by Alexa Land
“Absolutely. Now eat up. We have a big day ahead of us.”
After breakfast, we packed our stuff, and Lorenzo put the toy in the pocket of his flannel shirt with its head sticking out. Then we went downstairs and checked out, and as we returned our luggage to the rental car’s trunk, he asked, “Where exactly did you find this alleged groundhog?”
“The diner was selling them at the register. It was only one of the fantastic discoveries I made when I went out this morning. I’m about to show you another.”
I started to climb behind the wheel, and Lorenzo asked, “Want me to drive?”
“No thanks.”
“But you hate driving.”
“True, but this is going to be a pretty short trip.”
“I thought it was about eight hours to your hometown from here.”
“It is,” I said, “but we’re not going to Louisiana. Not yet, anyway. We’re already planning to spend over two weeks with my parents, and that’s plenty. Trust me.”
“Then where are we going?”
“Since we’ve found ourselves with a couple of bonus days in our schedule, I decided to treat us to something special. Now that’s all I’m saying about it, because it’s a surprise.” He grinned at me and slid into the passenger seat.
I started the car and pulled onto the street. After I rounded a corner, I said, “Here’s your second surprise of the morning. I’m obviously counting that fabulous groundhog as the first.”
“What am I looking at?”
“The state capitol building.”
Lorenzo asked, “Am I crazy, or does that look a hell of a lot like a cock and balls?”
“It does. Surprise!” He burst out laughing.
For some reason, the citizens of Florida had decided their capitol should consist of a tall tower surrounded by two low domes. As soon as I’d spotted it that morning, I knew Lorenzo would find the humor it.
He rested his hand on my thigh and relaxed as he said, “Today’s off to a pretty great start.”
We drove south from Tallahassee for all of twenty minutes before I announced, “We’re here.”
“And this is what, exactly?”
“Wakulla Springs State Park. There’s a lodge on site, and I’ve booked us a suite for two nights. Disclaimer, it’s not as fancy as it sounds. It was built in the 1930s and is probably going to be a bit rustic, so ‘suite’ basically just means we’ll have a seating area in our room.”
Lorenzo grinned and said, “You seem really excited.”
“Oh, I am. I’ve always wanted to see this.”
“I’m surprised. A state park doesn’t really sound like your idea of a good time.”
“I know I’m not exactly Sporty Spice, but this isn’t your run-of-the-mill park. You’ll see why.”
The lodge was a beautiful Spanish-style structure that somehow made me think of old Hollywood, even though it was in the middle of the Florida panhandle. Its lobby retained the feel of a bygone era with its painted beam ceiling, vintage furnishings, and tall, arched windows overlooking the natural wonder in its backyard.
I took Lorenzo’s hand and led him through the building as I said, “It’s too early to check in, but after we take a little tour of the spring, we can find a nice spot in the shade and enjoy this perfect day. The great thing about being here this time of year, besides the fact that it’s empty, is that the heat and humidity haven’t kicked in yet. In the summer, this must feel like the devil’s butt crack.”
“You know, you’ve been getting progressively more southern over the last twenty-four hours. You’re even speaking with a slight accent.”
“I paid a fortune to work with a dialect coach so I wouldn’t have to sound like this all the time. But now that I’m back in this part of the country, I’d feel like a phony if I didn’t let the northern Louisiana back into my speech.”
“I think it’s very cute.”
“Thank you.” I paused and held my arms out to one side, indicating a framed movie poster. “Here’s what put this place on my radar. Some scenes from the 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon were filmed right out back. While that may be of minimal interest to you, there are all sorts of things I think you’ll like here, including the fact that the waterway is stuffed full of gators, turtles, weird birds, and all kinds of shit that will probably make your animal-lovin’ heart happy. It just seemed like the perfect balance of both my interests and yours.”
As I put my arms around him, he smiled at me and said, “Southern Will seems to be somewhat goofier than California Will.”
