Tigers on the Run

by Sean Kennedy

  I dug my chin into his shoulder. “Never would have happened.”

  “Yeah, because I Google stalked you and found your work number.”

  “I was dumbstruck. It’s not like I didn’t know who you were. I would have found you eventually.”

  And I knew I would have. That even though the thought of seeing Declan Tyler had terrified me, something had happened between us that night that couldn’t be ignored. If Declan hadn’t been the first to call, I would have found some way to get in contact with him. Once I figured out the best way to do it while not arousing any suspicion about him.

  “That’s the way I like to think it would have happened as well,” Dec said, interrupting my thoughts. “And even if we hadn’t met at that party, we would have somewhere along the line.”

  “It’s a moot point, anyway.” I dug my chin into his back. “We met that night, and like you said on the dunes, we’re still here.”

  “We are.” He swivelled around to face me, and my knee creaked in pain. “I love you, Simon Murray.”

  I was going to Han Solo him with an “I know,” but this was not the time for my usual japery. “I love you, Declan Tyler.”

  And I kissed my fiancé.

  Overtime

  FROM REACH Out Magazine, 20 October 2014

  OUT AND ABOUT WITH JASPER BRUNSWICK

  WITH FRIENDS LIKE THAT….

  Before I start this column, I would like to congratulate Micah Johnson as I’ve heard nothing but good reports about him from the AFL training camps. If the feedback is anything to go by, expect to see him high among the draft picks at the end of the year. Hopefully I might even be able to score an exclusive interview!

  Okay, now that I’ve butched up this column enough with some sports talk, on to other things.

  Micah made a recent appearance at the GetOut spring fundraiser, which was celebrating the involvement of the queer community in helping their younger members and started with a bang when the fireworks display accidentally started forty-five minutes early. At the time Declan Tyler was giving a speech on behalf of the foundation. Showing the calm and collected demeanour he was famous for on the football field (and one he has probably been teaching Micah Johnson through his mentoring program), he didn’t even flinch.

  The same couldn’t be said for some of the more skittish members of the audience, however… I heard one local “celebrity” (although more well-known for his partner than any of his own accomplishments) practically jumped into the arms of his best friend, much like Scooby-Doo into the arms of Shaggy when there is a monster in the vicinity.

  Still, after the initial shock, it was easy to get lost in the pretty colours and the general vibe of togetherness and community, and reflect upon your place in it. Especially if it has changed due to recent events, and here I am alluding to my recent engagement to the best guy in the world.

  So I would like to say something here. People can surprise you, just as much as you can surprise yourself when the mood takes you. And the least likely suspect did that a while back when he offered the peace pipe (although I made sure to wipe it down first) and began what is hopefully a cessation of what I always believed would be a lifetime of hostilities. Maybe it’s early days, but if he can do it, so can I. It’s in our best interests, as we have this same guy in common. And, after all, we have both been shown the light by one of the more inspirational role models of gay Melbourne. If we can’t do it with the help of these two, we never will.

  So, you know who you are. And you’re really not that bad. At least, you’ve improved a lot in the past couple of years. I’m not going to name names in print, because that would probably swell your head even more than what it normally is (which is quite a dangerous level).

  If we can learn, or at least try, to get along despite our chequered past, all the different elements of our LGBTQ community can. We can all overlook our differences and appreciate one another, because we all have something in common.

  Our fabulousness.

  “Our fabulousness?”

  I folded up the Reach Out, and threw it across the table. I also (barely) managed to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

  “I thought it was a nice touch.”

  This time I couldn’t resist snorting. I could even laugh at the passive-aggressive digs at me now, as I doubted there was much teeth in them. Things had changed between my lunch companion and me, even though we still liked to pretend otherwise to keep each other on our toes.

  “Stop it! I was told you’d behave.”

  “There was something in my throat,” I lied. “And, believe me, I was assured the same thing.”

  “‘Assured the same thing.’ Try and speak like a normal person, Mr. Downton Abbey.”

  “I sound no more pretentious than your latest column.”

  Jasper Brunswick peered over the top of his sunglasses. “Pretentious?”

  “Yes,” I said, mimicking the swish of his sunglass manoeuvre. “Stick a fork in the beret, it’s done.”

  “Good.” He leaned back on his chair, satisfied. “Pretentious was the angle I was going for.”

  “It seems to be the angle you go for in every column.”

  “Be nice.”

  “Do I have to?”

  Jasper sighed, thudding all four legs of his chair back on the ground. “We both have to. Because I’m sure Coby and Declan are probably sitting across the road with a listening device and a SWAT team on call to make sure you don’t murder me.”

  “Why would I be the murderer? It could be you.”

  We both looked at each other, and I conceded that in all likelihood, yes, I would be the one to snap and take out Jasper first. There was no way I would die at his hands. I would be the laughingstock of the afterlife.

