Walls - Prologue. Summer's End

Do what thy manhood bids thee do,
from none but self expect applause;
He noblest lives and noblest dies
who makes and keeps his self-made laws.

Sir Richard Francis Burton
The Kasîdah of Hâjî Abdû El-Yezdî

The week following his parents’ party was a whirlwind of activity for CJ. On Monday morning he was at Dr. Matt Calhoun’s office for his annual physical and it lasted longer than he thought it would. Helen Mookjai, the head nurse and wife of his friend Chatri, complained about not seeing much of him since their wedding earlier in the summer and spending so little time with him the previous afternoon.

“That wasn’t my fault. The dads forced me to mingle with everyone.” CJ extended his arm and averted his gaze as Helen drew blood. “Hell, I didn’t have time to hang out with my friends at all. It was one big shot or politician followed by another.”

“Right, and you looked like you were hating it. You may as well accept it: You’re a natural at schmoozing people.” Helen placed a gauze pad on the crook of CJ’s arm and withdrew the needle. “Hold it in place for me. Let me get you a bandage. Then you can take your clothes off. I can give you a paper gown or you can stay in your underwear.”

“Forget the gown. Both Pres and Uncle Matt have seen me in a bathing suit while out on the boat.”

“You got it. Chatri and I did get to talk to your Owen. He told us of your trip and all the fun you guys had. We like your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. We’re just friends.”

“If you say so.” Helen’s tone was playful as she patted CJ’s shoulder. “But the way I saw the two of you look at each other tells me there’s more to it than just friends. Let us know when you guys make it official.” She started to walk out of the room, turning her head to CJ while holding the door handle. “Hey, text Chatri. He’s next door at the hospital. Maybe he can get away and the three of us can grab a bite for lunch at the cafeteria.”

With Helen out of the room CJ shed his clothes, fishing the phone from his back pocket before placing everything he’d worn on a chair. No sooner had he finished sending the suggested text his phone rang; looking at it, he smiled. “What’s up, Thai Boy?”

“You’re still a twerp, you know? What are you doing over there? Are you sick?”

“Nope, annual physical. You know you’ll be taking over as my doctor as soon as you join the practice, right?”

“You trying to scare me off?”

“Jerk! So can we do lunch?”

“Listen to him, do lunch he says.” Chatri’s laughter made CJ smile. He liked the young doctor who’d been the first friend he’d made after the move to Washington. He missed spending time with him at the gym, but the medical residency at George Washington University Hospital kept Dr. Mookjai busy these days. “Still have all the cocktail party chatter fresh in your mind, dontcha?”

CJ looked at the closed examination room door and even though he was alone, he lowered his voice to an almost whisper. “Asshole. Not sure I want to see you at all. Or for that matter have lunch at a hospital cafeteria.”

“Stick around. I’ll even treat. GW has decent food. We’ll go to the employee section so I can get a discount. Still poor here.”

While waiting the twenty to thirty minutes required for the results of the point-of-care HIV test, Dr. Prescott Harding walked into the examination room to discuss PrEP with him. CJ was already familiar with the use of Truvada―an HIV medication―as a preventive measure to avoid infection with the virus. Dragon and his ex-boyfriend had talked to him about it the previous year. CJ's parents had armed Prescott with prior consent for the conversation; he was a specialist in infectious diseases and the dads had told CJ they trusted his judgement.

“I’ll assume you’re getting laid on a regular basis.” The statement surprised CJ. Frank, open discussions regarding sex he was used to, but Dr. Harding’s no-nonsense, direct approach was somewhat unexpected since the physician wasn’t part of the core group of men he called uncles.

“Ummm…”

“Come on, CJ. It’s a simple statement of fact. With your looks, for sure you get hit on plenty, even if you’re not hanging around gay men all the time. So let’s skip the shy routine, okay?”

“I guess… Yeah, I’ve done it a few times in the past year. But it’s not like it’s happening all the time.”

“Do you always wear condoms?” Prescott ignored the editorial comment on frequency, ploughing ahead with his probing.

“Ummm, most of the time…”

“Simple yes or no, CJ. Tell me when you haven’t.”

CJ squirmed in the chair; his parents had never asked for this type of detail. “It was just one time. Happened earlier this summer before I flew to Australia.”

“Were you the top or the bottom?”

“Ummm, I was the top.” At Prescott’s insistence, CJ gave him a recap of the night he and Eli went at it in the basement, without mentioning names. The smile he noticed the doctor trying to hide helped calm him and he admitted to ejaculating inside the man.

“Damn! You fucked Eli? He’s a hot boy.”

