"There I was! He thought it was sexy to have me all covered all with his... you know"
Poor Charlie took another swig of beer he had bought earlier. This was a bad idea... bad, bad, bad idea. He looked at his watch and it had been only an hour since his date got there. He had exams to study for and a paper to write for his grief and loss course. This was the worst date yet - I'm going to strangle Joe.
****************************
It was a typical Prince George April - the weather was still nippy and the snow was barely there. That is, the snow that was left was the very example of how stubborn the winter was in Prince George, BC. He lived there for roughly six years and he still hadn't got accustomed to the winters in Prince George. The summers were warm but short, the winters long and bitter and the springs were nothing but a hope. Around town, the people had lost their patience with one another and had begun to be rather rude to each other. For Poor Charlie, being the benevolent peacemaking social work student he was, he was loaded onto with most of friends' problems and woes of living in such a horrid place.
He had one friend in particular - a friend that was the worst drama queen Charlie has ever known. Joe Cappo Gino. Joe barked loudly about his crummy lawn and how all the dog crap aromated his lawn and how it would deter the cats. The cats in turn would run around the house to burn off their cabin fever. From there, his boyfriend, who was allergic to cats, sneezed all the time and took his crankiness out on Joe and would leave for a few days at a time to be stay at his mom's place. If that wasn't enough problems for Joe, his boyfriend's mom was a needy woman who protected her little boy. Which meant she didn't want her baby to be taken away. Which made Joe's life difficult by always picking up the phone and taking her sweet time to get his boyfriend. This would not be so bad if his boyfriend did not pay rent... but he did... and thus Charlie, the angel in Joe's hell was there to save the day. Charlie had about three lattes and two slices of banana loaf - and approximately twenty peeks at his cell to check the time.
As an apology, Joe decided to set Charlie up with a date, "Boy or girl Charlie? I have both in stock."
Charlie said "Someone interesting."
****************************
How does one describe the Rupe? It was a bar that was both fantastic and rather grimy. It was once the jewel of gay culture in town but now it has aged and seems to be stuck in the scene when Britney Speares was famous for melting down into a horrible state of mind. From that point in time, the crowd soon moved away from glitters and shiny clothes to an underground scene that where the men and women would wear clothes more appropriated for goth clubs or worse yet, furry parties - Prince George wasn't big enough for that and thus, a conglomerate of these special interest groups moved into the Rupe.
Sitting at a table with "B + J = Good Head" etched on it, Charlie sat there with his deep blue button up shirt rolled at the sleeves and his collar unbuttoned. He also re-arranged his hair so that it was messy - a style tip from Joe - and he managed to reduce his stubble down to a more chic presentation. He was rubbing his chin in thought about inhibiting drugs for his chemical addictions course when he noticed a woman walked into the bar and was wearing what looked like a neon costume.
He liked - rather loved - observing train wrecks; so he kept looking. What he saw more clearly was a girl with several piercings and various layers of garment in hot pink or violent green/yellow patterns. He noticed that her hair was spiked and shot up in the back. Her front was uniquely controlled - that is, her face was presentable and her features delicate. Despite having a pancake full of make-up on, she was pretty. Pretty face or not, she's rather tough looking and stands like a hockey player.
She stood there, scoping out the room and squingting her heavily painted eyelashes. She saw something, opened her eyes wider and smiled a brilliant white set of teeth. She strode over to Charlie - stomp, stomp, stomp went her army boots - and swished her skirt full of buttons - clack clack clack - and shot her hand out to Charlie.
****************************
"So . . . what do you do for a living?" She sat there, trying to smile. Somehow, Charlie felt she was only acting interested by the way she kept glazing her eyes around the room while fiddling with her phone, "Joe told me that you were smart and down to earth."
"Well the thing is -"
"It's kinda boring here."
"I, uh . . er, what?"
"I want some entertainment."
Charlie felt his face turn red. Diva, please... He wanted to pipe up and say that this may have been a mistake but he also didn't want Joe to feel bad about this so he decided that he was going to put up with this girl. Although the amount of time to spend with her was up for debate.
"So what were you saying? Where do you work again?" Charlie wasn't encouraged at all. She was picking her ear and undressing the waiter with her eyes as he served them another jug of beer.
"Um. . . well I'm going to school to become a social worker -"
"Really? oh yeah - " She looked down at her phone.
"But I have a few years left. My instructors said becuase I'm young-"
"Oh yeah, that's cool -" She slid it open and started to text
"I can complete my degree nad have time to gain a lot of experience."
"Huh..." Looking at her phone still texting furiously.
"And I like getting roughed by beefy men. My safety word is harder."
"Good for you", without skipping a beat with her texting.
****************************
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Charlie blurted out as Joe sat down at the table. It was noon and the rain was steady and cold.
"Hey Charlie, I'm sorry but I met the girl a few times -"
"And decided, Gee, she looks crazy enough for Charlie, let's see what happens!" Charlie crossed his arms and looked darkly at his mug. He was so angry, his nostrils flared and his face stoic and bold. Joe hated when Charlie was angry like this.
