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“But why not?”
Keith studied him. “It was a very different time. You’ve grown up in an environment—a time—that was nothing like the one we knew.” He shrugged. “What it all boiled down to was we didn’t want to worry our parents.”
“Why would they worry?”
Keith locked gazes with him. “Because of AIDS. Everyone thought it was a death sentence.”
Yuri nodded. “You’re right. It was a very different time. There’s a man I know, who was diagnosed with HIV twenty years ago. He’s married, he has kids, and he lives a normal life, thanks to his meds. That was probably something you wouldn’t have believed possible when you were my age.” He leaned forward. “I still want to hear about your first Christmas.” He smiled. “Was it wonderful?”
Keith chuckled. “Wonderful? It was freezing.”
Christmas 1984
Saturday, December 22, 1984
As long as Keith could remember, Christmas had been his favorite holiday. As soon as Thanksgiving was over and everyone had eaten as many turkey sandwiches as they could stand, the decorations would come out of storage and Keith’s excitement would shift into overdrive. Each weekend brought something new in Stillwater: the huge tree erected by the river; the tunnel of Christmas lights; the ice slide; and the ice-skating rink by the Water Inn.
Christmas was always magical.
This Christmas, however...
Keith wanted to walk through the tunnel, holding Michael’s hand. He wanted to stand in front of the town tree and gaze up at its twinkling lights before he leaned in to kiss Michael and wish him a merry Christmas. He wanted to skate around and around the rink, Michael at his side.
But he could do none of those things. Because someone might see.
More importantly, someone might see and tell their parents.
Keith hadn’t realized how much energy and effort it took to act as though they were just friends. He wasn’t keeping silent because his family would turn out to be a bunch of haters. He was reasonably certain they’d be okay with it.
No, what kept his mouth shut now had a name—AIDS.
The news was full of it, and he knew his parents would worry their asses off if they found out their teenage son was gay. Not that they had anything to worry about on that score—all he and Michael had done so far was kiss, and that was when each of them came over to the other’s house to ‘study’. Okay, they really did study, but a fair proportion of that time was spent locking lips. As for Michael, he had a whole set of other reasons for keeping quiet.
Well, one reason, and his name was Bill.
And while a lack of opportunity prevented him and Michael from moving beyond making out, there was also a hefty amount of fear. They didn’t know enough about the ‘gay cancer’ and the thought that having sex might end up killing one or both of them was more than they could handle. Keith knew a large number of their classmates were already sexually active, but the idea of being caught having sex underage was another blast of ice-cold water that quashed any rumblings of desire.
A knock on his window hurled him back into the present. Michael stood outside, shivering in the snow.
Keith opened the window. “We do have a front door, you know,” he said in a low voice. “Get your butt in here.” It had to be forty below out there.
Michael clambered in, snow falling from his shoulders and boots. Keith hurriedly shut the window. “Something wrong?” he asked.
“Can you sneak out tonight?” He rubbed his arms briskly.
“Why would I have to sneak?”
“Because it would be almost midnight, and I can’t see your folks letting you out so late.”
Keith blinked. “And where would I be sneaking to?”
“The river.”
He bit his lip. “Bit cold for swimming, don’tcha think?”
Michael rolled his eyes. “I did some investigating. They turn the tree lights off at midnight, and there’s usually no one around at that time.”
“Yeah, they’re all tucked up in their beds, nice and warm, that’s why.”
