And Then We Will Destroy Our Bodies
Seven
Frank lay on his stomach stretched across his bedroom floor, letting the carpet squish between his fingers. He loved his carpet, nothing was sexier then a guy in loose jeans, barefoot and shirtless, the carpet sinking between his toes. Frank thought about Jimmy who had stood in his room in all his sexy loose jeans’d glory not that long ago.
Of course you had to be able to pull off the loose jeans look, Frank wasn’t able to, loose jeans made him look like a midget.
Frank tried to picture Gerard in jeans…there wasn’t a clear image, he could imagine Gerard doing all sorts of other things though.
Frank giggled to himself a little, thinking…what was today anyways?
Tuesday, Wednesday, no...shit! Thursday!
The clock read 8:34, Shit! I’m not even dressed!
Frank jumped up, yanking open his dresser he pulled out a pair of tight dark jeans and a small red t-shirt, they would be fine, for what was it?? A Poetry Reading…right. quickly stripping out of his clothes Frank pulled on his t shirt and nearly killed himself running into first the doorway (where he re knocked over his guitar) and then his mother while hopping into his pants on his way to the bathroom.
“Frank what on earth-”
“Sorry mom, I was supposed to meet some friends downtown and I forgot and now I think I’m really really late.” I am never going to be ready on time!
His mom stood in the door way watching Frank fumble through the bathroom drawers for a hairbrush
“Who are you going out with?”
“Friends, mom, just friends.” Frank said as he fluffed and combed through his hair slightly frantic, the last thing he needed right now was another talk about boys and not having sex and looking both ways before crossing the street, etc.
Frank rummaged through the bathroom drawer again, this time pulling out a stick of eyeliner, he uncapped it and leaned closer to the mirror to apply it
“Mom do you mind? I can’t do this with you watching! Some space?!”
“Okay okay, but honey, why do you wear that stuff? You look so good without it…”
“Because,” was all Frank offered, “I like it, now go, Please?”
“Are you sure you don’t have a date?”
Frank reached over, shutting the bathroom door with a frustrated groan meaning this conversation is over.
Carefully Frank faintly outlined his eyes in black and put a small amount of gel in his hair, bunching it in a faux hawk so it was just barely out of his eyes. He straightened his shirt and looked in the mirror. Not bad for just a fag. He thought.
After re-righting his guitar, that he always seemed to be knocking over these days, and putting on his red cons he took the stairs two at a time. His mother was in the kitchen making tea, Frank came up behind her giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Oh! Frank, You surprised me.”
Frank allowed himself a grin, “I’m going out now okay?”
“Alright Honey, have fun,” she reached over and picked up her keys from the counter and held them out to him. “I’d feel better if you took the car.”
Frank eyes widened as he took the keys “Are you sure?”
She nodded and Frank gave her another quick hug
“Thanks Mom! Don’t worry okay?” with that he turned and fairly skipped out of the kitchen.
“Be home by 12:30!” He heard her call before he closed the front door.
Giddy, Frank slid into the drivers seat of the black Honda, firstly, he’d never been allowed to borrow the car at night before, secondly, his curfew had always been 11:30. Frank slipped the key into the ignition and fastened his seatbelt…
“Look out New Jersey,” he though aloud, “here I come.”
++++
Frank had been sitting in the drivers seat of his mom’s car for a good 5 minutes now. Looking from the gas, and the break to the gear shift and back again. Frank knew how to drive…really, just not a manual.
thump he let his head fall to the steering wheel and willed the tears not to come.
Thanks for that dad, Frank thought bitterlyLeft me…left me here and took the only fucking car I could drive.
Frank thought back to his first time driving, his dad had taken him down to the Stop & Shop parking lot only to have Frank drive into a flock of shopping carts…Shopping carts are very much alive. Frank had decided after that. and...They Are Fucking Evil!
After that his dad let him drive up and down the streets of the neighborhood, left hand ever at the ready to reach out and grab the wheel in case Frank was heading towards a mail box or small dog.
Frank remembered the first time he had really put their lives in danger, going down a one way street the wrong way downtown, after that little brush with death his father bought them both ice cream, his eyes shining with something like pride as he recalled how Frank had dodged those first few cars. He called Frank a Speed Demon. Even though that was only the first of many many near crash experiences, Frank got his license a few months later…
With a defeated sigh Frank opened the car door, pulling the keys from the ignition and sliding out of the driver seat.
