1

Alek looked at the menu suspiciously. He smelled of tomato and trap.

- Welcome to Trattoria dell'Arte. My name is Lizzy. They want to ask
a drink?
The waitress was young, maybe a college student who already had
the summer vacation, with a gentle round face and
a fringe that was spinning at the end. Alek pitied her. The girl did not
he had no idea what he had gotten himself into.
"What mineral water do you have?" Asked Alek's mother, while
father and brother examined the menu as enemy drones looking for the
weak spot of the opponent.
Although the father and mother were born in the United States, the mother of
Alek spoke with a slight accent that he inherited from Little Armenia, in
Los Angeles, where he spent his childhood. Most of the time, the accent does not
was prominent in his speech, only lengthened the vowels and gave a European air
not identifiable. But when she needed it, as now, she
a spider throwing a web especially seductive to attract the prey
to the boat.
- Okay, mineral water on the way! Lizzy replied with joy, without
understand the question.
- No, we would like to know what brands of mineral water you have
- specified the father of Alek.
"Ah," said Lizzy, as if he might be joking.
- You know, many brands have similar levels of contamination or even
than tap water - Alek's mother informed the poor
Lizzy, as if doing her a favor.
Alek looked at his older brother, Nik, who continued to ignore him.
He turned to Lizzy with a pitying expression, trying in vain to prepare her
by telepathy for the ordeal that would follow.
"We have Evian," Lizzy offered.
"Evian is good," his father agreed.
Lizzy relaxed.
"So, Evian, to begin with?"
"Do you have any bottles at room temperature?" - He asked the mother of Alek.
- As? Lizzy asked, her voice shaken. Alek suspected that
she was beginning to realize the horror of the situation.
Alek's mother took the opportunity for a teaching.
"Digging cold water overloads the body," he said,
because he has to match the temperature of everything he eats to his before
that reaches the stomach. That's why we prefer water at temperature
environment.
"It's better for the body," Nik added, as if this were a
something that everyone should know.
"I may ask," Lizzy offered weakly, succumbing to the
attack team of three people.
"That would be great," Alek's mother continued. - And if you have not, you
you can ask someone in the kitchen to warm it up to
environment?
Lizzy laughed, as if Alek's mother had made a joke. But Alek
I knew it was not a joke.
"No more than twenty degrees, please." Twenty one at the most -
she instructed. "I do not want it to be hot because we'd have to put ice in there,
and this would add pollutants and all this would lose all
sense. I'm sure you understand. - Alek suspected that Lizzy
was wondering what heinous crime he had committed in lives
to meet that table. "Unless, of course, you
have ice made from mineral water.
"No," she said slowly, as if she were speaking.
with a dangerous criminal. - I think all our ice is water
tap.
"So let's see if we can find an Evian in
room temperature, "concluded Alek's mother. Lizzy walked away.
Alek believed that Armenians should be prohibited by law from going to
restaurants. Or that, at least, they were obliged to carry warnings, such as
Cigarette packs: "Serving Armenians can be dangerous to health." O
problem was that the Armenians were proud to cook very well and
they resented paying for something they thought they could do better.
"I wish here was za'atar," Nik declared, loud enough.
for employees to hear you complain about your absence on the menu.
blend of Middle Eastern spices.
"We can do it when we get home," her mother replied.
Alek wondered if non-Armenian families planned
additional meals while they were still at the restaurant whose meal did not
pleased
"Well, Alek, your mother and I need to talk to you about
a matter - the father began to speak.
"I know," said Alek. "And I know it must be a bad thing, because I'm
begging you to bring me here months ago.
He dipped a piece of bread in olive oil.
You know, they might be doing something nice, "Nik interrupted.
Alek could hear No that you merit implied in the brother's words.
"Well, tell me soon, and let's get it over with," Alek said.
- You're going to take a summer course! Said the mother, as if he
had just won a prize.
- Me what?
Alek left the piece of bread on the plate.
"She says you're going to summer school," Nik said from the other
side of the table.
"It's not that I did not hear it, sucker. I just did not believe it - replied
Alek.
"Aleksander, please lower your voice," his father warned.
hands absentmindedly in the grayish beard he had grown recently. -
We're in public.
If Alek were in a better mood, maybe he would make a joke about
belief that the Armenians, as with the royal family, had
paparazzi following everything they did. But he was not.
"Why should I take a summer course?" I did not repeat in matters
none.
Alek's mind began to run wildly to try to discover
what a miracle I could do in the last week of school to change that destiny
terrible.
"My dear, Mrs. Schmidt was willing to make an exception.
to you, "explained Alek's mother. "She said if you
English and math classes and get enough grades, you will be able to
attend the special class next year.
"Did you speak to Mrs. Schmidt behind my back?" This is a
conspiracy.
"Aleksander, you're 14 years old. We are his parents. When we talk
educator, is for their own good, "said
grumpy tone
"Well, maybe I can still raise my grades ..."
Alek's mother interrupted him:
"Mrs. Schmidt told us that even if she took the highest grades
possible, you still could not go to the special class.
"And who cares?" Alek replied defensively. I'll stay
common class next year. It would not be the end of the world or anything.
"You know, Alek," his father said, "South Windsor has one of the best
public school systems in New Jersey. His great-grandparents left
During the genocide of the Armenian people almost 100 years ago and
arrived in this country with nothing. They left behind the land, belongings and
their stories to live in a country where they could stay safe and
where children grew up without persecution and had access to the best
education of the world.
Alek knew that when his father started talking about the "Ancient World", the
things were bad.
- Their sacrifice means that you have a responsibility to do
the best you can, "concluded his father.
"But what about the tennis camp?" Complained Alek.
The parents saw Lizzy coming back with a bottle of Evian and stopped
speak at the same time.
"May God not allow a stranger to hear the secrets of the family
Khederian, thought Alek.
- I have good news: we have some bottles of Evian in
room temperature, "Lizzy said, opening the bottle.
- Pity you did not mention that the bottles were plastic -
lamented Alek's mother, apologetically, before Lizzy
serve.-
What? The waitress asked.
"We do not drink water from plastic bottles," explained
Alek, as if the words coming out of his mouth made sense. - O
Polyvinyl chloride distributes pollutants that may disturb the
hormonal. In addition, bisphenol A has been linked to obesity and
abnormal chromosomes. And you will not even want to know what plastic does
with the water if the bottle stayed in the sun! - Alek was impressed with the
ability to say insane things sensibly. - Let's go
take green tea, "Alek's mother concluded.
- Can I talk about the specials of the day? Lizzy asked,
taking a step back in anticipation of a new attack.
"Can we really ask a few questions first?" Counterattacked
the father of Alek.
"Of course," Lizzy said cautiously.
Alek's parents prepared for the interrogation.
"From what farm do you come from?"
Which vegetables are from local plantations?
"Are the tomatoes organic?"
- Are the pickles boiled before being marinated?
- Are the peas fresh or frozen?
- Is the lamb shoulder imported or is it regional?
Lizzy consulted the notes she took frantically on the notepad.
- Um, let's see. The muzela is generic, I think some
courgettes and cucumbers are local and do not know about tomatoes. What else you
they asked Anything about pickles?
Lizzy did the best she could while the attack went on, but when
finished, she was devastated. Nik's subtle giggling every time she
Could not answer a question did not help.
- You know what they'd like to eat? She asked with
discouragement, holding the notepad like a shield. - Or need more
time?-
I think we're still deciding, "said Alek's father.
Alek swore he had heard the rather gentle Lizzy murmuring obscenities
very softly as he walked away.
"At least they're going to have to boil the water to make tea, then
we know it's safe, "her mother said at the table. - Well, about what?
Were we even talking?
- I was asking how I can do summer school if I
Tennis camp starts in two weeks. They are reminded of the
tennis camp That thing you promised I could
Why did not you let me try to join the team this year?
- We did not let you try because we thought the weather would be more
well used to improve your grades. And, unfortunately, the
tennis will also have to wait - informed the father.
"But what about the inscription?" Do you know that you will not return the money? -
asked Alek.
"We know, Alek," said the mother. - But it's a loss with
which we are willing to pay. The study comes first in our
family.
- What a mess! Whispered Alek.
"Do not use that word," his father repressed.
Alek remembered the first time he heard one of his friends say a
swearing in front of the parents. A real bad word, I do not give a fuck.
That would never happen in his house.
"If you find the matter too difficult, I'm glad to help," he said.
Nik, with a mischievous grin.
Alek kicked his brother under the table.
- Alek, stop it! Her mother complained. - People are
looking!
She looked around to see if anyone had witnessed the failure
Unforgiven.
"My God, Mother, you do not understand, no one is looking at us.
Nobody cares what we do. I can stand on the table and
throw bread at him no one would care.
To demonstrate, Alek took the piece of bread soaked with oil and
balsamic vinegar and looked at Nik across the table.
"Aleksander, that's enough," his father warned. - Put that loaf of bread
on the plate, sit down as an adult, which is how you always ask to be
treat, and enjoy the food we are paying for.
"The food Mom's paying for," thought Alek. But I knew that
I should not say it out loud. Since the father had been dismissed from the firm
of architecture in the previous year and the mother had to return to work in time
Alek's father became even more sensitive to money.
"Oh, thank you," said Alek, his voice sweet. - We will see.
You think I'm stupid, tell me one week before the end of classes
that I will have to spend the rest of the summer in the pit of despair that is mine
school, I can not go to the tennis camp, even though you have
promised that I would ... Is there anything else you want to tell me?
"Well," said Alek's mother, wiggling the napkin.
"Oh my God, are you kidding me?" What else can there be?
The mother looked at her father for help, but he was reading the menu
as if it were the Ark of the Covenant.
- You do not need to be part of the top five percent of the class
as I do to understand, "Nik observed. - If you go to school in the summer, do not
will be able to travel with us on family vacations.
"You can leave, Andranik, we'll take care of it," his father finally said.
lifting his face. Nik, who had grown ten centimeters in the second year of
high school, had the decency to shut up. "You know, Alek, when we
we commit to going to Niagara Falls in the summer with other families
we got a group package. If we gave up, we would be
endangering everyone's holiday trip.
"Not to mention that I had to ask for special permission to pass
those days out of the camp, "Nik added.
- You are telling me that you prefer church people to your own
son to spend the family vacation? Asked Alek incredulously. - And I have
sure that the fact that Nik's girlfriend is one of those people is
coincidence, is not it? I am accustomed to you choosing Nik instead of
me, but choose Nanar instead of blood of his own blood? Here is a
new frustration.
"She has nothing to do with it," Nik said.
- OK.
- Alek, the family of Nanar is just one of the many families
we'd mess up if we gave up now, "her mother explained.
Nik stirred the menu, and the disdain with which he turned the pages left
of course he was not caring at all about the discussion:
"Besides, we, the Armenian Youth, are planning to
research our cultural heritage projects in the municipal archive of
Toronto.
"Not to mention all the money thrown away," his father concluded.
"I still do not understand why we do not take a normal vacation, just the four of us."
Alek said petulantly.
"If that's what you want to do next year, that's what we'll do." Your father
and I decided that since you can not go this year, you can choose where
We will go next summer.
"If I do not have to take summer school again, right?" -
replied Alek. "Who knows?" Maybe I'll get another one - he gasped for
provoke dramatic effect - that God does not allow ... another C, and vain
threatening to get me out of the special gang again, and I'm going to have to
summer of my life in the cruelest institution in the history of mankind ...
"Be sensible ..." his father began, but he stopped talking when he saw
Lizzy approached slowly, balancing a teapot of hot water and four
cups with tea bags inside.
Alek's mother smiled at the waitress when she reached the table. Lizzy
saw it as a good sign, but Alek knew it was not.
"Do you have tea with loose leaves?" Mother wanted to know.
- Loose leaves? Lizzy asked docilely.
- Is that some studies show that the role of teabags ...
- Oh my God! Alek exploded. "Why are you torturing?"
That poor girl? She is not even related to you! And no one develops
cancer by drinking sachet tea. Are you listening? NOBODY. And nobody
catch cancer by drinking Evian in plastic bottles!
The way the other customers in the restaurant were looking at
Alek denounced that he must have been speaking loudly, but he did not care.
- Was it to be my dinner? My consolation prize for having been
betrayed by my parents and having to spend a summer of hells? So let's go
do it my way. He looked at Lizzy, whose perplexity quickly
was transformed into gratitude. "Tea's fine, thank you. - Alek closed
the menu. "I want the dough to carbonara." They will split the grilled filet, and
that asshole with his mouth open like a fish there in the corner will eat
lasagna. And ask the meat to come well past, okay?
Lizzy nodded as she scribbled furiously on the notepad.
"Now go fast, before they have a chance to say anything."
thing!
She did not need more encouragement. She ran off with
the strips of the apron swinging behind her.
As soon as Lizzy left, Alek's mother leaned forward.
"I really hope they cook the meat well," he whispered. -
Otherwise, I'll have to return the plate.
 2
"Bye, you disgusting pit of sin!" Becky shouted as loudly as she could.
got.
She had just put on the right skate and was trying to put the
left. Some people passing by her closet
laughed, but most were too hasty to get away from the last day of
classroom to pay any attention.
- You're ready? Alek asked complaining.
"Bye, you hideous monstrosity of concrete!" - continued
Becky, ignoring him. - Bye, culinary atrocities pretending to be lunch!
And, for the almost unconscious teachers, a very special
you! Becky swung around, still with only one skate, and looked out the window.
to the front yard of the school, where even the buses lined up
impatient She shouted to the students outside, knowing that they could not
hear:
"And most importantly, goodbye to you, dear colleagues.
Becky nodded. Some students, without knowing what she was saying, waved
back, inspiring Becky to continue.
"For three blessed months, my life will be free from you all.
- Becky had put the second skate and started to skate down the aisle
with joy. - No more homely homework and school meetings.
