Walls - 15. September 2015

Two days after the wedding anniversary dinner, Owen started his second year at George Mason University School of Law. The following Monday, CJ began his senior year at School Without Walls High School. He strolled into the building surrounded by his fellow Squaddies―Ritchie’s moniker for the group had caught on with the rest of them―and was thrilled to see friends he’d not been around since the end of the previous school year.

They all talked about their summer vacations, plans for the coming year, and what colleges and universities were on their list of possible places to apply. Thiago was now a freshman at Howard University, and CJ missed having his buddy around; more so when a few days later he sat at the front of the room during the Gay Straight Alliance's first meeting.

CJ smiled as a diminutive Vietnamese-American girl rushed in the room, apologizing to the people she bumped into for being late. “Sorry, CJ, I couldn’t get my locker open. And when I did, I dropped half my stuff on the ground.” She placed her backpack, a book, and a couple of notebooks on the table, and took a seat next to him.

“Nothing to be sorry for. You’re right on time.” He looked at the students milling about and decided it was time to get started. “Good afternoon. If you guys will sit down we’ll get the GSA’s first meeting of the school year started.” With a wink and a hand motion, he encouraged the pretty girl next to him to speak.

“Hi, my name’s Kim Hoang, and I’m one of the GSA’s co-chairs. I’m kinda shy and don’t talk a lot. This is hard, so please take it easy on me.” Her bashful smile was greeted with grins from the other students. “I’m a sophomore―this is my second year at Walls―and I joined the GSA last year when Patrick Kennedy invited me to come to a meeting. I worked with him on the article he wrote about CJ for The Rookery. Afterwards, he wanted me to see his friend in action.”

“Yeah, but you missed the first meeting last year and that’s when all the action started.” Bradley’s comment brought back memories of Janelle Tu to CJ and his short-term departure from the organization. He tried to forget about the nasty incident, and concentrated on what was going on today.

“You’re never going to let me live that one down, are you, Red?”

“Nope. One of your finest moments, bud. Of course, you may have had something to do with that jerk, Mr. Burke not being back as a Walls’ teacher too. So I’m not sure which one to be happier about.”

“Jeez, Brad, how about we concentrate on the coming year instead of reliving the past?” CJ winked at his friend, and turned to address the group. “Hi, everyone. I’m CJ Abelló, and I’m the other co-chair of the GSA. I’m a senior, this is my third year at WALLS, and also my third year as a member of the organization.”

Kim smiled when her co-chair looked at her and raised his eyebrows. “CJ, myself, and the other members of the executive committee met a couple of times over the summer. We also e-mailed and called each other a lot. So we have a tentative plan for the year we want to share with you. We’ll go through it in a few minutes.”

“Before we do that, however, we’d like each one of you to stand, give us your name, and tell us a little bit about you.” CJ noticed a couple of guys squirm in their seats and assumed they were nervous about speaking in public. “And just to help you all relax, we’ll start with one of my best buds. He followed me in here two years ago even though he had no idea what the GSA was. And I haven’t been able to get rid of him since. Harley?”

“HEY!” Harley shouted over the laughter and jeers coming from the group. “What do you mean you couldn’t get rid of me? I just followed ’cause I thought your dad’s motorcycle was dope. How often do you get to see an Anniversary Edition CVO Road Glide up close like that, you know? I was trying to find a way to get myself invited to your house and convince Cap to give me a ride. Oh, Cap’s one of CJ’s fathers. We call him that because he was a captain in…”

Harley’s introduction lasted longer than Kim and CJ’s together, but it accomplished the goal his friend envisioned when he called on the lanky skateboarder. By the time it was the newcomers’ turn, they were smiling and relaxed. After everyone had spoken, the co-chairs alternated explanations of what the executive committee had agreed upon when putting together a calendar of activities.

Some events―like participating in the annual AIDS Walk and visiting Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans’ Day―were the same as the previous year. A couple were new things, and after discussing them all, they opened up the floor for debate and further suggestions. Once the modified schedule had been approved, CJ invited Kim to say a few final words.

