Hadrian's Lover

by Patricia-Marie Budd

  That pleasant reality is enough to bring Frank back to rights with Todd’s decision so the three men can continue to enjoy their very expensive, very delicious steak dinner.

  * * * * *

  Salve!

  Springtime and Exposure

  HNN—Melissa Eagleton Reporting

  Parents, I cannot stress enough just how important it is for you to keep a vigilant eye upon your child—especially now that springtime has arrived. I am not sure why it is, but springtime always brings with it sexual awakenings and heightened sexual activity. The lengthening days, stretching the sunlight well into night, seem to have an influence on our passions. As conscious adults, we can control these fevers and channel them appropriately. Our youth, however, need our guidance. If we fail them in their time of need, their hormones will lead them astray. The human sexual need begins to simmer in the springtime and often comes to a boil during the hot summer months. During the fall and winter, attendance at our reeducation camps is minimal. Seldom do we see more than two or three wards during this time of the year, many of these inmates having been exposed during the spring and summer months and simply needing more time to mature, understand, and come to accept Hadrian’s ways. Yet, come spring, numbers registered at reeducation camps begin to double, triple, and by summer sometimes have quadrupled. Clearly, we are becoming lapse in our diligence toward guiding and observing the ways of our youth. Teenagers, in particular, are our most vulnerable as they journey on the road of sexual experimentation. Be warned, parents; many of our teenagers are playing with fire as they begin to experiment with heterosexual behaviors. Many teenagers choose to experiment with the opposite sex purely out of the youthful need to rebel; however, others are honestly confused and need our help to understand their contradictory desires. Hadrian’s first cornerstone of existence is the key to our country’s stability as a homosexual nation dedicated to preserving the balance between humanity and nature. When our children experiment foolishly with heterosexual behaviors, they risk establishing lifelong habits that have historically proven themselves counterproductive to humanity. We all know our planet cannot sustain today’s world population. Only Hadrian stands triumphant as a self-sustaining country with natural parks and reserves as well as home to the world’s only remaining zoo. Everything we do is to help protect earth’s ecological diversity. Over 50 percent of the land within our walls belongs to Mother Earth, and we must fight with every ounce of will to keep the majority of humanity from destroying what little remains of her natural ground. Our chosen values have helped us maintain a stable population. This balance would change if we were to allow our youth to restore heterosexuality as the central means of procreation. Having witnessed how heterosexuals have ruined the world, we must not allow the same to happen here in Hadrian. Parents, please remember, you are on the front lines. It is imperative you help your teenager understand Hadrian’s values, not merely for us, but for the future of the human race and the planet earth. You are not just raising your own children; you are raising Hadrian’s children. You are raising the future of humanity. And, it is up to you to educate your child, for without your guidance, our children will go astray.

  Vale!

  Exposure

  It starts with the dreaded dance supervision: Ms. Sterne’s nightmare. Four times a year, the students of Pride gather in the gymnasium to gyrate and sweat over one another while teachers stand back and watch, keeping an ever vigilant eye open for drug and alcohol use. This special Saturday is an extra duty added to teachers’ already hectic schedules: a fifth dance added to the annual school year quota. No one but Ms. Sterne is complaining, though, since this dance is in celebration of Pride High’s National B-ball Championship victory! Ms. Sterne, having taught at Pride High long enough, knows only too well the dance supervision drill, and having experienced it at its worst, she uses her seniority to avoid gym, hallway, and bathroom duties. Instead, her job is to sit in Mr. Gavin’s office and watch the video surveillance. This duty is considered too dull for other educators, many of whom, unlike Ms. Sterne, actually enjoy hunting down drunk and stoned teenagers. In the early years of her teaching career, Ms. Sterne used to chase down teenagers sodden with alcohol with similar avidity until the day she had to sit with one girl as she puked out vodka and a raspberry-flavored drink into a garbage can. The wretched smell still lingers in Ms. Sterne’s memory, and she has sworn never again to suffer the decrepitude of youth. So, for the past fifteen years, Ms. Sterne has volunteered for the long night watch inside the principal’s office, entertaining herself with classical music while she watches all security videos. If she spies students attempting to consume illegal substances or making out, she vocs Mr. Gavin, and he or some other unfortunate educator has to deal with the teenage delinquent.

