For a Hero (2 page)

“NOOOOOOO!”

David’s eyes burst open. The pain has never gone away. Every time he faces fire, he remembers. But he can never let fire come without meeting it. He cannot let it take more.

In the cleansing waters, the warm stream cascades down his back and shoulders. His hands support his weight against the tiled wall of the shower. Smoke and ash have left their marks all over his skin. With care he scrubs away the black, making himself clean again.

Knock. Knock. “Boyscout! Let me in!”

David dried himself and wrapped a brown towel around his waist. He doesn’t care if his best friend has to wait on him to get dressed. “Calm down, Dracula. Give me a minute; I just got out of the shower.”

“Dracula? That’s a lame-ass nick-name, Boyscout. Now let me in.”

“I think it’s appropriate. You only come out at night. You wear almost exclusively black. You are a ferociously avid purchaser of land and you regularly prey upon unsuspecting women.”

“Oh. Yeah, you’re right. Good one. Now, LET ME IN.”

David opened the door, still wearing only his towel. Blaine looked him up and down, smirked and breezed past him into the loft. Blaine looked a lot like David. He was almost as tall, 6’3”, dark hair. His eyes were more angular than David’s with a heavier brow. His jaw was thinner and his lips were perpetually turned upward. He was the devil to David’s angel.

He continued, “If I had known I would get a show, I would have brought some one dollar bills. I like what you’ve done with the place.”

“Yep, it’s coming together.” David excused himself to his bedroom, leaving Blaine to wander around his DIY project.

“Are you going to sell it?”

“I may. Or I may keep it. It’s nice and private. Plus, I can make as much noise as I want.”

Blaine paced about the loft. Its two floors, although full of tools, scaffolding and sawhorses, had begun to take shape into something elegant and masculine. A sculpture of a beautiful couple had been moved in already. Paintings of landscapes with rolling hills and moors lay ready to be distributed across the walls. A glass chess set, and a Spartan-looking journal adorned the table in the middle of the day-room.

“Why can you make as much noise as you want? Is it because your suitemates are hearing impaired? ”

“Haha, yes, but also because of how much space and solitude I have here.”

“Having roommates who only communicate in sign language would go a long way in creating an illusion of solitude. That is a progressive factor in real estate selection.”

“No, you’d be surprised how loud Dexter and the gang can be. Sometimes they make more noise than an airport around Thanksgiving.”  David rejoined his friend, dressed comfortably in jeans and a white t-shirt.

“How so?”

“Well, they love to have parties, big parties, and they invite all of their friends and not one of them can hear at all. That doesn’t stop them from playing their music all night long, very loudly. I can sit in my bedroom and enjoy hip-hop, rock, rap and country at decibel levels that rival a live concert. When I come out of my bedroom and look at them, I can barely hear myself think. Not one of them is dancing, or even acknowledging that the music is playing, but they put it on every time they have a party. The ground shakes from their festivities and when the neighbors come to complain, nobody can hear them knocking at the door. In fact, even if they weren’t hearing impaired, the music would be too loud for them to hear it. Most of the time I just leave and work out or go to the movies. One poor guy came to complain to me about the noise and I offered him a pair of noise-canceling headphones. I’m surprised they haven’t been ticketed yet.”

“Maybe they didn’t hear the summons.

”You’re hilarious. What are you here for, anyway? I can’t imagine you’re here to listen to stories about my neighbors. ”

“Well, I do love your stories. Remember the one when Dexter kept tricking you with his smoke machine. How many times did he set off the smoke alarm? That’s my favorite.  Wasn’t it like four times in a row?” Blaine’s smirkish stone demeanor cracked as he chuckled at his friend’s misfortune.

“Yes, I’m gullible. Fire is no laughing matter.”“That is priceless. Dexter is an evil genius. Of course you are fun to prank, Boyscout. You never see it coming. He and I must exchange notes someday.”

David rolled his eyes and fell back on the couch. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, I’m going to throw you out on your rich, little ass.”

“Don’t be such a fuddy-duddy. Let’s go somewhere; I need to do be outdoors. I was thinking we would go mountain-climbing tonight.”

“Blaine, remember what the doctor said? You have no business scaling cliffs.”

“Ehh. It’s a little cliff and my back is fine. Besides, what does that doctor know? He went to A&M. He probably couldn’t spell contusion, much less diagnose it.”

