A Fluid State
Page 7
“You don’t have to, you know. It’s not like it’s a school night.”
“I know, but Mom likes having me during the week.”
“I just wanna spend as much time with you as possible.”
“I know, Dad, but Dad? You don’t need to try so hard. We’re having fun. Honest. Look! There’s a spot.” Peter pointed ahead, and Patrick slid into it.
“Now just to find Andrew.”
The gate to the complex was a clusterfuck of people. Patrick reached down and lifted Peter onto his shoulders. “See him?”
“Dad!” Peter laughed. “Oh, there he is, I think.”
“Good.”
Patrick followed Peter’s directions and soon enough, they found Andrew. Patrick set Peter down, and Peter gave Andrew a big hug. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Andrew said back, punching Patrick’s shoulder. “What’s up?” He punched Patrick’s shoulder again.
“Point taken,” Patrick said. “I’m awkward.”
“Let’s go,” Peter said, taking them both by the hands and dragging them towards the entrance.
“Easy there! We have all day.” As they waited in line, he turned to Andrew. “Good idea. Where’d you get the tickets?”
“Had brunch with the girls,” he said. “They apparently were handing them out last night at the Torch and had some extras. I figured, why not? We had so much fun yesterday right?”
“Maybe a little less whiskey today though,” Patrick said.
“Rough morning?”
“Little bit!”
They got into the change room and Patrick set down the duffle bag with their suits and towels. “Ok, Peter, now you don’t go running off, okay? You stay with us.”
“Dad!”
“No arguing. It’s a madhouse today. Here, change.”
He handed Peter the blue trunks they’d grabbed from his mom’s on the way here. Patrick bent over to untie his shoes and when he looked up, he caught an eyeful of Andrew’s torso. He might not work out but he was very toned. Andrew was in process of pulling down his pants and Patrick turned away, suddenly very self conscious.
“I hope you’re not wearing that one piece today,” he said, as he quickly peeled off his own pants and slid into his trunks.
“Ha, very funny,” Andrew said.
Patrick turned around. Andrew was just wearing red trunks. He was completely hairless. Patrick raised an eyebrow. “Is that all natural? The smooth?”
“Mostly,” Andrew said. “I need to keep on it. Makes drag so much easier. We can’t all be beasts like you.” Andrew waved his hand at Patrick’s chest, the fine hair covering his chest and abs.
“Roar,” Patrick said, picking up Peter in both hands. “Do we have everything? Are we ready? Remember these locker numbers, Peter.”
“Come on, come on, come on,” Peter said. “Let’s go.”
This is what Patrick wanted to see, Peter excited about going outside and doing something physical and fun. Andrew had to have known. Patrick punched his shoulder playfully as they made their way to the showers and then into the park itself.
“Where should we start?” he asked. “Wave pool? Slides?”
“Cosmic Plunge!” Peter yelled.
“What’s that?” Andrew asked. “Some kind of fancy space cocktail?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” Patrick said, as Peter pulled him towards the stairs.
Up they climbed, up, up, up. “Where are we even going?” Andrew said.
“Starting off at the top,” Patrick said. “It’s that one.”
He pointed at a purple slide that was nearly entirely vertical.
“Oh no. Not chance,” Andrew said, turning around.
“Andrew!” Peter pleaded. “We have to. It’s the best one.”
“Couldn’t we start off with something a little easier? Like a hot bath?”
“This was your idea,” Patrick said.
“I didn’t know there’d be so many stairs. We aren’t all athletic army boys. And I certainly didn’t know you’d be sending me to certain death.” They watched as someone zoomed down the purple tube. “Jesus. I think they hit lightspeed.”
“You’re not scared, are you?”
“Of course I am. I have eyes and a brain.”
“It’s harmless. Peter did it when he was eight.”
“Good for Peter.”
“Do you need me to catch you at the bottom?”
“Very funny. But yes. Maybe.”
They got to the top. “You can see the whole park from here,” Patrick said. “Isn’t it great?”
