By My Side

by Grant C. Holland

  Derek spotted an advertisement on his computer for Caribbean cruises. He knew that was out of his league at the moment, but it made him think about taking a vacation with Yale. They never really traveled together in the past.

  Back in high school, they went on a camping trip with Aaron, Thomas, and a few other friends. Putting up their tent was an unintended adventure. The camping equipment was rented from the local community college, and Derek was convinced that he knew exactly how to set up the tent.

  Yale tried to help by pointing at poles and saying, “I think you might want to use this one next.”

  Instead of following the suggestions, Derek barked at Yale and said, “I know how to do this. Just cool your jets and let me take care of it.”

  Thirty minutes later with the tent no closer to being set up than when he started, Derek asked, “What was your idea?”

  Yale said, “Just give me a couple of minutes.”

  Derek stepped back and poked at the campfire to try and raise the flame higher. While the fire belched out more smoke, Yale had the tent set up and ready to occupy in less than five minutes.

  Derek grumbled, “You’re just a show-off.”

  “It’s really pretty easy once you get it started the right way,” said Yale.

  They did take an all-day city trip together one time to have lunch with Thomas while he was in veterinary school. Derek went armed with both GPS and a road atlas. However, in the end it was Yale who figured out the correct turn to keep them from traveling around in circles. Derek knew that Yale was much more intelligent and had better intuition than most people believed. Through the years, he learned just how valuable Yale’s opinions and gut instinct could be.

  In just a few weeks, Yale proved to be an outstanding manager of the bookstore. Derek’s own mother Stella stopped in one day to purchase a new book on setting tables for private parties and special events. She called Derek as soon as she got home and said, “Your Uncle Don would be proud.” Unfortunately, she didn’t stop there. She also added, “It’s a shame that Yale hasn’t graduated from college.”

  Derek thought a road trip with Yale down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina or maybe even the Florida Keys could be worth withdrawing a little money from his personal savings. Before he got the chance to investigate further on his computer, Aaron called.

  Aaron asked, “Do you mind coming to pick me up and give me a ride home? I’ve got a flat tire, and before you go lecturing me on changing it, I’ve tried all of that. I was sure I knew where the jack goes and how to loosen and tighten the nuts, but damn, Derek, it just doesn’t work that way.”

  Derek suppressed his impulse to giggle. He could see Aaron in his mind making a half-hearted attempt to jack up the car and then just giving the flat tire a big, swift kick before picking up the phone to call.

  He asked, “Should you just call a tow truck? I mean, your car has to go somewhere.”

  “Don’t you know how to change a tire?” asked Aaron. “Or do I need to call Yale. He’s the real man among us.”

  Derek laughed out loud. He said, “I’ve changed a tire before, and Yale still has about an hour left at the bookstore. Where are you?”

  Aaron read the address from the GPS program on his phone. He said, “I’m probably not more than half a mile from work.”

  “Oh, that’s great. I mean, it’s not great that you have the flat tire, but that’s really close to that little Chinese place that Yale loves. I’ll leave him a note, and then I’ll pick up Chinese for dinner after we get you on the road.”

  Aaron said, “Well, please get here as soon as you can. I’ll be the skinny guy sitting next to an old beat-up Toyota on the side of the road with the bumper jacked partway up.”

  Derek grabbed his keys, and he scribbled out two notes. They both said the same thing, “Had to run and help Aaron. Will be back shortly with Chinese for dinner. Don’t cook anything.”

  He stuck one note to the kitchen door and the other to the middle of the refrigerator door. He figured that Yale would notice at least one of them. Derek looked forward to dinner. The last time they ate Chinese together they ended up feeding each other lo mein noodles with their chopsticks. They tried out sharing a noodle Lady and the Tramp style and only ended up with soy sauce all over their faces.