“I’m one of the youngest people in the room. I know I don’t have the experience here CJ, Harley, and a few others have. But I’m going to work as hard as I can to do a good job. Thanks to all the returning members who elected me last semester. And welcome to the new ones. It’s going to be a great year.”

“Thanks, Kim, I’m sure you’ll do a bang-up job. My final words today are about what our organization stands for: acceptance, inclusion, and celebration. No matter who we are and no matter our sexual orientation, we’re all in this together. The GSA accepts everyone, includes everyone, and celebrates our diversity. We can shine”―CJ paused momentarily for effect, glancing at the students staring at him―“and we will shine.

“Don’t let anyone tell you what you can’t do. You can do it all. Don't let the limitations of others cloud your vision. If we can remove our self-doubts and believe in ourselves, we can achieve what we might never have thought possible.” CJ paused once again and swept his eyes around the room. “I’m looking forward to the coming year. For many of you, it’ll be full of new experiences. For some of us, it’ll be our swan song. We’re gonna make a difference in this school. We’re gonna be the best organization around. And we’re gonna have the best time doing it. Squad goals.”

• • •

“Where’s Ozzie?” Ritchie looked over as CJ, hair still damp from the shower, sat next to him.

CJ had stayed at school late working on a project for the GSA, and gone from there to the dojo for his Friday night practice session with Thiago. Returning home, he had time for a quick shower before joining his fathers and brother for dinner. “He’s going out for pizza with friends from school.”

“And you let him go out alone? What if someone gets drunk and tries to molest him?”

Brett's loud laughter made César smack the back of his head. “It ain’t that funny, Jarhead.”

“Hey, watch the head smacking! That could be considered domestic violence. Anyway, CJ, I wanna know too. You let your boyfriend go out on his own on a Friday night?”

“You guys are all nuts, you know that? First, Ritchie, Ozzie’s a grown man. He can do whatever he wants, and he doesn’t need my permission. And we all know he can take care of himself. As for you, Papa, I was invited but I said no. Between school and wanting to spend a little extra time with Thiago tonight I knew I was gonna be running late. Plus, I wanted to have dinner with you guys. I want to hear all about Ritchie’s first day at Sidwell.”

The actual first day of classes at Sidwell Friends School was on the Tuesday after Labor Day weekend, but on the Friday before, the institution held an orientation day for all students. César and Brett had settled on the selective Quaker school after consulting with Walls principal Martha Edwards. CJ was surprised at how expensive tuition was. Even if the cost wasn’t an issue for his parents, he’d agreed not to discuss the matter with Ritchie in case the amount of money being spent on him bothered the boy.

“It was okay, but I’m pretty sure one of my teacher’s gonna get fired soon.” Ritchie’s sad expression surprised CJ.

“I heard about this when I picked up Ritchie,” Brett said. “Real sad story.”

“Why’s that, bro?” CJ was now intrigued.

“Her classroom’s gonna be a mess. The students aren’t going to behave. And she’ll end up losing her job.”

“And how do you know that?”

“She’s cross-eyed and she won’t be able to control her pupils.”

Ritchie’s giggles were drowned out by César’s chuckles and Brett’s laughter. CJ looked at all three and shook his head. “Great! I’ve been listening to your lame jokes for the past month and you’re going to keep torturing me, ain’t ya? Between you and Dad I don’t know which one tells the most stupid ones. I’ve been complaining about his lame jokes since I moved!”

“Watch it, buster! My jokes aren’t stupid, and neither are your brother’s. You just need to go buy yourself a sense of humor. How the hell’s Thiago, anyway? We haven’t seen him in a while.”

“He’s fine, except for the ring his girlfriend has on his nose so she can lead him around!”

“He has a girlfriend? What’s she like?”

“She’s a cunt!” CJ spat out his reply with contempt. “They’ve been seeing each other for a month, and she’s already trying to control his entire life. I mean, I’m not going to tell him she’s a bitch, but I made it clear I don’t like the way she’s trying to pull him away from his friends.”

