Page 354 - Some Dance to Remember

324 Jack Fritscher

deep into the heart of Ryan’s compliance, he had the control he needed to
take advantage of a man who loved him more than life itself.
“This is a chance for us,” Kick drummed the lesson home, “truly to
show that homomasculine fraternity works.” He repeated Ryan’s line from
the Manifesto as a perfect device to have his way.
Love is blind, deaf, and dumb, but still takes you in, lends you money,
and eats your shit.
You can have anything you want.
“Go up to the ranch. I want you to,” Ryan said. “I only ask one thing.”
“Name it.”
“Remember the home team.” The cheer was weakening to an echo. It
was his only lifeline in a sinking situation.
“I love you too much to forget.”
“I’ll never ask you for more than that,” Ryan said.
“I promise I’ll keep it short. Not like the two months this Fall.”
“I don’t mind being put on hold once in awhile,” Ryan said. “But don’t
put me on hold too long.”
“I won’t,” Kick said. “But, please, never hang up.”
“Me hang up on you?”
“A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.”
“Then do it,” Ryan said.
“I’ll only be gone for the weekend. Logan sold some of the grass. I
need to pick up my split of the cash to pay for my plane ticket home. I’ll
bring you back a lid. It’s really good shit.”
Kick headed for the ranch.
Ryan headed for the big depression.

8

Ryan tried to be stronger than the onslaught of Christmas on Castro.
Kick had flown back to Birmingham. Logan, the weekend that Kick had
spent with him at Bar Nada, insisted the deal for the grass had fallen
through. There was no cash. The news caught Kick short. He borrowed
his airfare from Ryan.
“I’ll pay you back as soon as Logan moves the harvest.”
“Forget it,” Ryan said. “That’s part of my Christmas gift to you.”
Alone in the Victorian, Ryan grew restless. He took to the streets. It
was dusk on Christmas Eve. The Castro glowed like a child’s dream. Mart
Crowley had been right in The Boys in the Band: “You know, Mary, it takes
a fairy to make something pretty.” No place in San Francisco was so well

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