Asylum (Pride and Joy Book 2)

by Robert Winter

  Hernán nodded and gratitude replaced the concern he’d showed. Still his gaze stayed fixed. The hairs on Colin’s arm and neck stood up, and his breath grew rough. The dark eyes in Hernán’s beautiful face, the raw emotion he was letting through, worked on Colin like a drug.

  He hadn’t even finished his second glass of wine but he felt happily drunk. He was in the perfect state where the world was soft, his nerves were calm, and he was in complete control. It was as far from his sorry-ass state Friday night as he could imagine. He never wanted to look away.

  Then he recalled Hernán’s confession. Hernán was gay but he didn’t want to act on it. Bad things had happened to him; things Colin didn’t want to imagine. No matter his own fantasies, Hernán was not interested in starting anything up, and Colin would respect that. He needed Hernán’s trust if he was going to help, so his attraction would have to stay unvoiced. He liked Hernán too much to risk driving him away.

  In an artificially bright voice, Colin said, “I’m wiped from flying. Let’s just watch a movie, okay?” He picked up the remote and started searching his Netflix queue for something to distract them. “What kind of movies do you like?”

  Hernán stared at him silently for a few more moments. It seemed as if there might be something he wanted to say. Finally he shook his head and moved to the other end of the sofa where he would see the screen better. “Something light. A comedy maybe?”

  “Hey, do you like Doctor Who?”

  “What’s that?”

  Colin’s jaw dropped exaggeratedly. “You’ve never heard of Doctor Who? Oh my God, you have to give it a try.” Hernán chuckled at his enthusiasm, even though it was slightly forced, and sat back while Colin searched for the perfect episode.

  “Which companion?” he muttered to himself. “Donna’s the best. Oh I know.” He flashed through various screens until he landed on an episode. “‘Partners in Crime’. This one is really funny. All you need to know is The Doctor is a Time Lord and he travels through space and time in a blue box.”

  He pressed play and sat back to let the magic pairing of David Tennant and Catherine Tate unravel while he prayed Hernán would enjoy it.

  Soon Hernán was chuckling next to him. When the episode ended he smiled at Colin. “I like it. I don’t get everything going on but Donna’s funny. She’s going to travel with Doctor Who?”

  “Just The Doctor. He’s never called Doctor Who,” Colin corrected. “But I’m glad you like it. I knew you had good taste!”

  “The two of them are like Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn, with the bickering.”

  Colin gasped. “You like old movies?”

  “I do,” Hernán said with a nod. “I had a teacher who liked to run American films, and I got hooked.”

  “Where have you been all my life?” Colin gushed. “I see a movie marathon in our near future.” Hernán reddened and looked away, though, and Colin cursed himself. Too much. Pull it back. He clicked on to the next episode, “The Fires of Pompeii”, and Hernán was soon smiling again.

  When it ended, Colin asked, “Another one?”

  Hernán gave him a rueful look and shook his head. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, thinking about your plane and coming here. Plus that wine kind of went to my head. I think I’d like to go to bed.”

  “Oh, sure.” Colin jumped to his feet and turned off the television. “I’m sorry I kept you up. I think I’ll turn in too.” He showed Hernán where the coffee maker was in case he woke up first, shut off all the downstairs lights and followed Hernán to the second floor. He was about to brush past but Hernán hovered in the door to the guest room.

  “Uh, Colin, I wonder…”

  Colin waited with his head tilted. When Hernán blushed and looked over his shoulder, Colin finally prompted, “Do you need anything? Another blanket?”

  Hernán pressed his lips together and shook his head slightly. “Can I…can I have another hug?” Colin knew his eyes must have been as big as saucers. Hernán hurriedly added, “Just a hug. I’m sorry that’s all I can do but…yeah. It was really nice when you hugged me at the airport. So.” He dropped his gaze to the ground again and stuck his hands in his pockets.

  Oh yes. Colin could give him a hug. He stepped closer and breathed in the scent of wine mixed with the Indian spices they’d consumed, the herbal body wash and shampoo from Hernán’s shower, and a warm underlying note of Hernán’s natural smell.

