Chapter 26

They were sitting around an old, laminated table in a diner from another era. The smell of bleach cleaner mingled with the smell of old oil in the deep fryer oozing from the kitchen. Mikel’s chair rocked because the back right leg was missing its plastic mount.

“This place reminds me of bad nights after too much to drink,” Hyun said.

“Been there and done that,” Megan said, placing her hand on top of Hyun’s as if she was making sure everyone knew she had staked the claim. “There aren’t many choices around here, not like the city.”

“It’s cool,” Nicola said. “Get some food in my belly and I’m happy. If they do their best to keep the insect parts and rodent hairs to a minimum, I’ll deal with whatever they serve.”

“About that,” Mikel said and stopped, after receiving three sets of dirty looks. “Fine. I’m happy to be here with three companions in a place far removed from what we’ve known. Happy?”

“How’s Remy?” Hyun said, changing the subject.

“I have pictures,” Mikel said, waving his mobile. “Prepare to be amazed.” He brought up the first of the series and passed his phone around. He watched their faces morph into expressions of amazement. “She was always there; we couldn’t see until now.”

“Stunning.”

“Gorgeous.”

“Man killer,” Nicola said. “She’s going to put you in an early grave with a shit-eating grin on your face.”

“Channeling Chaucer, are we?” Mikel said, tucking away his mobile in his pocket. When he saw Megan’s puzzled face, he explained. “One of Chaucer’s most famous stories is “The Lady of Bath” who fucked her husbands to death. They died desperately happy, and she inherited their wealth. Everybody won.”

“The original ‘The Vagina that Ate the World’ in literature,” Hyun said. “Chaucer liked his pussy. What are we going to eat?”

“Processed chicken, processed beef, soy substitutes, and french fries are the best bets I see on the menu,” Megan said. “A dish of diarrhea, a plate of nightlong flatulence, or a belly bloat for a day or two. The choices are simply delish. This is a one-and-only tonight?”

Hyun pulled out a writer’s pad and a mechanical pencil. “I’ve made a list of what we need to do tomorrow, which leads to a second list of what we need to buy. We can save it until after food if you want.”

Nicola sighed. “My house was canceled because it was in an unlisted flood plain. I’m a day if not more behind everybody.”

“You’ll stay with me until you find the house that meets all your needs,” Mikel said. “I had help and Hyun had help. Tomorrow, you will have help as well.”

“What about when Remy comes? I’m the only single.”

“Recovery takes time,” Megan said. “I’ve got my four-year coin to prove it.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a coin with the number 4 embossed on one side and Alcoholics Anonymous on the other. “Alcoholism runs deep in the LGBTQ+ communities. We have many more pressures than the rest of the world and we’re vulnerable. Do you understand?”

Nicola nodded with a wry smile. “I’m six weeks sober, I guess. However, my world has drastically changed for the better in an ever so small slot of time. All the things that drove me to drugs are gone and physically removed from the world.”

“Yeah, I hear ya,” Megan said, “but don’t fool yourself. The wounds on your soul are real and they must be addressed. No one returns from the victorious battle without wounds that need to heal. Understand?”

Nicola gave her a thumbs up as the waitress walked over to take their order with an old tablet in her hand. All of them ordered safe and simple, even though the eggs were poured out of a carton and the bread was akin to cotton candy. The off-brand soda tasted as advertised, off.

“We’re going to need a truck tomorrow, one with enough battery capacity to run around the area a few times,” Megan said. “Both cars are fine for grocery store and small item runs, but we’re going to need bags of cement, rebar, and joint compound and roofing material. If there is someplace to rent tools, that would be convenient. Tannersville seems to be the biggest shopping area in a sixty-mile radius. We will need to haul from here to Downing and back.”

Mikel tapped his phone.

“Choo-choo, muthafucka!” his speaker bleated, and the entire table fell about laughing. Mikel did his best to ignore them as he issued requests and selected the options Bass Clef presented. In a complicated sequence of decision trees, Mikel nailed down a truck rental and forced a download of maps, stores, and businesses into Megan’s phone.

What he learned over dinner was that being a homeowner was going to be a scary and daunting task. There was no landlord to call to complain. With the bill paid and the plan for tomorrow made clear, he dragged Nicola over to the motel and locked themselves in the room for the night.

By the time he emerged from the bathroom, Nicola was snoring on the bed. He crawled under the sheet next to her and closed his eyes. He was quickly slipping into oblivion when a buzzing coaxed him awake. He swatted around his ear, but the buzzing did not abate. Sticking his finger in his ear, he used his nail to try to do something and nothing eased the buzz.

“Forte, is that you?” he whispered.

“Hi Mikel, I’m establishing neural bridges as fast as I can, but we’ve reached the boundary where biochemistry is no longer science and is now an artform. Please tap the Bluetooth icon on your mobile and then tap DISCOVER. Once linkage is established, I will push you into your normal REM cycle for sleep.”

Her voice reminded him of the ice cream he ate the other day: sweet, smooth, and delivering deliciousness. Unlike Aria, his cock did not suddenly inflate and go rigid. Her voice offered a sense of comfort and downhome pleasure like curling under a crocheted blanket on a stuffed couch on a cold night. “I need to sleep, but I need to be up at 06:30 too. Possible?”

“Possible,” she said. “Link established. Sweet dreams, Mikel.”

At the requested time, Mikel heard the strains of the Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass peppering away at “Tequila.” He almost laughed aloud as he muttered “Tequila!” at the pause. “Good crazy” he said softly as he pushed himself up, planting his feet on the ground.

“Um, what? Why are you up?” Nicola whined.

“Up and at ‘em, Sunshine,” Mikel said, reaching over to shake her shoulder. “You need to buy a house today while the opportunity still exists.”

“Can’t I just live with you and Remy for a while,” she moaned. “Please.”

Mikel found the request disturbing and appealing at the same time. He rose from the bed and took his time working through his ablutions. When he emerged from the bathroom, Nicola was sitting up with her head and her eyes closed. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Mikel, this is too hard. I don’t want a house; I don’t want the responsibility. I’m still a teenager, technically speaking. I’m supposed to be in college, fucking myself stupid and doing stupid shit. I don’t want a house and I don’t want to be alone.”