by Jack Harbon
“Patience is a virtue.”
“And dick is a necessity,” Mateo replied. Arthur’s resolve was too much for him. He knew the man wouldn’t budge on this, and he made a face to show just how irritated he was. “I hope you know that you’ve done your country a huge disservice.”
“Goodnight, Mateo,” he chuckled. Arthur pushed himself from the couch and walked to the front door. His hand hovered over the knob, and when he turned back, he said, “Come take a walk with me.”
“What?”
“Walk with me. Show me around your old neighborhood.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to see what you were so scared to let me see. Back then.”
Mateo assessed the situation before giving in and grabbing his jacket. He stepped into his shoes then followed Arthur outside. At the foot of the stairs, he stopped. “It’s not going to be anything exciting,” he said.
Arthur slipped a hand around Mateo’s waist. “I don’t care. I still want to see it.”
Mateo wasn’t going to argue with him. Instead, he began walking to the community pool near the main office of the old apartment complex. It wasn’t more than a block or two away. He stepped up to the fence and folded his arms on top of it, looking over the still water.
“Angel and I used to come here every day during the summer,” he said, mostly to himself. “We’d run around and have diving competitions, constantly getting in trouble with the staff. We probably should’ve listened to them, though, because he eventually ended up cracking his tooth when he slipped. God, Mom was so pissed at us.”
“Angel was trouble, wasn’t he?” Arthur asked.
“Nothing but, and the perfect amount.”
“He sounds like my brother. A complete nightmare for parents, but the life of the party.”
“They’d probably get along,” Mateo said solemnly.
Arthur nodded. “I’d like to think they would.”
Mateo’s tour continued, leading them outside of the convenience store across the street. He pointed to a busted up green bench against the side of the building and said,
“I saw my first fight when I was sitting there. Some guy saw his girlfriend with another dude and they all three ended up in a fist fight. It fucked me up a little. Made me realize that everyone’s a mess and we’re all just trying to keep it together. Let’s not stop here, though,” Mateo said, speeding up.
“Why not?”
“People tend to get robbed or shot here,” he said, his mouth quirking up. “I’m not joking either. No clue why Mom used to let us hang around without an adult. Let’s go.”
Mateo stopped by more uninspiring yet somehow fundamentally important locations around the neighborhood. The library he’d had his first—and last—cigarette at, the dollar store he and Angel had visited nearly daily, and the bank his dad used to work at before he got sick. Mateo couldn’t see the interest in it, but Arthur seemed enamored by it all, wanting to know every story he had to share. And though he didn’t understand it, it felt good to finally bring Arthur around.
For so long he’d kept this life to himself, escaping into a new world he thought was better than his own. A world where, if he admitted who he was and how he’d grown up, he’d be shunned or looked down upon. But Arthur only showed curiosity. An observer with an open mind, simply taking in his surroundings. That stomach-churning feeling went away, and by the time they were back at the front door of the new place, Mateo couldn’t remember why he’d felt ashamed in the first place.
This was his home. This was who he was, what shaped him into the person he was at that very moment, and he couldn’t apologize for it. He shouldn’t have to, either.
“So,” Mateo said, shrugging. “That’s everything. That’s the whole tour. I told you it wouldn’t be very exciting.”
“Anywhere my boy grew up is exciting to me,” Arthur said. He took a step closer, closing the gap of space between them, and wrapped his arms around Mateo’s hips.
For a moment, Mateo said nothing. He only placed his head against Arthur’s chest and listened to the sound of his heart beating.
Steady.
Constant.
“Arthur?” he said softly.
“Hm?”
“Is this going to last?”
Arthur looked down with a kind of determination Mateo had never seen before. “Yes,” was all he said, and Mateo didn’t need to hear anything else. He didn’t need flowery language or sweet sentiments. This was enough for him. They were going to last. They could make this last and convince Amira that this was real. Nothing would stop them.
And nothing did.
EPILOGUE
CELEBRATE
Mateo ran his hand over his father’s headstone for the first time in a long while. He’d never meant to allow himself to become so overworked, but with the business and the move into their new home, Mateo’s life was more hectic than he could manage.
Carefully, he placed a bouquet of flowers on top of Sergio’s grave, then another one on Angel’s. It still hurt like hell to not have his father or his brother in his life, but he’d finally come to accept that this pain would never truly go away. No matter how happy he’d been in the last few years, no matter how much he tried to move past this, he would never be one hundred percent again. And that was fine.
He would happily give parts of himself away for the experience of loving someone as amazing as these men. He’d do it all over again.
Mateo bowed his head and said a prayer under his breath. He missed them, and he was certain that they knew it, even if he didn’t visit the cemetery as often as he wanted to. With a deep breath, Mateo turned from the graves and walked back to his Lexus. He pulled his seatbelt across his chest and started up the car, his attention drawn towards the blinking light on his phone.
Two missed calls from his mother. Mateo dialed her back and pulled away from the curb.
“Finally,” Amira said lightly when she picked up.
Mateo smiled. “I’m at the cemetery.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I can call back later.”