“How―”

“How did I figure out who it was? Easy, Gray was part of the crew working at your dads’ place and I met all his coworkers at one point or another. Hell, we invited Eli to join us in bed but we got turned down. He said he wasn’t into three-ways. You lucky fucker!” The man’s ribbing made CJ relax somewhat.

The results of the HIV test were negative and Dr. Harding agreed there was no pressing need for the once a day pill regimen of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis. “But just because you’re negative right now doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods. As long as you’re having sex, I want you in here every three months for testing. You don’t even need to make an appointment. Walk in and we’ll take care of it. You saw how quick and easy it was.”

“Okay, I can do that. Easy enough to stop by after school.”

“Good. Look, CJ, you and I have a different relationship than I do with most patients. We may not be as close as you and Matt are but I’ve known your parents for a long time. I like them a lot and you get special treatment because you’re their son.”

“Thanks.” CJ felt as he had on may other instances: embarrassed his dads opened doors for him but proud so many people cared enough about them they extended extra courtesies to him.

“On top of that, you were there when Gray and I first met. He was at the AIDS Walk with your teacher, so in a way you’re responsible for bringing us together. And damn, am I glad I stopped to say hello to you that day.” The smile on the doctor’s face told CJ how smitten the man was with his partner. “This isn’t something I share with most patients. I’ve been on the PrEP regimen for quite a while and I insisted Gray be too when we started dating.

“There’s risk of infection in having sex with strangers even if condoms are used. Since Gray and I aren’t monogamous, the combination of meds and condoms almost entirely eliminates the possibility of transmission. I want you to stash condoms in every room of your house, keep some in your car, and in your school bag.”

“I can do that.” CJ smiled, thinking ahead to where he would be storing the foil packages. He’d have to put some in the garage also; bending Owen over the hood of Defiant had been fun. The risk of being discovered adding a certain thrill to their coupling. And he had to store a few in the Aussie’s motorcycle whenever he got around to buying one; in case they rode somewhere together and the urge to do it in the open air struck them.

“You don’t even have to spend money on them. Grab a handful from the basket we keep in the reception area on your way out. And take some of the single-use packs of lube, penetration can be a pain, literally, when wearing a rubber. Also, buy water based or silicone lubricant only. Things like Vaseline, Crisco, or body oil degrade the integrity of the latex.”

By the time CJ left the office, he was over being examined and interrogated, it’d lasted for almost two hours. Uncle Matt gave him a clean bill of health and sent him on his way; letting him know the half inch gained over the prior year would most likely be the end of his growing. CJ resigned himself to not being as tall as his fathers and most of his friends, but at almost six feet in height he was already taller than the average American male.

Later in the afternoon he called Robbie Mook―the political operative who introduced himself the previous day―and agreed to meet him Tuesday at the headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign where Robbie had meetings scheduled.

• • •

CJ had learned the nation’s capital emptied out of elected Federal officials during August as Congress recessed for the summer until Labor Day; lobbyists and others involved in politics followed suit. Even so, traffic and parking were still a pain in the ass as far as he was concerned so he decided to leave Defiant at home and ride the bus.

The stroll from the drop-off spot near Dupont Circle to the Rhode Island Avenue location of the largest GLBT rights advocacy group in the United States took five minutes. By the time CJ sighted the metal-clad structure, he was beginning to sweat thanks to the high temperature and humidity. César had insisted he wear slacks and a blazer instead of shorts and a t-shirt and he was beginning to regret listening to his dad.

He sighed with relief as he opened the door and was blasted by cool air. CJ introduced himself to the guy sitting at the reception desk, and was asked to take a seat while he called the office where Mr. Mook was in a meeting at the moment. A few minutes later, the handsome, thirty-something man walked out to greet him, followed by Aileen Ridder, the woman he’d spoken with during the reception.

Both greeted him with enthusiasm and Aileen expressed her gratitude for his family’s generous support of the organization. She offered to give him a tour of the operations prior to going to lunch with Robbie, and while doing so spoke of the volunteering and internship opportunities available for those who wished to make a difference in the ongoing fight for equality.

CJ listened to her sales pitch and suspected Robbie may have put her up to it. Afterwards, he thanked her profusely for her time and promised to remain in contact, waving goodbye as he and Robbie walked out and headed to Suki Asia―a Pan-Asian luncheonette down the street.

“I very much appreciate you coming to meet me, CJ.”

“Not a problem. You were kinda mysterious on Sunday concerning what you did and I was curious.” CJ shrugged. “Plus since the dads told you to talk to me. I figured you’d have some good stories about the inner workings of the political world. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a junkie when it comes to that stuff.”

