Chance Encounter

by Alex Tempera

  “Oh, wow. Did you want me to help you?”

  “Well, I’m never in City Hall full time,” he said. “If it’s too much, then let me know.”

  “I don’t know if I can do both alone. Sir, I really think you should consider hiring a secretary. At least for the law office. I can do your legal stuff but answering the phones and scheduling, another person should do that.”

  “You’re right,” Evan said. “We are gaining clients.”

  “I can post the position, and I’d be glad to help you at City Hall but maybe you need to hire someone to sit there full time. You know?”

  “I’m sorry. This is all new to me,” he said.

  “I can post the positions in the local paper.”

  “That’d be great,” he said. “I don’t think the assistant at City Hall needs to be a civil service personnel.”

  “I’ll check the statute, but I think you’re right,” she wrote some notes down on her notepad. “Is there anything else?”

  “No, thanks for your help,” he smiled, as they stood up.

  She kissed his cheek. “Mr. Manetti, you’ll be fine. Do you need me to pick up your suit from the cleaners tomorrow?”

  “No, they’re going to deliver it to me at the law office. I guess I’ll be changing there. I won’t be as stunning as Chance will be in his dress blues, but I think I’ll look halfway decent.”

  “I’m sure you’ll look handsome,” she smiled as he opened the door.

  “I hope so,” Evan said.

  She walked out to her car and he watched as she pulled out of the driveway. Evan was about to close the door when he noticed a dark sedan pull into his driveway. He gulped as he saw his father get out of the passenger side and walk up the steps.

  Evan walked out to the porch and closed his door. “General, what are you doing here?”

  “We need to have a discussion,” the man said, who was dressed sharply in a black Italian suit.

  “About what?” Evan crossed his arms. “You made yourself perfectly clear that I’m not your son as long as I’m gay.”

  “Well, you are right about that,” Zachary Manetti sighed. “I feel out of control.”

  “Good,” Evan said. “General, why are you here?”

  “I heard you were getting married tomorrow. To a man.”

  “Yes, you met him,” Evan said.

  “The disrespectful Marine?”

  “The strong, sexy police chief,” Evan grinned. “I love him. General, you may not understand falling in love, and I never did until I fell in love with Chance. He’s a wonderful man. His mother accepts me just because I love him.”

  He turned his back to his son. “I loved your mother,” he sighed.

  “Did you? You were never there. Always off somewhere, in some country. She never knew where you were. Mom raised us until she died. She was battling Cancer and still tried to make sure that we were taken care of,” Evan spat. “You weren’t even there when she died.”

  Manetti turned around and glared at his son. “I fucking know. I was protecting our goddamn country. I loved your mother more than life itself and then she fucking died. Do you think I wanted her to die?”

  “No, General, I don’t. Your problem is that you tried to run your household like we were at war. Why the fuck do you think I left?”

  “You were too stubborn.”

  “Why did you have to come here to fight? On the eve of my wedding? Hell, you want to stab me again?” His eyes swelled with tears.

  “Evan, I’m sorry that I don’t love you. I just don’t know how.”

  “General, you said what you needed to, please leave my property.”

  Manetti nodded slightly. “I won’t bother you again.” He turned to walk down the stairs.

  “General, I still don’t know why you came.”

  He turned toward his son. “I’m dying. I have cancer, but at least I lived long enough for you to get your hush money. I thought you should know. I wanted to say I was sorry that I stabbed you.”

  “Were you?” Evan crossed his arms.

  “No, should’ve died, lousy son,” he muttered as he headed back to the car.

  Evan watched as the car pulled out of the driveway. “See you in Hell, fucker,” Evan went back into the house.

  33

  Chance stared out his bedroom window at the house across the street. This was going to be the longest night of his life. He and Evan promised not to see each other the night before the wedding. He was excited and anxious to be married. To be married to Evan. He loved Evan more than he could ever express. He thought about the first moment he saw Evan. He chuckled lightly as he remembered Evan flirting with him or when he first discovered that Evan was the mayor, his boss. This boss thing grew and he loved calling Evan boss. He couldn’t wait to call him husband.

