Calvin glanced over my shoulder at Pop before looking at me again. “My uncle’s health has been failing the past year. My father was updating me.”
“Oh.” And then I kind of felt like a shit, even though I hadn’t been the reason his uncle was sick. “I’m sorry.”
“He’s being released from the hospital. He’s a tough old guy.”
“So did your dad want you to—go see him?”
Calvin just looked at me for another moment before reaching to rub my arm. “Come sit down.” He nudged me toward the table.
Pop gave us both a smile as we sat. “I must say, I don’t hear many kids referring to their father as ‘sir’ these days,” he said lightly. “Reminds me of my old man.”
“He’s military. Retired colonel.”
“Runs in the family, then?”
Calvin nodded. He took a big bite of food to stop the conversation.
In my head I had this mental picture of the sort of man Calvin’s father was. Old, strict, likely disappointed in his hero of a son. After all, Calvin left the military as a major, which I knew was a notch or two in the belt below colonel. Andclearly, gay was not okay in the Winter household. All it took was one little mention of me and his father ditched the call. I mean, fuck—I doubted the man even knew my name.
It made me feel weird, being hated by a guy who hadn’t even met me.
But I’m sure it made Calvin feel like garbage.
Pop reached over and put a hand on Calvin’s shoulder, giving him a firm pat. “You’re always welcome in this house, understand?”
Calvin looked at Pop and nodded.
“And if you ever need anything, just ask.”
Again, Calvin nodded. “Appreciate that.”
Pop smiled and started eating breakfast. I caught his look across the table and mouthed, “thank you,” to which he winked. I don’t know how I lucked out with a dad like mine.
I reached under the table and patted Calvin’s thigh. He initially jumped at my touch, but immediately the muscles in his leg eased. A comfortable hush fell over the three of us after that.
Knowing that within the next few hours, Calvin would be expecting me to recount the details of my intruder turned dead man, I figured I should get my story straight before then.
What had happened first? I walked home.
Unlocked the front door, checked my mailbox, and went upstairs. I didn’t bump into anyone on the stairs—Sally. Sally had been unlocking her apartment. She asked about Calvin, went inside, and I went into my apartment.
And then the guy was lying on the floor. He’d been on his stomach, and then I pushed him over and there was blood on the floor and his chest. Whether he’d been shot or stabbed, I didn’t know. I hadn’t thought to pay that much attention to the wound. Besides, it had been his clothing that surprised me.
That’s right! He’d been wearing an old-fashioned petticoat.
I remembered thinking “Civil War,” and I couldn’t make sense as to why.
Something about his hair and funky little beard. It was just a style reminiscent of long ago. Like classic movie stars. People simply didn’t look like that these days.
I took a sip of coffee.
The bricks and the dead guy were related events, for sure, but antique bricks and a Civil War general—
“Wait a minute,” I heard myself say out loud.
Not a general.
A president.
