“One drink, that’s it,” Rip said. “Now come on, there’s a truck full of boxes to unload, and I’m ready to introduce you to the only good person in my family.”
* * *
“Let me get this straight,” I said. “For an entire two years, you followed Kiss around and set up their pyrotechnics? Were you, like, in the giant bus with the band?”
Grace waved her hand in the air, scoffing. “As if. I trailed behind on my motorcycle,” she said proudly.
“Damn, Rip,” I said, grabbing his arm. “You told me your aunt was special, but I had no idea.”
We were sitting in her living room, with Rip and I cozy on the loveseat and Grace kicked back in her armchair. A bowl of chips and some sodas were on the coffee table, and the gray Seattle light was filtering in through the windows, even with the curtains drawn. The place was a little stuffy, but I knew better than to say something, considering she’d been holed up inside with anxiety for a while.
“She is special,” Rip agreed. “I just can’t believe how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other.”
Grace shrugged. “Next time you go running off, make sure one of us is rich so we can fly back and forth across the country visiting.” She turned to face me, and I noticed the glint in her eyes. Even though they were red and tired, she still had the same flash of energy that I always noticed in Rip’s gaze. “You must be something special, too,” she said to me. “Coming all the way across the country to help out a friend. I remember when Rip first mentioned you in one of his midnight phone calls.”
“What did he say?”
“Not much,” she laughed. “The operator came on and demanded more quarters before he could get much out. But he did say he’d taken a guy under his wing, some boy with a mouth so quick it was going to get him in trouble.”
“Who, me?” I joked. “I mean, I did try to hit on the closeted son of a major drug runner that first week, but he kept giving me the eye!”
“You boys were raising hell,” she said, nodding. “I certainly can’t judge. I was getting up to the same things at that age. I’m just glad we all stuck around long enough to make it here.”
As far as I was concerned, Rip was my only real family in this life. Still, my time in the foster homes taught me that most families didn’t share stories like this. A lot of families kept secrets and tried to present very careful versions of themselves to each other. With Grace, though, it was different. She wasn’t judging us, just like we weren’t judging her. More than that, we understood each other, and I was able to tell stories without pausing to explain myself or defend my behavior.
It felt good, and I was suddenly very optimistic about my time in Seattle.
“What about Rip?” I asked. “Was he always the same guy? Did he used to stand up for all the other gay kids here, like he did when we were living on the street?”
“You correct me if I’m wrong, Rip, but I believe I was the only one in Seattle who knew you were gay.”
“Only one I admitted it to,” Rip said, laying his arm across the back of the couch. “A few other people figured it out, eventually.” From the frown that had clouded his face, I could tell there was an uncomfortable memory or two filling his mind.
Grace, however, didn’t seem to notice. “I’ll tell you this,” she said. “I’m not one bit surprised Rip ended up sticking up for the gay kids you knew. I’m sure he’s told you about the hell his mother put him through. He knew damn well what it was like to have someone punish you for your sexuality.”
“Okay, okay,” Rip said, cutting her off abruptly. “Enough of story time. Anyway, my mother was just as cruel to you before she took off for Florida.” He frowned and cast his eyes toward the ground. After a tense moment, he shook his head quickly. “You two want to play a game of cards or something? I think we’ve got a little time to kill before Mars drags me to the bar.”
“Or you could join us,” I said, following his lead to drop the subject. “Night on the town, Grace?”
Grace flinched a little when I said it, then ran a few strands of gray hair behind her ear nervously. “Not for me. I play pool with my friends every other week, but outside of that, I prefer to spend my nights inside.” She clasped her hands on the arms of her chair, squeezing tightly. “But don’t you two spend all night hanging out with me. Get going! Have fun! Check out the city!” She laughed, but her voice was tense. “I should get to sleep anyway.”
I exchanged a glance with Rip but couldn’t read his expression. When he finally relaxed into a smile again, the tension in the room faded. “Okay, Aunt Grace. Why don’t you get some sleep? Did you take your pills?”
She waved her glass in the air. “Got it, Rippy. You two have a good time. After all, you might be the most eligible bachelors in the city. Don’t keep the Seattle men waiting!”
