A Busted Afternoon (6 page)

“I think…that was worth…a bit of
pain.” Sammy collapsed like a bag of potatoes. He couldn’t move. He
knew he was smashing Ed to the floor, but he had absolutely no tension
in his body.

“Yes. Yes, it was.”

“Sounds like the rain stopped.”

Ed didn’t respond for a long moment. They
were both silent, listening for the telltale rhythm of water against
the roof. “Think you’re right.”

“We probably have enough daylight left to fix the car.”

“I don’t mind staying here for the rest of the night.”

“What if you get cold?”

“You’ll keep me warm.”

Sammy smiled. “Just as well. I can’t move anyway.”

“You remember earlier when I asked what we were supposed to do?”

“Yeah. Is this the answer?”

Ed shook his head. “No. But…I think we might be able to figure something out.”

“I think you’re right.”

They fell back into silence. Sammy wasn’t
eager to break it. He just wanted to enjoy the quiet. It pressed in
around them, comforting in its own way. He didn’t know if they’d ever
be able to figure anything out. He didn’t even know if they’d be alive
a year from now. But, for the first time in their lives, neither one of
them was alone. Sammy didn’t think he had the need, or the right, to
ask for anything beyond that.

Sammy was a morning person. That fact
didn’t surprise Ed, but it sure as hell annoyed him when Sammy began
his day as the sun came up. To be fair, Sammy did try to keep quiet and
avoid waking Ed, but Ed was naturally a light sleeper. Within an hour,
he would be up, too. Sammy always had breakfast waiting for him—and he
was always smiling—so Ed didn’t complain too much. Especially when
they sat on the front porch together, each of them cradling a cup of
coffee, and silently watched the seagulls swoop over the waves in
search for their breakfast.

“Sure beats the hell out of Evanston,
doesn’t it?” Sammy looked up at the blue sky with a wide smile. The
weather had been chilly and overcast for the past few weeks, but Ed
would take a bit of rain over several feet of snow any day.

“Yes, it does.”

If Sammy noticed Ed was less than
enthused, he didn’t say anything. He wore shorts and a T-shirt, showing
off the deep tan he had developed since they moved to the beach. His
entire body was the same deep hue, and the tips of his hair had been
bleached by the sun. He looked like a man who had been born to the
beach—a man who had no intention of leaving any time soon. Even when
the Pacific was too cold to swim or surf, he liked to stick close to
the coastline.

“I feel like going for a drive today,” Sammy announced.

Ed sipped at his coffee. “Where do you want to go?”

“Maybe up north? We keep talking about going to Santa Barbara, and we’ve never made it.”

“What about San Diego?”

“We always go there.”

“Because the water is warmer there.”

Sammy tilted his head. “You make an excellent point. Bob and Casey are down there for the winter. We could crash with them.”

Ed grimaced. “I’d rather just sleep on the beach.”

“They’re not bad guys.”

“No, they’re great guys, except Bob can’t
seem to grasp the fact that I have no interest in sucking his cock. He
just whines at me, like he thinks he’s going to just break me down.”

“Maybe he should try slapping you around a bit first. That’s what convinced you to suck mine, wasn’t it?”

Ed snorted. “Yeah, I think that’s how it happened.”

“We don’t have to stay with them. Hell, we don’t have to go anywhere at all, if you don’t want to.”

“We’ll see,” Ed said before taking a sip
of his coffee. Sammy always made it very strong. That was the way all
the hands on his dad’s ranch took it. Sammy probably didn’t even know
that you could make coffee that a spoon wouldn’t stand straight up in.

“Hey…did you see the news yesterday?”

“No. I spent most of the day with Kerin, gathering crabs.”

“Here.” Sammy thrust the newspaper into his face. “Read that and tell me if it says what I think it says.”

Frowning, Ed took the paper and scanned
the headlines. He didn’t know quite what to expect, but he never could
have predicted what he actually saw.

“Does this…does this mean what I think it means?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think it does.”

“Oh, my God.” The words swam in front of
his eyes, and the relief crashing through him was louder than the
relentless waves pounding against the beach.

Secretary of Defense Laird announces the draft is ended in favor of voluntary enlistment.

“What are you going to do now?” Sammy asked.

“I don’t know.” Ed looked up with a grin.
“I guess I’m going to get my shit together so we can go down to San
Diego. And after that? I guess we’ll just have to play it by ear.”

“Think you’ll go home?”

“No. This is my home now. Unless…do you want to go home?”

Sammy laughed. A full-throated, resonant sound. One of pure amusement. “No. I want to stay here with you.”

“Good. Good.” Ed folded the newspaper and
set it aside. He reached for Sammy with his free hand, and the other
man’s fingers were warm from cradling the coffee. They held each other
loosely as the seagulls screeched at each other, and the sun sent a
cascade of yellow light across the swelling waves.

Pepper Espinoza lives in southern California
with her husband and her cats. She has spent the last year working as a
full time author, and intends to start graduate school in the fall.

You can learn more about Pepper by visiting her website: www.pepperverse.net

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