  Hernán quivered lightly as Colin slid his arms around, careful to keep his hips away. Hernán wouldn’t like feeling the instant erection that sprang up at the contact, he was sure. He rested his chin on Hernán’s shoulder and just held on with his arms wrapped tight. The body under Hernán’s shirt rippled with muscle, and the warmth rising from his skin felt like homecoming.

  The tremors quieted as Hernán wrapped his own arms around Colin and hugged him back, their chests pressed together. They stood there for a full minute, just breathing. Colin thought he might be in heaven.

  When Hernán gave a contented sigh and pulled away, Colin released the hug immediately and stepped back.

  “Thank you,” Hernán said quietly. “I really needed that.”

  “Any time.” Colin gave him a small smile. “Good night, Hernán.”

  As he headed toward his bedroom, he heard a soft “Good night, Colin.”

  Chapter 10

  Hernán woke from a nightmare, sweating and tangled in soft sheets. Blood pounding in his ears, he looked around the dark room frantically, trying to remember where he was. Then he connected the soft pillow beneath him with the day before.

  Colin’s apartment.

  He lay awake for a time, thinking about his dream. In it, Albert had been crying, and Andrea asked, “Why did you let them do that to us?” As he stared at the ceiling, tears leaked down the sides of his face. The creaks inside the apartment and the occasional street noise from outside were unnerving. He couldn’t help but listen for the scrape of a foot along the hall carpet, a sign that Colin had come for him after all.

  Eventually, exhaustion won out and Hernán slipped back into fitful sleep.

  He woke again on the second night, still straining in the darkness to hear a footfall. As unjust as that fear seemed in the daylight, he couldn’t keep from tensing in his borrowed bed at every strange sound.

  By the third night, though, his unconscious began to accept what his conscious mind had decided when he agreed to come to Washington with Colin. He slept that night through, and the next.

  Colin and Hernán worked out their roommate arrangements within the next few days. Gradually, Hernán relaxed and felt more natural in the apartment. Colin showed him a gym in the basement, where Hernán hit the weights and ran on the treadmill daily. The equipment wasn’t as extensive as at the P-town gym where he worked out his frustrations all summer, but it gave him a good workout.

  He wished Rudy could see where he’d landed. He’d send pictures but his phone was so cheap it didn’t have a camera. Anyway, Rudy had lived with Gerald in some big houses. He wouldn’t be as impressed by Colin’s apartment as Hernán was.

  A few days after Hernán arrived in DC, over dinner Colin showed him some materials to help him prepare for the immigration process.

  “I’m checking with my resources to get a good lawyer, but there are a lot of steps you can get started now,” Colin said. He gave Hernán samples of some personal statements that had been filed in support of asylum applications, with names blacked out for privacy.

  “See, these will give you an idea of the level of detail you need to provide. You’ve been reluctant to talk, but I think you need to get an idea of how much you’re going to have to disclose eventually. Maybe you could start roughing out notes for when we get you in front of a lawyer.”

  Hernán nodded nervously. “That’s fine.” He looked over the array of personal statements with growing trepidation. “These seem really, uh, thorough. I guess I didn’t understand how much I’m going to have to say.”

 
Colin gave him a sympathetic look. “I’m sure it seems intrusive. And it is. But the immigration officers are just people. They need to hear a good story so they get on your side and want you to be able to stay. And frankly some of them are bigoted jerks. I know one man who got all these rude questions about what bars he went to, how many men he’d had sex with and things like that, because the asylum officer didn’t believe he was really gay. That’s why it’s better to disclose too much upfront, so those kinds of questions don’t even arise in the interview.”

  Hernán set aside the materials to study further. “Thanks, Colin. I think I get it. I’ll start working on this.”

  Between forkfuls of dinner, Colin said, “We also need to get you a physical because one of the forms that you have to file is a medical examination and vaccination record. If it’s okay, I’ll make an appointment for you to go see my regular doctor.” Hernán nodded his acceptance.

  He called Rudy the next day to report how things were going.

