David pointed in the direction we needed to go, not saying a single word, his head hanging low, but his muscular body not letting him slouch. I think he’s done with how unseasonable the meal turned out to be at the end. He and Jim started walking, Jim whispering something to him, patting his back, leaving me with dad.
We walked two blocks down Grant Street, then turned onto Fourth Avenue to get to the TrolleyStation before he broke the silence with a whisper, “What is going on with you and Jim?”
I tripped in surprise, arms flying out to regain balance, almost landing on my face. Out of everything, that was the last thing I was expecting to hear come from my dad, let alone right now, while in public. He probably couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Nothing,” I gasped back, scrunching my face, adding a layer of nonchalance. Dad was looking at me like he’s reading the headline of the newspaper, with the big bold letters clear as day across my face.
“You think you can hide shit from me, son, but you can’t. I know you. Something is going on. I don’t know if it’s just on your side or if it’s reciprocated, but it needs to stop. Squash it,” saying the last two words with finality. Putting an end to the conversation before paying to get on the trolley to go back across the river, to the station located at the base of the mountain next to the incline.
I hung my head back with a big sigh.
This is painful as hell.
thirteen
Wet Secrets And Hard Truths
Jim
This day did not go the way I was expecting.
Sitting on the trolley while it went across the river to the other side, being powered by the arm that’s attached to the electric cables that were hanging above the car, I felt like I was having this out of body experience. Like the power from the cables was invading me through the car, giving me this floaty sensation. Being around Charlie makes me want to do uncontrollable things, like constantly wanting to touch him.
Protect him.
Even from his own father.
I understand Mike loves his son. But he loves him to the point that he is overbearinglyprotective, constantly watching out for him and observing every detail. I don’t think he misses much.
With everything that happened today, plus Charlie’s panicked behavior on Friday – something is going on here. I am one-hundred percent sure Charlie likes men, like I like men. And if that was fact, was Mike acting the way he was because he knows?
David and I were sitting on a bench seat on one side of the trolley with Mike and Charlie directly across from us. No one had said a word since we got on. David was upset about Mary, even though I tried to reason with him, saying it might be nothing, but I think he liked her more than he was truly letting on. And let’s be honest, he’s Italian, so he tends to over-feel and overreact.
While Mike had his head down, looking at his feet since we sat, Charlie was looking out the windows, taking in his surroundings. Especially looking up the mountain, which looks like it died. Not one living plant along the mountain side and cliffs. Except for the one-off house or building for those that could afford to live or own a business on the edge, literally, and the same church that sits on the backside of the mine’s property. It seemed like it was built there on purpose, to stand out within the heavenly Pittsburgh clouds, full of visual glory.
Only the inclines moving up and down were on the hillside, and the long wooden staircase that really terrifies me, which zig-zags at one point. They called that section the death switch-back. And if you look closely, you can see ropes, pulleys and wooden boards for miners to traverse along the outside of the mine when we needed to, as well as the Adit opening with a Tipple structure attached for us to drop the coal from the mine to a train car or steamship below.
Once we get to the other side of the Monongahela River, a river that oddly flows North, we start to turn along the bottom of the mountain and alongside Carson Street. With the city now behind me, Charlie looked in my direction and he’s staring but I didn’t know if his shifty yet captivating eyes were staring at me or the skyline behind me.
Then he blushed and I knew my answer.
Charlie had me under a spell, and the pull of it just keeps getting stronger. And I get this feeling that it’s reciprocated. Since Thursday in the office, my gut had been in knots
Outside of going to The Underground, a bar on Liberty Avenue that David had noticed the men outside of earlier today, so I could secretly find release every now and then, I had never been so enraptured by another person since I was a teenager in school, crushing on a classmate named Billy. Especially someone as young as Charlie. I think that’s what was throwing me the most.
The trolley pulled into the station and we got off. David and I started to head to the Incline Station a short walk away, when I sensed we had lost our company. When I turned around, Mike and Charlie were walking the other direction, Charlie looking over his shoulder. “Hey David, hold up a moment,” and I jog after them, with my paper bag in hand.
“Mike, Charlie,” getting their attention, motioning back in the direction I had come from.
“We are taking the stairs,” Mike says flatly, catching my drift. “We appreciated the invitation to lunch and you paying for it.” His face was unreadable, his tone flat. His eyes had no expression, like they were dry as sand with no shine to them.
I quickly glanced at Charlie, then back to Mike hoping I wasn’t about to put my foot in it. “You’rewelcome,” shifting my eyes back to Charlie again, “But if I may, I would prefer you not take the stairs. The incline ride to the top is faster and much safer.” Trying to relay with my sincere tone and eyes how serious I was about this opinion. I truly hated those stairs to the point I wouldn’t want an enemy to even use them.
Well, maybe except Richard.
When I didn’t think I was getting anywhere with Mike, I nodded to Charlie, hoping by dragging him into my point that it wasn’t safe, Mike would reconsider. Charlie shifted from side to side nervously, looking at his father with willingness in his expression so Mike exhaled back at me, “How much is it to ride to the top?”
Oh, now I understand.“It’s a nickel per person for each ride. If you are worried about that because the mine hasn’t paid you yet, I can cover–”
