Page 25 of Sinful Crimes for the Artistically Inclined
“I don’t need anything from your step brother,” she snapped.
“Half brother,” Percy corrected gently. “Michael’s half brother too. He’d like to help.”
“We’ll be fine,” she repeated, calm, but in that unnervingly calm way so many mothers say things when they’re pissed off.
And that was Percy’s cue to leave. Yet he stalled, because he hated to end it on that note. So he said, hopefully, “I’m taking someone with me.”
“Someone?” His mother hit the word with teasing incredulity. “Who is it this time?”
Percy doubled his effort to keep that smile on his face. “‘This time,’” he repeated. He tried to laugh the words out. “No, he’s very nice. I think he’s?—”
“What happened to Giordano?” She cut him off without so much as a glance, watching Yoshi’s Island all the while. “I liked Giordano.”
Percy grit his teeth, but he kept the smile. “We broke up years ago. About four years, in fact.”
“Did you? I can’t keep track of your life.”
The truly hurtful thing was that he told her very little about his life these days, so there wasn’t much to keep track of. He tried one last time. “This man that I’ve started seeing, he’s?—”
“Did you know Michael’s back at school?”
Finally, the smile fell, but only for as long as it took Percy to look down at the floor, remind himself that she wasn’t well, and muster up the energy to say, “Yes, I did know that.” After all, he’d paid for the uniforms, the books, the extracurriculars his mother had deemed superfluous. He quizzed Michael on it in a friendly manner for a few more minutes, then stood to leave.
His mother kissed his cheek, hugged him, told him to stay safe, then disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving him to let himself out. He said one last goodbye to Michael and made his way to the door with the usual sinking heart.
But Michael stopped him abruptly with the question, “Is it Joe?”
“I’m sorry?” Percy had heard him loud and clear, but the surprise of it threw him.
“Is it Joe that you’re going away with?” Michael had paused the game, and was looking at him. Or rather,intohim. Straight into his mind, it felt like.
“Yes, it’s Joe.”
“I can smell him on you.” Percy, bewildered, gave a slow and slight sniff of his shoulder. He’d parted from Joe three hours prior and showered since. He wasn’t sure whether to be embarrassed or terrified. Then Michael said, as flatly as he’d said all the rest, “Please come back.”
Despite the double-tap of his heart, Percy still liked to imagine he was mollycoddling a child. “Of course I’ll be back. I’ll see you soon.”
The eyes pierced him. “No. Really. I’ll be sad if you die.”
“I won’t die,” Percy said mechanically.
“You should tell Joe what you’re thinking of doing. He’s nice. He’d take care of you.”
It was rare that anything scared Percy, but this did. And that fear was only slightly alleviated when Michael sprinted across the room and flung himself into Percy’s arms for a final farewell. Percy hugged him, kissed his cheek, then, just as quickly as humanly possible, he closed the door on his family.
Given that his hands were shaking, it took a little longer than usual to get the cigarette to his mouth. He walked triple fast down the lawn with the smoke gliding down his throat, and by the time he’d made it to his car, he’d convinced himself the strange interaction had been his mind playing tricks. The child-like intelligence of a damaged man babbling out barely coherent nonsense.
Like hell did Michael have any idea of what he was planning to do.
And like hell would he ever tell Joe.
Two hours later, Percy arrived at the airport bar where they’d agreed to meet. Joe was the very first thing he saw, before Joe saw him. He was waiting at a bench with two tall beers. He looked fresh and excited, in a soft-looking grey sweater. Gorgeous. Utterly beautiful. Unutterably sweet.
Percy could have left.
Just walked away and left Joe to his life.
Maybe that would have been the kinder thing to do.