"Hey babe -"
"Don't you babe me Joe. Don't. You. Dare." They sat there in silence.
Joe was sat awkwardly and stared out the window. Charlie never got mad; he usually bottled it up and told Joe over text messages. I guess assertive training is making Charlie more honest and upfront about his feelings. Joe looked down at his coffee. Well, what little drops were left in the beige ceramic cup. He thought for sure that a confident, out-going girl like Cyndi would have made a great impression on Charlie. She told Joe that her impression of Charlie was that he was hairy, too skinny and simply not her type. She mentioned that he liked it rough with men which got Joe thinking gratuitous images. The deal breaker, for Cyndi, was he need for safety words. Safety words? Joe thought.
"I'm really sorry, Charlie." Joe felt like crawling away. He felt his insides turn and twist - as though he should have been gutted for the worst date he could have set up one of his closest friends.
Charlie couldn't bear to watch Joe look sad. Joe had a fine features; fit, hairless and the beauty of a young man. Joe was always chased by young men - teens more or less and Joe had perfected a way to beat off these teens. Who knew an older step brother can come in handy? Joe's older brother was always there to scare off the boys. Charlie on the other hand, Joe never did ask his brother to meet Charlie. "It's okay," with a slightly pleasant tone to his voice, "I just want you to ask me what I like next time. Your friend was a bit much and very spinny."
"Any chance that I can make up for that?" Joe's eyes brightened up a little as he sat up higher in his seat.
"Naw, it's okay Joe. So, uh. . . I have to run and do errands today -" Charlie scratched his pointed up chin with hand that resembled a dog scratching with its paw. Joe always thought that this was adorable.
"Yeah?" He leaned closer to Charlie. He couldn't stop from grinning.
"So I gotta run. See you next sunday?" He dropped a five on the table and looked at Joe with a smirk.
An apology from a man I suppose, Joe thought. "Oh. Yeah we can do that." He smiled. His mouth felt like metal being bent with all the willpower Joe can muster.
Charlie got up, he went over to Joe, gave him a hug and and wished him good luck with the lawn problem. When he was leaving, he thought he saw Joe say something but decided that everybody talked to themselves when others weren't looking.
Joe decided to call his boyfriend. There was no answer. His heart dropped. His boyfriend probably went to his mother's place again. He ordered another latte and looked at where Charlie sat. He couldn't wait till next Sunday. . . he just couldn't. "Stupid me..."
Poor Charlie took another swig of beer he had bought earlier. This was a bad idea... bad, bad, bad idea. He looked at his watch and it had been only an hour since his date got there. He had exams to study for and a paper to write for his grief and loss course. This was the worst date yet - I'm going to strangle Joe.
****************************
It was a typical Prince George April - the weather was still nippy and the snow was barely there. That is, the snow that was left was the very example of how stubborn the winter was in Prince George, BC. He lived there for roughly six years and he still hadn't got accustomed to the winters in Prince George. The summers were warm but short, the winters long and bitter and the springs were nothing but a hope. Around town, the people had lost their patience with one another and had begun to be rather rude to each other. For Poor Charlie, being the benevolent peacemaking social work student he was, he was loaded onto with most of friends' problems and woes of living in such a horrid place.
He had one friend in particular - a friend that was the worst drama queen Charlie has ever known. Joe Cappo Gino. Joe barked loudly about his crummy lawn and how all the dog crap aromated his lawn and how it would deter the cats. The cats in turn would run around the house to burn off their cabin fever. From there, his boyfriend, who was allergic to cats, sneezed all the time and took his crankiness out on Joe and would leave for a few days at a time to be stay at his mom's place. If that wasn't enough problems for Joe, his boyfriend's mom was a needy woman who protected her little boy. Which meant she didn't want her baby to be taken away. Which made Joe's life difficult by always picking up the phone and taking her sweet time to get his boyfriend. This would not be so bad if his boyfriend did not pay rent... but he did... and thus Charlie, the angel in Joe's hell was there to save the day. Charlie had about three lattes and two slices of banana loaf - and approximately twenty peeks at his cell to check the time.
As an apology, Joe decided to set Charlie up with a date, "Boy or girl Charlie? I have both in stock."
Charlie said "Someone interesting."
****************************
How does one describe the Rupe? It was a bar that was both fantastic and rather grimy. It was once the jewel of gay culture in town but now it has aged and seems to be stuck in the scene when Britney Speares was famous for melting down into a horrible state of mind. From that point in time, the crowd soon moved away from glitters and shiny clothes to an underground scene that where the men and women would wear clothes more appropriated for goth clubs or worse yet, furry parties - Prince George wasn't big enough for that and thus, a conglomerate of these special interest groups moved into the Rupe.
