Being Kevin, Part 3

Oscar was standing outside the school auditorium, under a large poster which proclaimed Enchantment in the Sky dance, 7pm Friday, be there or be square! in enormous bubble letters. Oscar glanced at his watch; a few seconds later, a nearby door burst open and Kevin emerged with a stepladder under one arm.

'There you are, dude!' said Oscar. 'Is this where you've been disappearing to after lunch every day?'

'You caught me red-handed, man,' Kevin grinned at him, setting his stepladder on the ground and shaking out his arm. 'I've been helping with the set-up for the dance; I designed most of the decorations, actually, and now I've stapled most of them to the wall as well!'

'Did you design the poster?' Oscar asked, indicating towards it with his head.

'Yeah, I did,' said Kevin.

'I like the slogan – very retro! But why are you doing all this?'

'I thought it'd be fun. Plus they gave me a free ticket.'

'But I thought your class was too young to go to the dance – mine definitely is!' said Oscar, sounding slightly annoyed.

'Special dispensation,' said Kevin. 'I'm actually looking forward to it. Apparently Martin and Phoebe are coming in specially to be chaperones – they'll have their clipboards with them for sure! I'm gonna ask them how things are going at college.'

'So... you're going by yourself?'

'No; I get to bring a guest, so it won't be just me and the big kids.'

'And you have to go dressed as something you'd find in the sky, right?' said Oscar.

'Right,' said Kevin. 'I'm going as an airline captain.'

'Oh my God, you'll look totally gorgeous!' said Oscar. 'Er... I mean, I bet that'll suit you really well, dude.'

'Thanks, man,' said Kevin, laughing as he slapped Oscar on the arm. 'Now I just have to... oh, there she is now!'

'Who?'

'Lucy,' said Kevin. 'I'm going to ask her to the dance.'

'Oh... you are, huh?' said Oscar. 'Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I'll see you later, dude.'

Oscar sloped off, looking distinctly put out. Kevin stared after him for several seconds, then he picked up his stepladder and ran over to where Lucy had appeared around the corner of the auditorium.

'Hey, Luce!' he called. 'Wait up – I need to ask you something.'

'Hi, Kev,' said Lucy, fixing him with a smile. 'I saw you wobbling around on top of that ladder in the auditorium, stapling fake clouds to the wall. I hope they've given you a free ticket to the dance.'

'Yeah, they have.'

'Have you decided what you're going as yet?'

'An airline captain,' said Kevin.

'Good choice,' said Lucy. 'I bet you'll look really handsome.'

'Yeah, I guess I will,' said Kevin, smiling slightly. 'Listen, Luce, I've been thinking about this a lot and I really need to ask you something.'

'Ask away, Kev,' said Lucy.

'I was wondering if you want to come to the dance with me,' said Kevin. 'Just as friends, I mean.'

'That's really sweet of you,' Lucy smiled at him. 'You know, you're not like other guys, Kev.'

'I am,' said Kevin, looking down at himself, 'in some ways – in all the vital, definitive ways, I mean.'

'Oh, I don't doubt that – I'm sure you've got everything where it should be, and it's all in perfect working order,' Lucy laughed.

'Well,' Kevin grinned, 'it was the last time I checked.'

'I suppose you can dance?' Lucy asked.

'Huh?' said Kevin.

'If you ask someone to a dance, you have to be able to dance with them when you get there.'

'I've never really danced before... but I'm sure I can learn.'

'Yes, you can learn,' Lucy sighed, 'but the problem is, Kev, if we're dancing together, people are gonna assume we're... well, you know... more than friends.'

'What people?' asked Kevin.

'Chaperones... parents... teachers... the other kids...'

'Would that matter to you?'

'It might be a bit awks,' Lucy shrugged.

'But it wouldn't really matter to you, in your heart?' Kevin pressed.