  And we even laughed in unison at the thought of one another’s murder by the other’s hand, although I still had that initial feeling like I needed a shower to wipe off the icky feeling that resulted from it. I guess that would pass in time, or so Coby undoubtedly hoped while dreaming of his perfect life, in which his friends got along with his longtime companion.

  “This isn’t going to be a regular thing, though?” Jasper asked, inspecting the menu once again.

  “Us? Just us?” The thought filled me with dread. “Fuck, I hope not.”

  “It’s probably best not to push it,” Jasper agreed.

  “See! We think the same about something.”

  Jasper put the menu down and studied me for an uncomfortable moment. “There’s probably more than one. But we shouldn’t overexert ourselves.”

  I decided to play nice. “No, we’ll need something to talk about next time.”

  The declaration hung in the air between us, and Jasper seemed to mull it over. Finally he said, “I guess.”

  “Don’t sound too excited or anything. I still don’t like you.”

  “You’ve downgraded from hate, at least.”

  “Maybe.”

  “By the way, the feeling’s mutual.” He poured us both glasses of water, and even did so according to custom, filling mine first. “Cheers.”

  I raised my glass. “Cheers.”

  “Don’t suppose I can get a quote about Dec’s change in career for my next column, can I?”

  “How the fuck did you….” I slammed down my glass. “Coby!”

  “Don’t shoot the messenger. He was excited about it.”

  “No comment. But I’m excited about it, too.”

  “Great! I’ll list you as a source! Now, clink my glass like a human being.”

  Scowling, I did so, and we looked over the menus once more.

  Extended Overtime

  INVITATIONS WERE sent out, and before we knew it our (not-so-secret, really) engagement party was upon us.

  I really don’t know how to do the night justice. It’s hard to describe how I felt—words alone just won’t do it. It was a whirlwind, and in the centre of it was Declan, just like he always was. For some strange reason, the universe had thrown him in my path, a
nd he wanted to stay on it for the rest of his life.

  Everybody had guessed something was up, especially as it was happening in the middle of our birthdays, but nobody jinxed it by asking. They just rocked up for the biggest party we had ever thrown, and cheered when the reason was given. I was apparently grinning like a loon the whole time; unfortunately, the photos are evidence of this as I look manic in every single one.

  Of course there were lamentations about how marriage still seemed a far way off politically, and how it was unfair that Declan and I still faced an uncertain future without a marriage date to make concrete, but these were only brief, dark clouds that were quickly replaced with good music to dance to. I had long teased Dec that my song to him was “I Should Be So Lucky,” because I had been lucky enough to snare him, and when the immediately recognizable beats began, I howled with laughter and dragged him out onto the dance floor. It wouldn’t have been a party if the gays hadn’t been able to dance to Kylie.

  Even Tim was enthusiastically jumping up and down beside us, our parents watching on with amusement. And I got the shock of my life when Micah bobbed up next to us, dancing with Emma.

  “And you thought GetOut would be a failure,” I said, pointing them out to Dec.

  “He looks happier, doesn’t he?” Dec asked, watching his protégés laugh as they twirled each other further into the crowd. “Even if he’s still stressed about the draft coming up.”

  “Life is full of wonders.”

  And that was when Jasper Brunswick approached us, offering his congratulations. (Coby had almost teared up at the office when an invitation had arrived addressed to both him and Jasper.)

  “Thanks for inviting me,” he added. “I know in the past I haven’t been popular with both of you, and I also know I deserve that. But I love Coby.”

  “I know you do,” I said, managing to withhold “at least.”

  “A new Jasper Brunswick is on the way, so watch out!” he yelled as he went in search of his partner.

  “Was it just me, or did that sound like a threat?” Dec asked.

  “Definitely a threat,” I agreed, and as he laughed, I kissed him.

  A flash went off in our faces, and as she lowered her camera, my mother wiped away a tear. “You look so handsome.”

  “He always does,” I said proudly, yanking on Dec’s tie. We had both scrubbed up for the night, and Dec looked resplendent in black suit and tie.

  Mum shook her head. “I meant you, dear.”

  “Oh,” I said, stunned. “Thanks.”

  “He always does,” Dec said, and my mother tenderly patted his cheek.

  “You’re such good boys.”

  “She is so drunk,” I said as she went to chase after her grandchildren.

  “You will never learn to take a compliment.”

  But I had a surprise of my own up my sleeve.

  Flushed with wine, and overcome with emotion, I tapped on my glass with a knife, causing it to crack. Fran hurriedly took it off me before I cut myself and I found myself looking upon a captivated audience; I really had no idea what I was going to say or why the notion to speak had suddenly come upon me.

  “You’re meant to say something now!” Abe yelled.

  Everyone laughed, and that broke the tension within me.

  “Thanks, everybody, for coming tonight.”

  “There was free booze!”

  I pointed to Tim. “That was my delightful brother.” I took a deep breath. “A lot of people know me as sarcastic—”

  “Really?” my dad interjected. “You?”

  “My delightful father. Wonder where I got it from?”

  “Not from me!” yelled my mother, to laughter.

