by Benjamin Hopper
The sun was piercing through the windshield of a beat up 2004 Toyota Corolla. Charlie sat in the passenger seat, shielding his eyes with his hand but still he couldn’t help but notice Alex was able to drive as if the sun’s rays were just an illusion. They had been driving for 45 minutes in complete silence. The only sounds occupying the car were the environmental sounds of the road and fellow drivers along with the clashing of the rosary beads and plastic crucifix hanging from the rearview mirror. Alex’s mother had put them there, to protect him.
Charlie was the first to speak, “So… Do you wanna talk about it?”
“What is there to talk about?” Alex asked.
“Well your text didn’t say much.” Charlie turned towards Alex. He sat on his left foot with the corresponding knee sticking out, forming the vertex of an acute angle like form with his leg. The other leg was positioned normally with his foot laying flat on the beige plastic floor mat. “All it said was like, ‘My mom found out, can I-’”
“I know what it said,” Alex said flatly, his face showing no expression and his eyes never leaving the road. Charlie was just staring at the side of Alex’s head, hard enough it seemed like he’d bore a hole through it. Charlie wore a pleading look on his face. He wanted to help, he wanted to be there but he didn’t know what to say, he felt like he never did.
“Well where are we going then,” asked Charlie, his head cocked slightly to the right.
“Connecticut,” responded Alex, with a twinge of joy. A partial smile seemed to be creeping up, like an invisible fish hook was slightly pulling up the corner of his mouth.
“What’s in Connecticut?” Charlie felt compelled to ask.
“My dad is. I figure I can stay with him since I gotta get away from my mom.”
Charlie was still at a loss for words so he just continued staring at Alex, hoping for answers.
“Can you get me a cigarette?” asked Alex.
“Yeah sure, where’s your pack?”
“It’s in the inside pocket of my jacket, can you grab it?”
“Yeah okay.” Charlie leaned over and started reaching into the pocket of Alex’s green army jacket that he wore more often than not.
“It’s the left one actually,” said Alex.
“Ohh,” said Charlie as he reached across him to get to the other pocket. Brushing his chest he could feel himself getting flustered. He still got flustered sometimes around Alex. His cheeks were starting to blush, gathering a boyish pink glow to them. Which was appropriate, they were just boys. They’d call themselves men, and parents and teachers kept referring to them as “young men,” but at eighteen and seventeen respectively, they weren’t men, as much as they thought they were and as much as society told them they were. They were boys. After Charlie had fished out the pack of Marlboro Reds and Alex’s gray lighter he held the pack open and extended his hand as he held both.
“Can you put it in my mouth?” asked Alex. “I gotta keep my hands on the wheel y’know?” Charlie chuckled to himself about the phrasing before nodding slightly and picking out a cigarette carefully from the pack. Each looked the same yet he still was very particular about choosing the one that looked like “the right one” to him. It was as if he was picking a crayon out of one of those packs that come with upward of a hundred colors. After he picked out “the right one,” he put it in Alex’s mouth and lit it.
“Thanks,” Alex said as he took a drag. Taking the cigarette and holding it between two fingers with tobacco stained nails as he returned his hand to gripping the wheel.
“No problem,” said Charlie as he started turning the crank to roll down his window. He didn’t smoke, in fact he always worried about second hand smoke. He stuck his head out the window like a dog who hasn’t had fresh air in weeks. He just let the wind hit him in the face. With his eyes closed, he took it all in like it was some kind of experience. After a bit, probably no more than a minute, he came back in.
“So did your mom kick you out?” Charlie finally asked. He had been wondering but was afraid to ask since Alex didn’t seem to want to talk about what happened.
“No,” said Alex as what was once the beginning stages of a smile rolled back towards the resting look of apathy that had been standard so far.
“Then why are you going to your dad’s?”
“Because it’s away from her. Besides, he doesn’t know.”
“Won’t she just call and tell him?”
“They haven’t spoken in ten years. I had to find his address online, I doubt she could reach him if she wanted to.”
“Yeah, but you haven’t spoken to him in ten years either,” said Charlie, his voice laced with worry. “He hasn’t even sent you a damn birthday card since you turned eleven!” Charlie yelled without thinking, the concern having turned to anger.
“What the fuck are you yelling at me for?” Alex defended himself with.
“I’m not!” began Charlie. “I mean, I mean yeah… I was. It’s just- I don’t want him to hurt you again,” he said in a small defeated voice. “You’ve been through so much already. Not just with him but today and in general.”
“It’ll be okay,” Alex reassured him. He turned his head towards to look at Charlie for a moment, even going so far as to put on a smile for his benefit. For a bit things were silent again and both boys were just looking forward. Alex still saw clear through the sunlight and Charlie had to hold up his hands again to form a makeshift visor. After a bit, Charlie had the urge to speak again.
“Well, do you have to move out?”Charlie asked.
“Do you think I can stay there now?” Alex said with a voice that didn’t seem to try to hide anything.
“Well, how bad was it?”
Alex let out a deep exhale. “There was a priest.”
“Wh- What do you mean?”
“ I came down,” Alex began, his voice faltering slightly. “And uh… she and Anna were sitting in the living room, in a circle with Father Matthew from church. She had me sit down and join them and she told me she knew about my quote on quote “problem.” I was still confused until Father Matthew started his whole, “The devil makes boys have these urges, but you have to know it’s unnatural and you can change.” Then he started talking about hellfire and eternal damnation, I think he might’ve even read some scripture. I look over at my mom and she’s crying. Anna’s too young to know what’s going on but she’s crying too because mom’s crying. I got angry and started yelling so then my mom started yelling. Eventually I just went upstairs, packed a bag and left.”
Charlie was silent. He reached out his hand, letting it hover over Alex’s leg. He thought if he couldn’t say anything he could still comfort him. But he just let it hang in there like a strung up thief before pulling it back like he had touched a burning stove.
“I know… I know there’s nothing wrong with me,” continued Alex.
“Of course there isn’t!” Charlie interjected.
“But they were making me feel like there was. Like I should be ashamed.” Alex’s eyes were visibly watery but he wiped them before any tears fell. He looked over at Charlie. “This is why she wasn’t supposed to find out. Thanks for being here by the way.”
“Of course, that’s what I’m for.” In the silence of the moment Alex took notice of the noise generated by the rosary and plastic crucifix hanging from the rearview mirror. He took it off with one hand and held it in a fist looking down at it for a moment. Then he chucked it out Charlie’s window. Charlie turned to watch it go sailing down I-95.
“Did that help?” Charlie asked.
“It makes me feel less like I’m being judged,” Alex said. “So yeah, a bit.”
Ben Hopper is a senior communications major with a concentration in writing and a minor in English here at Ramapo. Writing is one of his greatest passions, and he began writing stories when he was about eight years old. He started taking writing more seriously in high school when he developed a love of poetry. Ever since then writing has been an important aspect of his life as he’s worked to continue developing as a writer and discover new mediums.