“Is he going out with you guys on the PP tomorrow?”

“Nope. She wants to go shopping. And then her family has a cookout Thiago has to be at on Sunday.”

“Oooh, if he’s not going can I take his place?” Ritchie had been told he couldn’t spend the weekend aboard the catamaran with his brother and the Squadron.

“Sorry, buddy, but Brett and I don’t like the idea of you being out there without adult supervision.” César raised his hand stopping CJ from interjecting a comment. “And no, Ozzie doesn’t count. CJ has him wrapped around his little finger in a way the Aussie forgets the world exists when they’re together.”

“Hey! Stop that! Why is it the three of you keep insisting I have all this control over Ozzie?”

“Because you do?”

“Assholes!”

“Don’t worry, Ritchie, César and I will make sure you’re not bored this weekend. We’ll take the bikes out, and go for a long ride. Tomorrow morning we’ll go buy you a helmet that fits, and then head out. How’d you like to spend the night somewhere in Shenandoah National Park? Your brother’s always enjoyed that ride when we’ve taken him with us.”

“That’s okay… I guess. But it’s not like I don’t know they’re going to drink, smoke pot, and talk about sex when they’re on the boat. I’m not stupid, you know?”

“Of course you're not! Brett and I have talked to you before about those things, and we’ll do so again anytime you want to. But I’d rather you be a little older before we let you go out with the senior boys. You had your road trip and the visit to New York with some of them, but we think this is a little different.”

“Fine…”

“So, can we go back to talking about Sidwell and how you liked your first day? Did you meet any interesting kids?” CJ was happy to change the subject; he didn’t want his relationship with Ozzie dissected any further.

“A few. I did meet Sasha Obama. She’s a year ahead of me but she was real nice. I saw her sister when they got out of the big SUV they got driven to school in, but didn’t meet her. But it was cool seeing the Secret Service agents standing around outside the school. You know Malia’s your age, CJ? If you liked girls you could date her!”

“Hey, I do like girls. Just not enough to date. And what would Ozzie say if he finds out you’re trying to set me up with the President’s daughter?”

• • •

Owen helped the Kennedy brothers stash away the food they’d brought with them while CJ fiddled with the vessel’s controls, making certain everything was ship-shape for their weekend aboard. “We’re ready to go whenever Rod gets here with the other guys.”

“So we need to get fuel? Dad mentioned we might.” Patrick stashed milk, juice, eggs, and cold cuts in the refrigerator while waiting for Brad to return with ice.

“Mate, where the hell did your brother go get that stuff? Antartica? I’m ready to put all the beer and sodas in the eskie, but I want a layer of ice underneath first.”

“I’m here, I’m here. Do you have any idea how heavy and cold twenty-pound bags of ice are? I had to stop for a minute so I could warm my hands up.”

“Stop being a pussy, Red.” CJ ducked to avoid the cozy Bradley flung at him. “Where the fuck’s my cousin?”

“Dude, we’re here. Blame it on Ethan. I think he packed enough shit for a month.” Chipper strolled in carrying a backpack and his guitar case, tossed them on a chair, and shed his shirt and flip-flops. “Let’s get this show on the road! I wanna get away from the marina so we can get naked and go skinny dipping.”

“Fuck you, Chipper! I didn’t pack all that. The reason I brought more than a backpack is because you had me carry the lube and all your sex toys.” Ethan let the strap of his small duffle bag slip from his shoulder, and copied Chipper’s disrobing. “And admit it, the reason you wanna go skinny dipping’s ’cause you want to check me out. You’ve been staring at my big bulge since you guys picked me up.”

“In your dreams, lawyer boy. This is your first trip on the boat with us. You haven’t seen Thiago and Harley naked. Those two have porn-star-sized dicks. Plus, you’re Jewish. That means they took ten percent off before they even knew how big it was gonna be!”

“Aww, come on, guys. Can you stop talking about me?” Harley had skipped wearing a shirt at all, the leggy kid spent as much time as possible without one, and his dark tan was proof.

