Bastards of Young

The bar was a complete dive complete with scary biker dudes and women that screamed VD hanging in the shadows.

“Jean,” screamed my sister as we walked in. In the few months I had been gone she had gone from house-wife-in-training to chick-from-that-Whitesnake- video.

“Hey, Sammy,” I said as she hugged me tightly.

“You need to meet Chris,” she pulled me across the bar to a chubby guy in his 30s who looked ready to try out for a Bon Jovi cover band at any moment. “Jean, this is my boyfriend, Chris. Chris, this is my baby sister, Jean!”

“Nice to meet you, darling,” he said holding out the same hand he had just used to cover his mouth as he burped.

I took it, screaming on the inside. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“Where’s your man, baby cakes,” Sammy was looking around over my head.

“Uh,” I said turning and expecting Billie to still be by the door, but he was right behind me with an odd look of disbelief as he looked at my sister. “Sam,” I said wrapping my arm around his waist. “This is Billie.”

“Oh! Sorry, didn’t see you, baby,” Sam hugged Billie. “I’m Sam, your future sister-in-law.” She gave Billie a playful shove as she pulled back.

He laughed nervously, “Ha, yeah, nice to meet you.”

“Jean, you finally have the alternaboy you’ve always wanted!”

“Yeah,” I said scratching the back of my neck.

“Billie, you should have heard her back in high school,” my sister then did a very flattering impression of me crying. “Oh, Sam, when will I meet my Michael Stipe! None of the boys here think I’m pretty!” Sam gave me an affectionate smile, “One time I caught her cutting out different parts of guys she liked in bands to make the perfect one in her closet.”

“Okay,” I basically shouted, “Who’s ready for the first round?”

Suddenly Jimmy appeared by my side. “Eight blue ribbons, stat, Carl!” Within seconds, one by one, eight cans of Pabst slid towards us down the bar.

“Me and Billie are going to check out the juke box,” I announced, grabbing our drinks and walking. On the way I saw a sign labeled bathroom in a dark corner. Feeling wild I grabbed the front of Billie’s jeans and lead him towards the door.

“What are you doing,” he asked from behind me.

“Nothing,” I said making sure no one was looking before opening the door and shoving Billie in. Once we were both inside, I put the drinks on the sink and began to kiss Billie passionately, but he pulled back.

“We are not fucking in here,” he said firmly.

“Why not?”

“It’s disgusting! You’ll get a UTI!”

“No, I won’t,” I leaned back in, but he wouldn’t let me near him with a laugh.

“Oh my God! No, Jean! Is this because of what your sister said out there?”

“No,” I said unconvincingly.

Billie chuckled and hugged me close as he kissed me on the forehead. “Hey, I think you’re pretty.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah. And I’m way hotter than Michael Stipe,” he leaned in and kissed me sweetly as the door opened.

“Woo, get it boy,” yelled the heavily tattooed scary biker man as he entered and continued to the urinal to begin peeing. God, it was good to be home.

“Is it just me or has Sam gone crazy,” I asked my brother as we hovered only slightly unsteadily over the juke box a few hours later. Billie was half asleep standing, with his head on my shoulder. Behind us my sister was cueing up on the pool table suggestively in what I was think was an attempt to show off for Mike… who seemed thoroughly impressed as Chris slept on the bar stool. Tre had left with some girl earlier, promising that he’d be back before they left the next day.

“I dunno what’s gotten into her,” Jimmy said punching in a number. “She just lost it after she met tall, dark and handsome over there.” The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love” started to blare from the speakers. “This should piss ‘em off,” he was half smiling at the bikers across the bar who were all glaring at us.

“Oh, ‘Simple Man’,” I exclaimed, punching in the number.

“Fuck Lynard Skynard!”

“Yeah, fuck Lynard Skynard,” mumbled Billie on my shoulder.

“I love this song. I’m going to sing it to my son every night before he goes to sleep.”

Billie’s head shot up and he had to steady himself on the juke box. “Like hell you are! No child of mine will be poisoned with such filth.”

“You’re wasted,” I commented smirking.

“I’m talking sense,” he said righteously. I put his head back on my shoulder as I rolled my eyes. He nuzzled into the crook of my neck and wrapped his arms around my waist, sighing happily.

“I think this one’s done,” I said rubbing the back of his head.

Jimmy laughed, “Okay, I’m good to drive now. Hey! Mike!”

“Uh, yeah,” Mike said snapping out of watching Sam slowly chalk the end of her pool stick.

“You ready to head?”

“Sure,” he quickly threw down his pool stick while mumbling a good-bye to Sam.

“I’m coming over for breakfast tomorrow,” Sammy said coming up to hug me, but she settled for a kiss on the cheek since Billie was glued to me.

“Awesome,” I said kissing her back. “Are you bringing Chris?”

She looked put out for a moment. “No, Dad won’t let me bring him to the house.”

“Oh, bummer.”

“Yeah….”

“Hey, Jean,” Billie said deciding to make an appearance again. “I’m allowed at your house right?”

“Yes, dumb ass.”

“Cool.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said wearily to my sister. She waved as we walked out of the bar. “I’ll ride in the back with Billie.”

“I don’t mind,” Mike said.

“Nah, you’ve froze your ass off enough, Mike,” I smiled as I pushed Billie into the bed of the truck.

