Second Chances

Chapter 10

Alex had just finished walking through a vacant unit in a nondescript shopping center, situated on a road lined with a series of similar, nondescript shopping centers with names like Terra Vista Town Center and Foothill Plaza and Promenade at Rancho and Vineyard Fashion Galleria. He was inspecting the condition of the parking lot when he felt his mobile phone vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out, looked to see who was calling, then answered. “Hi, Matt. What’s up?”

“Hey, Alex! I hear you’re in Los Angeles for work. You know, you do get around, don’t you?”

“Well, to be exact, I’m in Rancho Cucamonga,” Alex said as he walked to a nearby landscaping island to stand in the shade of a jacaranda tree. “I’m visiting a few different sites in the Inland Empire this week. Quite honestly, I don’t even think I’m going to make it to LA on this trip.”

“The Inland Empire?”

“Yes, it’s what they call the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles extending into Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. I like this area…you get all the nice weather of Los Angeles with just a fraction of the traffic. And I flew into Ontario, so I didn’t have to deal with LAX, either.”

“Cool! Or should I say, warm? For as nice as it was the other weekend, it’s sure turned chilly here. Say, Alex, I was talking to Rhys yesterday, and he was telling me about how you got all excited planning your bike outing on Saturday, and also what a great time you had. And, since you are a real road warrior, I thought this might be right up your alley.”

Alex was intrigued. “Okay, what did Rhys volunteer me for?”

Matt laughed. “Well, hear me out. Periodically, someone in our group will suggest we plan a trip, but talk is all we ever do. Well, Sean brought it up again the other night and, after speaking with Rhys, I thought maybe you’d be interested in planning a group trip.”

Matt could almost hear the wheels begin to turn in Alex’s head when he responded, “What kind of trip? Like, a vacation trip? A long weekend? Or something longer? And are you thinking something close, like maybe a trip to Chicago or the Cities, or are you talking about flying somewhere? What about camping? Would anybody be interested in that? And what…”

Again, Matt laughed. “Slow down, Alex! I think you were the right person to ask.”

“Okay,” replied Alex, “you got my attention.”

“Alex, here’s what I was thinking. You could come up with a few different ideas for trips. As you suggested, it could be a camping trip, a long weekend in Chicago, and maybe a couple longer trips. Don’t spend too much time on specifics for each trip. Once you’ve got four or five different options, poll the group, and see what most interests everyone. Then, when everyone coalesces around one destination, you get into specifics. Length of trip, cost of trip, things to see and do, and such. I’m thinking we wouldn’t want a super long trip, or a trip that costs too much.”

“So, you’re telling me we won’t be taking my dream trip? Five weeks in Australia and New Zealand?”

“No, Alex, I don’t think we could swing that one.”

Alex chuckled. “Well, I can forgive the group this time. I case you hadn’t guessed, my answer is yes, I will look into it. Do you think maybe we should poll the group first, before any planning is done?”

“You know what, Alex? I can’t believe I’m saying this, because I know I can be a bit of a control freak, but I think maybe I should turn it over to you and let you run with it. Rhys was right, this does seem to be your cup of tea. If you think you should poll the group first, go ahead and do it.”

“No,” replied Alex, “you’re right. I think I’ll come up with a few general ideas for vacations. If I were to poll everyone now, I’ll just get 20 different suggestions. Man, I know what I’m doing tonight, at least if I can find the time. I’m excited already!”

“Meaning to change the subject…are you going to be back Friday for karaoke?”

“Yes, I’ve been here since last Monday. I’m planning on heading back on Thursday. I’m probably going to take Friday off. I need to clean the house before Thanksgiving. So yes, I will be around. Man, I need to come up with a song to sing, don’t I?”

-----

Matt, Ian, and Sean greeted the three musketeers, as the trio was now known, when they walked into The Ranch. As usual, the group had managed to secure two tables directly in front of the stage. “How do you manage to get the best tables in the house every time?” asked Alex.

“Well,” replied Matt, “we’re so well known here that the staff always reserves us these two tables. We do try to get here early, though, so others aren’t tempted to snag them, anyway.”

“So,” asked Ian, “what are you singing tonight?”

Alex smiled and said, “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

“And that’s why I’m asking. I want to find out.”

Matt added, “I’m sure it’s some retro country song.”

“You’ll just have to wait to see.” He pulled his debit card from his wallet. “Jesse or Rhys, could one of you go get me a beer and a shot. You know the drill. And get yourselves a drink, too.” He then added, “Please.”

Jesse winked at Rhys as he took the card from Alex’s hand. Smiling, he leaned over and whispered to Rhys, “I can’t believe he hasn’t figured out that you or I always pay for his drinks here.”