“Jesus Fucking Christ!” Rod’s shout made them all stare at him. “Is that all you boys gonna talk about this weekend? Dick size? I passed up the chance to spend time with Taisha’s family for this?”

“Fuck you, cuz. I call bullshit!” CJ was quick to jump on Rodney. “You didn’t give up crap. I have it on good authority she told you to come out with us. I talked to your girlfriend yesterday, and she made me promise you’d have a good time. Said all you did was work, and you needed to get out more.”

“Well listening to all of you talking about dick sure as shit won’t do it!”

“Yeah, bro?” Harley dug through his backpack, brought out a small metal box, and waved it around the room after removing the lid. The cloying smell of cannabis was unmistakable. “What if I roll a fat one? Will that cheer you up?”

“Oh, hell. If you’re all going to smoke I’m going outside.” CJ threw up his hands and shook his head as he headed towards the salon’s doors. “I can’t get high if I’m running the boat. You wanna come stand by the wheel with me, Ozzie?”

“Sure, let’s get the lines off and set sail. But as soon as we drop anchor for the day, I expect one of those for me and CJ. Okay, Harley?”

“Great! They’ll get high, go fuck, and then we’ll all have to listen to them. How come my dad owns the boat, and I don’t get laid when I’m on it?” Brad sounded very jealous.

“Shut up, Bradley. I don’t want to listen to you complaining the entire weekend. You may be my brother but I could still forget to call for help if you fall overboard.” Patrick’s threats did not sound very convincing; the big grin may have had something to do with it.

CJ motored out of the marina, keeping the vessel’s speed just above idling through the no-wake zone. By the time they were in the middle of the Potomac, ready to unfurl the sails, the others had joined him and Ozzie on deck. The guys waved at a couple of older men sitting on the seawall fishing and at people on other vessels, most heading south as they were.

He bypassed the area around Quantico where they’d spent time the previous year during their end of summer trip aboard the PP, and dropped anchor in shallow waters off Widewater State Park. Although there were plenty of other watercraft moving up and down the river, the shoreline on both the Virginia and Maryland sides was undeveloped land, so bathing suits came off, and the eight men enjoyed themselves swimming and taking turns riding the Jet Ski.

“So, you guys did this last year too? What’s gonna happen next year when you’re all away at college?” Rod sipped his cocktail while waiting for a reply; they’d all settled on the back of the boat to eat lunch and relax after roughhousing for a couple of hours.

“I’ll still be at Walls,” Patrick replied. “And Ethan and Ozzie will still be in law school. It’s the other four who’ll be gone. Maybe Dad and Pops will let me be in charge, and we can still spend Labor Day weekend together.”

Chipper had brought out the guitar and strummed chords providing a musical soundtrack to the conversation. “I don’t know when classes start at Julliard so I may still be here. Or I could come down for the weekend. New York’s close enough for that.”

“Is that where you want to go?” Rod had been busy settling into his apartment and job since his move from Chicago, and had not spent much time with the younger set.

“It’s my first choice. But CJ convinced me to apply to the Frost Music School at the University of Miami―they have a great Jazz program―and I’m also looking at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. I’d like to stay on the East Coast, and Curtis is tough to get into, but tuition’s free.”

“Really? Free?”

“Yeah, there’s a couple of other music schools like that. Yale’s one of them, but only for graduate students.”

“Then I think I’ll be seeing you now and then. We go to Miami because of our grandparents and New York and Philly are close enough for weekend visits. What about you, Harley? Where you gonna be?”

“He’s gonna be in my hometown! Boston strong!” Brad uncapped the bottle in his hand and took a big gulp.

“Water?” CJ sounded surprised.

Brad blushed and lowered his head. His tone much softer when he replied. “Yeah, I’m alternating water and beer. One of the tricks I learned this summer. Thanks.” His eyes met CJ’s and the gratitude was impossible to miss.

“So, what school in Boston, Harley?”

“I don’t know, guys. My dad wants me to apply to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But I’m not sure.”

“Can you get into MIT?”

