Date: Tue, 08 Dec 2015 00:37:07 +0000
From: Chezdon <chezdon1997@gmail.com>
Subject: Innocence Waning Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The jackhammering of the street along with the ambient noise being caused
from the construction site on the other side of the road comes to an end
seconds after we turn the corner and leave a battered James to collect his
money from the dirty gutter so that he can pass `Go' in Monopoly terms. It
must be 5:00 PM if the workers are dropping their tools and signing off for
the day which makes me think that the trams and taxis must be running as
per the published timeline now. Transferring my disdain for James to
thoughts of the unions, I try to think of something positive and feel a
sense of gratitude that the construction union hacks bothered to work today
especially because of the poor weather that Melbourne offered up
earlier. The building site will be ready that much earlier and the noise
which I detest will finally come to an end.

Mimicking the building works, Austin has remained quiet since walking away
from his thirty dollars and the altercation where he dispatched his foe
with the requisite necessary roughness. Traversing past my residential
tower that we only left minutes ago, I strategically remain one step behind
Austin and follow him down the dusty street. There is a noticeable drop in
temperature since we first confronted James and the dark clouds have
returned overhead whilst we played out our innings of cricket. I feel a
drop of rain first hit my face and then another one splatter on my head.

"Can you please hold this?" Austin hands me the cricket bat and for a
second I feel relieved that he has started to speak again, as I was
beginning to think that he was in shock and going to walk like a zombie
with no particular destination in mind.

Austin removes the beanie which he conveniently borrowed the morning after
our huge Saturday night from his right pocket. At first I wonder just how
many things he stores in his pockets after witnessing him extract so many
treasures from them in the recent past. As I detest any clutter being
stored in mine and silently curse the key that is rubbing up against my
leg, strangely I start to think about what he would store in both his
drawers and closet in his bedroom at his home. Being in a foggy stupor
yesterday, I completely forgot that Austin snatched this beanie from my
room. I was hoping to wear it earlier today before walking to school and
was disappointed when I couldn't find it so I feel a sense of joy knowing
that it has been found and that Austin found a use for it. I watch him slip
the black piece of fabric over his head and like he has the benefit of
looking in a mirror whilst he is walking, easily extracts his wavy blond
fringe and pulls it to the left side. "Let's get a coffee. I need one after
that nightmare." I follow him and his wide eyes after him issuing the
command and happily cross the street and into a café that strangely I
have never been to before. Secretly I wish he said he wanted some alcohol
as I am already far too anxious and agitated and really doubt coffee will
calm me down.

We are told that the rustic café is shutting for the day however the
worker happily sells us two `flat white' coffees in takeaway cups and
declares that we are welcome to stay inside and drink them if we excuse the
noise from them cleaning up and other domestic end of day activities. I
thank our hosts and let them know that we will take them up on their kind
invitation as Austin taps his EFT card against the terminal and pays for
our hot caffeinated drinks. I in turn follow him to a table in the corner
which is far removed from the staff and rest the cricket bat against the
cold old stone wall before taking a seat at the table.

I take the lid off of the hot cardboard cup as I need the contents to cool
down substantially before drinking it. Austin takes a sip of his hot
concoction after adding some sugar and then circumspect comments, "I have
never been in a fight before." He looks to the right and starts to examine
the stone wall. He looks like he is going to start to cry. I watch the
steam rise from my disposable cardboard cup.

"Thank you for doing what you did. He deserved to get his arse kicked
simply because he tossed that cigarette in the street." I am very grateful
and more importantly relieved that we did not get maimed by James and
attempt to lighten the mood by injecting some humour. The events of the
last few minutes seem to be taking more of a toll on Austin then any
physical injury that was dished out to James. I am at a loss of words as to
how to continue but I try to go to the well again and use the same
tact. "Well, we must have set a new teenage record and remained drama free
for a whole hour in our new relationship." Austin transplants his gaze from
the stone wall back to me and manages to form a wry grin on his face
however that lasts for mere seconds before he looks down, wipes at his eyes
and snorts back some mucous. I stand up and begin to make my way around the
table as I think giving him some physical reassurance would be the best
thing to do.

"No, sit down. No public displays of affection please." Austin wipes at his
eyes and sniffs again. "I will be fine. Are there any other fucked up guys
that are going to pop up in your life anytime soon? I can't deal with this
sort of shit again. All of this stress is making me break out."

I did notice Austin with a few new pimples today however they do not
distract from his general good looks. Briefly I muse just how many products
he has at home that are devoted just to his skin and acne management as it
is evident that he takes it very seriously as I make my way back to my
chair and sit down in front of my steaming cup again. "Sorry. I promise
nobody else is going to pop up and cause any problems. I owe you thirty
dollars now though." Once again I attempt to drive the conversation to
something a little less serious.

Austin wipes at his eyes again and then appearing defeated, takes off the
black beanie and wipes his eyes with it and takes a few deep breaths. I can
understand that the situation that we both just experienced with James was
extremely intense, but I do not understand why Austin is becoming so
emotional. I fondly remember him being just fine when I put my hand on his
knee under the table at Nandos, so I repeat that covert action and
fortunately do not receive any form of protest whilst Austin composes
himself over the next minute. "Earlier you said that you always had a thing
for me. I really hope you aren't just playing mind games with me Chez, as I
sure as hell know you are good at that." Austin has partially regained his
composure judging from his snipe at me it appears and he starts to sip the
coffee.

