Go West Young Man

by Robbie Michaels

  “No! Why should I get dressed?”

  “Because we’re going out. I can’t sit here and argue with you one more night. We’re gonna go out and buy a coffee at Starbucks. We’re going to get you out of this house for a few minutes.”

  Bill didn’t complain any more but simply disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of the shower running gave me the answer I needed. While he was cleaning himself up, I grabbed the sweatpants he’d been wearing for days and threw them into the dirty clothes pile so that I could wash them when we got back. I started to go down the wrong road mentally when I wondered why, given that he sat home all day every day, he couldn’t throw the dirty clothes in the washer and turn it on. Realizing that I was just going to give us one more reason to argue, I decided to stop that train of thought in its tracks.

  When the water in the bathroom shut off, unfortunately the water outside was still running. But I didn’t care—we were getting him out of the house, even if it was only for a few minutes. Even if it was only to drive around the block.

  Less than five minutes later, the love of my life was in front of me scrubbed, dried, and dressed. And yes, I was determined to think of him as the love of my life for the rest of the evening. I even leaned in and gave him a big kiss, which, I’m pleased to say, brought a smile to his face. There had not been many smiles on his face in recent weeks, so I was pleased to see one there now.

  Grabbing two of our biggest umbrellas, I got him out to the car, locked up the house, and took off to Starbucks. I know, I know—I work there all week, so you’re probably wondering why on Earth I would see fit to go back there in my off hours. Well, in point of fact, it was simply because it was close, it was a known commodity, and it was a safe change of scenery that wouldn’t wear Bill out. He was still recovering from nearly dying, so you can damned well be sure that I wasn’t going to let him do too much too quickly.

  As I knew it would be, Starbucks was relatively quiet. Probably it was quieter than a typical weeknight simply because it was so wet. Rain was so rare in southern California that when it hit, locals tended to hibernate like it was the end of the world. And that was fine with me, because it meant we had our choice of tables. And since I knew everyone who was working behind the counter, it also meant that we got first-class service—which we damned well should have if any of them ever wanted my help with anything ever again for the remainder of their lives.

  So we sipped our coffee and tea, watched the few cars and fewer people moving around outside through the giant plate glass windows of the shop, and watched people as they came into the shop, generally looking like drowned rats once they made it inside. The novelty of the entire situation gave us plenty of material for conversation—safe conversation that didn’t involve complaints or accusations about anyone or anything.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bear,” Bill said suddenly.

  I nodded. “Thank you for saying it. I know this isn’t easy for you. And having all of this rain on top of it all can’t be helping.” We sat quietly for a moment. An idea struck me, so I blurted it out. “Do you think you might want to go to school with me one day? You could go to the Student Union, go into the library, and if the rain ever stops, walk around the campus, sit on a bench, watch all the cute guys walk past. Think you could handle that much activity? Or is it too soon for that big an outing?”

  “I like the idea, but maybe next week might be better.”

  “It will give you something to look forward to.”

  “True.”

  “And I think that when the rain finally ends—please, dear Lord!—that we should drive down to the beach and walk along the beach for a few minutes. Don’t worry—I’ll dose it out in small, bite-size chunks so we build your strength back up bit by bit.”

  “I think that’s a great idea!” he agreed enthusiastically. “I watched the weather forecast today—about four hundred times, actually—and if they know what they’re talking about, then we should be done with this batch of rain the day after tomorrow.”

  “Yes! Just in time for the weekend.”

  “The only problem is that everybody in town has been stuck inside just like us, so everyone probably will want to go to the beach at the same time. It might be too crowded.”

  “There’s more to do in LA than the beach. For example, we have yet to visit the La Brea Tar Pits. Also, I’ve wanted to drive up to the Griffith Observatory to take a look at that. We could go to the Getty Museum—I’ve heard it’s got stunning views of LA. And there’s a farmers market I’ve been wanting to get to for months now. We can go walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame and check out some of the stars. I think we can come up with some alternatives if the beach is too busy.”

  “Yet another reason why I love you,” Bill said.

  “About time you said you loved me,” I joked.

  “Sorry.”

  “I know. Me, too.”

  “Why are you sorry?” he asked, confused.

  “I didn’t want to be left out.” And again that smile that I so love. With his adorable dimples, those eyes dancing with delight, he looked positively mischievous.

  We spent a couple of hours in the coffee shop that evening, because Bill needed it. I was pleased that by the end of the evening he seemed like a new person. I didn’t bring up the fact that I had homework that I desperately needed to do but had put off. Once I got him back home, he headed toward bed—he’d had more activity that evening than he’d had for weeks, so he was tired.

  While he lay in bed reading a book, he kept looking expectantly to me. “What?” I said.

  “Aren’t you coming to bed?”

  “I wish I could. I’ve got some homework I’ve got to get done before I can call it quits for the day.”

  “Oh, Mark! I’m so sorry. You should have said something. We could have stayed in.”

