Naptown 21 - Summer Internship - 20. Epilogue - Legal Scholar - Will

Summer Internship

A Naptown Tales Novel by Altimexis & David of Hope

Epilogue - Legal Scholar - Will
by Altimexis

“Do you mind if I sit here?” a young man’s voice said as I was looking down at my macroeconomics textbook while sipping on a skinny vente caramel macchiato. A brie and pesto on ciabatta sandwich sat half-eaten, next to the book. It had been more than a month since I’d returned to Chicago, and the fall semester of my sophomore year of pre-Law was in full swing. The horrors of my final days in Washington were finally behind me, although it would probably be months, or perhaps even years before the mess Sherrie made of her life would reach its conclusion.

Sherrie remained in a ‘persistent vegetative state’, which was worse than being in a coma. In a coma, there was always the hope she would wake up, but Sherrie was awake - she exhibited primitive reflexes, she opened her eyes in response to pain and her eyes even wondered the room, but never once did they focus, nor did she ever show any signs of being aware, nor did she ever take a breath on her own. She was in every sense a vegetable, and were the doctors to turn off her ventilator, she would die.

Most of the doctors thought that’s exactly what should be done. My own parents thought that would be the right thing to do. Sherrie herself had signed an organ donor card on the back of her driver’s license. By allowing her to die naturally, at least something positive could result from what otherwise was the waste of her life. Her parents, however, kept holding out hope . . . false hope that she’d recover and once again be the little girl they’d raised. And of course they blamed me for what had happened. It was 100% my fault that she used cocaine - never mind that I never touched the stuff - and it was my fault that she overdosed.

They also made it clear they would use everything they had to keep me from succeeding in life. A career in politics was now out of the question - they’d see to that. Any attempt to run for public office would be met with rumors and innuendo. Actually, that was fine with me. Thanks to recent events, a career in politics was the last thing I wanted in life. David and Jeremy, and even Trevor and Kurt might be able to pull it off as openly gay men, but I couldn’t, and after what had happened, I’d decided I was through with hiding. I was going to come out. It was only a matter of how, and when.

So instead of pursuing politics, I was going into academic law. Sherrie’s parents couldn’t touch me there, and my parents made it clear they would use all of our family resources to protect me and clear the way for an eventual rise to power as a legal scholar. Who knows, someday I might even be appointed to the bench this way, and maybe even to the Supreme Court by President David Reynolds. I had no doubt he’d one day be president, so it could happen, and by then, Sherrie’s drug overdose would be a long-forgotten memory.

“So can I sit here?” the voice asked again. “Sorry,” I said. “I guess I was really lost in thought.” I then finally looked up from my textbook into the most amazing set of blue eyes I’d ever seen. He had a roundish, but not overweight face, dark blond, very curly hair and wore bronze-framed glasses. His was truly the face of an angel.

I could feel myself blush as I was rendered speechless. I realized I’d seen him before in some of my classes, but most of the classes were humongous and I’d never seen him this close before. I didn’t even know if he was gay - I sure hoped he was, but in an instant I knew - call it intuition, that this was the man I was going to marry.

As he sat down, I saw he had a vente caramel macchiato and a brie and pesto on ciabatta sandwich. “You have good tastes in food and drink,” I said with a smile.

“Hey, I hadn’t noticed,” he replied. “That’s pretty cool . . . so anyway, I noticed you’re in Sanderson’s Econ class too, and you have the book open and all, and there aren’t many open tables, so I really hope you don’t mind me sitting with ya.”

“Why would I mind?” I asked. “You seem like a cool enough dude, but it’d be even cooler if I knew your name.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Brian Phillips, and before you get all weird on me and think you’re talking to a ghost, other than the fact that we have the same first and last name and that we’re both gay, the Brian Phillips they wrote the song about and I have absolutely nothing else in common.”

My pulse quickened when he admitted he was gay. This was fantastic. “I’ve seen his picture on the internet, and you’re much better looking . . . that’s for sure,” I said. “You’re way cuter,” I admitted, blushing furiously.

His whole face lit up when I said that, ’cause I’d just outed myself to him. “You think I’m cute, huh?” He asked.

“Majorly so,” I said with a sheepish grin. I guess the place and time for coming out was here and now. “Actually, I know some friends of the other Brian Philips quite well. We met while I was doing my internship at the White House this summer.”

“Wait, what did you say your name was?” Brian asked.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I never introduced myself,” I admitted. “My name’s Will Kramer.”

Brian’s eyes got big as saucers as he realized who I was. “Aren’t you the guy who’s girlfriend OD’ed on cocaine and ended up in a coma?” he asked.

Looking down at the table, I said, “Brian, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but you need to understand that from the time I was twelve, my father paraded ‘suitable’ girls in front of me, hoping I’d hook up with the ‘right kind’, and I’m not just implying that in terms of gender. Coming from the sort of political background I did, the possibility of being out and in politics never even occurred to me.

“It wasn’t until I met the teenagers I was telling you about . . . I’m sure you’ve heard about them . . . the four kids involved in that alleged prostitution scandal . . .”

“Who hasn’t?” Brian laughed. “What a crock that was, and Kurt DeWitt was a Congressional Gold Medal winner, no less. The whole thing was a political ploy by the right that backfired.”

“I couldn’t agree more, but at least it had a happy ending,” I agreed. “Anyway, it wasn’t until I met them that I realized it’s possible to be true to yourself and still be in politics . . . but now that this thing has happened with my ‘girlfriend’, going into politics isn’t really a career option for me anymore,” I stated sadly.

“No, I suppose it’s not,” Brian said, seeming genuinely sad for me.

“But the silver lining in all this,” I related, “is that now I’m out to my parents, and they’re OK with it, and now I’m free to find myself a boyfriend.”

“So you’re in the market,” Brian said. “You find any prospects yet?”

“I think I may have found someone today,” I replied. “He’s incredibly cute, has an angelic face with deep blue eyes, curly, dark blond hair, wears bronze-rimmed glasses and likes caramel macchiatos and brie and pesto sandwiches on ciabatta bread.”

“And what makes you think this boy’s available, or even interested in you?” Brian asked, driving my heart into my throat.

“Well, are you?” I asked.

“Most definitely,” he replied with, for the first time, what could only be described as raw nervousness, “but you seem so sure. We’ve only just met, and we hardly know each other.”

“Brian, when I met Sherrie, I knew she was bad news, but both sets of parents pushed the relationship because of the beneficial family ties that would result. I went out with her in spite of my better judgment and it led exactly where I thought it would. If I’d listened to my heart instead, none of this would have happened.

“I am an extremely good judge of character,” I stated matter-of-factly. “The moment I looked into your eyes, I knew that you would be the man I’d marry, and would spend the rest of my life with. I’m not saying we shouldn’t get to know each other first, and I know it probably sounds a bit clichéd, but I just have an incredibly good feeling about this.”

“That’s amazing, Will,” Brian said. “I’ve been getting the same good vibes. I want to get to know you, too.

“So you really see us together for the long haul?” he asked.

“Definitely . . .” I said as the biggest grin I’d ever felt took over my face.

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