| FRICTION |
| �Would you get that, mate?� Jeff asked to Wendell, referring to the doorbell that was ringing. He himself was busy getting dressed from just getting out of the shower. Wendell had just gotten out with him, but he was a quicker dresser and was already decent enough for the task. Wendell got off the bed and went to the front door to greet whoever it was there. Opening the door, he met a face he had never seen before. The man there was about Jeff�s age and had bleached blond hair spiked with gel. He wore wire-frame thin glasses and had quite a few pierced sections covering his face including ears, brows, nose, and tongue. His clothes reeked of cigarette smoke and probably something else too. Wendell wondered what he could possibly want. �Can I help you?� Wendell asked. �G�day,� the man answered in an extremely heavy accent, even more so than Jeff and most of the locals. �Is this where I can find Jeffrey Mitchell, �eh?� �Yeah. He�s here. Let me just... I�ll go get �im.� Wendell started to walk off but then turned to task the guy a question. �May I tell him who�s here?� �Jus� an ole mate from the �89 Melbourne VB Racers.� Wendell had no idea what he was talking about but he figured it was something between them. �A�ight. Be right back. Two ticks.� �No worries.� Wendell walked back towards the bedroom. Jeff was just heading out, pulling a Coffs Harbor muscle-t over himself. �So who was it?� Jeff asked. �Someone from the uh... 89 Melbourne something Racers, he said. Didn�t give his name.� Jeff�s eyes got slightly wider and a little smile started forming. �No shit,� he replied with a hint of excitement in his voice. He rushed past Wendell and headed towards the front door. Rounding the corner, he saw his friend peeking around the edge of the door that Wendell had left partially open. He saw his friend�s face light up too. �Miles Henderbrook!� Jeff exclaimed. �How in the heck are ya, mate?� He opened the door the rest of the way to greet him. �I haven�t seen you in forever.� �Coxswain Jeffrey. Pleased to see ya.� They gave each other a handshake which turned into a quick hug with pats on the back. �Watch out Sydney, we�ll give you chasers,� Miles said. And together they changed, �We�re the Melbourne VB Racers.� They both fell into a state of heavy chuckling, remembering their old racing slogan. Jeff introduced Miles to Wendell. Back when Jeffrey was in early high school, he took a trip with his dad to Melbourne. There he met Miles and a few others who were part of a racing team called the VB Racers. They were a neighborhood boxcar racing crew. It started off small but eventually grew. Soon, different cities would compete against one another. Sydney and Melbourne always made it to the finals and were each other�s biggest rivals. That in itself was bizarre because Jeff, who lived in Sydney, played with the Melbourne team. And being all young high-school boys, a lot of the Sydney participants and fans would tease and torment Jeff for betraying them. And Miles, he was always a labeled rabble-rouser and would get into fisticuffs with some rivaling teams, especially Sydney. �So what brings you by?� Jeff asked. �Ah, bugger, y�know what? I�ve been crashin� o�er at McCooley�s for the past year or so. An� I went 2 weeks wit�out payin� me bills and they kicked me out. 2 weeks, Jeffrey! Bloody hell! They couln�nt cut me any slack.� Miles paused for a second. �An� I need me a place to stay a younder for a bit, an� I was jus� wond�rin� if I�s could stay here til I can find me another place. What do ya reckon, mate?� �You bet, Miles. Anything for an old mate.� ~~~~~ Miles used an air mattress that belonged to Jeff for bed quarters. Jeff had offered their room to him at first, without consulting Wendell, but Wendell had a word of objection on the sidelines, not wanting to give up their private space. But of course, like most people visiting, Miles did not wish to intrude in that space neither. �Nah, I wouln�nt wanna �pose. I can take the sofa,� was his response. The sofa was not the most comfortable piece of furniture for a decent night�s sleep, and Jeff had remembered about the air mattress he had which had not been used in many a few good month. That first evening, the three of them went out to a somewhat fancy restaurant for dinner. Jeff and Wendell got dressed up to suit the occasion but Miles wore his trashy street clothes. There was something about him that got under Wendell�s skin, but it would become even more apparent over the course of this dinner. The waiter brought over the meals and placed a plate of ravioli in front of Miles. Miles curiously gazed at the plate and then questioned the waiter. �What is this?� The waiter looked confused and responded, �It�s... your ravioli, sir.� �This is not what I ordered, mate,� Miles retorted and then increased the volume of his voice. �Jumbo ravioli. I ordered jumbo ravioli. Crikey! You blokes can�t get anythin� right. What good are ya?