Leopard Skin Cover - 5. Chapter 5

He waited until the corridor was empty and then slipped into the office, closing the door behind him. He’d gone to the club for an early-morning workout in the gym, hoping for this opportunity. Tony was seated at a desk that faced the side wall. Beside him, the window overlooked the car park outside the stadium.

Tony turned to face his visitor, his face expressionless. “I’ve been expecting you.”

He opened his mouth to give his prepared plea but paused when Tony held up a hand.

“I never saw you before Monday. The person ‛Ken’ I met on Saturday night is not you. You’re just one of the team, and you’re not gay. This is the first time we’ve had a conversation.”

He let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”

Tony waved a hand at the seat next to the desk. “I think we need to talk.”

He swallowed and sat down. He didn’t think there was anything to discuss; he just wanted to accept Tony’s statement that the nightclub meeting had never happened and end the discussion.

“I don’t understand what you’re afraid of. I was going to do it, anyway, but I came out to the team to gauge how they’d react in case they discovered they had a gay teammate. I think they’ll be fine.”

He couldn’t meet Tony’s gaze. Instead, he looked at the opposite wall on which was a photo of the Leopards’ last premiership team – a photo that was fourteen years old.

“It’s not my teammates that I’m afraid of. I’ve never really been concerned about them.”

“Then who? Your family?”

He shook his head. “There are no openly gay players in the VFL or AFL. Whoever comes out first is going to get a lot of unwanted attention.”

“Ah...”

He turned to see Tony’s compassion expressed openly on the face that had initially captured him at the nightclub. He dropped his gaze to the floor.

“How many people know?”

He swallowed and shook his head.

“No one?” Tony’s surprise had him looking up again.

“Just you.”

Tony started to reach forward but aborted the movement when his visitor flinched.

“I think you need a friend. Someone you can talk to whenever you like. I’m here to help.”

He shook his head again. “I can’t. I just can’t!”

Tony smiled. “Is it because people might suspect? Don’t worry; you’re not the only person I’ll be speaking with on a regular basis. I’m intending to become friends with quite a few of the team, so meeting me on a social basis won’t raise questions. You can also talk to me on the phone from somewhere private. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference that’ll make.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

Tony caught his gaze and held it. The compassion he’d seen earlier was back. “You feel like you’re about to explode at times, don’t you? That’s why you...sorry...‛Ken’ was at the nightclub on Saturday night, isn’t it? To be able to relax, to be yourself, to unwind from the tension of hiding all the time.”

He swallowed. “How...?”

Tony smiled gently. “Do you think you’re the first person to go through this? Everyone’s different, but almost everyone I know has said they’ve felt the lifting of a weight the first time they’ve told someone. Being able to share their feelings is...” Tony shook his head. “I don’t know how to describe it, but I think you know what I mean.”

He nodded slowly. “What do you want?”

“To be your friend. Nothing more. I’d like to be more, but I’m not going to force you. This is your life, not mine. All I can do is encourage and support and help you to be who you are.”

* * *

Tony looked into the office next to his. “Okay, Colin, I’m off.”

Colin Mann looked up and smiled. “I hope the meeting with Jarrod goes well and your friend doesn’t eat too much.”

Tony laughed. “We’re not going anywhere fancy. I’m going to take them to a small cafe where we can have a coffee and a bite to eat. I really appreciate you letting me pay for Alex, too.”

Colin frowned. “I understand what you’re doing and why, but remember that crossing the line into sexual harassment is pretty easy. You’ve got to make sure it stays well away from that, or your job will be on the line.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m picking up Alex from the station before I collect Jarrod, and I’ll tell him he can’t flirt. I’ve already sent him a text, but I’ll spell it out when I see him. He can, however, act in a more over-the-top manner than he usually does so I can see how Jarrod reacts.”

“Well, good luck. And don’t forget to go to the post office to submit that Working With Children application. You’ll need that card before I can send you to the schools to help the guys.”

“I’ll be doing that immediately after lunch. See you later!”

Tony headed down the hallway and out to his car while mentally reviewing the options available for Jarrod and how to present them. His gut feeling was that Jarrod wouldn’t have the self-confidence to handle being around an overtly gay guy but that he’d try as hard as he could. If that judgement was right, Tony knew he wouldn’t be able to recommend Jarrod to Pride FM for their sponsorship, but there were several other companies that would be options.