  * * *

  Aaron’s description was right on target. His car was pulled off on the shoulder of the road, and Aaron was sitting on the ground leaning back against the front wheel. He had one of his long legs bent and pulled up close to his chest. Aaron was wearing old blue jeans with worn, threadbare patches and a red T-Shirt from the community college in Mitchell. Derek pulled off the road just ahead of Aaron’s car and popped the trunk of his own car before he hopped out.

  Derek walked up to his friend with a jack in one hand and a lug wrench in the other. Aaron said, “Damn, it’s good to see you. I guess everything happens so fast these days that it feels like you are waiting forever when you just have to sit here. My battery is almost dead in my phone, and there isn’t a damn thing to do but watch the traffic go by.”

  “Do you have a spare tire?” asked Derek.

  Aaron said, “Yeah, I do. I have all the shit that I’m supposed to have.” He pointed at the jack and the lug wrench and said, “I even have those, but I guess I have to admit, he-man that I am, I don’t really know exactly how they work.”

  “Well, let’s do this,” said Aaron. “I’ll get that tire on your car, and then you can drop it off at a garage. Most of them are probably close to closing for the day, but I bet they would have it done by mid-morning. After you drop the car off, I’ll drive you home.”

  “It’s a deal,” said Aaron.

  It only took Derek about ten minutes to have the tire safely changed. He packed up the flat in the trunk of Aaron’s car and followed Aaron on the road for safety reasons. Aaron’s favorite garage was only fifteen minutes from closing by the time they arrived. The mechanic offered to park the car inside the garage off the street for the night and have the tire fixed by 10:00 a.m.

  Aaron said, “I guess I can’t ask for much better than that.”

  The mechanic said, “Yup, it’s probably just a nail or a tack. That tire’s got a lot of tread left on it so you don’t want to buy a new one just yet.”

  “That’s good, because I can’t really afford to buy a new one just yet.” He shook hands with the mechanic and said, “Thanks buddy. I’ll see you in the morning. I need the car for work. I have to deliver a couple of reports in the afternoon.”

  As he climbed into Derek’s car, Aaron said, “You’re a good man, Derek Bradshaw. I’ll owe you a drink down at the Blue Goose. Are we all getting together there this Friday?”

  Derek said, “It sounds good to me. I think I’ll have some news to announce about Yale and the bookstore.”

  Aaron leaned across the front seat and asked, “Can you give me a sneak preview.”

  Derek shook his head. “I can’t. I really can’t say anything to anybody until I’ve talked to Yale.”

  * * *

  Derek grabbed a parallel parking spot just outside of Aaron’s apartment building. Aaron began to open the car door, but Derek grabbed his elbow. He asked, “Hey, what’s the latest news on your neighbor Christy and her sexy brother?”

  Aaron wrinkled up his nose and asked, “How do you know he’s sexy?”

  “Do you go for ugly guys?” asked Derek.

  Aaron laughed. “I guess that’s a good point, and I would say things are a little bit complex. Life is always that way, isn’t it?”

  Derek nodded. “For most of us, yeah.”

  Aaron said, “Well, I’ve been exchanging messages with Jamie. That’s her brother. He really seems like a great guy. We have a lot of interests in common. He claims that I look hot, and I know that he does…”

  “Have you gone on a date?” asked Derek.

  Aaron shook his head no. “I think I told you he lives up in the city? Actually, he doesn’t live far from where Thomas had
his apartment.”

  “That’s really not that far away if he’s the right guy,” said Derek.

  Aaron nodded and then said, “But he’s possibly moving Christy and Sylvia up there to live with him for now. Her ex is still being nuts. The ex came to their apartment the other day and was pounding on the door at 3:00 a.m.”

  Derek tilted his head to the right. “So…she moves up there. Is that a problem?”

  Aaron said, “It still all feels a little bit awkward.”

  * * *

  Yale arrived at Derek’s house just minutes before Derek. He was planted on the couch in front of the TV with the remote control in hand. Derek called, “Dinner’s here. I’ve got your favorite Chinese.”

  “How’s Aaron doing?” asked Yale as he pulled plates down from the kitchen cabinets. “He’s not hurt or sick, is he?”