� Wendell gave a concerned glance over at Jeff, letting him know his uneasiness about his friend. Jeff, too, was slightly embarrassed, but overlooked it. �I�m sorry, sir. Let me just take this and I�ll be right back.� The waiter took the plate and headed away from the table. �Can you believe that? What an idiot!� Miles added. Wendell picked up his cappuccino and glanced again at Jeff, gently blowing his drink before taking a sip and he raised a brow, signaling that how Miles acted was certainly just a bit off. When the waiter had returned, he had a new plate with the �precious� jumbo ravioli. �There you go.... sir,� the waiter said, practically sarcastically. As the waiter walked away, a shout startled all the guests in the room. �Yo, mate!� Everyone in the room looked over at that table. The waiter turned around almost as if expecting it to be the same nuisance. He didn�t approach the table though. �There�s a great big ole hair in this.� There was a brownish colored strand of hair resting delicately and perfectly in the middle and on top of the marinara sauce that accompanied the ravioli. The hair was a close match to that of the waiter, both in color and in size. It was questionable if it was just a coincidence. But coincidence or not, Miles� true attitude would be displayed. He pushed himself away from the table with force and traversed the short distance over to the waiter with confident and cocky composure. �You did that on purpose, �eh?� And he was right up in the guy�s face, about two inches separating them. �I don�t know what you�re talking about, sir.� �You�s damn well know what I�m talkin� aboot, mate!� And Miles flicked his finger at the waiter�s hair, sending the argument to a further level. Miles certainly captured the interest of everybody in the room. Every meal had been temporarily brought to a stand-still, soon to be getting cold. �Why don�t you please keep your hands off me, ...sir,� the waiter replied back, still holding a calm and collective tone, not wanting to be the one to start a major scene. And the truth of the matter was that the hair was not his. It was merely a terribly-timed coincidence afterall. �You wanna make me?� retorted Miles. He cocked his head and then put his hands both sides of the waiter�s neck and he shoved him with considerable force, but not enough to knock him down but enough to make him take a few stumbling steps backwards. Wendell stood up abruptly from his seat. He was appalled by Miles� behavior. The waiter retaliated by rushing Miles and shoving him back, no longer concerned about saving face and desiring to stoop to a lower level to seek revenge. Wendell hurried over to the dueling duo. He believed it to be all Miles� fault, so he approached Miles and began to restrain him. �Lemme go, you pissier,� Miles said, trying to struggle out of Wendell�s grip, but he was much too weak compared to his apprehender. The waiter straightened his composure and smoothed his uniform, figuring the fight was over due to the stronger man preventing his actions. Jeffrey stood up from the table. �What�re you doin�, Wendell? Let him go,� Jeff demanded, furious that he was restraining one of his best friends. �Let him go!?� Wendell replied with astonishment. �He�s going psycho. Totally out of control.� Miles, all the while, grunted and tried to break loose. �He�s my good mate. You can�t just smother him like that. Let him go or....� Jeff broke his train of thought, filled with so much blind rage. He was too close with this guy to realize that Miles had a horrible temper and let things get to him, so he�d stick up for Miles no matter what, even if it meant getting into serious friction with his own husband. Wendell kept his grip steadfast, not determined to let Miles have another turn on the waiter. �Or what?� Miles quieted down his resistance, understanding that there was no use tying; he�d just end up hurting himself trying to escape the tight clench that Wendell gave whenever he would try and twist out. Jeff felt so betrayed by his husband over this ordeal, but he still loved him and would hate for �them� to end over something so trivial. But, nonetheless,.... this was Miles, his dearest friend from the past. He couldn�t say the words, whatever they were, which is why he ended his line with �or...� But, he was so angry with him. In the end, he had no answer for Wendell, just a lot of pressure that had to be released somehow. Wendell shifted conversation to the man he was holding onto. �Look,... Miles,... if I let you go, I want you to leave this restaurant. You got it? I think that would be best.� Miles grunted, furious at Wendell now, even more so than the waiter. �Fine,� he snorted. �So, we cool?