“I’m no shrink, but I think obsession is a symptom, and love is the disease.”
“So then you understand why I’m going to St. Paul. I have to get away from the sickness if I’m going to cure the symptom. I figured I’d meet a lot of great guys down there, and, sooner or later, one will heal my fragile little heart. I will forget about Hal.” Gabe’s stomach immediately tied itself in knots after he said the word “forget.”
Brandon sighed heavily. He started to speak again, but Gabe interrupted.
“I’ve got something to say, too. I saw you roll your eyes. Don’t do that at me. If you want me to stay, you have to take this seriously. I’m hurt, and you caused part of that. My best friend hating the guy I love gives me a lot of pain right in here.” Gabe pounded the left side of his chest with his fist.
“But he’s…”
The dam broke. Gabe set his mug down on the coffee table so hard that he nearly sloshed the hot liquid out the sides. He wagged a finger in the air. “No, stop right there. It doesn’t fucking matter what he is. What should matter to you is that you’re my best friend and you want me to be happy. It’s a job requirement. Remember that. You are my best friend, right?” Gabe paused for confirmation.
“Yes, of course, I am.”
“Then it’s high time for you to start acting like it. I’m telling you that it’s not your place to make those kinds of judgments about the man I love. I don’t fucking care about his politics. I want a man that wants to love and take care of me and let me do the same for him.”
“But what if he’s a bad guy? I mean, how can he be on the side of those corporations that…”
Gabe raised a hand. “Stop right there. Hal is polite, kind to me, and whoa, he kisses like…well, better than you.”
“No way,” said Brandon as he raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not kidding. He does. You can’t be the best at everything, and I won’t even talk about how you dance.”
Brandon growled. “Elle told you about the shoes. Didn’t she?”
Gabe chuckled softly. “She did, but that’s not the point right now. I want you to understand that Hal Brentwood is a good man. He’s even a suitable match for your closest friend.”
Both of Brandon’s eyes opened wide. “I might need something a little stiffer than this coffee to accept that fully.”
“Come on, Brandon. You can do it.”
“Are you sure he treats you well? I don’t mean kissing. Does he treat you like a prince? You deserve that, Gabe. If there’s anyone in the world who merits that, it’s you.”
Gabe didn’t plan on hearing compliments from Brandon. He only wanted Brandon to understand that Hal couldn’t be judged by his politics. Sometimes that was a topic where good people had to agree to disagree. Rude and disrespectful behavior was a dealbreaker. Conflicting ideas about government weren’t.
“He was awesome to me until recently. I don’t like how he pushed me aside, but I know what his campaign manager is like. He only said ‘pause,’ and I took that to mean it was over. I think his agreement to come to the Loon was a little like throwing a life preserver to a drowning man, and I pitched it back.”
“How’d you do that?”
“I brought the posse, and I included the guy who identified Hal as public enemy number one.”
Brandon pointed at himself. “Me?”
“That would be you.” Gabe slowly sipped his coffee.
“So you’ve got this idea about St. Paul?”
“Okay, yeah, you’ve got me there. That decision wasn’t my shining moment. It kept me up late. I was awake until 2:00 tonight, and I turned to Harry Potter for help. Then I fell asleep on him. I hope he finds someone better equipped than me to fight Voldemort.”
“If I ever came face-to-face with the ultimate evil, you’d be the first pick for my team,” said Brandon.
“Thank you. I don’t want to go to St. Paul and leave the woods behind, but I want someone to come home to. You’ve got Levi, and Elle has Nate. I don’t want to be the permanent third wheel.”
“You’ve got…” Brandon struggled with the next word. “Hal. There, I said it.”
“It looks like you almost gave yourself a hernia busting out his name.”
“I suppose I can swallow the political angle. Elle nearly beat me to death with a pillow over that. What’s crucial to me is that he treats you right. Honestly, Gabe, you were too good for me.”