  Derek explained about the flat tire and said, “He thought that maybe we should call you, because you’re the real man in the group.”

  Yale smirked and set one plate for himself and one for Derek. “You were able to get the tire changed between the two of you?”

  Derek said, “It was a success, and Aaron is safely at home with a promise that his car will be ready at 10:00 a.m.”

  Yale said, “That’s very good.” He added, “I had an interesting group of customers at the bookstore today.”

  Derek opened the boxes of rice, noodles and main dishes. Then he retrieved two bottles of beer from the refrigerator. He said, “Really? Who were they? And did they buy many books?”

  While describing the visit of Mae, Mrs. Ellis, and their friends, Yale held up forks from the silverware drawer with a questioning look on his face. Derek shook his head no, and Yale returned the forks.

  He seated himself at the table and explained some of the suggestions the group had for upgrades to the bookstore. While Yale picked up a pair of chopsticks, Derek said, “That is great. I’m glad they matched up pretty well with your ideas. It sounds like there are some great projects to start.”

  Derek looked across the table and was disappointed to see less than excitement in Yale’s face. The only answer Yale gave was the single word, “Maybe.”

  23

  Derek

  The rest of the evening was uneventful, but Derek sensed that Yale was agitated about something. They curled up together on the couch to watch TV, but the usual easy conversation and laughing about various small matters during the day was absent. Derek even tried to get Yale to laugh about Aaron’s misadventures with his car and was unsuccessful.

  Earlier than normal, Yale stretched his arms over his head and said, “I’m tired. I think I’m going to go to bed. Feel free to stay up and watch TV. Those ladies took a little out of me earlier today.”

  Derek gave Yale a quick kiss on the lips and then watched as he stood and stretched again. Yale headed to the kitchen to check and make sure everything was put away, and then he climbed the stairs to Derek’s bedroom. Derek listened to the water running in the bathroom and then the flush of the toilet. By the time he heard the sound of Yale’s feet walking to the bedroom, he decided that he couldn’t remain downstairs watching TV alone.

  Derek clicked off the TV and climbed up the stairs himself. He cursed the fact that he still hadn’t fixed the loose step. It really needed a warning sign. Someone was going to hurt themselves on it someday. He peeked in at the bedroom. Yale was lying on his back staring at the ceiling. Derek said, “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “Don’t rush,” said Yale.

  Derek stared at himself in the mirror while he brushed his teeth. He liked what he saw looking back. In the weeks before Yale became his official boyfriend, Derek walked around with dark black circles under his eyes, and he was starting to lose some weight. His cheekbones were becoming more obvious, and he was beginning to look gaunt. Now he was back to his normal self. His face had filled out again. Derek reached up and rubbed at the stubble on his chin. He knew that Yale was very good for him.

  Even if he was a little out of sorts, Yale looked as handsome as ever. He was lying on his back in bed with his arms pulled up and his hands resting behind his head. The bed covers were placed strategically just below Yale’s bare chest. Derek wanted to climb in beside Yale and begin licking and sucking all over his body.

  After he slipped under the sheets and scooted up close to Yale, Derek let his fingers trace their way across Yale’s bare chest. He drew small circles around a nipple, but there was little response. Normally, the actions would elicit those adorable little moans. Now there was almost zero response.

  Derek broke the silence by asking, “What are you thinking about, Yale?”

  The response that he expected came back. Yale said, “Oh, nothing.”

  Frustrated, Derek said, “Come on. I know that’s not true. You’ve been moping around all evening. In fact, you were like this when we got up this morning. Something is going on in your head. Spill it.”

  Suddenly, Yale pushed himself up to a sitting position. He asked, “Do you really want to know?”

  Derek said, “Of course I do. What’s up? We can’t deal with it if you don’t say anything.”

  Yale took a deep breath. Then he said, “Okay, I know it’s probably not completely fair that I found out this way, but I saw on the screen of the computer that you were looking up information about selling businesses. Since I only know about…”

  Derek held up a hand. “Whoa, wait. You were snooping on my computer?”