  Because tonight’s dance is a victory celebration, the anticipated offenses are numerous. Ms. Sterne has already caught a few reprobates while blinking her way through the systems channels. It is purely by happenstance that she discovers maintenance has finally fixed the broken camera behind the stairwell leading up to the girl’s locker room. She had put in a work order to have that particular camera fixed over three years ago. As is the case with most school bureaucracy, that particular work order got lost. “Somebody must have found it in a pile of red tape, not too long ago,” she mumbles as she switches over to that channel. What Ms. Sterne sees on the security wall screen both shocks and horrifies her. Her niece Crystal is making out with a boy—Todd Middleton. This is no ordinary make-out session either; this is full-out intercourse. Her eyes are riveted to the screen both unable, and desperately wanting, to look away. After her mind has gone through a dizzying array of hateful emotions, she finally feels a slight sense of relief as she remembers Crystal’s mothers have been forcing the young woman to take heterosexual birth control to counteract gigantism. “We can thank Hadrian for that much,” she grumbles quietly. Suddenly fearing she might not be alone, she unreasonably jumps up to look out the door into the main office. Issuing a staccato sigh of relief, she returns to her chair and locks the door from the inside, so no one will be able to walk in on her unawares.

  With some semblance of order to her thoughts, Ms. Sterne ponders the ramifications of Crystal’s actions. Contacting Mr. Gavin is out of the question. Crystal Albright is not just any young woman; her mama just happens to be Ms. Sterne’s sister, Vice President Elena Styles! Crystal will have to be protected for Elena’s sake. But that boy—that boy will pay for what he is doing with Crystal! Unfortunately, dealing with Todd Middleton will have to wait until Monday!

  * * * * *

  Todd Middleton is late for class, again. He always has trouble getting up in the mornings. He spends too many late hours texting with Frank or Crystal. Having to walk to school makes matters worse since it is a good fifteen-minute hike. As Todd runs, he thanks Hadrian for his recent conditioning due to the recently ended b-ball season. I should have gone to sleep earlier, he chastises himself. But even after this bout of self-recrimination, Todd can’t help but smile. As his feet crunch through last year’s deadfall exposed after the last melt, waiting only for the spring rains to batter it into earth, Todd chuckles. Last night’s texts were especially fun since neither Crystal nor he wanted to let go of the other, texting into the wee hours in an attempt to hold onto the memory of their touch—reminding each other what they had done Saturday night, telling the other what each had especially liked, then both agreeing judiciously to delete all remnants of their text talk before signing off.

  As with every other late morning arrival, Todd enters his first class dressed slovenly and with his hair disheveled. Because Papa Mike’s work day begins early, before Todd even has to get up, no one is at home to make sure Todd gets up on time, washes, and looks appropriate. Todd, more often than not, is left to his own devices. When late like this, Todd usually just grabs whatever he can find on the floor, not even looking to see whether it’s clean, has been ironed, has the appropriate flare, or even matches. Papa Mike is a m
echanic (a necessary field but looked down upon due to the straight connotations associated with that line of work, so it is one of the least paid professions). Consequently, he seldom buys Todd new clothes. Most of the clothes Todd wears are hand-me-downs from Mike’s closet, which, unfortunately, reflect a more rugged-looking man. When Todd goes to school, he gets teased all the time. These days, though, Todd doesn’t care. Nor does he take any of the ribbing seriously anymore, convinced everyone accepts him as gay due to his prized position on the basketball team and his longstanding friendship with Frank Hunter. He is far too popular now that he helped the Panthers bring home the Nationals! That and the offer of a full scholarship to Antinous Uni improved his status considerably among the student body. But Todd is not like the other boys, and although it remains unspoken, there are those, like Ms. Sterne, who have always suspected and now know for sure.

  “Late again, Mr. Middleton.” Eyeing the young man austerely as he sits in his desk, Ms. Sterne shakes her head disapprovingly, her silver hair flashing like lightning. Looking down on Todd, over her reading glasses, she inquires, “What foolish behavior kept you from getting a good night’s sleep?”

  Todd smiles sheepishly. “Just on the voc again.”