Enough ...
"Becky, you did," Alek interrupted.
He ran his fingers through his curly hair and straightened his backpack.
JanSport moss green that he had won from his mother on the first day of the seventh year and
who had prayed every day for him to tear.
- Can we go, please?
"Oh, someone's a pile today ... It's not because you're going to have to do
the summer course that I have to set aside my last-day ritual of
class.
"I'm just saying a little consideration would not kill her."
I'm still going to have to face all those stupid things that you're
firing
"It's not my fault you're stupid.
"It's not my fault you're a cow," Alek said.
He looked at the hallways of the school without believing that only six days
had passed since his parents informed him that what he deserved
rest of the summer, the sacred right of all adolescents, would be denied
he.
- In fact, the year 1999 called. You're asking for the skates back.
"Shall I take advantage of returning your entire wardrobe, too?" -
she asked, surpassing him in the reply, as usual. - I still do not understand
Why are you going to do this?
- I already told you, my parents are forcing me! Mrs. Schmidt said
that if I take A in algebra and English, I can stay in the special class, and so
I can even get into the advanced class group in the second year.
"Mrs. Schmidt is a cow." How can you expect us to
receive guidance from a person who has decided to become a counselor
educational? It's like asking a blind man to help with choosing glasses
new. Becky put the last item of protection. - Is ready? I am
waiting for you for eternity.
Alek rolled his eyes.
"Take me if you can, turtle."
Becky gave an impulse and slipped down the main aisle, where
green and white sports tracks from previous years were hanging
like bugs-sloth. A runner inspector scolded, cheerlessly:
- No skating in the hallways.
But Becky ignored the warning and fired the main exit onto the
Western Avenue. Alek did not bother to run after her. Do you know that
she would end up coming back.
Alek climbed the small hill in front of the school as he tried
to understand why her ninth year had been so unhappy. I even missed the years.
previous years of the fundamental II, although it constrained him to admit. He could not
having been the most popular boy of eighth grade, but came to the special class
effortlessly, played tennis in the doubles team, did not have to worry about
find partners for class activities and even invited to parties
of birthday and bar / bat mitzvah enough to keep the weekends
busy.
But Alek realized that he was now in a new world with rules
themselves. As the grades began to decline, her ninth year became a
confusion of parent-teacher conferences and meetings, and none of them
made a difference. And the harder he tried, the worse his performance,
as a medicine that only makes you sicker.
And when Alek's parents did not let him try to join the tennis team
ended up driving him away from all the old friends like Jason and Matthew. THE
Alek's social life reached the bottom of the humiliation pit when the mother
he sought out some of these friends and invited them to a surprise supper of
birthday. Alek realized that they only attended because their parents
obliged, and that everyone preferred to be in the movies or playing video games. AND,
instead of asking for pizza, which was what he would have preferred if someone had given himself
to the trouble of asking, the parents insisted on making an Armenian banquet
complete. What the adults did not realize was that there was nothing more
embarrassing than when they tried to help.
The Khederians lived close enough to Alek
could go back and forth when the weather was fine, and he and Becky
they made a point of going that route together. Whenever she does not
needed to stay in school for the band's rehearsal, they were in the
front of her closet and she was skating, but she
accompany you at the height of the tennis courts and the great darkened ash
which had been struck by lightning the previous spring.
The sound of a sharp whistle pierced Alek's brain. He tightened
eyes staring at the June afternoon sun.
"Pay attention, young man," said an elderly guard,
his attention, the folds of wrinkles on his forehead bending with worry.
Alek looked up, startled, and returned to the curb,
murmuring a thank you. He saw Becky ahead, skating
sinuously by the pedestrians on the sidewalk.
Alek was not one of those people who worked well under pressure, like
his former doubles partner. Seth did not play tennis better than Alek, but,
when it really made a difference, it achieved results, achieving an ace
or hitting a winning forehand within the court line.
When Alek felt pressured, time accelerated and
control, such as when he and Seth played the final match the previous year
against Steinbrook. Both teams were following with similar score
and reached the tiebreaker in the fifth set. The score was 6 × 5 and Alek
I was in the service. They needed to score the point to stay in the match.
Seth went to Alek after he missed the first serve.
"I'm counting on you, man. You can.
Seth gave a cheery beat on Alek's shoulder and went back to the
position on the court.
To err again would cause them to lose the point and the departure, then
Alek prepared to make a second simple and reliable serve. When
steadied his foot and prepared to throw the ball in the air, decided to go with everything. He
imagined that unexpected force would surprise the opposing team. Besides the
more, it was the last match he would play in the eighth year, and he wanted
difference. Looking in the corner of the opposing court, Alek stood up and
racket to hit the ball with maximum force, hoping for the serve
hit the target.
But the ball hit the net. Alek committed a double fault, losing the point and
the game.
In the dressing room, later, Seth tried to pull Alek out of the black hole where
it had sunk.
"Do not worry, man. It's just a tennis game.
Alek lifted his face, relaxing his shoulders for the first time since
end of the match. He thought about how much he would miss his tennis partner in the year
Seth was moving to a private school that
little more distant. Although they only met when
started playing together and did not have the same friends or pass
together, the partnership in tennis has become a special type of
friendship.
- Keep this.
Seth handed a tennis ball to Alek.
- Because?
- It's the ball of your last serve.
- And?
"I had to let go of the net. You hit the ball so hard that
she got stuck. It's not an easy thing to do, man. If your
past, you would have made an ace, no doubt.
Seth leaned forward, and the light struck the gold of the cord with the
Star of David that he began to use after the bar mitzvah.
"But I did not do the ace." I made a double fault and lost our match.
- Stop it, man. I'd rather play with someone who uses everything
You know how to play with someone who chooses the safe way, okay? This is why
It was so fun playing with you this year.
Alek reached for the ball, and their fingers touched.
Alek kept his hand there as the two held the ball. The joined fingers,
connecting them and hugging the suspended ball.
Alek thought he saw Seth lean a little to the right before
door locker open.
"Aleksander, are you ready?" Cried his father.
- I'm, Father ... one second! - Alek took his things and went towards
the door. - Hey, Seth ...
He wanted to thank Seth for being a partner and a friend so
incredible, for being kind to him when most people would have him
devastated, but he did not know how to do it without looking stupid and tacky.
"Thanks for the ball," he said, looking away.
- Okay guy.
Alek had not seen Seth ever since. I thought about looking for him, but he never did.
because I did not know what to say. Alek only knew that he missed Seth of a
way different from the rest of the world we left behind.
 3
Alek turned on Etra Street and saw Becky leaning against a "Stop" sign.
- Why did you take so long? It was time to take a
entire vestibular of so much that you delayed.
Even in skates, Becky was barely five feet tall. Nothing in
appearance, from wavy brown hair to everyday clothing (overalls and
sweater) betrayed his true personality. Becky studied in another school
from South Windsor to eighth grade, and Alek only met her when they
sat together in science class on the first day of ninth grade. She
began whispering things about the hairs on the teacher's ear less than
five minutes later, and when the bell rang, Mr. Cenci had already
the attention of Alek twice for disrupting the class with the
guffaws. At each of these times, Becky stared forward,
serious and solemn, pretending innocence about Alek's agitated behavior.
"When are you going to Maine?" Asked Alek.
- I changed my plans.
- What happened?
"I decided to leave my grandmother there when I discovered that."
She opened the backpack and handed a booklet to Alek.
"A skating camp?" Seriously?
Alek leafed through the booklet and saw bright images of teenagers doing
maneuvers and tricks.
"It's going to be the last two weeks before school. Has training
with professionals. Can not wait! Becky said, spinning with joy. -
My parents told me that I had to pay if I wanted to go, so I arranged
a job at Dairy Queen.
"Oh my God, I'm so glad you're staying here!" - Alek admitted.
"Everybody's saying that. A few minutes ago, a group of
cheerleaders stopped and thanked me for deciding to stay. They said that
summer would not be the same without me.
- Not even! Do you want to go to the movies on the weekend?
"Okay, but there's a movie with Audrey Hepburn I want to see.
Why do not we see the stupid superhero movie you should be
wanting to see it on Friday night and then spent a civilized afternoon
watching My Fair Lady on Saturday? I'll see if Mandy and Suzie can go.
"Do you really need to call them both?" Asked Alek.
"It may be my last chance to see you before the
band, "Becky protested.
"You know I do not like going out with girls," Alek said.
- Thank you.
"You know what I mean. You're not like them. Is different.
"Oh, do not even think about giving me the cake," Becky said. - If you do not
Yeah, I'll let you go. I'm known for being a tough person around here. Because you
You do not think anyone gets our foot? Everybody knows that you walk
with me and my group
It was hard to imagine anyone less intimidating than Becky. Fortunately,
South Windsor was not the kind of school where people beat up. The
students were interested in high grades, satisfactory results in the
college exams and getting in on the best of them.
Students from the South Windsor School Honor Society were treated as
the athletes would be in other schools.
- If I'm lucky, the book on the filming of My Fair Lady should already
be coming That's why I want to see the movie again! Actually, I think
that I will want to see once again after reading the book, so that I can appreciate the
nuances.
Alek and Becky continued until they reached Orchard Street.
"I can go it alone the rest of the way."
Becky smiled, starting the ritual every day.
"Why do not I walk you to the door?"
The first time Alek and Becky returned from school together, he insisted
to take her to the front door because "that's what my mother told me
gentleman would do. " Becky was so perplexed by the gentlemanly formality
of Alek who let him accompany her. Since then, when they arrived
At that intersection, they repeated the dialogue.
Alek left Becky at home, returned to Mercer, and headed home.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the train station, halfway
between his house and Becky's.
He heard a train approaching, then ran to the station to
see him. Alek had fallen in love with a wooden locomotive in
hand made miniature that he won on his second birthday, and since then
He loved trains. The strength and speed of the trains amazed him,
mainly non-stop express trains in South Windsor and
the station at full speed, as if
to them stop in the insignificant suburb. The train that was stopping now
was heading south from New York and passing through New Jersey. The other
side of the station, which Alek never visited, it was from the trains going north
passing through the city.
In recent years Alek had gone to New York with his parents some
times. Usually the family drove on a Saturday morning,
take a Broadway show matinee or go to a museum
then back. Alek begged to stay longer, but the restaurants of
Manhattan left their parents claustrophobic, and they refused, in the same
hour, Alek's suggestion of "taking a walk". Alek felt that other parts
of the city called it, areas hidden under skyscrapers like
exotic animals in a jungle. But these family outings were the only
way of seeing the city, and he accepted what he could have.
The train stopped and the doors opened. A few people left,
quite different from the crowd that came out at the end of a day's work. Alek felt
envy of these people for being able to go to New York, but also had pity
because they have to return to the suburb. Always made him think
in Tantalus, the character of Greek mythology about who learned in the sixth
year, destined to die of thirst and hunger in the underworld, with water and
food almost within reach. Alek did not know what was worse, to be so
close to what one wanted and could not catch, like Tantalus, or to be totally
exiled than if wanted.
The doors closed and the train began to drift away. Alek saw him follow
like an arrow shot happily toward the target.
Alek lived all his life in the neighborhood on that side of the station. The houses
towering lawns, forming lines
perfect, and as the real estate association insisted that all
painted within the same palette of hideous pastel colors, the blocks
they looked like rows of candy in a giant's candy box.
The other side of the station, where was the platform of the trains that went
to New York, was the limit of a less receptive side of the city. As if
South Windsor, it was not a dangerous place, at least in
comparison with the places of New York that Alek's parents described,
when they lived in the city before the wedding. But the side there does not
had the clean feel that Alek's side had.
Both sides of the station were connected only by a small tunnel
underground, until a footbridge was built. Passing by the station
every day on the school's round-trip that last year, Alek
fantasized about going to the other side, getting on a train and
City. But Alek's parents made it very clear that he could not go without
two under no circumstances.
"I know you love New York," said Alek's mother a month.
before, in the car, when they came back from the Armenian church. - But the city is
very dangerous, especially for a young man. Maybe when you are
in the last year of school and after we had explored the city a little
together, we can let it go. During the day, of course. Only a few areas
that we decided before. With some friends. And an adult. And maybe escort
police officer.
Alek hoped to find some support in his father.
"You did not move to New York to go to college when
Was he just a few years older than I am now? He asked.
But the father did not give in.
"Listen to your mother." The city is not safe.
Alek stopped at the entrance to the tunnel. Even in the middle of the day, it was dark,
illuminated only by orange fluorescent lamps that blinked and
which looked like a horror movie scenario. Since the catwalk had
been built, the tunnel was practically unused, forgotten as a
old jeans Although he knew his father expected him to go to
Alek hesitated. The corrugated steel that formed the
opening the tunnel invited and threatened him at the same time. He gave a
step in. And another.
Alek watched his hand and was impressed as the orange light
made her skin strange. He walked out, making his steps follow the
sound of water dripping from a pipe. He focused on the small area of light
at the end of the tunnel that called him. The air was colder inside. Alek inspired
and continued to walk.
As he left, he found an abandoned parking lot on the other side of the
station. A group of older boys he recognized from school
I was skateboarding on an obstacle course with ramps and
they had fixed it themselves. These boys were Nik's age, but
Alek knew they were not part of the fellowship of his brother's Honor Society.
They were called dropouts because of the absurdly low rate of
trainees. Each group at South Windsor had its
and it was always possible to rely on dropouts to take
hiding cigarettes, killing class and causing fires. Alek did not know the
majority by name, but acknowledged Ethan, the boy who started the famous
food war in March.