“Does that make him better or worse?”
“He’s pretty great either way.” He held the back door open, then followed me through.
“I’m just so excited that we get to be here for two whole days, totally away from everything while we enjoy this.” I held my arms out to indicate the scene before us.
Our side of the lagoon consisted of a wide lawn, shade trees, and a swim beach that lined the pristine lagoon, and on the other side of the sparkling water was a thick jungle. We walked up to the water’s edge, and I pointed to the opposite shore and said, “Look! Our first gator of the trip.”
Lorenzo looked around and said, “Hang on. This area is clearly meant for swimming. There’s even a diving platform. But why would anyone choose to get in the water in an alligator-infested lagoon? That little line of buoys roping off the swim area isn’t going to mean much to the resident carnivores.”
“It defies explanation.” I grabbed his hand and changed the subject with, “There’s something over here that I think you’re going to love.”
I led him to a dock and bought us tickets, and then we boarded an open-sided boat with a fabric roof. “Isn’t this great? It’s just like the jungle cruise in Disneyland,” I said, “but with real animals instead of animatronic ones.”
The tour left on the hour, and the only other people on the boat were a couple in their eighties. I wasn’t sure how receptive they’d be to Lorenzo and me holding hands, but the little old lady smiled at us and said, “You two make such a beautiful couple.” After that, I felt just fine about hanging all over my boyfriend.
The boat ride through the swamp was fantastic. Lorenzo kept spotting animals before our guide did. Then he’d whisper the name to me, along with a bunch of information about the various birds and other creatures we came across. When a family of huge, gray manatees swam up alongside our boat, he blurted, “My God, look at that! I never thought I’d get to see this species in the wild.” The very best part of the boat ride for me was watching his reactions.
Eventually, we returned to the dock and took a long stroll before having lunch in the lodge’s charming dining room. When we finished our meal, the woman at the front desk let us check in early, and we took our luggage up to our room.
The fact that it was called the Ball Suite made both of us chuckle like a pair of high school kids. It had a big bed, pinkish walls, and floral curtains, and the whole thing felt like it was from a different time, in a charming sort of way. Lorenzo pulled me onto the bed with him and kissed me, and then he said, “Thank you so much for this, Will. I’m loving every minute of it. I just feel a little guilty that you’re paying for everything.” He knew I’d just gotten the second installment of my salary, so it wasn’t a question of being able to afford it.
“It was my turn to take care of you. That doesn’t actually have anything to do with money, by the way. It’s just about making you feel good, the way you always do with me. I really think that’s what we need, to find that balance and take care of each other.”
He nodded in agreement, and then he said, “I have an idea. Let’s take care of each other all afternoon, right here in this bed.”
I smiled and pulled him closer. “Excellent plan.”
We undressed quickly as the heat between us flared. That was followed by several urgent minutes of foreplay while we pleasured each other with our hands and mouths and fingers. Once he worked me open, I rolled onto m
y back and parted my legs for him. He lubed up and slid inside me, and I made a sound that was an awful lot like a sigh of contentment.
I’d never even imagined it was possible to feel so connected to another person, so totally in sync as I held his gaze and we moved together. It was equal parts tender and wild, and we finished within a few seconds of each other before he collapsed beside me with a goofy, satisfied grin.
As he laced his fingers with mine and we caught our breath, I marveled at how much had changed over the past few weeks. We were evolving as a couple, and I was learning to let go of my past. For the first time in my life, I felt so positive about the future.
Chapter 16
After two glorious days at Wakulla Springs and a long drive, we pulled up in front of the home I’d grown up in, and I turned to look at Lorenzo. He was studying the eccentric-looking structure with a frown line between his brows, and after a pause he asked, “What exactly am I looking at here?”