  “Was Claude mad when I quit that way?” he asked.

  “Of course. You know what a big drama queen he can be, but what could he do?” Rudy giggled. “Gerald came by again yesterday and he was furious when he found out you’d gone. He didn’t believe me but Claude started bitching up a storm about it too.”

  “Did he make trouble for you?”

  Rudy paused for a moment, but then said, “No. At least, as far as I know he didn’t say anything to Claude. He’s an asshole and a user but I don’t think he wants to hurt me. Not really.”

  “Rudy, he threw you out.”

  “I know. I’m not defending him. I just mean that I don’t think he’ll try to get me fired. Anyway, tell me how it’s going with Colin.”

  “What do you mean? I told you, he’s being really nice.”

  “He was obviously smitten with you or I would have gone after that tall, thin mister man. Has he made a move?”

  “You know I don’t do that. No, he hasn’t made a move.”

  Hernán didn’t mention the hugs, which had been repeated each night at bedtime. In some ways, it was the best part of his day and he found himself looking forward to bedtime just so he could feel arms around him. He hadn’t realized how starved for touch he was until Colin gave it to him unconditionally. Part of him wanted to talk to Rudy about it, but the more sensible part knew his cousin would make him crazy if he tried.

  “I know, Nán. I just thought maybe if you were together for a while you might start to feel more safe.”

  “I, uh, I do feel safe. With him, I mean.” Hernán felt his cheeks heating even though he was alone in the apartment and no one could see him. “He’s this nice guy who has everything but he doesn’t really know how lucky he is. That’s good though. I mean, he doesn’t show off or try to impress me. He’s just a happy, bright man who wants to do good things for people.”

  “Oh Nán,” Rudy sighed heavily. “You’ve got it bad.”

  Hernán snorted. “Don’t be silly. We’re friends. That’s it.”

  “For now.”

  Hernán thought about what Rudy had said all afternoon. He didn’t know exactly what drove Colin to give so much to him with no expectation that his generosity would be returned. He was different from the other men Hernán had known. Innocent maybe, but not entirely naïve. And those blue eyes… Hernán shivered.

  Something Hernán had noticed was that Colin didn’t know how strong he was. For whatever reason, he perceived himself as weak, not at all the warrior Hernán glimpsed from time to time. He needed to do something nice for Colin, to show his gratitude. That evening, instead of just chopping vegetables for Colin to cook, he went further and prepared one of the dishes he used to make for his uncle when he visited, pollo encebollado.

  When Colin entered the apartment that evening, he sniffed loudly. “What’s cooking? It smells great.”

  Hernán called from upstairs where he was folding laundry. “It’s a dish from my country. Chicken and onions, basically. It’ll be ready in about twenty minutes.”

  “Perfect. Would you like a drink before dinner?” Colin called back. Hernán grunted acceptance. When he came downstairs a few minutes later Colin had mixed them each a vodka tonic.

  “The weather’s really nice for late September,” Colin said. “Let’s sit on the balcony and enjoy it.”

  Hernán followed him out and they sat side by side in armchairs that faced west. The sun was low though it was not yet full sunset. Thin white clouds streaked the sky, which began to take on a pink tinge.

  Colin’s apartment looked out on the Reagan International Airport flight path for planes landing or taking off, depending on the winds. That night the jets crossed from right to left across their view as they descended toward the airport.

  Hernán sipped his drink. “Did you pick this apartment because you could watch the planes?” he asked.

  Colin grinned sheepishly. “That was a big draw, yes. I’ve thought sometimes about giving up the nonprofit work and becoming a commercial pilot for one of the airlines. Although I really love what I do.”

  Hernán watched Colin’s face as he talked. The flash of his glasses as he craned his head excitedly to explain aviation, the color rising in his cheeks, produced a curious sensation in Hernán’s chest. It was like a tickle around his heart. He’d never felt that before and had no idea what it meant, but he kept asking Colin about planes until dinner was ready. Just so he could keep the glow in Colin’s eyes.

