’ve invested a lot in him over the years, and you want to see him succeed. ”
“He has so much talent. So damn smart.”
They both looked across the small expanse of yard to where Wylie was making shapes with the lit sparkler against the deepening purples of twilight. Kayla was enthralled, pointing at the trails of light. Diego felt similarly struck by the man.
“He’s pretty special,” Diego said warmly. The tender feeling was tinged with a bit of melancholy too, knowing their relationship had an expiration date.
“I bet you’re pretty special too. Tell me, Diego, what are your goals for yourself?”
“Oh man,” Diego said with an affable smile.
Trust Mrs. Miller to capitalize on this opportunity to give him some career coaching, but he didn’t mind it all that much.
Honestly, he needed someone holding him accountable.
So, he told her about some of his long-term ambitions–classes at the local community college to work toward a business degree, possibly an MBA in the future, opening up a small diner or deli of sorts, eventually.
“I need a career where I can be my own boss,” Diego admitted.
He had a problem with authority and being told what to do in general.
He also didn’t want to be at the mercy of some shithead boss or a bad business owner.
Been there, done that. He wanted to build something for himself, and if it failed, well, that was on him too.
“That’s a good thing to know about yourself,” Nancy said.
She asked a few questions about his family, having taught some of his cousins over the years.
Their conversation lasted until Wylie needed help starting the bonfire, and then there was a round of s’mores to distribute as darkness settled and the fireworks began lighting up the night sky in bursts of color and sound.
Some of the dogs started howling from inside the trailers.
Diego wrapped his arm around Wylie’s waist and thought the fireworks were an apt metaphor for their relationship.
Wild and spectacular, if brief. Even if it wasn’t meant to last, Diego was going to make the most of their time together, learn as much from the man as he could, and hopefully learn something about himself too.
“Whatcha thinkin’ bout?” Wylie asked him, leaning over to kiss the soft, tender part of his neck.
“How handsome you are. How much you contribute to this little community here. How they all seem to love the shit outta you.”
Wylie smiled, a different kind of smile. Not ballsy or mischievous, but tender and a little bashful.