  Millicent snickers, “You can’t afford a voc!”

  “Shut up!” Frank, ever ready to defend Todd, offers up. “I gave him one for Hadrian’s fiftieth birthday last New Year’s Eve.” Actually, Frank and Crystal gave Todd a cell phone. T’Neal scowls as soon as he hears Frank confessing to buying Todd such an expensive and elaborate present. Frank growls back in retort, “He’s like a brother to me, T’Neal. Get over it!”

  “And what’s wrong with your parents, Todd?” Millicent asks.

  “Millicent, you are so ignorant!” Frank declares. Looking Crystal’s way, he wonders why she doesn’t say anything in Todd’s defense.

  Millicent ignores Frank’s outburst. “Why won’t they buy you one? Are they too cheap?” The class joins Millicent in laughter. Todd leans back in his chair, refusing to hide, pride burning greater than embarrassment.

  Ms. Sterne does nothing to stem the tide of mockery. Her eyes squeeze into slits. “Just voc’ing?” There is suspicion in her glare. She eyes him from head to toe, inspecting every inch of his apparel. “Did you take time to look at yourself in the mirror this morning?”

  “Ah,” Todd shifts his eyes away from her daunting stare, “no, ma’am. I was running late and—”

  Tossing up her hands in disgust, she finishes for him. “And you just threw on whatever first came to your face? That’s it, right?”

  “Ah, yeah.” Todd shifts in his seat. Ms. Sterne’s interrogation has him sitting on hot coals.

  Crossing over to her desk, she retrieves a hand mirror. Flashing it at the young man, she demands, “Look at yourself.” Todd obeys. One does not contradict a teacher like Ms. Sterne. “Now what do you see?”

  “Ah, messy hair.”

  “That’s right.” Waving to the student body, she asks Todd, “Do you see anyone else in this room with messy hair?” Todd is required to swivel in his seat and look at all the other students. Most of them, Frank excluded, are smirking at him. No one laughs outright, though, as Ms. Sterne is clearly livid. Crystal, he notices, is not laughing. She has her head lowered, hiding her face from everyone. She’s not participating in this, he thinks reassuringly. A little smile blooms on his face. Ms. Sterne notes the subtle intensity of his look and who inspires it. She doesn’t bother to wait for a reply. Angered by this slight act of communication on Todd’s part, she slams her mirror onto his desk, cracking the glass in the process. Startled, Todd leaps up and turns around in his seat. Ms. Sterne is shaking her head, hands on her hips, condemning him with her eyes.

  “I—I—I’m sorry. I—I won’t be late tomorrow, I promise. It’s just—” He quickly runs his fingers through his hair, getting them caught in the tangle.

  “It’s not just being late!” Ripping Todd’s hand away from his head, taking with it clumps of hair, she barges on. “It’s not just your messy hair! It’s not just the clothes you wear that reek of strai!”

  Frank can stand no more. “Ms. Sterne, that’s not fair. Todd’s not straight. He’s gay like the rest of us. It’s just—he’s just—” He gives Todd an apologetic look, “his Papa Mike—well, he’s raising Todd by himself—his partner, Todd’s dad, died eight years ago.” Todd closes his eyes. He misses his father fiercely.

  Ms. Sterne throws Frank a warning glance. “I know his father died. I know his Papa Mike is poor. But Todd is what? Sixteen? Seventeen? He could still go to The Charity Bin and get himself clothes that look less straight!” A few students snicker at this.

  “But he’s not straight, Ms. Sterne. I know him.”

  “Do you, Frank?” She glances quickly at Crystal and then sharply at Todd. Todd, fixated on his teacher’s eyes, registers this look and cringes. Ms. Sterne, although still addressing Frank, smiles cynically at Todd. “Do you really?” Turning abruptly, Ms. Sterne returns to the front of the class, erases the day’s lesson, and begins afresh. “I think this is a good time to review why we formed our good country Hadrian and exercised sexual reformation. Why today, more than ever, we discourage all forms of heterosexual behavior.” Turning back to face the class, her eyes shoot down like lightning bolts on Crystal. “Crystal, dear, remind the class why Hadrian chose to enforce a homosexual lifestyle, eradicating heterosexuality.”

