by Nick Poff
“Hey, you,” he called, as she slammed her car door and started across the yard toward him.
“Hey, yourself,” she said, kicking away the leaves. “You wanna come do my yard?”
“Hell, no,” he retorted. “Get your husband to do it.”
“Yeah, right,” she said, meeting him under the maple tree in his side yard. “I’ll probably end up doing it myself.” She took a deep breath of the autumn air, opening her arms to the breeze. “It was so stuffy at work today. This feels great.” Laurie worked part-time as a secretary in a law office downtown.
“What brings you over this way in the middle of the afternoon?”
“I left work early to pick up Lesley from kindergarten. I have to take her for a checkup, so since I had a few minutes, I wanted to stop and see how you are and how your weekend went.”
Ed blushed, and Laurie giggled with delight. “Oh, you still blush as good as you did when we were kids. Hmm, I guess the weekend went pretty well.”
“Yeah,” he mumbled, looking at the ground.
“Good, I’m glad.” She looked fondly at her brother, who was smiling at the ground, shuffling the leaves with his work boots. “You’re really stuck on this guy, aren’t you?”
“Is it that obvious?” he asked, looking up.
“Yeah. I don’t ever remember seeing you like you are these days.” She sighed. “Oh, Ed, I can only imagine how hard it’s been for you all these years, so I’m really glad you’re having a good time with Rick. Just be careful, though, okay?”
Ed looked surprised. “What do you mean?”
“I mean it’s okay to think you’re in love and all that romantic stuff, but don’t get too carried away until you’ve known him for a while. Make sure he’s all you think he is before you get too serious about it.”
“When did you get to be Ann Landers?”
“Since I’ve been watching my high school girlfriends getting divorced, that’s when. I sat and watched my friends all get married right out of high school to guys that weren’t ever going to be anything more than they were in school. I vowed I wouldn’t do it, but look what happened: I met Todd and we got married before I was even through secretarial school. I was lucky, ’cause Todd’s a genuinely good guy, but some of my friends are still dealing with regret, and kids they have to raise on their own.”
As a breeze blew more of the yellow leaves off the tree, Laurie sighed again. “I don’t care if you’re gay or straight, relationships are hard work, and let’s face it: I’ve got eight years experience to your zero. So, yeah, I feel qualified to give you advice. Be as crazy about him as you want to be, but give it time to grow.”
“We don’t exactly plan to run off to Vegas or anything,” he grumbled.
“Look, don’t get all defensive. I’m just playing sister here, because I strongly suspect you don’t have anyone else to talk to about this, or at least anyone who cares enough about you to be as honest as I am. Give it time. Eventually you’ll either get tired of him, or you’ll find out how much you really care about him.”
Ed sighed. “You’re right. I guess I am feeling a little carried away by the whole thing. I wish you knew him, though. You’d see why he’s worth getting carried away over.”
“Bring him by the house sometime. And don’t worry about Todd. I’m sure he won’t have a problem with it. One of his cousins in Chicago is a lesbian, so it’s nothing new to him.”
“I’ll do that,” Ed promised. “That is, when I get over wanting him all to myself.”
Laurie rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother. You’ve got it bad. Okay, you do that, when you start getting bored enough to remember you have a sister. Meanwhile, I’ve got a date at the pediatrician with the Wicked Witch of the West. I hope she doesn’t try to slap his ass with a broom, too!”
* * * * *
Rick did call that night, and they spent a half hour on the phone, just talking.
“At least I’ll be able to see you every day when I drop off your mail,” Rick said.
“Not tomorrow,” Ed said sadly. “Mrs. Heston has me for the whole day. After I deal with her groceries, I’m spending the rest of the day raking her leaves, after I spent all afternoon today on mine. She’s even making lunch for me. Can you believe that? A seventy-nine-year-old woman who uses a walker is making me lunch. You gotta love the old girl.”
“How many other yards do you have to do?”
