The Wolf At The Door
Murray came over late, just popped in.
"Hey, how's it going?" said Murray's nervously beaming face, on the porch, the flood light over head shadowing his ringing hands on the tiled floor.
"Good Murray, come in."
He went in ahead of me. Six foot boys, you can notice the difference.
"Tea?"
"Nah, just passing. On my way home."
"Oh. Okay."
He didn't leave me much room to pretend he was there for anything other than what I knew he was there for. Predator-Murray eyes were switched on all the time he was there; flash, spark, glint, glow, hues of magenta subtly around his dazzling blue corneas.
We chatted a bit, “What are you doing?”
“What are you doing?”
“Nice to catch up.”
“Nice to catch up.”
“We should more often?”
“Yes, we should.”
"You know that guy, the other night..."
Straight to business. "Yeah, who was here with us?"
"Yeah, him."
What are you going to say? Is this going to be a direct hit, or all metaphors and dancing until we accidentally stumble on to it?
"Yeah? Um? Don't suppose you've got his phone number?"
Direct hit, you've just got to appreciate that. "Yeah... sure."
Murray kind of added as an after thought. Quietly. Serious. "You going there, you know with, um, who... Daniel, what's his name?"
Suddenly, Murray wasn't endearing himself. "Tommy."
"Yes, Tommy. You going there?"
"Yes." It's direct hit for direct hit, what are you going to say to that?
"Well, do you... um, do you mind... um," Nervous smile. "Competition?" Another smile. He turned his hands over in midair. "I thought I felt a connection... and... he's, he's damn cute. I haven't been able to stop thinking about him." Flash of a smile, just momentarily. He held my gaze.
There it was. So direct. So easy. Two guys having a chat. Sorted. Sports, music, we could have been talking about anything.
"I mean if it's exclusive, just say." He held his hands in the air, metaphorically backing away. "I don't want to be treading on any man's toes." Smile. Slow hand wringing.
Like passing the baton, he's got experience, knows what he likes, I saw that. "No... no, it's not exclusive," I heard myself say. "Everyone is free, no claims. You're free, man." I grimaced at saying man, don't really know where that came from. I wondered if I could take it back. I decided that it was just best left, a tear in my cool that was quickly floating away on the ether, if I pulled it back to smooth it over, it would have only bought it into sharper focus.
"So... cool, man?" asked Murray.
"Yeah, cool. I didn't think... you..."
"Yeah... about that. Um? Not that I'm asking you to lie." He held his hands in the air, again. "You know that truth prevails."
"Truth prevails." It was our uni motto.
"You don't have to tell Bruno everything, do you? I mean, if you are asked, sure..." He smiled nervously. He was giving away more than secret rendezvous ambitions, he was giving away his desire to, potentially, cheat. I was kind of surprised. I felt like I was momentarily in someone else's story, a story I thought, I knew pretty well. Murray and Bruno are made for each other.
"... but you don't." Attempt at a smile. "Have to offer stuff." Another nervous smile. "You know?"
I clenched my fist and as I offered it up, Murray instantly offered up his clench fist intuitively. We pushed knuckles together. "How long have I known you? But I am surprised?"
"You and me both. Not that there's any trouble with Brun and me... but, sometimes you just need an adventure to, um... er... blow your pipes. I don't want you to get the wrong idea."
"I don't need to say anything to anybody... about what?" I raised my arms in the air, like a gull-winged Mercedes, hands up in question marks?
“So… still a never-cheated status… um, with you and Bruno?”
“Up until this point... yes... sir.”
Then I couldn’t resist, final check, an out of jail for free card. I didn’t want to burn all my options, what may well have seemed like a good idea in the dark in the wee small hour... after a night’s sleep? “Hey, how about I give him your number?” Cool as a cucumber. Sure, I was cool with it, but I wasn’t going to just hand Tommy to him either.
“Oh.” That’s not necessary. “Um.” Just give me the number, will you? “Er.” He won’t mind! Red Raptor eye flash. “Sure.” Smile. Nano second red eye, look away, it gave me a chill. Murray the wolf, it kind of turned me on, and scared me all at the same time. He took his mobile phone from his pocket and looked down at it as if reading the number. He looked up after the last number.
“Cool.” I smiled, deliberately. “I’ll give it to him… um… er, (let him think) as soon as you’ve, um, left.”
Bewildered look. Was I just asked to leave? “Thanks… um… great.”