I continue to focus on my own cup of steaming milk and coffee beans
ignoring his petty jibe and swirl its contents like it is red wine in a
glass. After taking a sip and then when I realise that it has cooled down
sufficiently, I drink a substantial amount of it and recall the advice that
Mel gave me earlier. I then apply more pressure to Austin's knee, which
causes him to raise his eyes and look at me again. Realising that I need to
take control of this awkward situation, I begin talking. "I like seeing you
with my beanie on your head. Your face looks really cute when your hair
pokes out from it." Austin smiles and a feeling of satisfaction overcomes
me as I continue to look in his eyes. "I know all of this drama with James
and what just played out is my fault. I get it, but if I look at the
positive side, the dickhead just was the catalyst that brought us closer
together."

Austin sniffs once again. "I can't remember the last time that I became so
emotional. I really hate being like this. You probably think that I am just
some silly fag or just some sook." He looks down at his coffee for close to
ten seconds before taking a deep breath and continuing. "Last year in May,
I was at home with my mother and sister one night." He takes another long
deep breath. I start to scratch his knee which gives him some
encouragement. "To make a long story short, there was a knock at the door
and the next thing I remember was my mother screaming. Three men had made
their way into our house. One had an axe and the two others had
machetes. They were shouting at us to open the safe and they were waving
their weapons around. Of course I was frightened but I was also confused as
I didn't know that we had a safe, and that sense of confusion was then
magnified by my mother who claimed ignorance to the masked men. That was
the understanding at least until one of the blokes chased down Chloe and
grabbed her and forced her on to the floor. He put a machete against her
throat." Austin takes a break and wipes at his eyes again with the beanie.

I happily give him the necessary time to compose himself again by filling
the void of silence by expressing my outrage. "Jesus Christ! What did they
do to your sister? This is shocking!" I hold on to my cup of coffee waiting
for Austin to continue and continue to scratch his knee under the table. I
want to prod him to continue but he is emotional at the moment, I wait
patiently for him to start speaking again which is some time after I finish
the rest of my coffee.

He starts to inspect the stone wall once again. "The cunt that grabbed her
started to grope her and tear at her clothes. That fortunately got my
mother talking and she admitted that we have a safe and that she would open
it. After that, at least in my mind, things are a bit hazy but I know that
I started mouthing off and abusing the animals, telling them to leave my
sister alone and shit like that. One of the men shoved me hard and I fell
backwards into the corner of an iron and glass table, which cut the fuck
out of my back. I ended up on my arse screaming in pain and bleeding all
over the place whilst this arsehole stood over me holding an axe. I thought
it was game over for me. Death by axe." Austin starts to wipe at his eyes
with the beanie again and takes another two long deeps breaths. I am not
only captivated but genuinely shocked and continue to scratch his knee. I
pick up my cup of coffee and attempt another sip and then realise there is
nothing left drink. I then decide not to move or even breathe and wait for
Austin to continue whilst I remain a prisoner of time and sit on the edge
of my seat.

"Obviously we all survived the ordeal. They got into the safe, took a bunch
of shit and then left."

"Wow." I am at a loss for words for the first time in my life. "I guess
that is what the scar on your back is from. I was going to ask you after
seeing it yesterday morning but you left so quickly that I didn't really
have the opportunity."

"You noticed it? I guess you were paying attention to me then."

From memory the scar isn't really that bad and given it is located between
his shoulder blade and spine, I imagine it would have been more painful if
anything. Knowing how vain Austin is, he is probably more outraged that the
scar has marked his body instead of the fact that it reminds him of a
horrible moment in his young life. Again, I try to lighten the moment. "I
wasn't just paying attention, I was checking you out mate." This makes
Austin smile, which is long overdue especially after telling his home
invasion tale of woe. "I am so sorry that your family had to go through
that. Did the coppers ever catch the bastards?"

"I am self-conscious about that scar and I was actually afraid that you did
notice it and were about to ask me about it. That is why I fucked off so
quickly. I don't like being asked about it for obvious reasons as it brings
back some horrible memories. Even the ridiculous lie that I tell about how
I got it manages to upset me." I keep scratching Austin's knee, not knowing
what to say. "This is why I not only took the cricket bat with me when we
went to talk with James, but why I was so hell-bent on not being a victim
again we he came at us. I wasn't going to let that arsehole do me in, let
alone assault you. I was not about to let another violent situation spiral
out of control when I had the ability to do something about it. He is lucky
I didn't break his skull."

Like placing the last piece of a puzzle and seeing the whole picture for
the first time, I feel like saying `I see said the blind man' but realise
continuing to make light of the situation would not be very suitable. "I
totally understand Austin. I am so sorry that I put you in that situation."
I then repeat a question previously asked. "Did the coppers ever catch the
arseholes that invaded your home?" I had to hunt for some politically
correct words and I struggled to phrase that question knowing that Austin
is really agitated.

"They did actually. My uncle was behind it all and my parents haven't
talked much about it. I just know that all of them are in gaol. My uncle
knew what was in the safe as my father had told him and he wanted it. This
is why those animals didn't rape and kill us all I assume, and were just
hell-bent on getting into the safe and leaving. It was on the news and in
the papers also, they just left our family's name out of it since the
sordid story involved victimised teenagers. Victim, I really hate that word
now." The workers at the café start cleaning the table next to us, which
distracts Austin. Would could have been in the safe, Michael Jackson's
glove? It is like another moment from `Pulp Fiction'.

