The Key Anthology:
Frankie and Aaron
Chapter 10
Wondering and wandering
The next day Martin was too exhausted to get out of bed, so he told Aaron to spend some time exploring Paris by himself again. On a whim, Aaron dug out his cell phone from the dresser drawer where he kept it. He hadn’t even turned it on while in Paris, instead he’d been using one Martin had gotten for him. When a previous john had offered to take him overseas Aaron had gotten a phone which could be used for International calls. The trip had never materialized, but he’d kept the phone. Shoving the phone in his pocket he left the apartment and started wandering around the city.
His first stop was a bakery where he ate a croissant while watching the pedestrians walking by. Then he window-shopped aimlessly before stopping to sit on a bench and retrieve his cell phone from his pocket. Martin had asked him not to answer or make any calls but he wasn’t going to do either. Instead he checked for text messages. There were only two and they’d landed three days ago. One message was from Wanda and it shocked Aaron back to reality. Simply put it said:
Frankie Sr. passed away in his sleep.
Aaron quickly went to the second message.
Funeral to be held….
“Four days from today,” Aaron said out loud. Oh God, Frankie Jr. needs me, he thought. I’ve got to get home. He rushed back to the apartment trying to think of the best way to tell Martin about needing to go back home.
Martin didn’t have much of a reaction. Instead, he spoke in a cold, emotionless voice.
“We can leave, but remember there’s a price to pay for everything we do in life. Are you prepared to pay that price to help your friend?”
“Yes,” Aaron said, figuring he wouldn’t be invited back to Paris or anywhere else again.
“I’ll make the arrangements then,” Martin said.
* * * *
“How are you holding up, Frankie Jr.? You’re working like a crazy man,” Wanda said, as she watched him cleaning the sandwich shop counters.
“I’m not Frankie Jr. anymore. Now I’m just Frankie since there is no Frankie Sr.”
“OK, OK, Frankie,” Wanda said. “You need to take it easy. Your Momma’s gonna need you to lean on.”
“I’m leaving town, Wanda,” Frankie said. “How would you like to take over managing this place?”
“Excuse me. I know you mentioned the possibility when I started working here, but I didn’t expect this.”
“You’ve been taking business classes at the school and training here,” Frankie said. “You’ve done really well since you stopped whoring and came to work for me, and I think you’re ready.”
“Why are you doing this, Frankie? Are you running away?”
“No,” he said. “I’ve been planning and saving for this a while. Since even before Aaron left. I only waited this long in case he came back… and I really did think he’d come back. Anyway, it’s time for me to go off and open another sandwich shop. Some place new where I can start my life. Momma already said she’d stay and help you here. She wants to work again now that she doesn’t have Daddy to take care of. All she needs is six months as your assistant manager then you can both discuss what will happen from there—whether she’ll stay or move on. It’ll be good for her and you. Wanda, I know you’ll do a good job but you lack a little confidence and Momma can be a sort of security blanket for you until you build up your confidence. Plus she really knows the business.”
“OK,” Wanda said. “You’ve convinced me, Frankie. When do you leave town for your new life?
“A week after the funeral. Maybe sooner.”
“What if Aaron comes home?” Wanda said. “Will you stay?”
“No,” Frankie said, “If he wants to, he can come with me. But no more whoring for him either.”
“He’d be surprised to find me off the streets and to see how you’ve grown, Frankie.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve waited around for him long enough.” He walked to the sink, rinsed out the towel he was using, then turned when he felt Wanda grab his shoulder.”
“Why did you wait for him at all? What exactly is it between you two? I’ve never seen him treat you all that well… especially compared to how you’ve always defended him.”
“You wanna know so badly, I’ll tell you,” Frankie said. “We were each other’s first time.”
“First time for what?” Wanda said, but after seeing the look Frankie gave her, clarity quickly came into her mind. “Oh, I see. Hold on now. You and Aaron! The same Aaron that’s always making fun of you and saying he’d never do you. The same hustler boy who said you couldn’t pay him enough.”
“That’s because he’d never charge me. But it’s been a while.”
“Not that great, huh, Frankie.”
“Wrong again, Wanda. It was so good it left both him and me worn out. Listen, I trust you, so I’ll tell you something. Aaron and I are tight. Everything he says is just an act, because he’s trying to be a tough guy, to show that he doesn’t feel anything. I know him better than anyone. I saw how he suffered at the hands of his no good parents. When my mom helped clean him up after his dad would beat him, I was there and saw first hand what they did to him. They made him put on a hard exterior to survive. Remember they were the first ones who pimped him out so they could get money to buy their liquor and drugs.”