This is just fucking awesome man.
Frank opened the front door to see his mother sitting on the couch reading a Better Homes & Gardens magazine, she realized something was wrong as soon as she saw her son in the doorway.
“Frank?” she set down her magazine looking at him quizzically but she had already seemed to guess what was wrong…
“Oh the car…Frank-”
Frank fiddled with the hem of his shirt “Could you drive me downtown mom? Please?”
“Sure honey,” She stood from the couch and gave her son a sad smile “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think…”
“It’s okay, it wasn’t you…”
It was dad
Mrs. Iero stepped into a pair of flats at the front door and scooped up her purse, stepping past Frank and out of the house.
“How about we go driving after school some of these days and I’ll teach you how to drive a stick shift, or maybe there’s a course we can find?”
Frank just nodded, swallowing his glumness, “That’d be great mom. Thanks.”
fuck you dad, we don’t need you…
++++
It only took about 10 minutes to get downtown, the drive was pretty quiet, everything lately was pretty quiet. Frank didn’t know if he preferred it over the fighting or not, either way every small thing he got through during the day felt like a victory, he couldn’t even image how his mom must feel.
Frank snuck a glance over at her as they passed the college green, she was driving, calm, that was all, he couldn’t tell anything from it of course.
As they came up on the small movie theater and The Acre, a hippie bakery, Frank un-clicked his seatbelt
“You can let me off here…”
“Just here?” His mother pulled up to the curb
“Yeah this is fine,” Frank started to open the car door
“Wait, Frank, I can’t just drop you on a curb. Where will you be?”
“Here, downtown. I’ll be fine, I promise not to get mugged, I’ll get a friend to drive me home.”
“Are you sure? Honey, it’s not very safe…”
“It’s okay, really,” Frank got out of the car and leaned back in “I’ll be home later, mom.”
Crossing on front of the car to the side walk he started off…
“Stay out of the bars!” His mother called to him as she pulled away from the curb
“They won’t let me into the bars.” Frank muttered to himself but he raised his arm in acknowledgement, walking along the street into the hum of the night life…
Finally, finally, finally.
Of course you had to be able to pull off the loose jeans look, Frank wasn’t able to, loose jeans made him look like a midget.
Frank tried to picture Gerard in jeans…there wasn’t a clear image, he could imagine Gerard doing all sorts of other things though.
Frank giggled to himself a little, thinking…what was today anyways?
Tuesday, Wednesday, no...shit! Thursday!
The clock read 8:34, Shit! I’m not even dressed!
Frank jumped up, yanking open his dresser he pulled out a pair of tight dark jeans and a small red t-shirt, they would be fine, for what was it?? A Poetry Reading…right. quickly stripping out of his clothes Frank pulled on his t shirt and nearly killed himself running into first the doorway (where he re knocked over his guitar) and then his mother while hopping into his pants on his way to the bathroom.
“Frank what on earth-”
“Sorry mom, I was supposed to meet some friends downtown and I forgot and now I think I’m really really late.” I am never going to be ready on time!
His mom stood in the door way watching Frank fumble through the bathroom drawers for a hairbrush
“Who are you going out with?”
“Friends, mom, just friends.” Frank said as he fluffed and combed through his hair slightly frantic, the last thing he needed right now was another talk about boys and not having sex and looking both ways before crossing the street, etc.
Frank rummaged through the bathroom drawer again, this time pulling out a stick of eyeliner, he uncapped it and leaned closer to the mirror to apply it
“Mom do you mind? I can’t do this with you watching! Some space?!”
“Okay okay, but honey, why do you wear that stuff? You look so good without it…”
“Because,” was all Frank offered, “I like it, now go, Please?”
“Are you sure you don’t have a date?”
Frank reached over, shutting the bathroom door with a frustrated groan meaning this conversation is over.
Carefully Frank faintly outlined his eyes in black and put a small amount of gel in his hair, bunching it in a faux hawk so it was just barely out of his eyes. He straightened his shirt and looked in the mirror. Not bad for just a fag. He thought.