"Goddamn, I say. Goddamn!" I lean closer to Austin and start scratching his
knee briskly again which gets his attention. "Come on. Let's get the fuck
out of here." I stand up and stretch, feeling my back pop in the tense
areas and then look around the small café. Austin gets close enough to
me so that I can smell his cologne again and he gently pats my arse
indicating that he is right behind me and that I should start walking. I
grab the bat and continue to process all of the shocking revelations and
replay them in my mind as we walk back to my residential tower in
silence. The light rain doesn't seem to bother either of us as we walk at a
very casual pace unaffected by the elements and avoid being knocked down by
a yellow taxi who rushes past us we illegally cross the small street not
paying attention. The bright lights of the foyer of my residential tower
welcome us after I swipe the fob at the security panel. This is the same
panel that has the one-eyed camera and a keypad integrated that had the
pleasure of being used by James earlier. For a moment my thoughts drift and
I wonder if James will ever appear in my life again and consider what he
would be doing at this moment after calling the elevator and beginning the
journey up into the sky.

"You are unusually quiet. It is a nice change." Austin smiles whilst
watching the LED screen on the wall that details not only the long-term
weather forecast in Melbourne, but reports the breaking news along with the
floor number that we are currently travelling past.

"I was just thinking what a cool guy you are and that you smell so damn
good. You certainly didn't deserve to go through that hell. Nobody in your
family deserved that. Hell, nobody deserves to be terrorised." The elevator
stops and the door opens at the same time my insightful statement ends. I
don't give Austin any time to respond as he has to quickly follow me out
into the corridor before the elevator door closes. He has to rush to catch
me as I use the key that has been rubbing against my leg for the last hour
to open the apartment door. The smells of thyme and garlic are first greet
us and then I hear the chirping sounds of familiar voices. I leave the
cricket bat in the foyer when I recognise one of the voices is my
father. We walk into the living room and I see him sitting on the lounge
with Mel. They have a bottle of wine open and are gossiping about one of
their mutual friends who is having an affair until they see us come in.

"Hey boys! How was school today?" My father gets up to shake Austin's
hand. Perhaps it was the emotionally-charged afternoon or because I am
feeling a sense of mortality, I give my father a hug after he finishes
giving Austin his hearty salutations. At first I can tell my father is
shocked but after a second returns the favour and embraces me
tightly. "What happened? What do I need to know?" My father asks
suspiciously.

"Nothing." I say. "I just appreciate you. It is just good to be alive." I
let go of my father and feeling emboldened for a Monday, get two empty wine
glasses from the kitchen and upon returning give one to Austin.

"It is Monday Chezdon. Take it easy." There is still a look of shock on my
father's face as the hug surprised him.

"I will." I grab the bottle of Baileys Shiraz and pour Austin a glass and
then greedily fill my vessel nearly to the brim. "May I be so bold as to
make a toast?"

My father and Austin are both lost for words. Mel stands up and is the only
one to provide a response. "Yes please Chezdon, please do. Just not to Ned
Kelly." The wine is from Glenrowan in upper Victoria, which is where Ned
Kelly is from.

"What I learned today is that you can be snuffed out at any moment. Anyone
can be knocked down by something like the 109 tram and when taking your
last breath regret that you didn't tell the people that you love and care
about what they really mean to you from time to time. Dad, Mel, I love you
both and I just want to say thanks for always being there for me and just
being amazing."

My father's eyes become wide which is rare. He then gazes at Austin again
with a suspicious look on this face. "Austin, has he been drinking today?
What the hell has happened?"

I don't give Austin the opportunity to respond to him with anything witty
and instead cast my eyes on his beautiful face fondly and raise my
glass. "Austin, to you mate. Thanks for making me look at life
differently." I extend my glass and first tap Austin's, then clink Mel's
and finally follow-on and ching my father's glass twice by accident and
take a drink of Ned Kelly's blood. I place the glass of wine on the table
and shuffle past my father and give Mel a hug. "Sorry for being such an
arsehole, I do love you."

The bizarre and rare emotional family moment is short-lived. Nobody knows
what to say after my unexpected proclamation and toast so everyone's
attention is then focused on the muted Sky News which is being broadcast on
the television. I retrieve my wine glass once again and after taking
another drink and walk into the kitchen far away from the confused eyes so
that I can have a few seconds to myself so that I can reconcile my
thoughts.

I overhear my father ask Austin whether I nearly got hit by a tram since I
mentioned the very one that previously took me to Port Melbourne over the
weekend or if something more sinister happened in my life today. As not to
make Austin feel even more uncomfortable and feel obligated to answer my
prying father, I return to the living room nearly as quickly as I left with
a new sense of enthusiasm. "Old man, it is all good. Life is good. Don't
worry." I take another drink of the wine and my eyes once again meet
Austin's. "Do you want to stay for dinner? Mel said you are more than
welcome to. Something smells delicious that you don't want to miss. I know
you want to."

"Whatever you are making smells awesome Mel. Let me just quiz my mother
just to make sure that I can. She might have something planned for me." I
really hope that Julie doesn't make Austin go home as I really want to
spend some quality time with him on the first official day that we are
deemed to be in a relationship. I want our teenage union to be defined by
positive and happy experiences and it not be forged around drama and
despair. My original lustful feelings have gone through a metamorphosis of
sorts in the last few hours and they have evolved into something more which
I can't really comprehend, but I just want to be around him.

"Come along now fool, our phones are in my room." Not wanting to look back
and catch the incredulous stare of my father, I walk around the corner and
towards my bedroom. Fortunately I can hear Austin following me and allow
him to pass me in the corridor before he enters my bedroom. I follow him,
this time closing the door behind me, obviously having learned my lesson
from earlier. Austin places his glass of wine carefully on my desk, taking
care not to place it on any pieces of paper or books and then picks up his
phone. After swiping a combination of left, right, up and down, he places a
call. Feeling not only emboldened but full of life, I take a few steps
toward Austin and place my wine glass next to his. My ears are close enough
to his handset and I can hear the ubiquitous ringing sound emanating from
his phone. I startle him by wiping my dirty lips on his white shirt.