� Wendell asked, wanting to make sure Miles recognized the situation and his intent on making sure it would be cool. �Yeah, no worries,� Miles replied, slightly sarcastically, but he did mean it. He knew when he met his match. So, with caution, Wendell slowly released his clench on Miles. The man stumbled away and rubbed his wrists. He hunched over and glared up at Wendell with a determined will to get him back, but not yet; the time would come. Angrily, Miles stammered out of the restaurant. Wendell walked back over to the table. Jeff had his arms crossed and a cross look over his face. �He was out of control, Jeff. I did what I had to do. Something had to be done about your friend. Couldn�t let him...� Jeff didn�t respond with any words, but interrupted his little justification speech and brushed past his shoulder and exited the restaurant to go after Miles. Wendell was left standing alone with everybody in the room staring at him. And to make matters worse, he was stuck with the tab. ~~~~~ Wendell went out for a couple drinks to ease his worries. He could sense the hostility emanating from Jeff even though he was nowhere around. This was the first major disagreement they�ve had since meeting one another. It frightened him. Being at ends with his husband was very unpleasant. Deep down he knew this would pass and they�d go back to normal, but it certainly was uncomfortable in the now. Returning home from the pub, he was greeted by a desolate house. It wasn�t all that late, so Miles and Jeff could be anywhere, but Wendell was sure they�d return by night�s end. He took a guarding position on the sofa in the living room so that he�d know as soon as they got back. Minutes slipped into a few hours and still not a sign. He was beginning to worry. He had never been away from Jeffrey under such pretenses. But with the television still running, and when it turned 5:00 AM, Wendell realized that they weren�t coming back tonight, and that worried him even more. ~~~~~ Waking up without Jeffrey at his side troubled him deeply. The bed felt empty; he felt empty... and cold. He grabbed his pillow and hugged it firmly, hoping to gather more warmth. Usually mornings weren�t too bad with another body under the sheets, but now, with just sheets, Wendell could really feel the air cutting through to his skin. He regretted only wearing boxers to bed, for he didn�t feel like waking up fully quite yet, but he also didn�t feel like getting up to dress more warmly and get back in. Ah, the dilemmas of man. Yet, it was not that dilemma that plagued his brain. Closing his eyes, he tried to push all thoughts away and catch maybe another hour of sleep. ~~~~~ * �Closer to home, Wendell..... you�re drifting away. You�re letting me drift away. Don�t let me get away. Don�t leave me. Come back. Come closer to home, Wendell..... Wendell...�* It was Jeff�s voice; inside his head, inside his dreams. The voice was haunting. It was cold and abandoned. It yearned to be accepted; to be forgiven. But in reality, that was Wendell. It was his emotions, his longings, that yearned for Jeffrey, and they were manifested into the dream as the person he cared for. The dream was a wake-up call for Wendell though. He knew now that he had to find Jeff and make some kind of peace. That was difficult though. Miles got under his skin so badly. To apologize to Jeffrey would be to believe that Miles was a swell guy, and that just wasn�t the truth. Again, the dilemmas of man. Waking up again, he felt a little more confident. Before, he was just wallowing in the fear of losing Jeff, but now he knew he had to strive to keep their relationship copacetic, so he couldn�t let fear be a pestilence. As usual, first thing, he took a shower to feel refreshed and get ready for the day. He figured Jeff would not show up at the house right away, so he took breakfast out for a change, stopping at a small caf� for a couple pancakes and coffee. His cell phone rang in the middle of him taking a bite. Since Wendell had moved to Australia to be with Jeff and he began working for the same plumbing company as Jeff, they had started a small plumbing business of their own; Mitchell & White Plumbing Services. They did quite well for a locally-owned business. Their cell phones were used primarily for business or just to contact each other in emergencies. When Wendell heard his phone ringing, he was hoping it would be Jeff, but in the event that it was a customer, he answered as normal. �Mitchell & White Plumbing. Wendell speaking.� .......... It wasn�t Jeffrey. Normally, he wouldn�t mind a service call. Service calls equal money. Money equals a necessity. But of course, no one likes getting interrupted in the middle of a meal. Yet, Wendell was actually looking forward to working. It would keep his mind off things until the moment he would see Jeff again. ~~~~~ Jeff didn�t return that night either, nor call. Wendell checked with Harry and Joyce but they hadn�t heard from him neither. His conscience was eating him alive, praying to find Jeff and make peace with him. Sleep that night was even worse than last night. And again, he was haunted by a dream. * �What we once were..... thick and the thin..... you lose a lot more gracefully than you used to, Wendell... practice and all..... can�t we get closer to home? Wendell, can you hear me? What am I saying? Wendell... Wendell..... what�s in a name? And when was the last time you told me �I love you� ?