Alex was waiting outside the train station. After seating himself in the front passenger seat, he turned to Tony with a quizzical look. “If I can’t flirt with him, what am I doing here?”

Tony chuckled. “Being your usual charming self. Colin pointed out that if we did this wrong the club could be up on a sexual-harassment charge, so we’re playing it more low key. I want to see how he handles two gay guys going a little overboard. That’s the sort of thing he’d see at the radio station if he goes there, so it’ll be a good way to see if he’s suitable. Colin’s fine with that approach.”

Alex nodded. “Okay, ducky. Just make sure you shake that luscious arse of yours as you lead me to him.”

Tony laughed. “Not that much overboard.”

“Okay, I think I know how to handle this. You want an Academy Award winning performance for a peanuts price.”

“I promise to buy you more than peanuts for lunch. You can’t order anything too big, though, because Colin’s given me a budget that I claim back, and Jarrod doesn’t have an endless lunchtime. Also, when we get there, can you move into the back seat? I’d like Jarrod to take the front.”

Alex nodded, though his forehead wrinkled. “Any particular reason?”

“Because this is a meeting for him, not you. You’re just along for the ride – and to help me out a bit.”

“And to get a free lunch.”

“Yeah, and to get a free lunch.”

A couple of minutes later, Tony pulled into the car-repair shop where Jarrod worked. He clambered out of the car and was about to go look for Jarrod when he saw him approach.

“Good to see you again, Jarrod,” Tony said, stepping forward and holding out his hand. He was pleased when Jarrod took it without hesitation.

“The pleasure’s mine, especially if things work out.” Jarrod frowned slightly as he looked past Tony.

Tony turned to see Alex moving to the back seat of the car. “That’s my friend Alex. He’ll be joining us for lunch.”

Jarrod headed for the passenger-side door. “I thought it’d be just the two of us.”

Tony shrugged. He didn’t have a good answer. “How long a break have you got?”

“Thirty minutes, but they won’t mind if I’m a little late.”

Tony took the driver’s seat and started the engine. “That should be plenty of time. We’re only going to be five minutes away.”

“You told me you were shouting lunch.” Jarrod made it sound almost like a question.

Tony smiled as he reversed out of the parking spot. “Well, the club is, after I charge it back.”

Alex spoke up from the seat behind Jarrod. “Hey, Tony, you lied to me!”

Tony flicked him a queried look, catching the wink that Alex gave in response. “How?”

“Your description didn’t do Jarrod justice. He’s a lot hotter than you made him out to be.”

Tony caught Jarrod’s startled response and how his body had stiffened in shock.

“The description was accurate. He’s a decent-looking young guy with curly brown hair.”

“Yeah, and Michelangelo’s David is a lump of stone. Neither description is adequate.”

Tony chuckled, keeping a surreptitious eye on Jarrod. “Are you comparing Jarrod to David? What would Ethan say?”

“Well...he’s not quite at the David level, but he’s certainly better than just ‛decent-looking.’ And you leave my boyfriend out of this. He’s told me I’m allowed to look; I’m just not allowed to touch.”

Tony was pleased to see that a couple of seconds later, Jarrod started to relax and then twisted in the seat to reach back with a hand. “Hi, Alex. I’m guessing you’re gay.”

Alex grinned and shook Jarrod’s hand. “What gave it away?”

“Nothing much, it was pretty subtle.” Jarrod settled back into the seat and grinned at Tony. “Do I pass?”

It was Tony’s turn to be startled. “What do you mean?”

Jarrod shrugged. “You said you had talked your old boss into sponsoring someone, and later on you said he was gay. Add that to your comments about whether I would be ‛suitable’, and I guessed you wanted to know how I’d react when I encounter a full-on gay guy. I thought you’d talk to me about it, but I’m guessing Alex is a gay friend who’s here to help you see what I’d do.”

Tony was stunned into silence, and he felt himself going red.

“He’s not just a pretty face, Tony,” Alex said, approval in his voice. “By the way, Jarrod, Tony and I share a flat, but that’s all we share. He’s single if you’re interested.”

“Alex! Jarrod, ignore him. I told you last night I’m not interested, and I’m still not.”

Jarrod smiled. “Your exact words were ‛not at the moment’, not that you weren’t interested.”

Tony gritted his teeth. “Can we hold off on this conversation until I’ve parked the car and we’ve ordered lunch?”

“Okay with me,” Jarrod said.