  After dinner, Colin thanked Hernán for cooking but said he had to make a phone call. “We have this new lady from Martinique who was referred to us for help, but she can’t come to the office during the day. Plus she only speaks a little English. I offered to call but I’m not sure how my Spanish will get through to her French.”

  “I speak French fluently,” Hernán said. “Can I help?”

  Colin’s face lit up. “Really? I didn’t know that. Yes, please. I’ll put the call on speaker and maybe you can translate as needed.” They left the dinner dishes and moved into Colin’s home office, where Hernán pulled up a chair as Colin dialed. The woman who answered spoke with a heavy French accent.

  “Is this Simone Barnet?” Colin asked. “I’m Colin Felton, from the Immigration Initiative. My colleague is going to translate as needed.”

  Silence came back over the line, so Hernán repeated the introduction in French.

  Immediately, the woman began to speak excitedly. With Hernán’s assistance, she explained she was in the country on a visa but her job was ending. She needed help to understand what options she might have or how to look for more work. Hernán conveyed some ideas from Colin to get her started, and set up an appointment for her to come to the Initiative on her day off for more direct guidance.

  The call ended with profound expressions of thanks and relief from Simone.

  When Colin disconnected, he grinned proudly at Hernán. “You’re full of surprises. Mad cooking skills, loves old movies, and now fluent in French. Any other ways to amaze me?”

  Hernán blushed. “I also speak Nahuatl, if you ever need that one. I started Arabic, but I’m not fluent.”

  “Nahuatl,” Colin said, inclining his head. “That’s used in Central America, right?”

  Hernán nodded. “Yes. Well, Mexico and Central America. It evolved from the language originally spoken by the Aztecs. A number of indigenous cultures still use it exclusively among themselves, and only speak Spanish when they deal with outsiders.”

  Colin’s grin only got wider. “So Spanish, English, French, Nahuatl and some Arabic. That’s amazing.”

  “Languages always have come easy to me for some reason,” Hernán muttered.

  “It’s a real gift. I do pretty well with Spanish because our cook taught me when I was little, but I don’t really have the knack for picking up other languages. I’m kind of jealous.”

  Colin’s praise embarrassed him but, he had to admit, pleased him as well. “I’d like to meet the lady who taught you Spanish,” Hernán te
ased gently. “She let you get away with bad habits in your pronunciation. Anyway, let me know if I can be of any more help.”

  As the days passed, to keep busy Hernán walked all over Washington, or used the gym in the basement of Colin’s building. Colin usually got home from his job around six, so Hernán made sure he had food ingredients prepared and ready for Colin to work his magic. The weather was turning colder as October loomed.

  A little more than a week after Hernán arrived in Washington, he strolled the city as he imagined Provincetown. Would it look like the pictures he’d seen of New England in the fall?

  Musing about it reminded him to check in with Rudy again. He decided he had time to catch his cousin before he headed to work, so he made a cup of tea and went out on the porch with his phone.

  “Nán!” Rudy exclaimed. “You don’t call enough.”

  Hernán chuckled. “Sorry, mom. I’ll do better.”

  “I don’t mean it like that. I just miss you.”

  “I miss you too, cousin. What’s happening in Provincetown? Are you staying busy?”

  Rudy said something noncommittal and then launched into chatter about a man he’d met. “He came to town to act in one of the plays for the Tennessee Williams festival. We started talking when he came by Veranda after his performance. He was staying in some people’s house so we couldn’t go back there. I thought he seemed too classy to bring here. Guess what we did?”

  “Please don’t say you went to the Dick Dock.” The area underneath the Boatslip Resort, at the edge of Provincetown Harbor, had a long history of attracting men for public, usually anonymous, sex.

  “We did!” Rudy squealed. “It was cold down there but ooh he kept me warm. It was kind of romantic with the water and the moonlight, except for this other guy who was looking for company. He kept coming close and trying to join us, but August was a gentleman and he didn’t let the man touch.”

  “Classy. And what kind of name is August?”

  “He’s a drama teacher at a school somewhere. Vermont, I think. Anyway, he’s coming back to P-town next week to see me. I think this could really be it. Can’t you just picture me on a college campus?”