Kickin’ Rocks by Marianne K. Martin

Author:Marianne K. Martin [Marianne K. Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781612941547
Publisher: Bywater Books
Published: 2019-06-18T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

1985

“It is surprising that the president could remain silent as 6,000 Americans died, that he could fail to acknowledge the epidemic’s existence. Perhaps his staff felt he had to, since many of his New Right supporters have raised money by campaigning against homosexuals.”

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), The Washington Post, 1985

A month. A month to grieve, to accept loss, to decide what direction your life would take. It wasn’t nearly enough, they all knew it.

Dusty let herself into Rory’s apartment, just as she or Ali had done for a month now. She expected to find him in bed this late in the day, unshowered, unshaven and unnourished. The routine was the same each time, coax and resist, coax and relent. And although the resistance at times was quite convincing, no one believed that he didn’t want to live. It was the quality of his life that concerned them. Family was uninformed and too far away; calls from male friends went unanswered. The only blessing to the timing of David’s death was that it was July—a small window of time to grieve privately without having to hope for bereavement leave for a “close friend.”

There were few blessings to hang onto, though, until today. Dusty was headed toward the bedroom as usual when she heard, “Which Sister of Mercy is here?” He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, fresh and clean shaven, dressed in jeans and a bright white T-shirt.

“What a pretty sight you are,” Dusty said in greeting.

He handed Dusty a cup of coffee and pulled out a chair at the table for her. “I got up today,” he said, folding into a chair, “and I could smell myself. I could feel the acids eating at the lining of my stomach. And I saw the scruff of growth on my face—for the first time since . . .” He sipped his coffee, elbows resting on the table. “And I thought,” with a tilt of his head, “a lady doesn’t do this to her friends.”

Dusty’s laugh was easy and light with relief. “I’m so glad you’re back. We’ve been worried that we were losing our Rory, too.”

“I’ve been trying to think, but it hasn’t been easy when part of my mind is sure that this is all a nightmare and that everything will be okay as soon as I wake up. I need to figure out what parts of me are still me and what is gone.”

She watched the deep-set eyes struggling with the sadness. “We’re right here, whatever you find.”

“That means more than you will ever imagine.”

“Well, besides Ali,” she replied, “you’re my best girlfriend.” It was enough to get a sly smile and the girlish turn of his head that made her smile. “Which means,” she added, “you have to tell me when I can help.”

“You and Ali have already done more than I could ask for.”

But she sensed in his tone, in his eyes, there was something. “Ali has an interview after work, so I have a few hours if you don’t mind me hanging around.

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