| DAY 7 |
| Jeff had trouble sleeping that night. Every half hour he�d wake back up and stare at the ceiling, deep in contemplation. He wanted desperately to be able to close his eyes and slip away into imagination; it would ease the pain, if only temporarily. Yet slowly, the night mask lifted; sunlight beginning to seep through the window curtains, shining down onto the bed. Jeff looked across the bed, over at the bedside counter. The clock�s digital display glared in red �6:24.� There�s no bother trying to go to sleep now, he thought to himself. During the restless night, he had tossed and turned from Wendell�s side and was currently on the other side of the grand bed. He looked over at him; he was sound asleep and snoring slightly. He looked so peaceful and relaxed, quite the opposite of himself. But it felt awful being a miser. Jeffrey wasn�t determined to spend his final moments with Wendell in despair. Lying, staring at the ceiling, he thought of something to do to surprise his mate - breakfast in bed. Ever so slowly and cautiously, he slid his body from under the sheets and off to the side of the mattress. He had managed to get out of bed without waking Wendell and then tip- toed across the room. He stopped at the door and made sure he was still asleep; the snoring continued. And then Jeff headed for the kitchen. Stepping into the kitchen, he noticed again how modern and illustrious it was in appearance. A kitchen like this, with such lavish modeling, would have to cost a fortune. And come to think of it, Wendell�s entire house was quite on the expensive side. Jeff wondered if he had earned all this on a cop�s wage. That was one thing he never got around to asking him. Although, he never made it habit to inquire about financial status when it came to his boyfriends. It didn�t matter and wasn�t any of his business. Nonetheless, it was a nice place Wendell had. Jeff always found it fun to snoop around other people�s houses; searching through drawers and shelves. It can actually tell a lot about a person; how they organize items and what type of stuff they purchase. Normally, he�d be super careful about being seen doing it, not wanting to seem like some psycho, but right now, in the kitchen, he felt it justified; just making breakfast and all and having to search the cabinets to find materials. Yet, he tried to do it cautiously still. The bedroom wasn�t too far away, so any loud noises could possibly wake his friend. After searching all the cabinets, and not having a particular high cooking degree himself, Jeffrey decided on a rather simple breakfast: bacon, eggs, and toast. It was not the most original idea, but would have to make do. He figured the gesture alone would be enough. ~~~~~ Slowly, he came to, smelling something delicious. Opening his eyes, he saw someone standing off to his left. He smiled when he realized who it was and what was going on. He sat upright in the bed, propping the pillow behind his back. �What�s this?� he asked in a joyous tone, smiling away. �Breakfast in bed. How nice of you, Jeff.� Jeff had found a small tray in the dining room and loaded both their meals onto it and had carried it carefully to the bedroom. Wendell had no orange juice, so he made some coffee. Gently, he placed the tray over Wendell�s lap and then circled around the bed and climbed in next to him. He scooted right up to his side and kissed him on the cheek. �Thought you�d like it,� Jeff replied, grinning warmly at his lover. Wendell looked at him and responded very earnestly while nodding his head with the accents of his sentence, while cocking his head and raising one eyebrow, �It�s a very..nice..surprise.� And then his serious manner ended with an honest smile. He had really appreciated the gesture. Jeff smiled and looked down, blushing, and looked back up to see Wendell grinning voraciously. And then he popped a strip of bacon into his mouth and chewed it with an over-exaggerated munching motion. Jeff chuckled and reached for a piece of bacon himself. ~~~~~ Before they left the house, they took a quick shower together, to be clean and fresh for the day. The skies had cleared from yesterday�s reign of grey; the sun shined with intensity, getting to work on evaporating the excess of water. Jeff had to go back to the hotel to pack his things, so Wendell drove him there. Since he didn�t have to go to work and wanted to spend ever last minute with him, he followed Jeff inside and upstairs. Harry had already packed his stuff and had his bags near the door. He rested on the couch, waiting for Jeffrey to return; hoping he would, anyway, wanting to spend at least one more lunch together before going back to Australia. Jeff had spent so much time with Wendell, Harry was feeling neglected. He did tell his son that it was his birthday and to do what he wanted, but nonetheless, Harry felt alone. �Hey! There you are, Jeff,� Harry said to his son as he stepped through the door. Wendell followed him inside. �G�day, Dad.� �Ah, Bud. How you doing, mate?� Harry said, greeting his son�s friend. �Good afternoon, Mr. Mitchell,� Wendell responded with formality. �Oh, call me Harry, son.� �Okay. Well while we�re at it, call me Wendell,� he responded warmly. A look of confusion filled Harry�s face, since he wasn�t in the know. Noticing, Wendell replied back to clear things up. �That�s my real name. Bud�s just a nickname I got working at the station. It�s been a while wince I�ve been called by my first name. Never liked it before. But Jeff here got me on it again. Made me realize it�s not so bad.