“How did you even do that to your back anyway? Wait, I don’t want to know. You’d be safer here. I have an extra tool belt. Help me grout the tile in the bathroom.”

“My secrets are my own. Stop acting like such a hayseed. I’m not one of your projects, David. I don’t need to be rescued.”

“That’s debatable.” David tossed Blaine a leather tool belt from his seat.

“No, no, no. I need to get out of the city for a while, and you need the exercise.”

David threw a tape-measure at his friend’s face. “Calling me fat, City-Boy? I’ll knock you out right here.”

“Besides the doughy-ness around your mid-section, you need to exercise to get that body ready for the Holiday Fantasy Date next weekend.” He caught the tape-measure without flinching and let it fall to the ground.

“There is no way you are going to make me get up in front of all those people and take my clothes off. I will make an absolute fool of myself. Plus there is always some old woman with too much money that tries to buy me and imprison me in her condominium.”

“Come on, Boyscout.” Blaine sits next to his friend on the long couch and wraps his arm around David’s neck. “You can’t deprive the women of Austin from that God-like physique of yours.”

With a punch to the arm, David replies, “God-like? I was doughy a second ago.”

“You are whatever gets you to that auction.”

“Thanks, Dracula. Your honesty and respect touch my heart.”

“I know. Now let’s get some rich socialite to touch that . . .” Blaine points toward David’s lap only to have his hand swatted away.

“Nope. I am not going to do it.”

“Have you ever heard the expression ‘ace in the hole’? Here is the thing; it’s for charity, many charities in fact.” David gives a long, defeated, knowing sigh. “Each bachelor will be donating his price to a charity of their choosing. And you, my dearest friend, are already signed up. Your picture is even in this fancy little brochure I had distributed through Austin and San Antonio yesterday. Half of your proceeds are going to your beloved fire hall and the other half to Austin Home for Orphaned Boys. I know your weaknesses.” Blaine seals his news with a wink.

“Dammit.”

“I know. Let’s go climb that mountain.”

Chapter Two

“Get your damn hand off that rope. It’s secured in the clasp on the buttress and wrapped around my hip for belay. David, I swear, I am going to beat the shit out of you.”

“I know you can do it yourself, Big Man. No reason to risk it, though. You know as well as I do that the more pressure on the rope, the more secure you are.” David had the anchor line from Blaine’s rope wound tight in his hand. Their bodies were now several hundred feet above the waves of Lake Travis. Dots of canoes and water skis danced beneath them adding a faint summer buzz to the ambience. The blue of the sky enhanced the emerald of the forested hills, but the pinkish brown earthiness of the cliff consumed them. Blaine, in black, and David, in red drew the outline of the rock with themselves, reaching for the peak.

“It’s called a cordelette. Speaking of how obnoxiously wholesome you are, have you picked out a thong to wear to the fantasy date?”

An uncharacteristically beastly growl emanated from David’s chest. “I’m not wearing a damn thong. I still can’t believe you signed me up for that. And you used charity, how low.”

“We all have a weakness, Pal. Clip me out.”

“No, why?”

“I’m going to dyno.”

“You shouldn’t even be climbing at all. The doctor would hang me out to dry if he knew I let you do this. There is no way I am going to let you leap up this rock.”

“Let’s make a deal. If I make it, you buy yourself a thong and stop complaining about the date, if I fall horribly to my imminent death below, you don’t have to go.”

Before David could respond, Blaine kicked both feet down into the stone, propelling himself upward. With one hand outstretched high above him, he grabbed at the face of the corner.

He slipped.

Dust and chipped stone broke away in his fingernails and gravity stole him. He shot downward. Instinctively, David’s palm contracted. His arm and back locked in place. The rope stopped. Blaine fell but only 3 short feet below David. With panic, David flung his body round to look down at his friend. Blaine reclined in the harness, arms behind his head, swinging with the wind. The trademark smirk plastered across his mouth exaggeratedly.

“You knew I’d catch you, didn’t you?”

“Oh no, Boyscout,” the facetiousness dripped thickly from his voice. “You are my hero. As a matter of fact, you saved my life. I didn’t die. I guess that means I need to buy you a thong and get you a ride. I’m thinking blue with a bright red “D” on your dick.”