“Fine with me, too, though I should warn you, Jarrod, that I’m not a full-on gay guy. I’m pretty mild compared to some.”

Tony caught Jarrod’s momentary frown before his own attention was focused on finding a place to park.

A few minutes later, they had ordered their meals at the cafe counter and were seated at a small table in the corner.

Alex handed his phone to Tony. “Before you start your chat, can you take a picture of me and Jarrod? I want to show Ethan what I’ve given up for him.” He turned to Jarrod. “If that’s all right with you?”

Jarrod swallowed once and nodded his head. “Yeah, that’ll be fine.”

When Alex draped an arm across Jarrod’s shoulders and moved so their heads were next to each other, Tony could see Jarrod tense. The smile on the young player’s face was forced, but he wasn’t moving away. Tony took the photo and handed the phone back to Alex.

“Thanks, Jarrod, you’ve been great, but you’re still uncomfortable, aren’t you?” Tony asked, smiling to try to soften the statement.

Jarrod opened his mouth but paused before he said anything. He dropped his gaze. “Yeah...”

“That’s okay. I can also tell that you’re trying hard, so here’s what I suggest we do.”

Jarrod looked up. Tony could tell he wasn’t sure if he should be hopeful or not.

“I think I can get you a sponsorship but not with my old employer. You wouldn’t fit in there, and they’d want you to get involved with the company if they sponsored you. You’re not ready to deal with, as you said, full-on gay guys. Alex was right, by the way; he was mild compared to some of the gay guys we know. So we’ll look at other options.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m pretty sure I can get you a sponsorship with a different company, one that’s gay-friendly but not gay-oriented. There’s a car dealership I know of that’s run by a gay couple, but most of their employees are straight. Given your skills, I think you’d fit in well there.”

Jarrod’s eyes widened, and then he grinned. “Sounds perfect!”

Tony held up a hand. “Don’t get too enthusiastic. They’ll still need to meet with you themselves, and then we need to work out what they’ll be getting for their sponsorship. I suspect it’ll be some appearances at company functions and some weekends at the dealership, but we can work out those details later. What about your current job? Is it possible to reduce your hours to part time, or will you need to get a job in the dealership’s workshop?”

“Mr. McIntyre said he’d think about part-time work, but it’d have to be regular so he could plan ahead.” Jarrod grinned. “Thanks, Tony. This is fantastic news.”

“We’re not there yet, but if this one doesn’t happen, I’ve got a few other similar deals that might work out.” Tony’s smile faded. “Jarrod, I’ve got a question for you, though.”

“Yeah, what?”

“How much of today has been you resisting your instincts to jump away? You were pretty tense when I took the picture of you and Alex, and I think you would’ve refused if you didn’t think it’d hurt your chance of a sponsorship.”

Jarrod pulled a face. “I can’t say. My first reaction was to say, ‛Hell, no way!’, but I know that’s being irrational. That didn’t stop me from feeling it, though. I’m not sure what I would’ve done if either of you guys had tried hitting on me.” He gave Tony a worried look. “This isn’t going to affect my chance at a sponsorship, is it?”

Tony shook his head. “No, it was just something I wanted to sort out.” He smiled. “That fact that you were trying – and succeeding – is more important as far as I’m concerned. I’ll call you tonight or tomorrow sometime with the details of when you can meet Matt and Gary. I’m guessing any night you don’t have training, or sometime on the weekend will be okay?”

“That’s fine. We’ve got an away game on Saturday, so it’ll have to be early or at night; but, yeah, anytime.”

There was silence for a few seconds before Alex joined in. “If you’ve finished the work part of the chat, I’ve got a question for Jarrod.”

“We finished, but what’s the question?” Tony asked.

Alex looked at Jarrod. “I don’t suppose you’ve got an older gay brother? Tony really needs to get laid.”

“Alex!”

Alex shook his head and smiled at Jarrod. “You can see how uptight he is. He had a guy bail out on him on Saturday night, and he’s been restless ever since.”

Jarrod’s expression was one caught between amusement and worry. “Sorry, no.”

“Alex, drop it. For your information, I spoke to him this morning. I’m hoping to see him again soon.”

Alex narrowed his eyes. “You told me you didn’t have Ken’s number.”

Tony shrugged. “I didn’t, but I never said he didn’t have mine. As I said, we chatted this morning, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that things will progress. Now, drop it!”