“It’s okay. I haven’t been in a while, and it’s just... It was something I needed to do today. I’m done, though.” Mateo looked down at his hand and spun his wedding ring around in circles, a habit he’d picked up whenever he was nervous. He watched the gold move around and around, calming himself down.
“That’s good, that’s good. Listen, I need you to do me a favor before you come over. We ran out of streamers for Tomas’ party and I was wondering if you would mind stopping to pick up some more.”
“Not at all, Mami. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
They said their goodbyes and Mateo hung up the phone. He didn’t have much to do before Tomas’ graduation party anyways. Mateo pulled into the parking lot of the nearest supply store and climbed out of his car. He stopped walking and stared up at the building. This was his. Arthur had put him in charge of getting everything organized, which meant two long years of planning, promoting, and begging people to give him the time of day. There were nights where all he’d wanted to do was take a canister of gasoline and light the entire building on fire. He’d nearly lost everything trying to get the new franchise to take off, and finally it had. Five years strong.
Palette was the product of Mateo’s labor and Arthur’s support, and he’d never been prouder to call it their own. He walked through the automatic doors and maneuvered through the aisles until he found the decoration section. He grabbed a pair of red and blue streamers and called to make sure they went with the theme before he checked out.
While the cashier bagged his items, Mateo spotted Mr. Estes and his wife, Valentina. The moment the building had finally opened, Mateo extended the both of them job offers. Ricky could finally stop breaking his back over his own place. Here at Palette, he was the supervisor, and Valentina was the manager. When she wasn’t working out front, she led a few of the weekly activities in the store’s craft room. Though Mateo could no longer work with th
e kids in his painting class, he’d insisted that they find a nice replacement for him. They’d settled on an upbeat elderly woman who instantly connected with the kids.
Mateo gave the Estes family a happy wave on his way out of the store, tossing his bags into the back and heading over to Amira’s house. He pulled into the driveway and discarded his sunglasses, pausing to check his reflection in the mirror. His typically smooth skin was now peppered with fine black hair, a sure sign that he’d skipped his shaving routine for the past few mornings. Life had been too hectic, and spending time shaving was a luxury he wasn’t too concerned with. He climbed out and barely stepped onto the path leading up to the front door when his sister appeared in front of him.
She jumped from the bushes surrounding the home and yelled, startling him. “Ah!” he cried, instantly laughing with embarrassment. With a smirk, she sauntered around the shrubbery, her hands on her hips.
“That’s what you get for sending me those scary fake texts, jerk,” Salome said, narrowing her eyes at him. She looked so similar to Amira that sometimes Mateo thought he was talking to a younger version of his mother. She had the same deep brown eyes and silky bob haircut, and the satisfied smirk that Amira wore when she proved someone wrong. It was crazy to think that she was twelve now. Seven years had passed faster than he thought.
Salome led him into the house and directed him towards the dining room where everyone was still setting up. “I’m not late, am I?” he asked his mother. Amira looked back over her shoulder at him and smiled.
“You’re right on time, mijito. Rob and I are almost done, but you can see if Val and Wes need help in the kitchen if you’d like.”
He pecked her on the cheek, giving Rob a short nod before he made his way into the kitchen. On the island sat the biggest cake he’d ever seen. He wasn’t even sure how it had fit inside an oven.
“Jesus,” he exclaimed.
Valerie jumped at his voice and looked up at him. She dropped the piping bag and ran towards him, pulling him into a vice-like hug. They rocked back and forth for a moment. She smelled of warm vanilla and Chanel perfume, her high pony was perfectly styled, and she looked as beautiful as ever.
“I’ve been waiting to see you all day,” she said, hitting him on the stomach playfully. Mateo took his bag off and placed it on the counter, leaning back against it.
“I know I’m gonna sound cliché, but work, man.”
“You’re telling me!” Valerie picked up her bag of icing and continued decorating the corners of the cake. “This is our third party this week, and we have two more that we’re planning two weeks from now. And keep in mind, we just planned a wedding in Dubai last month. I don’t know if we’re ever going to get a break.”
Valerie turned to her husband Wesley and smiled. He was a tall man with a welcoming grin and a surprisingly deep voice. The deep emerald green of his shirt hugged every part of his body, and his rich brown skin was as clear as day. He was the exact type of guy Mateo had expected Valerie to end up with; chiseled, handsome, and responsible.
“We’ll get a break when we’re dead,” Wesley teased, wrapping his arm around her waist. She leaned back against him tenderly and Mateo suddenly realized this was how he and Arthur must have looked all the time. Yuck. Mateo excused himself to go find Victor, but when he peeked in the door, he heard the shower running. He’d just have to say hello after the boy was done washing up.