Director Saunder had implemented a dress code that prohibited
the pants below the waist worn by the boys and had just rejected the
of the students requesting them back. That is why, rumor had it,
Ethan decided to start a food war in the cafeteria as a protest. Alek
did not have the same lunch time as Ethan and did not witness the war,
but remembered the appearance of the students when they were taken out of the
canteen, with the filthy clothes of ketchup, milk, bread, potato brans
fried and God knows what else, and happier than he'd ever seen a group
of South Windsor High School students. Although Alek was relieved that he did not
been involved in the dirt, he also wished it had
during their lunch hours, so that
pandemonium.
Even before the food war, Alek already thought Ethan was
synonymous with everything cool. That afternoon, Ethan was wearing pants
green-military post, with buckles and chains attached, and a black T-shirt
with the words OUSE TO RESIST DRUGS AND VIOLENCE in letters
red. Alek looked at his dull khaki shorts and the
navy short-sleeved shirt he wore. Even though parents
let him buy his own clothes, he would not know where to find
anything other than the same Gap repetitive clothes as always
bought for it.
Alek watched Ethan maneuver the skateboard along the obstacle course with ease,
laughing and talking to friends at the same time. Ethan was some
inches taller than Alek, and his curly blond hair fell on his face.
in a way that made Alek think of surfers. Alek's hair was dark,
bulky and difficult to control, like weeds in a garden. He
had tried to grow in the previous year, but it was only getting more
bulky rather than cool. All the boys in the church called him
Afro-Armenian, and the parents said that one day he would see how lucky he was for
have such bulky hair. But Alek was envious of the way the hair was
Ethan swayed as he maneuvered over the pins,
down the stairs and down the railing.
A big grin, with thick arms crossed in front of him.
he saw Alek and shouted,
- Hey, boy, any problem?
Alek felt his face flush. I did not want to look like I was with
fear, but only managed to stutter in response:
- No, uh, I was just, uh ...
The boy walked over to Alek as he wiped his nose on his arm. Was
wearing a plaid short-sleeved shirt that fit tightly on the body
wide, and her brown hair was sheathed on the sides of her head, so close that
I could see the scalp. The top of the hair was spiked
like an imitation Mohawk, which made it look even bigger. Alek does not
remembered his name, but he knew it was to have
last year. He approached with a confident ginga, like someone else's.
who is comfortable in the place.
- Speak soon, man. I asked: any problem?
Before Alek could respond, the boy shoved him. THE
force caught him off guard and he fell to the ground. Alek shouted, more of a surprise.
than of pain. Confusion caught the attention of others. They approached
with his skateboards, cheering for some fun. Alek kept looking, still
ground, the faces that were appearing in their field of vision like ships
space.
Jack. Alek suddenly remembered the name of the attacker. Jack.
Jack's face hovered threateningly over Alek.
- What is your problem? Why do not you get up and face like
men?
Alek tried to pull away, but Jack crouched and used his knees to catch
Alek on the floor and asked the same questions again, shouting like a
angry sergeant.
The smell of onions and mustard struck Alek's nostrils. To be ready
to take a beating is like that, he thought. He just hoped that, whatever
happened, he left without visible marks, so that parents would not
questions. Taking a beating was humiliating. Having to explain to parents was
even worst.
As Alek did not answer, Jack lowered his face until he was very close to the
his.
"I told you to get up, son!" - shouted.
"Leave him alone, Jack.
Alek turned his face to see who had come to his rescue. Ethan
calmly approached by spinning the skateboard, revealing a collage
with colored stickers. The green wheels continued to spin as he
held the skateboard with one hand and placed the other on Jack's shoulder.
Jack looked into Ethan's eyes.
- I'm just having fun, man.
"Is that what you call fun?" Engage with a boy with
half its size? Ethan joked. But as Jack did not get up,
Ethan continued, "But I think that the way you're eating,
find someone of your size to imply would be practically
impossible.
"You do not have to hear that, Jack! Someone shouted after Alek.
- Yeah, show him who's who!
Jack went red as the rest of the boys continued to
provoke him.
"Let's see if you're still going to talk like this when my punch hit
your face, Ethan.
"Your fist and my face are almost the same size, big boy,
Ethan laughed.
With a grunt, Jack jumped off Alek and ran to Ethan,
knocking him to the ground. Alek remained on the floor, oblivious, while the faces
who looked at him rushed to witness a spectacle much more
exciting Alek heard shouts of "Get him, Ethan!" And "Show who's who,
Jack "as well as the occasional clatter of skin-hitting fists.
Alek thought of stuttering a thank-you to Ethan, but decided
do not draw more attention to themselves. Just got up, turned around, ran out
through the tunnel and went home.

4
The ruthless touch of the alarm clock was a psychological aggression to the brain
by Alek. He opened his eyes a little. The red numbers marked
7:17. Alek nodded, desperate for a calculation that the
allow another five minutes without being late. But, as the numbers
refused to cooperate, he had to throw himself out of bed and fall to the ground to
that the impact made him wake up. He lay like this for a moment,
wondering what a Faustinian bargain could do to get away from having to go
the first day of summer class. But there was no hope,
no apparition of demonic power. Apparently no one was
interested in his soul.
The five days since the end of regular school year classes
nor did they look like minipics, mainly because the rain made Alek
spending most of the weekend stuck home with family.
"Go ahead if you want breakfast." Alek heard his father shout.
from the floor below.
Alek dominated the art of being ready in 12 minutes. He staggered to
the bathroom switched on the shower and, while the water was heating up,
notebooks and books. He put them on JanSport beaten green, looking with hatred
for the impossibly sturdy backpack. Then he took the clothes.
Normally, I would try to go straight to the first day of class. But, as these
classes were just a program for offenders and incompetents, a
shorts and a mustard T-shirt were enough.
He went into the shower, washed, went out and dried his body and hair.
He put on his clothes and went downstairs, with the numbers 7:29 on the clock as
proof of your perfect system.
Nik and her mother were already seated at the kitchen table, dressed and ready
to start the day. Nik was wearing the new blue-rimmed glasses,
too heavy, that Alek knew that his brother thought
but Alek thought he was left with a
pathetic appearance of "I want to be hipster" embarrassing.
Alek's brother was always thin, but after he
beard, the body came to almost comical proportions. Alek thought the way
how he was dressed also did not help. For the first day of
orientation as a camp monitor, Nik was wearing shorts
folded over the knee and a white striped t-shirt
blue underneath a navy blue jacket. And to make matters worse, I was
belt and red shoes, as if using accessories would compensate for the lack
of personality.
"Hi, darling," said Alek's mother. She was already dressed
to work, as always, flawlessly: a skirt below the
knees and a light green cardigan over a cream blouse. She put
the BlackBerry who was already whistling on the table and looked at Alek. Slept
good?
Alek grunted evasively and sat down at the table. It was asked if
he would be in trouble because he was late because he was responsible for
coffee. But there was already a pot of hot tea on the table, a pile of
freshly baked rolls, apricot jam and blueberry, a basket of Arabian bread,
a plate of fresh cut fruit, a plate of cold cuts and thinly sliced cheeses
and of course a bowl of za'atar. The father used to add a portion
extra marjoram to the mixture of ground herbs, so that when it reached the
perfect consistency for dipping Arabian bread, it was still
more accurate As always, nothing could be touched until everyone was
gifts. As soon as Alek sat down, his brother began to eat.
"What do you want in the omelet?" Asked his father.
He was standing in front of the stove, wearing a flowery apron for
in his pajamas, his gray hair in loose curls around his head.
"Anything," Alek said.
The father spoke with enthusiasm:
"Well, I put tomatoes, spinach and ... what about cheese?"
"I said something," Alek repeated.
"All right, then," his father said excitedly. - Chanakh cheese.
Alek smiled. The father knew that the salt of the chanakh made him his cheese
favorite. He threw a generous amount of butter into the frying pan already
heated and incorporated the cheese to the mixture of eggs, tomatoes and spinach
while the butter melted. As soon as the butter melted before
it started to burn, he threw the mixture into the frying pan.
Alek dipped the Arabian bread into the za'atar, chewed and passed jelly on a
roll.
"What's the matter, Alek?" You're not eating right.
"Do you know what my friends eat for breakfast, Mother?" An
bowl of cereal and only!
"You know what those Americans are," his mother replied. - Not
know anything about food. She remembers when - she started talking
to control the laughter - remember when you slept in the house of the
Jason in the sixth year?
"When you still had friends," Nik whispered, earning a
kick Alek under the table.
Alek hoped his father was too busy with the omelette to
listen, but he continued the story as if it were combined.
"Yeah, yeah, and Jason's parents said you guys could make pancakes
with them the next morning! Said his father.
- What happened? I do not remember - said Nik, though Alek knew
that he was only giving the parents the excuse they needed to recount
the story.
"Well," said Alek's mother, telling Nik, "Alek woke up.
the next day and they went to the kitchen. He was so excited that badly
he could control himself. By the time he saw them pick up the ready mixing box
for pancakes. She turned to Alek. "Do you remember what I said?"
"No," Alek cut him off, wishing the suffering would end.
"I remember why Jason's mother called us that morning and we
told everything. You said, "This is not pancakes," and went to the cupboards
to pick up flour, yeast, and salt to make the dough alone. After,
When it was over, you said, "This is making pancakes." The family laughed.
final sentence, although Alek did not see this irrefutable hilarity. - And when
came home, I had to explain to you that, for these Americans, to use
ready mix is to make pancakes.
Alek's parents used this expression, these Americans, whenever
they wanted to criticize without appearing to be criticizing.
"These Americans have television in every room."
"These Americans think dinner time is 5pm."
"These Americans are obsessed with sports."
And it was just the beginning.
Whenever Alek tried to get his parents' attention because of this,
they insisted that the expression was merely descriptive. But the intonation
that they made it clear that, whenever these Americans did
something, they did not approve. Alek wondered what would happen if
he noted that, because the parents were born in the United States, they were so
Americans.
"Oh, you know what, Mother?" These Americans do not think that all
times you sit down to eat you need to eat so much that you feel
will explode
"So you're saying you do not want omelet?" Asked his father,
removing the skillet from the stove. The smell of tomato, spinach and chanakh
seemed to call Alek.
- I did not say that.
The father walked over to him, slid the omelet from the frying pan onto the plate and
sprinkled with sugar, in the traditional Armenian way.
"What do you say now?" Her mother asked pointedly.
"Thanks," Alek murmured.
- What do you say? Repeated her mother.
"Thank you," Alek said.
"That's better," her mother said. "And wish your father good luck in
job interview.
"Do you have an interview today?" Asked Alek, not believing, looking
for the pajama suit with apron.
"It's only afternoon," his father said defensively.
"Wish me luck," Alek's mother repeated.
"Hachoghootyoon," murmured Alek in Armenian, which provoked
a look of gratitude from the father and mother that a wish for luck in English
never would have provoked.
"Are you excited for the first day of summer school?" - He asked
Nik to his brother as he stuffed food into the body of a stick.
"Yeah, I think it's going to be exciting," Alek said sarcastically,
between pieces of omelette.
"Well, my proposal still stands. If you find it too difficult,
I'll be happy to help. You know, I was a monitor of the Year Honor Society.
past. Nik smiled.
"Nik, if I want to vomit, just stick my finger in the gullet."
"Aleksander, do not talk like that to your breakfast table," her mother said.
- But he…
"I only offered help," protested Nik. - By the way, Mom, did you see the article
about Peter Balakian who left in the New York Times today?
Every time Nik wanted to distract his parents, he mentioned some
Armenian thing, and every time they fell.
"I did, Nik. It was about the new book. The mother smiled at Nik with
proud.
- I can not wait to read. It's the first thing I'm going to buy with
the money from the camp, "Nik said.
"Why do not you take my loan?" Asked his father.
- I want to have mine so I can take it with me when I go to
college.
Alek started to think he was going to throw up.
"Mom, do you mind if we leave a little earlier?" I want to cause
a good impression the first day, "Nik said.
"Of course not," said her mother. "Ah, my dear. She turned to
Alek. "When do you want to go out to buy summer clothes?" - He asked,
with fingers sliding over the BlackBerry's keyboard.
"You could drop me off at the store and I'll do the shopping myself -
replied Alek.
"Maybe next year, my dear," said the mother, still with her eyes.
the appliance.
"On Saturday, then," Alek said, letting his shoulders sag,
defeated
"But you were going to take Nanar and I to New York so we could
start working on our cultural heritage project, "complained Nik,
almost whimpering.
- Are you sure that we can not do the shopping during the
week? His mother asked Alek.
"I do not want to commit to anything without knowing exactly which
will be the burden of class study, "Alek snapped. -
Compressing a full year in a few weeks means an amount
of homework, as I'm sure you and the
Schmidt argued. Of course I understand if you take Nik and the Armenian girlfriend to the
is more important than spending time with me. Nik takes notes
better, after all. It must be nice to have a child you can be proud of.
The mother looked up from the BlackBerry, with frustration and hurt in her eyes.
Alek knew he had gone too far, but instead of saying something, she
only sighed sadly.
"I think you'll have to wait, because I'm going to help Nik and Nanar at
Saturday, and on Sunday we have to go to church.
"If we went to a regular church like these Americans,
we would have to spend three hours moving around on Sundays.
Alek.
"We are Armenians, Aleksander," said his father. - So let's go to a
Armenian church. Score. Is there anything else you want to say to
spoil everyone's morning?
- Not only that. Can you excuse me for leaving the table? I
I would like to be on time for my first day of summer school, to
to make a good impression.
Without waiting for a reply, Alek took the hated green backpack and stepped out into the
door.
****************
As he passed the entrance to Orchard Street on his way to school, Alek
how much he and Becky laughed after watching My fair lady over the weekend
previous.
"Good morning, my lord," Becky said imitating Cockney's accent.
Eliza before becoming a refined woman.
Alek imitated the Professor's incorrigible British accent.
"She should be hanged for the crime of cold-blooded murder of
English language!
"Rain in Spain falls with such intensity," Becky said.