  Crystal’s shoulders start to heave. It is evident she is sobbing. Todd instinctively raises his hand to answer for her, the urge to protect her is strong. “Put your hand down, Todd. I specifically asked Crystal.” Todd instantly obeys.

  After a sniffle, Crystal recites, “Human population has grown to such excess that the earth is overcrowded. There are close to twenty billion people in the world, on a planet that can barely sustain ten billion. The majority of humans living outside Hadrian’s wall are starving, dying of disease, scratching out a desperate living.”

  “That’s right.” Ms. Sterne shows a little pity toward the girl and continues for her. “These poor unfortunates are still propagating at an exponential rate whereas we in Hadrian do not suffer that problem. Having eliminated heterosexuality from our genetic code our population remains stable, and there are no unwanted pregnancies in Hadrian.” Turning to another student, she requests, “April, explain how we have managed to eradicate all unwanted pregnancies in Hadrian?”

  “All pregnancies are the result of in vitro fertilization and all insemination is recorded in the Centralized Hospital Records.”

  Now staring intently at Crystal, Ms. Sterne asks, “What happens to a woman who finds herself pregnant outside the official process? Eduardo?”

  “She is immediately tagged as a heterosexual. If under the age of twenty-one, she will receive reeducation. If over the age of consent, she will be exiled.”

  “Good.” Ms. Sterne is pleased at the rote recitation. “But,” she continues, “before all that, what happens?” Looking around the room, she selects another boy. “Devon?”

  “State officials interrogate her to determine who the father is. The unwanted fetus is aborted and the strai gets sent to reeducation.” Before speaking again, Devon Rankin raises his hand.

  “Yes, Devon?”

  “Ms. Sterne,” Devon asks cruelly, “can the het’ro woman choose death over exile? If she’s over twenty-one, I mean.”

  “Yes, Devon, she can,” Ms. Sterne answers curtly. Turning now to another boy, she requests, “Jared, explain how our lifestyle serves Hadrian.”

  “Hadrian, unlike the rest of the planet, has a stable human population. Our country never exceeds ten million.”

  “Excellent!” she replies, nodding approvingly before turning to enquire of another student. “Millicent, how else does Hadrian benefit?”

  Millicent responds eagerly, “We have housing for all our citizens, everyone has a job, no one starves, and, unlike the rest of the planet, we have farms where we raise livestoc
k and grow all our own food.”

  For the first time since Todd entered the room, Ms. Sterne smiles. “Very good, Millicent. Frank, continue.”

  “What more is there to say?” There is hint of anger in his tone. He knows where this lesson is going and he doesn’t like it. Todd is gay! he reminds himself. Why is Ms. Sterne doing this?

  “Plenty, Frank.” Ms. Sterne glares at him. Usually a boy or girl showing rebellion during these lessons is instantly tagged as straight, but Ms. Sterne knows, everyone knows, that Frank Hunter is in love with Todd Middleton. The sooner we get Todd reeducated, the better for you Frank, she thinks solemnly before answering for him. “Hadrian also has the last five remaining wildlife parks on the planet.” Turning again to Devon Rankin, assured of getting the right response from him, she says, “Devon, name them.”

  “The Wapusk, Caribou, Numaykoos, Amisk, and Sand Lakes.”

  “Very good,” Ms. Sterne congratulates the young man. “And all five preserves help retain but a sampling of the indigenous wildlife.”

  “We actually have indigenous wildlife,” Millicent boasts freely.

  “That’s right,” Ms. Sterne adds. “And no other country can boast that!” Reconsidering, she adds, “Except perhaps for the desert regions.” Continuing, she states, “We would never be able to maintain that much free land if our population continued to explode like the rest of the world.” Turning back to Crystal, she says, “But, let’s return to the topic of Hadrian’s sexual preference. We scorn heterosexuality because of the world population explosion. Even so…” She stops and tries to sound pragmatic. “No, let me ask this as a question. Crystal?” The poor girl heaves a sob. She knows why she is being singled out. “Will a woman get pregnant every time she has intercourse with a male?” Although rhetorical, Ms. Sterne expects Crystal to answer her question anyway.

  “No, ma’am.”