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"Yes, they do."
That tore at Otis' heart. He hadn't lied, though he'd
intended to, so as not to seem so pathetic before Garret's
invitation. The second part of what Steve said hit home.
"Imaginary boyfriend?! You think I made Garret up?"
He didn't know whether to be hurt or pissed again.
Steve held both hands up in a placating gesture.
"Don't get mad! It's just that you've never talked about
dating before besides meeting people at clubs, and while
me and Danny knew you liked guys, you never& "
With no clue why, Otis threw back his head and
laughed. Steve cocked a brow, appearing thoroughly
confused. "Look, I know you guys mean well, but Garret
is as real as they come. I'm sorry that I haven't thought
to bring him around to meet you. We've only been
seeing each other a few weeks, and well& "
"You're still getting to know each other." Steve's
alarm softened into sympathy. "Yeah, I know how that
is. Afraid to introduce someone around in case it don't
work out."
Is that why Otis hadn't brought Garret around? Did he
secretly believe it wouldn't work?
About that time the front door opened and Danny
called out, "We got a customer," voice brimming with
amusement as he stepped inside.
Otis and Steve looked up at the same time. A vision
wearing a dark wool coat stood in the doorway,
clutching a Candy Kingdom box in one gloved hand.
"Hey, Otis. I know I should have called first, but I was
in the neighborhood and wanted to see if I could take
you to lunch."
A Lie I Can Live With - 45
It gave Otis a bit of smug satisfaction to leave on
Garret's arm, Danny and Steve's mouths hanging open
while watching them leave. Imaginary boyfriend indeed!
***
Otis made another trip to the grocery store, stopping
before the dwindling pile of pumpkins. He selected a
few he thought might do the trick, then perused the fresh
veggies for a large onion, a bunch of celery, and button
mushrooms, placing them into his cart. Finding a bin
labeled "Ginger" he turned a rather largish ugly wooden
knob over and over in his hands, contemplating how
much he'd need. Checking the specimen against the
recipe card he'd picked up at the store entrance, he
shrugged and tossed it in the cart. He could always use
the extra for his pies. Although Garret wouldn't be
coming over until morning, Otis wanted to try his hand
at preparing Chinese food for his lover, eventually, and
thought about practicing a bit first. Lover. I have a lover.
His cheeks tightened as he smiled. An elderly couple
smiled back.
Next he headed to the cold foods section to pick up
eggs and fresh cream, backtracking to the meat counter
to pick up a package of chicken breasts. Oops, forgot the
remaining spices. Looping back through the store, he
found stick cinnamon and whole cloves. Pies always
came out better if you ground your own, in Otis'
opinion. Now if only I can match Nonna's.
He grinned and hummed to himself all the way home,
and arriving at an empty house didn't bother him this
time, for when he imagined a partner waiting for him,
his fantasy man now had a face and a name.
After unpacking groceries he took a brisk walk,
breath fogging before his face in the late November
A Lie I Can Live With - 46
chill. Head clear and heart light, he returned home and
reduced the pumpkins into bowls of cinnamon-scented
mush, bound and determined to make Nonna proud.
The fragrant aroma of spices filled his kitchen while
he set to work chopping, coating, and cooking the
chicken and vegetables. He rolled out dough while they
sizzled in a pan, carefully shaping two crusts.
He let the crusts rest while he sampled his first
attempt at Moo Goo Gai Pan. The end results didn't
exactly match the full-color picture on the card, but it
didn't taste bad at all. After wolfing down two helpings,
he resumed work on his crusts, filling them with
pumpkin custard. Worried he'd forget to check on them,
he avoided his game and the TV in general, waiting for
the ding that would announce that his labors of love
were done.
Placing them on a rack to cool, he breathed deeply.
They certainly looked and smelled like Nonna's.
He went to bed, tossing and turning instead of
sleeping, worried about meeting Garret's folks. Would
they like him? Would they take one look and tell their
boy, "You could do better"? When he finally did go to
sleep he dreamed he was in the kitchen, and every time
he took a pie out of the oven, an alien horde stole it and
he had to all start over again.
A Lie I Can Live With - 47
Meet the Mims
"Hey, Otis. Got any plans today?" Barry asked.
Where once he'd have reluctantly lied, Otis proudly
announced, "Garret's taking me home to meet his folks."
Barry grew quiet on the other end of the phone line.
After an awkward silence he spoke again. "Have fun.
Maybe we can catch a game when you get back."
Oh shit. Otis' happiness took a plunge. He'd never
even considered that Barry, whose folks also lived out of
town, might be alone for the holidays. Why hadn't he
thought of asking? He wouldn't have had to be alone for
his Thanksgiving feast after all, with Barry around, not
that he had to worry about that now. "I thought you were
going to your folks' for Thanksgiving."
Barry sighed. "The whole lot of them have the flu.
But don't worry about me."
"I loaded the last bag. You 'bout ready?" Garret
asked, stepping back into the house, rubbing his hands
together to warm them and shaking snow from his
sweater.
Asking for a minute with an upheld finger, Otis
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