"Mates."
And he was gone.
"Hey, how's it going?" said Murray's nervously beaming face, on the porch, the flood light over head shadowing his ringing hands on the tiled floor.
"Good Murray, come in."
He went in ahead of me. Six foot boys, you can notice the difference.
"Tea?"
"Nah, just passing. On my way home."
"Oh. Okay."
He didn't leave me much room to pretend he was there for anything other than what I knew he was there for. Predator-Murray eyes were switched on all the time he was there; flash, spark, glint, glow, hues of magenta subtly around his dazzling blue corneas.
We chatted a bit, “What are you doing?”
“What are you doing?”
“Nice to catch up.”
“Nice to catch up.”
“We should more often?”
“Yes, we should.”
"You know that guy, the other night..."
Straight to business. "Yeah, who was here with us?"
"Yeah, him."
What are you going to say? Is this going to be a direct hit, or all metaphors and dancing until we accidentally stumble on to it?
"Yeah? Um? Don't suppose you've got his phone number?"
Direct hit, you've just got to appreciate that. "Yeah... sure."
Murray kind of added as an after thought. Quietly. Serious. "You going there, you know with, um, who... Daniel, what's his name?"
Suddenly, Murray wasn't endearing himself. "Tommy."
"Yes, Tommy. You going there?"
"Yes." It's direct hit for direct hit, what are you going to say to that?
"Well, do you... um, do you mind... um," Nervous smile. "Competition?" Another smile. He turned his hands over in midair. "I thought I felt a connection... and... he's, he's damn cute. I haven't been able to stop thinking about him." Flash of a smile, just momentarily. He held my gaze.
There it was. So direct. So easy. Two guys having a chat. Sorted. Sports, music, we could have been talking about anything.
"I mean if it's exclusive, just say." He held his hands in the air, metaphorically backing away. "I don't want to be treading on any man's toes." Smile. Slow hand wringing.
Like passing the baton, he's got experience, knows what he likes, I saw that. "No... no, it's not exclusive," I heard myself say. "Everyone is free, no claims. You're free, man." I grimaced at saying man, don't really know where that came from. I wondered if I could take it back. I decided that it was just best left, a tear in my cool that was quickly floating away on the ether, if I pulled it back to smooth it over, it would have only bought it into sharper focus.
"So... cool, man?" asked Murray.
"Yeah, cool. I didn't think... you..."
"Yeah... about that. Um? Not that I'm asking you to lie." He held his hands in the air, again. "You know that truth prevails."
"Truth prevails." It was our uni motto.
"You don't have to tell Bruno everything, do you? I mean, if you are asked, sure..." He smiled nervously. He was giving away more than secret rendezvous ambitions, he was giving away his desire to, potentially, cheat. I was kind of surprised. I felt like I was momentarily in someone else's story, a story I thought, I knew pretty well. Murray and Bruno are made for each other.
"... but you don't." Attempt at a smile. "Have to offer stuff." Another nervous smile. "You know?"
I clenched my fist and as I offered it up, Murray instantly offered up his clench fist intuitively. We pushed knuckles together. "How long have I known you? But I am surprised?"
"You and me both. Not that there's any trouble with Brun and me... but, sometimes you just need an adventure to, um... er... blow your pipes. I don't want you to get the wrong idea."
"I don't need to say anything to anybody... about what?" I raised my arms in the air, like a gull-winged Mercedes, hands up in question marks?
“So… still a never-cheated status… um, with you and Bruno?”
“Up until this point... yes... sir.”
Then I couldn’t resist, final check, an out of jail for free card. I didn’t want to burn all my options, what may well have seemed like a good idea in the dark in the wee small hour... after a night’s sleep? “Hey, how about I give him your number?” Cool as a cucumber. Sure, I was cool with it, but I wasn’t going to just hand Tommy to him either.
“Oh.” That’s not necessary. “Um.” Just give me the number, will you? “Er.” He won’t mind! Red Raptor eye flash. “Sure.” Smile. Nano second red eye, look away, it gave me a chill. Murray the wolf, it kind of turned me on, and scared me all at the same time. He took his mobile phone from his pocket and looked down at it as if reading the number. He looked up after the last number.
“Cool.” I smiled, deliberately. “I’ll give it to him… um… er, (let him think) as soon as you’ve, um, left.”
Bewildered look. Was I just asked to leave? “Thanks… um… great.”
"Mates."
And he was gone.
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