Page 32 of Gold Rush
Dean was at the window, staring out of it. Goldie startled him a little when he set his hands on Dean’s shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“Just worried. I doubt if they give up that easily, especially finding out their money is gone.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it right now. Besides, I’ll take care of you.”
“I hope you’re all taking care of each other. I’d hate to see any of you hurt.”
Chapter Nine
Hippycalledameetingat Murphy’s apartment, and Goldie was worried. They didn’t call the meeting usually, not unless it was news about jobs, and then they’d do that in the basement.
As soon as everyone was gathered, sans Eazy and the kids, due to their recent departure for Seattle, everyone stared Hippy’s way.
“Guys, I needed to tell you something, and I hate it, but for my own head, I gotta go for a while.”
Everyone gasped, but it was Cosmo who looked stricken. “Wh-why? What’s wrong?”
Hippy couldn’t even turn his eyes to the guy that everyone knew Hippy loved. “It’s nothing any of you need to worry about. I’m not leaving for good. I just have to go for a while. I’ll be back, but I figured, hey, with Dean here, maybe you can have him fill in for me at the bar, and then he can buss or wait tables besides. If he’s okay with that.”
Goldie assured, “He’ll do whatever he needs to. We just want you to be okay, Hip.”
Abs was in tears. “We’ll miss you so much!”
“I’ll miss you too, babe. I just need…”
“A break,” Murphy said. “We’ve been really busy, stressed, a lot of heavy shit happening, and that’s all on top of personal shit that we’re all dealing with. You go, you do what you gotta do, and you know this is our home. Always. Just let at least one of us know where you are at all times, in case we need to talk to you.”
“For sure, and I’ll get you all up on all the weaponry you might ever need. I’ll wait and leave next month.”
Cosmo got up and left, but no one tried to stop him. Yeah, he loved Talon, but he’d grown close to Hippy, very close. They were rarely separated, and many of them felt that Cosmo returned Hippy’s feelings of…more than friendship.
Mims followed him out after hugging Hippy around the neck. Goldie held Abs close as he sobbed, and he felt tears of his own falling. “This is rough, man.”
He nodded, sniffing back his own tears. “I just…”
“No, man, you don’t have to say anything. Don’t explain. We’re all here for you, and we support you, no matter what,” Goldie scolded.
“Thanks.”
Goldie carried Abs to his room and sat with him while he cried. “Remember when it was…easy? When we just had a bunch of fun, performing on the weekends, getting into some cool jobs where I could break into a place and impress everyone? Where we could all impress each other.”
He nodded and added, “Then get back to day to day. We’d meet in the common rooms two or three times a day, sit on the terrace, even in the cold. When little Mick was born, we were all like proud uncles. Yeah, baby boy, I miss all that.”
“It was before everyone started to fall in love. Cosmo, then Mims and now you! I’m never going to. I refuse.”
“Don’t blame us for that, Abs. The only one leaving is the one in love with someone and he thinks he can’t have them.”
“Well, what if we talked to Taran?”
Goldie sighed, “What have you got brewing now, Absie?”
“Nothing terrible! Just maybe, let him know that…that Hippy is a great guy, and maybe…”
“Yeah, I get it, but we can’t interfere that way. What if Taran broke up with Cosmo to make way for Hippy? What if it broke Cosmo’s heart? You know it would.”
Slumping again, Abs mumbled, “You’re right, and I hate when you’re right.”
“I know, baby. Let me go talk to Cosmo. That reaction…”
