Bill, a young gay man living in California, returns to Boston in the summer of 1987 to visit his old college roommate and briefly lover, David. He, David, and their buddy Lou drive to Provincetown for a week's gay vacation, where the old ties of friendship among them deepen. But their good time is threatened by increasingly volatile personalities and a growin AIDS epidemic encircling them in an ever tighter grasp.<br><br>Their emotions explode one evening with the unexpected arrival of George, whose added presence brings to a head the simmering anxieties, fears, and resentments these friends have long harbored but have not openly shared. Will their friendships fall apart? Or will they discover a deeper love that binds them together?

Maid Service

“I wonder if he’ll show up,” said David.


“The maid. I wonder if he’ll come. He’s been sick for weeks.”


“Used to be. Tante found a reason to let him go. He freaked out last year when an old trick tested séropositif. Can you believe it? Lou sucks cock with a condom now.”


David and Bill waited at the light to cross over the I-90 freeway to the A&P.


“He looked fine to me. And since when have you had a maid? You’re always telling me you don’t have a dime.”


“You didn’t see the purple lesion on the back of his neck. And yes, there is now a maid. Living with Philip is impossible. Impossible! I needed help. Miss Bill, step lively now, the light’s green.”


Chapter 5