Mateo forgot how big the house was but being inside reminded him of why he’d picked it out for Amira in the first place. Her room was on the other side of the house, far from the kids, which meant if she wanted to, she could spend all day without ever having to be disturbed by the kids playing and arguing. Not only that, but each of his siblings’ rooms were big enough that they’d never have to share, nor would they feel restricted as they got older. Salome’s room was filled with pastel colors and quotes about being free and living life to the fullest. Victor had wall-to-wall bookshelves in his room, filled with every kind of book imaginable, from stories involving dragons and bastard sons with winter-themed names to true crime novels. And surprisingly enough, Tomas’ room was practically all packed up.
There was a weird churning in Mateo’s stomach, and he sat down on Tomas’ bed while he tried figuring out what it was. It took a moment, but the wave of sadness finally made sense. He didn’t want to see Tomas grow up. He was eighteen and already planning on moving out. Mateo had always known Tomas would be the one to go through life without distraction. He’d been the kid who colored inside the lines like it was his second nature. He never retook tests in school because he aced them the first time around.
Was this what Amira had felt when Mateo left to go to school? The thought was enough to propel him into the dining room. He wrapped his arms around Amira and hugged her tight. “I love you,” he said, rubbing her back.
No matter how old he got, Mateo knew that he would always need his mother around. She was his rock in this crazy world, and he couldn’t get by without her.
The others arrived only minutes before Tomas was due home. He’d been let out of school early to get ready for graduation night, which meant they had to have this entire party ready by noon. Aunt Rosie and her new, younger boyfriend arrived with a literal trunkful of gifts, and in a panic, everyone helped organize the various bags and boxes on a table. Nicola couldn’t help but pout, either. Before Rosie showed up, she’d had the most presents on the table. Valerie added her items to the table as well, and Rob placed his large box on the floor next to it.
“What’d you get him, by the way?” Mateo asked him.
“You know the virtual reality headset everyone’s been losing their minds over? Got him one of those for his dorms. We had the PS4 and we were the coolest motherfuckers in our building. You ‘member that?”
“Like it was yesterday,” Mateo chuckled. They’d hosted many game nights back when they’d been in school. Rob’s gift was sure to make Tomas happy. The coolest thing about having an ‘uncle’ in the video game industry was that all of Mateo’s younger siblings got the coolest new tech without any of the cost.
Tomas and a few of his friends finally made their appearance, and the moment he walked through the door he was greeted with cheers and celebratory hugs. He was only the second Rosales to graduate, so this was a big deal. Mateo had never seen him smile as much as he did walking through the front door. While everyone took turns squeezing the life out of him with their hugs, Amira nudged Mateo.
“Dónde está?” she asked.
“He’ll be here in a minute,” he assured his mother.
Arthur was running late, but Mateo didn’t mind. He knew that he’d show up eventually. There was a knock at the door a moment later and Mateo gave her a satisfied smile. “What’d I say, Mami? Gotta trust me sometimes.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she said, rolling her eyes. She pushed him towards the door.
Laughing, Mateo opened it to see Arthur. “There you are,” Mateo said softly. Arthur stepped forward and kissed him tenderly.
“I’m sorry I’m so late. You know how traffic gets during morning classes. People trying to get in and out of the building.”
Mateo didn’t hold anything against him. He’d been stuck in that line for almost forty-five minutes one terrible morning. Considering Arthur was already running on a tight schedule, he was doing pretty good on time.
“It’s fine, babe. Did you get him something?”
“Some Amazon gift cards?”
“That’s perfect,” Mateo smiled. He knew that Tomas could be picky when it came to gifts. He preferred cash.
Arthur paused and looked back at the car. Mateo watched that slightly impatient expression form on his face, but Arthur smoothed it away. “C’mon, Lola,” he called out. Mateo heard the patter of ballerina shoes on the stone pathway. When the toddler rounded the corner, her eyes lit up. Mateo’s heart skipped a beat.
“Daddy!” she cried, running towards him. She practically leapt in his arms. Mateo spun the girl
around before situating her on his hips. He looked over her freckled face and her ballet outfit, his heart a complete and utter puddle.
“You look so pretty today,” he said, tickling her stomach. “Papa did a good job getting you dressed today, didn’t he?” Mateo gazed at Arthur.
“Mhm!” Lola agreed, nodding enthusiastically.
“She’s always pretty,” Arthur said, stepping closer to kiss the girl on the forehead. He cupped Mateo’s face in his hand and stroked his cheek with his thumb.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you too!” Lola interjected. The two of them laughed at her before they joined forces in tickling her. She squirmed and squealed until Mateo put her down and watched her run off into the dining room with the others.
“She took the words right out of my mouth,” Mateo said.
Arthur chuckled and pecked him on the lips once more. He excused himself to hurry inside and apologize for being tardy. Once he was gone, Mateo closed the front door. He then smiled to himself.
It was time to celebrate.
THE END
About the author…
Jack Harbon is your typical eccentric twenty-something, writing stories much more interesting than his real life. If he's not writing, he's either reading books about magic girls, watching shows about blackmail and murder, or baking coconut macaroons.
Other works…
ENDEARMENTS:
KITTEN (#2)
Encounters:
the babysitter (#1)
Unwrap me: an erotic christmas Novelette
teacher’s pet vol. 1
just one night