The friends settled in, laughing, and enjoying one another’s company before the start of karaoke. They were soon joined by Kevin and Sam, whom Alex had not yet met. They introduced themselves to one another as the conversation continued around them.

“So, Alex,” said Matt, “have you started yet on the little project I tasked you with?”

While the others looked on with interest, Alex replied, “The little project, as you call it, isn’t a secret, is it? Because I already blabbed to Jesse and Rhys at dinner.”

Matt laughingly said, “No, it’s not a secret.” Turning towards the rest of the group, he continued, “I asked Alex to look at putting together some ideas for a group trip. Have you come up with anything yet?”

Alex quickly replied, “I was so busy this week I really didn’t get a chance to. Jesse, Rhys, and I talked about it at length at dinner, though. That gave me a few ideas. Jesse volunteered to help me out this weekend. Rhys, however, chose to beg off.” Alex shot a withering glance at Rhys, then smiled.

Rhys responded, “In my defense, I’m heading to my mom and dad’s tomorrow. I’m helping them finish with the raking and stuff before the first snow flies.”

Alex then asked, “The upcoming week is the week of Thanksgiving, so I suppose we aren’t doing brunch next Sunday, right?”

Matt nodded. “I’ve got reservations for the following Sunday at The Breakfast Club. Are you thinking of presenting your ideas to everyone there?”

“Possibly. It depends on what we come up with,” Alex responded. “I think when we get to that point, I’ll send out an e-mail to the group outlining the options, so anyone who isn’t at brunch will still be in the loop.”

“Great,” replied Matt, just as the house lights dimmed. “I’m getting excited about it myself.”

By the time Alex’s turn to sing came around, he considered himself to be adequately inebriated. He rose from his seat when he heard his name called, then trotted up the stairs and went to the microphone stand. As the musical introduction began, Alex grabbed the microphone stand. He then began to sing the first verse of a song he first heard on SiriusXM—a song by Steve Grand, an openly gay artist, All American Boy.

During the musical interlude between verses, Alex removed the microphone from the stand. His eyes, which had swept across the room filled with people, seemed to concentrate more directly on the tables occupied by his friends during the second verse.

The audience applauded as Alex’s song finished and he returned the microphone to its stand. As usual, the response was polite, except for two certain tables down front, the occupants of which whooped and hollered as well as applauded. And as usual, his friends congratulated him when he returned to the table. Having now sung at karaoke night several times, Alex had learned to accept the praise from his friends without the need to disparage himself in response. Mind you, he still thought those things; he just didn’t express them verbally.

On the ride home, Alex asked, “Is Sam non-binary or gender fluid? It was kind of hard to hear, but I’m pretty sure she, I mean they, introduced hers— I mean themselves, as Samantha.”

Jesse replied, “Yes, they sometimes go by Samuel and sometimes Samantha. Pretty convenient that they were given a name at birth that worked for both male and female.”

“I still can’t get the hang of the ‘they’ and ‘them’ in place of ‘he/she’ and ‘him/her.’ Charlotte called me out last summer when I said, and I quote, ‘He’s non-binary.’ Rhys and Jesse both laughed. Alex continued, “She said, ‘All you said were two little words, yet managed to find two words that contradict one another.’ We then got into a rather heated discussion about ‘they/them,’ and I said I didn’t like it because it just didn’t sound right to me and I wasn’t used to it. She said ‘you know, it shouldn’t be hard to get used to. It’s always been like that.’ And I was like, uh, no, no it hasn’t always been like that. When I was your age, ‘they/them’ was never presented as an option. Of course, she got all defensive and said that there’d always been non-binary people. I was like, I’m not arguing that point at all. I’m just saying when I was in college, I had never considered the possibility that you could be non-binary, I’d never heard of such a thing, and never had heard the term ‘non-binary.’

Rhys replied, “I don’t think you need to worry about using the wrong pronouns. You’re trying, and I think that’s the important thing. If you screw up when talking to Sam, they will see you’re making an effort. I don’t think they’ll be offended.”

As they turned into Alex’s neighborhood, Jesse turned back to look at Alex and said, “Why don’t you come over to my apartment tomorrow? We can work together to gather information for possible trips there.” Alex agreed, and said he’d text before he left home.

After dropping Alex off, Jesse continued to Rhys’s place. Rhys had wanted to get an early start on the drive to Clarinda. He was re-thinking that goal, considering both the late hour and how tired he was.

-----

Late Saturday morning, Alex picked Jesse up and they had a quick lunch at a Panchero’s Mexican Grill, a burrito for Jesse and a burrito bowl for Alex. Despite the protest from Alex, Jesse managed, somehow, to pay for their meals. When they got their drinks and found a booth to sit in, the two began to discuss their trip ideas.

“First, I think we should just brainstorm four or five very generic ideas. Once we decide on those, we can do a deeper dive into the details,” said Alex.

