Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 14:02:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Zane Green Subject: FIRES-10 Copyright Notice: the author copyrights this story and the author retains all rights. Expressly prohibited is placing this story at a for pay site. It is a fantasy, and is not about anyone real. It has minor characters, and is intended only for a mature audience. None of the characters are based on real people. They all grew up in my imagination. Comments are very welcome and appreciated at: ZaneG7@excite.com Fires by: Zane Hunter-Green Part 10 1 I was surprised as Jesse plowed down the street in the outer boro of LA near Brentwood, where I had lived with Hank. Years before it had been an apartment but when the building turned to condominiums Hank had purchased his unit. It was between tenants so Noah and I had a place to stay. I was surprised as I walked up the shaded pathway by how large the trees had grown, how lush the landscaping was, and how the California kitsch, had turned into a style that seemed popular now. The cars parked in the open spaces indicated a change in the neighborhood. Where a battered flat bed truck may have been ten years before, a BMW was parked now. I started to wonder just what percentage my management company had been taking all of these years. The place wasn't furnished so we would have to sleep on the floor. The carpeting was new so I could see one place the rent money had gone. "This is nice!" Noah looked around in wonder. It seemed so small to me after all; the last time I had been there Hank had just died. Jesse was kind enough to wait out side. I told Noah to stay put as I went out to tell him that we were fine, and to thank him for taking us out of his way. "Take good care of the boy." Is all he said. As I returned to the building it hit me, the memories, of the first time I came here. It was late at night, and hot. Salsa music filled the background, which calmed me down. I remember that Hank lifted me off of his bike, locked it up and then took my hand in his paw and led me into apartment. I must have told him how scared I was that the pimp that controlled me would come and beat me up for disappearing. He said they would have to reckon with him first. I remembered sleeping with him, that night and every night until he died. I walked across the cold flagstone steps and into my building. When I opened the door there was Noah. The light coming from the window made his gold hair look like a halo. There was just that something about LA light. I often laughed when watching TV seeing a show that was supposed to be set in Chicago, Boston, or Philadelphia, and yet the intense light coming from outside was definitely LA. Very few cities had the bright reflections of LA. "Noah, before you moved up to Sacramento where in LA did you live?" I asked him. "Near Watts." "Isn't it funny how everything in LA is described as being near something else, as if we are afraid to be at something." Noah looked at me like I was crazy. " Well I have a few phone calls to make. I need to get work if we are going to live here." "How about the ocean?" He wined. "First I have to report my car as missing. Fortunately this phone was never disconnected." I told him. "Who's paying for it?" He asked. "I guess I am, you're pretty darn smart to ask me that." I replied. Well I did know a few people still through the years and my lack of contact with them. Fortunately one was glad to hear from me. He had a job on a movie for me to work on as soon as I signed up again with the union. There was just one problem. It was being filmed in Spain. I knew that I couldn't take Noah with me. I had no idea what to do with him. I had kept him with me to long to return him without all of those dire consequences happening that I had imagined. I heard the doorbell ring. No one knew where I was. I hesitated to go and answer it. Noah walked behind me as I looked through a window. It was Jesse holding a large box of pizza. "Jesse!" Noah yelled. "I delivered the garlic and decided to check upon you two, is everything ok?" Jesse asked. "It is now I love pizza! Hey Jesse, they put garlic on this pizza." Noah said. "I know, it's a garlic lover's pizza, and I love garlic." Jesse told him. "Oh boy, would you get mad if I pick the garlic off?" Noah asked. "No of course not." Jesse! maybe Jesse could take Noah to live on his farm. I didn't want to talk in front of Noah but there was no place to send him to for privacy. We all sat cross-legged on the floor and I talked about a film in Spain that could start my credits rolling again. "That is great Shane." Jesse said "Problem is, I couldn't take Noah." I say quietly. Noah heard and he turned his head. I wanted to kick myself but what could I do. I always knew that things were even more complicated than when I was a boy. The world had more troubles, yet there were so many more people being paid to root out problems but not solve them. "There is a man I know who has a boarding school for boys like Noah. It is said to be a wonderful place. Tuition is free, and the boys are mostly gay, all have been abused and are sexually active. His name is Jake. If you want I can tell you how you can contact him." "Noooooooooooo" Noah whispered although I sensed he wanted to scream. Quietly I asked Jesse for the man's number, just in case. Noah knew. He was still mad that I wouldn't have sex with him. Now he was frightened that I was going to send him off. I tried to explain that I would never send him anywhere that he wouldn't be happy. I tried to tell him that I couldn't keep him in Sacramento without arousing suspicions. After I did this film I would bring him back to LA if he weren't happy. I felt like he had already built a wall around himself. I was just another adult to disappoint him. I wasn't getting through. We slept on the floor that night, he kept his distance, but by some instinct I got up at 3:00 in the morning, something felt terribly wrong. "NOAH!" I saw Noah take the paper napkins left over from the pizza and place it on the stovetop, which he had turned on, then bright with flames he dropped them on the wooden floor. I rushed over and stamped them out, he cried and got into an almost fetal position as if I would beat him. "I'm sorry Shane, I'm sorry." He cried. "Come here Noah, I hugged him, which was the last thing he expected me to do. Tomorrow we have somewhere we need to go. For now we're going back to bed." I didn't scold him as he knew what he tried to do was terrible. I let him cuddle against me and cry. I knew that he would cry more tomorrow. He had a lesson to learn about fires. The next day we woke up, and took a city bus. I knew that he was still scared. I had other friends and because of that I was able to take him into the burn unit of Los Angeles Children's Hospital. There is no smell or pain on this earth as wrecked as a burn of the human flesh. Noah had to see this for himself. It turned out that I knew one of the children personally, a little boy that we had saved a few years ago. He had been re-admitted for some plastic surgery. He remembered me I guess, and gave me a hug. I introduced him to Noah. Noah sat on his bed and talked and played with him. I saw the boy giving Noah his address. "I really like him." Noah said. "I'm glad. I see that you have a new friend." "What happened to him? Noah asked." "Noah I'll let him tell you when he wants to share, ok" "Ok" Noah never said another word to me but I know he was thinking hard. 2 Well I've been writing to you now from Spain. I know it's been kind of choppy lately but I don't have much time between sets. It's been harder to get supplies over here, and I won't do a fire until I have every back up that I need. It's been fun to get back into the movie world, but I already miss working with real fires. I want to let you know though that the day before I left for Barcelona, we took a taxi down to Venice Beach. That night Noah was taking a private plane to the school that Jake endowed for boys like my Noah. We had one last day together until his first school holiday. I will never forget the sight of one beautiful boy, his feet in the water, his eyes looking out at the horizon line in wonder. The waves were small that day but big enough for him After I finish this I am going to write to Noah and tell him of the beaches in Spain. I plan to fly him here in several weeks during his first holiday from school. There are so many places in this world where the ocean meets the land, and I plan to take him to see as many of them as we can cram into this lifetime. The End