The City of Rossford

The light that fell into their basement apartment was grey white, and when Brendan woke up the furnace was whirring and then it began to roar. He turned to his side and Kenny was still asleep, splayed more like someone who had been knocked out than someone who had fallen asleep. It disturbed Brendan, and he climbed out of the covers and tried to move the other naked young man to a better position.

As he did, Kenny lunged out a little, before waking, then shaking his head he moaned: “Bren?”

“It’s just me, Ken,” Brendan told him.

Kenny nodded.

They were quiet, and then Kenny said, “I need the bathroom.”

He was gone a while, and Brendan climbed out of bed, pulled on a pair of trunks and went into the kitchenette to turn on the coffee pot. He leaned against the counters, crossing his legs and folding his bare arms over his chest, looking at the pot in the darkness of the kitchenette, waiting for it to begin percolating. He had to get in the bathroom. He hoped Kenny wouldn’t take a long time. He hoped Kenny wasn’t doing anything that would make the bathroom unpleasant to follow him into.

The toilet flushed and Brendan made for it.

When he came out, whistling, his hands washed, Kenny was standing there, in tee shirts and sleep pants and he handed Brendan clothes as well. They got dressed and went into the kitchen. Kenny flipped on the light and put down a yogurt. Brendan took out cups and coffee creamer. Sugar.

They did everything in silence and Kenny flipped open the yogurt top. He stuck in his spoon.

They both sighed.

Brendan put a hand to his mouth and breathed.

“My breath.”

“Smells like coffee. Coffee covers everything.”

Kenny dug his spoon around a little and then sighed, shaking his head.

Brendan turned from the contemplation of his yogurt, to his boyfriend.

“I wanna die right now,” Kenny said.

Upstairs, in the living room, Todd explained: “Brendan was supposed to go to the store with Fenn, but he might not because Kenny’s torn up.”

“About?” Milo sat down on the old sofa.

“The girl who died. Didn’t your sister know her?”

“Robin? Yeah,” Dena said.

“She was Kenny’s cousin.”

“Shit,” Dena and Milo said together.

“He didn’t tell me that,” Milo said.

Dena looked at him.

“I’m his best friend, and he didn’t tell me that.”

“Maybe he and Bren wanna be alone,” Dena said.

“Fuck that,” Milo said, grabbing his coat. “You hang tight, Deen. I’ll be back.”

Dena watched her husband leave the house and Todd said, “What about you?”

“I didn’t know her,” Dena said. “And there’s nothing worse than someone who doesn’t really care pretending to.”

While Fenn coughed in the corner, Todd raised an eyebrow at his niece.

“What?” she said. “And besides… I’m not going to say this around anyone but you all, but what was that homely girl doing hanging around in the parking lot with those boys? She should have fucking known better.”

Dena folded her arms over her chest, frowning in contemplation over the horror of the last few weeks.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Dena said. She shook her head. “How could I forget? It’s the most wonderful news. But I better wait til Miles is back—”

The front door burst open, but it wasn’t Milo. It was an excited Claire Lawden and her husband.

Claire waved a stick around and shouted.

“Its blue! It’s true! I’m pregnant!”

As Fenn and Todd clapped their hands and approached her, Dena said, “You bitch!”

They all looked at her.

She stood there frowning, and then she stood there smiling.

“You stole my fucking thunder.”

Todd looked from his niece to Fenn’s and he said, slowly, “Both… of you?”

Claire and Dena looked at each other, mouths open.

Fenn took Dena’s hand and led her across the living room, and then he took Claire’s hand. He stood between the two young women, and now he kissed them both on their foreheads, squeezing their hands, bringing them both into his light embrace.

From the perch on her sofa, Radha Hatangady sat staring at the fat black Buddha on the stereo.

“This isn’t good,” she said.

Layla and Will sat across from them on the love seat and Mark in old corduroys, his hair uncut, said nothing. Aidan Michaelson had just returned from the kitchen with a Sprite.

“It’s not good for anyone,” Radha said. “I can’t believe that girl died like that.”

“I’ll light a candle for her spirit,” Aidan said.

Layla looked up at him and said, “Sprite? This early?”

Aidan wagged a finger, “That’s why we didn’t last, Lawden.”

“What will this do to the case?” Will said.

They all looked at him.

“Everyone was wondering the same thing,” he said, after a moment.

“He’s right,” Layla said.

Radha kept looking at the Buddha.

“Rads?” Mark said.

“Yes,” she said, not looking at Mark.

“I know what this has done to you. I know how you feel. And… I know how you feel about having Russell in the house with us.”

Radha said nothing.

“Radha, would you look at me.”

At last, she did.

“I know how all of this has made you feel. But the way it’s made me feel, the way all this… life being fragile makes me feel is...”

She looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

“Radha Hatangady. Will you marry me?”

There was a little gasp in the room, but Radha said, without change of expression.

“Yes, Mark. Of course I will.”

“Great!” Aidan clapped his hands together. “That’s great and fucking about time.”

Radha looked at Aidan, and gave a small smile before her expression changed.

“What?” Layla asked.

But Radha looked at her fiancé and said, “Mark? Where is Russell?”

As Russell Turner climbed the little hill he whistled.

Follow the drinkin gourd

Follow the drinkin gourd

For the old man is coming

To carry you to freedom

Follow the drinkin gourd!

He could hear the humming, he could hear the rushing. Last night when he’d heard about Robin on the news, the sound of the train outside went through him like lightning. It called to him. So now he climbed up. He stood there on the tracks. It was getting louder and louder, coming closer and closer with no way of stopping. The wind increased in his face as he heard it roaring, and he wished he’d tied his shoelaces to the rails, or could bind his whole body there, anything to keep him anchored.

He hummed a little as it roared.

It was coming.

It was coming.

It was filling his ears

Filling his vision, shaking his body.

In a strange way filling his mouth.

It was…

Light.