"What the fuck?" Austin is shocked and then embarrassed when he realises
that his mother heard at least part of the profane question as she had
answered her phone.

"Excuse me?" Julie asks her son in a harsh yet inquisitive voice.

"Sorry about that mum. Forget that you heard that. Can I stay at Chezdon's
tonight for dinner or am I required for something at home?" Austin first
looks irritated that he has to ring his mother and the sour look is
compounded further after wiping my lips on his white shirt again which has
effectively left two noticeable wine stains on the fabric. I start to
unbutton his white shirt and can hear his mother crapping on about
something although I can't decipher exactly what since she speaks so
quickly with her posh Aussie accent. One sentence turns into two, then to
four and then to eight paragraphs without stopping to take a breath. By the
time Austin gets the opportunity to respond, he has already taken a step
back to thwart me from unbuttoning his stained and wrinkled shirt but
realises his efforts are futile especially whilst trying to communicate
with his mother so he gives in to my wayward ways. "Well, can you pick me
up later?" I hear more noise from Julie so I take the opportunity to pull
Austin's shirt up from the back, releasing it from the constraint of the
waist of his trousers and his belt. He in turn decides to sit on my bed and
go with it. "No, they have already had some wine, so that isn't a good
idea. I will just get a train or an Uber or something. I don't have any
money on me though." More noise is expelled over the phone from his mother
as I continue my effort to pull Austin's shirt off of him. This causes him
to have to fumble his phone onto his lap and miss a few sentences of his
mother's diatribe to remove the arm that is hold the phone from the
constraints of the sleeve. He quickly puts his phone back to his ear and
starts to bark into it, his frustration is evident. "He hasn't said
anything, I don't know." Austin continues to respond to questions, which
gives me the chance to first sit next to his naked torso and then slither
behind him and further examine the scar on his back that he is so
self-conscious about. I am no medical expert but when originally wounded,
it does look like it would have bled a fair amount and that it would have
hurt like hell. Remembering that the injury occurred a year ago and the
scar is so prominent contrasts against his white skin, I try to empathise
with him by recognising the fact that I should share my painful secret
embarrassing body injury with him at some point. I start to rub my finger
along his scar, and it causes Austin's body to twitch, but it doesn't
distract him enough to stop responding to his mother's
interrogatory. "Okay, don't worry about it. I will find out. I will text
you if I leave, or even if I stay here. Bye!" With that exclamation, Austin
ends the call, tosses his phone on my bed and grabs me. "Having a good look
are you?"

"Yeah. I just want to know everything about you. I like your body. I don't
care about some scar. You are really hot." After my admission I realise
that my face has gone red and my fragmented statements about what I said
must have sounded very juvenile.

"Just don't tell Jayden what I told you about what happened to my
family. That isn't his business."

"I wouldn't know what you are talking about." I roll my eyes indicating
that the information will never leave my mouth. "What is this that you said
about staying over?" A smile forms on my face.

"My mother at first had words to say about both Mel and Daniel drinking on
Monday but then she had to admit that she had gotten stuck into the wine
herself as she was making some pasta, so she can't pick me up. My father is
out at drinks with his colleagues and of course she doesn't want me dealing
with the train station late at night or walking to the tram stop in the
rain, so she said just to stay over if I can since everyone is apparently
on the piss on a Monday night." Austin stands up and reaches for his glass
of wine, takes a drink and then turns and looks down at me. I look straight
ahead and stare at his crotch for a few seconds. "This has been a very
bizarre day and let me assure you, I never thought in my wildest dreams all
of this would happen, or did I expect it all to play out the way it has
only to watch you leer at my crotch. I want something more from your Chez."

I look up at Austin. "What is your mother's problem with the train at
night?" I give him a cheeky grin, ignoring his confessional.

"I reckon that you are like a sun burning bright and you are nearly red-hot
right now. It is just that your rays of light are not just drawing me in,
you are burning up with sexual energy and I very afraid that if I give into
you on the same day that we actually get into a relationship of sorts that
you will quickly burn out and burn me at the same time if that makes
sense. Hell, I could quickly burn up in your wake and be left devastated. I
certainly never expected to be standing here before you in your room with
my shirt off right now when I woke up this morning, let alone beating up
the guy that I thought that you were fucking. This isn't normal. Nobody can
exist living on a high of hormones for hours if not days, which is what I
have been doing."

I stand up slowly and with each of my hot hands caress his sides,
eventually moving them up his body and allowing them rest to in his
armpits. I can feel his warmth and perspiration as the result of his stress
and excitement. I shuffle closer so that my lips are a mere centimetre from
his. "We should find you a clean shirt whilst we wash the one you wore
today. You are a size twenty-eight, right?"

With a confused look on his face and not choosing to back away from me
despite being deep in his personal space, he manages a
whisper. "Twenty-eight, twenty-nine. It depends. Why?"

"You can borrow a pair of my trousers for tomorrow. We can clean everything
else. There is no reason to stress, I will not pressure you into doing
anything you aren't ready to do. I never will." I gently kiss Austin and
then put my nose on his neck and smell his cologne again. I watch him close
his eyes which causes him to lose his balance briefly and along with the
force of my continued advance, he falls back and into the wall. He opens
his mouth to accept my tongue which goes exploring like Captain Cook once
again into its dark warm recesses. My hands find their way back down to his
thighs and ultimately grip his buttocks after wedging my hands between them
and the wall. With all of my strength I pull him back towards me, stepping
back toward my bed however I am the one that loses balance this time and we
both fall in the direction of the vector that I initiated, fortunately
ending up mostly on the bed.

