Taking In Strays by Kracken

Author:Kracken
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Publisher: Bon Publishing
Published: 2013-01-18T06:00:00+00:00

“So, where are you living?” Crantson suddenly asked after a long stint of silence over their work.

Donny hated oysters. His knife jammed into their shells and pried hard, making his bones, muscles, and nerves ache all the way to his elbow. “2410 Lantern,” he said distractedly. “I’d invite you over, but it’s a dive and it’s only as large as a dog crate. No drinking, sex, spitting, or shitting in the hall allowed. It’s definitely not a place to party.”

It took a moment for Cranston to chuckle, but it sounded forced. He said as if afraid that he had offended Donny, “I still want that drink together after work. I was just wondering how far away you lived. I could pick you up.”

“I’m gay,” Donny said abruptly. “Going out with me might look like a date to some people.”

“Gay?!” Cranston was shocked and then disgusted. “I wasn’t asking for a damned date! I’ll beat the shit out of anyone who thinks so.”

“Then we can forget about the drink?” Donny guessed sourly. He didn’t look up from his work, but Cranston’s silence was answer enough.

Donny felt relieved. He wasn’t desperate for company. Something about Cranston told him that his company was going to end up being a bad thing. At least he had established that Cranston wasn’t trying to make a move on him.

It was good to finally find that he actually had a standard. Donny had wondered. Sex had seemed to make everyone acceptable. When there wasn’t anyone important in his life, Donny amended to himself. Before Peter, there hadn’t been anyone setting the standard that he felt the need to follow.

By the end of the evening, Donny hated the sight of fish and was certain that he never wanted to eat seafood again. He felt like an old man. His hands were aching, cut, and bleeding in places. His neck and back felt permanently stuck in a bent over position. His coworkers were even more uncommunicative than usual. He should have expected that when he had so easily admitted his sexuality. Well, he thought, if he could face his father and come out, he wasn’t about to let anyone else keep him in the closet.

The sous chef slapped a printout on a wall and jammed in a tack. The wall was peppered by similar holes. “Schedule!”

Donny finished scrubbing down his area before looking at the schedule on his way out. It was a complete relief to see that he had the next day off. The rest of the week was the same brutal hours in a long line until his next day off. Crap hours. Crap job. Over time would have made it more bearable, but Donny had already been given a heads up that the management bled off the extra pay in what they called, Waste. Their pay was docked for every screwed up product that they submitted to the chef. The chef, of course, was very critical.

Donny took the bus to his new home, fighting the urge to go back to the real place he thought of as home.

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