�* Wendell woke up abruptly, breaking a cold sweat. The last words that �Jeff� had said struck his heart. �When was the last time you told me �I love you�?� And Wendell found himself actually pondering that one, and he couldn�t recall. Of course, he did love him, and back in the day they repeated it back and forth constantly. But, after a certain period of time, they just stopped; reserved for special occasions like birthdays and holidays. Wendell doubted that these dreams meant anything. �It�s just three words,� Wendell thought. On the account of not saying it would not be reason enough to end a relationship. And he never regarded dreams to be important, so why start now? Although, he had decided that he still should say those words more now and then. Oh, if only Jeff would come back home so he could spill his heart to him, then he could see how much he did love him. ~~~~~ Wendell had another call the next morning before he even had a chance to get breakfast, so he grabbed a couple cereal bars from the kitchen cupboard and headed out the door. In the car, on the way to the client�s household, he thought of something. �Wait a minute. The phone.� He had hoped yesterday that when the phone rang that it would be Jeff and not a client. �I can call him. He�d have to answer. It could be a job for all he knows.� Each cell phone had it�s own number and both were listed in their ads. It didn�t really matter who got the call. All the money went to the same place anyway. Wendell was too afraid before; afraid of breaking up and the thought of calling Jeff�s cell had never entered his mind for some reason. So, with new determination, he picked up his cell phone from the passenger seat, pulled the antennae out with his teeth and then dialed the number. . . . . . �G�day. Mitchell & White Plumbing. Jeff speaking. How can I help you?� ~~~~~ Jeffrey stormed out of the restaurant, furious at his husband�s actions, and concerned for his friend, Miles. �How dare he take things into his won hands and hurt and embarrass Miles like that,� he thought to himself. He found Miles standing by the car in the lot. �The blimey bastard,� Miles muttered when he saw Jeffrey approaching. He stammered back and forth, pacing to let off his steam and anxiety. �I apologize, mate. He was way out of bounds back there,� Jeff said, trying to make up for Wendell�s actions and making sure his friend wasn�t upset with him too. �No worries, Jeff,� Miles replied, stopping his pacing and facing towards Jeff. �Not your fault.� There were a few seconds of silence; a collecting of thoughts. The car that they brought with them this evening was Wendell�s and he had the keys. Neither one wanted to ride with him now, so it didn�t leave them with many options besides walking or catching a taxi somehow. �Well, why don�t we get out of here,� Jeff suggested. �Bloody good idea, mate. Where�s to though?� �Well.....� Jeff went into thought, thinking of stuff they could do for fun. �Why don�t we go drop a visit to Christiaan.� Christiaan Azure. He was the third power in the might VB Racers team. He wasn�t from Australia but resided in Melbourne after taking a foreign exchange student program during his schooling. In his time there in the program is when he met Jeffrey and Miles and joined the racing team. He liked it so much in Melbourne that a few years later in his life he moved there for good, disappointing a few family members in the process, but it was his life and his desires. During his stay as an exchange student, he became friends with Miles at school who then in turn introduced him to the life of boxcar racing. And a few weeks later, he met Jeffrey, who came with his dad for a vacation. Thus, the VB Racers were born (named after their favorite beer, Victoria Bitter, or VB for short.) �Christiaan? He lives over in Melbourne. You �spect to walk all that way or what?� replied Miles, realizing how far away that was. �Nah, nah. We�ll get a lift somehow.� The two men started walking down the sidewalk, away from the restaurant, away from Wendell. They were about 8 blocks away from home, which was a hefty walk, but they weren�t planning to go there anyway. Their only objective was to find a ride to Melbourne. On the back of his mind, Jeffrey kept thinking that if he were to go back home, then he could just get his own car, but he didn�t want to confront Wendell at the moment. He searched his mind for other ways to get there. Taxis weren�t exactly easy to come by in a suburban neighborhood. Most of them had to be phoned in and only ran routes in that city and not neighboring cities. So, that option was out. Rounding the corner onto Claiborne Avenue, Jeff thought of something. �Y�know what, Miles? I got me an idea.