Chapter Seventy-six
Saturday, August 10 continued
Moose and Hank were more than happy to slip out at the first opportunity. Moose would have stayed to see Kroos completely fucked over by all of them, but that hulking tattooed muscle dude was giving him a weird feeling. And maybe some of it was in his crotch but no way was he going to stick around to find out what the bull's story was. And those weird things Ed let slip, or not. Was Rocko making the two - the three? - of them do things not on your typical exercise video? If so Ed was trying to use this to let it out of the bag? But why? He must know he'd go down in flames right next to Rocko! So when it came time to exit, Moose and Hank exited. And even if that big tattooed hulk came on to him right then and there, he still needed to check out this bullshit about his cousin Mort's. He knew him since before they were married, since Moose was a kid, and never, ever, did Mort so much as look at Moose crooked. Okay yeah he was friendly but shit! he was family! right?
He headed for his locker, with an out-of-breath Hank on his tail.
"Moose you gonna shower here?"
"Fuck why not!" giving himself a sniff "like I got a fuckin choice."
"Dude this place is weird okay?" he looked up and down their row but no one was there. The shower room sounded busy with end-of-day stragglers.
"C'mon Hank it's the goddamn Y okay?"
"Where they're filming porno, right?"
"They weren't really filming" Moose pulled his t-shirt off "at least not the really crazy stuff at the end..."
"Better not but..." Hank turned when someone came down their row, wet from the shower "with Killer Rock who knows?"
"You don't wanna shower?" Moose looked at him like Hank was nuts.
"Not here" he lowered his voice, implying the guy was listening "we can go to my place."
"But?" Moose did not want to get his buddy in trouble with the rents. In his world it would be a weird thing to do.
"Folks are cool" he pointed at Moose's clothes "grab n'go boss."
Moose looked at him and shrugged. Without looking around he pulled on another shirt, threw the rest of his stuff in his gymbag, and closed the locker. The two of them headed down the row, passing the guy. As they did he just nodded and said,
"Later."
They went down two rows to Hank's locker. He threw a shirt over his t-shirt, piled the rest into his duffel bag and started to leave.
When they got to the front desk, they noticed the guy was not on duty. They were heading for the door when they heard him behind them,
"Leaving already?" arching one eyebrow.
"Yeah too busy today, y'know?" Hank shrugged like it was nothing unusual.
"Maybe after school starts..." he returned to the desk and started hitting some keys. Moose and Hank assumed he was signing them out. Before he said anything else they were out the door.
"Okay he's in on it" Moose was seeing conspiracies behind every bush now. Hank recognized the old Moose surfacing.
"Moose! Of course he's 'in' in it. He had to arrange for the private room with Rocko remember?"
"Maybe yeah maybe yer right" they headed for Moose's car "whose car we taking?"
"Meet me at my place" Hank broke away "then we'll take yours."
"Deal" and Moose watched Hank go across the street to the marina. He was in the car and heading down the drive before Hank opened his door.
Moose stopped for a quick drive-through burger, just in case this thing at Mort's did not turn out as planned. Shit, no fuckin way! could any of this turn out as planned, he thought. Like we're going to waltz in there and say: Hey cousin! Show us your porno studio!
So when he got to Hank's he was sitting on the steps waiting for Moose.
"What took ya?" Hank looked at him, then smelled the onions on his breath "dude we're gonna eat later remember?"
"I don't know..." Moose let him steer him inside. As expected him mom was in the kitchen.
"Hank that's you?"
"Hey mom" he called as they headed for the hallway.
"Is that Jeff with you?" she called. She came through the door, he face almost shocked.
"No it's -- "
"Oh good heavens, hello Mark" she came over and actually hugged him "haven't seen you in ages."
"Hi Mrs. Jenkins" he pulled away, knowing he smelled of onions and grease and worse.
"I was just talking to your mom last week, mentioning you never come around much."
