Our Humble Little Dwelling

Chapter 9

Leo sat surprised next to Vince in the waiting room of the auto-body shop he worked in. His shift at the Manny’s Restaurant had ended early and he decided to get the oil changed on his Toyota Camry. While one of Vince’s co-workers did the simple task, he sat down with his friend and told him his life-changing news.

“Keith’s pregnant?”

Vincent’s eyes looked away from his friend and focused on nothing. He nodded slowly. “Yep.”

“With a kid?”

“Yep.”

“Your kid?”

Vince glanced at his long-time friend and blinked slowly. “Nah, George Clooney’s. Of course mine, Leo.”

“Wow.” Leo suddenly smiled and smacked his friend on the shoulder. “Congratulations, man! You’re gonna be a daddy!”

The young DJ nodded again. “That sounds so weird to me.”

Leo frowned at Vincent’s tone. “Why would that sound weird to you? You ARE happy, right?”

Vince sighed. “Yeah. Yes, yes, I’m happy about this baby.”

“So then what’s with the long face?”

“I guess I’m just shocked. I’ve never pictured myself being somebody’s daddy…”

The young man with the buzzed hair shrugged. “Becoming a father isn’t easy. Suddenly, you’re loaded down with tons of responsibilities and your whole life revolves around this little person and how you’re gonna provide for them, protect them, and be there for them. I’ve yet to be a father, but I can imagine it’s no walk in the park. But it’ll be rewarding too. Very rewarding.”

“Yeah?”


“Yeah! Look, man, can’t you just imagine all the experiences you’ll have with this kid? Their first real laugh, first word, first tooth….first steps—“

“I know. And I’m looking forward to that……it’s just……well, given the current income I’m bringing in now, how will I be able to take care of a baby?”

“You’re not doing that bad though, Vince…”

I couldn’t even keep up on the bills and rent for my apartment. I had to move out and live at my boyfriend’s place.”

“But you didn’t have the two jobs then that you have now…”

“Yeah, right. Instead of working one minimum wage job, I’m working two now. Come on, Leo.”

Sighing, Leonardo leaned forward in his seat, resting his forearms on his thighs. “Okay, you’re focusing too much on the financial end of this. You’re having a baby, Vince. You’re gonna be a father. Think about that instead.”

“And I do. But having love for this baby isn’t gonna feed them everyday. Babies need formula, pampers, clothing……..That requires money. Money I don’t have.” He rubbed his head wearily. “It’s not like I don’t want to be a father. I’ve dreamed of this, you know? But I saw myself a couple years down the road. I was stable in my life, making money…….I was a provider. My road towards that is still in its beginning stages and here I am with a pregnant lover. I’m scared as hell, man.”

“And Keith? How is he with all this?”

“……………….I honestly don’t know. I fainted last night when he told me and when I finally came to, I……I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. And this morning, I didn’t really say anything to him. I’m just in so much shock right now………….He probably thinks I’m mad or something and trying to avoid him.”

***

“He’s avoiding me.” Keith began to stitch the inseam of a lady’s wedding dress. He personally didn’t care for all the lace and fringe the twice married mother of two asked for, but that’s what she wanted and he had to comply. All the fringe was a bitch to work with however.

The basement was what Keith called, his office. Every bit of equipment needed for an adequate sewing room, Keith had. Of course he wasn’t rolling in dough so it took time to get his items, the measuring table in particular, and because of that he made sure to take care of them. He was currently using his most prized possession—his sewing machine. While Keith was in jail, he had informed his parents about how he had taken up sewing. He told them how much he loved it and thought he’d really found his calling. Convinced it was the truth, the morning of their fateful car crash, they had left to buy the best sewing machine their money could buy for their son—a Singer Quantum 9920. Unfortunately, they never made it to see Keith’s expression of seeing it once he got home. He cherishes that item the most and would never forgive himself if something happened to it.

Kyle grabbed a stool and sat next to where his cousin was tentatively working. “What?”

“Vince. He’s avoiding me. Ever since I told him I was pregnant, he hasn’t said two words to me.”

