Page 56 of On Fire Island

Shep must have been sleeping with one eye open, because he sat up before Ben did.

“I’m coming too.”

Even in the dark, Shep could sense their apprehension.

“What? It’s my bike.”

Ben sat up and mumbled under his breath, “Nowit’s your bike?”

We all laughed.

The four of them lifted the bike in the air at the foot of the stairs and carried it up and over, placing it down on the sand. Wheeling it to the shoreline wasn’t too hard, but getting it into the ocean turned out to be difficult. Every time they thought they had caught a good wave, it took the bike out and then brought it back in again. In the end, Matty and Dylan had to steer it past the first break to really get it out there. We all sat on the sand and watched silently as the moonlit ocean took it away. Eventually, it just disappeared. Shep was the first to break the silence.

“Vivian and Beatrix are gonna be pissed about this,” he said with a big smile.

“Maybe they’ll bond over it,” Ben joked.

“Fat chance.” Shep turned to the kids. “I’m gonna get you that condom to pay you back for this.”

“Matty!” Dylan screamed. “I said no friends!”

Matty jumped up and took off, with Dylan quick on his tail.

“Look at that. She thinks of us as friends,” Shep proudly proclaimed.

We watched as Matty ran serpentine up and down the beach with Dylan chasing close behind. They were both laughing, and it made us laugh too. It always feels good to be around youth. Even when you’re dead, their energy is catching.

“I’m going to Gay Bingo next Tuesday night at Cherry’s in the Grove with Pam and Andie. I’ll pick one up for them there,” Ben told Shep.

Cherry’s is a bar on the east end of the island in one of the two towns that make up the storied gay enclave, Cherry Grove and the Pines. They had been hosting Gay Bingo there once a week for ages. Led by a resident drag queen, attending always makes for a fun change of pace from the Groundhog Day–like existence of Bay Harbor. We usually headed down there a couple of times a summer with Pam and Andie to have dinner, go dancing, or play bingo.

“In this woke-up day and age you’re still allowed to say Gay Bingo? That’s crazy,” Shep observed.

“It’s woke, not woke up, and yes, that’s what Pam and Andie call it, and that’s what it’s called, Gay Bingo,” Ben explained, adding, “but you’re not supposed to say crazy anymore.”

“But you can say Gay Bingo? That’s lame.”

“You shouldn’t say lame.”

“I just shouldn’t speak.”

Ben stood and helped Shep to his feet. “Now that’s an idea I can get behind.”

Shep laughed. “Let’s get some sleep. I want to play ball in the morning.”

As they headed home, I listened to their repartee and was again thankful for their unusual friendship.

“Gay Bingo at Cherry’s?” Shep shook his head in disbelief.

“I’m just going because I promised Julia.”

“That made the cut? No promise to keep the dog off the couch or to phone your mother every Sunday.... I promise I will go to Gay Bingo?”

“Not exactly. She said something about me promising to laugh, and it somehow morphed into that. I haven’t felt up for it all summer, but with one Tuesday night left, I’m kind of out of time.”

Shep slapped Ben on the back. “Well, don’t go picking up some sugar daddy. There’s no room in our bed.”

Ben snorted.

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