Buried Myself Alive

I turned back around to face Jepha, Dan, and Ray. They were all looking away. I looked toward the bathrooms to see Quinn dragging Bert.

“Uh, Dan?” I said and he lifted his head to look at me.

“Yeah?”

“I think Quinn might need a little help…” Dan turned around to see Quinn struggling to hold Bert up. Ray had turned to see what was happening behind him.

“Fuck.” Dan cursed under his breath as he got out of the booth to help Quinn. He struggled to get Bert’s arms over his shoulders. They finally managed to bring him to our booth. Jepha looked at me.

“Frank, I think you better move…” Thank the lord he said that because as soon as I stood up they let Bert collapse onto the booth. He had passed out. Well, no shit. He drank like what, eight bottles of beer??

“Ray, do you think you could help me bring Bert home?” Dan asked Ray. Ray rubbed left hand against his right hand.

“Uh.. Sorry Dan but Angela wouldn’t be that.. Um.. happy with me being late.” Ray glanced at his silver wristwatch. “And it’s already 1:04 so..”

“Eh don’t worry bout it, Ray. Jepha, do you think you could?” Jepha looked up, a happy glow in his eyes.

“Of course!” Jepha was such a happy guy. It was weird that he had a bunch of, well a strange group of friends. Ray stood up.

“So I guess that’s the end of our night.” Jepha and Dan nodded. Me and Quinn just did nothing. Ray patted me on my back lightly.

“It was nice to meet ya, Frank.”

“Yeah, same.” Ray said bye to the other guys and used a back exit I hadn’t noticed before.

“Okay, so Jeph you’ll come in my car and I’ll drop you off at your place later.” Dan said to Jepha and Jepha nodded.

“Yeah. Quinn, I can trust you right?” Jepha was asking as he pulled a set of keys form his pocket.

“Well, neither me nor Frank have touched a drop of beer. I’m sure we won’t have any DWIs on our tail.” Quinn said half grinning as he reached out to take the keys from Jepha. Jepha dropped them into Quinn’s hand.

“Yeah stil.. Just be careful on your way home, you guys.” Jepha said as he pulled Bert back up again. A couple other people had been watching but most just kept to their own business. Dan grabbed Bert on the other side and they hauled him through the front door. I looked at Quinn and he sighed.

“Great. Of course I’m left with the fucking bill.” He walked up to the bartender behind the bar and pulled a few twenties from his pocket and handed them to him. Quinn then walked back to me.

“So Frank, I guess we’ll have some time to get better acquainted, yes?” I looked at him then nodded. I hope he meant just as friends. I followed Quinn through the same door Ray had used to exit The Green Eagle.

I realized how this whole scene would have given most people the creeps. Walking around with this guy you barely knew, in a parking lot behind a bar, in the middle of the city, after midnight. Freaky.

“Found it!” Quinn lifted his arm and waved me in his direction. I followed. I saw him hit the unlock button on the remote and he crawled into the drivers seat. I walked around the front of the car and sat myself in the passengers seat.

Quinn jammed the key into the ignition and started the car. I couldn’t help but have that stupid nagging voice in the back of my head wondering what Quinn had said to Gerard. I waited until Quinn was on the street to ask him.

“Quinn?” He glanced at me then back at the road.

“Yeah, Frank?” I tapped my knuckles against my knee.

“Do you mind it if I ask what you said to Gerard before you took Bert to the bathroom?” He slowed the car down a bit, sighed, and then returned to the normal speed.

“See, if you knew Bert for as long as me, Jeph, and Dan have known him you’d have been just as pissed as I…. Well I’m not even on the right track to answer your question!” He laughed lightly then continued. “Bert has always been a drinker. Always. Since he was like 14. No, no, wait, even before that. Either way, Bert never knows when to quit. He’ll drink until he passes out or he’ll drink himself sober.” He glanced at me again.

“Frank, how did you feel when Bert sat down next to you?” He meant when they first arrived at the bar. I pulled on my sleeve.

“Um, what do you mean?” He sighed again.

“Frank, I need you to talk to me. It’s the only way you’ll understand.” He pulled up to a red light. “I’ve seen you pull on your sleeve about five times tonight. You can trust me. I don’t like beer any more then you do. And I have a feeling it's for similar reasons.”

The truth and honesty in Quinn's voice actually caught me off guard. He couldn't know just by looking at me what I've lived with my whole life could he? Unless I was that readable...

He watched as the light turned green and continued to drive. He kept his left hand on the wheel as he brought his right hand down to the hem of his shirt and lifted his shirt up.

I took in a sharp breath while my eyes fell onto the secret hidden behind his shirt. On his skin was a large line that I recognized as a scar. It was a jagged diagonal line that started in the middle of his right side and stopped about 4 inches toward his navel. I reached up and touched my own scar on my cheek. He nodded.

“I had a feeling your scar came from something that was almost like what happened to me.” He released his grip on his shirt and returned his hand to the steering wheel. “I’ll tell you, but you have to trust me. Okay?”

I couldn’t help but nod my head. I was speechless. Someone who knew what I had been through? Who understood? I had never thought that could be possible. Now that I thought about it of course. It made sense. He glanced at me again.

“So are you going to answer my question?” What had he asked again? Frank, how did you feel when Bert sat down next to you? Right.

“I just.. I don’t know. I felt uncomfortable and awkward and sc-”

“Scared?” He cut me off. He was right. I had been scared. Especially after I heard what Quinn say about him being crazy.. But he said that he never did anything violent..

“I can continue answering your question but you will only understand once I tell you this story. You will just have to answer one last question so I know I can completely trust you.” I looked at him. He began to turn the wheel as we turned onto another block.

“How do you feel about gay guys?”

........