'No,' said Lucy, 'I'm sure it wouldn't. But it might change things between us, Kev – it might muddy the waters and make us feel awkward around each other. It's just like in seventh grade, when you didn't want me to kiss you in the Christmas play. I don't ever want to do anything that might damage our friendship; I don't want to cross a line that might take us somewhere we don't want to go.'

'Neither do I, Luce,' said Kevin. 'You said it yourself – I'm the best friend a girl could have! That's all I want from you, I swear.'

'I know that and you know that,' said Lucy, 'but the rest of them don't, and if we give them fuel for the fire... I just don't want us to end up in a bad place, Kev.'

'That's impossible,' said Kevin. 'I treasure your friendship, Luce, and I don't ever want to do anything to jeopardise it, but I know that whatever people said about us, it wouldn't change how we really feel. I honestly believe that our friendship is strong enough to survive anything!'

'That's easy to say now, Kev,' said Lucy, 'but what if we get voted Sky God and Sky Goddess or something, and we have to get our photo taken and they ask us to kiss and... God, it could just get so awks!'

'I think it'd be worth the hassle,' said Kevin. 'Even if we did have to deal with stuff like that, it wouldn't matter to me... because I really want to go with you... because you're one of my best friends and I love you.'

'Oh, Kev,' Lucy sighed, 'you're something special all right. Okay, if you can promise me – really, truly promise me – that nothing is going to change between us, even on the subatomic level, then I'll go to the dance with you. No, don't promise now – take some time to think about what I've said and then let me know what you decide, okay?'

'Okay,' said Kevin, 'I'll do that. I'll see you soon, Luce – I really need to get this ladder back to the janitor.'

*

Oscar arrived home from school, ran upstairs, flung himself onto his bed and buried his face in the pillow. After lying there for several minutes in a state of complete inertia, he heard the sound of the front door being opened and then his mother's voice wafting up the stairs.

'Oscar,' it called, 'you have a guest!'

Oscar slithered off the bed and mooched into the upstairs hallway; he looked down to see Kevin standing at the bottom of the stairs.

'Where did you disappear to at lunch recess, man?' said Kevin. 'I've been looking for you all afternoon! Well, except when I was in class, obviously.'

'I guess you found me, dude,' said Oscar. 'Why were you looking for me?'

'Because I want to talk to you.'

'You'd better come on up, then.'

Kevin ran up the stairs and followed Oscar into his bedroom. Oscar appeared to be caught in a state of indecision for a few seconds, then he skipped back over to the door and pushed it firmly shut.

'Just in case we want to do anything secret,' he explained, smiling slightly.

'Yeah, good idea,' said Kevin, smiling back.

'Okay,' said Oscar, 'so let's talk.'

Oscar went to the middle of the room and stood there expectantly, so Kevin came to stand opposite him.

'I, er... I asked Lucy to the dance,' said Kevin.

'What did she say?' said Oscar.

'Oh... lots of stuff,' said Kevin. 'One thing she said was that I'll have to learn how to dance.'

'That's easy, bro,' said Oscar. 'It's only a school dance – you don't need to learn the tango or anything.'

'You think so?'

'Yeah, definitely. Here, let me show you.'

Oscar stepped closer to Kevin and looped his arms around his neck.

'First Lucy will put her arms around you like this,' said Oscar, 'and then you'll hold her around the waist.'

'Okay,' said Kevin.

'Do it, then,' said Oscar.

'Um...' said Kevin, 'all right.'

Kevin put his arms around Oscar's waist, and they drew even closer together.

'That's it,' said Oscar. 'Then you just sway, like this.'

Oscar started to sway from side to side and shuffle around the floor. Kevin followed his lead.

'Wow, this is easy,' Kevin remarked.

'Couldn't be simpler, dude,' said Oscar.

'It, er... it feels pretty nice,' said Kevin.

'I know, right?' said Oscar. 'Then maybe, if it feels nice enough, Lucy will move in closer so that her elbows are resting on your shoulders, like this... and then she'll lean her head on your chest, like this...'