“D for David, right?”

“Of course not.”

*****

The two Adonic men stepped together out of the aptly red doors of “Le Rouge” with two small, frilly burgundy bags that contained scraps of fabric much too small to please David. He liked his underwear to be manly and conservative, not something a Chippendale dancer would wear.

“I am going to take so many pictures. My Christmas cards for the next decade will be a picture of your jolly stocking and mistletoe berries.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. I gave my cousin ten thousand dollars of my money that I was going to donate to charity anyway so she could bid on me. I’m not going to let you sell me to one of those Cougars.”

“Don’t be silly, those Cougars are the ones that pay for your bright red trucks, those fashionable yellow suits, and that silver pole you love sliding down so much. Come to think of it, you are going to be a natural out there tonight. They might even have a pole for you. Which cousin?”

“Sara. Thank God for family.” David rolled his eyes as Blaine pressed the little button on the key to his Ferrari, causing both his and David’s door to fold open.

“Sara is a bombshell. Those perfect breasts underneath that flowing blonde hair drive me crazy. If I had known she was coming, I would have reserved her a seat at my table.”

“I’m sure your harem of social-climbers would charm her, Blaine. By the way, she is family so there will be no driving each other anywhere. Especially not crazy.”

“She isn’t REALLY family,” Blaine pulled out onto I-35 and accelerated up the feeder. “She is the niece of your adopted mother. She may be close enough to protect you from the piranhas at the auction, but she is definitely distant enough to go on one simple, harmless date with me.”

“I don’t think so. I’m not sure you can handle her anyway. She’s pretty tough. Where are you taking me by the way?” Blaine’s black sports car weaved through traffic heading north on the interstate.

“Challenge accepted. I have an important meeting this evening. I know you need to be at the fire hall for that dinner thingy, right? I won’t let you miss it. I’ll have you know I am driving a full 3.4 miles out of my way to drop you off at the bus stop so you can be taken there. You’re welcome.”

“Thank you, Blaine. I am so happy that, as a friend, you are willing to stop at a bus station for me. You are going to keep these frilly, purple bags here with you. I am not riding public transportation with a banana hammock in a girly bag.”

The sleek black automobile soothed to a halt under the Capital City Metro sign. “Tell Sara I say ‘Hello.’” With a wink and a salute, Blaine sped off, leaving David at the whim of the city.

*****

Jenna held her effects tightly. The bus system in Austin was very nice, relatively, and convenient for a girl in a new city all by her lonesome. The first day in the new office was as nice as she expected it to be. She would eventually make friends with the people there, in fact, a girl offered to take her out for drinks tonight to welcome her to the town. No matter how nice it was, she still suffered over her promotion. Maybe she would be happy one day, but dang-it, she had earned the right to bitch about it for a little while.

She reached into her purse and pulled out the letter she received in the mail that morning. Maggie sent her a Hallmark card. Wow, she was so sweet. She pulled it from the envelope for the twentieth time today. The front of the card read “You’re on my mind so I decided to send you a hunk.” She opened it to reveal a very muscular, very naked fireman wearing nothing but his red hat. “Sex on Fire” by the Kings of Leon began to play and the caption read, “a hunk-a, hunk-a burning love!” Underneath the fire hose was a personal message to Jenna written in pen. “Hey Girl, miss you already! Scoop you up a hot one! The good ones are worth waiting for, I promise! With love, Maggie.”

The sentiment touched Jenna. Margaret had not given up on her. She gazed at the man. He was built, but there was no use getting excited about it. He wasn’t real. Real men don’t look like that. The only men who look like that are gay or criminals. Still, it would be nice. To be touched and held by a man with strong arms. To feel protected and safe, cherished by someone who could slay dragons for you if need be, something bigger than yourself. Her biting of her own lip snapped her back to reality. She folded the card and put it back into her purse.

Jenna looked up and out the windows. The city screeched by. She didn’t know it yet. She wouldn’t be sure she was close to home until she could see the tall building her apartment was in. It wasn’t quite dark yet, but the city was settling down. Austin came alive at night, she was told. Art, culture, and politics all had their place in the heart of the Lone Star State. Many people refuse to leave Austin once they visit and fall in love with it. Perhaps, one day, Jenna would feel the same way.