  “Okay, there doesn’t have to be a heckler after every line I say!”

  “Get on with it!” Dec boomed through a cupped hand, and the laughter that followed was even more uproarious. He did look a little wary, though, wondering where I was going with this.

  “And that was my future husband.”

  The roof was almost blown off with everybody cheering.

  “I say future because we don’t know when we can get married, because of the law.”

  Everyone booed.

  “But today’s a celebration, because they can’t stop anyone from getting engaged!”

  Cheers rocked the hall again.

  “What was I saying again?” I had genuinely lost my train of thought.

  “That you’re a sarcastic bastard!”

  “And that was my best friend, Roger. We’ve been mates ever since we were eleven. That’s a long bloody time.”

  “You’re telling me!”

  “Thanks, Roger. Guys, we really have to initiate an antiheckling policy.” I looked upon the faces of the people I loved. They were all here for us, and Dec was gazing at me, his eyes twinkling, hugging Fran’s arm that was looped around his neck. “But yes, I am sarcastic. And can be standoffish. I’m not the easiest person in the world.”

  “You’re not even scratching the surface!”

  “Nobody asked you, Jasper Brunswick!” I yelled, and collected myself. “Anyway, a few people—a lot, actually—have told me that over the years I’ve been mellowing. And, really, that’s all due to one person. I used to tell myself I didn’t care about love, and I didn’t understand how people could fall in love—but that’s just because I was scared. And when the right person came along, that fear went. And it made me able to open up in my other relationships as well. So that now, I guess, I can stand up and treat this speech like a therapy session.”

  A few eyes were now glistening in the house, Dec’s among them. My mother was currently Steavenson Falls.

  “So, I just want to say, I love you, Declan Tyler, and when we can, I can’t wait to destroy the sanctity of marriage with you.”

  Declan grinned, shaking his head as everybody around him cheered and slapped him on the back. I handed the microphone back to the DJ and headed over to him.

  “That was brilliant,” he said, kissing me.

  “I meant every word.”

  “About destroying the sanctity of marriage? I never had any doubt.”

  “I mean it. I love you.”

  As the music started up again, he took me by the waist and we started moving together. “You’ve done the same for me. Do you think when I was closeted and playing AFL, I ever imagined that one day I could be holding an engagement party to a man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with? With all my family and friends watching on? It was too much of a pipe dream.”

  “It’s real.”

  “It sure is. I love you, Simon Murray, and I’ll do a speech telling everyone—”

  I laughed. “I think they’ve had enough speeches for one night.”

  “Okay. I’ll save mine for the wedding.”

  I rested my head against his shoulder, the one dark cloud of the day reappearing for both of us. “It better be soon.”

  “I hope so, too.”

  The distinctive beat that kicked off another Kylie tune sounded across the hall, and I looked up at Dec with surprise. “That’s our song!”

  He grinned. “I told them to play it once you finished up there.”

  The shadow that had briefly hung over us dissipated as the dance floor filled again to “Wouldn’t Change a Thing.” Roger danced by and grabbed hold of me. “My turn!”

  We busted some completely awful white-people moves together, much to everybody’s amusement.

  “They haven’t changed a bit since they were kids!” I heard my mum yell over the music.

  Maybe we hadn’t. We had grown up, and life had changed, but deep down we were all still the same.

  I was surrounded by my friends and my partner—my fiancé, I mean. Sure, in a couple of days, Jasper would write a column about his “exclusive scoop” from the party (along with excerpts from my speech, to my chagrin) but even that wouldn’t put a dampener on what was a pretty perfect moment of time—caught up within the gravity of the people I love, with Declan
grounding me.

  As he had always done for the past eight years.

  BUT FURTHER surprises were yet to come.

  As we stumbled drunkenly along the pathway leading to our building, we could see somebody sitting on the wall near the front entrance, two suitcases by their feet. As we drew closer, the shape became more familiar, and stood to greet us.

  “Hello, strangers,” Nyssa said.

  I looked at Dec. He was as gobsmacked as I was. Once I got over my shock, I ran and hugged her. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “My flight was late,” she said. “I was going to surprise you at the party.”

  “That would have been fantastic,” Dec said. “But you’re here now. We can continue to party, call the others—”

  “Just some coffee and a chat would be great,” Nyssa grinned. “I have a proposition for both of you. Remember how I said a change was coming?”

  Dec looked at me, puzzled, and I realised I had never shared the particulars of that conversation with him.

  “I think it’s here,” she said.

  We picked up her luggage and made our way inside the building.

  Life continues throwing stuff your way.

  You just have to make sure you’re there to catch it.

  The Tigers and Devils series

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  About the Author

  SEAN KENNEDY lives in Perth, Western Australia, but his heart still belongs to his hometown Melbourne—which is also the home of Simon Murray and Declan Tyler from his series Tigers and Devils. A disciple of cult leader David Lynch, Sean is breathlessly awaiting the revival of Twin Peaks in 2016.

  Website: http://www.seankennedybooks.com

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com