“I’m working on Mom. Pushing for Marina del Rey,” Andy said while they were waiting for Victor’s car to show up to take him to the airport. “But I probably won’t get her out of Miami. She’s got a lot of friends here.”
“Into a condo, though, right?”
“Yeah, we’ve reached agreement on that. This house, for fuck’s sake.”
Andy rolled his eyes. “There’s such demand for housing, someone would buy it. But I feel like selling it is doing a disservice to the buyer. Nobody should even be living in this neighborhood.”
“You could tear it down. Sell the bare lot. They’d have to build to the new code.”
“And if nobody thought it was worthwhile, it could go back to nature.
Good idea.” Andy leaned over to kiss him as a car rolled in outside. “There’s your ride. I’ll be back in Buffalo as soon as possible.”
“Don’t hurry. Stay as long as Eva needs you.” Victor didn’t especially want to say that, because he needed Andy too.
“Honey, she’s already tired of me. She needs some time to herself. Have I mentioned I love you? I love you. Get out of here before I make you miss your flight.” Andy hugged him, kissed him, and sent him on his way.
Watched him go, realizing Victor hadn’t said ‘I love you’ back and wondering about that ‘don’t hurry.’
“Is everything okay?” Eva’s voice, behind him. Andy turned around and made a ‘what do you think’ face. Eva shrugged. “I know, I know. Did you boys just say you think we should tear the house down?”
So Andy went back inside and they argued about that for a while. But it was a full moon, and that night the tide flooded the house. Eva was sweeping water out the front door when Andy squelched into the kitchen. “Really, Mom.”
“I know, I know. Can you stay till we find me a place to live?”
There were a million texts and messages, it was even worse than after Victor got shot. Andy worked his way through all of them. He took charge of things, bullied his mother into eating, made sure neither of them drank too much. They both went out to walk on the beach. Andy carried a trash bag and picked up litter, bitching about what pigs people were. It made Eva laugh.
The memorial made them both cry. “But it’s good,” Eva said afterward. “It’s
good he went that way. Before things got too bad.”
“When he was happy,” Andy said. “He had a good life with you.”
“Yes he did.” Eva leaned on him. “He was so proud of you.”
“Jesus, Mom, stop it.” They left the social club. Ronnie hadn’t wanted any kind of religious thing. There were hands to shake, more hugs. Andy wished Victor were there to deal with the press lurking out by the street, and for ten thousand other reasons. He said what he needed to say, arm around his mother. Then he signaled his driver, and they escaped.
Chapter 7
July 2019
Andy landed in Buffalo with a long progress report to give Victor.
They’d texted every day as usual, and spoken on the phone regularly. They both said ‘I love you.’ Andy could tell something was wrong, couldn’t imagine what it was, and was getting annoyed about it. My father just died, goddammit, and what the fuck is your problem. He couldn’t say that. Didn’t want to say that. Couldn’t help thinking it.
The first week back was mostly okay. Molly was delighted to have both her humans. Jonathan and Loretta – especially Loretta – were attentive and kind. Andy came to the set some days, went out on the lakes some days, stayed in the room sometimes to follow up with various people and various projects. Victor made time for them to practice their two routines for the Underground Cabaret. They did some more brainstorming about the Shakespeare project. They had slightly careful sex. Andy let Victor take the lead, grateful for the kisses and touches. He wasn’t feeling quite himself and didn’t want to deal with whatever wasn’t right. He got an interesting email from his ‘Tempest’ photo subjects Niall and Geoffrey, and didn’t even mention it to Victor. The level of tension was sufficient that he thought it might set something off. Andy couldn’t summon the energy to have a fight.
He never liked to fight, always avoided it if he possibly could, but he was starting to think they were about to. About to have their first fight now, of all times, when he was tired and sad and only even where he was because he wanted to be with Victor.
Then the production moved to the Poconos, and the lid came off. Victor had a few long hard days. He was tired and cranky and very much aware that he was the problem. That made him defensive and snappy. At dinner, when they were both in their bedroom and Molly was in the room next door, Andy said, “Mom sent a picture of her new place. Alonzo helped her get moved in last weekend. Do you want to see?”
Victor set down his wineglass a little too fast, hitting the edge of his plate. He managed to catch it before it spilled, but that second of gracelessness set him off. “Could you not talk about him like he’s part of the family?”
Andy’s breath went out as if he’d been punched. He sat back, slowly
refilling his lungs, eyes narrowed. That hurt, he thought almost calmly, and why did you say it. “He is part of the family. Mom’s known