� Harry smiled to himself, realizing that his son must mean a lot to him then, to get something like that out of him. He hopped off the couch and walked over to Wendell and then patted him on the back. �Well, Wendell. Let�s say we order us some drinks to celebrate.� It was Wendell�s turn now to be confused. �Celebrate?� �Yeah! Whenever a guy likes my son, it�s a cause for celebration,� Harry responded with jubilance. Wendell blushed and smiled. �Yeah.� Harry called room service and ordered a bottle of whiskey. While they waited for the order to arrive, Harry began small talk with Wendell while Jeff started packing. As they sat on the sofa, Harry asked his signature question, which every one of Jeff�s boyfriends got the pleasure of answering. �So, what�s your dream in life? Your secret ambition? Besides playing tonsil hockey with young Jeffrey that is.� The second part of the question caught Wendell�s attention off guard. It was said in a warm, joking manner, yet he was still embarrassed. Jeff looked up from his suitcase and snickered to himself. He was used to his father�s comments all too well, some of which might been part of the reason they all end up leaving. But the sincerity of the first part of the question interested Jeff. It�s one question he keeps forgetting to ask on his own time, but loves hearing the answer to. He temporarily stopped packing to listen to Wendell�s answer, curious as to what his heart wanted to follow. �My secret dream?� Wendell responded, and then inhaled with his teeth clamped shut. �Hmmm....� he stopped to think. He never contemplated that one much. He simply worked at the station day to day and never put much thought into the future. �I don�t... really know. Never thought of that before.� �No? There�s nothing you�d really like to accomplish in your lifetime?� �Well. I don�t know if this counts, but... my father. I�d like to bring him to justice. When I was young, he...,� Wendell started to tear up in the eyes, �he tied me to a radiator and forced me to watch him beat up my mother to death. And...,� he choked back some more tears, �he ran off and they never found him.� Jeff�s jaw dropped, horrified by the piece of news he just heard. He ran over to Wendell�s side and grabbed his hand. �Oh, Wendell. That is terrible. I can�t believe you never told me about this before.� Wendell sighed, looking down. �I don�t like to talk about him that much. Fills me with anger and sadness.� �Is that why you became a cop?� Harry asked. Wendell nodded. �I felt if I could bring justice and help as many as I could, then I�d be everything that he was not.� �What would you do if you ever met up with him?� Harry asked, continuing to delve into this emotional wellspring. �I... don�t know, truthfully.� Wendell hung his head again. Jeffrey continued to hold his hand, trying to comfort him. Harry realized how hard this topic was for him, so he changed the subject. �Well, how �bout some lunch? Was planning on going to Shirley�s one last time.� Wendell looked up, erasing the sorrow form his face. �Sure. Sounds good. I�m hungry.� Harry got up and went to the door. Jeff and Wendell followed, Jeff leading with his hand still held firmly to Wendell�s. Harry opened the door and noticed the room service man with his fist in the air, just about to knock. �Oh, I completely forgot,� Harry said, �Perhaps we�ll have that drink first then.� Harry took the tray from the man and gave him the money, plus tip. They went back to the sofa and Jeff poured everyone a drink. ~~~~~ On the way out of the hotel, Jeff ran into Hazel. She had come, with hopes of running into him so she could say goodbye to him. Since she was available, Jeff asked her to come along to Shirley�s, for one last get-together; a couple of friends he had gotten to know during his short stay. It was, however, one of the longest weeks in his life, especially when he was with Wendell. With him, every second stretched for miles. But as long as he was with him, Jeff could go the distance. The conversation at lunch consisted mostly of talk about Australia; what it was like there and what the interesting highlights were. Jeff had boasted about the natural beauty of the land; how it was like no other place existing. By the time he finished his detailed descriptions, both Wendell and Hazel were really interested in visiting some time. It was about 1:30 when everyone finished eating. They stayed at their table to talk, instead of going back to their usual rituals. Neither Wendell nor Hazel had any place to be in specific, and both had taken a fondness to Jeffrey, so they stayed in his company. �So what time do you gotta catch your plane?� she asked Jeff. Jeff looked at his father to double-check. �3, ain�t it?� �Yeah. 3. I was gonna call a cab shortly to pick us up to take us to the airport.� Wendell took that information in and then objected. �Don�t bother with calling a cab. I�ll be happy to give you a lift.� �That�s kind of you, Wendell,� Harry replied. �No problem. My pleasure,� Wendell smiled. �But y�know. If the plane leaves at 3, you might want to think about leaving soon. Traffic at this time can be backed up.