- For King George, she did it! For King George, she did it! -
exclaimed Alek joyfully, as did the teacher when Eliza finally
was able to speak correctly.
Alek loved Becky's company because it was easy to be with her. They
spent almost every weekend of the ninth year so. After
watch a movie, they discussed what they liked and did not like or just
they were in a party. Sometimes they sat in a comfortable silence
drinking Dr. Pepper diet.
After descending the small hill in front of the school, Alek saw that the
The main entrance was closed for the reform of the lobby, then went to the
funds. "We can not even use the real entrance," thought Alek. He
asked if he knew anyone in the class.
An impressive group of incompetents got off the bus as
ants disoriented. Some people did not even seem to get up.
Others were wearing clothes that they seemed to have inherited from their siblings.
they have inherited from other people. Some adolescents were not even
schoolbag. Alek had the fancy to shout "Children of dysfunctional, unic family!"
and lead these people so varied in a plot against school.
Students were not the only surreal element of the summer course. O
The whole building seemed to be unoccupied, as if it had been
plague Most of the building was closed and the classrooms
were being painted, which left the air in the corridor with the odor
persistent ink. There was no activity poster for students
hanging on the walls and even the smallest sounds echoed. It was like walking for
a ghost town. Alek almost expected to see dry rolling balls rolling
through corridors.
He suffered throughout the English class with Mrs. Imbrie, then
dragged him into the dining hall. As there were few students in the summer course,
kitchen was closed and everyone had to bring their food. He sat down at the
table where I used to dine with Becky, cheerfully
irrational so that it would materialize out of nowhere and amuse him as he did
during the regular school year. I was even missing the criticisms she
made the Armenian food that the parents inevitably sent to him,
like today's dolma, with dessert baklava and a yoghurt drink
to go with. Although he was sure Nik would show it all with
Pride, Alek would give anything for a peanut-paste sandwich
with jelly, Lay potatoes and a bright and tasteless apple.
Alek could see the whole dining-room on the table where he stood in the corner.
To his dismay, he saw the group of dropouts enter and occupy the
always in the middle of the hall.
Of course they're all here, she thought.
He turned and stood with his back to the whole room, looking at the corner. O
only way to survive the hell of the summer course, he concluded, was
back to everything, not to say or do anything until it was over. It would be yours
summer zombie
When the truncated lunch period ended, the students returned
for classrooms. Alek went to the room where he would have an algebra class, in the annex,
and sat down in the background, as he did in the morning, wishing he could camouflage himself with
the wall. The room had a Charlie Brown poster looking at a stack of
books with the words THE MORE I KNOW, BUT I KNOW HOW MUCH
I DO NOT KNOW hanging next to the blackboard. Alek took the algebra book,
opened the notebook and sank into the chair. The bell rang and the teacher stood up.
and closed the door.
Alek had only heard of Mr. Weedin and his reputation for rigidity
irreducible and rigorous. He was a tall, thin man who looked like a
white-headed eagle. He wore his glasses right at the tip of his nose and had a
arrogant way of looking at everyone with superiority. The accent
only made everything worse.
- Welcome to algebra I and II. Since there were so few
algebra for the summer course, school administrators in their infinite
wisdom, decided to join the classes. I'll spend the first part of time
algebra I while algebra II students can review the
homework the night before. Algebra I Students Can Start Duty
while I teach Algebra II. If you have any questions, do not
hesitate to ...
The door of the room was opened, interrupting the rehearsed speech of the lord.
Weedin.
- What's up, prof?
Alek looked up and saw Ethan enter the room. At the same time,
He settled back in his chair.
"Ethan Novick, is not it?" Asked Mr Weedin, referring to the
list of students.
- That's right. I'm sorry for being late. I was allowed to leave campus
for lunch and I blew a skateboard spinning wheel around.
- Mr Novick, your means of transport is of no
me. If you do not go through this, you'll have to repeat the second year, and
I'm sure you do not want this, just like the teachers here do not
want. Mr Weedin turned to the whole group. - Like every class
of the summer course equals one week of work, anyone who
killing class without justification will repeat the story. Score. And three delays
counts as a fault. He turned to Ethan again. - Like this,
Mr Novick, for your sake, as well as mine, be more.
future, because if you are late two more times, it will repeat.
"Beauty, prof," Ethan said.
He went to the back of the room. Alek noticed that his lower lip
was swollen and wondered if it would be remnants of the fight with Jack in the last
class day. Ethan threw the backpack into the empty chair next to Alek and
sat Alek looked quickly away. I wanted to thank Ethan for having
but he did not even know if the boy remembered him.
- Algebra I students, let's start with the integers.
Open the book in the first chapter. Class, pay attention to the portfolios where
they're going to be their wallets for the rest of the summer, "said Mr. Weedin.
Alek thought he could hang up and wait for the summer to pass. But,
with Ethan sitting so close, it was hard to focus on anything.
Alek opened the algebra book in the first chapter. I thought that if I turned the
half-tilted side and tilted the book in the right way,
he was reading about the whole numbers while
Ethan's perfect view.
 5
- Has arrived! Has arrived! Becky shouted with joy as she attacked a
cardboard box that had been delivered to her house earlier.
The first week of summer school had finally ended and Alek
was allowing herself a night at Becky's house watching movies.
- What?
- The movie cookbook! It is a collection of food recipes
made in several films: Murder in Gosford Park, The big night, The party
from Babette and Guess who's coming to dinner! I thought I'd just get on the
next week.
The package was destroyed around Becky, who flipped through the book with
caring
"Do not you think you spend too much time obsessed with movies?"
"Oh, what else am I going to do?" Live my life? I prefer to see people.
pretty and well-dressed doing it for me.
Becky ran downstairs to the basement, where the
home theather. Alek followed. Becky's parents had not reformed the entire
basement, so half of it still looked like an industrial workspace.
- Where are your parents? Asked Alek.
- At a conference. Somewhere in Switzerland, I guess.
"And left you alone?"
- Clear. I told them that if I am old enough to be a babysitter, I have
age so you do not need a babysitter. Besides, what am I going to do?
Have a party full of alcoholic beverages and invite
wind instruments?
- Makes sense.
Most of Becky's other friends, such as Mandy and Suzie, were
formed by bandmates. But when everyone decided to go to
camp together in the summer, Becky refused to even think about the idea, because
said it was too cliche. Alek admired Becky, who, unlike the
most of the girls her age, was happy to do her own thing,
even if it meant staying at home watching movies and passing the
day walking alone on skates.
Becky and Alek sat down on the couch in the middle of the room, facing the
Flat screen TV.
"What are we going to see today?" Asked Alek.
- Guess who's coming to dinner. It's with Spencer Tracy and Katharine
Hepburn. And, of course, Sidney Poitier.
"What is this film about?"
Becky made a shocked sound.
- Are you serious?
"Not everyone is obsessed with old movies, you know.
"I worry about what would become of you without me," Becky said. She
leaned forward and began to explain the plot, as if the life of
Alek depended on it. - Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play the role
of high-class liberal parents and the daughter arrives on vacation accompanied by a
incredible black doctor done by the wonderful Sidney Poitier, and speaks:
"We've just met, but we're getting married." Her parents created her.
to be an open-minded person and everything, but when they face the
idea of the daughter marrying a man of color, they fuse. The movie is about
the differences between what you believe and reality. And, mainly, the
importance of a good dinner.
"So you've seen?"
- Of course I did. Do I look like a bitch?
- Of course not. You know she's the coolest girl in South.
Windsor High.
Becky tossed her hair in a provocative, mocking way.
- I know, all the guys on the football team want me
invite to leave, "she said. "But I'm too busy leaving with the
staff to take time for them. You find me
slut
"Um, I do not know, but you should read what they write about you in the
men's room. They say you're easy.
- Oh my God! Not! I do not believe! This is so humiliating! All the
The guys I slept with promised that they would not say anything! This is going to end
with my reputation. And then, Daddy will not buy that BMW for me.
Convertible with brown leather upholstery! Becky narrowed her eyes.
he pretended that he was crying. Suddenly he stopped staging and turned to
Alek. - Can we watch the movie now?
Two hours later, the final credits rolled on TV, and Becky put the
head on Alek's lap. She had begun to cry near the end of the movie, and
the trickle of tears became a river in the final scene, when the character of
Spencer Tracy made the speech about the obstacles that an interracial couple
But he emphasized that the fact that they were in love had
that they should marry anyway.
- Is so beautiful. I can not stand the beauty of it, "Becky cried.
- It's all right. It's just a movie, "Alek said reassuringly,
running her fingers through her brown hair and noticing that she was less
wavy than usual.
Becky was the first real friend Alek had and she was a girl,
and he was surprised at how physically they were getting comfortable
with each other over the previous year. Becky put her head on her lap.
Alek, and he kept stroking her hair.
Slowly, Becky stopped crying. She went to the bathroom, blew her nose
sometimes he washed his face and returned with his nose and eyes still swollen.
"And how is the summer course?" You did not tell me anything.
Alek felt his face turn red. Becky knew how much he was
upset about having to take the summer course, but did not know that now he
I was anxious to go to class. Especially algebra.
"The summer course is stupid, and the people who are there are idiots," he said.
Alek.
"But why did not you stay in the common class?" Then you would not go
need to spend the summer stuck in school.
"That's not how things work in my house." There is a lot
of things that happen just because I am Armenian. For example, only
goes to the Armenian Orthodox Church, even if it means passing a
hour and a half in the car to go and another hour and a half to return. Chess and
classic music? You have to like both, and never, never eat
in Turkish restaurant nor buy clothes made in Turkey.
"Why does this whole thing stop?" Becky asked. - Looks
preconception.
"Do you think it would be prejudice if the American Indians
angry with the settlers for killing their people and stealing their land? -
Alek asked in a heated tone. "Or if the Jews had
problem with the Nazis who committed the holocaust?
"No, but-" Becky said.
"That is exactly what the Turks did to the Armenians before and
throughout the First World War. And the Turkish government does not even admit it. An
would be if they were relocating Armenians homeless, building
memorials or returning our land. But they pretend it did not happen.
"War casualties" is what they claim. But war casualties, in theory, are
on the enemy side, not because the government of the country in which you live compels your
people to march through the desert.
"All right, Alek, dammit. It was only a question.
Alek slowly opened his fists, did not realize he had them.
closed.
"Remember when your parents read stories when you were a kid?"
"Of course," Becky said.
"This was a bedtime favorite at the Khederian house.
He closed his eyes and recited:
If by chance we can not
this unjust fight and, exhausted
of strength and suffering,
fall on the ground of death never to rise,
and the great crime is over
with the last Armenian eyes
closing without seeing a day of victory,

let us swear that when we find

God in paradise offering comfort
to make up for our pain,
let's swear we will refuse
saying No, send us to hell again.
We choose hell. You made us know him well.
Save your paradise for the Turks.
- What is it? Becky asked.
"We will say to God." It was written by Vahan Tekey an, an Armenian poet
very famous. It is the last verses that shake me: "We chose the
hell. You made us know him well. / Save your paradise for the Turks. "
It was what my parents read to me while you listened to Snow White or
the crap of the Little Mermaid.
"Man, this is crazy," Becky said.
- Do not tell me that. But they can not help it. Me neither. We are that
that we were created to be. - Up to that moment, Alek believed that these
Armenian things were important to his parents and to Nik, but not to him.
"How did we begin to talk about it?"
- You were defending the openly racist policies of
Armenians, "Becky recalled.
- That 's right. Well, it was the Turks' thing, the second thing
It's important to do well in school.
"It all seems so intense." I took C in history and in
last year and my parents just told me to try harder.
next year. And that time I killed a skating class in the park, they
said, "Tell us the next time we can send a ticket to the
school".
"This is totally incomprehensible to me. If I killed class,
my parents would freak out.
"At least they did not force you to get a job."
summer.
Alek put his feet up.
- Oh yes. How are things at DQ?
- I thought it was going to be fun. I was mistaken. The manager,
Laurie, it's a rhino. She gets angry when a friend of
employees appears for a visit, but I say the following: "At least
they are luring customers into this pathetic store. And if you want to talk
a little? "And the customers ... do not even ask me. The saying goes: "When the
hell freeze "? It's Dairy Queen.
"Why do not you resign?"
"I told you, I need the money to pay for the camp." And i decided
I need a new pair of skates, my Actives are no longer good.
Besides, you know how hard it is for a 14-year-old girl to get
job? Especially after summer has begun and all the places already
hired
"Becky, I want to ask you a question.
- Sends.
"Did you ever have something you wanted to do, but you were afraid?"
"I do not know," she said, her expression confused. That you
is talking?
Alek spent the whole week trying to thank Ethan for interceding for
he in the parking lot, but could not find a way to do that.
"Well, I'm trying to gather the courage to do something, but
Every time I yellow at the last minute.
Becky tilted her head and looked at Alek for a few moments.
- If you want to do something, you need to trust your instincts and
do, "he said, squeezing his eyes as if he were
hitting the focus of vision. She sat down next to Alek on the couch. - Because
you never know what will happen.
Alek waited for her to say something else; however, as this does not
happened, he cleared his throat loudly. But she just sat there,
closed eyes.
"Becky, it's getting late and I need to start homework." We
See anytime, okay?
Becky opened her eyes quickly, as if she had just woken up.
- It's OK. Let's pack time when I'm not serving
ice cream.
**********************
Alek never woke up early on Saturdays, but he made an exception on the day
because he wanted to show the first test for his parents. Mr Weedin
had returned the proofs corrected the day before. To each student he
he would give the proof with the note he made a comment high enough that
the whole room knew how you were. For example, when you gave the test
of Emily Fink, he said disappointed:
"Emily, I would recommend that you study next time."
It works like a beauty.
To Ethan, Mr. Weedin said,
"At best, mediocre, Mr. Novick."