Kevin's eyes opened wider and wider as Oscar carried out the motions he was describing.

'How do you know this stuff, man?' Kevin asked.

'I've played four school dances in the past year,' Oscar mumbled into Kevin's chest. 'This is what they do; trust me.'

'And we, er... we just keep swaying around, huh?' said Kevin.

'Yeah,' said Oscar, 'until you decide it's time to go in for the kiss...'

'I don't know about that, man,' said Kevin, breaking away from Oscar very suddenly. 'I asked her to go with me as friends, that's all.'

'Oh,' said Oscar. 'You did, huh?'

'Yeah, I did,' said Kevin. 'You know my relationship with Lucy isn't like that.'

'Yeah, I do know that. It's just that I felt... I mean, I couldn't help thinking...'

'Bro, what I really wanted to say to you... and I don't want you to think I'm upset or weirded out or anything... but when I said I was going to ask her... I mean, when I told you I was going to do it, you seemed... well, you seemed kinda jealous.'

'Yeah, well... I guess I was jealous,' said Oscar.

'You wanted to go to the dance yourself?' Kevin pressed.

'Yeah, I guess I did.'

'And just to be clear, you didn't want to go with Lucy, right? You wanted to go with me.'

'Yes,' said Oscar. 'After all, dude, what could you do with Lucy that you can't do with me?'

Kevin laughed and said, 'I can't think of a thing, dude.'

'Well then,' said Oscar.

Kevin smiled and punched Oscar on the arm. Oscar smiled and punched him back.

'But that's not all, is it?' said Kevin. 'There's more to it, right?'

'Yes, there's more to it,' Oscar sighed. 'I couldn't help thinking about you and Lucy together, and I realised that if I saw you with her, as a couple... y'know, around school and stuff... I'd feel it – I'd feel it here, and I know it would hurt.'

Kevin saw that Oscar was clutching the left side of his chest.

'What exactly are you saying to me, man?'

'You know what I'm saying, dude. All the times we've been together and done all that stuff together and enjoyed ourselves so much together... you know, not just the everyday buddies' stuff, but with the magazines as well... and then later on, without the magazines...'

'Yes, bro, I know what you're talking about,' Kevin assured him. 'I can never hear “Gangsta's Paradise” without thinking of... those times.'

'Yeah, me either,' said Oscar, smiling and looking away for a moment. 'Anyways, it was the fact that we were experiencing that stuff together that made me enjoy it so much. Look me in the eye, dude, and tell me you don't feel the same way.'

'I can't do that,' said Kevin. 'You know I can't do that, because it wouldn't be true.'

'And all those times we've talked, and helped each other out, and just been there for each other,' said Oscar. 'I've needed you, man, and I think you've needed me too.'

'Of course I have,' said Kevin. 'Of course I do.'

'Something happened when we were singing “Imagine” together,' said Oscar. 'There was something between us – I know you felt it too!'

'Sure, I felt it,' said Kevin, 'but I don't know what it was.'

'Yeah, you do.'

'I can't put it into words.'

'What's so great about words?' said Oscar. 'Sometimes they're totally inadequate. Still, I guess I could try. I'm in love with you, dude.'

Kevin looked down at his feet for a few moments, then he met Oscar's gaze and said, 'I'm in love with you, man. Will you come to the Enchantment in the Sky dance with me?'

'Yes,' said Oscar, beaming back at him, 'I will.'

*

Jessica crept down the stairs and tapped Oscar on the shoulder just as he was closing the front door. He jumped visibly and let out a squeak of alarm.

'Jesus, Jess, you scared the hell out of me!' he snapped, whirling around to face her.

'You probably didn't hear me because your mind's on other things,' said Jessica. 'I always knew you and Kevin would end up together.'

'Were you listening at my bedroom door? Jess, that was very wrong of you!'

'Yeah, I guess it was. You really are in love with him, aren't you?'

