Page 90 of Resilience on Canvas

“Well, maybe, but I wouldn’t want to live in no tent. I mean, I can’t have my family livin’ somewhere like this.”

Henry sighed and said, “Gosh, yeah. I hope we can find work in the city.” He tilted his chin up, motioning toward Joe and Rose’s stopped car. Rose was climbing out, and the man they had beentalking to had restarted his walk toward the camp. “Here we go. Rose will know somethin’.”

Henry and Robert climbed out of the car.

“Who was that?” Robert asked, shutting the door behind him.

“His name’s Wilfred Johnson. He's walking to that camp up ahead,” she said, pointing toward the tents. “He says he has a cousin staying there. He was staying there before, too, but he tried to find work in the city.”

Robert and Henry continued walking toward the other car.

“Guessin’ this means he couldn’t find nothin’,” Robert said.

“No, he couldn’t,” Rose confirmed. She offered them a sympathetic-looking half smile, but her sweetness couldn’t stop Henry’s stomach from lurching. Holy heck, no work in the city. Rose continued, “But, look, he had to be twenty years older than the four of us. I think that we’ll have better luck than he had. Truly.”

Her false optimism only made Henry’s stomach churn harder. What if they couldn’t find work? Maybe they’dhaveto live in a tent, then. Oh, Lord.

“Did he say how much the farm here pays?” Robert asked.

Rose replied, “I couldn’t bring myself to ask.”

Robert let out an irritated huff. Henry winced. Even though he wanted to help Robert feel better, he couldn’t make himself move. He was too busy feeling sick from the way his worry was continuing to mash his intestines into a mush fit to make a batch of potato pancakes.

“Alright, well, let’s head out,” Robert said, turning and taking hold of Henry’s sleeve. Robert’s roughyankreminded Henry of when they’d first met, and it helped settle his stomach enough that he managed a smile. When Henry still must have been moving too slow for Robert’s liking, Robert pulled him once more. “Quit stallin’, Hen!”

Robert’s harsh tone made Henry’s stomach swoop in a mighty pleasant way.

Once they reached the truck, Robert nudged Henry toward the passenger side. Henry was still smiling to himself. Guess Robert was too mad to sit without no way to occupy himself now and wanted to take over for the rest of the trip.

Robert pressed the starter button and pulled up on the choke to start the engine, his swift movements practically oozing some of that still-rumbling irritation he must have been feeling. Henry bit his lip. God, he’d love for Robert to be that forceful with him someday while they were in bed together. Just pin him to the mattress and take what he wanted, pleasure-wise. Whatever it was.

While the engine sputtered and roared to life, Robert looked over to meet Henry’s eyes, and he had to have seen the lust in them because he smirked and said, “What?”

Henry blew out a long breath and fanned himself.

“Robert, that temper of yers, it fires me up too,” he teased.

Robert continued to stare for a few seconds—his eyebrows upturned and mouth slightly open—but then he threw his head back and started cackling.

“Jesus, Hen, what iswrongwith you?” he said, through a laugh. He let out what was probably supposed to be another one of those irritated huffs, but he was still smiling so it wasn’t nearly as impactful. “Dammit, now I’m happy! Son of a bitch, I’m supposed to be burnin’ up over the fact that we might not find work in San Francisco, but you ruined it.” He took Henry by the shirt collar and pulled him close. “Goddamn bastard.”

Humming, Henry said, “I love you.”

“Yeah, I love you too,” Robert said with a sigh, releasing Henry’s now-rumpled shirt. “Well, let’s keep headin’ to the city. I’m sure Charles Sherwood will make me mad within the first twenty minutes of seein’ him.”

“Probably,” Henry said. “Gosh, I better say a prayer that we can find some privacy, then.”

“Stop that,” Robert chastised. “Or it’ll be a real uncomfortable ride for both of us.”

Henry only chuckled. He nearly said sorry, but he wasn’t sorry, really. He was having too much fun. And clearly Robert was too. Henry couldn’t help but feel relief that he had found a way, even if it was a silly one, to make Robert feel better.

Robert pulled onto the road, stepping heavy on the gas to catch up with Rose and Joe.

After a few minutes, Robert said, “Do youthink we’ll find work somewhere?”

Henry shrugged. “Maybe?”

“Yeah, that’s a ‘no.’”

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