  “Are you kidding? There is no way in hell I was going to let you sit here and sulk all evening. And besides, you had earned the right to be unhappy. I wouldn’t have been happy if the tables had been turned and I had been stuck inside for days on end.”

  “But now you’re the one that has to pay the price.”

  “And a price I’m very happy to pay. So hush up and read your book. And when you get tired just go to sleep. Okay?”

  “You’re going to be awhile?”

  “I don’t know how long yet. Would the washing machine make too much noise?” I asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. I’m sorry. I should have thought to wash clothes today. I didn’t have anything else to do. That was really stupid of me.”

  “Bill!” I said sharply to get his attention. “Calm down. You have one job right now and one job only. That job is to get better so that you can go back to school. You nearly died. I nearly lost you—forever. That cannot ever happen again. Take the time. Rest. Recover. Get back on your feet. There will be lots of other loads of laundry to do in the future.”

  “How did I ever get to have you as my partner?”

  “Just lucky, I guess,” I said as I quietly closed the door and went to the kitchen to start the wash. While the clothes washed I got my laptop set up at the table and started working on my programming assignment. I pretty much had it all mapped out in my head. Now all I had to do was to transform the logic pattern I had created mentally into the actual programming code and make sure that it worked like it was supposed to.

  Half an hour after I started the laundry I got up to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. I set the dryer to run for an hour and was startled when, in what seemed like no time at all, the dryer was shutting off, its task finished. I looked at my watch and couldn’t believe that so much time had passed. I was making good progress, but I still had a long ways to go.

  I was tired and I wanted to sleep, but I wasn’t finished yet. It was 2:00 a.m., and I easily had another hour or two, minimum. Given my schedule for the day, I knew that I had to be up by six. I wasn’t sure if a couple of hours of sleep was going to do me more good or more har
m at that point. I took a deep breath, got up to make some extra strong coffee—I needed the caffeine—and returned to my work. At 4:00 a.m. I was getting more satisfied with the status of my project. At five I stopped and got up to take a shower, hoping that the water might revitalize me a bit.

  Back in the kitchen I had a bowl of cereal and some more coffee. I was just packing my things to leave for work when the bedroom door opened and a very sleepy looking Bill emerged.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, “did I wake you?”

  “I never heard you get up.”

  “That’s because I never came to bed.”

  “You’ve been up all night?”

  “I had work to do.”

  “You haven’t slept?”

  “No time.”

  “Where are you going so early?”

  “Work. We need the money.”

  “And you need sleep too. Mark, don’t make yourself sick.”

  “I don’t have time to be sick. Don’t worry.”

  “When will you be home?”

  “I have to work a standard eight-hour shift, and then I have to go to the university and go over my program with my advisor. I hope to make it back here by about six. Sorry I can’t be here to keep you company today. It’s just a really busy time for me right now.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He kissed me, which made me take a breath and calm down for a minute.

  “Can I drive you to work so that I can use the car today?”

  “Sure. But I’m leaving now, so….”

  “Let me grab my wallet and keys.”

  “I’ll drive and give you a few more minutes to wake up.”

  “Thanks.”

  The rain had stopped overnight, but everything was still soaking wet. The air was saturated. The ground was saturated. If only we could hold onto some of that precious moisture for the dry times that were most of the year. But there was no way I knew how to do that. Life was extremes—either too much of one thing or too much of another. Rarely did everything work out in perfect balance.

  I drove over to the coffee shop, where I jumped out, running on a caffeinated, adrenaline high. Bill took my place behind the wheel while I headed inside to start my work day.

  “Hey!” Bill called. “Don’t I get a kiss?”

  I dashed back, gave him a kiss, and felt his arms wrap around my body. “What time do you get done here?”

  “Why?”

  “So I can have the car here for you so you can drive to school.”

  “Oh.” I gave him the time and then dashed inside, too wired from fatigue and caffeine to stand in one place for long.

  Chapter 33

  A Long Day

  THE day was busy, which was exactly what I needed. When we didn’t have a line of customers, I found something else to keep myself busy. In point of fact, I was so tired that I was afraid that if I stopped moving I would simply fall asleep where I stood. And that wouldn’t look so good if a customer came in while I stood there sleeping. Not to mention that sleeping while standing meant I was subject to tipping over.

  When my shift ended, I stepped outside to find Bill and the car sitting in the parking lot, waiting for me. He took one look at me and got back into the car behind the wheel. I went over to the driver’s door and said, “Come on, Bill! I need to get to school.” I couldn’t understand why he had gotten out and then gotten right back in.

  “Hop in,” he said, not budging from his spot behind the wheel.

  Reluctantly, I got into the passenger seat, grumbling, “I don’t have time for this now.”

  “There is no way I’m letting you drive, given how absolutely exhausted you look. I’ll drive you over and wait for you.”

  “I have no idea how long this will take.”

  “Then that’s how long I’ll wait—as long as it takes.”

  “Bill!” I objected. “You need to be home resting! Not driving all over town.”

  “You heard me,” he said as he drove us to the campus. When we got there, he parked and walked with me to the building where I had my meeting. I guess I must have really looked tired, because my professor took one look at me and said, “You look like crap!”

