Together Box Set

by Drew Hunt

  David made the effort to shave, brush his teeth and go through the familiar and comforting rituals of getting ready for school. Routine would have to be his solace. The kids he taught appreciated him. They didn’t reject him when he gave all of himself to them.

  Pulling into the parking lot, David tried to compose his features, put on an expression that all was normal. However his mask shattered into a million pieces when he walked into his classroom and found an eager Corey waiting for him.

  “Jesus, man, you look fucking awful. Didn’t all go off okay during your surprise weekend?”

  “The surprise to the weekend was that it didn’t happen.”

  “Huh?”

  “Bud didn’t show. I’ve not heard a word from him in just over two weeks. Not since I last saw him.” David’s voice faltered. “Not since I told him that I loved him.”

  “Christ. Dave, it might not be what you’re thinking. He could have had to work, or something, or—”

  “No, Corey, you were right the other Wednesday. I blew it when I told him I loved him. I mean, come on! What the hell would a guy like him want with an emotionally crippled, overly clingy piece of trash like me?”

  “No, David. Stop it.”

  Kids began to filter into the classroom. David had to turn away because he couldn’t let them see him like this. Corey ushered them back out into the hallway and told them to wait. “Buddy, you’re not gonna be of much use to the profession today. Why don’t you go to see the Principle’s secretary and—”

  “Teaching, my job, the kids. They’re all I’m good for.”

  “Oh, fuck. Come on, Dave. I’m taking you to the office myself, I’ll even drive you home if I have to. You’re not staying here today.”

  An unresisting David was led out of his classroom and along the crowded hallways. He felt disconnected from everything that was going on around him. Corey took him into a room, where it was mercifully much quieter. He then felt Corey pushing him into a chair while his friend and someone else, a female voice talked, presumably about him. After a few minutes, David couldn’t tell exactly how long, Corey urged him to stand. He did so and was led back into the hallway, through several doors and…

  “You okay to drive?”

  “Huh?” David came to, and realized he was standing in the parking lot next to his Camry.

  “Never mind. Just sit in here. I’ll be back shortly.”

  Corey led David around the car and got him situated in the passenger seat. It felt somewhat strange to be in the right hand seat, but then everything about that day, heck, the last few days, had felt strange.

  * * * *

  Not until Wednesday afternoon did David begin to feel human again. Corey had invited himself over for supper, and with his usual I won’t take no for an answer attitude, had arrived about fifteen minutes later bearing a couple paper sacks bulging with Chinese takeout.

  “Comfort food,” he said, pushing past David and walking into the kitchen. “Come on, get some plates out. We’re having a girls night in. I’ve brought over my favorite DVD, we’re gonna make total pigs of ourselves and watch dear Dorothy and friends follow the yellow brick road.”

  David raised a smile for the first time in days. “You’re so gay.”

  “And your point is?”

  “Oh, Corey.” David kissed his friend’s cheek before going in search of plates.

  About halfway through the movie, both men singing along with the all too familiar songs, David’s phone rang. Pausing the DVD, he picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, my special David. Just wondered how it was hanging.”

  “Bud,” David exclaimed, several emotions coursing through his veins, relief, surprise, anger. But ultimately sadness won out. “I—” He swallowed and started again. “Last weekend. I—” The rest of his words got stuck in his throat as his emotions overwhelmed him.

  “David? David! What’s wrong?”

  David felt Corey take the phone out of his shaking hand.

  “Bud, this is Corey…well, what the hell do you expect? He’s devastated…huh? You got a fucking cheek asking why. Last weekend is why. His birthday, the vacation in Palm Springs, and you just disappearing leaving him not even knowing if you’d had an accident or…what? …Well, who the hell was the other ticket for then? What? No fucking way…I ain’t gonna have you upset him any more.... No! I said no, damn it!”

  “What’s he saying?” David asked, wiping his eyes.