"What were you saying about finding me a shirt?" Feeling like I am running
on an empty tank of fuel, I relent and let Austin break my embrace. I watch
him walk over and start rummaging through my closet much like Jayden has
grown accustomed to doing without even asking and after a few seconds
locates a slim fitting V-cut red cotton shirt and puts it on. It is
appropriate given red is the colour of power and he is exerting it
completely over me so far when it comes to sex and is completely in control
of the agenda, which is driving me mad. I watch him as he walks into the
bathroom first to adjust his hair which gives me a chance to look at him
with the bright light shining on him in the distance. His dirty blond hair,
red shirt and white skin match perfectly and at the moment is my idea of
visual perfection. I am so turned on.

Austin finishes grooming his blond rats nest by adding some styling putty
and secures it with hairspray that I left haphazardly scattered around the
sink. He innocently stops to pick at one of his blemishes before walking
back out into my room at first not realising that I was watching him. He
didn't see me consume the villainous wine only moments prior and watches me
fiddle with the remote. I scroll through channels on the television holding
the empty glass instead of what I really want to hold and am forced to
remain content in only looking for now. After putting on his serious face,
Austin sits at my desk and starts to browse the papers that I have
scattered about on it and when he realises there is nothing interesting to
read he simply says "shouldn't we actually do some study?"

School completely slipped my mind with the real-life teenage angst, drama,
sex, alcohol and violence on offer which proves that life is certainly
better than anything that you can find on television these days. As today
is effectively the first day of the new term, I am relieved that not much
happened at school and fortunately not many assignments were dished
out. Luckily I have nothing that is due tomorrow. "Is there anything
pressing? Is there anything that you need to hand in tomorrow?"

"No, but I should do some reading at some point. When is dinner? I am so
hungry."

"Good question." I scratch my head and realise my ravenous hunger is the
result of the taste of Peri Peri sauce in my mouth that is the by-product
of my late lunch at Nandos. Despite having enjoyed Coke, coffee, red wine
and Austin's saliva over the last few hours, nothing has managed to
eradicate the acidic taste from my tongue and strangely I feel like having
more spice. "Let's go find out."

Austin and I make the now familiar journey from my room to the kitchen. My
father is sitting at the marble dining room table reading something on his
tablet. I have a brief flashback of dancing on the table and falling off of
it the other day and turn my attention towards Mel who appears to be
reducing some sort of sauce on the stove. I watch her pour a small amount
of wine from the open bottle into the aluminium tray that contains the lamb
droppings and then proceed to fill her glass with the remains of the
bottle. "Something smells good." A large leg of lamb is resting on the
kitchen bench on a cutting board.

I am about to ask Mel how much longer it is before we can eat her creation
but then hold my tongue. Austin and I watch what she is doing in silence. I
realise that since she is making a gravy, we should be only minutes away
from our fine dining experience. I have watched her cook multiple times and
have asked her enough questions to feel confident that the epicurean side
of me knows the answer but I still manage a single query. "What were you
using the pressure cooker for Mel?"

Mel turns around and sips her red wine. "I had to make a lamb stock. It is
a bit of a pain in the arse really, but it is really rich and smells really
nice. It is the base for this gravy."

The pleasant conversation, smells and sights are inconveniently interrupted
by the video intercom obnoxiously ringing yet again. At first I am startled
but then my heart starts racing wondering if James has returned for another
batting session. Before I can announce that I will attend to our visitor,
my father has risen out of his chair and is walking toward the irritating
colour screen on the wall. I wish there was some easy way to disable the
intercom and then wonder for how long I will be disciplined for if I just
rip the godddamned thing off of the wall. I follow my father, who is still
holding his glass of wine as he approaches the rude device.

"Jesus Christ, the police are here!" My father first exclaims and then
turns around to look at me. A stern look quickly takes form on his face and
he naturally assumes that I have done something criminal judging from the
poisonous stare that he gives me. The obnoxious bell linked to the intercom
sounds off for a second time. Dad finishes the contents of his Riedel glass
in one quick gulp and picks up the receiver.

"Good evening officers, how can I help you?" There are a few seconds of
silence. The shitty technology isn't designed to be able to eavesdrop on a
conversation if you are close enough to the receiver, unlike Austin's
phone.

"Yes, he is my son. Is he being charged with something?" My heart starts
beating even faster as I watch my father listen to the Police have to
say. "That is fine, he is here. You are welcome to come up and have a
chat. I am sure that he can assist you with your queries." With that simple
statement my father presses two buttons on the security panel which grants
the Police entry to the foyer of the building and also permits them access
to our level via the lift and returns the receiver to its cradle on the
wall. By this time, both Austin and Mel have wandered into the living
room. He turns around to address us in unison. "Okay, I don't know what has
happened but you two bastards have about two minutes to educate us." He
first looks at his watch and then at Mel. He then regurgitates what the
police said to him which sounds verbatim. "There has been no complaint
against Chezdon, but they want him to assist with their queries. It seems
that if Chezdon's boyfriend beat up someone on the street outside this
building with a cricket bat."

Mel sets her glass of wine on the table carefully. "Austin, we don't have
much time. Is this true?"

Austin looks terrified. "He tried to attack us." For now I have to ignore
why Mel defaulted to speaking with Austin when she heard that my boyfriend
attacked someone.

"What do you mean? Give me the high level facts." Mel touches Austin on his
arm. "It will be fine. I won't let anything happen to you. We only have
about a minute until they are here." My father is staring at his watch.

Austin starts to speak very quickly. "Do you remember that bloke called
James that turned up here on Saturday? Well, he bought Chezdon some drinks
yesterday so he came around earlier today asking Chezdon for thirty dollars
as payment. He seemed like a dickhead to even be asking, so we went
downstairs to meet up with him earlier to give him the money. We ended up
calling each other some bad names, ones that he didn't like much so he
attacked us even though I warned him to stay away because I had the bat. I
ended up hitting him with it." Austin looks down at the floor.

