Ryan Field The Virgin Billionaire 1

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.Derrick sat beside Luis on the outside, across from Thomas, and adjusted hisseat.Derrick was such a large man he had to sit closer to the edge in order to get comfortable.His legs were so long his left knee stuck out in the aisle and the waiter had to walk around it.But this didn t stop Derrick from ordering a three-course meal and two rounds of freshbread.He said he loved food and at his age he wasn t going to pretend or apologize to anyone.Jase agreed with him and ordered his own three-course meal.Between them, they ate almost allthe bread and butter.Luis ordered a small salad.Thomas ordered a tuna fish sandwich and toldthe waiter to make sure the chef washed his hands first.They each picked on one tiny piece ofbread no butter.Luis said he wasn t very hungry, and Thomas mumbled into his fist that hedidn t want to spoil his dinner.While they ate, Derrick continued to charm them with his stories and his jokes.Thomasbarely said three full sentences.Luis smiled and poked at his salad.Luis had already heard mostof Derrick s stories and his jokes, so none of this was new to him.Luis guessed Thomas hadheard the stories before, too.But Jase was a brand-new audience, and the more he laughed, themore Derrick continued.During coffee, while waiting for Jase s and Derrick s dessert to arrive, Derrick sat backin his chair and folded his arms across his chest.He looked Jase in the eye and said, I ve beendoing all the talking this afternoon and you ve said nothing.I m curious about you. Jase shrugged his shoulders and looked directly into Derrick s eyes. There s not much totell.Derrick pressed his lips together and smiled.Then he winked and said, I have a funnyfeeling that s not totally true.You look like a very bright, interesting man.And I have a feelingyou don t escort older gay men around all the time.At least tell us where you re from.Luis sat forward and rested his elbows on the edge of the table.He knew nothing aboutJase and he was curious, too.He d forgotten how talented Derrick could be when it came togetting information out of people.Derrick, thanks to his smooth sales skills, knew how to ask theright questions, without being obnoxious or rude. I m from Alaska, Jase said.Luis turned fast. Alaska? You said you were from Florida.Derrick and Thomas looked at each other. I said I just drove up from Florida.But I m originally from Alaska.I was born andraised there.It s still home to me. What do you do? Derrick asked. A little bit of everything, Jase said. I guess you could say I m a renaissance man.Right now I m inventing a home cheese smoker, so people can smoke their own cheese right intheir own homes. While he answered Derrick s question, he looked into Luis s eyes, as if todemonstrate he was telling the truth.For the first time that afternoon, old Thomas sat up in his seat and squared his shoulders.When he heard Jase talking about cheese, his face lit up and his head jerked to the side. I usedto make my own cheese, he said. I bought this little cheesemaking kit a few years back.It hada catchy name I can t recall, though. The Cheese Virgin? Jase asked.Thomas slapped the table hard.The glasses wobbled and the flatware rattled.He laughedand said, That s it! The Cheese Virgin.That s exactly what it was called.I made cheese all thetime.I used to wish there was a cheese smoker to go with the kit. I remember that cheese making kit, Derrick said. My mother had one.She raved aboutit.She said it was the best cheese she d ever had.She once made a smooth creamy cheese withchives and garlic I ll never forget.It makes my mouth water to think about it now.After that, Jase and Thomas spent the remainder of the afternoon talking about cheesemaking and cheese smokers.Thomas stopped mumbling and his voice became louder andarticulate.Poor Derrick, so used to doing all the talking, couldn t get a word in sideways.Theydiscussed the benefits and pitfalls of making cheese at home, and how in order to produce apound of cheese it took at least a gallon of milk.And you had to have cheesecloth handy, whichmost people didn t have lying around the house anymore.By the time Derrick handed the waiterhis credit card, Luis felt as if he knew all there was to know about making cheese.On the wayout of the restaurant, he realized he was hungry for a piece of good cheese.They parted on the sidewalk with hugs and kisses.Jase said he d enjoyed himself somuch he d love to get together with them again in the future.Luis stood there watching Jase.Itwas as if Jase had never gone out to lunch.He seemed to be forgetting the fact that Luis wasbeing paid to be there with Derrick.This wasn t about friendship.Before Derrick and Thomas turned to walk in the opposite direction Luis and Jase weregoing, Luis stopped short, pulled a plastic bag out of his briefcase, and handed it to Derrick.He d almost left without getting paid. Here you go, Luis said.He was handing him his latestpair of used sweat socks.He d worn this pair to the gym the day before and they were extra ripe.And though Derrick didn t know it yet, Luis had put a used pair of underpants in the bag as anadded bonus. I had so much fun this afternoon I almost forgot, Derrick said.He stared at the bag andsmiled. Thank you so much for remembering. Then he took the bag, pressed it to his chest withone hand, and reached into his back pocket with the other for a white business envelope that hadbeen folded in half.He handed the envelope to Luis and winked. See you next Friday. Then heturned and grabbed Thomas s arm so he could walk Thomas back to the subway where Thomaswould catch a train back to Brooklyn.Luis and Jase turned in the other direction and walked back to where the truck wasparked a block away.When they were there, Luis pulled the white envelope out of his bag andhanded it to Jase. Here you go, he said. I told you I d give you the five hundred for comingwith me today.I always keep my word.Jase pulled his keys out of his pocket and stared at the envelope.He lifted his arms andstepped back. I don t want it, he said. I had fun this afternoon.Derrick was refreshing, and Iactually learned a few things from Thomas about cheese making. A deal is a deal, Luis said.He pressed the envelope to Jase s chest.He was serious, too.He d promised Jase the money and he wasn t going back on his word.Though he needed thismoney to help with the rent that month, not to mention he d missed a credit card payment theprevious month, he d figure out another way to make money. Absolutely not, Jase said, refusing to take the envelope. I d sooner cut off my armright here on the street than take your money.You keep the money and you ll owe me a favornow. Are you sure? Luis asked.He really did need the money for the rent.And that damnphone bill was coming around again, too.No matter how much he made there never seemed likeenough to do anything more than just get by. Yes.I m sure [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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