Robbie chuckled. “Nice to hear you value your parent’s opinion. It’s not something I see that often with teenagers. And I’m certain I didn’t reward mine with such faith at your age. Anyway, the party was for Muriel and her campaign, I didn’t want to overshadow her too much. Do you know who Terry McAuliffe is?”

“Sure, he’s the new governor of Virginia. And I know he’s been involved with the Democratic National Party for a long time. I read a few stories on him during the campaign.”

“Somehow, it doesn’t come as a total surprise you’re aware of who he is. I served as campaign manager for his run.”

“Really?” CJ still wasn’t certain why he was invited to lunch, but he now found Robbie Mook to be much more interesting than he had at first. “That must have been a great experience. I’d love to hear details about it. Are you running any campaigns now?”

“Not at the moment, but I’m in discussions which could lead to managing one for a well-known individual. Can’t give you details right now because it’s still confidential. Nothing will happen until early in twenty-fifteen, but I’d like to talk to you again once an announcement’s made. I think a bright, young man like yourself may have a role to play in it.”

“Since you can’t tell me who right now, I can’t commit to supporting anyone. Not without knowing more about them. But I promise to listen whenever you’re able to share more information with me.”

Long after they’d finished eating, their conversation turned to their individual backgrounds, their interest in politics, and their shared desire to have government work for all citizens instead of favoring the privileged few; those who expected to exert influence in exchange for their campaign contributions. CJ knew he was part of the favored crowd and the conversation with his fathers concerning their motivation to hold the event on Sunday stuck in his mind.

“You realize the dads are part of that favored group, right?” CJ didn’t object to the comments on how the wealthy often found themselves getting special treatment. He knew it was the truth. “I know I have it better than most, but they keep reminding me wealth isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s what we do with it that should define us.”

“And they’re right! I agree wholeheartedly. Look at what people like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have done with their billions. Money’s a tool which, when used properly, can improve lives and our world. I think we’re on the same page, CJ.”

• • •

Wednesday morning, Owen walked across the driveway separating his home from CJ’s place soon after breakfast. CJ had already been to the gym, showered and dressed, and was waiting for the Aussie in the garage, wiping dust and road grime off the Jeep. They were going to pick up Harley who had agreed to help the Australian buy a motorcycle.

Owen made his intention of purchasing a motorbike known early on; it would be his primary way of commuting between Georgetown, and the George Mason University campus in Arlington.

When CJ stopped in front of Harley’s home and honked, his friend came bounding out, full of his usual enthusiasm. Climbing in the back seat, he gave CJ an address from the bike trader magazine he carried, and in excruciating detail described the motorcycle they were going to see and all the pros and cons he had gleaned from reading the ad. Once the subject was exhausted he launched into another monologue about his plans to work during the upcoming months, helping rebuild another classic muscle car for Danno once school started.

They made three stops before Harley complained he was starving and pestered CJ until they all agreed to go somewhere for lunch. Each bike they saw was rejected for different reasons and Harley suggested once they were done eating, they stop at Patriot Harley-Davidson in Fairfax. His father was friendly with the manager and although Owen hadn’t initially thought of buying an HD motorcycle, he agreed. Harley kept insisting he didn’t want a friend riding a Jap bike and CJ felt the dealership idea had merit and supported it.

The plan was successful. Leaving the showroom, Harley was in Defiant’s front seat and a satisfied Owen followed them on a red 2008 Harley-Davidson Softail Fat Boy. All day long, Harley used Ozzie instead of Owen and CJ smiled whenever he heard the nickname. Chipper had taken to using it too and he was certain it would not be long before the rest of their friends joined in.

• • •

Walking into Rogo’s the following day, CJ felt as if he had entered his second home. The bar and grill's owner, Wolf Manakauapo―Uncle Danno to him―greeted the young man with a shout and a wave from behind the bar, where he was fiddling with liquor bottles stacked on glass shelves against the wall. Before CJ could even take a step in his direction, he was wrapped in a pair of dark arms and squeezed so hard he couldn’t move out of the hug. The muscular embrace suggested the friendly assailant was Devon Jefferson, the man he was at the restaurant to meet.

“Let me go, Uncle Dragon! You’re crushing me.”

“Don’t be such a pussy. I bet if I was a certain blonde Australian you wouldn’t be complaining.”

“Fuck you! I think I’m gonna sit at the bar with Danno instead of with you.”

When he was released, CJ found Dragon grinning at him, motioning with his head towards the front table his family and friends always occupied. Giving the large African-American a proper hug, he sat and ordered an iced tea from the server who materialized at their side. He stared at the man who had become a surrogate big brother and smiled. After his near drugging and rape in New York back in April, it was regular meetings with Dragon which helped CJ deal with his anger issues and allowed him to instead concentrate on the positive things in his life. It was something he still battled but was getting easier to deal with all the time.

