Tony joined the Marines right after high school and spent three years in Europe, so we didn’t talk that often during my first three years of college.  When he told me that he wanted to visit before graduation I was ecstatic because it had been such a long time since we’d hung out together and I really wanted to see him.  I figured we would just kick it with my frat brothers in all the straight clubs and parties, so I wouldn’t have to worry about running into any of my gay friends. On the yard, I stayed in the closet just enough to get into a frat, but off campus, I was an entirely different Rick.
            We decided to go out for lunch at Pentagon City Mall. I should have anticipated a disaster because a lot of the kids hung out there on weekends. We were sitting down and enjoying lunch when I saw a couple of guys who knew me, and they were coming our way.  Nathan, who was a good Judy of my ex-lover, Myron, walked over to our table with his friend, Trevon.  These queens were just a flicker away from a four-alarm fire.  Trevon had a pair of Daisy Dukes painted on his ass, and Nathan wasn’t any better with his bell-bottom jeans and neon pink, spandex t-shirt. 
            “Richard, how are you?” Nathan asked, invading our table.
            “Hi Ricky! Where’s Myron?” Trevon asked, being the messy fag that he was. They both stood at our table with "to go" bags from Wing Zings, as though they were waiting for me to invite them to join us.
            “What’s up, fellas?” I asked in an extra roughneck tone.  “I haven’t talked to Myron today,” I said with a stone look on my face.  “I was just hanging out with one of my homeboys from Atlanta. I’ll see you guys around.” I was hoping--no, praying--that they would take the hint and keep moving without making a bigger scene.  
Tony just sat, observing with a perplexed look on his face.
            “Oh well, I see you’re entertaining, and we don’t want to disturb you. Ciao!”  Nathan said as he grabbed Trevon by the arm and sashayed down the mall, giggling. 
            “What the fuck was that about?” Tony asked, laughing uncontrollably.
            “Uh, uh, that was my boy Myron’s brother,” I lied.
            “That brother’s a little sweet isn’t he?” Tony suggested, as he waved his out-stretched palm, face down, in what seemed to be the universal sign language for calling someone gay.
            “I have no idea. He seems to be good folks. I never really paid much attention to him.  I’ve only met him a few times. I’m pretty tight with his brother,” I said, trying to make my acquaintance with Nathan and Trevon as vague as possible.
            “I don’t know about that dude, man.  You had better watch him.  I don’t know too many brothers who would come to the mall in some damn Daisy Dukes,” Tony said, getting another good laugh.  “You don’t think that shit might be genetic do you?” He now took on a more serious look.  “You don’t think your boy might be funny, do you?” Tony said, coming to a non-scientific and rather ignorant conclusion.
            “I can’t say.  It’s never been a concern for me.  You know how I am.  I just live and let live,” I said, hoping that he would change the subject....

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