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“So when did you and Michael really get together?”
“Halloween.” He couldn’t resist. “I went to his place seeking sanctuary from my sisters.”
Heidi gave a rueful smile. “Yeah, we did go overboard a little, as I recall.”
He raised his eyebrows again. “Ya think?”
She fired a speculative glance at him. “Was that the only sneaking around you guys did?”
Keith placed his hand over his heart. “Why, what can you be suggesting?”
Heidi snorted. “You were seventeen. I know what seventeen-year-old boys are like. I had one of my own, remember?” She shuddered. “I lost count of how many stiff socks I found in Darrell’s hamper. Then he caught me one day. After that, I had to empty the trash can in his room more frequently, because he’d filled it with tissues.”
Keith laughed. “He must have been mortified. I know I would’ve been, if Mom had done the same. And to answer your question, no, I never snuck him into my room, and he never snuck me into his. Not that we even thought about such things for a long time.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Now I know you’re lying.”
He sighed. “You were only thirteen at the time. I don’t expect you to remember what it was like. And by the time you were thinking about getting it on with a boy, neither of you would be worried. Back then AIDS was thought to be a disease of gay men.” He shuddered. “That myth met with a swift death.”
Heidi stilled. “Oh. I get it now. You’re right. A lot of what was in the news went over my head.” She gazed at him, her eyes filled with compassion. “I never thought about that.”
It was all he and Michael thought about, for a long time.
Heidi brightened. “I knew I had something to make your day.” She picked up the remote from his nightstand and aimed it at the TV.
“You want us to watch TV?” Keith chuckled. “Tired of my scintillating conversation already?”
Heidi rolled her eyes. “No—I thought you might like this.” She hopped through the channels, and Keith grinned when he saw something very familiar.
“Miracle on 34th Street. The original.”
She smiled. “You always loved this one. I checked the TV guide before I left the house, and I knew you wouldn’t want to miss it.” She chuckled. “Now all we need is popcorn.”
Keith watched as Santa cracked his whip over the make-believe reindeer, his sleigh the focal point of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
A little bit of Christmas was just what he needed.
Monday, December 19, 2022
Keith wasn’t sleepy. Ever since his conversation with Heidi, he’d been reliving a particular memory, one that sent warmth surging through him. He played it on a loop in his head, seeing every little detail with crystal clarity, as if it had taken place yesterday, rather than thirty-seven years ago.
He was so beautiful.
As beautiful as the act itself.
“What planet are you on?”
Keith jumped. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Yuri? I didn’t even hear you come in.”
He grinned. “I have ninja skills. You were pretty much zoned out there.”
“Reliving the past again.”
Yuri sat on the bed. “I’ve been thinking about what you told me last night. In fact, I couldn’t get it out of my head. It must have been difficult, not being able to be open about your relationship with Michael.”
“It was.” Keith had hated all the secrecy.
Yuri regarded him keenly. “I did a little reading when I finished my shift. About HIV in the eighties.” He shook his head. “Frightening times.”