“I can see the whole park on a map. On the ground.”
“Can’t disappoint Peter,” Patrick said, pointing out Peter who was already in line.
“Patrick, I honestly don’t know if I can.”
“It’s that, or walk down.”
Andrew shuddered. “Fine. Death by tube it is.”
They got in line behind Peter, who was jumping up and down with excitement. “Keep your arms crossed on the way down,” Patrick reminded him, as he climbed into the tube.
“I know, Dad, see you at the bottom.” He barely even waited for the okay from the lifeguard before he pushed off.
“Jesus,” Andrew said.
“You’ll be fine. See you at the bottom. Unless you die, then, nice knowing you.”
“Helpful. Very helpful.”
Patrick sat down and pushed off. He zoomed down, hit the water, and turned around just in time to catch Andrew screaming as he plummeted earthwards. Andrew hit the pool in a flailing mess of limbs. Laughing, Patrick pulled him to his feet.
“Wasn’t it awesome?” Peter said.
“Yeah sure,” Andrew said. “Didn’t you say something about a wave pool?”
§
They body surfed in the wave pool. They rode some of the tamer slides. They tried to get Andrew to agree to another Cosmic Plunge, but with no luck. Everywhere, people were laughing and shouting, and Patrick was so happy to see Peter so happy. It completely put out of his mind the conversation he knew he had to have with Andrew.
They were in the wave pool the third time when Peter screamed suddenly.
“What is it?”
“It’s Britney,” he said, hiding behind Patrick.
“I thought Britney was your friend.”
“She is.”
“Then why are you hiding? Go say hi.”
“No!”
Andrew chuckled. “Don’t you see what this is, Patrick?”
“What?”
“He’s got a crush.”
“No, I don’t!”
Patrick looked down, at Peter hiding behind him, peering around his body to look at Britney, a few waves over with some other kids. Maybe Peter really wasn’t gay. This certainly looked like a crush to him.
“Don’t you want to say hi?”
“Maybe.”
Patrick reached down, grabbed Peter by the armpits, and lifted him in the air. Peter, of course, squealed, and even in the chaos all around, it was enough to draw the attention of the red-haired girl. They came splashing over.
“Peter! We didn’t know you were coming today.”
“That’s because my Dad won’t let me have a phone,” Peter said, as Patrick set him down in the water. Peter glared at his dad, who just stood there grinning. Andrew was shaking his head, but trying not to laugh. “This is Andrew!” Peter said. “You know. Ann!”
“No way!”
Andrew assured Britney that this was his look most days, and that no, he didn’t often go out to waterparks in wigs. “Where’s your mom?” he asked.
“They’re in the adult area,” Britney said, pointing. “We want to Cosmic Plunge. Do you want to come with us, Peter?”
“Can I, Dad?”
Patrick looked around. There were plenty of lifeguards, he guessed, plus Peter was eleven, plus Britney was a girl and that was certainly something Patrick didn’t want to discourage. “Okay, go off and have fun. Meet us in the locker room in one hour though.”
Peter nodded and the kids ran off. Patrick turned to Andrew. “Want to see what this adults area is?” he asked.
“God, yes! And it better come with a hot masseur and a good stiff drink.”
“You’re having fun though?” Patrick asked as they waded to the wave pool exit.
“Yes, but I’m ready to sit down. Kids are exhausting.”
Patrick grinned. “So Peter and Britney?”
“It sure looked that way to me.”
“I guess that means Peter isn’t gay.”
“Not that you’d care either way, right?”
“Right.” That was his opportunity, there, to reassure Andrew that he didn’t care who was or wasn’t gay, but he was most definitely on the “wasn’t” side.
“Oh look,” Andrew said. “Hot tubs!”
Sure enough, the adult area was composed of several whirlpools, secluded by fake trees from the noise and busy-ness of the main facility. There was even a palm-frond-fronted margarita bar, but last night’s hangover lingered not too far under the surface. Besides, Patrick wanted to keep his head clear.
