Doors of Love

By DesDownUnder

Copyright © 2008 By DesDownUnder. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 7: And the Garden is a Mess

I switched the coffee maker on, just as I heard the throaty roar of Lucy’s bike echoing at the end of the street. I pulled back the sheer white curtains and opened the balcony doors. The sea fresh harbour smells, challenged the coffee for the aroma of the day.

The Sydney noonday sun gleamed off the chrome of Lucy’s bike as Eran drove it towards the apartment. Lucy sat behind him, waving her arms in the air as if they were in a ticker tape parade after they returned from landing on the moon. They were back, safe.

As I watched from my balcony, I spied a fit but middle aged man getting out of a BMW on the other side of the street. He walked towards our building. It was the owner of the building.

Eran drove up to the curb and hopped off the bike with a delicacy totally unfitting the mode of transport. I could easily hear what he was saying.

“Thanks, Aunty. Don’t tell Bryce you let me drive it part of the way back. He thinks I can’t drive.” Lucy made no comment. She just smiled at him, but then who wouldn’t?

Eran walked away, as I watched her park the bike. I gave a low whistle to catch her attention. She looked up and waved. I waved back pointing to the entrance, “They’re here,” I said. She hurried away to catch up with Eran. Gee, I hope I’m that spritely when I get to sixty-five.

The coffee machine gurgled one last time and I poured our coffees.

We were about to take a sip, when Lucy and Eran walked in with two men.

One of them, I recognised as the building owner, Mr. Feliday.

“Would you like some coffee, gentlemen?” I asked.

“No, that’s all right. We won’t be here that long,” said the other man. His was the accent of the homophobic tongue I had heard when I was in the lift well, “This shouldn’t take long.”

“Well, I need one,” said Eran, as he poured one for himself and another for Lucy.

I raised my eyebrows dejectedly towards Bryce who lowered his head in understanding.

“You seem to have had a little accident,” said the man as he looked at my foot.

I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or attempting to be nice.

“This is my lawyer, Jerry,” announced Mr. Feliday, “Jerry Manda of my law firm, Manda, Pander and Feliday.”

Lawyers! Could it be any worse?

Eran looked down; Bryce was shaking. Even Lucy looked somewhat intimidated.

I wondered if I could move into Harvey’s old house if it was still available. Things were looking grim.

Bryce put his head back into his hands. I could tell he was on the verge of tears.

Mr. Feliday looked at him and then at his lawyer, Jerry.

He came over to Bryce and put his hand on his shoulder.

“You okay, son?” he asked. Bryce nodded, his face still cupped behind his hands.

“Look, I know you have all had a terrible experience,” began Mr. Feliday as he pulled himself up, “but there are some things around here that need to be straightened out.”

Uh-oh, I thought, here it comes. This is where we all get booted out onto the street.

“If you can all agree to what I propose, then we can put this behind us. Jerry, will you explain?”

“What Mr. Feliday wants to do is avoid any trouble over what happened last night.”

“We’re sorry,” said Eran. I kicked him under the table, with my bad foot. We both screamed in agony.

Our cries startled Mr. Feliday. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yes, yes, I think so Mr Feliday,” I said, grimacing with the pain.

“Please call me Tom,” he said, “It’s not your fault. I want you all to know that I am very, very sorry as to what happened last night.”

“Tom, we agreed you would not apologize.”

“Damn you, Jerry, and your bloody legal worrying, these people are hurting and it is my building that caused their suffering.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Was Tom Feliday taking responsibility for last night’s catastrophes? Eran looked at me. Bryce peeked his reddened eyes out through his fingers. Lucy’s face mirrored my own astonishment.

“Well, you shouldn’t admit it,” said Jerry with a serious scowl. “What if they take you to court?”

“We should tell you…” Eran began.

Lucy grabbed Eran and pulled him to her chest. I thought she was going to breast feed him, and from his look of fear, the idea had also occurred to him, as he watched her bosom getting ever closer to his face.

“It’s all right, dear,” she said with her hand around his mouth. Good, she was going to keep him quiet. Tom looked quite worried.

“As Jerry was about to say, I don’t want any nastiness over what happened last night.”

“What Mr. Feliday wants,” interrupted Jerry, “is to put the incident behind us as quickly as possible, If you all agree to not enter into any litigation over there not being a working smoke alarm in the building or anything else to do with last night, he will pay for your medical bills,” he said, looking at me, “and give all of you one month’s rent rebate for the inconvenience of getting the place back to normal.”