  “Huh?” I said, losing my ability to make conversation.

  “When did you sleep last?”

  Bill had been listening in and couldn’t resist joining the conversation, “Thank you! He hasn’t slept in I don’t know how long. As soon as this meeting is over I’m taking him home and putting him to bed.”

  “I don’t need everybody telling me when to sleep and when to wake up! I’ll sleep when I have time to sleep!” I yelled. Taking a deep breath to pull myself together, I said, “My apologies. It’s been a very long day.”

  “Then let’s do this,” my professor said. “Show me how far you’ve gotten, and we’ll see what comes next.”

  I pulled out my laptop, powered it on, and started to walk him through my code. I had large parts of the code in executable form so I was able to demonstrate how I envisioned the logic of joining different code blocks together in sequence.

  “Nicely done!” he said. “You’re farther along than I would have expected.”

  “I should be finished by now,” I complained. “I know what I want to do—I just need the time to do the coding.”

  “That’s the story of my life,” he said. “Welcome to my world. Okay. I’ve seen enough. You’re farther along than I expected, as I said. And you’re farther along than most of the others that I’ve met with today. So, unless you have questions for me or sticking points you want to talk over, I think we’re done and you can go home and get some sleep.” He started to turn away and then said, “Are you working while going to school?”

  “Of course,” I said. “We have to eat. We have to pay the rent. We have to put gas in the car.”

  “I get the picture,” he said, holding up his hand to stop my litany. “Are you overextending yourself? How many hours a week do you work?”

  “This week about forty hours.”

  “So, you’re working basically two full-time jobs? Are you nuts?”

  “It’s not what I would prefer,” I said, getting angry. “But I like to eat.”

  Bill started to speak, “We can use—”

  “No!” I shouted. “We are not using Isabella’s money! She left that to you to pay for your tuition! Not so we could buy cheeseburgers and T-shirts. And I can’t take any more money from my parents.”

  “I don’t know what any of that meant, so I’ll leave that for you two to talk out. Consider taking a day off, if at all possible. You really look like you need it.”

  “Fine,” I said. “See you in class tomorrow.”

  Bill walked me back to the car and drove us home. Fortunately, he knew me well enough to know that he shouldn’t attempt conversation at the moment. I couldn’t admit this aloud, but the thought of going home, of being home, of maybe lying down for a while, was more appealing right about now than just about anything else in the world.

  When we got home we moved inside. It was still too wet to be outside for long.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” I called out from the bedroom. The water felt absolutely incredible. I seriously don’t know how mankind survived before showers were invented. Showers were about the only thing that separated us from the animals.

  And then Bill was there shaking me. “Mark! Wake up!”

  “What? I’m taking a shower!”

  “Dude! You were asleep. You haven’t moved in twenty minutes.”

  “No, I wasn’t!”

  “Yes, you were. You’re totally exhausted.” He turned off the water and held the shower door open while he grabbed a towel. “Here, dry off,” he instructed, standing there to be sure I did as I had been told. When I was dry, he handed me some sweatpants and a T-shirt and guided me to the table, where he had food waiting. Maybe I had been asleep, because there was no way he could have done this much work in as short a time as it seemed.

  Looking back now,
I don’t know what it was I ate—it was food, which was good because I was hungry. Actually, I was beyond hungry, just like I was beyond tired. As soon as we finished eating, Bill guided me into the bedroom and pulled back the covers on the bed.

  “Okay, time for bed. You are totally exhausted and you need sleep.” I guess he took my lack of argument as proof of his point. I remember undressing and lying down, but after that I didn’t know anything until the next morning.

  Chapter 34

  Late for Work

  WHEN I was next aware of anything, there was bright sunlight coming through the window into our bedroom. I was in bed—alone, unfortunately. Oh, crap! I overslept! I need to be at work!

  Dashing out of the bedroom toward the bathroom, Bill was suddenly in front of me. “Woo, slow down. What’s the emergency?”

  “I overslept! I’m late for work! I’ve never been late for work!”

  “You’re not late for work.”

  “Bill! Do you see what time it is? I’m late!” Why wasn’t he getting this?

  “Mark, take a breath. You’re not late for work. I called them and told them that you would not be in today.”

  “Bill! We need the money!” I tried.

  He nodded. “Yes, but not at the expense of your sanity and health. And while I love the sight of you all naked and hunky….”

  “Hunky? Are you feeling okay?” The man must be having a relapse.

  “Yes, you. And while I like the view, why don’t you go put some sweatpants on and then come back out here and have some coffee and some breakfast. I need to talk to you.”

  “Should I be worried? Wait, what am I saying? Of course I should be worried.” But I did as he suggested and went to get dressed. While I was in the bedroom I checked the clock and noticed that I had slept about ten hours. Oh, right—and I really needed to pee! Breakfast sounded like a good idea, but only after a little off-loading occurred. A few minutes later I joined Bill at the table, significantly relieved.

  “Did you tell work that I wouldn’t be in at all today or that I would be late?”