“A soak sounds great.”
They found one pool that wasn’t packed with adults and let themselves sink chin deep into the hot water. “This feels amazing,” Andrew said.
It did at that. Patrick stretched himself out until his feet bumped into Andrew’s, then pulled back. Andrew was sitting across from him, arms wide along the edge of the pool, eyes closed. Patrick watched a drop of water roll slowly down Andrew’s neck.
“Hey,” he said, and Andrew looked over at him. “I wanted to say something about last night.”
The pool was suddenly invaded by a half dozen men in Speedos. “Andrew! You made it” one said.
Patrick had never seen so much bulge in one place. He couldn’t even look away because it was everywhere.
“Billy! Brandon! Aaron! I didn’t know you were coming.”
“We talked about it this morning.”
“I guess I missed that part. Patrick, these are some friends from work. Guys, this is Patrick.”
“The hot army guy?” the one called Brandon said, and Patrick blushed, and sat up straighter.
“Ignore Brandon,” Andrew said. “He has no filter.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got my own hotty.” Brandon pulled another guy to him and kissed him on the mouth.
Patrick averted his eyes. He’d never seen that before. It was one thing to know someone was gay, one thing to be the token straight guy in a pool full of gay guys, but it was another to have them kiss scant feet in front of his face.
“Guys, cut it out. You’re making Straightie uncomfortable.”
“His name is Patrick, Aaron,” Andrew said.
“Whatever his name is, I’m calling him Daddy.” That was from a feminine Filipino, whose hair was far too much like Peter’s currently was for Andrew’s comfort level.
“Enough, guys, please,” Andrew said.
“We need more margaritas anyway,” Brandon said, blowing then a kiss, as they all exited the pool in an exodus of Speedo-clad skin.
“Sorry about that,” Andrew said, when they were alone again.
“It’s fine.”
“They’re always like that. I had just mentioned you in passing, is all.”
“I said it’s fine.”
“Yeah, because you seem like it’s fine.”
“I was just trying to tell you something, before they interrupted.”
“Yes. Speaking of that, there’s something I wanted to tell you too.”
This is the moment he tells me he’s attracted to me, Patrick thought. “Me first.”
“No, me first, because I think I know what you’re going to say, and if I go first, you won’t need to. You’re a good looking man, Patrick, I think we both know that but...”
“Look, I-”
“But you’re not my type,” Andrew said.
That was unexpected. “What? Really?”
“Sorry to burst your bubble butt,” Andrew said. “I have a very specific type, and it’s not you, so you don’t have to worry when we’re hanging out. I won’t end up getting drunk and hitting on you. Like I said, I’ve done that before and it didn’t end well.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, look who it is!”
Patrick and Andrew turned to see Jess and two other woman step into the tub. Jess was wearing a two-piece, and Patrick drank the sight of her in: the flatness of her stomach, the curve of her hip, and the big, beautiful, bouncing breasts that weren’t any kind of falsie or implant. She was gorgeous.
“Hello,” he said. “Please, join us.”
“Oh, we are. Lindsay, Trish, this is Patrick and Andrew. Andrew’s the drag queen that does the storytime at the library.”
As her friends gushed over the celebrity in their midst, Jess turned to Patrick. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”
“Peter idolizes her. I wanted to get to know her better. Him. Them. You know.”
Jess smiled. “I know.”
“Where’s your husband?”
“Working, of course. Sometimes I feel I’ve all the burden of being a single mother without any of the perks.” Her eyes flickered down his chest, making it very clear what perks she was talking about. It was almost a predatory look really, and he suddenly felt far more self-conscious than he ever had with Andrew.
Maybe it was different because he was of course attracted to her, he thought.
“Mom!” Britney ran up. “We’ve been looking for you. Peter got hurt.
Patrick leapt out of the pool. “What happened? Where is he?”