But when he reached Alek, his face almost relaxed.
"Very well, Mr. Khederian. Very good indeed.
Alek was holding the race with a big 93 written in red and
circled around, waiting for the parents to wake up.
I wish I'd shown you when you got back from Becky's house the night before, but
they were already asleep. Two hours of drawings on television later, he
She heard herself moving upstairs. He climbed the stairs to their bedroom and
he put his ear to the door to make sure they were awake.
He hoped that they would be so impressed with the proof that the
invite them to go to New York with Nik and Nanar, and maybe
some place while they were doing research for the heritage project
cultural.
"Boghos, I feel like I'm at my limit with him.
"He was not disapproved at school, Kadarine.
"I'm not talking about summer school. I'm talking about everything. At where
is the sweet little boy we made? In that last year his behavior
go ... restless.
"It's been a difficult time for all of us, Kada. With you having to
Back to work full time and I, well ...
"Darling, I know you'll find another job soon enough.
"I just want to say it's been difficult for all of us and we're going
overcome. Alek is no exception. Besides, he's a teenager. That's how
they behave.
Nik did not ...
"Nik has not yet. But who knows how it's going to be next year, or
When do you go to college?
"Do not look at me like that, Boghos. We did a good job at creating
of our children. For what I spent years of my life creating and passing
a time with my kids if they will behave like these kids
Americans who were raised by nannies and nurseries?
Alek could no longer hear. She tiptoed away to her bedroom and
closed the door in silence. Dropped the test in the trash
writing desk. She remembered her mother's words in her head, and each time
they ached more.
*********************
Alek stayed in the room for a few hours. The mother had chosen a greenstone
to paint the walls and a complementary kit of clear oak as
furniture. Alek wanted the walls to be painted a bolder color,
like orange, but he thought that if his mother still would not let him buy
clothes, it made no sense to ask to change the color of the room. Was
lying in bed taking a look at the week's algebra
When she heard her father knock on the door.
"What is it, Father?" He shouted.
His father opened the door and leaned in.
"I wanted you to call me hairik."
"And I wanted you to call me Your Excellency."
Alek had stopped using the Armenian words for father and mother years
before and had no intention of returning.
- I'm going to do sarma. Do you want to come and see?
"Why do not you teach me how to do it?"
"Soon, Alek. Coming soon, but not yet.
Like all Khederians since the beginning of time, Nik waited until
the 16 years to have the honor of learning the ancient Armenian art of rolling up
grape leaves. Thus, despite being Alek's favorite dish, until he made 16
years and parents decided he was ready, he had to accept just looking at the
father prepare.
"Of course," said Alek.
The father turned, and Alek followed him into the kitchen.
- How was the job interview? She asked cautiously.
- Well, I thought it went well, but since I did not have news until
now ... "The father stopped talking.
Since his father was fired from the architectural firm in the year
Alek had spent more time with him than the rest of his life.
Not that his father was totally absent from the earliest memories, but the
His presence had been peripheral, more like a partial figure in the background
of a photo.
Alek followed his father into the kitchen, the pride of all Armenian homes. THE
gleaming stainless steel refrigerator and matching dishwasher
had been installed weeks before his father was fired, and Alek knew
that as soon as they had the money, they planned to change the cabinets to
some of cherry and the countertop to one of granite.
The father began to separate the ingredients of the sarma and Alek sat at the table
from the kitchen.
"Alek, do you want to talk to me about something?"
Alek felt a weight in his stomach, as if he had been drawn to a
trap.
- What do you mean?
"I just want you to know that you can tell me anything."
- I know.
"If there's anything wrong, like with girls and even
drugs or sex ...
"Oh, my God, Dad, there's nothing wrong, okay? Alek felt the face
red. "I thought you were going to show me how to do sarma, not to have
such a conversation, because even my algebra is more interesting
than that.
"All right, all right, all right," said his father, equally relieved.
for changing the subject. He joined Alek at the table and began to prepare the
Armenian dish. "I'll show you how to get this without tearing."
He carefully removed the grape leaves from the glass, unfolded them and separated them.
They were dark and thin, with shafts running down the length, as
a human hand.
- It's best to use these California leaves because they are firmer
than the Greeks. Even so, the trick is to tinker very carefully. As
if, if you said the wrong thing, they would hurry back to the room
Joked the father.
Alek smiled. Other parents can play softball with their children or take them
to play on the tennis court. But his quality moments with his father
involved a delicate debauchery while learning to make Armenian dishes.
"Now, I use the scissors to cut the cab underneath."
Alek's father showed how to make the stuffing of the leaves, a mixture of
rice, lamb, seasoning, tomatoes, red peppers, chopped parsley and olive oil.
Then, he placed spoonfuls of the filling on the stretched sheets and
demonstrated how to fold and curl to create a perfect wrapping and
delicious.
"Now I put it gently into the pan.
"Why do you always use the same pot when you do sarma?"
"This was the pan my mother used to make sarma, and that,
When I married, she gave us. Do you see how wide it is? Because of the way
sarma cooking, you need a wide pan, do not melt.
After a few minutes working in silence, Alek's father tried to
a new tactic.
"I know your mother has not spent much time at home, but try
be understanding with her.
- I am a father. It is she who ... As far as I am concerned, who is
spoiling everything is her.
"You see, Alek, that way you're talking now. This is the
What kind of man do you want to be?
Alek knew there was only one right answer to that question.
"No, Father.
- Just remember: this is the first time she works in period
integral since Nik was born. And most of the people of the United
United from the time when she worked there already left, so she has new colleagues
and lives in fear of anyone taking her seriously. Thus, whenever someone from the
office needs to stay up late or work over the weekend, she
offers, to show that it is dedicated.
Alek said nothing. He just kept watching his father unfold, cut,
stuffing and rolling.
- But, more than work, the family is the most important thing for
she. As for me. And now it's time to give her support, the way
that she's always supported us, right?
Alek did not know why the way his father talked to him made him want to
to die.
"Right, Father," he murmured.
"And maybe we can go to town soon enough." It has an exhibition of
Rodin no Met. Seems interesting?
Alek murmured again:
- Yes father.
The father continued to work in a pleasant silence. Finally,
when all the grape leaves were stuffed, rolled and stowed in the
big pot, he topped it with half hot water and allowed it to boil.
"Now let's cook until it's ready." Sometimes we add
tomato paste in the middle of the baking to give a different flavor.
- That's how I like it.
- I know. Fifteen minutes before it's ready, you'll put the
tomato extract.
Alek nodded, gratefully acknowledging this small step in the
learn to do sarma alone.
- Dad, how long have you been cooking?
- Enough.
"And how much tomato juice should I put?"
- Not much.
Alek rolled his eyes. He wondered if there were cooking books
Armenia in the world or whether all the recipes had to be learned like this.
 6
Four days later, at school Alek looked away from the blackboard and
he focused on the algebra book. His lips were inexplicably
dry and he wished he had a lip balm so he did not need to stay
moistening the mouth with the tongue at short intervals, like a baby with
thirst.
Mr Weedin decided to finish the class by sending some
algebra II solve a number of problems in the framework. The students of
algebra I had to do the duty, but Alek could only try not to
look at Ethan.
The other students had already finished their problems, but Ethan still
was making his. Alek copied Ethan's equation in the
began to work on it. But every time I tried, something
wrong. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Alek held up his hand.
- Mr Khederian, your doubt is about the duty of algebra I? -
asked Mr. Weedin. - As you know, this is the part of the class
dedicated to algebra II, and I prefer to focus my attention on these students.
"Indeed, Mr. Weedin, I could not help noticing the problem.
of Eth ... in the problem on the left side of the frame. The way it is, it's
impossible to solve.
- Really, Alek?
"Yes, Mr. Weedin. But if you change the second variable of
positive, which is how I think it should be, then the problem
sense.
Algebra I students lifted the face of duty and the elders,
algebra II, turned the table's attention to Alek. It was the first time
he spoke in the room. Moreover, Mr Weedin had a reputation for being
meticulous, to deny any request for a longer term and never
make mistakes. Challenging him was significant.
Mr Weedin looked at Alek for a moment, then at the
problem on the board, then to your notes. Silence made the time
walk slower. As if in a trance, the class was paralyzed as
Mr. Weedin checked the notes and made a sound of clicking
arrhythmic.
After a while Mr Weedin cleared his throat.
"You seem to be right, Mr. Khederian.
The crowd sighed at the same time.
"No problem, prof. I know you'll get it right next time -
Ethan smiled.
Mr Weedin approached the table somewhat embarrassed, made the
necessary change, and Ethan solved the problem with a flourish.
Alek looked away deliberately as Ethan returned to the place. He
He thought he saw Ethan leaning toward him after he sat down, as if
Alek took the backpack and went out.
running from the room.
After his triumph in algebra, Alek walked back home with
a lightness that had not felt throughout the school year. Was with
willingness to share the victory with someone. But I could not tell the
parents, because they would accuse him of disrespect to the teacher. And I was not going to either
tell Nik that he would only find a way to use the story to lessen it.
Alek saw Orchard Street in the distance. I have not talked to my friend since
that weird Friday night, when he tried to ask for advice about Ethan.
He reached the intersection and paused, wondering what to do. "Sometimes",
he concluded, "the easiest way to do one thing is to move on."
He walked into the street and walked two blocks to Becky's house.
After ringing the bell twice, Alek heard Becky's footsteps.
through the house. A moment later, she opened the door.
- Oh, hi, Alek. You, like, did not call. I did not know you were, is ...,
that you were coming. Becky was moving, uncomfortable, and
avoiding eye contact with the friend. "Did we match anything?"
"Since when do I have to call before coming here?" - He asked
Alek. I want to tell you something.
- What?
Becky stood in the doorway, examining the doorknob as if it were
an ancient artifact.
"Are not you going to invite me in?"
"Are you by any chance a vampire?" Becky replied.
Alek regarded the joke as a good sign. He went in and dropped his pack on a
corner. Becky's parents met in the same laboratory
close to Princeton. Now the work carried them to various parts of the world,
and they decorated the house with objects they encountered while traveling
for international conventions. A hand-woven tapestry from the
Ivory, with images of animals grazing in an oasis, decorated the wall
above a modern sofa without backrest. A Russian samovar, who Becky
explained it to be an old-fashioned teapot, it was inside a Japanese cabinet,
side of a classic set of silver cups and saucers which, according to
her parents told Alek, it was from the period of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Alek followed the ladder to the basement.
"I'll meet you downstairs in a second, okay?" Becky said.
Alek took two Dr. Pepper diet in the small basement refrigerator. Becky
I adored this soda so much that sometimes it took a can on the way
school in the morning. Parents tried to limit consumption, so Becky
he began to hide cans in the room so he could drink whenever he wanted. For
Alek, Dr. Pepper's diet tasted like Becky's basement.
Alek took his usual position on the couch: to the right, with his feet
supported on the small table. A few minutes later Becky came down and sat down.
side of it: with his feet crossed on the couch, the
body nestled in the corner between the backrest cushion and the armrest.
Alek noticed that she had combed her hair and pulled off her socks.
"So tell me what's going on," Becky asked cautiously,
as if it were Alek who had acted like a madman the last time they
Allek told the whole story of algebra, from the moment
he noticed the error on the board to the fact that the signal rang at the exact moment
that the incident is over. He counted slowly, hoping that by pretending that
things were normal between them, things were normal between them.
He even imitated Mr. Weedin's British accent, for he knew that Becky would
to die of laughter.
"He looks like Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady!" Becky said.
- That's exactly what I thought!
"And it all happened today?"
- Was. While I was coming home, I passed by your street and found
that there was no other person in the world that I wanted to tell
as much as you.
Becky's eyes widened.
- Really?
- Sure, Becky. I guess one thing is not worth until I told you.
These last few days have made me realize how much I miss you and how
you are important to me.
Then she leaned down and kissed him.
It was not a kiss of friends, a snap on the cheek because
"We fight and now we are making peace." It was a kiss on the mouth. Lasted
A few seconds, until Becky walked away. Her face was still close
too much of Alek's, and he squinched at her. Her eyes were
wide-open Alek had never seen them so mad.
Alek did not know what to do, so he sat there. It was not intended
to be encouraging, but that must have been the way Becky played, since she
leaned forward again. Before he could touch his mouth, Alek lifted the
hands. He knew he could not kiss her again.
- Not.
Becky retreated immediately, as if he had pushed her. THE
excitement vanished from her eyes and her body stiffened.
- I thought you wanted to ...
Alek tried to pick the words carefully.
"I do not know-if that-that's a good idea."
Becky's expression hardened.
"Look, Alek, I think you need to understand what's going on."
on here. Last week you asked me if I had already done something that
I was scared. Then you set me aside for a week and now you appear
and tell me how important I am to you ... "Becky's eyes widened.
they burst into tears. - Why are you doing this to me?
- I'm doing nothing! I swear! - Alek could not understand the
what was happening. - I thought we were going to make up, not stay! - He
she could taste the taste of Becky's peppermint gloss on her lips. I could not
to believe that a few minutes earlier their mouths had touched. - You are
my best friend is important to me
"You'd better leave," Becky said, looking away. He
she could see that she was struggling to keep the tears from
to escape.
- But ...
- Alek. Go.
He had never heard her speak with such determination. Not even in winter
When her grandfather died, she seemed so upset. Becky is
rose and ran out of the cellar. He could hear her upstairs, then
up the stairs to the second floor of the house. Alek sat for a
moment, not knowing what to do. He dumped the rest of the drink into the sink and threw the
can in the recycling basket of the Boyce. He went upstairs with the intention of going
up to Becky's room and knock on the door until she let him in. But he saw that she
had hung his backpack on the door handle. He got it
the message
And he made sure the door locked when he left.
