Page 27 of Out of the Storm

“Folks, would you believe that Trumbull County hasn’t ever had a tornado before?”

Christ, Gare, there was one less than ten years ago. What a lazy try this was. Still, Jeff couldn’t stifle a smile. As soon as the program ended, he called Gary.

“Hello?”

“Lazy.”

“Wow, I’ve never had a telemarketer insult me before. I’ll have to report this to someone.” Pause. “Say, Jeff, who would I reportyou to? Do telemarketers have to follow some sort of standard like us radio producers?”

“Trumbull County had a tornado in ’78.”

“Yeah, I know. I remember it. Wasn’t very big, though.”

“Don’t you care about your credibility?” Jeff teased.

“Who else, besides you, listens to my closing lines? It’s eleven!”

“Why are you on so late?”

“Eh, mostly to keep busy. I can squeeze in a couple of ads too. Discounted because of the hour, of course.”

“I help keep you busy now, though.”

“That you do,” Gary said before Jeff heard him let out a long and exaggerated sigh. “Sorry. Just relaxing on the love seat. Phone barely reaches. I think I need a longer cord.”

“Yeah, mine can’t even reach the bed. I’m on the floor.”

“I think a shopping trip is in order.”

“Sure. Why not?”

Jeff’s chest was tingling with that fucking warmth again, like it always did whenever Gary suggested that they spend more time together in person. Which hadn’t happened much. Mostly, they were only phone friends. It was probably better this way, though, because Jeff could have a little privacy with his crush. Gary had a tendency to make him smile too much.

“Do you think we’ll ever see a tornado here like the ones you see out west?” Gary asked.

“Eh, probably not,” Jeff said. His Goddamn cheeks were starting to hurt from the incessant smiling. “Which is really fucking fortunate because this house doesn’t have a basement.”

“Wow! I thought every house had a basement.”

“Nope.”

“Geez, well, I’m happy we’re so far east, then,” Garysaid. “So, how was work?”

“It was okay,” Jeff said. “Someone smeared shit on a changing table.”

“Boy, I bet that was fun to clean,” Gary said through a laugh. “Very impolite, you know, of that baby not to think of the poor custodial workers.”

Jeff laughed a bit. “Uh, I’m mad at the mom, not the baby.”

“Don’t ruin the fun. It’s much more fun to blame the baby.”

“I think you have issues.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Through a chuckle, Jeff asked, “How was school?”

“Not bad. I think one of my students has a crush on me, though.”

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