  Chance sat down in the chair in front of the window as he sipped his beer. He jumped slightly when he noticed a car that pulled in his driveway. He hurried down the stairs and out to the porch. He knew that Evan had a run-in with his father. Hell, a patrol officer told him, which shows how small the town really is. He opened the front door and walked out to the porch. “Edgar, why are you here?”

  “You didn’t tell me you were getting married,” his twin brother grunted.

  “Why? Do you care?” Chance crossed his arms.

  Edgar, who resembled his brother, stormed up the stairs and glared in his eyes. “You didn’t tell me.”

  “Why would I?” Chance said.

  “We’re brothers,” Edgar spat.

  “Since when?”

  “Uh, duh, we were born together.”

  “You’re a fucking ass. You only want what you want. You treated your wife like crap and now, she’s one of my best friends. She’s like a sister to me. You’re the ass.”

  “Me? I’m the ass?” Edgar said. “So, where is this guy? What’s he do for a living?”

  “He’s the mayor, you moron. You know the mayor, don’t you?”

  “You’re marrying the mayor?”

  “Um, yeah, now, just leave. You don’t need to come. I don’t want you there.”

  “Is this why you didn’t tell me that Todd stabbed you?”

  “Edgar, you drink too much. You sleep around too much. Hell, you even eat too much. You’re a jerk and you treat your family like shit. I love you but if you weren’t my brother, I wouldn’t want to know you at all.”

  “We’re twins,” Edgar said.

  “Yeah, we are, by birth only, and you never seemed to care about that.”

  “So, who’s getting the house?”

  “Oh, I see now,” Chance sighed.

  “What?”

  “You’re just here because of the house.”

  “Mom mentioned you were gonna rent out the house.”

  “I haven’t decided. It’s not even listed yet. Hell, I haven’t moved into my new place yet. I may sell or I may rent. What the hell do you care? You didn’t want it when Mom left.”

  “I do want it.”

  “Now?”

  “Yeah, I want it,” Edgar said.

  “Why?”

  “I need a place to live. Chance, please, my savings is gone. The land I owned I sold and now, I’m broke. I need a place to live.”

  “Well, you can’t have it. You’d have to buy it,” Chance said.

  “I can’t afford it.”

  “Then you’re shit out of luck,” Chance went to go in the house.

  “No, please,” Edgar dropped to his knees.

  Chance looked down at his brother, practically begging, a sight he’d never thought he’d see especially from his brother. “Edgar?”

  “I’ve lost everything. I’ve made such a mess of my life. I wish I was strong and brave like you.”

  “Come on, get up,” Chance helped his brother stand and led him into the house. “Sit and I’ll get you a drink,” he pointed to the couch. He watched as his brother seemed to crumble into the fabric as he sat down. He went into the kitchen and got two
beers.

  He stood in front of his brother. “Edgar, what’s going on with you?” Chance handed him a beer.

  “How did you know when you were in love?” Edgar asked.

  “I never loved anyone but Evan. We got to know each other and I was fucking scared. I was always afraid that he’d walk away from me, but he didn’t. Not for good, ever. Even when I assumed him not being with me was him walking away, it wasn’t. He was always here and one day, I knew it. I felt it. I knew what I felt was love.”

  “I’m scared, Chance. I don’t want to be alone. I miss Janet.”

  “I don’t think you can ever get her back,” Chance said.

  “Does she have anyone?”

  “Edgar,” he sat down in the chair across from his brother. “What’s going on?”

  Edgar sighed. “How did you do it?”

  “What? What did I do?”

  “You changed. You became different when you were with Todd, more of a pushover or something and then, even after your divorce, you seemed like you were wandering. The only thing that seemed to keep your head on straight was your job. Now, you’re a total different guy. I hear your cops talking around the town, and even they say that you seem…”

  “Seem what?” Chance was not sure he wanted to hear what his officers were saying behind his back.