“Well, at the back is a single-wide trailer. That thing attached to it on the right is a shed we got for free and moved here from someone else’s property. To the left is my dad’s attempt at building an addition, which is now the living room and master bedroom. It slopes like crazy and I know it looks pretty funky, but it doubled our square footage, so we consider it a win. And right here, front and center, is the family business, Smith’s Bait and Tackle Shop. The ‘and tackle’ was my idea. You just don’t earn much money if all you’re doing is selling worms.”
“Your parents make a living by selling worms?”
“And, as of three years ago, fishing supplies.”
He seemed to be having a hard time with this entire concept. After staring at the building for a few more seconds, he asked, “Do they have a distributor that sells them the worms?”
“Nope. They have a shovel.” He turned to me with a confused expression, and I explained, “They get the worms by digging them up on the mud flats.”
“Couldn’t the fishermen just do that themselves for free?”
“Sure, and plenty of them do. But sometimes they want to skip that step and go straight to the fishing. When they want to treat themselves, they stop off at Smith’s.”
“And your family sells them worms.” I nodded and smiled at him, and he asked, “Are you teasing me? I don’t know if I should believe any of this.”
“You’re probably going to see and hear all kinds of things you never imagined over the next two weeks. My advice to you: just go with it.”
He murmured, “Good advice,” and started to get out of the car.
But I put a hand out to stop him and said, “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re about to be attacked by Frick and Frack.”
Before he could ask what I was talking about, the door to the trailer flew open and two huge, slobbering bloodhounds tumbled out. They rushed to the car and surrounded us in a frenzy of barking, drooling, and jumping. “They’re actually really nice,” I yelled over the noise, “but they have no manners.”
My parents ran out of the trailer a moment later and started yelling at the dogs. My mom was wearing a red floral sundress with a bulky yellow cardigan and house slippers, and her hair was barely contained in a messy bun. My dad, meanwhile, was in what I considered his uniform—a T-shirt with a ‘funny’ saying that was four sizes too big for him, and a pair of gray sweatpants. Today’s shirt was bright green and featured a picture of a four-leaf clover with the slogan ‘Let’s get Shamrocked’. His beat-up slippers matched my mom’s.
Eventually, my dad managed to grab both dogs by the collar and hold onto them so we could get out of the car. I didn’t even get my door closed before my mom crushed me in a hug and exclaimed, “I’m so happy you’re home, my sweet Willie boy! Let me look at you.”
She grasped my shoulders and held me at arm’s length, and we both studied each other. We had the same dark hair, blue eyes, and thin frame, and at five-foot-eight she was only two inches shorter than I was. She gushed, “My beautiful, beautiful baby boy. You look like a movie star! But then of course you do, because that’s exactly what you are!” She pulled me into another embrace and said, “Your daddy and I are so proud of you, baby,” before planting a big kiss on my cheek.
When she finally let go of me, I said, “Mama, I’d like to officially introduce you to my boyfriend, Lorenzo Costa.”
They’d seen each other on some of my video calls, but it seemed my mom hadn’t been prepared for just how stunning he was in person. She grabbed him in a hug, then did the arm’s length thing again and looked him up and down as she exclaimed, “Well damn, I can see why my boy’s so smitten! You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. I don’t know why you aren’t an actor too, like my boy Willie.”
As his cheeks turned red, I told her, “You’re embarrassing him, Mama. And I know he’s gorgeous, but he’s more than just a pretty face. That’s why he became a veterinarian, because he’s brilliant.”
Her eyes went wide, and she said, “A veterinarian is just a word for a doctor that takes care of animals, right? So I can tell everyone my son’s dating a doctor!” I didn’t know why she was just now putting that together, since I’d told her what he did for a living ages ago.
“No one’s gonna care, Mama. You know the fact that I’m gay cancels out everything I do, as far as the people in this town are concerned.”
“Yeah, well, I’m gonna brag anyway,” she said, as she patted Lorenzo’s big bicep and smiled up at him.
My dad called, “DeeDee, are you gonna help me with these hounds or what? I haven’t even gotten to say hello to our boy yet.”