There is a loud knock on the door. My father looks up and waves his right
hand in a circle and indicates to hurry up.

"Okay, fair enough. Were there any other witnesses? How long were you down
on the street?" Mel folds her arms and tilts her head to the right like she
is deep in thought.

Austin is quick to answer which pleases my father. "About five
minutes. James smoked a few cigarettes whilst we were talking, so maybe a
few minutes longer." Austin shifts his weight from one foot to another
repeatedly like he has to urinate. I recall our joking on Saturday that he
has a small bladder, so when there is another loud knock on the door, I
secretly hope that this can be hurried up as I am concerned that Austin
will piss his pants. "I don't know if there were any other witnesses."

Mel walks past us all and into the foyer. She opens the door and greets the
two police officers and proceeds to invite them inside, extending her arm,
effectively pointing the at the only direction that they can walk. There is
a quick discussion about the cricket bat that I left near the door before
Mel escorts the officers into a waiting area of sorts that we use. It our
attempt at using the dead space between the living room and our foyer and
it is where we all converge. "Constables, before we begin, let me introduce
myself. My name is Melissa Peterson and I am a Barrister. This fine
gentleman to my left in the periphery is Daniel Morrison, the father and
legal guardian to Chezdon Morrison, who is the minor that you wish to make
queries of today. I believe we can assist you with your queries and you are
more than welcome to make them here, in our home, as long as we afford
everyone the respect that they deserve. Chezdon, will you please sit on
this lounge with me?" Mel extends her arm and points at the red two seated
sofa. I walk over and stand next to her and when I begin to sit down, she
follows my lead and we both rest on the red leather that is seldom used. I
have never seen her in action professionally; law is more of a hobby for
her as she would rather spend her days following recipes in the Heston
Blumenthal cookbook instead of dealing with `filthy crims' as she likes to
put it. I feel at ease though with her running this unexpected meeting with
the Police.

I stand up again quickly and extend my hand to the police officers. First I
shake the hand of the female constable and smile, and then enthusiastically
shake the hand of male officer, who appears to be her supervisor and has a
grip like a vice. I introduce myself and then sit back on the lounge next
to Mel. "How can I assist?" I then look at Austin who has wide eyes once
again and looks nervous, the tell-tale sign being that he is now playing
with his hair. My father doesn't appear very impressed as I know he was
looking forward to eating the lamb whilst it was still warm and of course
having a few more bottles of red wine. With the thought of dinner now on my
mind, the smell of the rare lamb, garlic and thyme that is emanating in the
apartment distracts me until the male police offer speaks with a bored
country drawl.

"Chezdon mate, we have received a complaint from a James Bateman that your
boyfriend assaulted him outside of this building with a cricket
bat. Firstly would you be able to identify this person as we would like to
interview him. Can you please also tell us what happened?" This is the
second time that the cops have referred to Austin as `my boyfriend' which
is stressing me more than having to answer questions posed by the local
constabulary. I take a deep breath which culminates in a sigh as I again
look at my father before I am interrupted.

Mel puts her hand on my knee gently and begins to speak. "Officers, can we
please save each other some precious time and cut to the chase? As a
family, we would like to eat dinner soon and I am confident that you have
more important things to deal with today." Mel looks as bored as the male
police officer as she sits next to me with her legs crossed. She has been
away from her glass of wine for at least three minutes I am confident that
she is missing it greatly.

"Ms. Peterson, we take violence very seriously as I am sure that you are
very aware, and we will conduct our enquiry now and take as long as we need
or we will invite you to come down and speak with us at the Station." The
female police officer obviously doesn't like Mel trying to run the
interview. She then looks at me once again with her small notebook and pen
ready to begin taking important notes. "Chezdon, please continue. Can you
please identify the person that allegedly attacked Mr. Bateman."

I am relieved that the copper first identified him as `James' as I never
knew his surname. I don't know how I would have reacted if I learned his
last name was `Pepsi' or some variant of a soft drink. "It certainly was
not an attack and the person that you would like to question is standing
right there." I point at Austin.

Mel stands up quickly. "Officers, unless you are going to charge Chezdon
with an offence, for now that is all he will be saying. I will be
representing Austin in the same way I did with Chezdon though." Mel looks
at Austin and motions to him to come closer. She puts her hand on Austin's
shoulder and reassuringly says "we can easily finish this now if you trust
me, and just tell the constables exactly what you told us earlier. They
will ask if you want to be questioned with your parents present. That is up
to you." The female cop looks irritated and opens her mouth to interrupt
before Austin and I lock eyes and then voluntarily swap places.

"It will be fine. Trust Mel." I squeeze Austin's shoulder after he sits
down.

"Your name is Austin? What is your surname?" The bored male officer is
again ready with his pen.

"McGuire."

"Are you comfortable speaking with us now with Barrister Peterson
supervising and advising? We can take you to your home and question you
with your parents present. Whilst you consider this, can you please give us
your home address."

Austin first looks at my father, who has taken an interest in biting his
fingernails most likely because he is hungry because I have never seen him
nervous, and then at Mel, who once again assures Austin. "Just tell them
what you told us earlier, I promise you this will end quickly."

Austin looks at each of the coppers and simply states, "I am happy to
continue here. How can I help?" After providing his home address as being
in the affluent suburb of Toorak, the officers look at one another and I
can tell by the snide look on their face are both wondering if Austin is
the son of Eddie McGuire, the president of the Collingwood Football Club,
former CEO of Channel Nine Australia and who now has the high profile
position of hosting the dumbed down version of Australia's `Who Wants to be
a Millionaire'. I barely manage to contain my snicker knowing that he is
not a member of that celebrated family. The dumb cops are probably itching
to now get out of here so they can tell their mates in the Murdoch media
about this supposed scandal of the day and little do they know that Austin
is not of any relation.

