Chapter Thirteen
“Everything is set for the wedding next Sunday, and I’ve reserved a van to move my things out of the apartment,” Treston said. It was a Tuesday evening and they were sitting in the living room of Cooper Boon’s apartment, watching TV. Treston had given Chickey plenty of notice and he wasn’t working at the club that night. His last official night at the strip club was Saturday and that was really only because he wanted to be there to help Lyon do the ping-pong ball routine for the first time in public. On Saturday, they would do a dual strip show and Treston would help Lyon out on stage with the ping-pong ball shooters. It hadn’t been easy teaching him the act. Up until this point Lyon had never had anything larger than his wife’s finger up his butt. The first time Treston inserted the ping pong ball gun, Lyon screamed with such force poor Chickey came running out of the bathroom with a piece of toilet paper stuck to his shoe, wondering what had happened.
“Sounds good,” Cooper said. He was sitting in front of a large flat-screen TV on a brown leather recliner that had a tear next to the lever. “Are you sure this guy, Chickey, is a real minister? I wanna do right by you.”
Treston was sitting at the end of a long black vinyl sectional sofa that had built-in cup holders on the arms and cracks in the cushions. “Yes, he got certified on the Internet. And it doesn’t really matter anyway because gay marriage isn’t legal.” He felt a sudden sense of disappointment when he glanced at the makeshift coffee table. The TV was the only thing in the room worthwhile. Cooper didn’t believe in spending money on furniture or expensive household items. His dishes had chips and his flatware didn’t match. His cups had no saucers and his napkins were paper. He thought it was more important to save money than waste it, so he’d taken a large piece of plywood and set it on four stacks of cinderblocks to make a coffee table. Treston didn’t have the most expensive furniture, but what he had looked a lot nicer than Cooper’s junk. He couldn’t wait to move a few of his own things into this depressing living room.
Cooper scratched his dick and laughed. “I know gay marriage isn’t legal. I just feel better for some reason knowing a real minister is marrying us.”
Treston sighed. “I know what you mean. Maybe someday we’ll be able to get legally married.”
On Tuesdays, the routine never varied. Cooper was wearing the gray boxer shorts he always wore on Tuesday, with a white T-shirt and white socks. He was one of those men who took off their street clothes the minute they walk in the door. He’d taken his nap from four to five, they’d eaten dinner—meatloaf and instant mashed potatoes on Tuesdays—from six to seven, and now they were watching the news. Treston had on a black T-shirt and a white see-through thong. No socks, but he’d put Cooper’s cowboy boots on because his feet had been cold.
He tried to avoid looking at the horrible coffee table and said, “I think it’s so wonderful they’re making the wedding for us. They are just the nicest group I’ve ever known.” The guys at Chickey’s club were throwing the small wedding on Sunday afternoon. Lyon and J. D. were in charge of everything and they wouldn’t let Treston lift a finger to help. It would only be wedding cake baked by Lyon’s wife and wine Chickey had been kind enough to donate. Best of all, Lyon’s wife, a singer at a small lounge on the strip, had she’d agreed to sing You Are My Sunshine while Treston walked down the aisle. They’d originally decided neither of them would walk down the aisle, but Chickey had insisted on giving Treston away and they’d back down to please him.
“I’ll just be glad when you’re done with all that,” Cooper said. He belched and scratched his balls again. He never made his feelings about Treston’s job at the club a secret.
“I know,” Treston said. “But I have to admit I’ll miss them, especially Lyon and J.D.”
“It’s going to be a whole new life,” Cooper said. “We’ll never be apart again. You won’t be missing that creepy joint for long.”
Although Treston was looking forward to all the changes coming his way, he didn’t reply to Cooper. Instead, he glanced at the TV and gaped at what he saw. It’s a good thing he’d put down his soda, because if he’d been drinking at the time the soda would have gone right up his nose.
Treston pointed to the TV and said, “Put that up louder.”
Cooper turned up the volume and said, “It’s just that billionaire ex-movie actor who owns all those sub-divisions. I don’t think he’s made a movie in years. He still looks good, though, for an older dude. I have to give him credit for something.”
When Treston saw Chad Pratt standing next to a TV reporter, he held his palm to his chest and took a deep breath. “I can’t even imagine what he’s going to talk about.” Chad didn’t give interviews often. He remained aloof with the press at all times, to the point where he was often described as reclusive. Treston knew this wasn’t the truth. Chad wasn’t reclusive; he just hated most people; he thought they were dumb. Treston hadn’t seen or heard from Chad since the afternoon Chad had jumped out of the limo naked. Though Treston had told Cooper everything about his past, he hadn’t gone into explicit details. He also hadn’t mentioned his brief encounter with Chad. He figured it was important to keep one personal thing to himself no one else would ever know.
Cooper laughed and said, “I’m sure it’s nothing earth-shattering.” He wasn’t big on anything pop culture. He thought movies stars were overpaid buffoons, the Oscars a complete waste of time, and didn’t understand why anyone would pay a small fortune to go to the movies when they could wait and rent the same movie for much less money six months later at one of those little red kiosks at the supermarket. It was one of the things about Cooper that bothered Treston sometimes. Treston couldn’t imagine going through life with such a dismal, cynical attitude about everything most of the world considered fun.
Treston sat back and braced himself against the cracked cushion.
The TV reporter said, “So this is your first movie in ten years.”
Chad flashed a big wide grin at the camera and said, “Yes, I’ve been very busy working on other aspects of my life.” He looked into the camera as if he were going to kiss the lens. He wore a black suit jacket and a white shirt open at the collar. “I believe in giving back and helping others. I’ve spent a great deal of time working on my favorite charities over the years because that’s what life’s all about. I love my peeps.”