“Ha! Harley’s a genius!” Patrick came alive when Rod asked his question. “Do you know he has like a 4.9 average? That’s from taking those AP courses which give you an extra point in your grades. And he’s aced all the science and math classes he’s ever taken.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can get in… kinda. I just don’t think I want to go to college right now. And I’d like to live somewhere warm for a while. I’m looking at a place in Florida.”

“Lots of good schools in Florida.” Rod looked at CJ and smiled. “If my cuz ends up at UM you guys would be close. Which one you looking at?”

“I, uhm… I’d rather not say. I need to talk to my dad again about what I want to do. He wants me to be an engineer, and I kinda don’t want to disappoint him.”

“We’ve been through this, Harley.” CJ clasped his friend's shoulder and gave him a small shake. “I don’t think your dad would ever be disappointed in you. Not the way I’ve seen him act around you for the past two years. And I told you before when we talked about this: it’s your life we’re discussing, not your father’s. You should make your decision based on what you think is best for you and not your parents or anyone else.”

“Listen to my little cousin, bud. He makes sense. Okay, Chipper in New York and Harley in Boston or Florida. You next, Brad. But I need a refill first, anyone else?”

“Nope.”

“Not me.”

“I want a coke, but I’ll go in with you.” CJ stood and looked at Harley. “Did you roll extras? Can I bring one out?”

“Bring two. Brad and Patrick aren’t smoking but the rest of us are.”

“I like the way you think, Harley!” Rod held a hand out asking CJ for help in getting up from the deck, and followed his cousin inside the salon. “Since you’re going to smoke, I’m guessing we’re staying put for the rest of the day?”

CJ reached in the cooler and grabbed a beer for Rod and a soda for himself. “Yeah, I think this is a good spot to spend the night. We can go back in the water for a while, and then we’ll worry about cooking. Tomorrow I want to fish so we can catch our dinner. Grab the doobies.”

“Hey, what was that about with Brad? Why did he thank you?”

“Ummm, not for me to say, cuz. But if you ask him, he’ll tell you. And by the way, thanks for being so cool with my friends. I know Ethan and Ozzie are your age but it’s nice you get along with the younger crowd.”

“Bah, nothing to it. You guys are cool, and you all act a heck of a lot more mature than I did at your age. You know that owes a lot to you, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you’re wiser than your years, and your friends take a cue from how you behave. They all look up to you, and follow your examples. Anyway, let’s get back out there.”

As soon as the cousins opened the sliding glass doors, Owen looked at CJ and patted the spot next to him. “You guys missed Ethan admitting he’s scared of Ritchie.”

“Fuck yeah, I am. The little stud keeps staring at me like he wants to rip my head off whenever I get too close to Ozzie. Is he ever gonna let me live my screw up down?”

“I don’t know…” CJ handed a joint to Harley who sparked it up. “He’s kinda protective. You should have heard him last night at dinner. He was surprised I allowed Ozzie to go out with you guys for pizza. He was worried someone would get drunk and try to molest my boyfriend.”

Rod reclaimed his spot on the deck and accepted the lit joint from Harley. “You know something, CJ? The more time I spend around your brother, the more I like him. Okay, back to the future. You’re up, Brad. What’s your plan after this year?”

“No idea. I know I don’t want to go to college, but I may consider doing what dad did.”

“You wanna be a cop?”

“Maybe… I’m not sure. But it’s in the back of my mind. I’m in the same boat Harley is: I need to discuss this with my dad. Maybe I’ll do it this week. We’re not fighting all the time any more since I stopped trying to get drunk all the time, so it should be okay.”

When Bradley admitted he’d been at odds with his father due to alcohol, Rod turned his head, stared at CJ, and gave him a wink. “So New York, Boston or Florida, and now undecided, what about you, CJ? Miami?”

“Not sure… UM’s one of the schools I’m still thinking about, and I’ll apply. But there’s a couple others I’m also looking at.” CJ leaned his head against Owen’s shoulder and sighed. “There’s a lot of different things I need to think about before I make a final decision. I’m filling out applications for a few schools, but I also need to talk to the dads about my plans. I mean, It’s gonna be my decision, but I want their input. In case I’m missing something.”