  “Just a minute,” Corey said into the phone. Putting his hand over the handset he said, “The piece of shit wants to talk with you. But I told him to go fuck himself.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’ll talk to him.”

  “You sure?”

  David nodded, accepted the phone from Corey and nervously lifted it to his face. “Bud, it’s me again.”

  “David, there’s been a terrible misunderstanding. I’d never ever deliberately hurt you, you must know that. I didn’t know it was your birthday Sunday, you never said.”

  “But I thought you knew. The hotel reservations in Palm Springs. Did something come up to keep us from going? If you’d have just called me, I’d have understood, it’s the not knowing, that’s what’s hurt the most.”

  “Um, David, I don’t know how to tell you this, but, well, um, that reservation wasn’t for you.”

  “Oh, I see.” David felt himself beginning to lose it again. He’d never asked Bud to be in an exclusive relationship, he’d just assumed, wrongly it seemed, that they were. That was probably why he only got to see him on alternate weekends. He was probably with his other boyfriend the other times.

  “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

  “Oh? Why not?” David was getting angry. “No, of course, someone as fucking great as you, you’re bound to have other men. I’m surprised I even got to see you as often as I did. Tell me, did you and your other boyfriend, or is he one of several? Did you have a good time over the weekend, fucking his brains out?”

  “Please, please don’t. It’s not like that.”

  “Oh? Well how the hell is it, then?” David was practically screaming into the phone.

  Corey was holding onto him; without his reassuring presence, David knew he wouldn’t have been able to be so strong.

  “There’s something I have to tell you,” Bud said softly. The pain in Bud’s voice made David listen more closely. “Oh, God, I never wanted to hurt you, I just…It just, you and me, we became so close. I never intended things to go so far between us.”

  “Bud,” David said quietly. “What are you saying?”

  “That I’ve fallen in love with you, David.”

  “Oh.” David wasn’t expecting to hear that. “Thank you. I lo—”

  “No, you don’t understand. I can’t love you. You see, I’m married.”

  Chapter 7

  “I still think you’re making a big mistake,” Corey said, doing up his seatbelt and starting his car.

  “So you’ve said,” David yawned, “on several occasions.”

  “So why haven’t you listened to me?”

  “‘Cause I’m hopeless, a glutton for punishment.” In a much quieter voice he added, “And because I still love the bastard.”

  “Yeah. I’d sorta figured that one out.”

  When Corey, the omnipresent, dependable, and ever loving Corey, had volunteered to do the driving, David had only put up a token protest. Closing his eyes, David leaned back in the seat and did his best to relax.

  * * * *

  After Bud’s revelation that he was married, David had crumpled, fallen in on himself totally. Corey, plus a little chemical help from the makers of Prozac, had—after many long weeks of crying jags, sleepless nights, angry shouting matches and scary periods of hysterical laughter—managed to get David back on something approaching an even keel.

  Much against Corey’s better judgment, David decided to go back to work after taking just two weeks of sick leave. David knew the comforting routine of getting u
p, going to work, even the endless and usually tedious meetings, would all serve to help him get back to a state of normalcy.

  David got and remained drunk over Thanksgiving. Unable to face the fact he had nothing for which to be thankful, he spent the long weekend in an alcohol-induced stupor.

  Things hadn’t improved much by Christmas. David had been adamant in his decision not to celebrate the holiday, and threatened to cut off the balls of any man who so much as uttered a Ho-ho-ho in his presence. Corey, who had all but moved in with David, had taken his friend’s threats seriously and hidden all the sharp knives.

  Valentine’s Day was a total non-event, and Corey had done his best to keep David cheerful through all the TV shows depicting lovers celebrating their sickening devotion to each other.

  Spring break found David well enough to consider seriously Corey’s suggestion of a vacation. Choosing where to go had proven more problematic, however. Corey wanted to visit Disneyland, but David pointed out that the place would be crawling with kids. Much as he appreciated being able to mould the minds of the younger generations, he didn’t relish the prospect of also spending his leisure time around them.