'Yes,' said Oscar, 'I am.'

'Why aren't you in love with a girl?' Jessica giggled. 'You're supposed to fall in love with a girl.'

'There's no “supposed to” about it, Jess,' said Oscar. 'Don't be homophobic.'

'Was I being homophobic?' Jessica asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

'I thought so,' said Oscar, 'but maybe I was being oversensitive.'

'I guess I shouldn't be laughing about this stuff, huh?'

'Don't worry about it, Jess.'

'I'm sorry I've been making fun of your most sensitive feelings,' said Jessica, 'and I'm sorry I embarrassed you by talking about boy-on-boy action. I guess I just wasn't taking the situation seriously.'

'It's okay, Jess. I just... I hadn't really thought about stuff like that before... you know, the physical stuff... and you took me by surprise.'

'How do you think Mom and Dad will react when they find out you're gay?'

'I don't really know what I am,' said Oscar. 'I just know how I feel. Anyway, I'm sure they'll be fine with it.'

'I hope so,' said Jessica. 'And I hope you and Kevin have a great time at the dance.'

'Thanks, Jess,' said Oscar.

*

Jandro was sitting at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, caressing a small piece of card. He jumped visibly and shoved it into his pocket when Ana came into the room.

'What've you got there, Jandro?' she asked, opening the fridge.

'Nothing,' he replied quickly. 'I mean, nothing important.'

'Yeah, right,' Ana laughed disbelievingly. 'Okay, so don't tell me if you don't want to. Do you want some Sunny D?'

'Um... yeah, thanks,' said Jandro. 'Ana, have you ever really wanted to ask someone something, but then every time you plucked up the courage to do it, you suddenly realised you couldn't do it after all?'

'You mean you want to ask someone out on a date?'

'Well... kinda, yeah.'

'Just go ahead and do it, Jandro – don't be a sissy!' Ana grinned at him, passing him a tumbler of Sunny Delight. 'The worst that can happen is she turns you down, and that's not the end of the world. It is a she, right?'

'Yes, Ana, it's a she,' said Jandro.

'Okay,' said Ana, sitting opposite him, 'then go ahead and ask her out.'

'But it might ruin everything,' said Jandro. 'Things could change drastically and there'll be no going back.'

'Everything has to change eventually,' Ana shrugged. 'You can't tell me you don't know that, Jandro. I saw those prospectuses you left on the dining room table. Are you really gonna apply to go to college in England?'

'Oh, well... I might do that, yeah. It kinda depends... on a lot of things...'

'I can't believe you'd leave me here alone with those two!'

'It wouldn't be like that. We'd stay in touch; you could even come visit me and stay for a couple of nights. And without me hanging around here, think of all the neat stuff you could do! You could have the spare TV in your room. Better yet, you could have my whole bedroom!'

'What if Mom and Dad want to put a tenant in your room, or turn it into a gym or something?'

'We'll just do it without asking them,' Jandro grinned. 'Sometime over the summer before I go, we'll move your stuff in there and put most of mine in the attic – you and me together.'

'Okay, let's do it,' Ana laughed. 'I guess having your room would make up for not having you around. Kinda.'

'We don't need to worry about any of this yet, Ana,' said Jandro. 'I'm only thinking about it – nothing's gonna be decided for a while!'

'Still, you'd better get in there and ask this girl out while you have the chance. You're gonna do it tomorrow, right?'

'Yeah... yeah, that's exactly what I'm gonna do.'

'Good.'

*

Kevin was sitting at a picnic table, staring over to where Oscar was struggling to manoeuvre his guitar through the half-open door of the music block. Kevin suddenly became aware of a large figure standing nearby, before the table rocked and buckled as the figure seated itself opposite him.

'Hi, Kev,' Michael grinned. 'Arm-wrestle?'

'Um... yeah, sure Mike,' said Kevin.