With a smirk on his face, Gabe said, “Levi is, too. I say that with all the love in my heart.”
“Well, he’s stuck with bad boy Brandon for better or worse.”
“You’re getting married?”
Brandon held a finger to his lips. “Shh. I’m not saying that, and he didn’t ask me. So, let’s not go there.”
“Okay, but I’ve got an idea, and I have to wring a concession out of you.”
“Aww, geez, Gabe…something else? Saying Hal is okay for you is pretty major.”
“I think we need to go to Hal’s victory party after the primary election Tuesday.”
Brandon’s eyes opened wide. “What? I wouldn’t be caught dead…”
“Throw the politics out and tell me whether you’re on my side.”
“I’m always on your side, but…”
Gabe reached out and grabbed Brandon’s knees. “This is the perfect opportunity to show it. I figure it will be my chance to make amends and try another move. We’ll all help celebrate Hal’s big day. It can be about feeling good for someone not about the specifics of what they did.”
“Will you bring Elle, too?”
“Sure, I’ll ask her, and it will be a night to remember.”
“Oh, man, yeah. If I show up at a victory party for a corporate—fuck, okay, yeah—I’ll stop the negativity. I’ll have Elle agree to slap me upside the head if I get off track. Can I bring Levi?”
“If he’ll behave.”
Brandon nearly rolled his eyes. “When have you not known Levi to be the perfect gentleman?”
“I was right. You don’t deserve Levi.”
25
Hal
Hal took three bites out of his slice of frozen pizza and stopped.
“Are you nervous?” Trent stopped in the middle of wolfing his slice down. “Normally, you inhale crap like this. Maybe this one is too good for you. I think the cheese is real.”
Hal shared an early 5:00 p.m. dinner with Trent on the night of the primary election. He’d spent most of the morning greeting voters on the sidewalk outside polling locations. Voters could visit the polls until 8:00 p.m. Hal only had token opposition in the primary. His team expected a call of the race almost immediately after the voting ended.
“Yeah. I’m a little scared. It’s one more big step toward winning and gaining an office in Washington. I can’t stop thinking about being myself when I was ten years old. I thought I might end up following my dad into the corporate world, but I never considered government.”
“Aw, buck up. Take a few deep breaths and eat at least the rest of that slice. You need your energy. We can’t have you passing out on the stage when you’re celebrating a victory.”
Hal took another bite, but his heart wasn’t in it. Swallowing was difficult. He worried that perhaps he was getting sick after the constant pressure of the campaign trail. “What if I’m coming down with something, and I do pass out from all the stress?”
“I’ll call for the ambulance. Maybe Gabe’s out there. He can help in an emergency. By the way, do you have a plan? I know you said that you wanted to wait until after tonight. I hope you’re still planning to go after him.”
Hal put the rest of his pizza down and reached for his glass of water. His hand shook as he swallowed a mouthful.
“Damn, man, stop shaking. Now, you’re making me nervous. You’ve held it together all year so far. I can’t lose you now.”
“I’m okay,” whispered Hal. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply three times. A teacher at boarding school who worried about his young cha
rge taught Hal deep breathing techniques to calm down. It usually worked.
“Okay, yeah, I do have a plan. I think trying to talk to Gabe again scares me more than speaking onstage tonight.”
“Why? He’s crazy about you, too—you do know that.”
“I don’t know that for sure.”
“I guarantee it. I saw it in Gabe’s eyes months ago when you made me climb into that damned canoe.”
Hal drummed his fingers on the table. “Okay, what I’m thinking is I’ll text him tonight after I finish speaking, and I’ll ask about redoing the coffee shop visit. I’ll even say he can bring all of his friends if he wants them there.”
“Wants them there? For what? Are you getting down on one knee and proposing?”
“No, but I will ask him to be my boyfriend.”
“Like going steady on a 50s TV show?”
