Sheila walked up to the table and took Darius’ order. When she left, he said to Myles, “You could have waited for me to get here before you ordered.”
“I’m hungry,” replied Myles as he rubbed his stomach. “Besides, we didn’t know how long you would be in your meeting. What was it about?”
Darius looked at me and replied, “We’re trying to decide how to get Andrews and that Sheriff Morgan fired. Andrews will be easy since we have the tape, but it might be harder to get Morgan.” He took a sip of his coke and continued, “Your dad’s lawyer has been really helpful. He taped that arrest they made of us the other night. He thinks that could do it.”
“He should be fired,” I replied angrily. “After watching what those cops did to you, he should have been fired immediately.”
“What cops?” asked Darius. “I only saw what Andrews did to me. According to Mr. Abrams, nothing will be done to him until we go to court.”
“The other cops,” I said. “The ones who arrested you and threw you in the car.”
“I don’t remember much about that,” he said. “After Andrews kicked me in the head, I don’t remember too much.”
I asked, “You don’t remember the others picking you up off the ground, handcuffing you, patting you down and throwing you into the back of the car?” He shook his head and said he didn’t remember.
“I videoed it,” I informed him. I then remembered the officer taking my phone before I had a chance to upload it to Facebook. “Damn,” I muttered. When Myles asked me what was wrong, I explained how they had taken my phone. By now, they had probably deleted the evidence.
Darius suggested, “You should tell Mr. Abrams. Maybe he can get the phone back.”
Myles replied, “They've probably wiped it clean by now.” We talked for a few more minutes before Sheila brought us our dinner.
As we ate, Myles suggested that we should do something when we finished. Darius reminded him that it was Monday, a school night. “So?” he asked sarcastically. “Do we turn into a pumpkin or something at midnight?”
“No,” giggled Darius. “You’ll turn into a princess.”
“Oh, goody,” laughed Myles as he clapped his hands. “I hope my ball gown is white.”
I spit out my water when Darius replied, “Only virgins wear white.”
Myles sneered at him and said, “Then, I’ll borrow yours, Sweetie.” We were laughing so hard that Charlie had to come over to the table to tell us we were making too much noise. Myles started to say something sarcastic, but Charley gave him a warning look. We laughed when Myles pretended to zip his lips shut.
We talked for a few more minutes about what we could do on a Monday night. Darius suggested that we could go back to his house and play some video games. Myles whined that he wasn’t good at games, but he said he would go along because he didn’t want to go home yet.
I followed Darius and Myles to Darius’ home. Since I had taken him home a few days earlier, I knew where I was going. It still amazed me, though, that a neighborhood like Darius’ was located in Rosemont. When I got out of the car, Myles pointed down the street. “I live in the house with the tall oak tree in the front yard.” It looked very similar to Darius’ house.
When we entered, Darius hollered out, “Mother!”
“I’m in the kitchen,” replied a female voice. I followed him into the kitchen where a very pretty lady was sitting at the counter drinking coffee. She gave me a puzzled look when she noticed me standing behind Myles.
She rose, kissed Darius and Myles on the cheek. She then stood before me. “And who are you? I’ve never met you, have I?”
“No, Ma’am,” I replied nervously. “I’m Parker Frazier.”
“Parker?” She smiled and her eyes lit up. “So, you are Parker? My husband and Darius have talked a lot about you.” I tensed when she leaned forward and pulled me into a hug. “Welcome to our home.” I stepped back and smiled as I quickly glanced over at Darius.
He grabbed his mother’s arm and pulled her away. “Enough, Mother,” he laughed. “You don’t want to run him away on his first visit.”
She gave me a sly wink and said, “I don’t think this will be his last.” She motioned at the counter. “Sit, Boys, and I’ll get you something to drink.”
Myles held out his hand and said, “I’ll have a gin and tonic.”
Darius’ mother reached for her cellphone. “Let me call your parents and see if it is alright with them.”
We laughed when Myles dramatically threw up his hand and said, “Never mind. I’ll have a coke.”
Mrs. Moore handed us a coke, and then she opened a big bag of chips, placed them in a bowl and put them on the table. “Are you boys hungry? I can make you a sandwich.” Darius informed her that we had just eaten at Charley’s. “How is he doing? I haven’t seen Charley in weeks. Your father is too busy to take me to dinner anymore.”