� �Oh. I never thought about that. You�re right. I reckon we should go back to the hotel now and grab our bags.� Jeff and Harry said goodbye to Shirley and thanked her for her quality service. She got kind of teary-eyed, sad to see her new guests leaving already. Shirley always bonded well with those she served on a regular basis. ~~~~~ With the extra hands, they managed to get all the bags downstairs in one trip. The men took the heavier bags and left Hazel to carry Harry�s small luggage case. All the cases just barely fit in Wendell�s car, with still being able to fit three people in. Jeff and Hazel began their goodbyes. �It was very nice meeting you, Jeff,� Hazel said softly and shyly to Jeff. �Yeah. I�m glad I got the chance to know you, mate.� �I won�t forget you,� Hazel added, with her arms behind her back. She wasn�t good at goodbyes, especially with a guy she liked. Jeff blushed. �Me neither. Whenever I think of L.A. I�ll remember you.� Hazel hesitated before saying her final words. She wasn�t quite ready for him to walk out her life; she honestly really liked him, and things at the Fairmont just wouldn�t be the same anymore. �I�ll really miss you, but I guess I better let you go,� she finally managed to say. �Take care, mate,� Jeff responded and then gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Hazel was shocked by the kiss. �Bye, Jeffrey.� She walked backwards a couple steps and waved, then she turned around and walked back into the hotel. Jeff got into the passenger side and Wendell drove off away from Fairmont for the last time. ~~~~~ On the way to the airport, Jeff struck up a conversation about Mr. Higgins. He wondered what all was involved, seeing as how he was already in trouble with the police before the incident at the house. Wendell indulged Jeff�s curiosity with the full story. He also shared the story of the crazy crossbow guy. Harry listened from the backseat, amazed at them. Crime back in Sydney wasn�t as high as in Los Angeles, and when there was, it was usually boring stuff. Wendell still had a black eye from the punch. It was actually a little darker than before, but it still didn�t hurt unless he touched it. Jeff barely even noticed it whenever he looked at him; he only saw his handsomeness shining through. ~~~~~ They checked their bags at the gate, passing through security and the metal detectors. Security personnel had to open one of Harry�s bags; he had a lot of metal souvenirs in his small case, but the rest of their luggage passed through with no problem. Wendell carries a gun on him mostly all the time, along with a pair of cuffs and his badge. He stopped to show his badge to the security officers there so he could pass through. As they waited for announcement that the flight was boarding, harry went to a newspaper stand that was nearby, to get the paper to read. Jeff and Wendell stood off to the side by the huge window that overlooked the runway. Rays of sunlight gleamed through the window, baptizing them in a bright, warm aura. From across the way, Harry watched the two of them; standing face to face, hands held together, and their lips moving. He couldn�t hear what they were saying but could imagine. The way the sun shone around them, made it appear like a really beautiful scene, a dramatic movie shot or something. Harry could feel himself choking inside for them. For the first time since he met Jeff, Wendell didn�t even notice they were in the public eye. He was over with caring for such trivial matters. This was the person he loved, damn it, and he was walking out of his life. Anyone else�s opinions and thoughts were completely insignificant. �Flight 318 to Sydney, Australia now boarding at Gate 17.� The announcement sent a wave of uneasiness through the both of them. The inevitable moment had arrived. Harry kept an eye on them, wondering if he would have to be the one to tear Jeffrey off, or if he would find the strength on his own. And then he saw something glistening in the sunlight - a tear, rolling down Jeff�s cheek. Harry just didn�t have it in him to separate them, but when the second boarding announcement came, he started walking towards them. As he approached; Jeff and Wendell leaned in for a kiss. Harry stopped in his tracks, not wanting to intrude. When the kiss ended, Wendell placed his hand on Jeff�s cheek and wiped his tears away. Jeff used his hands to hold Wendell�s closer to his face. Jeff kissed his hand and then back away from him. He bent down and picked up his small luggage case and stood back up to face Wendell. Again their mouths moved; Harry could hear them this time. �I�ll call you when I get home,� Jeff said. �Have a safe trip. I�ll be waiting for that call.� �G�bye, Wendell.� �Goodbye, Jeff.� Jeff turned and saw his father standing in the middle of the terminal. A small tear was falling down his cheek as well. Jeff walked up to him. �Oh cheer up, you old pisser,� Jeff said, laughing, with a slight sniffle in his voice. He put his arm around Harry�s shoulder and they walked to the gate. Harry waved to Wendell and he waved back. Jeff�s eyes stayed locked onto Wendell�s figure until the wall of the boarding tunnel dismantled the gaze. Despite the ever-powerful emotion of sadness that loomed on the edge of his mind, he managed to smile to himself. �Love is the greatest adventure of all,� he thought. �My father said it once.....or twice.� |
| ~~~~THE END~~~~ |