“I’ll make it two months,” said Tom.

“That’s too much, Tom,” said Jerry.

“Not if I say it isn’t,” he answered, “The foyer is a disaster area. I almost tripped on those uneven tiles. I want them replaced and that pot plant needs to be fixed to the floor.”

“The automatic stair lights don’t work properly either,” I added.

“Make a note of that, Jerry, they must be fixed as soon as possible,” said Tom.

“Okay, that is acceptable,” said Jerry, “It is a safety issue.”

Tom rolled his eyes as he turned to the rest of us with desperation plainly visible on his face. “How does this sound to all of you? Do you need a moment to discuss this?”

“Mr. Feliday would like an answer now,” said Jerry.

“For Heaven’s sake, Jerry, give these people a chance, will you? Haven’t you seen the state of the front lawn and the mess the fire brigade left behind? The garden is ruined and these people have to live here.”

“It seems too much to me,” Bryce started to say. Lucy looked startled. I interrupted him.

“What happened to the fireman who Eran and Bryce carried downstairs?” I asked.

“That’s rather interesting,” said Jerry.

Tom continued, “As far as the fire department is concerned, it never happened. No one took a photo of it, so it did not happen. That is all I could get out of them. They don’t want to admit their fire chief had to be carried out by the tenants. So I think it is best if we forget about it too.”

“Look, Tom,” I said, seeing an opportunity, “we all appreciate what you are doing and saying, but there is something we would like more than the extra month’s rent you just offered us.”

Lucy and boys stared at me as if I had lost my senses. Jerry frowned, but Tom just looked at me. “What is it, what can I do?”

“Well, we would really like to be able have a pet or two,” I said.

“No pets,” pounced Jerry.

“Shut up, Jerry.” Tom turned and looked at us. “Is that what you would all like? I’ll still give a month’s free rent.”

Everybody nodded their heads. Lucy was grinning.

Jerry was not happy. “Seems too much to me. Animals are nothing but trouble.”

“Jerry, what is the matter with you?”

“Animals will destroy the garden,” said Jerry.

“What garden?” said Tom, “Did you see it? It’s a mess. It’s gone! The firemen must have had to drive all over it to put the fire out.”

So that was what they thought happened. Thank Heavens Eran had taken the van back. I saw Bryce about to speak and Eran was poised to open his mouth. I looked at him sternly and shook my head. Lucy cottoned on and pulled Eran back to her breasts. I think he gagged.

Tom turned to Jerry. “Look, Jerry, Jase, here, got hurt. They all lived through a fire and we are lucky to still have a building, and you are worried about a garden? Jerry, stop worrying about the damn garden. I will plant new pansies in the flowerbed for you.”

We all watched as Tom put his arm around Jerry and kissed him on the mouth.

“Okay?” said Tom, looking into Jerry’s eyes.

“I guess so,” said Jerry with a reticent sulky smile on his face, batting his lawyer eyelids. “I loved those flowers.”

Tom looked around the room. We were all looking at them with our mouths open.

Don’t you just love the way landlords always dominate and use shock to take control of a meeting?

“What is it? Haven’t you ever seen two men kiss before?” Tom said with an aggressive tone to his voice.

“I’ve seen it often enough,” said Bryce rushing around to pull Eran away from his Aunt. “But only when we do it in front of a mirror.”

The sheer white curtains in front of the balcony doors flared with the daylight as Bryce wrapped his arms around Eran, pulling him ever closer, until they were in lip’s reach of each other; and then…they too kissed as a gentle breeze parted the curtains for the shimmering sunlight to shine on the boys’ embrace.

Jerry gasped. I swear I heard a Gay Men’s Chorus singing.

1. To kiss in the sunlight
2. And say to the sky:
3. “Behold and believe what you see!
4. Behold how my lover loves me!”

* Credits

Eran relaxed into Bryce with a sigh.

Tom and Jerry looked directly at Lucy and me.

“We’re still looking,” said Lucy, but personally, I’d rather watch two girls kiss.”

“My gay porn’s in the bedroom,” I said.

Jerry looked at us with arched eyebrows, “You mean...we’re all gay?”

“Well, we are,” said Bryce and Eran.

“I guess that settles that,” said Tom. “Perhaps I should change the name on the front of the building to the Gay Ghetto.

“No,” I said, “The Pansy Apartments will do just fine.”

And everyone laughed, even Jerry, after Tom poked him in the ribs.