Page 106 of Rhymes with Metaphor
“I can hear where I came,” said Joel.
“So will everyone.Which leads us to a point.”
“Which is?”said Joel.
“If you come to this gathering with me, it’ll be obvious those poems are about you.You’ll be outing yourself to everyone there.It’s one thing to come out on paper in my thesis.It’s quite another to come out in person.Martin will be there—he’s in the program, so he has to be, and I expect he’ll be bringing Juliet.Are you sure you want to come tonight?”
“Yes.Do you want me to come?”
“Very much.I want to show you off to everyone.Put on your tangerine shirt, with nothing underneath.”
Joel did and left the top three buttons undone.Reg dressed Joel in the white linen trousers and boat shoes he’d bought him in England.
“I should shave,” said Joel.
“You look good with a bit of scruff,” said Reg.
“Good or older?”
Reg smiled.“Both.And I’ve bought you something special.”He found the suit he’d worn to his defence draped over a chair, felt around in its pockets, and produced a velvet box.Inside was an 18k gold stud, set with a ruby.
“For me?”Joel looked overcome.
“For you.”
Joel stood in front of the bathroom mirror and carefully removed the earring that was already there.
“That’s too plain for you,” said Reg.
“It’s titanium,” said Joel.“It promotes healing.”
Joel inspected the hole in his ear lobe and cleaned it thoroughly with gauze and a solution he squirted from an eyedropper before working the stud in.He flinched.“It’s bigger than my starter.”Joel appraised it in the mirror.“It looks like a drop of blood.”
Reg stood behind Joel and put his arms around him.“You look wild and fetching.”
Joel took Reg’s hand and guided it lower, leaning his head back against Reg.
They were half an hour late to the event and had to park in the farthest corner of the lot.
Reg glanced at Joel.“Nervous?”
“No.You?”
Reg laughed.
Lights blazed brightly outside the Old Mill Pub, and the air was warm, thick with humidity.
Inside, the place was packed.The readings had begun, and the amplified voice of one of Reg’s colleagues rose above the mutter of the audience.Reg led the way in and looked around.The chair was sitting near the stage and caught his eye.Her lips disappeared, as usual.After a quick sweep of the room, Reg spotted Martin at a table and wended his way through the crowd towards him.He was sitting beside Juliet, who was wearing a sleeveless white dress, her blonde hair sleek and shining.Martin’s arm was resting confidently around Juliet’s shoulders.Martin waved when he saw Reg, and Reg claimed one of the empty seats at their table.
“You’re looking uncharacteristically cheerful,” said Martin.“When did you get back?”
“Oh, you know,” said Reg vaguely.“Just now.”
“You missed my defence,” said Martin.
“Did I?How was it?”
“Exceptional.I aced it, of course.”