  They’d finally agreed to go north and experience the viticultural and gastronomic delights of Oregon. David remembered how much he’d enjoyed the food and wine while attending the conference in Portland the previous year. However, he’d made it very clear to Corey that they were not to drive anywhere close to Crescent City, with all the memories that that place evoked.

  As summer grew closer, David felt an improvement in his spirits. He even found himself visiting the gay bars occasionally, though never going as far as to bring anyone home with him.

  However, a couple of weeks before school was out for the long summer recess, David received a telephone call that threatened to send him crashing back down to the depths of depression.

  “Hello, may I speak with Mr. David Grover?”

  “This is David.”

  “My name is Peter Harris. I’m a Corpsman at the naval hospital at Camp Pendleton.”

  David could feel his guts beginning to tighten. He only knew of one person who came from there.

  “As you’ve probably realized, I’m calling on behalf of Master-Sergeant Francis, uh, Bud, Williams.”

  “I’m sorry.” David had begun to feel dizzy. He leaned against the wall to prevent himself from falling. “I no longer have any contact with the Master-Sergeant.”

  “Yes, I am aware of that. But Bud, I mean Master-Sergeant Williams, is very insistent I call you.”

  “I appreciate that you need to follow orders, but as I said I have no further contact with that Marine, nor do I wish to.” David thought he was in danger of losing his lunch.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Grover. It isn’t my intention to cause you any distress, but if you would permit me to say what I need to, then I promise not to contact you again should you so wish.”

  “I don’t know, I—”

  “I understand from my discussions with the Master-Sergeant that you and he, um, well, had an unpleasant last encounter.”

  You can say that again, David thought, gripping the phone harder. Shit, how much does this guy know about me, about Bud? “Yes, well. Um. Please just say your piece, I’m already running late for an appointment,” David lied.

  “Thank you. Mr. Grover, I have to tell you that Master-Sergeant Williams was badly injured a month ago. He sustained injuries to his chest and abdomen, as well as minor injuries to his legs and arms.”

  “Oh, no! Bud injured? How, um, how bad is he?” David felt tears beginning to threaten.

  “Though the Master-Sergeant’s injuries were fairly extensive, he should make an almost full recovery, although he is unlikely ever to be able to return to active duty.”

  “Oh, no.” David knew how much the Corps meant to Bud. He’d go crazy if he had to accept a desk job. “Um, where, what happened?”

  “I’m not supposed to discuss such things with persons other than immediate family. I’ve probably broken several rules already. But as the Master-Sergeant has listed you as next of kin, I guess it’s okay.”

  “Next of kin? What about his wife?”

  “Well, um. First things first. Bud was the victim of an attack by insurgents during a routine patrol on the outskirts of Baghdad.”

  “Baghdad, Iraq?”

  David’s eyes, which had been closed, shot open. He’d seen on the TV news the atrocities that had occurred in the war-torn nation. Never had he thought that Bud, his Bud, would have been over there. My Bud? he asked himself. That reminded him of what the Corpsman had said earlier.

  “Um, you said something about me being listed as next of kin. I certainly didn’t give my permission for that.”

  “I’m not comfortable with talking about this over the telephone. Would it be possible for you to come visit Bud and…”

  “No way!” David said without thinking. “Sorry, but no. That just isn’t possible.”

  “I understand. I’ve grown close to Bud over the past month. It’s because of this I’m speaking with you now. If you are unable to come to the hospital, may I come visit you?”

  “What? Why?”

  “Well, um. I have things I have agreed to pass on to you, but I would rather not do so over the telephone.”

  “Oh.” David’s mind was a whirl of confusion. Bud, the man who had ripped out his heart, stamped on it and thrown it away, seemed to want to get back in touch. David didn’t want that. But the image of him lying injured in a hospital bed after some Arab maniac had tried to kill him…David shuddered.

  “Mr. Grover? Are you still there?”

  “Yes.”

  “May I come to visit with you? It is very important.”