  Yale shook his head no. “I wasn’t snooping. The computer was open, the screen hadn’t blanked, and you left the browser open. I walked by while you were in the bathroom. Yes, I was being nosy, but it doesn’t rise to the level of snooping.”

  Derek grumbled, “What, now you’re a judge and a jury?”

  Yale narrowed his eyes. “Did you have something to hide? Are you thinking of selling the bookstore without telling me?”

  “I was looking at pages…”

  Interrupting Derek, Yale’s voice pitched itself higher out of frustration and anger. He said, “You’re trying to sell the bookstore instead of giving me time to turn the place around. Are you just like everybody else, Derek? Do you really think I’m not smart enough to make it a great bookstore, a place that makes people want to come downtown?”

  Derek sat up as well. He said, “What the fuck? Where the hell do you get something like that, Yale? Maybe I was looking for somebody else. Maybe I’m looking to buy and sell a business. How the hell do you think you know exactly what I was doing?”

  It was the first fight since they became a couple. Derek stared at Yale, and he could feel a lump forming in his throat. He knew that he couldn’t let the argument go on much longer. Yale spit out, “It’s the only thing that makes any sense, Derek. I saw how reluctant you were for me to start on my projects, and then you say go ahead to just try and appease me. It’s like everybody has been my own fucking life, they…”

  Derek reached out and gripped the back of Yale’s neck, and he shouted, “STOP! Just stop right now, Yale! You’re being fucking crazy, and if you will just stop and breathe, I think you will agree with me.”

  Yale stopped talking. He hung his head, and a single tear began to run down his cheek. He whispered, “Please…tell me what’s going on, Derek.”

  “Are you ready to listen?” asked Derek. Raise your head and look at me.

  Yale raised his head and looked into Derek’s deep brown eyes. He said, “Yeah, I’ll listen.”

  “Make sure you hear this,” said Derek. “Don’t let your brain run away with stupid shit. I am planning to sell the bookstore, and I’m planning to sell it to you. I want to sell it to you for $5 if you think you can afford that. Some money has to be exchanged to make it legal. I’ve been looking up stuff online so that I can make sure that I do it all correctly and get the paperwork drawn up the right way. I know that I could hire a lawyer, but I want us to be able to save a boatload of money doing it ourselves.”

  Derek watched Yale�
��s mouth drop wide open as he took a breath. Then he continued. “Of course I think you can run the damn bookstore. You’ve proved you can run it a hell of a lot better than me many times over in the past couple of months. And don’t go thinking I’m doing this just because I love you. I do love you, but I would never let that cloud my judgment when it comes to figuring out what to do with Uncle Don’s pride and joy. That damn bookstore is part of my family legacy. My mom asks about it before she asks about me. I wouldn’t be even considering giving it to you if I thought you were some kind of fucking moron, Yale! Now just lay down and roll over and let me get some damn sleep!”

  24

  Yale

  Yale stared at Derek dumbfounded. He was trying to process all of the words, but he was so shocked, he was worried that he might be missing some important things. He was trying to figure out what exactly to focus on as the information tumbled out of Derek’s mouth.

  Derek said that Yale would be the owner of the bookstore. The only business Yale ever owned was his miserable failure of a lemonade stand when he was a little kid. He ended up marking the price down to $0.00 and carrying cups of lemonade up to total strangers as they were walking down the street to give it away.

  He was in shock that Derek wanted to turn over the entire bookstore. It was a big part of Derek’s family. That must mean that Derek intended to be with Yale for the long term. Yale shivered thinking about being with Derek…forever.

  Then there were all the comments that Derek made about how good Yale was at doing his job. Yale looked down at Derek rolled over on the bed facing away, and he couldn’t let him sleep. He reached down and grabbed Derek’s bare shoulder. “Wait, wait…Derek, you can’t go to sleep! You can’t go to sleep after you just said shit like that!”