“None. Oh, I try to make it clear to them that I’m not a lawn service. If I raked and mowed and pulled weeds for all of them, I’d never get anything done, but Mrs. Heston is special. I probably wouldn’t have this business if it wasn’t for her support in the beginning. I know she won’t tell anyone else about it, either. I’ll shovel their snow in the winter, but they’re on their own the rest of the year.”
“Well, I’m disappointed I won’t see you tomorrow, but I’ll call you tomorrow night,” Rick said before hanging up.
* * * * *
The week passed quickly, a lot faster than Ed expected. They had brief visits when Rick delivered the mail, and phone calls in the evening, but Ed couldn’t wait to spend some serious time with Rick. As good as his word, Rick hauled a bag of groceries into Ed’s house Sunday morning and made a huge breakfast that Ed thoroughly enjoyed.
“Is there anything special you want to do today?” Ed asked him, clearing the table. He groaned. “Oh, I ate too much. But it was wonderful, every bite.”
Rick patted Ed’s belly. “Nothing like a well-fed handyman. Oh, there’s nothing really special I’d like to do, but I was thinking about something.”
“What?”
“I was thinking it would be fun for you to show me Porterfield, or at least the Porterfield you know. Where you went to school, the house where you grew up, that sort of stuff.”
Ed snickered. “A tour of Ed’s Porterfield. That should take about five minutes.”
“Okay. How ’bout this? After that five minutes we can drive out in the country, find a deserted road, and neck for a while. What do you think?”
“You mean, like we were in high school or something?”
“Yeah! I never got to neck with anybody in high school. I’d love to pretend I was in high school, and you were my boyfriend, and we were sneaking around behind everyone’s backs. I always felt like I missed something.”
Ed paused at the sink, staring out the window. He turned to Rick and smiled.
“I know just the place.”
* * * * *
“A cemetery?” Rick asked in disbelief. They were in Ed’s truck, sitting on a narrow gravel road several miles west of Porterfield. He looked through the wrought-iron gates of the small, country cemetery and frowned. “I was picturing a cornfield or something. Cemeteries we have in Indianapolis.”
“First off, city slicker, if you were paying any attention to the scenery, you would notice that all the corn has been harvested and we’ve passed nothing but fields full of stubble. Secondly, this isn’t just any cemetery.” Ed put the truck in gear and drove through the open gates. “Up here by the road is the modern part, but back behind that hill is the old part. All the graves are from the 1800s, and no one ever goes back there. You can’t see it from the road because of the hill, and the trees hide it on the other three sides. We used to come out here in high school to drink and smoke and act like idiots. It’s perfect. You’ll see.”
Ed drove past rows of tombstones, over a gentle rise in the land, and below them was an old, tree-shaded graveyard.
“My great-great-grandparents are buried back here. That’s how come I’ve always known about it.”
He parked the truck behind a tall, spreading pine tree. When he shut off the engine the only sounds they could hear were a couple of feuding crows and the wind in the trees.
Rick looked around, taking in the leaning tombstones, their engravings almost worn away, and the sheltering trees. He nodded, smiling. “You were right. It’s perfect. I’ll never doubt you again.”
Ed reached out a h
and to him. “How about you slide over here a little closer to me, huh? It’s kinda cold out there today.”
Rick obliged, sliding across the seat, kissing him when he was by Ed’s side. “Man, this is great. I really feel like we’re in high school, hiding out here from everyone.”
Ed turned the key to accessory so they could listen to the radio. “Well, if it’s high school, I sure wish I could hear some Guess Who or Blood, Sweat and Tears or something,” he said.
Casey Kasem, one of Ed’s radio favorites, was counting down the biggest hits in the land for that week. Casey was up to the Devo song “Whip It” and described why the group wore flowerpots on their heads. Ed punched his other FM presets, but the sounds of 1980 were dominating the airwaves.
“You need a cassette player in here, baby,” Rick murmured, kissing him again.
“Well, come to think of it, all we listened to back then was AM.”
Ed switched the radio. He dialed past a football game and a church service, then to their great joy and surprise, landed on the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations.”
