Chapter 20

Tough luck. He needed to change the worn rear tires before one of them blew out and there was no way he was doing this job at Howie’s Garage. It was bad enough he had to see those guys all week. Today was Monday, his day off and he planned on finishing the tire change and then locking himself up in his bedroom to call Billy.

His boyfriendBilly.

Boyfriend!

“Xavier!” His aunt called out from the open living room window, shocking him back to reality. “Phone.”

Excited at the thought of hearing Billy’s voice, Xavier wiped his hands down his work pants. But wait—it couldn’t be Billy calling him, because Billy was working all day, in some uptown gynecologist clinic. Xavier couldn’t wait to hear thosestories. He ran up the three steps to the porch and stepped inside the apartment. Maybe Billy was on break. “Whoa,” he said, walking to the phone in the hall, “smells good, Aunt Di.”