Tony was relieved when a waitress arrived at that moment with their orders. “Steak sandwich?”

“That’s me,” Jarrod said.

“Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato roll?”

“Mine!” said Alex.

“And a gluten-free Caesar salad,” she said, placing Tony’s meal in front of him.

Alex stared at his meal, which was a large roll with a side salad, and then Tony’s. “How come you got to order the expensive stuff?”

Tony shrugged. “When there aren’t many gluten-free options, I can’t be fussy about what I order. It’s not my fault they tend to be more expensive. Remember, most of the time I’m paying for them out of my own pocket.”

Jarrod gave Tony a quizzical look. “Why do you need a gluten-free meal?”

Tony grinned. “Sorry, I forgot you weren’t there when I explained it last night. I’ve got Coeliac’s Disease, and the only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet for the rest of my life. If you want to be put off your meal, you can ask Alex what happens if I accidentally have gluten.”

Alex shuddered. “Please don’t. I’ve got to eat my meal, too. It’s happened a few times since we started sharing a flat, and it wasn’t pretty.” He grinned at Jarrod. “The only saving grace is that no matter how bad it’s been for me, it’s been worse for Tony. It doesn’t matter how much I annoy him, he’s not going to eat gluten to pay me back.”

Jarrod looked at the two of them and shook his head. “How much of what happened earlier was an act?”

Alex shrugged. “Most of it. Why?”

“Because, at the moment, I’m only seeing two friends, not two gay guys.”

Tony swallowed the piece of crisp lettuce he was chewing. “I told you last night, we’re everywhere. That wasn’t being facetious. With between two and ten percent of the population being gay, the odds are that someone you know will be gay, even if you don’t realise it.

“Gay guys are just guys who are attracted to guys and not girls. You can’t look at guys and know if they’re gay or straight. You can sometimes guess based on their actions, but you can’t know, Jarrod, especially if they’re hiding in the closet.

“Yes, Alex and I are friends, and that’s all we are. We happen to be gay, too, but does that matter? Being friends is much more important to us than who we sleep with.”

Alex nodded. “Especially for Tony, who’s currently not sleeping with anyone.”

Tony glared. “Alex, drop it.”

Alex didn’t seem fazed. “I will when I wake up one morning to find you’ve had someone spend the night. Until then, you’re fair game.”

“Alex!”

* * *

Jarrod knocked on the open bedroom door to attract the attention of his housemate. “Charlie?”

Charlie looked up from the papers he was reading and then quickly shoved them back into the bag that was next to him on the bed. “Jarrod! How did things go today?”

Jarrod moved in and sat down on the chair by Charlie’s desk. “Really good. Tony thinks he can get me a deal. I’m waiting on a phone call from him before I go meet the people who’ll hopefully be giving me the sponsorship.”

“Excellent! That’ll make your life easier.”

“Yeah. I know.” Jarrod ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, I haven’t been the best recently, and I wanted to apologise.”

Charlie waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad it’s all sorted out.”

“Not quite, but soon, I hope. A sponsorship’s what I’ve been hanging out for.” Jarrod chuckled. “Tony made me work for it, though.”

Charlie gave him a quizzical look. “How?”

Jarrod leant forward. “Do you know how we discussed last night what this chat he needed was all about? Well, we were right, but Tony didn’t just chat about it, he brought along a gay friend of his to have lunch with us.” Jarrod shook his head. “A nice guy, but he freaked me out initially. It was only later that I found out that he’d been overacting to try to get a reaction from me.”

“That doesn’t sound particularly nice. What did he do? Try to hit on you?” Charlie asked.

“Nah, nothing like that. He started by telling Tony he thought I was hot, but he also let me know that his boyfriend had told him he could look but not touch.” Jarrod laughed. “But he touched me anyway, and I almost hit him.”

Charlie frowned. “That’s sexual harassment. You could probably sue if you wanted to.”

Jarrod shook his head. “He asked me if he could get a photo of the two of us to show his boyfriend, and I said yes. He draped an arm across my shoulders; that’s all. Nothing sexual, and if he wasn’t gay, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. And that was it. The rest of the lunch was simply talking, like we thought.”

“I still don’t like it. Tony sounds like a creep for putting you through that.”