� �Yeah, mate? What�s that?� �I have a good mate just down the way here,� and Jeff nodded with his head off to the left. �He�s a pilot. I did a huge all day plumbing project for him a while back, no charge. And he promised me a free flight any time, anywhere in Australia.� �Free flight?� Miles questioned. �Reckon that can�t be a commercial jet, �eh?� �No, no,� Jeff responded, �He owns a small plane. Keeps it in storage. But, he�s licensed to fly any time he wants.� �Think he�d take us to Melbourne this late?� �Oh, it�s not that late. He could fly us out and be back by the late news.� �A�ight, then. Sounds bloody great to me.� ~~~~~ Jeffrey was looking down over the edge of the plane. They were so high off the ground. He had never seen the land like this. It was breath-taking, but his mind wasn�t fully concentrating on enjoying the view. He missed Wendell like crazy. Even though he was the one who was �upset� with him, he couldn�t help but to miss him. Wendell was his husband after all. But, he already used up his free flight, so he might as well go through with it. Miles sat in the pilot�s seat next to James Foster, the pilot and friend of Jeff�s, and Jeffrey took the back seat alone. And as high as they were up in the sky, the air temperature was rather chilly, especially being night. Miles turned his head and shouted back at Jeffrey. �Fuck a quiet night back home. This is much better, �eh?� Jeff didn�t respond. Any other day Miles would�ve been right, but not tonight. The city lights below reminded him of how lonely he was up in spacious sky. ~~~~~ �Well, thanks for the ride, mate,� Jeff said to James, hopping out of the antique plane. �No worries. I owed ya a free ride. An� I�m a man to stay true to my word.� Jeff walked a couple feet away then turned back towards the plane. Miles hopped out of his seat and landed on the pavement. �You don�t see many planes this, �eh? She must be rather old.� �Yeah,� James responded to Jeff, �She�s my baby. Got her at an auction a while back. Cost a pretty penny but she�s well worth it. A true collectible.� He patted the side of the plane. �Yeah, she�s definitely a beaut,� Jeff added. Miles didn�t have anything to add himself. He wasn�t too �impressed� by antiques or collectibles in general. �Well, thanks again, mate.� �You bet,� James replied. Jeff and Miles began walking away from the runway. James thought of something so he shouted back to them. �Hey, Jeffrey!� Jeff turned back towards him, �Yeah, mate?� �You gonna be fine gettin� back?� James asked. �Oh yeah. We�ll be fine.� Jeff nodded and turned back away. As he walked away, hands in his pockets, he heard James start the plane and ride off, circling around to the end of the runway so he could get proper distance for take off. A few moments later, the planed soared into the sky and flew back towards Sydney. It was official now; Jeff was away from his husband. ~~~~~ Calling a cab from a nearby gas station, Jeff took Miles to Christiaan�s place. Christiaan was thrilled to see his old racing buddies. It was already rather late but the three of them went out to a club for drinks. Throughout the rendezvous, Miles and Christiaan conversed heavily. Jeffrey sat on the sidelines, not feeling in a talkative mood. Every now and then he�d throw a couple cents in when he was directly being talked to. That night brought Jeff some much needed solitude. Jeff got the couch and Miles got the floor. He didn�t sleep much and the morning�s sunlight came earlier than expected. And the day just brought more re-acquaintance with Christiaan. They spent their time sharing memories of the racing. Christiaan still had his vehicle. It hadn�t been viewed for quite some time; hiding under an off-white tarp in the garage. But, it was still in working order and they drove it out to their old racing grounds and took turns driving it around the track. Unfortunately, they had outgrown the vehicle a tad. Riding inside was under rather cramped conditions. But, nonetheless, they had an enjoyable time re-living their pasts. And for a brief period of time, Jeff had actually pushed all worries and thoughts of Wendell away. But, that �freedom� didn�t last long at all. That evening, Christiaan took the both of them out to one of his favorite restaurants. Sitting at the table, Jeff glanced around and saw happy couples everywhere enjoying nice dinners together, only to remind him that he wasn�t with his designated �eating partner.