“Poor Aaron,” Wanda said. “I mean, I knew about some of that, but… well, it’s not the same as how you know. At least Aaron’s first time was with you, someone who really cares about him.”
“When he was hurt and crying or down I was there,” Frankie said. “The really big thing is that he let me be there. He’s never shut me out until now. But I knew one day he’d need to leave and get out of here to be truly free of everything. In my heart I always believed we’d leave together. But maybe he needs to be free from not just his parents, but me too. No matter what happens, thanks for texting Aaron for me.”
Wanda saw a small tear starting to form in the corner of Frankie’s eye and she hugged him warmly for a long while.
* * * *
Martin had insisted on bringing Angelo along on the trip. The three were naked and fooling around on the couch in Martin’s plane, but none of them were enjoying themselves. Angelo was straddling Martin trying to ride his cock but there were problems.
“Shit!” Martin said. “I shouldn’t have taken those damn pills this morning. I don’t know what’s worse—living with this pain or taking these pills which keep me from being able to get it up. I’ve gotta be good for something. Come here, Aaron.”
Aaron stood beside Martin who grabbed his cock and began sucking hard on it. So hungrily and desperately that he accidentally bit down on it.
“Ouch,” Aaron said, too surprised from the bite to suppress a vocal response.
“Sorry, Aaron,” Martin said. I’m fucked up from the medication.”
Angelo started squirming uncomfortably on top of Martin.
“I guess I’m not doing much good for you either, huh, Angelo?” Martin said.
“No, it’s OK,” Angelo said. “I just need to take a piss, that’s all.”
“Go ahead and take a piss,” Martin said. “I’m no good for anything else so you might as well take a piss on me.”
Angelo started to get up but Martin held him down forcefully.
“I said piss!” Martin said.
Aaron looked over at Angelo wondering what he would do.
“I’ve been eating asparagus,” Angelo said. “Trust me you don’t want me to pee. You’d have to smell it all the way to the states.”
“Get up and go piss,” Martin said.
When Angelo got up, Martin pulled Aaron to him. “I’m sleepy. Stay here next to me until I fall asleep, please.”
Aaron managed to squeeze beside Martin who held him tightly.
“I’m sorry, Aaron, for everything. Everything I’ve done, everything that’s happened, and probably will happen. I’m a screwed up man. Guess I always have been.” He closed his eyes and fell instantly to sleep.
“The medicine knocks him out now when he takes it,” Angelo said, walking naked into the cabin. “He’s got no resistance to it. Not much stamina either.”
Aaron got up from the sofa, walked to the bar and got some water to drink. “Was that true about the asparagus or just quick thinking on your part, Angelo?”
“Quick thinking on my part,” Angelo said, shaking his cock toward Aaron. “How’s about helping a friend out.”
“Sorry,” Aaron said with a sad and sincere look on his face. “I just can’t.”
“You care about your friend back home that much, huh.”
“Is it that obvious?” Aaron said.
“Well a good whore would be able to suck or fuck no matter what. Maybe you’re not a good whore anymore, Aaron. Or maybe the guy back home is your real destiny.”
“I’m not a good whore or a good friend,” Aaron said. “Not a good friend to the guy back home anyway. I was always so mean to him in front of others. Didn’t want people to think I was friends with him because he was just another working guy in the neighborhood. He worked hard in his family’s sandwich shop and I looked down on that. It wasn’t the life for me. Oh no, I wanted more than that. I wanted private planes and the jet-set life.”
“And now?” Angelo said.
“Now. I don’t know what I want. My old life was real and hard—and it hurt so much emotionally and physically I didn’t think I’d ever survive… but I endured. None of this here, right now—the private plane, the Paris apartment, et cetera is real or mine. I’m just flavor of the moment on borrowed time here. But I’ve got nothing back home either… nothing but him. Frankie Jr.’s the most real thing in my life. Hopefully I haven’t screwed that up.”
“There’s always hope and a chance,” Angelo said. “As long as there’s breath in your body, there’s still a chance to change your life and make a new one that’s real and you can feel good about.”
“Well, that’s a nice thought anyway,” Aaron said. “But I don’t really deserve it—a new and good life. Not after all that I’ve done. I’m nothing but a used up whore and a bad one at that.”
To be continued
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