He went through the motions of carrying out Michael's proposal, but his attention was still focused on the music block. Oscar had now divested himself of his guitar and moved on to sticky-tacking several notices onto the glass section of the door. Kevin smiled as Oscar accidentally hung two notices upside down.

'I've got you now, Kev,' Michael's voice cut into his brain. 'Finally, after all these years!'

Kevin turned his gaze to the picnic table and noticed that he had almost lost the contest. Letting out a roar of exertion, he forced Michael's arm through one hundred and sixty degrees and slammed it down onto the table.

'Damn,' Michael laughed, shaking out his arm. 'I'll get you someday, Kev. I nearly had you there... but I don't think I have your undivided attention, do I?'

'Um... no,' said Kevin. 'Sorry, Mike.'

'I'm sure you have your reasons,' said Michael, clapping Kevin on the shoulder. 'Ah, there's Ella. See you later, Kev.'

Michael ran off towards the music block, where Ella was now standing in the doorway, exchanging a few words with Oscar. Michael came up to them, then he and Ella wandered off together.

As Kevin watched Oscar rehanging his notices the right way up, a smile spread across his face. The picnic table then rocked and buckled for a second time, although not nearly so violently as the first, as another figure sat down opposite Kevin.

'Hey, Kev,' said Jandro. 'Is something on your mind? You look muy pensativo, amigo.'

'I'm taking Oscar to the Enchantment in the Sky dance,' said Kevin.

'Oh,' said Jandro. 'Like, on a date?'

'Very like on a date.'

'Oscar's a lucky guy. I meant what I said at Little Canada all those years ago – you're a prize catch, Kev.'

'Thanks, Jandro,' said Kevin. 'But y'know, anyone you took on a date would be just as lucky as Oscar.'

'I wasn't fishing for compliments, dude,' Jandro grinned.

'I know,' said Kevin. 'I just wanted to make sure you knew that's how I feel.'

'Of course I did, buddy,' said Jandro.

'The only problem is,' said Kevin, 'I already asked Lucy to go with me – just as friends, of course – and now I have to totally let her down!'

'She won't mind,' said Jandro. 'She'd never want to do anything to get in the way of your happiness – you know that.'

'Yeah, I do know that,' said Kevin. 'I hope she won't think I'm blowing her off 'cause I wouldn't feel comfortable going as friends in spite of everything I said to her.'

'Trust me, dude,' said Jandro, 'once you've told her about Oscar, there's no way she'll think that.'

'Okay then,' said Kevin, rising to his feet, 'I'd better go find her.'

*

Kylie and Eduardo were standing in a cemetery, gazing solemnly at a gravestone that bore the following inscription:

ROSE LOCKYER
1907 – 1996
Remembered with love

Kylie removed a small, stick-shaped object from her pocket. Breaking away from Eduardo's embrace for a moment, she bent down and leant the object against the bottom of the gravestone.

'Is that what I think it is?' said Eduardo.

'If you think it's the pregnancy test,' said Kylie, 'then yes, it is.'

'Are you sure you want to leave it on there?'

'Of course I'm sure. You see the significance of it, don't you? You get what I'm trying to say?'

'Sure, I get it,' said Eduardo. 'I just wonder if you'll get a letter from one of the caretakers telling you that the grave's been vandalised or something.'

'That would be an overreaction,' said Kylie, smiling as she snaked an arm around Eduardo's waist. 'Besides, I wouldn't care – I know what it means, you know what it means... and so does Grandma Rose.'

A few seconds of silence followed, during which Eduardo and Kylie drew even closer together.

'Do you mind if we swing by the optician's on the way home?' Kylie said at length. 'I need to make an appointment.'

*

Jandro stood in his kitchen with a telephone pressed to his ear, looking extremely nervous. A few seconds of tense silence passed, then he spoke into the mouthpiece.