� And to make matters worse, a good looking brunette walked by the table, wearing pants that accentuated her finely- toned physique. Miles and Christiaan, both being straight as an arrow, couldn�t help but to comment on the local scenery; a toast to manhood and the dire urgency to drool at every chance possible to prove to the rest of his pack that his libido is active as ever. Their eyes transfixed on the sweet young lady and the degrading began. Miles had the first crack. �Mmm mm mmm... will you check out the ass on her. Crikey! What I wouln�nt give to take her back home with me.� �Oh yeah,� Christiaan responded, �I�d treat her right. Show her my bed from the inside out.� The lady went and spoiled the mood by sitting down at a table with a young gentleman. They kissed before taking a sip of wine. In an act of pity for a lady who didn�t know she needed any, Miles commented, �Poor lass, stuck with a chump like that. She�d be better off in my hands.� Jeff sat there, half of his mind in solitude and the other half disgusted by his friends� shameless sense of jealousy and chauvinism. After a few moments and a few more rude remarks, the degrading came to an end when their meals arrived to the table. Part way through dinner, an inevitable conversation came into play that would bring resolution to what was a horrible mistake on Jeff�s behalf. �We�re gonna have to get back home tomorrow. I can�t leave my business unattended like this. Only thing that pays the bills,� Jeff said to Miles. �Can�t your jerk husband take care of things by himself?� Miles suggested. Jeff was angered at Miles� comment. It was true that he was there in Melbourne because he was angry at Wendell, but over the course of this time away, he had forgiven and forgotten; now just longing to be back in his arms. And hearing Miles talk about Wendell in such fashion disagreed with him. �Hey. That�s my husband you�re talking about, Miles.� �Oh, come on, Jeffrey. You can�t be serious. The bloke�s a loser, �eh?� �You talk about all your mates� spouses like that?� Jeffrey asked, still having a bad taste in his mouth from Miles� attitude. �No... but bullocks. He was such an ass the other day. I bet he�s always like that. You can�t possibly love him.� And that was the final straw. �Oh yeah? Well I DO love him,� Jeffrey replied, but far from being done with his new debate, �And you know what, Miles? I�m beginning to see through Wendell�s eyes now about you.� �What in the bugger you mean by that?� �I�m saying that Wendell was right about you.� Miles went back into his abrasive mood swing. He leaned over the table, getting his face closer to Jeff�s. �Yeah.. Well fuck your husband and fuck you.� Jeff leaned back in his chair, not comfortable being that close to Miles� face. �You ARE psycho. I should�ve trusted him.� Christiaan sat there, astounded, looking between his two friends. He had no idea was this new conversation was about and they were both good mates of his, so he had no �side� in the matter. �Whoa, whoa, whoa, you two,� he interjected. �What�s going on?� Jeff explained his side of the story as did Miles, with a few argumentative comments slung back and forth, but mainly from Miles. Jeff tried keeping a collective stand. It was Miles who was the ill-mannered one. Christiaan could tell that the blame wasn�t on Jeffrey at all, but he did not dare express those thoughts, not wanting to come between them. Eventually it came to a cold silence between Jeff and Miles. Christiaan served as a medium; talking to only one person at a time since they wouldn�t talk to each other. And they discussed arrangements for returning home. Christiaan was kind enough to offer to drive them, despite the length of the trip. That night, they separated and slept in different rooms. Jeff actually had a better night�s rest this time. He still thought of Wendell but knew he was returning the next day to be by his side and that everything would be fine after he apologized. He was quite embarrassed for not trusting his husband. He had thought of using his cell phone to call Wendell, but he figured it would be best just to say his apology to his face. The next morning, they went through a drive-thru window at a fast food restaurant for breakfast on the way back to Sydney. And then there was the long trip back. Jeff let Miles have shotgun. He felt like being by himself in the backseat. Leaning his head against the window, Jeffrey stared blankly towards the numerous houses and trees passing by. And then his phone rang. �G�day. Mitchell & White Plumbing. Jeff speaking. How can I help you?� ~~~~~ Jeff and Wendell shared some much needed words. They were so thrilled to hear the other�s voice. They didn�t talk long. Jeff could sense Miles� growing agitation hearing the conversation. But the they got the three most important words in before hanging up. And all would be well when Jeff returned. The love that bound them was much too powerful to dissipate over such an insignificant spat. They still were and would forever remain united as one. |