"We've been... busy... y'know..." he looked at Hank for help "with... y'know... training camp coming up and all -- "
"Mom we're gonna use the shower downstairs okay?"
"Didn't you just come from the Y? Why didn't -- "
"The place's overrun with cub scouts" Hank cut in fast "must be some back-to-school activities or something" and started heading for the basement door.
"Don't use the one downstairs. Your father's been trying to get the cold water fixed - no he still hasn't Hank. Just use the one upstairs okay?"
"Are you sure?" Hank was laying it on thick enough even Moose knew he was goofing around.
"Well you know where the towels are and don't make a big mess okay?"
"Whatever you say" and he changed directions and started up the stairs, Moose right behind him.
They got into Jeff's bedroom and started to peel off their clothes. When they were down to their shorts, Moose came up sudden and stopped.
"You go first" Jeff said, pulling his briefs down to the floor, and only then going to the bedroom door and making sure it was nominally closed. When he saw Moose hesitate he went over to him, but Moose looked more nervous than expected "what's up?"
Moose looked around the room, taking in the trophies and the posters and the jetsam scattered everywhere "I dunno. It's just..."
"Moose?!?!?!" Jeff almost laughed "it's me Jeff remember?" and grabbed a towel heading back to the door.
"Wait! Don't open it yet..."
"Why?" Hank saw Moose's hesitation and looked around for any possible source of fear "the rents?"
"No..." Moose sat on the bed, his big shoulders falling down, a landslide of hard hairy flesh "it's just..."
"It's not me is it?"
"Fuck no!" he lowered his voice looking around "sorry."
"We're cool they're downstairs. C'mon we gotta get cleaned up and outa here before..."
"Before..." Moose sat there, memorizing his socks "damn Jeff..."
"Y'freaked about... y'know... Mort n'all?"
"Why can't things just be like..." he buried his face in his hands "last few months seem like years!"
"Is that it bonehead?" Jeff came over and tested if Moose would let him hug his big shoulders. He did, "this all been too much for you?"
"Hasn't it been for you?"
"No fuckin shit it has!" Jeff pulled him to his feet "but Jeff's been there through all -- "
"Lucky dog you."
"C'mon bonehead! You got Ern! He thinks you don't touch the ground when you walk! He thinks you part the seas -- "
"That's the problem..." Moose suddenly looked miserable "shit... I mean..."
"Problems with the Ern?"
"No... I mean..." he just sat there, trying to keep his head down "it's not that..."
"I thought everything was -- "
"It is! That's like y'know... the problem..."
"Moose I love ya guy but y'ain't making a shits worth of sense" he grabbed him by the shoulders and picked him up "tell me about it in the bathroom."
"We cool?" Moose looked around "y'know... rents and all?"
"Hey we're teammates they know that! C'mon!" and the two hobbled their way across the hall into the powder-blue perfect bathroom. Moose just about lost it.
"Geez Jenkins!"
"C'mon bonehead" Jeff pushed past him, and started the water going "you been in here before!"
"Yeah but not sober!" he looked around, then at Jeff, naked and pink, the only thing not blue in the whole damn room "and not with the damn lights on!"
"Well suck it up!" and Jeff got the water temp right and started the shower going. He pointed at Moose then at the stall, "you first."
"Fine!" and Moose dropped his briefs on the floor and jumped in. Jeff wiggled past him and went to the toilet, pissing with the biggest smile on his face. No matter what, he and Moose were the best of buddies and it always gave him the greatest feeling of safety having him around. Except for Jeff there was no one he was more comfortable with. Then he heard his mom in the hall,
"Hank!"
"What mom?"
"Jeff's on the phone dear!"
"Can I call him back in five minutes?"
He heard his mom walk away, then return after a moment,
"He's at home. He said call him okay?"
"Okay. Thank mom."
"You boys need anything in there?"
"Flat-screen television and cable, okay?"
"You get towels Hank, be happy with those" and she left, chuckling.
