Bear Hunting

Chapter 5: When A Stranger Calls

Chapter 5: When A Stranger Calls

Later this day…

Toby likes to talk to people. Just about everyone he runs into. He’s not picky. Any Tom, d**k, or Harry will suffice. Particular places of interests that he enjoys starting conversations include Eat Right Grocery Store on Mifflin Avenue, the Templeton Post Office, and shopping for shoes at Dustin’s Flats & More. Queer men love to talk about shoes. And since Toby has over fifty pairs, he has a lot to say about them. Other topics of discussion include the weather, queer music, new or old restaurants, and Hollywood actors, most of which are alive and still produce multimillion dollar films that win awards.

When Blue calls Toby’s home office, Toby isn’t as excited as he usually is because he doesn’t want to give the English professor permission to use Toby’s blogs as a teaching tool. Instead, Toby wishes that Blue Danning had never contacted him, because part of Toby believes that the man is turning into a pest. The last thing Toby needs in his life is someone in his personal business, particularly his job.

Toby’s a softie, though. And he has a kind heart. The guy can melt over just about anything and anyone. King calls him mush or butter because he’s this soft. So he takes Blue’s call when the professor bothers him, and he says in a soft tone, “How are you, Blue?”

“I have a proposition for you, Toby. Do you want to hear it?” Blue sounds confident, not at all weak or like butter. A confident man is a strong man, both mentally and emotionally.

“I have a couple of minutes. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Your blogs.”

“Just as I thought you would bring them up.”

“I still want to use your writing as teaching tools.”

Toby shakes head, although Blue can’t see this. “I don’t know if I can don’t that.”

“Hear me out,” Blue says. He pauses for a few seconds for effect, and then he adds, “I think you should get to know me better before you handoff your blogs to me for use.”

“How do I get to know you better?” Toby asks, confused. There’s a number of ways that Toby realizes, of course. He can rape and pillage the Internet and learn everything he needs to know about Blue Danning. Blue probably has three speeding tickets, the novels he likes on Goodreads, and a number of other things on social networks that strips each user of their identity, peeling away their lives, layer by layer. Or the two can…

“I want you to have a cup of coffee with me at Cliffy’s Café. What do you say? You can ask me anything you want. It will be a good way to build trust between us, and you can learn everything about me that interests you.”

Toby thinks this opportunity through for a compilation of seconds and eventually says, “What day and what time?”

“Tomorrow. Seven in the evening. You in?”

“I’m in.” It’s the first time during the conversation with Blue that Toby feels confident and calm. And he thinks, What the hell, right? I can only live once.