Skater Boys by Neil Plakcy

Author:Neil Plakcy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cleis Press
Published: 2010-09-28T04:00:00+00:00

IN THIS OUR DAY

Ryan Field

When Bradley Klinger moved to the little town of Mount Saint Hope in upstate New York, he never imagined that a twenty-one-year-old in a hooded sweatshirt would follow him home one night on a skateboard. He was forty-five by then, but said he was in his midthirties and no one ever questioned him. His brown hair was still thick and wavy. His voice was soft and smooth. He worked out daily and watched what he ate.

Mount Saint Hope was a quirky town, stippled with art galleries and trendy boutiques. And it was at the foot of the Berkshires, within driving distance from Manhattan. Some people moved there because of the scenery, some moved there because of the artistic surroundings, but Bradley decided to move there mainly because Mount Saint Hope was a quiet, small town with a large gay community.

On his first Sunday morning in town, he went for a proper brunch to a local gay restaurant called Harlow’s. As he waited for his food, he noticed the young owner of Harlow’s, Jared Bransford, standing near the kitchen door.

His head went up and his eyes opened wide. Jared reminded him of the young man he’d always wanted to be (or could have been). If you stood them both side by side in a dark corner and dressed them in the same baggy clothes, they could have been brothers.

Jared’s head went up, too. He kept looking over his shoulder in Bradley’s direction, smiling and nodding. Eventually, he walked over, patted Bradley’s shoulder with his wide palm and said, “Hey buddy, you’re new here, aren’t you? I’m Jared. My partner and I own this place.”

Bradley’s lips turned down. He hadn’t planned on the fact that Jared might have a lover. Bradley lifted his head and forced a smile, then he cleared his throat and said, “Ah, well, yes. I’m Bradley. I just moved into town.” He had trouble finding his voice; it sounded shaky. And when he lifted his hand to shake Jared’s, he almost knocked over his water glass.

“Where are you from?” Jared asked, looking him up and down. His eyes were dark brown and his lashes were long.

“I just moved here from Brooklyn,” Bradley said. He didn’t go into detail, though. He’d been the only child of elderly parents with many health issues. He’d never actually had a career. After college, he’d spent his days caring for his parents and overseeing the apartment houses his family owned. His sexual encounters had been in dark cruise spots, and he’d never had a real lover or life partner.

“I’m from a small town south of Baltimore, called Martha Falls. I haven’t been here in Mount Saint Hope for long, but I like it. The scenery’s great.”

Bradley had a feeling Jared wasn’t just talking about the mountains and the lakes. “Yeah, me, too,” he said, smiling. “I needed a change, and this place spoke to me.”

“I’m glad you decided to move here,” Jared said. He looked at the entrance. A large group of rowdy lesbians walked up to the desk and asked for a table.

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