A Better Life Ch. 01
Keywords: Better, A, 01, Ch., Life,
1 2 3 4 5 6 Next
" Author's Note.
Thanks to my brutal but brilliant editor Renee. Your efforts and patients are sincerely apprish'ed. Now enjoy! (ALL feedback welcome and encouraged…) "
*
'What have I gotten myself into?' Andy said out loud to no one in particular. He was standing in front of his new flat. His flat. That sounded so different to him. He had never had a place he could call home except for the last four years spent with Alice, or Mrs. A, as he still liked to think of her. When the social worker had dropped him off on her doorstep for temporary guardianship she had taken one look at that painfully awkward boy trying to act indifferent to everything happening around him, and it was love at first sight.
Two weeks he was supposed to spend with her while they organized another bed for him at a home nearby, but it ended up being the happiest four years of his life. She had been more to him than just his legal guardian, she had been the mother and best friend he'd never had and he had been to her the son she'd lost all those years previously. Now she was gone and he was once again on his own. But Andy was surprised to find it didn't feel all that bad being alone again. He had experienced more love and acceptance in those four years than in all his life. And for that he would always love Alice Anderson and honour her memory by living his life to its fullest and finding someone to share it with. To share all the love she'd given him with. But first he had to move into his new flat, his new life.
Unlocking the door he stepped into his new home. 'Damn,' Andy sighed. The girl at the agency had said it was 'efficient' for a bachelor, but this was about an inch bigger than a hole in the wall. Doesn't matter, he thought. It's mine. And it's not like I'll be having a lot of people over anyway. 'A fresh coat of cream coloured paint will make it seem much more spacious than it is now,' he said to himself.
Walking through to the entrance hall and lounge he entered the tiny kitchen. It's a good thing I'm such a recluse, Andy thought, as he wouldn't be able to hold big dinner parties in here. The thought suited him fine, though. Ever since he could remember it had only been him. Never had he had a real friend to his name. He'd been in and out of schools so much the friendships he did build would cease to exist upon his transferring to the next school or the next orphanage, that after a while he just decided to keep himself to himself. But Mrs. A. had changed all that. She'd been everything to him, and he to her. Even though it had taken a long time for him to trust her enough to open up to her and talk to her about the possible disappointment of losing her, she had showed him that his heart was big enough to allow someone in, and that he really was worth being loved by someone in return.
Andy sighed. All these thoughts were starting to depress him, as if the sight of the bathroom wasn't enough to knock him on his ass. Puke green tiles floored the whole room and tiled the walls, and made you want to run screaming. The tub and toilet were in a reasonable condition, but the sink was on its last legs. Rust crusted around the plughole where a puddle had formed from the constant dripping tap. Even though Andy knew this flat wasn't going to be his permanent home, only until he found his feet and got settled, he still saw all the TLC that was needed to make it into a space that he would be comfortable living in for any space of time.
First to go would be those pukey tiles and leaking tap then he'd buy some paint and get his living room sorted. After that- 'Oh, no,' Andy grunted. He still needed to see the bedroom. As he walked towards the only other door left in the 'hallway,' he was preparing for the worst, yellow wallpaper and brown carpet probably, when he stopped dead in his tracks. The curtains were open and facing him was the most breathtaking view he'd ever seen. His room looked over the old church he'd passed on his way and barely noticed before. But seeing the complete picture, with the garden surrounding the old building like a fire protecting it brought calm into his grief stricken heart and tears to Andy's eyes. That view justified the apartment a hundred times over. As he kept staring out the window Andy suddenly knew that he was going to be really, really happy there, and for the first day since Mrs Anderson had taken her final rest Andy gave a genuine, heartfelt smile.
Later that evening as Andy was flipping through the 'tenant's directory', as it was called, in the lobby for a pizza delivery place, he thought of himself again as the 19-year-old adult he was. It saddened him at times that he'd had to grow up so quickly, as it had Mrs. Anderson too. He laughed at the thought of Mrs. A. insisting for the hundredth time that he call her Alice, and him answering her each time 'Of course, Mrs. Anderson.' Respect for his elders was ingrained in him like washing his pitch-black hair every night was, and it wasn't ever going away.