*************
The next day, at lunch, Alek concluded that the cafeteria was the place he
the more he hated the world. The relentless fluorescent lighting gave everything a
green tone, and even without the horrible food of the school being served, the
place still smelled like wet socks. At least during the school year, he or she
had Becky with whom to sit and discuss the details of their lives. But
that kiss had changed everything.
Alek did not know why he had become so nervous. He had already kissed
girls Maybe not recently, but that's because all the girls wanted
dating older boys, and the older girls did not even look at the
boys of the ninth grade. In previous years, he had two girlfriends: Gail,
seventh year; and Linsay, in the eighth. He kissed Gail a few times and
very serious pissing in Linsay after the spring ball. He still
he remembered her scent that night, a scent of flowers and sweat.
When his parents decided that he could not do the tests for
tennis team, Alek promised himself that he would train every day,
anyway. He did not keep the promise as religiously
but he often played by himself hitting the ball in the
walls, and even persuaded Jason or Matthew to play
a little with him. He was so lacking in tennis that he
have the sport in your life.
But that was not what she felt about kissing girls. It was not a
thing he was thinking about during class. And when
I asked why, I could not come up with a good answer.
Probably, like everything else, it was the side effect of unhappiness that
felt in the ninth year. When school ceased to be hell on earth,
Alek thought he'd go back to dating.
"What are you eating, man?" This shit smells good.
Alek looked up and saw Ethan on the other side of the dining room table,
his blue eyes watching him intently. Alek's heart pounded.
- What? He said, choking a little.
"I asked what you were eating. It's not a sandwich.
Alek wanted to die. Finally Ethan was talking to him, and the
The first thing they were going to talk about was the weird food the
parents did.
"This is Armenian braided cheese," Alek said, taking a braid.
long white cheese with black dots.
- It's like Polly-O cheese?
"Um, more or less. We open it like that.
Alek demonstrated, pulling a strip of cheese by the length in
spiral. He was happy to have something to do.
"And those black things, what are they?"
- The dots? Spices. They leave the taste more spicy.
- I want to see.
Ethan took a miniature flashlight that was attached to one of the
chains hung in the low-waist bermuda position and used it to
examine the cheese.
"You've been warned, eh?" Said Alek.
- Jewelers use these flashlights to inspect diamonds. Are
perfect for nightclubs, where it's dark but you have to see. You see?
Alek nodded knowingly, though he had never been to a club.
"And most important," Ethan went on, "she's perfect for
unidentified dots on the cheese. Can I try? -
he asked seriously.
"See," said Alek, with a similar level of seriousness.
After a few attempts, Ethan got the hang of the cheese.
"It tastes great, man. Way better than the crap cheese
sliced that my father buys in the supermarket.
Alek felt a wave of gratitude for everyone, from his father, who prepared the
the Armenians, who invented that cheese.
- Man, I just wanted to thank you for helping me with that cucumber.
- What?
"You know, that cucumber. I mean ... "Ethan tried to
explanation. "I mean, you did me a favor, and I wanted to thank you for
that. If I said, "Alek will win a favor by solving the cucumber in the
Lord W. "mat class, that means" thank you ". Capisce?
"Capi what?"
- Capisce. It's like the mafia guys say "got it?" - Ethan looked at
Alek with surprise. "You do not watch TV?"
"My parents just let me watch half an hour a day.
- What?
- IS. They think that television rots the minds of people in this
parents.
- What do you do?
"Oh, I played tennis. And I'm going to the movies too.
- Your parents do not think that cinema rots people's minds
from this country?
"You must, but at least I leave the house.
Ethan laughed. Alek could not believe how quickly Ethan
went from a quit who was unable to approach
who could talk?
"Anyway, man, thank you. If I do not go through algebra,
make me repeat it for years, and it will not do me good with my dad, you know?
"I see," Alek said, twisting.
"And thanks for the cheese, Polly."
"It's not Polly." My parents would never buy Polly-O.
"No, silly. That's how I'll call you from now on.
Because, just like braided cheese, you're very tense.
Alek's heart plummeted with the description.
"But you also have dots that taint." Ethan blinked.
And her heart floated again.
"Stay in peace, Polly."
Ethan returned to his usual table. Alek could see the elastic of
Ethan's underwear showing off the waistband of shorts, almost as if the
word 2 (X) IST in purple was flashing to Alek and to any
person bold enough to look. By looking at his jeans, Alek did not
could imagine wearing a shorts with the waist so low,
especially after the clothing code of director Saunder banned.
During the school year, Ethan might even be suspended, but everything was more
quiet in summer.

When he was going to school five days later, Alek

by Becky Street. Not that he thought she would be expecting him or anything,
but seeing Orchard Street reminded him that he and Becky had not yet
if he spoke, and he knew that the longer he passed, the harder it would be. Alek
he thought he might have looked for her, but how did she expel him from the house?
she would not kill her to take the first step.
Arriving near the train station decided to run the risk of a delay
a few minutes in English class to watch the train from 8:17 a.m.
way to the city. He ran down the stairs to the platform.
"Look, Polly." He heard a familiar voice shout from the other side.
Ethan! He was on the opposite side of the station, his hands on the
the backpack casually thrown on the shoulders.
- Hey, Ethan! Replied Alek. Seeing him made Alek smile.
Ethan looked around conspiratorially and beckoned to Alek.
approach. Alek ran down the walkway and saw Ethan examining a map of the
New York subway.
- Have fun in algebra class today. And do not say you saw me, okay?
- What do you mean?
"Find out for yourself, Polly." I'm at a train station. When
the class begins, in 15 minutes, you will be sitting in a room
boring class and I'll be on my way to the Big Apple.
"Are you going to take lessons?" Asked Alek incredulously.
- Oh, I will.
"And why are you going to town?" She asked, trying to sound indifferent.
He could not go alone, but he knew that it was not cool to
city as "New York". Everyone said "the city", as if giving the
understand that other cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston,
counted.
There's a lot of shows in the park. Rufus Wainwright was going to play
but he got sick and had to cancel. But it got so
annoyed because of fans like me who decided to do an impromptu show
today.
Alek did not want to admit that he did not know who Rufus Wainwright was, so
I just said "cool." He made a quick search of the memories and spoke the first
thing about New York that came into your mind.
"You know, I heard there's an exhibition by Rodin at the Metropolitan
Museum.
Ethan looked impressed.
- Oh yes?
Encouraged, Alek continued.
- IS. I'm crazy to see.
A mischievous glint flashed in Ethan's eyes.
"Why do not you come with me?"
- What?
- Come with me. The Met is near Central Park. We can go to
show, see the exhibition and come back before the signal touches.
- Not even.
Alek did not have to think about it. As attractive as it was to
idea of spending that Tuesday with Ethan in New York, he would never
class.
- Because?
"First, because I have no money.
- Bullshit. You do not have ten bucks?
- Have.
"You do not need more than that."
- But the ticket of the show, the train ticket, the ...
- Relax. I told you I could do everything with ten bucks, so give
to make with ten bucks. You do not believe me?
I believe.
- So what's the problem?
Alek's mind raced, but the sound of the train approaching in the distance.
was making it difficult to think.
"Polly." "Oh, do not be such a coward. Ethan raised his voice because of the
sound of the approaching train. - Have some fun.
For a second, Alek found himself wondering what it would be like to forget the
school, teachers and parents, even if only for one day, and embark on this
adventure. But he was not that kind of guy.
The train stopped at the station. Ethan waited for everyone to come in and
came in next.
"Any chance I'll convince you?" He asked from within.
of the train.
- Sorry, man.
"It's all right, man. Maybe next time.
Ethan reached out to hit Alek's fingers and say goodbye. But,
When his hands touched, Ethan's fingers tightened on Alek's wrist.
pulled with all his might. Alek got into the train. Perplexed, he neither
tried to break free of Ethan's hand when he heard the whistle warning that the doors
would close. He turned and saw South Windsor pull away while the train
was fired for New York.
 7
- This is kidnapping! I can not believe! Exclaimed Alek.
- It's for your own good.
"But I do not even have a ticket." And how will I get back in time for the
class?
"Do you really want to go back?" Ethan asked, leaning forward.
Alek looked up at him.
"It's not a matter of wanting, Ethan. I have to go back, "Alek insisted.
"Alek, young man, at some point in your life, you will learn that you have
a difference between what you have to do and what you want to do. And how much
the earlier you start to choose what you want rather than what you have to do,
happy you will be Ethan stretched, stretching his arms over his body,
like wings. "So if you really want to, you can come down in five
Princeton Junction, change direction on next train and arrive
at school with, bursting, five minutes late. But this is what you
would you like?
Alek reflected as the train gained speed and the landscape of the two
sides turned a blur. He took his Velcro wallet out of his pocket and showed
which he had inside, a couple of five-dollar bills dented.
"Are you sure you can give me ten dollars?"
His courageous decision wrenched from Ethan a glorious smile.
"You'll find out I'm a man of my word." Here we go.
Following among the passengers dressed for work, Alek went behind
from Ethan to the bathroom on the other side of the car. Ethan leaned over and whispered.
in the ear of Alek:
"Get in there, close the door and lock it." When you hear me hit four
Unlock and take a step back.
- What?
"Do not ask questions now, just do as I say.
- But ...
- Shut up! See the guy?
Ethan pointed to the DA, who was slowly following them,
checking and drilling passages along the way.
- I am.
- First lesson: if you want to spend an entire day in New York
with ten dollars, can not afford the ticket.
"But is not that theft?"
- Second lesson: if you do not hurt anyone, it's not bad.
Alek protested.
- My parents always say that there is no such crime thing without
victim.
Ethan rolled his eyes.
- If you spend all your money to get to the city, you will not have
money to do fun things while you're there. Just do what I
to send, ok?
Alek nodded, and Ethan crouched down and picked up duct tape, a pen
and a piece of cardboard paper in the backpack. With the pen,
he quickly wrote IN DEFECT on paper.
- What are you waiting for? Go!
Ethan opened the bathroom, pushed Alek inside and closed the door.
Alek closed the metal latch and locked himself in the bathroom. O
compartment was small, but fortunately it was not dirty or smelly.
He straightened crouched in the corner, feeling the cold metal wall. And he waited,
not knowing what to do.
Those moments had turned into an unpleasant anxiety,
and Alek began to be afraid of truth. And if Ethan were setting up
to him, abandoning him in the bathroom after pulling him into the wagon? What if
Ethan get off at the next stop and leave him alone? Will Alek
Would you spend the rest of the trip locked in the bathroom? And how would he return to
and how would you explain to your parents why you killed your class and ended up on a
way to New York?
Alek put his hand on the door and was about to leave when he heard four
clear beats. He opened the door and stepped back, but still.
almost got hit by the door. Ethan entered and closed the latch, locking the
door. He sat down in the little metal sink and kept his feet hanging.
"So, we spent the rest of the way here?" Asked Alek.
- That's right. The poster of "defective" means that we will not be
because no one knows what the hell is going on on these trains. Consider
this is our private cabin for the next 45 minutes.
"Are you kidding me?" "Alek could never have imagined
such a plan, and would never have the audacity to execute it.
"You do not have to be so impressed, I did not invent it. But
works beautifully. You just need to take care so nobody sees you.
sticking the poster. The rest is cakewalk. Of course sometimes the smell inside
it's fucking literally, and then the trip is a horror. But it remains
grace.-
Whoever showed this to you must be a genius.
- It really was.
Ethan pursed his lips. He sat in silence, looking at the
front, away from Alek.

Forty-five minutes later, the train stopped at Penn Station and Alek
Ethan left the bathroom and mingled with the crowd of passengers
who got off the train. A fluorescent glow received them when they left the
underground staircase.
"Welcome to Pennsyvania Station," Ethan said sarcastically. -
Or, as I like to call it, Plague, because it is ugly and stinks like the plague.
Alek laughed. It was not an imprecise description.
- You should see some photos of what it was like originally here, before
to overthrow the 1960s and build that concrete shit -
Ethan lamented. - I wanted to instead of getting in the Pest, the NJ train
arrived in G-C.
- G-C?
- Grand Central. It is the train station on the east side of the city. Nova
York is so cool that it has two train stations. G-C is exactly as if
expects it to be a New York train station with columns, decorations
golden, a lot of beautiful things at the turn of the century. And in the ceiling, they recreated
the night sky, star the star, constellation the constellation. We can go see
next time we come to town.
"Let us first survive this first voyage," thought Alek,
"Before we could combine another." But he did not want Ethan to notice the
how much he was afraid, then he only said:
"Do you come to the city a lot?" He struggled to make his voice sound.
casual.-
It came all the time. Ethan stepped forward and followed in the middle of the
crowd as if you were skateboarding. Alek almost had to run to
go along. - I stopped for a while, but now I'm thinking of resuming
the habit.
A few minutes later Alek followed Ethan up stairs and ramps to a
subway entrance. Ethan approached a MetroCard machine, which
Alek thought there was only one joystick left to be a video game machine
of the old ones, with their primary colors accentuated by the metal exterior.
"Would not it be easier to go to the box office?" Asked Alek.
"This is such a tourist," Ethan said. "Now give me one of your
notes of five.
Alek handed one of the precious notes to Ethan, who also took a
five note from the pocket, and put the two in the machine. Then you navigated
with dexterity through the screens until a yellow card came out.
"I will not have one?" Asked Alek.
Ethan looked him up and down.
"Where does all this paranoia come from, man?"
Alek looked away uneasily.
- I just found ...
- Trust me, okay? I brought you here and I'll take care of you.
Capisce?
"Capisce," replied Alek.
"Very well, then I'll pass the card and you'll get the ratchet."
Understood? Alek nodded. Wait for my warning.
When a group of people passed, Ethan motioned to Alek and they
they got in line. Alek waited for Ethan to pass the card and
portal. Before the bar rolled forward, he felt Ethan right behind him,
with the front of the body leaning against his back.