• • •

César and Brett both offered to give up their ticket so Owen could attend the game, but the man refused. He wasn’t an avid fan of the National Football League the way the Americans were, and he thought the dads would enjoy the Miami Dolphins game against the Washington Redskins more than he would.

“Are these your company’s tickets, Mr. A?” Ritchie looked around FedEx Field slack-jawed as César guided them to four forty-yard seats in the 300 level of the stadium. “They’re awesome!”

“Yeah, they’re pretty good, aren’t they? They belong to one of my clients. Whenever the Fins are in town I buy them from him. Since this is the opening game of the season, he was thinking of using them himself. But I convinced him I needed them since I had two teenagers who are Dolphin fans.”

At half time, Brett and Ritchie made a run for the restrooms, and CJ scooted over to sit next to his father. He studied the sparse crowd around them at the moment, and spoke so only César could hear him. “Ummm, Dad? I have a question about money and my trust fund.”

“Ask away, buddy.”

“Okay, you know I get money every month from the part of the trust I control. Most of it is reinvested with the manager, and I’ve never gotten involved in any decisions about where it goes.”

“Yep. I see the monthly statements. What do you want to do? You want to take over and make investments on your own?”

“Ummm, no, not yet. Maybe in a couple of years. What I’m wondering about’s what happens in December when I turn eighteen. I know I gain control of some more of the trust, and I guess the deposits to my checking account will be bigger. Right?”

“That’s right. You get to make decisions about more of it at eighteen, twenty-one, twenty-five, thirty, and thirty-five. Unless you get married and then at thirty you get the whole thing. You still haven’t told me why you're asking.”

“Ummm, well, I’ve been thinking…”

“That’s dangerous!”

“Don’t be an ass, Dad. Anyway, I think I want to do something special for my birthday in December, but it might be expensive. Even If I keep all the monthly money between now and then it might not be enough. Is there a way I could get a loan or an advance if I need it?”

“Sure, there’s a couple of ways. All but one require trustee approval. The one way you can do it on your own is to sell some of the stocks or bonds you control.”

“You and Papa are the trustees, right?”

“We are. Why don’t you tell me what you want to do and we can figure out the best way to do it.”

“Okay, this is what I’m thinking of…”

• • •

“You just missed one of the funniest conversations between the kids.” Brett’s chuckling made César turn around when his husband walked into the bedroom.

“What’d they do?”

“You know how the walls in Ritchie’s room have been empty?”

“Yeah, CJ insisted on taking the Hockneys down to his new room when he moved to the basement. Along with the other stuff he’d put up.”

“Well the two of them are in Ritchie’s room putting up posters. Ritchie’s also going through the last boxes from his move.”

“Was something missing? Did we forget to pack anything before we left Miami?”

“No, no, quite the opposite. Ritchie opened up one of the boxes and was surprised it was full of toys he said he didn’t want. He asked CJ what he thought he should do with them.”

“And? Get to the point, Jarhead.”

“Give me a break, dude. I’m getting there. Anyway, the young kid who’s plastering the walls with sports posters doesn’t want his toys. But the older brother who insists on having expensive artwork in his own room laid claim to the box.”

“CJ wants to keep his kid brother’s toys?” César was surprised. CJ was an old man at times; and other times he acted his age or younger.

“Yep. He says they might be a nice thing to have when he or Ritchie have kids. But he made it clear he was taking over ownership of the Legos. He wants to use them to design the house he’ll build one day.” Brett shook his head as he stripped off his shirt and walked towards the bathroom. They’d come home after watching the Dolphins beat the Redskins and he was still wearing the same clothes. “Damn, I’m ready for a shower.”

“That boy of ours is a walking contradiction. One minute he wants to play with toys, and the other one he’s discussing trust funds, income distributions, and principal allocations. Listen to what he told me he wants to do for his birthday while you and Ritchie roamed the stadium during half-time…”