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Changing the topic of conversation,Bruno couldn’t resist teasing Gator about the incident involving the young and attractive Miss Pendleton. “You know, I was always pissed off that you got to go to the principal’s office with her after you knocked me down that day,” he said with a wry smile.
Gator shook his head, amused. “Miss Pendleton was something else, wasn’t she?”
Miss Pendleton was the youngest teacher in the school. She was short, slim and had long blonde hair. She didn’t look much older than the girls that were in their class, but she was a whole lot prettier than any of them and all the boys had a crush on her…but not Gator, he was in love with Sylvie.
Gator thought for a moment, then added, “I still don’t get why you’d be jealous of me getting expelled, though.”
Bruno, his eyes slightly glazed from the alcohol, posed a question that hung in the air between them. “If you’d died back when we were that young, Gator, what would you have regretted?”
Gator leaned back, his gaze distant as he considered the question. He thought about the regrets he would have had back then, before life had taken its many twists and turns. Sylvie was still a part of his world at the time, and he never imagined a future that she wasn’t a part of in some way. But he also couldn’t shake the memory of his parents, slowly self-destructing under the weight of their addictions and infidelities.
He shared these thoughts with Bruno, who listened intently before asking about his parents; current situation. “Are they still…”
“Together?” Gator said with a hint of resignation. “Yeah…I think they’re just too old to be stupid now. I visit them as much as I can. I love them... they’re still the ones who brought me into this world, so I’ll always be grateful for that. I would pray that they would come right in some way…someday…but I was too little to do anything about it back then.”
Bruno nodded, then steered the conversation toward Gator’s personal life. “You got any kids?”
“Nah.”
“You’d like some?”
“Yeah, I love kids,” Gator said.
“Wife? Old lady?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.
Gator shook his head. “Nah, none of that.” Gator wasn’t saying much. His mind was elsewhere…on Sylvie Bourgeois.
Bruno raised an eyebrow and asked Gator jokingly, “So, no boyfriend either?”
Gator smiled in response, “Would you still have a beer with me if I said yes?” he asked his friend.
“Of course, but I wouldn't pick up the soap for you in the shower,” Bruno said, and they both burst into laughter. “Well?”
“Well, what?” Gator said before adding, “Pas moyen!” Seeing Bruno's puzzled expression, he clarified, “No way!”
Bruno leaned in, a playful grin on his face. “So, why is someone like you still single?”
“Someone like me?” Gator asked, a smile dancing on his lips.
Bruno elaborated, “If I were gay, I’d find you pretty attractive now that you’re all grown up.”
Gator chuckled, “Well, I don’t know what to say about that, but thanks.”
Gator’s curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn’t help but ask the question. His eyes flicked over to Bruno, who was nursing his drink, and he cleared his throat.
“Hey, Bruno,” he began, trying to sound casual. “Are you?”
“Pas moyen.” Bruno mimicked his friend.
Gator wiped his forehead, feigning a sense of relief.
“So why no women?” Bruno asked.
“I couldn’t have what I was looking for,” Gator said cryptically.
“Hmm…”
Before Bruno could inquire further, Gator deflected the conversation back to him. “Anyway, you didn’t say what you would have regretted.”