Hal reached down and rubbed his leg. “Damn, Trent, don’t make this harder than it is. Do you think that’ll work?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t let you try it if I didn’t think it would work. Half of my job is trying to steer you clear of the rocks. I’m the captain looking out for icebergs.”
“That didn’t work so well on the Titanic.”
“I saw the movie, and you, my friend, are not the Titanic.”
Hal looked down at his plate. “I’ll eat the rest of this, and then I’ll make a hot cup of tea and go over the speech again. Does that meet with your approval?”
“As long as you’re at the high school gym by 7:30. They’re expecting an early call so you might be onstage by 8:10. The doors open at 7:00. We should have a good crowd gathered by the time the polls close an hour later.”
“And what if by some strange happenstance I lose?”
“You aren’t going to lose,” said Trent. “Our internal polls show you with somewhere in the range of 75% of the primary vote.”
Hal arrived at the high school gym at precisely 7:30. He called a driver to pick him up at the apartment and drive the ten-minute journey to the other side of Ely. Trent and the rest of the campaign team were already at the gym.
As Hal started to exit the car, the driver turned his head. “Hey, aren’t you the guy running for Congress?”
“Yes, that’s me, and I hope you voted today.”
Hal watched as the driver blushed slightly. “I did, but it wasn’t for you. I voted in the other party’s primary. I hope you don’t take that out of my tip.”
“That’s not a problem,” said Hal. “It only means that I’ve got work to do between now and November. I hope I earn your vote by then.”
“I’ll listen,” said the driver. “I can’t promise you’ll get my vote, but I’ll hear you out.”
“That’s all I can ask.”
On the way into the gym, well-wishers stopped Hal five different times. It was mostly all smiles and handshakes. Then an older man approached with a frown on his face. Hal offered to shake his hand.
“I don’t want that,” said the man. “I’ve got a question for you.”
Hal smiled. “I’ll answer it for you the best that I can.”
“Don’t paste a fake smile on your face. All politicians give us the same ugly grin when they want something. Why do you think we should elect you when you didn’t grow up here? I like to see real Minnesotans in D.C. I get tired of those corporate big shots who fly in on their private jets to tell us what to do. They only want to make money from us. Otherwise, they don’t care about our lives.”
The question about Hal’s residence and his late move from New York into a mostly rural district was always the most difficult one to answer. With the help of Gabe and the two wilderness experiences, Hal finally pieced together what he hoped was an adequate response for most listeners.
“Sir, I’ve fallen in love with this unique corner of the world. I want to do my best to represent you and every other person that I’ve met since I moved to Ely. Sometimes it does take an outside point of view to understand what a representative needs to say in Washington on your behalf. If you disagree, vote for my opponent. All I ask is that you listen to my point of view.”
The older man sighed. “It’s a good try, but I doubt you’ll get my vote. Those people waiting for you only want you for your power connections. I hope you understand that.”
“I do understand, but I thank you for coming here to listen and for asking your question. That’s how all of this should work.”
Trent was right about his expectations for the evening. Local broadcasters called the nominating race at 8:15. Poll workers only had 5% of the vote counted and reported, but the totals in bellwether locations matched their expectations. It was good enough for the experts to be confident that Hal won the race.
The evening was all anti-climactic to Hal until he walked to the microphone to address the crowd. He looked out over the sea of faces and waved his right hand. The people gathered matched the crowds that followed Hal from rally to rally all spring and summer. Almost every one of them had a big smile on their face. Some shouted their congratulations while others waved signs.
Then Hal spotted Gabe.
He stood about three rows back from the stage. He was with Elle, Brandon, and Levi. Spotting Gabe didn’t shock Hal. He hoped there was a chance Gabe would show up. What shocked Hal was seeing the entire group of friends.
Hal took a deep breath, and he gripped the podium with both hands. Before saying anything, he glanced down in Gabe’s direction again. Gabe, Elle, and Levi all offered thumbs-up gestures, and then Brandon, with a genuine smile on his face, did the same.