“He’s doing okay,” replied Darius.
Mrs. Moore sat down opposite me. “So, you’re Parker?” My face began to redden. “My husband and son have told me so much about you.” She reached across the counter and held my arm. “Thank you for helping my son.”
I glanced quickly at Darius. I had no idea what to say. I wasn’t sure how much she knew was happening. I didn’t recall seeing her at the protest on Sunday. Darius smiled slightly and scooted his chair closer to me. Myles giggled and said, “Oh, oh. He’s moving in to protect his prey.” Mrs. Moore laughed and slapped him gently on his hand.
“I don’t mean to pry,” she said as she smiled warmly at me. “But you’re all Darius and my husband discuss at dinner.” She squeezed my arm tighter. “You’ve made quite an impression on both of them.” My face reddened even deeper. I had no idea what to say. Fortunately, Myles was able to lighten up the situation.
“Mrs. Moore,” he said excitedly. “I have a date next week, and I just don’t know what to wear.” He scooted closer to her and opened his phone. He searched for photos section and pointed the phone in her face. “Do you like the green shirt or the black one?”
“The green one,” she said after examining them for a moment. I thought I would fall off my seat when she added. “That is, if you’re planning on something afterwards. If not, the black shirt will do.”
Myles laughed and replied, “The green shirt it is.”
We laughed when Darius mumbled, “Slut.” Myles held up his hand and snapped his fingers. He took a final drink of his soda and said he had to go home. “Hot date?” laughed Darius. Myles started to say something sarcastic, but Mrs. Moore was standing behind Darius. I giggled when I saw the look on her face. It was obvious that she knew Myles too well.
He waved and said, “Bye, Loves.” He walked over to the door and opened it. Before leaving, he turned and stuck his tongue out at us.
Mrs. Moore sat down and asked, “What do you boys have planned for tonight?”
“I don’t know,” replied Darius. “We had dinner at Charley’s, and we didn’t want to just call it a night.” He looked around the room and asked, “Where is Dad? I thought he would be home by now.”
Mrs. Moore sighed and answered, “You know your father. He called and said he was on his way home, but then he called back ten minutes later and said Mrs. Thompson had been rushed to the hospital. He’s there praying for her.” She looked at the clock. “I hope he isn’t out all night.”
Darius looked at me and asked me what I wanted to do. I shrugged my shoulders. Since I had never been to his house, I didn’t know much about him. I wanted to ask him if he was a gamer, but he didn’t appear to be the kind of person who would spend all night, like me, playing video games. When Mrs. Moore reached across the table, gripped my arm and said, “Tell me something about you, Parker,” Darius rose, grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.
“Let’s go to my room,” he said. “If she starts the Spanish Inquisition, you’ll never get away.”
“I’m not that bad,” she insisted. “I just want to know a little bit about Parker, is all.”
Darius smiled and replied, “By the end of your questioning, you’ll know what color underwear he’s wearing.”
She grinned and said, “Blue Calvin Kleins.”
My eyes widened. “How did you know?” I shrieked as I lifted my shirt, pulled up my underwear to see what I was wearing.” They were blue Calvin Kleins.
“I happened to notice when I was standing behind you, and you bent over to pull up your socks,” she laughed. Darius grabbed my hand and pulled me from the kitchen.
The Moore home is a tri-level. I followed him downstairs to the family room. It is a large room with a 65” flat-screen television. There is also a large leather sofa and two matching lazy boy recliners facing the television. A large bookcase is located on the back wall. It appeared like a room where a person could be very comfortable watching television at night. A movie was on, but the sound was turned down. I followed Darius to a room off to the right. He opened a door to his bedroom.
It was nothing like I thought it would be. Darius seems so together, but his room is an unorganized mess. Clothes were on the floor and the bed was unmade. Books were scattered around the room. On one side was a large computer desk filled with papers and books. Another large bookcase was along a wall, but it was very unorganized.
Darius stood back and grinned. “Well, Parker, what do you think?”
I giggled and replied, “You’re a pig.” I looked around the room. “How can you find anything?”
He replied, “I read that you’re not a messy person if you know where things are.”