  “Happier,” Edgar said. “Actually, not happier, just fucking happy. Like this Evan guy changed you.”

  Chance laughed slightly, drinking his beer. “No, Evan didn’t change me, but he did make me take a good hard look at myself.”

  “Oh,” Edgar said. “Are your men right?”

  “Where did you even hear my men talking?”

  Edgar sipped his beer and looked down at his feet. “The Rogue Bar and Grill. I’ve been staying in one of the rooms above the bar. I told you. I lost fucking everything.”

  “Yeah, well, part of it was probably your fucking attitude. I’ll help you but I’m not giving you any money. You’re my brother and I love you, but you need to straighten out your life, on your own. Can you do that?”

  “How do I do that?” Edgar asked.

  Chance stood up and walked over to his brother. “On your feet,” he commanded.

  Edgar stood up and looked into his brother’s eyes. “Your men were right,” he smiled. “Chance, please, can you help me?”

  “First, tell me what the hell you want out of life.”

  “I need a job, I need my family,” Edgar said.

  Chance put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You will always have me. Yes, I think you’re an ass, but if you truly want to change, only you can do it. Get yourself a job. If you want to work things out with Janet, you have to do that yourself. I don’t know if you can work things out with her. You treated her like crap. And Mom.”

  “What did I do to mom?”

  “You try to borrow money every chance you get. She doesn’t have any money, not anymore. Hell, I bought this house so she could go to that place she lives in.”

  “I didn’t know,” Edgar said.

  “Mom will always help you but you need to show her you’re not a bum or an ass. She’s just too nice to call you an ass. I love you, brother, but you need to do something about your life.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Well, you can do anything you want. Your last job was in construction. You were a foreman, what’s wrong with that? Why did you lose your job?”

  “Layoffs,” he said.

  “Well, there are two construction companies in the area. Haldon is the company that is working on the new neighborhood that they are building near where I’m going to live.”

  “I still can’t believe you want to live in a built up neighborhood,” Edgar said.

  “I don’t and I’m not going to,” Chance sighed. “I worked with the developers and during some negotiations by my great attorney, they reworked the neighborhood and we will have our privacy, and our own private road. Our view will be the same. I sold off some of my acres so that I could build … that we could build the home of our dreams.”

  “You’re getting everything you ever wanted, aren’t you?”

  “I have everything I ever wanted now. I have more than I ever thought I could have. Edgar, if you give yourself time, you could do it, too.”

  Edgar nodded. “So, can I stay here? Um, rent the house from you?”

  Chance sighed. “I’ll give you the first month’s rent for free and when Evan and I get back next week, I’ll have Evan give you a lease, a month-to-month, to sign. You have a month to get a job so you can pay the rent. You don’t pay, you don’t stay.”

  “I understand,” he said. “I won’t let you down.”

  “Edgar, don’t let yourself down. That’s the most important thing.”

  “I won’t. Um, thanks,” he said.

  “I’ll leave the house mostly furnished but not everything will be here. You may need to furnish things yourself and what you don’t want, just put in the basement.”

  “Hell, Chance, all I need is a bed, chair, TV, and kitchen.”

  “Well, you’ll have all of those and a little more,” Chance said. “You can come here after the wedding tomorrow.”

  “Can I go to your wedding?”

  “If you want and you just sit and be quiet,” Chance said. “You have to clean yourself up, too. You look like fucking hell.”

  “I will. I promise,” Edgar hugged his brother and Chance patted him on the back. “Tomorrow?”

  “Dusk,” Chance said as he watched his brother leave the house. He petted Barney, who was lying on his dog bed. “I want to … I need to see Evan, but he made me promise.” He jumped slightly when there was a knock on his door.

  34

  Chance opened the door and smiled. “I thought we had a deal,” he smiled.

  “Well, it was more for no sex,” Evan said. “I saw your brother leave, and I thought you needed to talk.”

  “You need to talk, too, huh?”