Between the two of them, they managed to wrestle the dogs back into the house, and then it was my father’s turn to crush me in a hug. After that, he had to do the same arm’s length inspection, because that was just what we did. Dad was a huge man with blondish hair that was starting to thin, and a round face full of freckles that would forever make him seem like he was an overgrown kid. We liked to joke that my mom’s DNA had totally kicked his to the curb, because my dad and I couldn’t look less alike.
When he finally let go of my shoulders, I said, “Lorie, I’d like to introduce you to my dad. His name’s Bill Smith, but everyone calls him Bubba.”
After they shook hands and sized each other up in a friendly way, Lorenzo turned to me and said, “I didn’t realize you’re a ‘junior’.”
“Technically, I’m William Smith the fourth,” I said. “Or I would be, except that we all have different middle names. Don’t ask me why.”
“Well now, it’s because each generation wanted to honor tradition, but at the same time we didn’t want everyone gettin’ all confused at the bank or whatnot,” my dad explained. “The different middle names help sort out who’s who.”
Lorie said, “I just realized I don’t know your middle name, Will.”
“Which is fine,” I muttered. “We really don’t need to talk about it.”
“It’s Delores,” my mom chimed in, as she linked her arm with Lorenzo’s and started to lead him around to the back of the house. “I gave him my name, because it only seemed fair. After all, he already got his first and last name from his daddy. But why shouldn’t his mama get a mention somewhere in there? I’m the one who carried the boy for nine months and had to give birth to him! I had a hell of a time with it, too. He was almost two weeks late! By the time I was headed to the hospital, I looked like a tick that was ‘bout ready to burst.” Lorie looked for me over his shoulder with a bewildered expression, and I just grinned and trailed after them.
We spent some time on the porch behind the house, chatting animatedly and sipping sweet tea before moving inside for dinner. Lorie immediately won the dogs over, and they glued themselves to his side. My parents still didn’t cook very often, but they made us shrimp and instant cheesy grits, because they knew it was my favorite. Dessert was a huge cake from the grocery store with thick chocolate frosting and lots of sprinkles. My mom had asked
the person at the bakery counter write Welcome home my Superstar in hot pink icing on the top. I took a picture with my phone and kissed my mom’s cheek before I served the cake.
Lorenzo and I did the dishes after we finished eating, and then I told my parents, “I’m going to show Lorie my bridge. We’ll be back soon.”
Mom called, “Have fun, honey!” She and my dad had both gotten comfortable in front of the TV. I thought it was sweet that even after thirty years, they still curled up together at one end of the floral sofa.
I found something in the kitchen drawer and stuck it in the pocket of my gray twill pants, and then I led my boyfriend out through the back door. I paused and held up my finger to indicate we should wait a moment, and when the screen door closed with a clatter, I smiled and said, “That right there is the sound of my childhood.”
My parents’ house was off by itself in the country. Walking straight back from the property put us in a scraggly deciduous forest in less than a minute. As we walked, I adjusted the rolled back cuffs of my white button-down shirt, and every now and then I stooped to pick up a stone, which I stuck in my pocket. After a few minutes, we came to an abandoned dirt road, and Lorenzo told me, “You need to make sure not to lose track of me, because I don’t think I’d ever find my way back to the house.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, as I took his hand and we walked down the center of the road. “I’ve got you.”
“I’d often tried to imagine what your hometown was like, but I was so far off.”
“What did you picture?”
“Well, a town, for one thing,” he said. “We’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
“The town center is about a mile down the same road that the house is on, but it’s nothing much. There’s a small grocery store, a post office, a library, and about four or five businesses that have somehow managed to keep their doors open over the years. Then there’s also a gas station and three fast food places out by the highway. Everyone drives into Shreveport or Monroe for their semi-monthly ‘big shopping’. There’s also a grade school, a high school that barely has a hundred students but still has a football team, and of course a shitload of churches.”
