Hometown Secrets by Dawn Flemington

Author:Dawn Flemington
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: LGBT, Contemporary
Publisher: Loose Id LLC
Published: 2013-11-17T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Asher yawned, stretched, and rose off his uncle’s couch. He shuffled to the refrigerator, opened the freezer, and got out a humongous box of Chinese egg rolls. Putting a bunch in the microwave, he scratched his rear end through an oversize pair of pajama bottoms he’d borrowed from his uncle and waited impatiently as the food heated up. The cheery yellow kitchen with the big bay window was too bright to stay in for long. Squinting at the clock, he saw it was nearly noon. From the dining room, he heard his phone go off. It was the new ringtone he had for Pete’s calls. As many calls as he had received from the man, he was already getting sick of hearing it.

The microwave chimed, and he retrieved his hot dish, carrying it to his dark den of depression and sinking back on the couch. He reached for the television remote and turned the TV to his current favorite station, which reran nothing but cheesy soap operas.

An hour or so later, Uncle Edward walked into the house and into the depressingly draped living room, which was more like a funeral parlor. Around his lounging nephew, the makeshift bed was littered with gossip magazines, chocolate wrappers, dirty dishes, empty soda cans, and mounds of used tissue.

“I take it you don’t feel any better today than yesterday. Or the day before.”

Asher shrugged, his gaze not leaving the television show.

The patience of a saint apparently flying out the door, his uncle tramped across the room and yanked the plug on the TV.

“Uncle Edward!”

“Do I have your attention?”

Asher sat with his arms crossed, refusing to look at his uncle.

“Between Josh and Cal, your animals are doing fine, but they miss you. Why not go out and visit them? It would do you a world of good to get out of the house.”

“I don’t want to leave.”

“I know you don’t want to, but at some point you’re going to have to.”

“Why? Are you throwing me out?”

“You have a life. You have the farm. You have students who want to learn how to play music. Now is not the time for you to drop out of life.”

“Why? You did when Aunt Trudy died.”

“That’s a bit different. Pete’s not dead.”

“Might as well be, after what he said.”

“For which he has tried to apologize for over a week.” Uncle Edward sat down heavily in a nearby chair. “Things are said in the heat of the moment. I think you should talk to him. He has called a hundred times or more.” Asher began to gnaw on his bottom lip. His uncle continued. “Look, you’re a man now. Time to get up and go home. As the good book says: ‘The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.’”

“But the good book also says ‘Do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged…’”

Uncle Edward crossed his arms. “‘Obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls.

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