The bored officer who no longer looks so bored speaks. "There has been an
allegation that you assaulted Mr. Bateman. Can you please tell us about
this?"

Austin looks at Mel again and she smiles and then nods. Austin proceeds
recount the high level summary of how our interaction today with James took
place on street below. Austin at times becomes animated and starts to
gesticulate, which I enjoy watching. He becomes noticeably morose though
surprisingly and appears to be experiencing a sense of regret when he
admits that he hit James with the bat. Fortunately his misleading act of
regret is not over the top and quickly leads to him making a compelling
observation. "If James was so badly hurt, why would he hang around to pick
up numerous notes and coins off the street?" Austin then looks at Mel who
takes the non-verbal queue that he has finished speaking.

"Constables, as we all know, one is allowed to defend yourself to a
reasonable standard. I will not commentate as to what Austin did was in
fact reasonable however I will simply highlight that under the Child
Protection Act of 1966, it is an offence for an adult to assault a child,
even in a rage. We do have lawful chastisement of course, however Mr
Bateman is not the parent or legal guardian of Austin." Mel speaks like she
is reading from a textbook. Both Austin and I look at each other and then
at my father who is pursing his lips and probably considering this law. I
wonder if he is thinking about lawful chastisement and how badly he can
kick my arse later. "I would suggest constables that you ask Mr Bateman as
to whether he wants to pursue an erroneous allegation against Mr. McGuire
as if he does, we will then be pressing the court for an assault against
minor charge against him."

"Ms Petersen, you are not in front of the Judge, so if you would please
calm down and keep the theatrics to a minimum we would appreciate it." The
excited male officer has been writing continuously and when he stops
speaking and taking notes, looks down at Austin. "I have two questions
Austin, if you don't mind. How long were both you and Chezdon outside
speaking with Mr Bateman before you allegedly hit him with the cricket bat?
Were there any other witnesses?"

Without looking at Mel, Austin immediately answers. "James smoked two
cigarettes whilst he was speaking with us. He tossed one into the
gutter. He smoked another one after that and flicked it at Chezdon." Austin
takes a few seconds to consider the facts before continuing. I wish I had
some popcorn. "Chezdon later made a comment about James deserving to be hit
with the bat simply because he littered after we walked away. James picked
up one of the coins in the gutter which was next to one of his burned out
cigarettes." Austin pauses and looks up at the ceiling and then back to the
male officer who continues to write what I presume to be facts down. "I
don't know about witnesses, but there is a construction site across the
street and the workers were knocking off for the day and we were talking
with him for around five minutes before the alleged incident took place."
Everyone is using the word alleged. It is now officially the word of the
day.

Mel once again puts her hand gently on Austin's shoulder and he stops
talking. "Constables, it is obvious that Mr Bateman never felt threatened
by these two boys and continued a conversation with them whilst smoking
multiple cigarettes. Although it can't be proven as only three people know
for a fact what dialogue was exchanged and although I would imagine it to
be colourful in nature, it doesn't give the explicit right to Mr Bateman to
attack these boys out of rage."

The male office puts out his hand to interrupt Mel. "I have heard
enough. We will have a conversation with Mr Bateman and explain to him that
everyone should just avoid one another in the future as I am sure that he
will not want to pursue this after we explain to him what you kindly
articulated to us about the assault charge. I am sure he will then see
reason. Thank you Austin. We would like for you to join us downstairs to
identify the cigarette butt in the gutter if you wouldn't mind." He then
closes his notepad. The female officer is now the one looking bored and she
scratches her arse.

"Austin, I will go downstairs with you. It looks like this has been
finalised. Thank you constables for your time and your kind attention so
that we could settle this ridiculous matter. It looks like my lamb will not
go cold after all. Before we go, can I offer you anything to drink?"
Briefly images pop into my head that involve Mel opening a bottle of wine
and sitting back with the coppers and exchanging sordid stories involving
stupid criminals which carry on all night and into the morning, however I
am confident that she means a soft beverage or even water.

"Thanks Ms Petersen, but we are fine. Shall we?" The male constable begins
to walk toward the door. The female cop initially follows him but then
suddenly stops to look at the painting of `Growler' hanging on the
wall. When he notices her distracted the cop offers her some trivia. "That
painting was featured in the winning apartment on `The Block' which is why
it looks familiar. It is signed though so I doubt it is the same one."

Once again I can't help myself and offer some additional information to our
local constabulary about the troubled and now deceased artist. "Yes, it is
a piece by Adam Cullen who led a very tragic life and is an Archibald Prize
winning painter. He died not long ago from living an unhealthy lifestyle. A
bit like I foresee James ending up if he doesn't make some better life
choices. You may want to tell that to him also constables." All eyes focus
on me. I look at my father and then at the constables and shrug my
shoulders. "What? It is just my opinion of course. Oh, and Austin isn't
related to Eddie McGuire." I see Mel smile which leads to a laugh and I
believe she is impressed with my spiel. I learned from her not long ago
that if I am going to provide any sort of commentary about anything or
anyone that I should always include the simple three words `in my opinion'
to avoid any accusation of defamation in the future.

