Shawn's Law (13 page)

Okay, that sounded good. A packet would indicate it was fresh. But where had she found a condom? It had been so long since I’d needed one, I didn’t have any in the house. I took a deep calming breath. “Where’s the packet, Mum?”

She gave me a blank stare, and I knew what was coming. “I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

Counting to ten was not going to do it for me. So I counted to twenty. In Italian. Backward. “Okay. How about we leave your balloon baby to sleep there in her bed, and you come with me, and we’ll try to find the packet? Can you show me where you left the packet?”

She shook her head again, and tears formed, welling up on the edge of her lids and threatening to fall. I counted backward from thirty. In French.

“How about you show me where you found the packet, then?”

She stopped and tried to remember. I could see from the look on her face that it wasn’t easy. I wished I knew how to count in another language. Mandarin would be good. Or perhaps ancient Greek? You never knew when you were going to meet someone who could only speak in ancient Greek.

“I think I was outside,” she said tremulously.

Outside. Oh, dear. I had visions of lovemaking in our front garden by two strangers who didn’t take their rubbish with them. Lovemaking complete with weeping folds and pulsing portals.

Together we went out the front. Mum couldn’t remember much more than the fact that she had been outside, so I scouted around for signs of heterosexual shenanigans in our yard. Something like graffiti on the wall saying, “Shazza and Gary did it here.”

A flash of pink caught my eye and I reached into the trimmed branches of my box hedge and pulled out an open condom packet. Strawberry flavored for my enjoyment, it proclaimed. I gingerly held it between my fingers.

“Did you open it?” I asked my mother. She nodded sadly. I was about to go back inside when I glimpsed something yellow on the edge of the steps, fluttering in the breeze. I reached down and found another note from Harley.

I hope you come swimming at my house again soon. This is all you need to wear.

My mother excitedly grabbed the note. “That was with the pretty little packet,” she exclaimed with joy. “I was going to cut it up and glue it on my dolly for hair.”

Heck no.

I snatched it back, my mind racing. The note was with the pink packet. Obviously the condom had come with the note, which meant it
was
a fresh packet and I didn’t have to be worrying about my mother contracting HIV. I sighed in relief. The condom wasn’t used. The condom had come from Harley. Harley had sent me a condom.

I stopped and read it again.
I hope you come swimming at my house again soon. This is all you need to wear
.

At my side, my mother was crying because I wasn’t going to give her the pretty yellow paper to make hair for her dolly. I was still processing the information in my sluggish brain, so I patted her shoulder and promised, “I’ll find some wool and make hair for your dolly, okay?”

Shawn

Where I desperately need to ring Kris because I desperately need to ring Kris.

L
ISA
BROUGHT
the kids over after lunch. I love kids. They’re so excitable and innocent. I love to interact with them. I love to read them stories and give them cuddles. I love to feed them chocolate and watch them make a mess. I love to spoil them and then, thankfully, give them back to their parents.

I love kids. I just don’t want any of my own.

“Uncle Shawn.”

Isabelle is my favorite niece. I’ve told Lisa that she can’t have any more children. If she has another baby, and it’s a girl, that little girl is going to feel left out, because I could never love any other niece as much as I love Isabelle.

Okay. I may’ve been a little drunk when I said that. But I meant it.

I swung her around and admired the beautiful red plastic flower in her hair. “Have you grown?” I demanded. “Because you seem to have put on two kilos since I last saw you.”

She giggled. I pointed her in the direction of the lounge room and told her to go and say hello to her grandmother. Zek and Vinnie had already found the crate of toys I kept to amuse them when they came over.

“Hey,” I called to them. “Doesn’t Uncle Shawn get a hello from you guys before you hit the toys?”

Vinnie stopped and held up a truck for me. “Car,” he said. Zek echoed the word but showed me a plastic boat. I rolled my eyes.

“I can see that you two are going to be as mechanically minded as your father if you can’t even tell that that’s not a car. Zek, buddy, that’s a boat. Vinnie, say ‘truck’ for me. Truck?”

Zek looked at his boat and said, “Truck?”

Vinnie smiled at me and handed me the truck. “Boat.” Yep. I proudly say they take after me.

Lisa was at our mother’s side, greeting her softly and placing a kiss on her cheek. She looked down at the dolly on the cushion.

“Ah, Shawn?” Lisa asked. “Why is our mother playing with a condom that has a face and blue hair?”

I shrugged. “Because I couldn’t find any other color wool. Mum said she was fine with the hair being blue.” Lisa wasn’t impressed with my answer. So I gave her a cool stare. “Okay, then. You try and take it off her, and see if you have any luck.”

Twenty minutes later I handed a shaking Lisa a coffee and a biscuit to help her calm down after her unsuccessful battle with our mother. “Don’t feel bad, Leese. I couldn’t get her to give it up either.” Izzy had demanded a baby for herself, and I thankfully had a packet of balloons left over from Mum’s last birthday. The twins were delightedly kicking their balloons in the lounge room while Mum and Izzy played babies. Izzy’s baby was green with blue hair.

“You still haven’t told me how she came to have a condom.”

I blushed. “Ahh… she found it?”

“Where?”

I sighed. “In the letterbox.”

Lisa gaped at me. “Your postie brings you condoms?”

“No. Harley.”

“Your postie brings Harley condoms?”

“No, dill-brain. Harley left me a condom in the letterbox. Unfortunately Mum found it first.”

“Why would Harley put a…? Oh, holy fuck Shawn. Harley’s sending you condoms? Why the hell are you still here? You should’ve been waiting at the bloody front door when I arrived, ready to take off.”

I was incredulous that she would even suggest that. “I can’t do that, Lisa.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because.” Being in my sister’s presence often meant I reverted to being nine. If we were lucky, we wouldn’t start the “Am, Am Not” game.