  “You’ll be alone? I don’t want to see Bud.”

  “I promise I’ll be alone.”

  Again the mental picture of the beautiful big strong man who had taken him to heights of passion, lying broken, floated into David’s mind. “Okay. If you think it’s really necessary.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Grover. I appreciate your willingness to do this.”

  * * * *

  The navy Corpsman had said he was off duty at the weekend, so David told him to visit then. David had to wonder how close the nurse and Bud had become, as well as where he fit into the equation. He found, much to his relief, that he hadn’t spent the time between the Corpsman’s phone call and arrival worrying about it. This he hoped was a good indicator of how far his recovery had progressed.

  “Thank you for agreeing to my visit, Mr. Grover,” Corpsman Peter Harris said, shaking David’s hand. The man was tall, over six feet. His strong jaw, bright blue eyes topped by closely-cropped blond hair, made the man a striking figure. David estimated him to be in his early thirties.

  “Well, you didn’t really leave me much choice, as you didn’t want to discuss everything on the telephone.”

  “I’m sorry about that. But these days, we can never be certain that the phone lines aren’t being tapped.”

  “Huh? But surely as you’re a part of the government, you’d have your phones swept for bugs.”

  “It could well be the government who are doing the bugging. But I didn’t come here to bore you with discussions of possible naval espionage.”

  “No, please come in and make yourself at home. Could I get you a drink? Coffee, iced tea, a soda?”

  “Thank you, coffee would be most appreciated.”

  David saw Peter into the family room, where Corey was waiting. He had insisted David shouldn’t see the military man alone. “This is my good friend Corey Jenkins. He knows all about Bud and my relation—” David clapped a hand to his mouth. Shit. Have I just outed myself as well as Bud?

  “It’s okay, Mr. Grover,” Peter said, laying a hand on David’s arm. “As I think I told you, I have had plenty of opportunities to have long and very personal discussions with Master-Sergeant Williams. I am aware of pretty much everything that went on between you and him.”


  “Oh.” David wasn’t sure if he should be relieved, or more embarrassed. Unable to decide, he chose to make a hasty retreat to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee.

  Returning to the family room, David almost dropped the tray. Peter and Corey were sitting on his sofa, and sitting rather close together. Peter had the good grace to blush and move away, while Corey just sat there. David took a few seconds to determine Corey’s expression. He settled on love-struck. Oh, shit, he thought, setting the tray down on the coffee table. “There’s both milk and non-dairy creamer,” he said, heading for his armchair.

  “Peter was telling me that he often comes to Riverside. His folks live in the next subdivision over,” Corey said, sounding more impressed than such news should warrant.

  Oh, it’s ‘Peter’ is it? David thought. “I see. No wonder you didn’t need directions, then.”

  “Yes, the folks have lived in the area all their lives. I managed to persuade them to move to a smaller house, though. The family place was just too big once us kids flew the nest.”

  “Uh huh.” David had grown bored with small talk, though a glance at Corey showed he was hanging on Peter’s every word. “You said there was something important that you had to tell me about Master-Sergeant Williams?”

  “Ah yes,” Peter said, fixing his coffee and taking a sip. “You remember I told you that Bud had listed you as next of kin?”

  “Yes, why is that? I’d have thought his wife—”

  “She’s left him. They’re in the process of getting a divorce.”

  “Oh?” Corey asked, before David could.

  David was growing irritated at Corey’s presence.

  “It seems that when Lisa, that’s Bud’s wife, found out Bud would probably leave the Marines with a medical discharge, she lost all interest in him.”

  David’s heart began to beat faster. He tried to quash his feelings of elation.

  “To tell you the truth, Lisa wasn’t the most attentive of wives. She even tried to ask me out on a date during one visit.” Peter laughed nervously.

  “Why? Um, apart from her cheating on Bud while he’s in the hospital, what’s wrong with—”

  “He’s a friend of Dorothy like us, dumbass,” Corey said, causing both Peter and David’s eyes to open wider.