“It’s okay, Charlie. It might sound creepy, but it was low key. Tony told me that I’d have experienced a lot more than that if I was dealing with his old employer, and it was important to find out early before I put my foot in it. It seems there’s a lot of gay guys at his old job, and if I couldn’t handle one mild case, I wasn’t going to be able to handle more. That’s why I wasn’t suitable for that deal, but he had some other possibilities that he thought I’d be fine with. He’s talking about a sponsorship with a car dealership that sounds perfect!”

“I don’t know...” Charlie looked away. “I’m going to keep my distance.”

Jarrod gazed at his housemate for a moment. “Tony’s okay. If anything, he got it worse at lunch than I did. His flatmate, Alex, was on his case as soon as we finished talking about the deal and had him squirming. Alex was talking about this guy that Tony’s trying to go out with, and it was pretty clear to me that Tony’s not looking elsewhere. Trust me, he’s cool.”

Charlie sighed. “Maybe.”

“How about this? I call him up, and we go out after training tomorrow night? Grab a few drinks at the club and then onto the pool hall. Play a few games and then head home. You’ll see; he’s just a normal guy.”

Charlie scowled. “He’s not normal. He sleeps with other guys!”

Jarrod laughed. “You need to talk to his flatmate. He spent half of lunch picking on Tony because he’s currently not sleeping with other guys. Well, how about it? Going out for some games of pool and a few drinks tomorrow night?”

“Who else will be there?”

“I was thinking it’d be us, Tony, and I’d invite Dave and Owen. We’ll try to convince Dave to be the designated driver. That’ll make five of us, so if you’re worried, there’s safety in numbers. What do you think?”

Charlie stared at the floor for a couple of seconds. “Okay.”

“Good!” Jarrod glanced at the bag next to Charlie on the bed. “What’ve you got there?”

“Er...just some stuff I picked up at orientation. Some club brochures, one of the newspapers, and a copy of the O-Book.” Charlie grinned. “It calls itself a survival guide.”

“How’s it going?”

Charlie shrugged. “It’s all new to me – and very different from secondary school – but I’m excited. At least I’m not a complete country bumpkin now that I’ve been in the city for a couple of months. I think if I’d gone straight to the uni from home, I’d’ve been completely lost.”

“Your parents are fine with you doing your degree part-time?”

“Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I’m going to RMIT. I can do a part-time, Applied Science course and still play football. They know that playing is what I really want to do, and I know that I have to look to the future when I’m not going to be able to play anymore. The train stops just outside the city campus, so transport is easy, and I can study on the train if I need to and leave most of the other time for football. We’re all happy with the compromise.”

“Good for you! Just don’t expect me to help you with your homework. I’ve got no idea about shit like that. I’m a hands-on guy.”

Charlie chuckled. “Yeah, I know. I’ve seen you with the girls.”

Jarrod picked up a pen from the desk and threw it at him. “You’re just jealous.”

* * *

Oliver stood in front of Todd, fists on hips. “I’m going to ask this once and then not mention it again. Are you coming on a double date with me and Helena on Saturday night?”

Todd scowled. “Don’t push me!”

Oliver nodded. “Fine. I’ll take that as a no and either go on a date with just her or find someone else to go out with. I’ll leave you be.”

He turned away but stopped at the voice behind him. “Ollie...”

Oliver looked over his shoulder. “I’m not putting pressure on you, Todd. I promised I’d let Helena know tonight what our plans are for Saturday. I can’t wait any more, so you can take as much time as you want to sort out your love life. I’m off to do my own thing.”

“Ollie...”

“What, Todd? If you’ve made up your mind, okay, but if you haven’t, then that’s fine, too. Just don’t ask me to sit around waiting, because I can’t.”

“Fuck it! You do what you want.” Todd turned around and walked to the kitchen.

Oliver watched Todd go out of sight and then headed to his room. After flipping himself onto his bed, he lay for a moment, thinking. He then pulled out his phone and scrolled through his address book.

“Ryan, it’s Ollie. Do you and Fiona have any plans for Saturday night?”

“Not at the moment, why?”

“I’m looking for another couple to go out with myself and Helena. I was thinking of somewhere moderately flash, but not too pricey. Are you in?”

“You normally go out with Todd on these things.”

“Yeah, but the big wuss can’t make up his mind if he wants to go out with this new girl of his or not. I told Helena I’d let her know what we’re doing tonight.”

“I’ll need to check with Fiona, but it sounds good. Any idea of where to go?”

“Absolutely none. I was hoping you’d have some suggestions.”