“How can you know where anything is?”
He walked over to the bed, tossed some clothes off and pulled the covers over the bed. He then sat down and toed off his shoes. I reluctantly walked over and sat down beside him. “Let me explain,” he began. “My life is always so organized. Everyone expects me to be Mr. Perfect. I’m everything to everybody.” He sighed and lay back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. “I just need someplace where I can be me. When I come in here, I forget about everything that is going on in the outside world.” He sat up and kicked a sock on the floor. “Does that make any sense to you?”
“I think so,” I replied. “I feel the same way.” I looked around the room and laughed. “Although, I have to keep my room clean.”
“I like my room like this,” he said. “It’s the only place I can be me. In the morning, I’ll get dressed and give the world what they want. But right now, I’m me.”
I giggled, picked up a dirty shirt off the floor and asked, “But how can you look so nice when your clothes are strewn all over the room?” He rose, walked across the room and opened a door which led to a large closet. Inside, clothes hung neatly on hangers. Shirts lined one side, and pants lined another. There were several shelves filled with neatly folded sweaters. Shoes were organized on the floor.
“This,” he said as he waved his arms around the closet, “is the Darius Moore others want. This is where I begin each day as the man others expect to see.”
I just stood and stared at him. “You’re amazing,” I said admiringly. “I’ve never met anyone like you. When I approached, he closed his eyes. I leaned forward and kissed him. He shuddered at first, but then he relaxed and put his arms around me. We kissed again more passionately.
He finally pulled away and muttered, “Wow!”
“Yeah,” I smiled. “Wow!”
We stared into each other’s eyes as we embraced. His brown eyes sparkled. I couldn’t believe how beautiful he looked. He is perfect. I felt he had just jumped out of a magazine and into my arms. The way he was looking at me, I felt he was thinking the same thing too. He leaned in, gave me a quick kiss and then pulled away. He walked back to his bed and sat down. I sat beside him and held his hand.
Darius looked into my eyes and asked, “Where do we go from here?”
“What do you mean?”
He squeezed my hand tightly. “Me and you,” he replied. “We can’t just think this is all.” He kissed me again very gently. “I really like you, Parker. I don’t want this to be just a one-time thing.”
“I don’t either,” I said as I squeezed his hand gently. “I like you too.”
He scooted back on the bed and rested his back against the wall. “But where do we go from here,” he repeated.
I scooted beside him. “I don’t know,” I replied sadly. I knew what he was talking about. We are from different worlds, and it would be difficult for us to fit into the other. Perhaps, I could fit into his. His family and friends seemed to accept me. However, that was just a small number. Were the rest of his friends as racist as mine? Would they find our relationship unnatural? Not because we are gay, but because we are interracial. I know it wouldn’t be unusual. I’ve seen enough movies to understand that interracial couples do exist, and they are accepted. However, that is Hollywood. It makes everything seem normal and accepted. But would it be accepted in Somerset and Rosemont? They are two different worlds outside of movie fantasy. Darius and I would be living in a real world filled with hate and contempt.
He sighed and closed his eyes. “I don’t want to deal with this right now,” he said softly as he squeezed my hand. “At the moment, this feels right.” I closed my eyes when he leaned over and kissed me. He fell onto his back, and we continued to kiss as I climbed on top of him.
He pulled his lips from mine and said breathlessly, “I’ve never been with a man.”
“I know,” I replied before realizing what I had said. He smiled as if he didn’t hear what I had said. “I’ll teach you,”
We spent the next hour getting to know each other's body. I knew Darius had never been with a man, and I had only been with Ray. I didn't want to rush him the first time. I knew I could wait, although it was difficult. I kept telling him to do what he felt comfortable doing. I was surprised how eager he was to try to please me.
“That was wonderful,” he said as he gave me a kiss. “I’ve always wondered what my first time would be like.” He kissed me again quickly. “I’m glad it was with you.”
“Me, too,” I replied as I kissed him.
Suddenly, we heard his father yell up the stairs, “Darius! Parker! I need to see you in my office.”
Darius ran to the door and hollered, “We’ll be there in a minute, Dad.” He closed the door, ran across the room, jumped on the bed and started kissing me.
My heart stopped when he muttered, “I love you, Parker.”