“Watch the movie,” Bede said, as if he knew how scattered Galen’s thoughts were, how his body refused to settle. How his brain kept racing on and on to the future, and the future after that. To the edge of the horizon, all awash in confusion. Just what had he done? Had he fallen in love at long last?
He didn’t know, but he wanted to find out.
Chapter 29
Bede
Galen was nothing like Winston, but in a subtle parallel, he ate his popcorn the same way that Winston used to. With a cupped handful of popcorn held to his mouth, munching on the first kernel to encounter his tongue and teeth. Then he crunched away, a horse at its net, watchingCool Hand Lukewith avid eyes.
Unlike Winston, however, he didn’t laugh at the bits that were screamingly funny to criminals, like the egg-eating scene. Galen did seem to appreciate Cool Hand Luke’s continual defiance, at least until the end, when Luke got killed, and then Bede realized that Galen didn’t like the movie atall.
“I suppose we could ask for a Disney film next time,” said Bede, leaning close so only Galen could hear. The response he got was a silver flash from those gray eyes, and a slight shrug.
“At least they don’t have chain gangs anymore,” said Galen, taking another scoop of popcorn, holding it to his mouth. One or two kernels fell to the floor, but he ignored them.
“Actually, they do,” said Bede. He’d never been on a chain gang, or a work camp, as the younger inmates called them. “They’re mostly in the south. Arizona, I think. Maybe Oklahoma. Alabama?” He didn’t really know, except from the grapevineat Wyoming Correctional, and he hadn’t cared to investigate further. “I heard the one in Arizona is pretty humane. I don’t know about the others.”
Galen shifted in his seat, not answering, and it was easy to see that the subject made him uncomfortable.
When the next movie started playing, the growing darkness outside the mess tent made it easier to see the grainy black and white images on the projector screen. This one wasThe Defiant Ones,an older movie about two convicts escaping from a chain gang while chained together.
Bede had heard about this movie, but never seen it. He wanted to stay and watch, but one look at Galen told him Galen did not want to see it, and that he’d really love to be somewhere else altogether.
“Shall we go?” Bede asked, leaning close, one hand on Galen’s thigh to signal his intent. Not just go, as in leave the mess tent, butgo, leave together, and end up in Galen’s tent together.
It’d have to be Galen’s tent, because the last thing Bede wanted was for Kell to walk in on them. After all, Bede’s tent was half Kell’s.
Galen drew his attention from the screen and focused on Bede. His dark eyebrows lowered as he thought.
“Where?” he asked, his voice a bit husky, as if he already knew the answer to that.
“Your tent, I think.”
Those four simple words had an effect on Galen that Bede could hardly keep up with. Surprise. Then desire. Then doubt. All of this flickered across his sharp features inside of a heartbeat.
“C’mon, it’ll be fun,” said Bede. Fun had different meanings, of course, but he didn’t think Galen misunderstood him.
“Fun as in arcade fun, or fun as in haunted house fun.” This was not a question.
“Definitely the second one,” said Bede with a grin and a small laugh. “C’mon.”
He stood up, and while he didn’t offer his hand to Galen, he felt as if he had. From behind, someone threw a handful of popcorn at both of them.
“Down in front!”
Bede led the way, slinking along the outside of the row of tables, almost tiptoeing down the wooden steps. There he waited for Galen, who was seconds behind. In the semi-darkness of deep twilight, Bede followed Galen along the path to his tent, fourth along in the row of tents designated for team leads.
They went up to the wooden platform. The light wasn’t on, so Bede waited while Galen unzipped the tent and stepped inside, giving Galen one more chance to back out if he wanted to. But he didn’t back out. He held the tent flap open like an ingénue on opening night.
“Come on in,” he said, stepping back, the single overhead bulb casting a long shadow over the floor. “And we’re going to do this my way.”
“What do you mean, my way?” asked Bede, already laughing as he wrapped his arms around Galen’s waist and pulled him close. “Like Frank Sinatra?”
Galen laughed, burying his face in Bede’s neck, his breath warm, the laugh moving his body in a gentle way.
“He was arrested, you know,” whispered Bede into Galen’s hair.
“For what?” Galen didn’t lift his head but instead brushed his nose and lips along the muscles of Bede’s neck, making him shiver.