“Not me, but I think I know someone who might. I heard Dave say that the new guy, Tony, has a friend who’s a food critic. He might know of some decent restaurants.”

“Okay, I’ll ask him tomorrow. I’m heading off to work soon, so if you can, text me once you’ve confirmed with Fiona. I’ll start the ball rolling on getting this organised. Thanks, mate!”

“Any time, Ollie.”

Oliver rolled off the bed and started to get changed. He worked as a barman at the Olinda Creek Hotel Tuesday and Thursday nights, the two weeknights he wasn’t training. He didn’t need to, as his sponsorship with one of the local legal firms paid him sufficient for his general needs in exchange for simply showing up to meet clients from time to time, but the extra cash helped to pay for nights out like he had planned for the coming Saturday.

* * *

“Hey, Dad!”

Jim looked up, a sour expression on his face. “What do you want, brat?”

Ty grinned. “Deon and I noticed that we’re running low on essential supplies, so we thought we’d go to the marketplace. Did you want anything while we’re down the street?”

“Are you planning on getting anything besides more beer?”

“That depends on whether you’ve got anything else for us to get.”

Jim sighed and clambered out of the chair. “I’ll make a list.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Ty grinned as Jim scowled at him again.

Ten minutes later, Ty and Deon were driving down the street towards the Lilydale Marketplace shopping centre.

“You know it’s annoying Jim to keep calling him ‛Dad’,” Deon said.

Ty grinned. “I know. I’m trying to see how many people I can get to call him that.”

“Why?”

There was silence for several seconds. “Because he deserves it.”

“He deserves to be annoyed? What’s he done to deserve that?”

Ty shook his head. “He deserves to be called ‛Dad’ because that’s what he is. He’s a better father than my old man.”

“You’ve never really talked about your family.”

“With good reason.” Ty glanced across at Deon before returning his attention to the road. “This isn’t to go any further than the two of us, okay?”

“Sure, Ty.”

“I’ve only realised in the last few days how much my old man’s screwed up my life. Jim probably doesn’t know it, but he’s been undoing the damage that my old man has done, and that’s why I call him ‛Dad’.

“I’ve been playing football for as long as I remember. Any chance I had, I’d be outside with a football, kicking it around. My old man would be out there a lot, too, but it was always to tell me what I was doing wrong. He told me I’d be a great player one day – destined to be one of the AFL elite – but then he’d go through a long list of things I’d have to do better before that happened.”

Ty glanced to the side to see Deon staring at him with a neutral expression.

“It’s because of my old man that I’ve been so angry. Angry because I did everything he told me to do, but it wasn’t good enough to get drafted. I played my heart out last year, hoping to be picked in the draft, but I was passed over. My old man told me I hadn’t done enough, but I knew I’d done my best. It wasn’t fair, and I’ve been blaming everyone for that.”

“I didn’t get drafted, either,” Deon said in a soft voice.

Ty snorted. “You probably didn’t get told that an AFL spot was yours by right.”

“No. My mum kept me pretty well-grounded and wouldn’t let me get above myself.”

“That’s a good way of putting it. My parents let me get so far above myself that I was almost out of sight. And when I fell, they couldn’t be bothered to pick up the pieces. Jim’s the one doing that.”

“Does he know this?”

Ty shook his head. “I don’t think so. And I don’t want you telling him!”

Deon held up both hands. “I won’t say a thing!”

“Good, because I wouldn’t want to lose Dad. He’s got me going again and told me not only what I need to work on but what I’m doing right – something my old man never did for me. I’m going to have another try at the AFL in the next draft, but this time I’ll hopefully have my feet on the ground instead of my head in the clouds.”

“I think he’s more the big brother you never had than a dad.”

“No. He’s not a big brother.” Ty gave a bark of laughter. “There’s no way I’d look up to a big brother who’s as obnoxious as he is. But I can look up to a dad like him. A big brother I’d be competing against. I don’t need to compete against Dad.”

“Er...Ty?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but don’t you think treating someone only two years older than you as your dad is a bit weird?”

Ty laughed. “Yeah, it’s weird, but I’m crazy. I thought you knew that.”

“Yeah, but not quite this crazy.”

Ty grinned as he parked the car. “My parents, and my old man in particular, fucked me up real bad. It’ll be a while before I’m sane enough to be let loose without a keeper. Do you want the job, or will you leave it to Jim?”