Kyle curled his lip. It was true. He had noticed the communication—or lack there of—between his cousin and Vince that morning. But he thought it was just one of those kind of days. “Well, perhaps you’ve shocked him into silence…..” Keith paused in his sewing and cut pale gray eyes in his younger cousin’s direction. “Or perhaps not.”

Keith continued to work. “He doesn’t want this baby.”

“Keith, you don’t know that.”

“Then how do you explain his actions towards me? We’re about to bring another being into this life. Our lives are going to be changed forever. And he refuses to talk about it?” He finished one inseam then pulled it out the machine to get a good look at it. “Does that sound like a happy father-to-be?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions, Keith. Maybe he really is shocked by the whole thing and it’s just taking him some time to wrap his brain around it.”

The elder cousin grunted as he slid the dress back under the needle to do another inseam. “Maybe I should just wrap my hands around his neck.”

Kyle covered a chuckle with his hand. His cousin wasn’t going to voice his true feelings about the whole situation but he knew where Keith’s mind was going. It’s a known fact that when a couple gets pregnant, one—namely the father—will probably leave. It happens all the time and he knew that was Keith’s worst fear. He didn’t want to raise a kid on his own.

“I mean the nerve of him,” Keith spoke over the steady hum of the sewing machine. “The nerve of him. I tell him I’m pregnant and he faints. But when he wakes up, he never brings it up. Fucking totally ignores the fact that I told him we’re having a baby. Does that sound like a ‘proud papa’ to you?”

Kyle shrugged his shoulders. “Well I—“

“No. No, it doesn’t.” Kyle had a feeling that his cousin was starting to rant and when that happens, there’s really no point in responding cause Keith practically talks to himself. “It sounds like he’s acting like a prick. Like a selfish bastard, that doesn’t mind fucking somebody every chance he gets but refuses to take responsibility WHEN THE PERSON GETS PREGNANT!” Keith snatched the rather unflattering dress from under the sewing needle. “Why does HE get to be the one to bitch?! I’M the one that’s pregnant!” Obviously pissed, Keith gets up from his chair and tosses the dress on the measuring table as he heads up the stairs.

“Hey Keith, I thought you were gonna finish the dress today?” Kyle asked, still sitting and watching his raven haired cousin leave the basement.

“It IS finished!”

“Um, okay.” Kyle got up and started to neatly fold the dress. As he did so, he began to wonder if Keith’s comment had referred to the topic at hand or his and Vince’s relationship.

***

“How does that look?” Kyle asked as he spun Leo around in his styling chair to face the mirror.

Leo stood up and examined his freshly cut brown hair. “It looks good baby. Really good. Thank you. How much do I owe you?”

Kyle smiled. “You don’t owe me anything. Just a large steak tonight for having me stay after hours at the salon to cut your hair.”

Leo laughed. “I can do that. But, the restaurant I made reservations to isn’t expecting us until eight o’clock.” He removed the cape from his shoulders and let the excess hair fall to the floor. Then he grabbed a broom and began to sweep the floor.

“And what time is it now?”

“Six-thirty.”

Kyle grabbed a brush from his station and began to clean his hair clippers. “What are we gonna do for an hour and a half?”

“We could go back home. Hang out a while til it’s time…”

“Ha! Oh hell no. Keith is only one month along in his pregnancy but his hormones are on psychotic status right now. I love him but I’d rather not hear him ranting if I can help it.” He finished his cleaning then put away his clippers in a black case.

Leo finished sweeping up the hair and put the broom away. “Well, that leaves us with one other option…” He snaked his hands around his lover’s waist and kissed his neck. Kyle laughed but his face blushed crimson.

“Here? In the salon?”

“Why not? It’s closed. We’re alone. We can be as discreet as we’d like….” He lifted the hem of his lover’s red dress shirt, running his hands over the smooth skin underneath.

“But what if we get caught?” he gasped when Leo’s right hand slid down under his pants to his genitalia.

“We won’t. No one will know……I swear.”