Hank almost flushed, thinking it was Jeff in there. A running gage with those two, but at the last second remembered it was Moose silhoetted against the curtain. In no time, Moose pulled the curtain aside and stepped out, Hank there with a towel.
"Thanks" he smiled, a bit surprised "you'll make someone a good wife."
"I already do" tossing it over his head, slugging him in the process "my turn" and stepped into the tub, almost forcing the big lug to ooze out of there.
"Thanks" Moose said again, drying himself like it was a race.
"Y'already thanked me -- "
"No I mean for... everything..."
"Moose even for you y'ain't makin any goddamn sense" through the noise and the echoing, Hank managed to get the words out.
"Shit don't y'think I know that? Lemme - I mean - it's just when I think things can't go no fuckin weirder... they do! I mean like when Joel showed up at my front door this morning - and the doc with him!"
"Okay things been movin kinda fast lately..."
"But that's it!" Moose finished drying himself and stepped back into his briefs "I keep tellin myself I shouldn't be thinkin like that but -- "
"Like what?" Hank turned off the water and pulled the curtain back. Moose looked him up and down, almost by reflex.
"Like... stop distractin me! Like I keep getting the fuckin idea it's my fault!"
"Moose we told ya! Shit you heard all this! All this shit started long before - I mean you were still in Europe when -- "
"Not that!" Moose threw a towel at him "I mean this shit lately..."
"How you think -- "
"Ern and I talked about this. He thinks I'm crazy too - no listen! -- but just when things settle down with Ern and me - I don't know - it's like I get... almost nervous. Like I'm itchin for somethin... Ern says I crave the wildness, pushing the limits or somethin. Just when things get normal I start missing the craziness or some shit."
"You ain't sayin things with Ern are... y'know... getting stale?"
"No! I mean... well... I don't know..." Moose was antsy to get out of the hot humid confinement.
"Let's go" and Hank pushed him back to his room, where they started to get dressed. Hank threw some other clothes at him, which of course were Moose-gear from previous visits. Moose had clothes all over that town, most of which he forgot about long time ago.
"Shit that's where it went!" he threw on one of his favorite blue polo shirts "my mom's been buggin me where this disappeared to."
"You were saying" Hank found some cleaner jeans and a dress shirt, looking better by the minute.
"Well Ern keeps hinting I'm getting bored with him -- "
"Are you?"
"No... well... no I don't know... sometimes it feels like something's missing" Moose was trying to keep a brave face but Hank could tell he was struggling now "don't you.. y'know... you and Jeff...?"
"Yes... and no" Hank threw his shoes on, then came over and gave him another hug "we talk about it. We're cool. It's just been such of a fuckin merry-go-round -- "
"Exactly! Like a damn ferris wheel! Yer up then yer down! Up and down until y'can't think straight!"
"Straight?" Hank arched his eyebrow giving Moose a look. Moose laughed and pushed him backwards, Hank sprawling onto the bed with a big UMMPH!
"You boys hurry up in there!" came Hank's mom's voice "Jeff's waiting for you to call him!"
"Mom Moose's beating me up again!" Hank did a whiny yelp, giving Moose the finger.
"Well I'm sure you deserved it" she knocked without opening the door "now hurry up!"
"Okay okay" Hank whined back "you think y'don't want me home anymore!"
"I don't dear" her voice receding "that's what college is for!"
"Child neglect!" he called after her, struggling off the bed. Moose just laughed and finished getting dressed.
"Y'won't say anything will ya?" Moose looked around, finishing transferring all of his stuff to the new pockets.
"Moose you're going - we're all going! -- through a lot of shit right now okay?"
"No shit" he shrugged, signaling time to go.
"But y'gotta sort this out okay? Maybe Ern can't help ya maybe he can. Y'really need someone more experienced, someone who can help you -- "
"Who? Like the doc?" the bitter cynicism twisting his face.
"Yeah, like the doc" Hank steered him to the door, opening it "but not the doc."