call out, what would it have been like to spend these six weeks in a jail cell? No wonder his dad pleaded with the judge to let Danny serve his sentence under house arrest. Funny it was only now Danny really appreciated what an act of kindness that had been on his father’s part. And it was costing his dad a small fortune, too, because the cost of leasing the ankle monitor was accruing daily. Since a prisoner under house arrest saves the city over $150 a day in jail costs, you would think the city would be paying them , rather than the other way around.
But apparently the city didn’t see it that way. The pricks.
On top of all the loneliness and the restrictions on his movements and the frustration of having a cast on one leg and a damn flashing light on the other one, Danny was also trying to understand his feelings about Luke. Not that they were really that hard to understand. Danny wanted to get into the guy’s pants and he wanted the guy to get into his. Pretty basic stuff there. You’d think it wouldn’t be so confusing for him to figure it all out.
Lord, virginity sucks dick. Or was that an oxymoron?
Late in the afternoon, Danny’s father called. When Danny grabbed the phone on the first ring and heard his father’s voice on the other end of the line, the first words out of his mouth were, “I love you, Pop.”
There was silence on the line for a couple of heartbeats, then his father replied, “I love you, too, Son. Feeling lonely, are we?”
Danny gave him a wry chuckle. “How’d you guess?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll make it through. I’m just sorry I had to leave you to face the music alone.”
“It’s okay, Dad. You can’t put your life on hold for me all the time. You have to do stuff for yourself once in a while.”
“Wow. Who is this level-headed guy I’m talking to and where’s my crazy son who takes his frustrations out on ice-cube-making machinery?”
Danny laughed. “Maybe he’s growing up. I miss you, Dad.”
And Danny thought he could feel his father smiling at him over the phone line. “I miss you, too, Danny. Anyway, I assume everything is okay.”
“Yep. Just fine. Somebody’s moving into the house next door. Did you know?”
His father hesitated for a second. “Actually, yeah, I did hear that was going to happen. Have you met anyone yet?”
“Just the son. He’s over there now, unloading a bunch of furniture. Nice guy. His name is Luke.”
“Same age as you?”
“Yeah,” Danny said. “How’d you know?”
“I heard he might be. Maybe you can strike up a friendship with him and then you won’t be so lonely. I know you left all your real friends back in Indiana, and you really haven’t been in California long enough to make new ones. Outside of the penal system, I mean.”
Danny groaned. “Stop it.”
“Sorry.”
His father cleared his throat. “I’m serious, Danny. Make friends with the new boy next door. It’ll help get you through the next six weeks. You need an ally. Someone you can talk to. And he’s new in town too. Don’t forget that. I’m sure he needs a friend to talk to as much as you do.”
“I’m talking to you.”
“It’s not the same as a friend, kid.”
“I talked to Mom.”
“Oh, God.”
“Yeah. She wants me to come back to Indiana the minute I get this hardware off my leg.”
“What’d you tell her?”
“I told her hell no.”
His father chuckled. “Bet she loved that. I’ll probably be getting a call from her myself any minute now. Sure looking forward to that. We have wonderful little chats, your mother and I. She’s quite a woman.”
“She’s a bitch.”
“I’m trying to think of an argument to that.”
“Don’t waste your time.”
“Okay, I won’t.”
A comfortable silence settled over the line. The silence didn’t bother Danny at all. He was just happy knowing his dad was on the other end. He could almost feel him there. Like he was in the same room.
When his father spoke, Danny
But apparently the city didn’t see it that way. The pricks.
On top of all the loneliness and the restrictions on his movements and the frustration of having a cast on one leg and a damn flashing light on the other one, Danny was also trying to understand his feelings about Luke. Not that they were really that hard to understand. Danny wanted to get into the guy’s pants and he wanted the guy to get into his. Pretty basic stuff there. You’d think it wouldn’t be so confusing for him to figure it all out.
Lord, virginity sucks dick. Or was that an oxymoron?
Late in the afternoon, Danny’s father called. When Danny grabbed the phone on the first ring and heard his father’s voice on the other end of the line, the first words out of his mouth were, “I love you, Pop.”
There was silence on the line for a couple of heartbeats, then his father replied, “I love you, too, Son. Feeling lonely, are we?”
Danny gave him a wry chuckle. “How’d you guess?”
“Don’t worry. You’ll make it through. I’m just sorry I had to leave you to face the music alone.”
“It’s okay, Dad. You can’t put your life on hold for me all the time. You have to do stuff for yourself once in a while.”
“Wow. Who is this level-headed guy I’m talking to and where’s my crazy son who takes his frustrations out on ice-cube-making machinery?”
Danny laughed. “Maybe he’s growing up. I miss you, Dad.”
And Danny thought he could feel his father smiling at him over the phone line. “I miss you, too, Danny. Anyway, I assume everything is okay.”
“Yep. Just fine. Somebody’s moving into the house next door. Did you know?”
His father hesitated for a second. “Actually, yeah, I did hear that was going to happen. Have you met anyone yet?”
“Just the son. He’s over there now, unloading a bunch of furniture. Nice guy. His name is Luke.”
“Same age as you?”
“Yeah,” Danny said. “How’d you know?”
“I heard he might be. Maybe you can strike up a friendship with him and then you won’t be so lonely. I know you left all your real friends back in Indiana, and you really haven’t been in California long enough to make new ones. Outside of the penal system, I mean.”
Danny groaned. “Stop it.”
“Sorry.”
His father cleared his throat. “I’m serious, Danny. Make friends with the new boy next door. It’ll help get you through the next six weeks. You need an ally. Someone you can talk to. And he’s new in town too. Don’t forget that. I’m sure he needs a friend to talk to as much as you do.”
“I’m talking to you.”
“It’s not the same as a friend, kid.”
“I talked to Mom.”
“Oh, God.”
“Yeah. She wants me to come back to Indiana the minute I get this hardware off my leg.”
“What’d you tell her?”
“I told her hell no.”
His father chuckled. “Bet she loved that. I’ll probably be getting a call from her myself any minute now. Sure looking forward to that. We have wonderful little chats, your mother and I. She’s quite a woman.”
“She’s a bitch.”
“I’m trying to think of an argument to that.”
“Don’t waste your time.”
“Okay, I won’t.”
A comfortable silence settled over the line. The silence didn’t bother Danny at all. He was just happy knowing his dad was on the other end. He could almost feel him there. Like he was in the same room.
When his father spoke, Danny
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