"Do not stop," Ethan whispered, and they left the other side with the
bar turning back. - It's my special two for one on the subway. One of
many money saving tips that you will learn from me today,
young grasshopper.
Alek nodded appreciatively, still feeling the sensation of the body of
Ethan against yours.
"I never got on the subway," Alek admitted, as they waited.
on the platform. - My parents sometimes bring us by car, but we stop at
a parking lot, and if we need to walk around, we'll go by taxi.
- Third lesson: never take a taxi.
- Because?
Too expensive to begin with. But the most important is that New Yorkers
They really take the subway. Or they use public bicycles. See the
people waiting here with us.
Alek looked both ways and absorbed the colored scene.
An elderly Chinese played an instrument that looked like a skeleton of
cello with only one string and that emitted a sound like that of a
sad ghost trying to communicate with the living. Three girls
Afro-descendants around Alek's age argued lively about the
boys from school.
"Girl, if you ever think about playing Ramen, I'm going to rip those out of you.
braids cheap.
"I know Ramen is yours. Besides, I would not touch him with
none of those fingers - the second girl showed her nails painted purple.
- He's a dog.
The protests of the first girl did not bother a young Arab
sitting on a bench, reading a book about the history of board games.
Many men and women in clothes similar to the ones their mother wore
to work, like the people who were on the train that left South
Windsor, were waiting between elderly and young couples, as well as families with
babies. Alek felt the shame that always accompanied him evaporate. Who
would you pay attention to it, with so many other things to look at?
"You see things here that you would not see anywhere else," he said.
Ethan proudly, as if he had set the scene.
The sound of the approaching subway thundered in the station. Alek and Ethan
boarded The wagon was so full that they had to stand on their side.
to the side. When the train abruptly stopped, Alek lost his balance and almost
fell on top of Ethan.
"Sorry, I'm sorry," Alek said.
- No need to apologize. I do not care, "Ethan said.
Alek felt his face turn red and looked away instantly.
Tried to find room to go, but the subway was fully booked.
Alek could feel Ethan's clothes brushing against his body.
"Do you know where we're going?" Asked Alek, with
nervousness
- Of course I know.
- Can you show me on your map?
- Of course not.
- Because?
- Fourth lesson: Never look at a subway map in front of others. IS
how to get up and shout "Take advantage of me! I do not live in Nova
York! "Whispered Ethan.
"But we do not live in New York," whispered Alek.
- No one needs to know. Do you know which is the greatest compliment in the world?
When someone asks for help on how to get somewhere. You mean that
You seem to know where you're going. Ethan moved closer. -
Let's stay on the C train for four more stations, then get off and walk
Central Park to the Summer Stage. Until then, relax and face
unglued
Alek struggled to follow Ethan's instructions.
When they left the subway station a few minutes later, Alek
saw before the entrance of Central Park.
- See that building? Ethan asked, pointing to a
palatial structure across the street. - It's Dakota. It is the most
Nice New York.
Dakota Dakota Fanning?
"No, silly. Dakota than the states, because, when it was built,
a hundred years ago, coming to this side of the city was like going to an area
remote, like North Dakota, "Ethan said. - At least that's what
people say.
"How do you know so much about the city?"
"If you walk around, you learn things."
Ethan waited for an opening in traffic, and before the red warning
not to cross erase and light what is indicated to be allowed
cross, followed the avenue. Alek thought of saying that the parents
always respected the signs, but decided not to
behind Ethan for the unlikely green universe that was Central Park.
"We're a little early, so let's take the most beautiful route,
Ethan warned.
As they walked through the park, Alek and Ethan passed by people
giving food to goats and sheep on a farm, paddling
boats in the lakes, running around the circle around the park, reading
plates under statues of literary figures and picnicking in the
grass.
- The park is too much because it is the best of both worlds: city and
field at the same time.
Alek agreed. I could not believe that a few minutes earlier
it was underground, in the midst of a sea of passengers on the subway. Gives
Urban Manhattan, he could only see the heights of skyscrapers above the
trees. In that part of the park, there was no street for cars, only
paths for cyclists, runners and skaters.
"I can not wait to tell Becky about the skaters in the
Central Park! Said Alek, silently adding, "If ever
I talk to her again. "
- What Becky?
- Becky Boyce. We always have lunch together.
"I do not know, man," Ethan said, admiring a cluster.
of stones, each one the size of a small house, which
seemed to have been there since prehistory.
Alek stopped pacing.
"Ethan, when did you realize I existed?"
"That day Jack almost beat you up."
"Never before?"
- We study in the same school as other 1,200 students. You too
You do not know everyone, "Ethan said. - Is that you? What is the first
What memories do you have of me?
Alek knew Ethan had existed since the early days of ninth grade. It was
It's hard not to notice him, walking around school like he owns it.
"Ah, you know, you have a certain notoriety ..."
- Have? Ethan asked, with the perfect balance of humility and
proud.
"Ah, you were responsible for the most chaotic event in recent history.
from school.
Ethan laughed again.
"A little war of food, and all of a sudden that's all people
remember.
When they reached the stage outdoors, a crowd was already
gift. Alek could feel the anticipation in the air like the moments before
of the first lightning coming up in a cloud of rain. Tried without
success, locate the ticket booth for tickets.
"You know I only have five dollars now," Alek said.
"You have to relax, man.
- What are we going to do, to enter the show without ticket? And you will me
convince you that there is no problem?
- What do you mean, enter without a ticket? It's free.
- What?
"All these incredible things are free: dance at Lincoln Center,
movies at Bry ant Park, yoga at Riverside Park. A lot of people leave New York
in summer because the city is damp and unpleasant, but it is my time
Favorite to come here.
Alek thought that in the audience there would be only young people like him and Ethan, but
was surprised to discover that the public was as diverse as the
crowd on the subway. He wondered how all these adults were free
to go to a show in the middle of a Tuesday. Did not they have to work? To
next to him was a middle-aged couple with a shopping bag.
They were old enough to be his parents, and waited for the beginning of the
show with as much excitement as anyone else. The only large
difference that Alek could see between the staff on the subway and the
show was that there in the park he saw men holding hands.
Alek tried to remember if he had seen two men holding hands. At
Girls did this all the time at school, of course, but boys did not. He already
had seen gay characters on TV and in the movies, but as for watching
personally he found it was the first time. And, like everything in New
York, there was so much going on that the sight of men holding hands
it did not even generate a second glance from anyone.
The crowd burst into applause as soon as he saw Rufus. He did not wait
that the noise died. He began to play the first song at the same time,
singing the lyrics of Who are you, New York? for enthusiastic fans.
"Have you ever seen Rufus play?" Ethan asked.
Alek shook his head, saying no, too embarrassed to
admit it was the first true show of his life.
- He's an incredible indie singer and songwriter. Even wrote a
opera! Ethan praised.
Rufus was wearing a striped white and purple shirt,
third button, with a white tie inside. There was a flower stuck in the
lapel of his linen coat, and tight pants wrapped around his legs as he
jumping on the stage, fingering the guitar and caressing the words with his voice.
Although Alek knew it was just one of those hundreds, maybe
thousands of people in the audience, it felt as if Rufus was
for him.
Alek could not tell if it was the radiant sun, all the cool people or
the fact of being with Ethan, but at some point gave up trying
to understand why he was having such a good time and gave himself up to the perfect afternoon.
It became evident that Ethan was an ardent fan of Rufus: he knew the lyrics of
all the songs and danced during most of them. Sometimes I just jumped
alone. In the fastest songs, he joined groups of people dancing,
entering the middle of the group. But it never disappeared long enough for
Alek was ashamed to be alone. Ethan just stood there during the
bis end of Rufus, Do I disappoint you? By reaction of the audience, Alek
to realize that it was one of the most famous songs. Even people who do not
they knew all the letters knew the lyrics of this, and Alek sang the last refrain,
Do I disappoint you ?, along with everyone.
The words should have a deeper meaning for Ethan, who
He stared into the distance as the music played. Occasionally, the lips
Ethan followed part of the lyrics, but he did not make a sound.
none. Alek wanted to ask about the meaning of the song, but Ethan
was so serious that Alek thought it best not to say anything.
After playing two more songs in the encore, Rufus was forced to say:
"I love you all, really, but if I do not go, you
They'll never let me go.
He made a final curtsey at the sound of a thunder of applause and went out
running from the stage. Alek still heard people shouting "I love you, Rufus!" And
"Come back!". He even heard someone in the audience ask Rufus to marry, but
none of this made everyone's favorite rock star back there.
stage.
When the show ended, the audience began to disperse, collecting
their picnics, blankets and folding chairs. Two kissing faces
they sat on the ground, oblivious to their surroundings. If Alek had never seen
nor two men holding hands, had obviously never seen two men
kissing.
- Rufus is homosexual, and his song is very popular among queers
Ethan whispered to Alek conspiratorially.
Alek could not believe what he had just heard. Looked at
Ethan, hoping he'd apologize or make a joke, but he did not.
Said nothing. Alek realized that despite feeling like he knew Ethan there was
probably did not know him at all. The person he thought
that he knew would never use this kind of hate speech.
"Ready to go to the museum?" Ethan continued nonchalantly.
Alek nodded.
- Okay guy?
"Of course," Alek muttered.
Alek and Ethan walked through the park, past a statue of
Samuel Morse and they left the other side.
"Let's go up Fifth Avenue to the museum," Ethan said. -
It's only ten blocks away. Do you know how long we'll be?
Alek shook his head.
"Exactly ten minutes." It takes us about a minute to
each street, and each avenue takes about four. Sometimes it's harder.
as on the East Side, where the avenues are shorter, but this is the
basic rule for calculating pedestrian walk time in the city.
Alek could see that Ethan was proud of this equation that he
knew. And although Alek was impressed, he was not going to give Ethan
satisfaction of hearing this.
They walked down Fifth Avenue, with Central Park on the left and
tall residential buildings on the right.
- The Met starts what is known as the Museum Mile. Ethan
he walked quickly, his hands in his pockets. - It starts at 82nd Street and goes up
105. Do you want me to show you on the map?
If it had been earlier, before Ethan used the word with "b", Alek
he would have said yes at the same time.
"I thought it was not for us to look at maps in Manhattan,
replied Alek.
"No one is seeing us, so it would not violate the fourth lesson.
When Alek saw the majestic building, he walked in front of Ethan, passing
sellers of used books and hot dogs, and went up the stairs, so
which could be the base of another building. Since he had already gone to
Metropolitan Museum of Art and knew where he was, Alek was relieved
need Ethan to guide him.
- Hold it, man! Ethan shouted.
"I just want to get this over with."
- What's the rush? Ethan asked in surprise.
Alek kept on walking quickly and did not bother to respond.
When he reached the lobby of the museum, he stepped in, with Ethan right behind.
"It's twenty-four dollars," said the young man inside the glass cabin.
Alek looked up and saw the big sign that showed the price of
admission: 25 dollars for adults, 17 for seniors and 12 for students. He
should know that Ethan's claim that the tour could be done with ten
dollars was a lie.
"But you have to let us in as long as we give some
thing, right? Ethan asked knowingly.
- As?
"I mean, if we decide to pay this," Ethan said,
two dimes down the counter-you have to
let it in anyway, right?
The tone of the attendant changed quickly from polite to irritable,
while he approached.
"Yeah, I guess so," he stammered. - But the donation suggested for two
students is even 24 dollars.
"Luckily, I do not need other people's suggestions. I already have
sufficient. Are you going to give us the brooches or not?
"Actually, we use stickers now.
"Ah, take off two stickers, then.
Ethan seemed oblivious to the queue growing behind him.
The receptionist, annoyed, delivered two yellow stickers with the M
of Metropolitan printed in the middle. Alek imitated Ethan and slipped it into his pocket.
shirt.
They passed by the guard, who saw the stickers and motioned for
entered Although Alek is still quite offended by the word that
Ethan used it, he could not stop praising.
"I can not believe you did that."
"Neither do I," Ethan admitted. - I had heard that it was
possible, but I never had the courage to try. I did not think that suitcase was
let us in. Did you see his face?
- Saw. Then why did he leave?
- Admission here is a suggested donation, which is different from the price of
input. A suggested donation means: "We expect you to pay for this,
but if you do not pay, we can not stop you from entering. "
- You know everything! Exclaimed Alek.
- My father teaches sociology at NYU. My mother left us.
When I was 6, he came to bring me here whenever I had to.
to teach at night because he did not want to pay a nanny. Then when I was 11
I started to come alone. I would sit in the back of his classroom
dying of boredom and then, when I got a little older, he left
that I went out to explore the region. I know this city better than
most people who grew up here. It's my playground.
Alek followed Ethan to Rodin's display. The statues of black bronze
were organized in a large open room, which gave the impression
of being in a garden. The first they saw was a huge portal,
made of squirming figures who seemed to be trying to
outside the structure.
"That's called the Gate of Hell," Ethan said, reading the sign next to it.
"That's how I feel every time I go to school," he teased.
Alek was about to agree, but he remembered that he was angry with
Ethan. He murmured something indifferent and walked away.
Alek let himself be lost among the bronze figures. He discovered that
sculptures changed depending on the angle at which he looked. Other times,
the essence of the play was the same, although the perspective was not, as in
sculpture The shadow, whose tortured neck and head could evoke
distress in Alek no matter what angle he looked at. For
admire other sculptures such as The Athlete, Alek needed to get so close that
you could see the details in the perfectly proportional body of the figure.
Alek finished walking the exhibition more than an hour and a half
after you start. I was afraid Ethan wanted to stay longer, so he stayed
relieved when he heard him say,
- I thought I hated going to museums, because I stayed all day in
an enclosed place until you feel like vomiting in the end. But now I go, I see
the exhibition and I leave. It's better that way.
