Sunset Park by Hassell Santino

Author:Hassell, Santino [Hassell, Santino]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Gay Romance
ISBN: 9781623807498
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2015-12-11T08:00:00+00:00

BESIDES THE school year beginning, I had always considered the Feast of San Gennaro as the official start of autumn. There were dozens of festivals in the city in September and October, but the Feast was one of my favorites. There was something very New York about the mix of ethnicities and nationalities who had all converged in lower Manhattan to celebrate Italian culture.

I navigated the crush of people on Mulberry Street with Nunzio, Michael, and Raymond, and contemplated our own little group. We all had different origins and backgrounds, but I was the only one without a strong sense of culture other than being gay and American. I had never met people with such intense pride in their roots before moving to New York.

“Thinking deep thoughts about another Italian sausage?”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Yup.” Raymond chewed the last of his sandwich and dumped the wrapper in a nearby trash can, licking grease from his fingers. “At least I didn’t make the joke in front of Nunzio. Wherever he went.”

“He got tired of our lack of interest and went to geek out about Italian history with Michael.”

“Makes sense.” Raymond tugged at the side of my napkin. “You’re not eating the bread?”

“Um, no. I’m already gaining eighty-seven pounds by eating all of this caloric stuff. I at least want to avoid the carbs.”

“God, you’re pathetic.”

Raymond shook his head and snagged a piece of my bread. It was still drenched in sauce and had remnants of pepper and onion on it. We kept walking, and before long, he paused at one of the many cannoli stands. Before I could protest, he bought two and thrust one into my hand.

“You’re determined to make me fat.”

“Shut up and eat.”

I didn’t protest too vehemently. It was delicious.

“So what were you thinking about before? You were staring into space.”

“Nothing pressing,” I said. “I was just thinking about New York and how different it is from where I’m from. It’s so diverse, and people celebrate every part of who they are. It’s not just this… blend.”

“What do you mean ‘people celebrate every part of who they are’?”

I regarded the question, the fragments of my own thoughts, and the people around us. “Just… well, take you, Michael, and Nunzio for example.” I raised my voice as music exploded from a nearby booth. “You have all of these different identities. Being gay or bi is just a fraction of who you are. You’re primarily New Yorkers, but also Puerto Rican or Italian, lapsed Catholics, and then there’s the other parts—sons and brothers, teachers, gamers, etcetera.”

“Uh-huh. Is that a bad thing?”

“No, it’s not a bad thing.”

Raymond stopped walking, and I realized we had reached the end of the festival’s line. The evening was growing darker, and I was momentarily distracted by the stretch of the street going back toward the west side. Colors, lights, smells, and sounds, and a constant motion of people meandering along the festival route.

I looked up at Raymond and the play of light across his face, becoming aware of

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