“I’ll leave it to Jim, I think.”

“Then remember: his name’s ‛Dad’, not Jim.”

* * *

“Just the beer to get and then we’re done,” Deon said as they packed the groceries in the back of the car.

Ty closed and locked the boot. “Let’s get going. The sooner we get it, the sooner we can start drinking.”

It was only a short walk back to the BWS store. As soon as they entered, Ty turned to Deon. “You get a couple of cases. I’m going to look for something.”

Deon frowned momentarily, then shrugged. He entered the cool room and picked up a case each of Crown Lager and James Boag Premium. Between the two, that would cater for everyone in the house and most of their visitors.

With a carton of beer under each arm, Deon backed into the door to push it open enough to return to the main section of the store. He noticed Ty talking to one of the store employees, a young man that seemed only slightly older than himself and Ty.

After manhandling the two cases onto the counter with the cash registers, he looked back to see Ty approaching with two six-packs of bottled beer. He glanced at them and then Ty. “Trying something new?” The store employee that had followed Ty was moving behind the counter to process the sale.

Ty shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m not buying them for me.”

Deon grinned. “Presents for ‛Dad’?”

“Nah...well, not really. I’d thought I’d see if they had any gluten-free beer and get some, just in case.”

Deon was puzzled. “Why?”

“I’ve been told that Tony only drinks gluten-free beer, so I’m getting some for if he ever drops in to see us.”

Deon stiffened. “Wh...why would he do that?”

“Who knows, but he’s part of the club, and he seems to be getting active with trying to get things done. Jarrod told me earlier that Tony thinks he’ll have a good sponsor for him really soon.”

“But he’s...” Deon glanced around and then lowered his voice “...gay.”

Ty stood there silently, his face flicking through a range of emotions that Deon couldn’t interpret, though none were positive. “We can discuss this in the car on the way back.”

Deon let Ty pay for the beers, and then the two of them carried a case each back to the car. Ty carried the gluten-free beers in a separate plastic bag.

A few minutes later, the two were back in the car. Ty sat in the driver’s seat for a few seconds and then turned to Deon. “I’m not thrilled with being around a gay guy, either, if that’s your problem.”

“Then why are you buying him beers?”

“I don’t really know. It just feels like the right thing to do.” Ty started the engine. “I had a chat with Dad and realised that even if he’s not one of the players, working at the club makes him one of the team. Teamwork is something I’m not good at, so I’m trying to get better.”

Looking over his shoulder, Ty backed the car out of its parking spot.

“Do you really want him to come to our place?” Deon asked.

“No, not really.”

“Why don’t we take the beers to the club and put them in the fridge with the others? That way he can have his beers with the team, and he doesn’t have to visit.”

Ty grinned. “Thanks, mate, that’s a great idea. It makes Tony feel welcome without letting him get too close.”

There was a pause in the conversation until Ty pulled out of the car park and headed towards the main road.

“Deon, I’ve been a piece of shit since I joined the team, and I’ve never asked you about yourself.”

Deon shrugged. “Not much to say. I’ve got an older sister and a younger brother. My mum’s been raising us by herself since I was nine, when my father moved out. He’d found someone else. Mum was a wreck for months afterwards. I think it was realising how much my brother needed her that pulled her around.”

“Shit! Your dad sounds like an arsehole.”

“Yeah, but maybe not as much as yours. My father only fucked up my mum’s life, not mine. Apart from birthday and Christmas cards and the occasional phone call, I’ve had nothing to do with him.”

“Still, he should’ve done more. You can’t just discard a family like that.”

Deon shrugged. “This is just between you and me? It doesn’t go any further?”

“Yeah, sure. Why?”

“Because I’m fucking happy that he moved to Sydney and I don’t see him or hear from him. He fucked up my mum so badly that I’d be fucking happy if he simply dropped off the face of the Earth. Him and his fucking boyfriend!”

Ty looked at Deon, mouth open and eyes wide. He gulped, before looking back at the road and slamming on the brakes to avoid running up the rear of the car in front.

“Shit! I...” Ty shook his head.

Deon glared through the windscreen of the car at a place only he could see. “That was almost ten years ago, Ty, but I still hate him and his boyfriend for what they did to my mum. That’s not going to change.

“Tony’s not my father, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt as to what sort of person he is, but I’m not letting him get close to me. I’ve been burnt once; I’m not letting myself be burnt again.”