Sitting at a table with "B + J = Good Head" etched on it, Charlie sat there with his deep blue button up shirt rolled at the sleeves and his collar unbuttoned. He also re-arranged his hair so that it was messy - a style tip from Joe - and he managed to reduce his stubble down to a more chic presentation. He was rubbing his chin in thought about inhibiting drugs for his chemical addictions course when he noticed a woman walked into the bar and was wearing what looked like a neon costume.
He liked - rather loved - observing train wrecks; so he kept looking. What he saw more clearly was a girl with several piercings and various layers of garment in hot pink or violent green/yellow patterns. He noticed that her hair was spiked and shot up in the back. Her front was uniquely controlled - that is, her face was presentable and her features delicate. Despite having a pancake full of make-up on, she was pretty. Pretty face or not, she's rather tough looking and stands like a hockey player.
She stood there, scoping out the room and squingting her heavily painted eyelashes. She saw something, opened her eyes wider and smiled a brilliant white set of teeth. She strode over to Charlie - stomp, stomp, stomp went her army boots - and swished her skirt full of buttons - clack clack clack - and shot her hand out to Charlie.
****************************
"So . . . what do you do for a living?" She sat there, trying to smile. Somehow, Charlie felt she was only acting interested by the way she kept glazing her eyes around the room while fiddling with her phone, "Joe told me that you were smart and down to earth."
"Well the thing is -"
"It's kinda boring here."
"I, uh . . er, what?"
"I want some entertainment."
Charlie felt his face turn red. Diva, please... He wanted to pipe up and say that this may have been a mistake but he also didn't want Joe to feel bad about this so he decided that he was going to put up with this girl. Although the amount of time to spend with her was up for debate.
"So what were you saying? Where do you work again?" Charlie wasn't encouraged at all. She was picking her ear and undressing the waiter with her eyes as he served them another jug of beer.
"Um. . . well I'm going to school to become a social worker -"
"Really? oh yeah - " She looked down at her phone.
"But I have a few years left. My instructors said becuase I'm young-"
"Oh yeah, that's cool -" She slid it open and started to text
"I can complete my degree nad have time to gain a lot of experience."
"Huh..." Looking at her phone still texting furiously.
"And I like getting roughed by beefy men. My safety word is harder."
"Good for you", without skipping a beat with her texting.
****************************
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Charlie blurted out as Joe sat down at the table. It was noon and the rain was steady and cold.
"Hey Charlie, I'm sorry but I met the girl a few times -"
"And decided, Gee, she looks crazy enough for Charlie, let's see what happens!" Charlie crossed his arms and looked darkly at his mug. He was so angry, his nostrils flared and his face stoic and bold. Joe hated when Charlie was angry like this.
"Hey babe -"
"Don't you babe me Joe. Don't. You. Dare." They sat there in silence.
Joe was sat awkwardly and stared out the window. Charlie never got mad; he usually bottled it up and told Joe over text messages. I guess assertive training is making Charlie more honest and upfront about his feelings. Joe looked down at his coffee. Well, what little drops were left in the beige ceramic cup. He thought for sure that a confident, out-going girl like Cyndi would have made a great impression on Charlie. She told Joe that her impression of Charlie was that he was hairy, too skinny and simply not her type. She mentioned that he liked it rough with men which got Joe thinking gratuitous images. The deal breaker, for Cyndi, was he need for safety words. Safety words? Joe thought.
"I'm really sorry, Charlie." Joe felt like crawling away. He felt his insides turn and twist - as though he should have been gutted for the worst date he could have set up one of his closest friends.
Charlie couldn't bear to watch Joe look sad. Joe had a fine features; fit, hairless and the beauty of a young man. Joe was always chased by young men - teens more or less and Joe had perfected a way to beat off these teens. Who knew an older step brother can come in handy? Joe's older brother was always there to scare off the boys. Charlie on the other hand, Joe never did ask his brother to meet Charlie. "It's okay," with a slightly pleasant tone to his voice, "I just want you to ask me what I like next time. Your friend was a bit much and very spinny."
"Any chance that I can make up for that?" Joe's eyes brightened up a little as he sat up higher in his seat.
"Naw, it's okay Joe. So, uh. . . I have to run and do errands today -" Charlie scratched his pointed up chin with hand that resembled a dog scratching with its paw. Joe always thought that this was adorable.
"Yeah?" He leaned closer to Charlie. He couldn't stop from grinning.
"So I gotta run. See you next sunday?" He dropped a five on the table and looked at Joe with a smirk.
An apology from a man I suppose, Joe thought. "Oh. Yeah we can do that." He smiled. His mouth felt like metal being bent with all the willpower Joe can muster.
Charlie got up, he went over to Joe, gave him a hug and and wished him good luck with the lawn problem. When he was leaving, he thought he saw Joe say something but decided that everybody talked to themselves when others weren't looking.
Joe decided to call his boyfriend. There was no answer. His heart dropped. His boyfriend probably went to his mother's place again. He ordered another latte and looked at where Charlie sat. He couldn't wait till next Sunday. . . he just couldn't. "Stupid me..."
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