The male copper smiles and opens our front door. "Don't worry about that
Chezdon. I will be having a strong word or two with Mr. Bateman. Have a
good night. Your dinner smells wonderful by the way." He then looks at his
colleague. "Let's go." Finally he looks at Mel. "If you can join us outside
on the street with Austin, I promise that you will be back and enjoying
your dinner in a few minutes." The male constable holds the door open for
his colleague who wanders into the corridor, followed by Mel and then
Austin who pauses at the door to look at me. He sticks his tongue out and
rolls it into a taco and crosses his eyes. After a few seconds, he returns
his face to normal and a smile forms across his face. He is the last to
leave the apartment naturally adjusting his fringe and he closes the door
behind him. I then realise that I am left alone with my father who has had
plenty of time to consider the term legal chastisement. I take another deep
breath before walking into the living room.

My father is sitting on the lounge with his tablet in one hand and a glass
of wine in another. I sit next to him. I have no idea what he is thinking,
but I feel it is in my best interest to coax it out of him so there is no
awkward display on offer when Mel and Austin return. "Well, that was
interesting. Mel certainly knows her shit." I really need him to respond
before saying anything else so I wait a few seconds before he feels that my
statement is more interesting than whatever he is reading or at least it
takes him that long before he organises his thoughts.

"She does and that is why I love her. That could have ended badly Chez, I
hope that you know that."

I take an interest in the carpet under the glass table and start to count
the different colours of fibres whilst acknowledging my father by nodding.

Obviously thirsty from the courtroom scene that played out at our
residence, my father knocks back the contents of his glass of wine in three
gulps. I really want to go into my room and retrieve my empty glass but
realise that I need to be abused one way or another for bringing this drama
into our home before I take any liberties. I am still on edge about the
`boyfriend' comment that was made by the cop twice and I hope that my
father was distracted by the silly situation and drama unfolding and
forgets the way that Austin was classified by James. I then vaguely recall
telling James that my family isn't aware of my sexual orientation and
remember asking him to keep it under wraps when he first came around on
Saturday. I feel my blood pressure rising knowing that he has blatantly
tried to attack me indirectly on this front and I begin to get lost in my
own thoughts. I didn't even notice that my father had gotten up from the
lounge, refilled his wine glass and then returned to sit next to me until I
felt a thud.

"Chezdon, please just remember that you are a teenager, and a clever one at
that. Don't try to grow up before you have to." My father gulps another few
mouthfuls of wine. He must be getting ready to give me more advice as I can
tell that he is collecting his thoughts. "The only things that I want from
you is for you to lead your life as a good person and for you to enjoy
every day. You don't have to worry about me judging you for decisions that
you make in your personal life. I wouldn't care if all of the sudden you
stated you hate red wine, the government, joined a religious cult, went
vegan and decided that you wanted a sex change. I would still love you and
not judge you. Nothing would change. I just hope that you communicate with
me so I can give you the best advice and give you the best mentoring that I
possibly can. Mel is here for you too. Hell, we are here for your friends
if they ever need anyone to talk to. Just talk to us. I don't ask for much
from you besides this."

I am overwhelmed by my father's diatribe and attitude. He has never said
anything so heart-felt and I never imagined that he would be so
accommodating to my life choices. He starts to drink his wine slowly and I
return to counting the various colours of the rug. When I hear the front
door open again along with some chatter by both Mel and Austin, my stare
intensifies so acutely that I am surprised that the rug doesn't catch fire
from the intensity of my gaze. My mouth is extremely dry and I notice that
my breathing is much faster and deeper than normal.

Mel walks in to the living room with Austin following her closely. She
immediately locates her glass of wine but starts speaking before she takes
a drink which I find odd. "That is sorted thank Christ. The cops actually
took the cigarette butts into evidence. They only asked Austin for his
mobile phone number in case there are follow-up questions but we agreed
that will be the end of it." Mel looks at Austin and steps to his side and
puts her arm around him. "You did really good mate, and it will all be
fine. Thank you for trusting me." Mel finally is able to consume her wine
and after the rim of the glass parts company from her lips, I see her
smile. Wine to her is like a blood to a vampire. "Just call me if you get
into a tricky situation like that ever again. Promise me?" Mel hands Austin
her business card.

Austin looks at Mel and nods. "Thank you so much Mel, I really appreciate
what you did. That was amazing."

"Just give me your address so I can send your parents the bill. It is seven
hundred dollars per hour, but I will give you the friends and family
discount." Mel takes her arm off of Austin and starts walking to the
kitchen and without turning around says "just kidding." She quickly returns
with a new bottle of wine, which is quickly opened thanks to the ingenious
screw-cap, and fills up my father's empty glass and then her glass. "I
guess we can finally eat. I know I am hungry."

I stand up and no longer have any feeling in my legs so I seemingly float
over and stand next to Austin who looks exhausted. I put my arm around him
and look at my father. He picks up his glass of wine and I assume he knows
what I am going to say. Much to my father's surprise, I conveniently turn
towards Austin. "Austin, don't be pissed off at me please. I am really
appreciative of what you did outside as who knows what that lunatic would
have done to us." I then turn toward my father. "Dad, just so you know,
Austin is my boyfriend. We have been together now for a grand total of four
hours plus or minus, and I really hope that when I wake up tomorrow, he
will still call me his boyfriend after all of this bullshit." I manage a
smile and feel genuinely happy.

"I always knew you had great taste Chez. Now can we please eat?" My father
stands up and drinks all of the wine that Mel poured for him only minutes
ago and walks over to Austin and I. He extends his hand to Austin, which he
accepts. "Welcome to the family, mate." My father then walks towards the
kitchen and Mel follows him.

Austin looks at me in disbelief and takes a deep breath. "I hope you are
worth it."

"I know I am."

"I really need to pee." Austin then heads towards the bathroom. I turn
towards the window and watch the last few seconds of the sun setting over
the western suburbs before returning to my bedroom to get our empty wine
glasses.


***

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