“I’m both excited and kinda scared about tomorrow,” Shannon confided.
“You’ll be fine; it’ll be great,” Rusty assured him.
“You both looked so handsome in your tuxes this morning,” Mom beamed.
Shannon blushed. He had looked stunning. Every head was going to turn to stare at his beauty tomorrow, I just knew it. Pride swelled within me. They could look, but he was all mine.
Beeelooooovvvedddcame the whispered agreement.
19
The next day was hectic as hell. Mom had a hairdresser’s appointment while Dad, Shannon, and I went for visits to a Turkish barber for a hair trim and a shave. I’d only seen such methods, the straight razors, hot towels, and etcetera back in my younger days. By the seventies, local barbers I was familiar with only cut hair.
Shannon eyed the barbers warily. “You guys ever slip with those things?” he asked nervously as one of them oiled up the blades.
The man laughed. “No. We’re not Bugs Bunny or Sweeney Todd,” he replied with a saucy wink.
Shannon pinked up while I glared at the man. He just grinned wider, enjoying the rise he got out of me. I looked away and sniffed. Shannon was going home with me, after all. The jealousy was unbecoming to boot. Hadn’t I just yesterday I gloated to myself how he would be the belle of the ball, all eyes on him? Well, then, I mentally chided myself, I needed to cool it because there was bound to be even more flirting tonight.
“It’s all right,” my barber whispered as he adjusted the cape around the nape of my neck to make it fit better. “He’s a happily married man. His man Antonio would spank his behind good if he caught him flirting like this.”
I chuckled then, relaxing. I was being stupid.
“It’s just so new, being able to be out like this, and I’m so crazy over him,” I admitted.
“Ah,” he said, straightening up, giving me a knowing look. “I was the same way with my Azra. You will learn to control these feelings once you truly feel secure that it will last forever.”
If that was true, I was in real trouble. While this human barber meant forever in a figurative sense, I was staring down the barrel of literal eons without Shannon. It had been the same with the others, but Shannon, he was different. If I were a more selfish man, I’d beg to Make him. I loved him far too much for that, though.
Arrakus sent a wave of mournful commiseration at me.Beeelovvveddd.This time, I caught the flash of an image, of two men in a boat that looked similar to those from Polynesia. It was there and gone before I could examine it more closely. Still, it gave me food for thought. Had Arrakus loved and then lost someone? Was it one of the men on that boat?
We spent well over an hour in the barbershop. The nostalgia factor distracted me from my melancholy thoughts, allowing me to relax. I found myself beginning to look forward to the gala, especially the part where I could take my man out onto the dance floor and feel his smooth cheek against mine as we swayed slowly to romantic music.
“I think you guys have spoiled me for regular barbershops,” Shannon told them as dad paid them, making sure to add on a hefty tip.
The three barbers smiled, two of them cleaning the station ready for the next waiting customers sat in an orderly line. The one ringing us up handed Shannon a card. “Our hours are on here. Stop by again soon.”
Shannon took it and smiled brightly, but I knew he thought he’d likely never again have the chance to come in. Well, I was not breaking up with him until the last possible second, which would be after medical school, so he’d have plenty of opportunities to come back. It’d have been never if we could live a normal life together, but that was never on the cards for me. Him, though, that was another matter. Of course, he might tire of me first and dump me for someone else, someone not undead or an unfathomable creature. Another scholarship student perhaps, or someone he’d meet at work after graduation while I put in ridiculous hours studying medicine.
We joined Mom for lunch, where she regaled us with the latest gossip she heard about a rival human contractor, courtesy of his wife sitting in the next chair running her mouth. Thanks to her, Dad now knew the man had placed a sealed bid on a Family project.
“We should let him have it,” Dad said to the table at large. “We can’t pass everything along to ourselves. People will notice the unusual relationship between seemingly separate businesses and people, plus we risk becoming overcommitted. Say a new opportunity suddenly arises. We’d want to be able to snatch that up.’
It was sound advice, I thought. Dad knew his stuff when it came to property.
Mom dotted her mouth delicately with her napkin. “Well, I have to love you and leave you,” she said, getting up. “I have a nail appointment to get to.” She kissed each of us the cheek and then waved good-bye on her way out.
“You boys want dessert?” he asked us.
We didn’t, so he paid, once more adding a good-sized tip.
“It’d be nice if everyone tipped as generously as you,” Shannon said.
Dad looked at him. “It’s bad enough that a lot of places pay the wages they do, but it’s not entirely unselfish on my part. If someone makes good money, they can afford nicer things, and live in more affluent areas. Areas that include condos and apartments my company has built or renovated, and then manage. We don’t just cater to the rich; we do quality housing for all. Housing that’s only affordable if people get paid fairly.” He chuckled. “Plus, I find a place I like, I go back a lot. They get to know me, and they remember I tip well. I always get seated in the best spots possible and the service is always impeccable because they know I’m a good customer they are happy to see. A do unto others situation that usually sees them doing unto you.”
Shannon nodded. I could see him developing a form of hero worship for my surrogate father. That was all well and good and would make things much smoother in the future, but it also presented its share of possible future problems. I decided to not think about those. I had enough sorrow in my life without adding more that might not ever come to pass.
* * *
