Roger shuffled in
rhythm with the crowd as they ambled toward the door leading into the
reception hall. He had fidgeted his way through the wedding
ceremony, fussing at his collar and tie. He could feel the cool
breeze flowing in from the double doors which ushered the crowd out
of the stale, hot air of the church.
Roger stepped out
into a cross breeze, flanked by his three friends. The cool air
weaved through the quartet as they walked toward the stout brick
building ahead of them. The sun, hanging low on the horizon, peeked
out from a cloud and smiled warmly down on them, a nice change of
weather compared to the cold damp weather they had been having in
Chester over the last week.
“What a lovely day
for a wedding!” Shirley Sue said as she craned her head backward
and looked toward the sky.
“Ya, it’s too
bad they couldn’t have it outdoors,” Sarah chimed in.
Roger passed through
the door and glanced around the room through the crowd passing in
front of him.
“Look!” Sarah
said, pointing toward a table in the back of the room. “It’s Rob
and Shawn.” On the other side of the room sat the two gentlemen
seated at one of the round tables. Rob was waving at the four of
them.
“Save me a seat,”
Shirley Sue said, veering off from her friends. “I need to freshen
up for a moment.”
Sarah plopped down
into one of the eight gray, padded chairs surrounding the table.
“You two are looking sharp.”
“You’re not
looking bad yourself,” Rob said with a wink. “I just love how
those shoes look with that dress, very well put together.”
Roger took the seat
next to Sarah. He watched as Rob flirted with Sarah for what seemed
like an eternity. As he listened to the pair, a pang of jealousy hit
him squarely in the chest. He glared at Rob and Shawn as the pair
continued their small talk with Sarah and Buck.
The four of them
were laughing when Shawn paused mid sentence. “Is everything
alright Roger?”
“Is everything
alright?” Roger heard himself repeat back. Roger felt all four
pairs of eyes on him. “No, everything isn’t alright. We know
about your dirty little secret.”
“Secret?” Rob
said, his cheeks flushed.
“Ya, and it’s
high time the rest of the town found out about what you’ve been
hiding.”
“I’m not sure I
understand...”
“Shirley Sue and
Buck heard you arguing when they were stranded at your place. Hell,
they even saw the photo and we pieced it all together.”
“Rob’s face
turned a dark shade of crimson. “Ah, that was just…”
“Give me a break
Rob, it’s nineties,” Shawn blurted out. “So what, we’re gay.
That’s what we’ve been hiding, albeit poorly, from you and from
everyone else all this time.”
A few heads turned
toward the table and several of the tables around them grew quiet.
“Oh my,” Roger
said with a raised eyebrow, tugging at his tie. “That wasn’t
what I...” Roger trailed off.
“What I think he
is trying to say is...” said Buck, trying to dodge the glances
being shot at them from the surrounding tables. “Well, he just
thought you were killers… not that you were gay. Not that there is
anything wrong with that. Being gay that is, not killing, of
course.”
“The way people
avoid the Greasy Hog, you wouldn't think that,” Shawn muttered
under his breath.
“Hey Buck!”
Shirley Sue’s voice broke through the chatter that had rekindled at
the tables surrounding them.
Buck cleared his
throat. “Hey Shirley Sue.”
“I’m grabbing a
drink, wanna join me?”
Buck stood up and
took Shirley Sue by the arm. “Duty calls,” he said, leaving four
of them stranded in the uneasy silence.
Roger watched as
Shirley Sue and Buck disappeared into the crowd. He turned his
attention back to his companions sitting at the table.
“Um… Sorry for
accusing you of murder. I guess I just got a little carried away.”
“No problem,”
said Shawn. “I guess I got a little carried away myself.”
“Too bad we’ll
have to kill you now, since you know our real secret,” said Rob
with a dead pan tone.
Roger’s eyes
bulged out of his head for a moment as he met Rob’s stony gaze.
The four of them burst into laughter. The awkwardness of the
situation melted away into good natured conversation.
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