Crazy Love

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“You owe me big time!” Without knocking Aunt Diane stormed into Xavier’s bedroom.

“What?” he groaned, sitting up in bed. “What’s the problem?”

“That clown,” Aunt Diane hissed under a breath. “Howie is sitting in our living room. Says you invited him here.”

It was Sunday and he’d slept all afternoon. “s**t, Aunt Di, I’m sorry.” Xavier rubbed his face. “I forgot to tell you. Howie’s gonna give me a raise and all, but in exchange, he asked to have coffee or maybe some cake or something—”

“In exchange? What I am now, barter goods? You know, you people used to do that. Use human beings as trade. Kidnapped a whole bunch of us whites back then and that’s probably how your dad’s side of the family got their mixed blood.”

“That’s not true,” Xavier said, feeling his cheeks sting. “They didn’t trade people. But some tribes were wiped out with diseases that weren’t there before and they started wanting to replace some of their—”

“Oh, Xavier, save your breath. I don’t want another one of your history lessons. Get out there and make Howie leave.” Aunt Diane crossed her thin arms over her bosom and glared at him.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get him out of your hair.” Xavier stood and raised an eyebrow, hesitating by his dresser. “Do you mind? I’m gonna get dressed first.” He pulled a drawer open in his melamine dresser, nearly taking the thing apart. His furniture was all crap. All second—no third-hand, store. But he was saving up for the trip.

“What time did you get home?” Aunt Diane looked over her shoulder, at the hall. Audrey’s voice drifted to them from the living room. “Oh, great, now he’s got your cousin in his claws. Hurry up and get Howie to take a hike. I don’t like him, Xavier, I already told you. He’s not my type. You know how I feel about Jews.”

“Aunt Diane, you can’t say s**t like that.” He looked around for a fresh shirt. “Just give him a cup of coffee or something and I’ll be right out. The guy isn’t all that bad. He’s pretty lonely, I guess.”

Aunt Diane peered at him for a moment and then threw her finger up. “I’ll fix him a cup of Joe, but since you’re so good at exchange, you’re gonna do me a favor, too.”

Xavier pulled his T-shirt over his head and then paused, holding it at his side. Shirtless, he stared at her. “What is it?”

Aunt Diane’s eyes were all over his naked chest. “My, my, all that iron pumping has paid off, I see. You look like a real warrior chief or something. Not a hair on you. You don’t even need to shave, do you?”

Uneasy, Xavier threw a plaid shirt on and then quickly fastened its buttons. “So what’s this favor you were gonna ask?”

“Take Megan to see that new alien movie. The one with all the explosions and that black actor from that stupid show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”

“What?”

“Would it kill you to see a movie with that lovely girl? She’s been pining after you for months now. She’s a good girl. A good Polish girl.”

Megan—pining for him? Another one of his aunt’s exaggerations. Megan had been at the house maybe twice and she’d barely looked at him.

“Xavier, it’s time you started thinking about your future. About the kind of woman you’d like to marry, and if you don’t date any women, how are you supposed to know who’s right for you?”

Xavier could feel the walls closing on him. “Sure, why not,” he said, his voice shaking a little. Why was he so afraid of standing up for himself?

Because no one had ever showed him how. And the only man who could have, had deserted him.

“Oh, don’t be nervous about it. You two will have a great time and it’s gonna do you so much good, Xavier. Trust your old aunt. I know about these things.” Aunt Diane came closer and put her hand against his shirt, over his heart. “You need some healing and I think she could do that for you. She could make you forget all that nasty Indian business your dad put in your head before he left for that godforsaken reservation.”

Xavier thought of Billy’s blue eyes, of the way Billy had watched him over that huge vanilla shake last night. He was trapped. “I’ll give her a call tonight,” he said, knowing that the healing he needed wasn’t the kind his racist and homophobic aunt could ever accept.

* * * *

Sunday night, Billy jumped off his bed and ran down the hallway. “I’m gonna make a phone call…so don’t pick up the phone.” He poked his head in the living room doorway and looked at the back of Francis’s head. “Okay? Gimme half an hour.”

Francis glanced over the couch seat with a deadpan grin. “Julia’s with her sister and I don’t plan on making any obscene phone calls tonight, so you go right on ahead and call your man.”

Billy grabbed the phone on the hallway table, before running off with it to his bedroom. He sat on his bed and curled his legs under him, then stared at the white phone as though it would tell him what to do. At last, his nerves gave out and he picked up the receiver and dialed. Couldn’t take another day of not hearing Xavier’s voice.

But Xavier’s aunt answered, “Hello?”

“Uh, may I speak to Xavier, please?” Billy was already twirling the phone cord around his hand.

“And who’s this?”

“Billy…a friend.”

“Oh, you’re the boy from his work.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You guys sure came home late last night. We’re you two drinking?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And you drove?”

“Yes, but after we’d sobered up. I had a vanilla shake and Xavier had a double cheeseburger with extra bacon.” Billy heard Xavier’s voice somewhere in the background, yelling something. “It’s nice that you care about him so much, ma’am.”

“Oh…well, thank you. And what’s your last name?”

“My last name?” Billy frowned. Why did she care? “Hart.”

“That’s Irish, I suppose.”

“I believe so, yes.”

“Aunt Diane, please get off the phone.” Xavier’s voice was hard. “Sorry about that,” he said, more gently, after the sound of a click on the line.

Billy’s heart had started to pound and he realized he was cutting the blood circulation in his hand with the chord. “Were you busy? What were you doing?”

“Listening to a tape I bought today.”

“Don’t tell me. The Spice Girls?”

Xavier chuckled a little. “No, that’s the tape you bought.”

“Uh, so, do you wanna do something?” Billy tried to sound calm. “Go for a ride or something? Maybe we could see a movie or—”

“I can’t.”

“Oh, okay. No, that’s cool. But maybe tomorrow?”

Xavier was quiet. “Billy, the thing is, my aunt is making me go on a date with this girl who goes to their church.”

“Making you?” Billy shut his eyes for a moment. The pain was so sharp, it stung his eyes. “You mean, like, forcing you?”

“No, not forcing me,” Xavier said in a defensive tone. “But it’s expected. You know? Look, I don’t really have a choice because right now I’m living here with—”

“It’s all right, Xavier. It’s okay. You don’t have to explain it to me.” Billy opened his eyes and looked down at his knuckles—they were turning white from holding the cord so tight. “But, can we still hang out? Like we said we would? Do you—do you still want to?”

“Yeah, Billy,” Xavier said softly. “You know that I do. I really do. I lost my nerve with my aunt, but I’m gonna get out of the date, if I can.”