Sal couldn’t sleep, so he took Angel for a stroll. It was a beautiful evening, with the heat still hanging in the air. The last rays of the day's sun had kissed the earth goodnight. Sal walked down past the other houses in the neighborhood and continued past the field ending the row of houses where he usually walked Angel.
He walked past a cluster of trees with Angel happily bouncing alongside him, excited about their new adventure. Sal turned Angel loose, and she started to run, leading him to an old shed.
Sal remembered the wooden shed. It was where Jack had taught him, Rosie, and Carl to play poker. It seemed so long ago, though it had only been a couple of years.
Jack had suggested strip poker, and Rosie had punched him on the shoulder. They'd sneaked out to the shed on a Friday afternoon and hadn’t stopped playing until a police officer opened the shed door. He called in on his radio that he'd found the kids in a safe condition, and they'd forgotten about the time their parents had raided the town in search of them.
After that, they'd been forbidden further access to the shed. Their parents had even threatened to tear it down, but the threat remained empty. The shed had, for a period, served as a secret rendezvous, but was eventually given up when the roof had started to rot. Now, the shed stood alone, lost, and full of holes.
Sal sat down on an old tree stump next to the shed. He watched as the light drained from the sky to make room for the moon. Clouds had gathered on the horizon. Soon, the stars and moon would cower behind the dense layer of cloud while his head was filled with a similar fog of questions that made him jittery.
He was brought out of his trance by Angel’s sudden barking next to him. Her teeth were exposed, and her fur stood up on her back. “What is it, girl?” he asked, gently petting the enraged dog. “What do you see?” Sal gazed in the direction Angel was facing.
A mist had begun to form into the shape of something big. Sal felt his body preparing for a fight while his mind worked hard to figure out what was going on. With one hand resting on the soil beneath him and the other one Angel, he remained there waiting, breathing, anticipating the figure’s next move before a wave of recognition and understanding washed over him. Sal had felt it before, he was sure of it, and the thought calmed down a little. “Please, tell your dog to refrain from killing me," said a buttery voice, hot enough to melt lead. “How are you, Sal?”
Sal blushed and seemed to produce as much steam as a boiling pot.
Seth!
The episode in the basement popped up, burned a hole in his skull.
What had he said about being naked?
If you want to see me naked, all you had to do is ask.
Not his finest moment.
He wished for the earth to open up and swallow him whole.
Sal grabbed Angel by her collar, and Seth squatted down, reached into his pocket, and pulled out some dried meat which he handed to the dog who tilted her head, inspecting their guest with suspicion. Once she'd decided the treat was all right, she carefully pried the meat from the hand holding it and lay down while she chewed happily on her new found treasure.
Seth looked pleased. “May I join you?” he asked.
Sal moved over to make room on the tree stump for Seth who sat, with only a few millimeters separating them.
“Why so bashful?” he asked. He ran a finger down Sal’s chin.
Sal took a deep breath, thinking that he might explode. “I behaved stupidly, and I made a complete ass of myself last time we met,” Sal said guiltily.
Seth chuckled. “No, you were very sweet.”
Sal sighed with relief. “Thank you for saving our asses. You saved us from a lot of trouble.
“Don’t mention it,” Seth answered, his eyes lighting up the darkness surrounding them.
“What did you whisper to that guy with the knife?” Sal looked amused. “You scared him shitless.”
Seth leaned in really close to Sal, feeling Seth's warm breath on his neck. Seth said he'd whispered, “If you ever come near my friends again, I will cut you open like a Christmas turkey and put your remains for sale on eBay.”
Sal’s body shivered as Seth paused for a minute while breathing lightly into his ear as if he wanted to say something else, but he leaned back instead. He was seductive yet obscure at the same time.
"My parents. They saw us come home early. How?”
“I can make illusions happen for a short period of time. It requires a lot of energy, so I don’t do it often,” he said. A warm, electric feeling swirled around inside Sal as Seth spoke.
“You did it for my brother and me,” Sal said, trying to catch Seth’s gaze.
Seth looked at the ground. “We always help out our own, like Darwin did for me. I want you to meet him, Sal. He really wants to meet you, too.”
Sal stood up confused by Seth’s mixed signals. “Yeah, it's just a little remarkable that people I hardly know take such great interest in me.” Sal put Angel's leash back on and shifted on his feet as if he were about to leave. “I'll think about it, Seth. Thank you for coming.”
“Sal, wait,” Seth said, resting his hand on Sal’s shoulder. His hand slid down Sal's arm until Sal felt Seth’s hand in his. He hated the power Seth had over him.
Sal closed his eyes. “My friends and I had a gun pulled on us. I head-butted the guy without suffering so much as a scratch before I nailed him to the floor. I scared not only my friends but myself as well.”
Seth squeezed his hand. “You are so very special, Sal, and you don’t even know it.”
Sal detached himself from Seth and turned around to face him.
"You absorbed that wife-beating bastard’s energy and created a force field. That's how you walked away unhurt,” Seth explained.
“I've walked in your shoes, please, believe me. Sit back down, and I'll share my story with you.”
How could Sal resist?
So, this was how it felt to be at the other end of the stick.
Sal unleashed Angel, and she started to sniff around for rabbits. He sat back down, and Seth joined him.