Jesse nodded in agreement, then said, “I think that sounds like a plan. Okay, I’m thinking the first option should be something short, like a long weekend. Probably three days and two nights, or maybe four days and three nights. And if it’s somewhere close, we could drive there, which would hold down costs.”

“I agree,” said Alex. “Okay, what are some destinations around here that aren’t too far of a drive? I’m thinking Chicago, Milwaukee, and the Twin Cities. Oh, and Kansas City.”

“Saint Louis, too,” added Jesse.

“Okay, what are some things that you think people in our group might like to do?” asked Alex.

“Well, let’s see. Activities people might like…well, shopping, sightseeing, museums, clubs…”

Alex chimed in. “Here’s the potential problem I see. People’s ideas of a vacation can be wildly different. Some people, like me, might be more interested in history. Learning about the history of the city we visit, maybe a tour of the city, maybe a museum, you know, stuff like that. But someone else may not care at all about history and museums and stuff. Maybe they’re more interested in going shopping or lounging around by the pool. A half-day of that is probably all I would want to stomach.”

Jesse nodded his head as he responded. “Sure, I can see that as a problem. Well, what do you think of this idea. Once we pick out our destination, we put together ideas for two different tracks. I’m thinking we could organize it so, let’s say, half the people can do one activity while the other half do something unrelated. If we drive to a long weekend destination, we’d probably need to take at least two vehicles. We could split it up that way.”

“Okay,” replied Alex, “I like that idea. What if we plan two different activities during the day, but then all get together for dinner and maybe going out to a club afterwards?”

“If folks do different things during the day, I think getting everybody together in the evening is a great idea. But do you think we really need to plan out two different activities during the day? I mean, can’t we just offer suggestions, then let everyone decide what they want to do?”

“Yes, I think that’s a good idea, Jesse. We should come up with a wide variety of activities, though. Also, if we went to one of the cities that we talked about, we could plan on staying in a hotel downtown. We might be able to walk to at least some of the destinations.”

“But do you think there might be a reason to not stay downtown?” asked Jesse. “I’m thinking of the Twin Cities. First off, which downtown? There are two to choose from. But I’m also thinking if we went to the Cities, we might want to stay by Mall of America, which is out in the suburbs. And another thought…maybe we could get at an Airbnb. That way, we’d all be together, rather than scattered around in different rooms. We could also hold down costs if we’re able to cook our own meals.”

“Good point,” Alex responded. “But do we necessarily all want to be together? I mean we all seem to get along just fine, but it might be better to be able to get away from one another if one person or another gets on our nerves. And good Lord, when I’m on vacation, I am not cooking.”

“True. What about number of people per room?”

“I guess we could play that one by ear. If people want to be alone, they could get a room for themselves. If you wanted to room with someone, and save a few bucks, there could be two to a room. I guess if you really wanted to go cheap, you could do three or four to a room. We’d have to have people pick their roommates, if any, before we book hotels, though.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Jesse replied. “Okay, we’ve got one option, a long weekend in one of the cities we mentioned. What’s another vacation idea?”

“Well,” said Alex, “There’s always Las Vegas. For all the traveling I’ve done, I’ve never been there. Well, I’ve changed planes in the airport a few times, but that doesn’t count. I know there’s a buttload of things to do there. Shop, gamble, see shows, and the like. And just a lot of unique things to see and do. I think Vegas is also close to the Grand Canyon, too. Of course, I’d want to research it a little more. That’s just my understanding of what’s there. I could be totally wrong.”

“I’ve never been there, either,” said Jesse. “But I don’t think you’re wrong.”

“Well, I guess that’s why we need to research it.”

They soon finished their meals, then returned in Alex’s Civic to Jesse’s place. Once they’d climbed the stairs to the second floor, Jesse unlocked the door and ushered Alex inside. He then motioned for Alex to sit, which Alex did, on the couch in the living room. Jesse went to his bedroom and returned with his laptop computer. Once he’d plugged it in, he sat down next to Alex as the laptop began to boot up.

“Maybe we should’ve gone to my place. I’ve got a computer with a bigger monitor.”

“Nah, this is fine. We’re friends, right? We can sit close to one another. I don’t mind you in my personal space.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s fine. My computer’s at my desk anyway, so we’d have to drag in another chair. This couch is probably much comfier, too.”

Jesse giggled, then said, “True. Okay, we’ve got a long weekend in a reasonably close Midwestern city, and a longer vacation in Vegas. What else?”

“Here’s another thing I’ve never done. What do you think about a cruise?” asked Alex.

“A cruise where? The Caribbean?”

“There, or, what about an Alaskan cruise? I’ve never been there, either. Or there are cruises down the Mississippi River, too.”

“I don’t know about that one, Alex. I don’t think many people will go for that.”