The writing on the papers placed on the podium began to blur when Hal looked down. His eyes filled with moisture. He had to fight back the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks. Hal knew that Gabe wouldn’t appear if he weren’t also interested in patching something together between them. Hal turned his head to sniff and try to gather his composure before speaking.
The crowd continued to cheer until Hal raised both hands to encourage them to quiet down. He knew the first part of his planned speech by heart. Hal wanted to give Trent proper credit for his work on the campaign. He also wanted his manager to know that he appreciated their last-minute conversation about Gabe.
Gabe.
Something snapped inside Hal’s head. He decided that he didn’t need the pre-packaged words on his paper notes. He had some words to say, and he wanted to speak from his heart. The crowd deserved to understand more about the man they’d chosen for their nominee. They wouldn’t get it from a set of campaign promises and cheerleading about the fall election.
Hal glanced over his shoulder and saw Trent standing with a small group of his campaign team, clapping along with the crowd. Hal turned back to the microphone. After he raised his hand one more time, the crowd grew quiet. Hal began to speak.
“Thank you all for your incredible support. I’m humbled by the vote tonight. Before I say anything else, I want to introduce the two people who have been crucial to my campaign.”
Hal talked about Trent first. He encouraged his manager to stand at the podium and bask in the adoration of the crowd. While the cheering spread through the gym once more, Trent turned his head and mouthed a question, “Two?”
Hal smiled and nodded. When the gathered supporters quieted down to a low roar once again, he said, “I’m confident this next man didn’t come here expecting to appear on the stage. I’m not sure he will accept my invitation, but I hope with my entire heart that he does. He deserves all of the congratulations and accolades that you can send his way.”
The crowd became so quiet that it was possible to hear a pin drop in the gym. Hal looked down to the third row, and he grinned when he spotted Elle. She was already nudging Gabe.
Hal said, “Early this year, I nearly lost my life. I know that all of you are familiar with that story by now. I barely held onto life while lying there on the forest floor. One of the best rescue workers in the world set out on his own ahead of everyone else. He didn’t second-gu
ess himself. He simply performed his job. He helped keep me alive.”
Scattered applause rippled through the crowd. “Even more important than that, this man helped me learn to understand this district in a new way. He showed me what it means to love it with your heart. He took me out in canoes, and he taught me an appreciation for all of the natural wonders that make this a unique slice of planet Earth.”
More cheers erupted. Hal quieted them before he continued. “Most crucial were the life lessons. I could list them, but I want to focus on the best of all. This man helped me understand how to fall in love—with him.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Hal looked down at Gabe and gestured for him to take the stage. For a moment, Gabe hesitated, but Elle, Brandon, and Levi all urged him to push through the crowd.
Hal shouted into the microphone, “Let’s hear it for Gabe Peligo!”
As Gabe climbed the steps on the side of the stage, the crowd grew silent again. Trent whispered, “I never knew you had guts like this.”
Hal didn’t know what he would do when Gabe arrived. He knew that a hug was necessary, but he wondered whether the situation required more. Fortunately, Gabe had a plan to deal with the situation.
As he hit the top step, Gabe jogged across the stage with his arms spread wide. Trent reached up to wipe his eyes and backed out of the way. Gabe wrapped Hal up tightly and fiercely kissed him. After another few seconds of silence from the crowd, applause began to ripple through the gym.
Hal reached up to cup the back of Gabe’s head. It was a kiss that he didn’t want to end. The roar from the crowd grew deafening.
While the crowd continued to cheer, Gabe finally came up for air. He stared into Hal’s eyes and said, “I love you, too.”
26
Gabe
“First of all, sex with an ordinary man is simply that. Sex. What you get with me is like the entire rest of my life. Yes, you get the sex, but you also get it with embellishments.”
Crash: Northwoods, Book 2 Page 18