He knew his dark brown eyes held the look of a child that had grown up too fast. That, coupled with his natural shyness and introverted personality, made for one cynical, lonely gay boy, he thought. He was just starting to find out for himself what being gay was all about. Mrs. A. was cool, but she was nothing if not old fashioned. She'd told him flat out she didn't give a duck's arse what team he batted for, as long as he didn't do any of 'those things' the children seemed to be doing 'more and more, and at a younger and younger age these days,' under her roof then they wouldn't ever have a problem.
Andy had readily agreed. Hell, he'd never even had a boyfriend of any kind. Never kissed anyone like that before. It didn't bother him much while he was staying with Mrs. Anderson as she was all the company he'd needed. But after she'd gone, Andy had been thinking a lot and having someone to call him his own maybe wouldn't be such a bad thing.
'You almost done, buddy?' Andy turned on his heels.
'Uh, yeah. Sorry. Got what I came for.' Andy stole a glance at the tanned and handsome stranger before he turned around and ripped the slip of paper with Delish Pizza's number on it off the notepad and was already heading toward the lift when the same voice asked:
'You new to the building?'
'Yea, moved in today. Number 182. Which are you?' Andy was babbling, he knew. He always babbled when he was nervous.
'I don't live here, well not officially, anyway. I'm just hanging with friends. Sometimes it does feel like I live here though, from all the time I spend here. You know how it goes.'
Sure, Andy thought grimly, he knew exactly how it was.
The elevator arrived just then, and the man said, 'Well, don't let me keep you. And welcome to the building. I'm Alan by the way.' He stared at Andy.
'Andrew. Have a nice night.' Have a nice night? Is that all you could come up with? Andy silently berated himself.
'Same to you, little man.' He heard Alan say with a grin as the doors to the lift were closing. Andy thought Alan's stare lingered a second too long, but wasn't thinking about that now. 'Shit, shit, shit,' he kept repeating to himself. 'The first half decent guy you meet and 'Oh, have a nice night' is all you can come up with? Shit, shit, shit!' He was still beating himself up 30 minutes later when his pizza arrived.
Andy only remembered the look Alan gave him and his words as he was polishing the last piece of his Hawaiian Paradise pizza. 'Little man?' He wanted to laugh at that statement. Was it said good-naturedly, or was it meant another way? That look lingered a second too long for the usual feigning interest of a passer by. He laughed then. 'Andrew, you need to get laid,' he told himself, 'then maybe you'd stop seeing flirting where there was none.' He thought about Alan's words then. It's true that Andy could be seen as 'little', he was just under 150 cm and was naturally slim. He had a bit of definition, though, thanks to Alice and his nightly cycling sessions his legs looked well defined, and dragging that stone-aged lawnmower of Alice's around a massive front yard and even bigger back yard every Saturday for four years had given him some well-placed muscles in his arms, shoulders and waist. Yet his frame had remained 'compact', as Alice had once noted. Not too masculine, yet not feminine. Andy had always worked hard to stomp out any form of feminism in himself. Not because he'd have a problem with it, it's just the world he had to live in, if you come across as weak in the least bit people would pounce on you and not let go. So coupled with his 'compact' frame Andy had known from an early age that he'd have to put up a front if he wanted a chance in hell to reach his 18th birthday, and it had become like second nature to him. 'Little man.' Andrew still grinned when he thought back to his meeting in the lobby as he got in to his new bed that evening. As he drifted Andy wondered whether he'd see Alan again. If he only knew.
The next morning Andy had a sleep in. He justified it by arguing that there wouldn't be much of that happening when he started job hunting and working, so he milked that temporary benefit for all its worth. Half past nine he finally got up and had a relaxing bath and was out the door at ten minutes past ten. Before he left he browsed through the tenant's directory for his local GP, Post Office and Library. On his way to the library he found a little Deli selling delicious bagels, and then and there decided he'd become their new best customer. By the time he left the library he'd opened an account and had browsed through their gay and politics section. He was duly impressed.
He realised then that the General Practitioner was next on his list. Andy froze involuntarily. He knew he had to register with his local GP, but he still thought of that old blood-sucking bitch they had at the Home that came in every Saturday and did her rounds of the house. 'Stop it Andy! You know she was the exception and not the rule,' but even as he said it, it didn't do anything for his nerves as he entered the GP's office.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Next
Keywords: Better, A, 01, Ch., Life,