After re-righting his guitar, that he always seemed to be knocking over these days, and putting on his red cons he took the stairs two at a time. His mother was in the kitchen making tea, Frank came up behind her giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Oh! Frank, You surprised me.”
Frank allowed himself a grin, “I’m going out now okay?”
“Alright Honey, have fun,” she reached over and picked up her keys from the counter and held them out to him. “I’d feel better if you took the car.”
Frank eyes widened as he took the keys “Are you sure?”
She nodded and Frank gave her another quick hug
“Thanks Mom! Don’t worry okay?” with that he turned and fairly skipped out of the kitchen.
“Be home by 12:30!” He heard her call before he closed the front door.
Giddy, Frank slid into the drivers seat of the black Honda, firstly, he’d never been allowed to borrow the car at night before, secondly, his curfew had always been 11:30. Frank slipped the key into the ignition and fastened his seatbelt…
“Look out New Jersey,” he though aloud, “here I come.”
++++
Frank had been sitting in the drivers seat of his mom’s car for a good 5 minutes now. Looking from the gas, and the break to the gear shift and back again. Frank knew how to drive…really, just not a manual.
thump he let his head fall to the steering wheel and willed the tears not to come.
Thanks for that dad, Frank thought bitterlyLeft me…left me here and took the only fucking car I could drive.
Frank thought back to his first time driving, his dad had taken him down to the Stop & Shop parking lot only to have Frank drive into a flock of shopping carts…Shopping carts are very much alive. Frank had decided after that. and...They Are Fucking Evil!
After that his dad let him drive up and down the streets of the neighborhood, left hand ever at the ready to reach out and grab the wheel in case Frank was heading towards a mail box or small dog.
Frank remembered the first time he had really put their lives in danger, going down a one way street the wrong way downtown, after that little brush with death his father bought them both ice cream, his eyes shining with something like pride as he recalled how Frank had dodged those first few cars. He called Frank a Speed Demon. Even though that was only the first of many many near crash experiences, Frank got his license a few months later…
With a defeated sigh Frank opened the car door, pulling the keys from the ignition and sliding out of the driver seat.
This is just fucking awesome man.
Frank opened the front door to see his mother sitting on the couch reading a Better Homes & Gardens magazine, she realized something was wrong as soon as she saw her son in the doorway.
“Frank?” she set down her magazine looking at him quizzically but she had already seemed to guess what was wrong…
“Oh the car…Frank-”
Frank fiddled with the hem of his shirt “Could you drive me downtown mom? Please?”
“Sure honey,” She stood from the couch and gave her son a sad smile “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think…”
“It’s okay, it wasn’t you…”
It was dad
Mrs. Iero stepped into a pair of flats at the front door and scooped up her purse, stepping past Frank and out of the house.
“How about we go driving after school some of these days and I’ll teach you how to drive a stick shift, or maybe there’s a course we can find?”
Frank just nodded, swallowing his glumness, “That’d be great mom. Thanks.”
fuck you dad, we don’t need you…
++++
It only took about 10 minutes to get downtown, the drive was pretty quiet, everything lately was pretty quiet. Frank didn’t know if he preferred it over the fighting or not, either way every small thing he got through during the day felt like a victory, he couldn’t even image how his mom must feel.
Frank snuck a glance over at her as they passed the college green, she was driving, calm, that was all, he couldn’t tell anything from it of course.
As they came up on the small movie theater and The Acre, a hippie bakery, Frank un-clicked his seatbelt
“You can let me off here…”
“Just here?” His mother pulled up to the curb
“Yeah this is fine,” Frank started to open the car door
“Wait, Frank, I can’t just drop you on a curb. Where will you be?”
“Here, downtown. I’ll be fine, I promise not to get mugged, I’ll get a friend to drive me home.”
“Are you sure? Honey, it’s not very safe…”
“It’s okay, really,” Frank got out of the car and leaned back in “I’ll be home later, mom.”
Crossing on front of the car to the side walk he started off…
“Stay out of the bars!” His mother called to him as she pulled away from the curb
“They won’t let me into the bars.” Frank muttered to himself but he raised his arm in acknowledgement, walking along the street into the hum of the night life…
Finally, finally, finally.
♠ ♠ ♠
Double post!...I wish I had mad skills with shopping carts.