Chapter 26

Finally, Bill turned and called his name. It sounded faint and somehow not right. The voice was high pitched, not at all like the deep, rich baritone of his lover.

“Frankie, Frankie! Come on. It’s Christmas morning!”

It was Cindy. She stood at the foot of his bed in her pajamas, holding Phoebe, shaking his foot at Frank as if the dog were waving.

“What the fuck time is it?” he asked as he tried to shake off sleep and the dreams.

“Ooooh! Don’t let Dad hear you talk like that. You’ll be in big trouble.”

She was right. His dad wouldn’t tolerate profanity. He wouldn’t even go to an ‘R’ rated movie, no matter the critical acclaim. The reverend suspected they’d be subjected to swearing. He never mentioned being offended by the possibility of violence or sexual content, just the swearing.

“Sorry,” Frank managed. “But why are you up so early? You don’t believe in Santa anymore.”