***

They sky was turning a dusky dark and Officer Grant was reaching the end of his shift. The afternoon proved to be rather uneventful, but in his profession that’s a very good thing. He turned his patrol car down Main Street for a final circle of the area then his day would be over. He sighed happily thinking how fast his report will be when he reaches the station again. But his brown eyes turned to his right and he knew he wasn’t going home as quickly he’d thought.

“What the hell?” Every hair salon built in a city has a glass front. It’s an expected accessory. Have large windows in the front so the pedestrians and drivers can see how well the stylists work and how good they make their customers look……hence bringing them new clients. It’s not just to bring in light—it serves a good purpose. But not the purpose he was seeing it used for.

Sitting in one of the styling chairs, a man with a low shaven head, a shirtless torso, and pants down to his ankles cradled a smaller raven haired young man in his lap. His shirt was undone and pants/underwear were nowhere to be found. Arms wrapped securely around each other and the smaller man’s body rocked into the other’s………Officer Grant knew what was going on and unless you were blind, any stranger walking down the street would know as well……which was the problem.

He pulled his car to the side of the street and turned the ignition off. Grabbing his flashlight, he walked to the window. Happily married to a woman for fifteen years, he wasn’t a strong supporter of homosexuality of any kind. He didn’t understand it. He didn’t care to understand it. He didn’t sympathize for their struggle for equality. He felt gay and lesbian lovers should have no rights when it comes to unions and marriage. Shaking his head, he thought that if he HAD to have something happen only ten minutes before his shift ended, he’d hoped that seeing two gay guys going at it wouldn’t be it.

Pulling out his patrol stick, he tapped it against the glass as he lifted the flashlight to gleam through at the accusing couple. He watched as they franticly broke apart, pulling clothes over themselves in embarrassment.

***

Keith had just finished steam pressing the wedding dress he’d made in the basement and was currently in his bedroom. He went there to grab his shoes so he could deliver the dress to the bride-to-be…again, but he caught sight of his full length mirror and paused. He lifted his blue shirt and rubbed his tummy.

I can’t believe a baby is in there. Our baby. keith had tried to call Vince nearly an hour ago as a last attempt at trying to talk to him about their situation. After the conversation he’d had with his younger cousin, he felt he could atleast open up to Vince first before he got pissed at him. He called him twice and got no answer. Keith honestly didn’t know what to think. He wanted to believe that the man he’d met and fell hard for was willing to step up to the plate and become a father, but sadly he was mistaken. Perhaps Vincent’s mother didn’t know her son as well as she proclaimed. Perhaps he didn’t know him either. Vincent didn’t want to be a daddy. Vincent didn’t want this baby.

So where would that leave them as a couple? Nowhere. Keith wasn’t looking to be a parent this early in his life, but now he was and he was going to accept it. What choice did he have? Vince, it seemed, wasn’t for this change. And if Vincent couldn’t handle the pressure that was to come with parenthood, they couldn’t be together.

He heard his cellphone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out. He didn’t recognize the number on the screen but went ahead and pressed TALK. “Hello?”

“Keith? It’s me, Kyle.” He said in a low, morose voice.

Keith frowned at hearing his cousin’s tone. Not since he was staying at home with his father, calling Keith to come pick him up, did he remember him sounding that way. “Kyle, what’s the matter with you? And where are you calling from?”

“I’m……I’m calling from jail.”

Did I hear him right?”What did you say?”

“…….I’m in jail.”

I did hear him right. “What the hell are you doing in jail?!”

“I…..wha….um….”

“Where is Leo?!”

“He’s here too.”

Keith, stumped, shook his head. “I’m confused. I thought you were supposed to be going out to eat!”

“I was, Keith!”

“Then why are you in jail, Kyle?!”

“……….I…….I…..”

“Stop fucking around with me and tell me what you did!”

There was another pause then Kyle sighed dejectedly. “We were at the salon and police caught us……..having sex at my station.”

Frustrated, Keith put his face in his hand. He could feel a headache coming. “KYLE!”

More to come....