“What about me,” he said. “I’ve froze enough too!”

“I’ll keep you warm.”

“Yeah,” Billie said waving Mike on, “Ride in the front, Mike.”

Mike laughed and climbed into the truck with Jimmy. As the ride commenced I really started to miss the infinitely warmer bus rides back in California. I could feel Billie shivering as I held onto him tightly.

“I miss going to flea markets on Saturdays with you,” he said after a while.

“Ditto, I found a Bubble Puppy single and it wasn’t even enjoyable without you to geek out with.”

“I don’t even know who that is.”

“Yeah, but I love when that happens,” I said with a smile.

“It is pretty rare,” Billie grinned back in that dopey way drunks have about them. After a second he started scrunching his nose. “I can’t feel my face.”

“I’ll throw our pajamas in the dryer when we get home.”

“What will we do until they’re ready,” the look on his face indicated he had a pretty good idea of what he at least wanted to do. Without a reply I kissed him. I could taste the alcohol on his breath, but it didn’t bother me much as we got lost in each other again and Jim was kind enough not to interrupt us this time. While he bit at my neck, I could feel his hand slip slowly down my waist and to the front of my pants as if he was hoping I wouldn’t notice.

“Son of a bitch,” he said breathlessly pulling back after fumbling with the button for a while. “It’s like a chastity belt!”

“Good,” I laughed, “Your fingers would be freezing!”

“I can’t wait to be under those covers,” he whined as he pulled me closer. We both looked up at the clear sky, resting our heads against each other. “I think I’m sobering up.”

“Just wait until you stand up before you make that assumption, hoss,” I smiled, kissing the side of his head as we pulled into the drive way.

“Yep, not sober at all,” Billie said falling back onto the tail gate of the truck for balance as we got off. We all laughed as I pulled him back up.

“Baby steps, handsome,” I held his hands and walked him forward with relatively no trouble. Mike put an arm around his shoulder and letting go of one of my hand, Billie returned the gesture.

“I hope you’re not hugging the toilet all day tomorrow. That’ll really impress Jean’s dad.”

“You’re a ray of hope, Mike,” Billie said laying his head on Mike’s shoulder.

“Thank God, you’re home,” came a voice in the dark.

“Tre,” Mike said in disbelief as Tre emerged from the darkness in just his underwear and a blanket.

“What the fuck happened to you,” Jimmy asked.

“Well, me and that chick are going at, you know,” he paused.

“Uh, yeah… we know,” I said.

“Okay, good, so any way – we’re doing it and it’s awesome. Let me tell you --.”

“How about you don’t,” Billie moaned, drunkenly. “Some of us are a bit deprived at the moment.” Jimmy cleared his throat, but Billie didn’t catch it.

“Anyway,” Tre continued. “Her husband came home and yeah… I’ve got splinters in my feet from their woods. It was crazy!”

“You’re a dumb ass,” Mike said shaking his head as we all continued to the front door. “I’m glad your parents are asleep. Can imagine them seeing us walk in like this at 3 in the morning?”

My laughter at Mike’s comment was short lived as we walked into the living room where my dad was sitting in his recliner looking up at us from his book.

“Oh, God,” Billie said in a high pitch, distressed voice I had never heard him use. Tre hugged his blanket closer to his body and the rest of us just looked on like deer in headlights.

“Well, see you kids tomorrow,” my brother said spinning on his heel and heading out the door.

“You two can sleep in Sam’s old room,” my father said standing with a sigh. Tre and Mike disappeared like the wind leaving Billie and I. “And you,” he said pointing to Billie. “Have a seat on the couch.”

“Sure, sir,” Billie stepped forward and took a seat on the couch trying to seem as sober as possible. My father crossed the room and gave me a kiss on the forehead.

“He’ll be up in a minute. I just want a quick word with him, okay?”

“Don’t give him a hard time, Dad,” I whispered in his ear. Dad just nodded as he pulled away and I headed up stairs giving Billie what I hoped was an encouraging smile. He attempted to give me one back as he waved.

Upstairs Mom had laid out Billie’s freshly was laundry that I started folding and packing for him to keep myself busy. Once I was finished I stripped down to my underwear and crawled under my covers, enjoying the familiarity. After another fifteen minutes the door creaked open and Billie entered looking ecstatic.

“How did it go,” I asked sitting up, beaming.

“Really well,” he said sitting on the bed and taking off his shoes. “He apologized for earlier and said he really like me. He just wanted to know what my intentions were.”

“For us?”

“For life,” he said with a shrug.

“What did you say?”

“To do the best I could in everything I did.”

“Good answer,” I leaned forward and grabbed him under his arms to pull him back up the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“I have a little head ache, but nothing you can’t fix,” Billie rolled on top of me, smiling widely. “This has been the best day of my life.”

“Really now,” I said with my eyebrows raised.

“Well, you know, maybe not as good as the day I found twenty bucks on the ground, but kind of close,” he mused, stroking my hair.

“You always know the right buttons to push, babe.”

He laughed and kissed me sweetly. “Say it,” he said into the kiss.

“Say what,” I giggled.

“You know what,” he looked me in the eyes, grinning.

“I love you.”

As we started kissing I did my best to ensure that we blasted the time he found twenty bucks on the ground out of the water.