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[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Michael walked out of the office and stood next to
the bar, watching.
“Michael,” Juan said into the microphone, “was
my best friend. Impressions was all about Michael.
We have been trying to do some of Michael’s
favourites tonight, but we can’t do them like he
could. He was a real star. Over these last few days,
we were trying to find a way to honour him. The
one thing that Michael and Daniel liked to do was
to shoot movies.” He laughed. “Every time we
were invited over to their house, we knew that
somewhere along the line, we’d end up watching
them on video. Back then, we dreaded it, now
we—” He paused. “—we are so grateful. So, with
Anthony’s blessing, and a technical person, we
put together some of the best of Michael and
Daniel. Have a look.”
Michael watched the images with awe. It was as
if he was seeing the man who was his father for
the first time. He wasn’t performing in these
pictures. He was just living. He saw him at the
house with Daniel, playful, loving, at celebrations,
surprise parties, on a boat, on a beach in some
tropical paradise, with Anthony and Jason.
Moments from the life of a father he never knew,
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My Father’s Lover
he never bothered to know. He swallowed
something painful in his throat. “Daddy,” he
whispered in the noisy club. Images of his father
holding him as a baby flashed in his head, phrases
from his many letters… I love you son…I’ve
always
loved
you…you
are
my
whole
world…please write me…I’m sending you this
ticket and…
His eyes filled with tears, blocking out the
images on the large screen in front of the club. He
could still see himself ripping that ticket into little
pieces. He walked past the bar and into the back
room. It wasn’t fair, none of it was fair. His father
had his life here with Daniel, and Anthony,
and…and what? It had been his own fault. He
could have come out here, gotten to know him,
shared in all that love and happiness…but
Anthony had been here in his place.
“Are you all right?” a voice asked suddenly.
“What do you care?” Michael asked, sniffing,
wiping his eyes with his fingers.
There was no answer.
Michael turned around and looked at Anthony.
“What was it like, being with him? Being with
them?”
“Fun, loving.” He smiled. “But it wasn’t always
perfect. They had their fights. Your dad was
jealous.”
“Of Daniel?” Michael laughed through his
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DJ Manly
tears.
“Yeah. Daniel could be a bit of a flirt, and he
was wickedly good looking. Your father could be
a pain sometimes, possessive.” He laughed. “It
wasn’t always roses and sunshine, but it was real.”
“They looked happy.”
“They were. They really loved each other.”
“I saw that on the screen. That kind of thing
doesn’t happen often.”
“No,” Anthony said. “I don’t believe it does.
They were meant for each other.”
“Do you think you’ll ever…I don’t know, find
that kind of thing? Do you want to?”
Anthony thought for a moment. “If it happens,
it happens. It might be nice.” He paused when
Michael didn’t reply. “Go wash your face, and
come back out when you’re ready, okay?”
“Okay,” Michael said, watching Anthony as he
walked out of the room. He sighed. What was past
was past. He couldn’t change it. His father was
gone, and suddenly for the first time in his life, he
deeply regretted that.
* * * *
Jason pulled Anthony aside later as he walked by
the bar. “I saw you talking with Lou Monetti over
there, the one in the blue suit. Do you realise that
he’s a mobster?”
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My Father’s Lover
“It’s a rumour,” Anthony said, shrugging his
broad shoulders. “Don’t go repeating that.”
“You looked chummy with him.”
“Jason, he’s been coming in here for years.
Now, you have a customer at the bar. Why don’t
you serve him?”
“I know what you were talking about with him.
There’s always a price. What makes you think he
could find Michael’s killers?”
“Jason,” Anthony said impatiently, between
clenched teeth, “serve the goddamned client.”
Anthony glanced around as Jason went to mix a
drink for the customer. Lou Monetti raised a hand
to him as he got up to leave. Anthony nodded at
him. Everyone knew that Lou was connected to
the mob, but Lou never brought the business to
Impressions. In fact, the family wouldn’t have
approved of Lou frequenting this kind of club, or
of the fact that Lou was gay. He had been coming
here for years. Michael and Daniel had always
treated him with respect, and Lou had done the
same. He had valued their discretion, and had
been fond of Michael’s performances. He had a lot
of connections, and right now Anthony was
finding that very useful.
Michael came back out then. He stood near the
door, greeting people as they came in. Anthony
knew he’d been crying in the back room. He knew
that there was a lot going on beneath the surface,
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DJ Manly
and some regret. He didn’t have to like the guy,
but he was Michael’s flesh and blood. It was hard
to forget that, given how much he resembled his
father. He had no choice but to have some
momentary compassion for him.
When the club closed for the night, Anthony
declared it a success, but he was happy to see the
end. The staff went home without much fanfare.
Anthony stood out in the back with the security
guard watching as everyone got safely into their
cars, while Michael took care of the safe in the
office.
Finally, Anthony, Jason, and Michael locked up
everything and headed to the parking lot.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pldoc.pisz.plpdf.pisz.plkwiatpolny.htw.pl
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| Cytat |
Dobre pomysły nie mają przeszłości, mają tylko przyszłość. Robert Mallet
De minimis - o najmniejszych rzeczach.
Dobroć jest ważniejsza niż mądrość, a uznanie tej prawdy to pierwszy krok do mądrości. Theodore Isaac Rubin
Dobro to tylko to, co szlachetne, zło to tylko to, co haniebne.
Dla człowieka nie tylko świat otaczający jest zagadką; jest on nią sam dla siebie. I z obu tajemnic bardziej dręczącą wydaje się ta druga. Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972)
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