She slumped in exasperation. “Please tell me you haven’t been ignoring Harley since I last spoke to you about it.”

I pursed my lips.
Okay. I won’t tell you that.
I kept silent. She glared at me. I crossed my arms and couldn’t meet her eyes. She harrumphed. I looked at the ceiling. She got all squinty-eyed. I began to whistle.

“Shawn Ignatius O’Hara. You will go around to Harley’s house right now and grovel to that poor man. He’s done nothing to deserve this treatment, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

“No.”

I needed to stay strong or I was going to cave. Harley’s life was in danger, and I had to be brave.

“If you don’t go now, I’m ringing him up and inviting him here.”

I thought of Harley coming around and chatting with Lisa about all the dumb things I’d done in my life. I mentally cringed. Then I thought about Harley coming around and playing with my niece and nephews. A soft smile came over my face, and my heart melted. I’d really like that.

Then I thought about Harley coming around and seeing what my mother was playing with.

Oh, dear.

My sister glared and began counting. “One….”

Well, I didn’t care. Lisa could threaten all she wanted. I was doing it for Harley’s sake.

“Two….”

I caved.
Sugarplum fairies.
“I can’t, Leese.”

“You will. You will leave right this minute, mister. You will march to his house while I stay with Mum, and you will not return for at least an hour. I want to see you well fucked when you get home.”

I goggled at my sister. She wanted to see me what?

She waved her hand at me. “Tsk. Do you think I don’t know how two gay men have sex? Why else would Harley be sending you a condom?”

I gritted my teeth. “What am I meant to say to him? Do I just rock up to his front door and say ‘Let’s do it’?”

“Sounds good to me.” Lisa pushed me toward the front door. “See ya!”

I tried to think of an excuse. “But I no longer have the condom.”

Lisa didn’t buy it. “Shawn, condoms usually come in packets of twelve. I’m sure Harley has more.”

“What if he’s not home?”

She rebutted, “What if he is?”

“He may have visitors,” I argued.

“He may not.”

“I’m not ready for this.” I was nearly pleading with her at this stage.

“Too bad. You’re doing it,” she said without sympathy.

“Lisa….”

“Go and fuck or get fucked. Whatever position you like. Just don’t tell me about it.”

Lisa pushed me out the front door. I tried to turn around and come back in. She barred the door with her smaller frame. From inside, I heard Isabelle ask, “Mummy? What is ‘fucked’?”

My eyes went wide. Lisa’s eyes went wide. I scuttled. “Bye.” I’d rather face Harley than deal with that conversation.

I talked myself out of it about seven times before I reached Harley’s front door. Luckily for me I’d talked myself back into it eight times. I knocked and prayed he wouldn’t answer. The dogs started barking on the other side of the door. Still I prayed. Then I heard his voice.

“Enough. Okay, guys. I heard the knocking. I’m coming.” The dogs quieted down, and I heard the sound of a deadbolt being disengaged and the doorknob turning.

He’d been about to get in the pool, that much was obvious from the first glance. There was a towel around his waist. A single towel. And I
knew
Harley swam naked. But the sight that arrested me the most was his hair, unbound for the first time in my presence. It created a golden curtain behind him as it fluttered down his back in kinks from where he usually had it plaited.

I lost the ability to speak. Why did that always happen to me?

“Shawn?” Harley’s tone was uncertain. I knew the feeling. Now that I was there, I didn’t know what to say.

“Hi. Hair.”

You idiot. Zek has more conversational skills than you do.

I turned to leave, giving up on ever seeing him again. Again. I meant I was giving him up again, so I would never see him again. Right?

“Where are you going?” he called.

I strode away, making my way down his driveway, back to the road. “Home.”

Yep, complete dunce. Vinnie could do better.

“Shawn? If you walk away from me, I’m going to have to chase you down the street. And I’m sure you know I don’t have any clothes on.”

I stopped. As much as I wanted a naked Harley to chase me, doing it in public wasn’t on the agenda of my fantasy. I turned and considered my options. Harley was still standing in the doorway with one hand clutching the towel to hold it closed and the other on the door. “You wouldn’t,” I finally declared, sure that Harley would never humiliate himself in such a manner.

The towel dropped to the floor.

I made a split-second decision, decisively walked back, and shoved his body aside so I could close the door. “What do you think you were doing?” I stuttered. “Anyone could’ve seen you.”

“Shawn—”

“I mean, apart from it being totally illegal, you could’ve scared someone badly or caused a car accident.”

“I—”

“I mean walking around your own house naked is one thing, and swimming with your boyfriend is perfectly okay, but you just don’t go around flashing your gorgeous self at any old person.”

“Shawn—”

“And not to mention getting people needlessly aroused. Some little old lady may’ve seen you then gone home and humped her poor, ill husband and caused him to have a heart attack or—”

Harley grabbed me and slotted his mouth over mine, cutting off the flow of words and kissing me like we’d never been apart. His naked body crowded in until I was forced up against the wall behind his front door, the expanse of his uncovered skin so close to mine and begging to be touched. I was willing to force myself to do
such
a terrible chore.

I slid my hands along his stomach and up his arms, to where his hands were cupping my jaw. I tilted my head slightly so we could kiss feverishly. I ran my hands up over his shoulders, intending to pull him down to me, but instead tangling with the strands of his long hair. The sensation was amazing. I wrapped my fingers around a length of hair and melted. It was soft like silken cords, and I tugged my fingers through it. It was delicious. I pulled back from his kiss and panted, “Holy Jesus, Harley. Your hair is sublime. What does it feel like on naked skin?”

“Would you like to find out?” Harley growled as he nuzzled down my throat.