“I love this song,” Rick said. “Remember Pet Sounds? I had that album. I think someone stole it from me in college. Now, this is more like it. I always wanted to make out with a cute guy to this song.”
“I’m right here.”
Ed moved closer to Rick. They blissfully indulged in some serious high-school-style necking through the Beach Boys, the Mamas and the Papas, and Del Shannon. They had stumbled onto a Sunday afternoon oldies show on a weak AM station from the next town over.
They both sighed when the Four Tops came on with “Baby I Need Your Loving.”
“Oh, baby, I do indeed need your lovin’.” Rick ran his hands under Ed’s sweatshirt, kissing him hungrily.
Ed kissed him back, just as hungrily. He reached for Rick more aggressively than he had allowed himself for over a week.
Rick moaned, saying, “Are you sure, baby? Here and now?”
“It’s okay. Our parents don’t know where we are. And I’ve spent a whole week dreaming about being this close to you.”
The world outside of Ed’s truck faded away. The old songs washed over them from the static-filled AM radio signal as they did things they could only dream about when those songs were new.
Later, as they huddled together by the steering wheel, Ed started the motor to get the heater going. They had created quite a bit of their own heat, but the sky was clouding over, the wind was blowing harder, and it was becoming much colder.
“Almost seems like it’s going to snow,” Ed remarked, watching the gray clouds racing across the sky.
Rick sighed and snuggled closer to Ed. “Baby, being with you is so incredible. It was worth waiting for all this week. Oh, I could have snuck out of the house, gone to your place for a half an hour, but that would have just been some physical thing. This afternoon, right here, was the real thing. I’m so glad I found you.”
It was on the tip of Ed’s tongue to say “Me too, Rick,” but the Beatles song playing on the radio caught his ear. “Me too, darlin’,” he said, as “Oh! Darling” fought through the radio static.
Rick smiled. “Good old Abbey Road.”
“Remember all the ‘Paul is dead’ rumors?”
“Just because we’re parked in a cemetery is no reason to talk about death,” Rick said, still smiling. “And anyway, am I really your darlin’?”
“Yes.” Ed kissed him. “And I’m your baby, right?”
“Absolutely,” said Rick, returning the kiss.
The air blowing from the vents warmed Ed, but not as much as the words they spoke. As light snow began to fall over the long-neglected cemetery and they sat together quietly, serenaded by the songs of their past, Ed thought of their future together.
Chapter Six
The following Tuesday, Election Day, Rick was making his regular early afternoon stop at Ed’s.
“Let the rest of the world have their coffee breaks.” Rick squeezed his handyman. “I’ve got me a kissin’ and huggin’ break.”
“Considering how I feel about coffee, that’s fine for me,” Ed said, squeezing back. “But you know, darlin’, if you want, now that I have that coffeemaker, I could slip you a cup every afternoon.”
Rick sighed with regret. “That would be great, but I don’t think it’s such a hot idea. I’m pushing it as it is, stopping here almost every day. Oh, there’s nothing wrong with saying hello to a friend while I’m on the job, but I don’t want anybody beginning to notice, if you know what I mean.”
Ed nodded. He knew exactly what Rick meant. “Anyway,” Ed said, not wanting to dwell on any potential disapproval of their growing relationship, “I won’t be home tonight, so don’t bother to call. Mom’s invited me for dinner so she can have someone to bitch to about the election. I’ll end up hanging around there, keeping her from throwing something at the TV when Indiana goes to the Republicans, like it always does.”
“Democrat?” Rick queried, eyebrows raised. “I would have guessed the opposite.”
“Oh, no. Not my family, or my mom’s family anyway. The Beales go way back around here, all the way to those graves I mentioned the other day at the cemetery. They’re all hard-core working-class types, and they have no use for Republicans. Why, my grandparents were so devoted to FDR they had a picture of him in their living room. Mom’s brother, my uncle Chester, says that if you don’t know who to vote for, vote Democrat, and you can leave the booth with a clear conscience.”
“Well, just don’t tell your mother I’m voting for John Anderson today. I like the idea of someone challenging the two-party system, but there is no way in hell I’d vote for Reagan.”