'Hi, Luce,' he said, 'it's Jandro here. I know you've lost your chance to go to the Enchantment in the Sky dance, but what you and Kev don't know is that I've been staying after school to help dress the stage for the dance and I've been given a ticket too, and I was wondering if you'd like to be my plus-one... I mean, I'd really like to take you to the dance, if you want to go with me. You're probably wondering if I want to go with you as friends or as a couple, but actually, to be honest with you, I think it'd be best if we just go as... well, as Lucy and Jandro... and we can see where things go from there. I, er... I'll hope to hear back from you soon. Bye.'

Jandro replaced the receiver and exhaled deeply. He then turned to see that Ana was sitting at the breakfast bar, grinning at him.

'Well done!' she said. 'And good luck.'

'Thanks,' Jandro grinned back at her.

*

EPILOGUE: TWENTY-NINE YEARS LATER

Eduardo and Kylie were sitting on a beach on the Mexican island of Cozumel, staring at the breaking waves.

'I don't think they're gonna show,' said Eduardo. 'Maybe they don't lay here anymore.'

'Yeah, maybe not,' Kylie sighed. 'I guess everything changes eventually, even stuff that seemed like it'd be the same forever.'

'Yeah, like when we went back to Whitby and they'd replaced Mina's bench,' said Eduardo. 'Just because it was old and falling apart...'

'Not unlike us,' said Kylie.

'We're not old,' Eduardo laughed. 'Not yet. Although my back is starting to seize up.'

'Let's give it ten more minutes, then head back to the hotel,' said Kylie. 'I guess a lot of stuff had changed more than we were expecting when we took that third trip to Whitby... but at least the Co-Op ready-meals had improved!'

'Kylie!' Eduardo hissed, clutching her arm in excitement. 'I can see a turtle!'

Sure enough, a large sea turtle was dragging itself up the beach. When it reached a secluded spot not far away from Kylie and Eduardo, it dug a hole in the sand and started laying its eggs.

'Awesome,' Kylie whispered to Eduardo. 'Hey, look – she has a scar on her front flipper!'

'Um... oh yeah, I think I can see it,' said Eduardo. 'But I don't have my glasses so I can't be sure.'

'It's Donatella!' Kylie declared. 'She's come back here to lay her eggs, just like Adela said she would... and I knew we'd see her again when she did!'

'I don't know so much, Ky,' said Eduardo. 'It's a big ocean out there – anything could've caused that scar, even assuming it's really there.'

'Of course it's really there!' said Kylie. 'That turtle is Donatella, come to show us her children.'

'Well... I guess it could be,' Eduardo smiled. 'We'll have to let Kevin know that we've seen his first ever saved life, and she's still going strong.'

'He would've liked to see this,' said Kylie. 'I know he and Oscar came here when they backpacked around Mexico together, but I don't think it was the right time of year for pregnant sea turtles... and of course Donatella wouldn't have been sexually mature back then, so even if they did see a turtle laying, it wouldn't have been her.'

'We'll invite him to come along next year,' said Eduardo. 'Him and the whole family. Those turtles always come back to nest in the same place, don't they?'

'I don't know,' said Kylie. 'I guess there's no reason to think she won't.'

'I'm gonna have to stand up in a minute,' Eduardo said apologetically. 'Do you think she's nearly done?'

'Yeah, I'm sure she is,' said Kylie. 'Of course, we don't have to go back to the hotel right away – we could stay here for a while and... do the same thing we did the first time we were here together.'

'Wouldn't you rather do that back at the hotel?' Eduardo demurred. 'We're not twenty-one anymore, Ky.'

'Yeah, I guess you're right,' Kylie sighed. 'We don't want to overexert ourselves and be in bed with stiff joints for the rest of the vacation.'

'Doesn't mean we can't have fun in our hotel room,' Eduardo pointed out. 'I brought the Blue Box in my hand luggage.'

'Ooh,' said Kylie, 'well done!'

'Donatella's making a move,' said Eduardo.

'Then we'll make one too,' said Kylie.

They hauled themselves to their feet and left the beach, hand in hand all the way.