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The next three years passed by much like those last seven months. The days were excruciatingly long and the months flew by. Beer wasn’t doing it for me anymore and I’d switched to vodka. I was drinking a fifth a day and it was barely allowing me to get enough sleep to hold things together. The month’s right after Sean’s departure were the worst. When the alcohol had worn off and the nightmares had woken me up, I had a lot of time to do some serious reflecting. The issue of my sexuality had ne

Author's Chapter Notes: Authors note: I’ve made a huge attempt up till now to avoid changing the character point of view mid chapter. Unfortunately that will change in this one. A lot is going to be happening. And the point of view will change several times. I’ll make every effort to make the point of view changes smooth and I’ll try to avoid confusing anyone. I slid to the floor. The sobbing switched to a high pitched keening. I had killed our friendship. I never saw dad come in but I w

The trip home went smoothly. And except for the travel time, was enjoyable. It took us fourteen hours by bus to get to Buenos Aires, and another 14 hours by plane to get home. It was great to see mom again and we spent a lot of time as a family. It was weird up until then, we’d never been very close, but suddenly every moment together was special. I got registered for school and picked up all the homework I’d need for the next 2 months. It seemed like I’d just gotten off the plane when it was ti

When I got home that night dad was waiting for me. I dug into my sweats and handed over the cash I’d made as fast as possible. I was really hoping that he’d forgive my oversleeping since I’d brought home the usual amount. He counted it and it must have mollified him a bit ‘cause he only cuffed me on the back of the head and warned me about what would happen if I lost my job. It hurt but it wouldn’t leave a mark. I sat on the floor in the corner and did my best to disappear. If they didn’t notice

Sebastian: Chapter 6 Although I’d gone to bed early I couldn’t sleep. I hated nights like this. Whenever I’ve had an eventful day as soon as my head hit the pillow my brain turned on, trying to process the day’s events and make some sense out of them. When that happened I knew I’d be tossing and turning for hours. I huddled under the stack of blankets I had on me. I guess winter was short enough or mild enough that no one here had central heat. The day’s events whirled around in my mind. A

A shockwave of pain ripped me from my sleep. I found myself on the icy cold dirt floor. Looking around wildly for the source of this upheaval, I came face to face with mom. Her face was distorted into a scowl, her eyes shooting daggers at me. I realized she’d dragged me out of bed by my hair. “What the hell are you doing asleep instead of at work?” I looked around wildly trying to figure out what time it was. The old clock sitting on the table said 2 pm. “Five hours?” I thought “how did

Author's Chapter Notes: the story from the other side “Get out of my way you little prick” I knew those words would be followed by a fist. Either to my gut or kidneys, depending on the way I was facing. So I scrambled out of bed as fast as I could, making way for my brother Pablo to get out. The feeling of the cold dirt floor on my feet always sent a shock wave up my body. It left me feeling like my nuts had been shoved back up inside. I scrambled madly in the dark for my shoes. Th

By the time we’d gone through all the formalities and got me situated it was almost 10 am. Because they only have the one public school for the whole city, they ran classes in two shifts. One in the morning, and one in the afternoon. I would only have to endure 2 more hours. There was only one English teacher, Mrs. Huber, she taught grades 6 through 12. So every class was a different age and ability. Each class lasted 50 minutes. I felt like I could make it through ok. The bell ending that cl

It was weird having my dad walk me to school. I was 14 for hell’s sake, but he was the one who spoke Spanish not me. All the checking in and formalities would have to be taken care of by him. The house we were renting was only about a 10 minute walk from the school I’d be attending. There was a closer school, but it was a private catholic school and my dad refused to pay money to have me go to a catholic school. Dad also didn’t want to get a car here. He told me that Argentina has one of the

I stood outside at the curb, waiting for the paperboy. It was misty, dark and the air was so full of moisture I thought it was drizzling, maybe it was and I just couldn’t tell, I scrunched down into my coat, and walked around in circles a bit, trying to keep warm. “This is totally fucked up” I thought, just last week I was home, it was spring, the weather was awesome, and now here I am 6,000 miles away, winter is just starting up again and damn it all, I hate being cold. I’m small and skinny, wi

A young man finds himself in a foreign country, strangely attracted to another young man that he can't communicate with.

2007 Anthology

A middle aged couple stood quietly in front of a large window that was draped closed from the inside. They clung to each other almost desperately, the woman’s head buried in the man’s chest. Next to them stood a young man, head hung low and fists clenched tightly at his side. ‘We found a body washed up on shore this morning, the general description fits that of your son. So if you folk’s are ready for this?’ asked the young detective. The older man took a deep breath and released it with a

Boy I could have been a little more vague there eh? What I meant by disclaimer was a note indicating the story contained suicide. For some people it's very disturbing to read about that topic and would rather know in advance.

what can I say? I found this beautifully disturbing. And extremely well written. I found it very thought provoking. The huge contrast in the 3 main characters was very well done. Each with his own past, and each with a different need to be fulfilled. As to Avery's past? I liked that it was vague but at the same time I wonder what was there that would make it so that Avery's happiness involved death? The fact that he offed himself to be content was very disturbing to me. Not to complain but I think you should have included a disclaimer about the suicide and references just in case someone reading was feeling that way? otherwise excellent work!