By the time I reached the outskirts of Houston, the adrenaline-rush I was feeling was counter-balanced by the rush-hour traffic I was stuck in. Stop-and-go traffic---I wanted to scream! And then the rain started...
OH MY GOD---WHAT IS THIS---A MONSOON??
The rain was so heavy, it was difficult seeing the brake lights of the car ahead of me. My nerves were frazzled...I turned the volume down on the radio, and gripped the steering wheel tighter...the downpour and traffic wouldn't let up---it went on forever-and-forever...
I squinted thru the rain at every sign...then suddenly---OH MY GOD---IT'S THE NEXT EXIT---THANK YOU LORD...
I double-checked the sheet of paper with the driving directions then flipped on the turn signal. I took the next exit, turned right, and two-blocks later saw a large, and sprawling apartment complex. When I read the sign 'SHANGRA-LA'---my heart leapt with joy...even the rain stopped!
I searched the parking lot for space #132...when I found it and parked the car I never felt such relief...and excitement---the excitement one feels when your mind conjures up the limitless possibilities of not only a new home, but a new city, as well.
I experienced a euphoric feeling of freedom and hope for the future that had been long buried within me. It was exhilarating and, at the same time, frightening. I was on my own for the first time in my life...I was in a city where only one person knew me, and he accepts me for who I am!
I CAN FINALLY BE MYSELF!! I CAN RE-MAKE MYSELF INTO THE PERSON I WANT TO BE---THE PERSON I REALLY AM---I AM GAY AND PROUD, DAMNIT---THAT IS WHO I AM!!
With a smile from ear-to-ear, I opened the car door to go in search of the building manager to get the key to my new home...even the oppressive humidity, that almost choked the life out of me when I opened the car door, couldn't smother my soaring spirits.
Oh my God, I thought, maybe Daddy is inside the apartment waiting to surprise me!
Well, no, Daddy wasn't waiting for me, but a few of God's other creatures were...
"Ya gotta stay on top of these damn things or they'll overrun the place!" announced Mr. Toole, the building manager, when he let me inside the apartment and we saw the cockroaches scurrying down the front hallway.
Moments earlier, I'd found him in his apartment, a tall and skinny man, he looked me up-and-down, smacked his thin lips and said, "I'm Ernie Toole, boy---you can call me Mr. Toole!"
And then the dense and dank air in the apartment made me cough and choke. I swore it was more hot and humid inside than outside.
"No one's lived here for two months---it'll take the a/c units a little time to catch up!" he explained as he found four 'Roach Motels' under the kitchen sink, peeled off the strips, and showed me the best places to put them.
"These are the last of traps---you better get a few more, boy!" he said.
He walked me thru the apartment. It was fully furnished, but the furniture appeared rather old and faded...and then there was this ever-present 'smell'...it wasn't overpowering or completely offensive, it just seemed to hang in the air---I absentmindedly sniffed at my shirt to see if it was clinging to me.
My spirits lifted briefly when I saw the new, king-sized mattress still in its clear wrap.
Mr. Toole chuckled and said, "Yep, old Earl doesn't skimp when it comes to the bedroom, does he?"
I felt myself blushing at his remark.
He opened a closet door in the hallway and said, "Sheets and blankets in here...silk sheets, boy---haven't felt silk against my skin since the last boy who lived here."
What on earth did he mean by that?
We were standing near the door again. "You need anything at all, you come and see Mr. Toole, okay, boy?"
"Yes, sir," I said.
He winked then said, "I have a system around here, boy, if you need work done---I scratch your back and you scratch mine..."
I suspected what he meant by that---I didn't know how to feel about this man...he wasn't mean or insulting---he just knew what he wanted and did not hesitate expressing himself.
Before he left, he hesitated, then said with an odd grin as he once again looked me up and down smacking his lips, "You're a lot prettier than the last boy...Earl and I go way back---he doesn't mind sharing his boys, if you know what I mean!"
OH MY GOD, I thought as I quickly shut the door when he was gone. WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?
I unloaded the car and found a place in the apartment for the few possessions I'd brought with me. I made a shopping list for groceries, toiletries, cleaning supplies and, of course, more roach motels. I was determined to stay as busy as I could to keep from thinking about Mr. Toole's words.
I'm prettier than the last boy? Earl doesn't mind sharing his boys? How many of his 'boys' have lived here?
I was feeling slightly disillusioned...I believed Daddy was different---that I was special and meant something to him---to hear Mr. Toole speak, Daddy is just another dirty old man keeping a boy on the side for whenever his dick gets hard.
Calm down, John, I told myself. You know Daddy, he's not like that at all...
I didn't know if I should go to the store, or wait for Daddy's phone call. It was almost 6pm and he'd be coming from work very shortly...he might be on his way right now!
I tore the clear wrap off the new bed, found silk sheets and pillow covers. I made it as comfortable as possible as I smiled to myself thinking how we'd be messing up the sheets very soon.
The a/c didn't seem to be cooling the apartment. I cranked-up the units in both the bedroom and living room then set-up my computer.
I checked the time again---7pm...and wondered what could be keeping Daddy. On my cell phone, I decided to call him even though he'd asked me not to. His caller id was blocked---he could call me but I couldn't call him.
Feeling frustrated, I came to the conclusion he wasn't expecting me in Houston for another day. When I'd told him I could get here in three days he scoffed and said, "Too long of a trip, Sugar---it'll take you four days!"
SURE---THAT WAS IT---HE DOESN"T EXPECT ME HERE UNTIL TOMORROW!
With a sigh of relief, I decided to go shopping, plus I was starving. I remembered seeing some fast-food restaurants and went first to dinner then to Wal-Mart.
When I came home it was 9:30, and the apartment was still hot and sticky. The bedroom a/c worked better than the one in the living room. I sat in the living room in my underwear, surfing the Internet. My whole body seemed to ooze sweat.
I had vowed to myself not to use the brand new bed until Daddy and I had 'broken it in'...the couch was long enough to sleep on so I retrieved a pillow and another sheet and turned in at 11pm.
Good God, the stagnant air in the room was stifling. I tossed and turned for two-hours before my mind and body gave way to exhaustion. It had been a very long and frustrating day---tomorrow was sure to be better!