“I voted this morning, for Carter. If I had voted for anyone else, I’d be cut out of the family.”
“Man, they’d love my folks then.” Rick chuckled. “Well, if we ever get to the point of showing up together at family gatherings, I don’t have anything to worry about then.”
Ed looked at Rick, but didn’t say anything. At this point, the idea of anyone in his family other than Laurie knowing about Rick made him uneasy. Although Ed tried to hide it, Rick apparently noticed his discomfort.
“Oh, don’t worry about it, baby. I’m just talking. I will say, though, I’m kinda planning on being around for a while, so it may be something we have to deal with. My folks are no problem at all, of course. I already know they’re gonna think you’re great. But what about your mother? Will she think I’m great?”
Ed shrugged, looking away. “I don’t know. Laurie’s dying to meet you, so that’s no problem, but Mom? Right now, I’d like to keep you around, so maybe we can put that off for a while, okay? I don’t want her scaring you off.”
Rick laughed, hugging Ed again. “I’m not scared. Hell, after hearing about her, I’m looking forward to meeting her. She can’t be too bad. After all, you turned out pretty good.”
“Just let me get through tonight first, okay?” Ed said nervously.
“Yes, sir. No more family talk, I promise. I’ll see you tomorrow, same time, same place. Is it a date?” Rick asked with a kiss.
“I’ll be here,” Ed said, smiling at his mailman, still amazed this dream was in progress. “And I’ll stock up on hugs and kisses, just for you.”
* * * * *
Ed tried to keep his thoughts away from Norma’s possible reaction to his relationship with Rick when he joined her for dinner that night. He sat at his usual place at her dining room table, happily serving himself his mother’s stew and fresh baked biscuits. Looking at the brimming serving bowl, he knew he’d be eating stew for the rest of the week.
Norma Stephens bustled into the dining room with butter for the biscuits. She was a short, slender woman, her hair the color of Ed’s, although Ed suspected it was quite gray under the Miss Clairol. At fifty-one, middle age was creeping onto her face, but Norma fought it as much as possible. “Just because your father’s gone is no reason for me to let myself go,” she often said.
Tim Stephens had died two years earlier at the tender age of fifty, the victim of a heart defect he’d never known he had. Ed missed his gentle father, missed the time they had spent together in Tim’s basement workshop, and his never-ending patience with his children. Norma’s occasional overbearing personality had always been counterbalanced by Tim’s quiet understanding, and his wry sense of humor with Norma had always let Ed and Laurie know they didn’t have to take her too seriously.
Why Norma and Tim had been so compatible was still a mystery to Ed, but he knew, despite whatever Norma might say, that she missed him as much as Ed and Laurie did.
“Eat up, eat up,” Norma commanded, as she always did. “There’s plenty. I’ll have some for you to take home, unless I decide to take the whole pot downtown and throw it through the door of Republican headquarters. Oh, I know those smug so-and-so’s. Probably whooping it up as we speak, convinced they’ve got that second-rate actor elected. Honestly. I can’t believe how stupid the people of this state are, or this country. Didn’t anyone ever see any of his movies? He can’t act. Why would anyone think he’s fit to run the country, or even a garbage truck? Old, too. He needs to be put out to pasture.”
Ed smiled. He enjoyed his mother’s harangues when they weren’t directed at him.
“Why, he ruined Dark Victory for me. Imagine, putting that flop of an actor in a movie with Bette Davis! What was Jack Warner thinking? I cannot to this day watch that movie, and I’ve seen every other movie Bette Davis made at least twice.”
“You forgot What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? You didn’t see that one twice, Mom.”
“Humph,” she sneered. “That wasn’t a movie, that was a horror show. I meant Bette Davis when she was Bette Davis, not the mess she is now. Well, I’ll say one thing for her: At least she’s not dumb enough to think she can run the country.” She narrowed her eyes at Ed. “You voted today, didn’t you? For Carter?”
“Oh, Mom. Of course I did. Would I be sitting here eating your stew if I hadn’t?”