ANDREW
They followed Britney’s directions and found Peter lying on the ground crying. A ridiculously attractive lifeguard was kneeling next to him. “Are you his fathers?” Andrew recognized him from the club. Only a gay lifeguard would immediately assume same-sex parents. River City had a lot of gay lifeguards though. This one, Dylan by the name on his shirt, toned, tanned, blond, and beautiful.
“I am,” Patrick said. “What happened?”
“He fell. I think his arm is broken.”
Sure enough, Peter’s arm was twisted at a weird angle. Patrick scooped him up in his arms. “Sir,” Dylan said. “We can call an ambulance.”
“I’ll take him myself. Andrew, can you drive us?”
“Of course, of course.”
Peter cradled in his arms, Patrick moved swiftly across the deck and into the change room. “Just grab our stuff,” he barked to Andrew. “We can change later.”
Peter was howling. “It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!”
“I know. We’ll get you all fixed up. Don’t worry. Don’t worry.”
Andrew opened their lockers, threw their stuff altogether. “I’ve got it all. Let’s go.”
“Can you call Christy? My phone is in my pants.”
“Not and carry all this,” he said. “I’ll call when we get there.”
“Tulgey Memorial is closest.”
“It’s a gong show on weekends,” Andrew said. “I’ve got a friend who works Emerg at River City General. It’s farther but it’ll be quicker.” Patrick looked at him doubtfully. “Trust me.”
Patrick nodded. “I do.”
Patrick sat in the backseat with Peter while Andrew sped through the city. He kept checking on them in the rear view mirror. Patrick had pulled out a towel and was drying Peter off. Peter’s crying had calmed somewhat.
“What happened?” Patrick asked.
“I just fell,” Peter said. “It was slippery and I missed a step. It hurts.”
“We’re almost there, champ,” Andrew said, not realizing until he‘d said it that he’d co-opted Patrick’s nick name for him.
“You’re doing great,” Patrick said.
“Thanks.”
“I was talking to Peter.”
“I know. I was breaking the tension. It’s what I do.”
“Well, you’re doing great too.”
(Thought you weren’t attracted to him?)
He’d been lying through his teeth, of course. Every day, he was more and more attracted to the gentle giant behind him. The extent of that growing attraction was all the more reason to lie about it. He’d seen Patrick ogling Jess in the pool. His straightness was not in doubt. To keep him as a friend, he could lie and more.
“Andrew! The exit!”
Andrew blinked and swerved right, catching the exit to River City General. He paused outside the doors to the ER. “You go. I’ll park and bring your stuff.”
“Thanks,” Patrick said, already half out of the car with Peter in his arms.
Andrew watched until they were inside, then found parking. Seeing Patrick with Peter, how protective he was, how unconditionally he loved him, it was amazing. If Andrew had a dollar for every gay boy whose father rejected them at least in part, he wouldn’t be driving this shitty little car, that’s for sure. Even if Peter didn’t end up gay, he had an amazing dad.
(Amazingly beautiful. Don’t pretend like you didn’t drink in every drop of him in that change room. The biceps. The thighs)
He parked and headed in, where Patrick was standing at the check-in counter. “Look, he’s in pain. We need to get him in right away.”
“And we will. We just need you to set him down and fill out these forms.”
Andrew knew the scrubs-clad man behind the desk. “Hi Kent,” he said.
“Ann!”
“This is my friend, Patrick, and his son. Can we make this happen fast?”
“Anything for my favorite queen.”
“You’re too kind.”
“We still need him to fill these out though.”
“I’ll get him to do that. Patrick, set Peter down.”
Patrick did as he was told. Andrew led them into a waiting room filled with people. “Jesus.”
“Trust me,” Andrew said. “Kent never misses my shows. He’ll get Peter in right away.”
Sure enough, it was barely five minutes before Kent came around with a wheel chair. “Hop on, Peter. We’ll go get that looked at.”
“I’ll come with,” Patrick said.
“Patrick, just let them do it. There’s nothing you can do. Hey, we need to call Christy.”