Spilling Guts

Part 49 - The Answer

The ice breaker for Will and Jacob had been double servings of sweet potato croquettes, black bean soup, and fried Brussels' sprouts. Vegetable based comfort food. They walked a ways past the boardwalk into a nearby park with benches overlooking a lake and footbridge. They ate their meal before it fully cooled. Noon heat stripped both their jackets off, leaving one in a fitted vest, and the other in a white button-up. Another layer of vulnerability.

The beast between them had to be addressed eventually.

Between bites of croquettes, Will garnered enough courage to ask the first question not associated with getting food.

"How was the drive?" asked Will. Because Jacob looked like he had driven through the night to get to Denver.

Jacob seemed distracted, unable to look Will in the eyes. "From the airport? Short, but one way streets are a pain in any city."

"You flew?" Jacob had rarely splurged on travel arrangements. Will wouldn't call him cheap, but Jacob had been thrifty so he could spend money on more important things.

"Didn't feel like being alone in a car for eight hours."

"Oh." Will wouldn't want to spend all that time in a car while his mind spun in five different directions wither. He paused with his last croquette hanging over the small puddle left of his soup. He had let Jacob linger in dread long enough. "I'm negative."

Jacob's face shot up. "You are?"

"I got checked that same day. Negative."

Jacob sighed, a smile blooming on his lips. "I'm so damn glad to hear that."

Will waited for Jacob to tell him if he was positive or negative. He wanted reassurance too, but Jacob kept mum. Will moved to a new topic.

"Are you still with your law firm?"

"Yeah. They've been talking about moving me up to partner."

Will nodded. "That's good. Congratulations."

"And no, I haven't come out to them." Jacob took a patient breath. "I don't know if it would change their minds at this point, but I'm still a coward."

"I..." What little appetite Will had rallied for their lunch disappeared. He crumpled the last croquette onto his soup. "I was wrong to... I shouldn't have pushed you to come out. Your life should be on your terms."

Will was tempted to throw the rest of his lunch away, but the little voice in the back of his head, that fought for recycle bins and a greener future, yelled "waste not, want not". Will slurped down the thick bean soup in one gulp. And nearly gagged at the consistency.

Mission accomplished, lunch down the hatch. Now what?

"My terms, right," said Jacob, his voice tinged in regret. He scrubbed a napkin over his face, combing crumbs out of his goatee.

After disposing of their lunch trash, the two took a walk around the footpaths and the bridge. They moved in silence, the wounded animal of a past between them limping and whining for someone to talk again. Below the bridge, water rippled from a fountain, peaceful white noise.

Will opened his mint tin and offered it to Jacob. Another peace offering that received awkward silence, but produced fresher breath.

On the edge of Will's vision, a dark shape approached, fast as a dog going after a ball, or a car without breaks. The hair on the back of Will's neck went up, heart throbbing with panic. Will spun around, expecting impact or attack. Instead he tripped over his own feet and started to fall to the side.