Today was supposed to be one last chance for the two to talk prior to school starting and before life became a tad more hectic. But CJ had other things in mind. “Okay, I met Kelly on Sunday. Hot guy but what the heck happened to Harrison?” He was referring to the muscular black guy he had met the previous month when he’d brought his cousin Rod into the restaurant.

“Give me a break, I need some variety in my life. One black and smooth, one white and hairy.”

“Don’t be a pig. What was wrong with Harrison? The stud was hot as hell. And he was nice to boot.”

“He wanted more than I was willing to give. Two fucks and a movie night and the guy was ready to pick out china patterns and move in. The constant texts and repeated calls following the movie date were too much. Enough for me to lose interest. He was fun, but when he became clingy and started acting like we were a couple, he had to go. You know, sometimes a fuck’s just a fuck, not a marriage proposal.”

“You better remember that when you talk about Owen. I’m getting tired of everyone thinking we’re a couple. So tell me about Kelly, I didn’t get a chance to do much more than say hello.”

“I met him Friday night at JR’s. We had a couple of drinks and he went home with me. Kept me up half the night! That man can take a hard fuck. It was hot using his beefy body and all the fur was a nice change from the smooth boys.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Spare me the details, okay? And stop bragging.”

“Hey, it ain’t bragging if it’s true. Anyway, the guy has some serious interest in kink, we played around with breath control, restraints, and water sports. I ended up taking off the condom after I’d come and pissing inside his ass.”

“Yuck!”

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, buddy. But I suggest doing it in the shower when you do. Running from the bed to the toilet with your ass full of piss can be a challenge.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” CJ raised his hands in surrender and shook his head. “So are you going to see him again? Sounds like you got yourself a new boy toy.”

“Nope. After the reception on Sunday, I went over to his house expecting to get laid. I ended up leaving soon after arriving, and I don’t think I’m ever going back.”

“What happened?”

“We got naked and he wanted to slam before fucking.”

“What’s that?”

“That’s when you mix crystal meth with distilled water and inject it in a vein. The stuff rushes through the blood stream and the high’s intense. Most guys have problems keeping a hard-on when they use the stuff and bottoms become insatiable.”

CJ shivered at the thought of injecting himself. He wasn’t fond of needles and the results didn’t sound appealing. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll be staying away from that shit.”

“Good. You know what happened between me and Rash was partially due to drugs. I screwed up, overdid it, and failed to look after him the way I’d promised. I’m not against partying, but I’m against overindulgence. I learned my lesson. Most things in moderation are okay with me, but some of them, I don’t want to be around.”

“What about pot?”

“What about weed? Why do you ask?”

CJ looked down at the table before raising his head and locking eyes with Devon. “I… well I’ve kinda been smoking some over the summer. What do you think about it?”

“Are you smoking every day? Do you plan on getting high in the mornings before going to school?”

“Hell no! The dads would kill me, if not worse.”

Dragon’s rich laughter filled the area and made several patrons look their way. “Kill you? Not a chance, you’re their golden boy and they can’t stop bragging about you. Remember what I said, CJ: moderation. Marijuana could lead to trouble if you decide to try other stuff, but I equate it to alcohol. Hell, I think it’s much more benign than booze. You watch, it’ll be legal to use recreationally soon enough.”

“So, what about Kelly? Is he completely out of the picture?”

“Pretty much. And anyway, I don’t want a relationship right now. I’m happy hooking up when I get horny, but have no interest in getting tied down. Monogamy isn’t something I really believe in. Men are meant to spread our seed around. What about you and Owen? What’s going on? And don’t bullshit me.”

“Ummm, I like him a lot. He’s smart, sweet, cares a lot for his family and mine seems to like him too. We didn’t have sex once while we were in Australia. Not that I wasn’t tempted. The night we went out in Canberra and ended up shirtless, dancing with a bunch of other guys, I was ready to jump him he looked so hot. But we did end up together the last night in Miami.”

“And?”

“And we’ve agreed to date, but not exclusively so he’s not my boyfriend.”

“I meant what happened in Miami.”

“None of your business.” CJ’s quick response earned him a smirk from the older man. “No damn way I’m telling anyone what I do in the bedroom. I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Fine, be that way. See if I tell you any more good stories. But I can respect you guys taking it easy and seeing where things lead. I do want you to be honest. With yourself and with him. I like Owen so far. Plus he’s smokin’. If you decide to drop him, let me know. I’m sure I can find a spot for him in my rotation.”

“Asshole!”