  “Yeah, the General paid me a little visit again,” he sighed.

  “Come in. I finally finished packing and was just gonna relax when Edgar showed up.” The two men walked down the hall to the kitchen.

  Evan grabbed two beers from the refrigerator and handed one to Chance as they sat down at the table. “You nervous?” Evan asked.

  “No, more like anxious,” Chance said. “I want to stand in front of our family and friends and pledge my love to you. Now, Emma, Janet, and Elaine gave me instructions to just show up at five.”

  “Yeah, me, too. They only thing they would let us do is pick out the rings.”

  “I know. I have mine for you,” Chance smiled.

  “And I have mine for you,” Evan said. “I have a confession that I have to make.”

  “What is it?”

  “The night we first met.”

  “What about it?”

  “I really wanted to invite you inside,” Evan bit his lip. “I wanted you in a big way. I mean, I’m glad we didn’t and that we built this great thing we have, but I did want you.”

  “I wanted you, too and you’re not the one who had to tame his hard-on so I could finish work.”

  “Did you?”

  “Did I what?”

  “Finish work?”

  “Barely,” he said. “I take my job seriously. I’m the chief and for some fucking reason, my men like me, and I hear, they like me better now and I’m not even there. Wait, that didn’t sound right.”

  “I know what you mean, Baby,” Evan smiled. “So, tell me about your brother.”

  “He’s not in trouble, but he’s down on his luck. He’s gonna rent this place from me, but if he doesn’t pay, he’s out on his ass.”

  “You’re a good man,” Evan smiled.

  “And your father?”

  “He will never change. To be honest, I wanted to punch his fucking lights out,” he gritted his teeth.

  “But you didn’t,” Chance said.

  “No. He said he was dying, but I
found out that was a lie. Then he said he should’ve killed me when he stabbed me,” Evan sighed. “I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, but it did. My mother … if she were here, maybe he wouldn’t hate me.”

  “Boss, don’t do that,” Chance wiped Evan’s tears as they streamed down his face. “He is nothing to you. Look at the fear he instilled in your brothers. They were too afraid to say anything. They look up to you, their little brother, because you had courage. Hell, Domino, I mean, Chad disliked you because you had the courage he didn’t, and he’s a Colonel in the fucking army. They’re moving in your home to get away from him.”

  “Chad said that Brian even quit because he couldn’t deal with the General alone anymore,” Evan sighed.

  “So, my mother’s whatever is jobless?”

  “He’s got another job lined up,” Evan snickered. “Baby, I’m sorry I came here. I just needed …”

  “After tomorrow night, we will always be under the same roof. To be honest, I don’t think I could sleep tonight. Let’s go for a drive.”

  “What? Where?”

  “Well, be back in time for our wedding,” he laughed. He stood up, reached into the refrigerator, and pulled out a six-pack of beer. “Let’s go.” He took Evan’s hand and led him out of the house and toward his SUV.

  Chance pulled into the driveway of their new home, which was on their own private road. “Like the name?” he pointed to the street sign.

  “Rainy Way?” he snickered.

  “It was raining the night we met,” Chance smiled. “This is our private road.”

  “I thought we wouldn’t see the house until we were married.”

  “Oh, we won’t. We’re not going inside,” Chance said. “I want to show you the yard.” He and Evan walked to the backyard and over to the rocks that overlooked the river and the woods below.

  “The river?”

  “Well,” Chance pointed. “I noticed that if a section of the woods were cleared, we could see the river, too, when we sat outside. This, Boss, is our spot.”

  Evan was about to sit on the rocks when he noticed something written in gold painted script. “You are amazing,” he read.

  “Yes. Boss, I still have all those envelopes and they’ll stay in my office, so I can read them. I know that I’m amazing, and I know that you are amazing. I also know that we belong together. I love you, Evan. Nothing and no one can take that away from us.” He took off his shirt and tossed it on the ground. He handed Evan a black magic marker that he pulled from his pants pocket. “Do it.”