“Yeah, I bet you’re right. I’m sure I’m the only one who’d find that interesting. Okay, scratch a Mississippi River cruise.”

“How about Florida?” Jesse asked. “There’s Disney, other theme parks, beaches…”

“I don’t know if I’d want to spend any more time and money in Ron DeSantis’ homophobic version of Florida than I have to. Although Disney, at least, is very gay-friendly.”

“I still think we should leave Florida on the table.”

“Okay,” said Alex. “But what time of year? I guess I was picturing the trip in the summer. Florida can be pretty miserable in the summer. Las Vegas, too, for that matter. Though I think with Las Vegas, most of the things to see are inside. The beach would probably be okay, but traipsing around a theme park all day when the temperature is 95 degrees and the humidity is 150% isn’t my idea of fun. Plus, it rains most every afternoon in the summer in Florida.”

“I hear you. I don’t think there’s any reason the trip has to be in summer, though.”

Alex nodded in agreement, jotting down notes on a legal pad as he did so.

Jesse continued, “All right. We’ve got what? Four general ideas, a long weekend in a nearby city, Las Vegas, Florida, and a cruise. Why don’t we run with those four ideas and come up with some more specific activities. We should also get some idea of the cost for the activities, too.”

“Wow, Jesse. I think you’re more into this than I am!”

They spent the rest of the afternoon huddled around Jesse’s computer. They first decided to tackle a cruise. They looked at the cruise company websites, looked at reviews, checked on the cost and the length of the cruises, evaluated the time of year for a cruise, and the cost of the flight to and from the departure point, which would most likely be somewhere in Florida. If they went on an Alaska cruise, they would embark from Seattle. They got a general idea of the airfare to there, too.

Alex looked at his watch. “It’s nearly six, Jesse. I’m feeling just a little overwhelmed right now. How about we take a break and go get some dinner? We can come back after dinner if you’d like and put in another hour or so looking at nearby cities.”

As if on cue, Jesse’s stomach grumbled. “Well, my stomach seems to agree with that idea. Are you thinking about a sit-down place, or just something quicker? Or do you just want to order pizza?”

“Oh my God, Jesse. You’re stuck on asking questions! What do you think of Baker’s Square?”

“You just asked that question, Alex. I’ll make this easy, then. I think Baker’s Square sounds great. Period. End of discussion.”

“Excellent, because I didn’t want to come up with a list of restaurants, the pros and cons of each one, and what the estimated cost of a meal there would be.”

Jesse snickered. “I hear ya. I guess I need to decompress a little as well. But bring along your notes, we can talk about them if we feel like it.” He then added, “How many pages of notes do you have, anyway?”

“I don’t even know.” Alex picked up his legal pad, then quickly flipped through the pages. “Holy crap. I think I used up half a pad!”

After dinner, they found themselves back on the sofa huddled around Jesse’s laptop computer, looking at things to do in some nearby larger cities.

“Okay,” said Alex, “the nearby cities we’re going to look at are the Cities, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Lous, and Kansas City.”

“Ow! Watch it, Alex!” Jesse said after they bumped their heads together for at least the fourth time.

Alex turned toward Jesse, their faces mere inches apart. “Sorry!”

Jesse pulled his eyes away from the computer monitor to face Alex, a smile on his face. “No problem. It didn’t hurt.”

“Then why’d you yell ‘Ow’?”

“Just to give you hell.”

Alex then did something he’d thought about many times over the previous few weeks. Thought about plenty, but never thought it was something he’d do. Alex closed the three-inch gap between their faces. He leaned in and kissed Jesse. How long the kiss lasted, he couldn’t tell. But it took a few seconds to register in Alex’s mind that Jesse’s eyes had widened, and that Jesse was not kissing him back. Alex quickly pulled away. Jesse slowly reached up and touched his mouth, which was hanging open in complete surprise.

Alex could feel his heart beating. The silence was so loud, Alex could almost hear his heart beating. He didn’t know if his heart had ever beat as fast as it was at that moment. He then began to speak. Well, stammer would be a better description.

“Jesse, I…I mean, umm I…no…no, no…uhh, I…oh shit…I mean…shit…I…I…I need to go.”

Alex got up from the sofa and ran to the door. He quickly tugged on his shoes, then threw open the door and dashed into the hall. In his rush, he didn’t even manage to get the door closed. Meanwhile, Jesse continued to sit on the couch, touching his still open mouth, completely stunned. It took Jesse several seconds to recover from the initial shock. Once he’d gathered his wits, he jumped up and dashed to the door. “Alex! Wait!” He poked his head into the hall, but Alex was long gone. He quickly closed the door, then crossed the living room and opened the patio door. He stepped onto the wooden balcony in his stocking feet, just in time to see Alex’s Civic pull rapidly out of the parking lot.

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