"I think it's fine too," Alek agreed.

The two young men sat rigidly in the bathroom of the NJ Transit train
on the way back to South Windsor. The characteristic noise of the train and a sink
dripping were the only noises they heard.
A drop of water formed lazily at the mouth of the faucet and
fell into the sink. Alek concentrated on gout training and kept counting
mentally how many seconds it would take for her to grow until she fell.
"Do you have any plans for this week?" Ethan asked.
"No," replied Alek.
"I'm thinking of going to town again."
A few minutes passed, until Ethan broke the silence again.
"Are you going to tell your parents about today?"
"No," Alek said, not taking his eyes off the tap.
"My father does not care," Ethan said proudly.
More embarrassing silence came then, until Ethan asked:
"You want me to show you how to fake a ticket from your parents to
guidance counselor?
- No thank you.
After 15 drops (approximately 40 to 42 seconds
drop, assuming the train did not shake and knocked over before the hour), Ethan
turned to Alek.
"All right, Polly." "Oh, I have to ask. Why are you being
douchebag?
"You're an asshole, Ethan," Alek said.
- What are you talking about?
"It's not me that I go around calling people things like
Ethan looked surprised for a second, then burst into laughter.
Alek got up and put his hand on the bathroom knob. I was with so much
anger that he thought he could not stay in the same space as Ethan.
"Alek, I want to explain something to you. Please interrupt me if
You know what I'm going to say, okay? Alek nodded slightly, and Ethan continued. -
When you are, like, part of a certain ... "Ethan stopped talking.
while searching for words. - Let's just say that. Think about the word
with "p".
Alek looked at him, bewildered.
"That's another word I do not think it would be nice for you to use." You're
trying to offend me?
"I'm just using it as an example," Ethan replied quickly. -
But if you heard me speaking that word, I would not have it right.
"No, you would not."
"But you heard a black guy using that word when he was
talking to another black guy, did not you hear?
"Of course, but that's different.
- Because?
Alek tried to articulate something that intuitively knew to be true.
- When you are part of a group, you can use words that would be
improper in other circumstances, "Alek managed to say.
- Exactly! Exclaimed Ethan triumphantly. - I could not
to explain better. That's why it's no problem for me to use the word fag.
"But it would not be a problem if you were-"
- Gay. I'm gay, "Ethan said in surprise. - I thought you…
- What? Asked Alek.
"I thought you knew." Nothing too much, man.
Alek leaned against the wall and remembered his interactions with Ethan.
When he thought of the things that Ethan said, how he did not care
their bodies touching the subway, or how much Ethan danced at will
with other men on Rufus's show, it all made sense.
"For you, okay?" Ethan asked.
- Everything, of course. Of course everything is fine. I'm not homophobic or anything.
Stammered Alek.
It was no big deal. He just never had gay friends, but on the other
Who was at the age of 14? "That must be the age when people
they start coming out of the closet, "thought Alek.
"I have to say something, Polly." "Oh, I love knowing you were going.
break up with me because I said fagot.
"Break up with you?"
- Yeah, end the friendship. This happens as in any
relationship. And you were going to do that because I used the word fag. Need to have
courage for it, man. Courage, really.
Alek blushed.
"I have to do what I think is right.
"How to kill class today?" Was it the right thing to do?
- Not this. What I mean is that whenever I have two options and
one of them is the right thing with capital C, the honest thing, the thing your
Bowels say it's the right one, you know?
Ethan nodded and Alek continued:
"Well, in those situations, I have to do this thing. It's like something
inside me would stop me from doing anything else. Believe in
me. I've already tried. It's not possible. I have to do the right thing.
- I understand, man. You are true to your principles. Ethan smiled at
Alek. - I admire a man with principles. But I need to ask. Kill
class today was the right thing to do?
Alek thought for a moment.
"Yes." He smiled. - I think it was.

8
"Do you mind signing this?" Alek asked his father before
any other person back home, pushing the math test
which he saved from the bin under the desk.
The father looked away from the computer screen, where he was
curriculum.
- Why do I need to sign a test with a grade of 93? He asked.
To prove that I showed you. Mr Weedin is half Nazi
with these things, "said Alek.
"It's not funny, Alek. You should not come out saying words like
this so casually. The father signed the evidence without paying attention. -
Now, can you help me with this? - The father indicated the
computer. - I can not align the fields.
"You're such a dinosaur," Alek said, picking up the keyboard and tidying up.
tabulation. "I do not know how the old how you manage to do
Alek's father laughed.
"You know, I thought the same thing when I was your age and had to
help my parents with the typewriter. And your children will also
to find this when the technology has evolved faster than you will
able to accompany.
After saving the document from his father, Alek ran to the bedroom and
to quietly hide the yellow subway card that Ethan gave him and
the Metropolitan Museum sticker in the drawer where he left all the objects
with sentimental value, like the tennis ball of the final match with Seth and
silver Armenian cross he received from his grandmother when he was baptized.
He took the printed note he had already typed and placed it on top of the
father's signature on the math test, exactly as Ethan taught.
When he put the documents against the light, he was able to imitate them perfectly
the signature of the test on the counterfeit ticket. Then he stood straight ahead
to the bedroom mirror and trained what he would say to director Saunder's
next day, when he delivered the ticket.
"I woke up with a fever yesterday, and my father thought it would be best for me to
stay at home. The fever subsided last night, and he said I could stay in
home one more day just to see if it was good, but I did not want to lose
another day of class.
He spent the whole evening preparing the speech.
Alek even got to school 15 minutes early, but all his
preparation proved unnecessary when the secretary of director Saunder
accepted the ticket without even asking for an explanation. She made the appropriate note in the
computer and, in that simple way, Alek justified the foul. He passed the class of
English in the clouds, almost unable to concentrate. All in South
Windsor seemed insignificant and two-dimensional now, as a version of
old video game of himself.
When Alek entered the dining hall for lunch, he went straight to the table
where he used to sit alone. For a second he thought about what it would be like if
Ethan invited him to sit down at the desisting table, but he knew that
would never happen. One by one, they entered the cafeteria, running to the
tasks more banal with aggression. Alek could not imagine how
make threatening the act of buying a soda in the machine.
Finally, Ethan came in. But the gingado was not
ever. Her eyes were red, her hair was disheveled and the
clothes were so crumpled it looked like he'd slept with them
on body. The other dropouts did not appear to notice or comment on the
Ethan humor. A platinum and spiky hair counted the end of
a joke, and everyone burst out laughing, clapping fists in the
Allah continued to watch Ethan throughout the meal. Some
minutes before the end of the lunch hour, Ethan went to the
ice cream, and Alek took the opportunity to approach him.
- Hey, Ethan!
- What's up, Alek?
- It's all right.
Ethan was staring at the ice cream machine with his body totally
away from Alek, half leaning against the machine, as if deciding between a
ice cream sandwich and a popsicle was just as important as choosing
What college to study.
- I just wanted to say that I had a lot of fun yesterday and wanted to thank
per…
Alek stopped talking when he saw Ethan turn around and look behind him. Jack
and another quitter, with a red knitted cap pulled up to the eyes,
were after Alek, looking like hungry hyenas they had just seen
a fresh carcass, ready to be devoured. Alek prayed that they would not
had heard nothing of what he said.
"I had a lot of fun too, Ethan," said the guy with a cap.
red, with malice, and then began to pretend she was kissing Jack,
the big fart who had pushed Alek into the parking lot.
Jack burst into laughter.
"Thank you for last night," he managed to say between
guffaws.
Ethan started laughing with them. Alek felt his face flush and
paralyzed with embarrassment.
The two guys passed by Alek bumping into him, as if he
was there
"Eth, we'll see you on the ramps after class."
"I do not think I can go, Pedro." I'll meet you tomorrow.
- Expensive beauty. Even more, "said Peter, making a sign of peace as
farewell gesture "And I had so much fun last night," he mocked.
Peter and Jack began to laugh again as they left the dining hall.
Ethan turned to Alek.
"Alek, why do not we meet later?" Perhaps…
- Maybe what? We can meet again when you do not
Are you with your real friends around?
"What the hell are you talking about, man?"
"Go to hell, Ethan.
Alek hurried back to the table, picked up the hated green backpack, and left.
the cafeteria. He knew he had to go to algebra, but he did not have the
less possibility of staying in the same room as Ethan, and even less so if
to sit beside him after what had just happened.
An hour later, cars darted down the road while he
He looked at the big red plate of the Dairy Queen. Alek did not know that
it was there that his feet would carry him.
He came in and hid behind a huge poster of a banana split.
She watched Becky serve a thin middle-aged woman whose roots
graying appeared beneath red-orange hair painted
irregular.
"Do you know how much Blizzard has for carbohydrates?" She asked.
woman, with a sharp, nasal voice.
"Ninety-two grams per serving," Becky said docilely.
"And how many grams does a portion have?"
- Three hundred.
- And you base this information on Oreo Cookies Blizzard or on
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard?
Becky narrowed her eyes. Through clenched teeth he managed to say,
"I'll find that out for you."
And headed for the back.
Becky did not have the patience for boring people. After a waiter from
She had missed Becky's request for the third time, she
plunged into the mission of getting him fired. "I'm not doing
for personal revenge, "Becky insisted. "I'm doing for everyone else
inhabitants of South Windsor, like myself, who specifically asked for the chips
of sweet potatoes with separate sauce, not the soaked sweet potato chips
to soak. What's the difficulty of understanding that? "Becky insisted on the mission,
calling daily to the diner pretending to be different customers
dissatisfied and complaining about the waiter until he was waived.
A few moments later, Becky returned to the little window.
- Ninety-two grams of carbohydrates per serving of 300 grams
based on the Oreo flavor. Cookie Dough has 103 per serving.
"Oh, I'm glad I asked, is not it?" How many grams does an Oreo have?
Average Blizzard?
"Three hundred and seventy, then there are 117 grams of carbohydrates.
- One hundred and seventeen! Why did not you tell me so soon? If I
buying a Blizzard, there would be no more carbohydrates left for the rest of the week.
Alek wondered if this woman and her mother attended the same
difficult customer course.
- Want to try our delicious low-fat yogurt ice cream
carbohydrate?
- No, thank you.
The woman closed her purse.
- What? You've been talking here for half an hour and you're not even going to buy it.
anything?
"Young lady, I'm sorry, but you should not talk like that with a
customer - snorted the woman.
"Oh, but since you're not going to buy anything, you're not a customer, are you?" -
Becky replied.
Alek waited for the woman to step aside to approach the little window.
- Can you tell me how much carbohydrate you have in two-thirds of a
Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Traditional 300g Blizzard?
Becky looked up quickly. Hair strands had become
of the Dairy Queen paper hat, and had a
chocolate syrup on her right cheek.
"Alek, what the hell are you doing here?"
- I just wanted to execute my American right granted by God of
achieve obesity.
"You must think it's hilarious to see me in this idiot uniform."
- It's really fun.
"I'll show you something fun." Now get out of here before I
fix problems
- Becky, please. I need to talk to you.
"Is that easy?" You disappear for a week and appear here from
suddenly saying that you need to talk to me? Becky hissed.
- You kicked me out of your house! It was you who had to call me.
Protested Alek.
"Look, when you miss someone, it does not matter who you have to have
switched on. You go and look.
"That's exactly what I'm doing, Becky. I'm doing the
first contact. It's your turn now.
A woman with thick limbs approached the window behind
Becky.-
Becky, you know the politics about friends visiting you at
job.
Alek did not need Becky to tell her that this was Laurie, the famous
manager. The red hat of the Dairy Queen almost did not fit in the head
huge, and the small, bright eyes stared at Becky with accusation.
"You know, Laurie, I think I'm going to pause now, okay?
"But I need help filling the Arctic Rush machine."
"Laurie, I've had three pauses accumulated today," Becky said,
with hate boiling in his voice.
- You will take your breaks when we have nothing else to do
Laurie insisted arrogantly.
Becky took the paper hat from the Dairy Queen's head and
Laurie, ripping it slowly into little pieces:
"I can forgive many things, Laurie. The way you need it
to use the lint of power he has to be a manager of Dairy Queen to torture
all of us, unhappy and innocent employees. Your obvious lack of skills
social and the way you envy the friends of others because you do not have any.
I can even forgive the wet noise you make when you try to
Last drops of a container shake. All these things I can
to forgive. But it will take years, do you understand? Years to take ice cream from
new without thinking of you. This association will destroy one of the best
things of the world. - She threw the red pieces that used to be the
hat on the floor at Laurie's feet. "That I will never forgive."

9
"What do you want to talk about?" Becky asked.
"Well, what if you knew someone who-"
"No more hypothetical things, Alek. This was the
Last time, remember?
For the first time, ever since Alek could remember, Becky did not
he was complaining about having to skate slowly beside him. She followed
lazily as they made their way home.
And then, abruptly, she stopped in front of Alek. Even with skates,
nor even to his chin. She put her hands on Alek's shoulders and
looked straight into his eyes.
"Tell me what you really want to know."
- There's a guy.
- Who?
- Ethan Novick.
"Ethan Novick, famous for the food war?" Becky asked.
Alek nodded. He told her everything, from the day that Ethan saved him behind
from the tunnel to the surprise adventure in New York the day before.
"So you just wanted to brag about your new friend?"
"No, Becky, there's more.
He started to tell what happened earlier with Ethan on the front
of the ice cream machine.
- I approached him and ...
- Which is? She asked urgently.
- Wants to know? Nevermind.
- You bored me with the stupid background and will not tell me the
Last?
Alek stopped pacing.
"I'm sorry if you think my story is stupid.
- Hey, I'm joking. Becky reached out and steadied herself.
- Tell me what happened. You know I want to hear. I'm your best
friend.
Becky had never used that term. He did not take Alek by surprise, but
using the title was a compromise. A friend was a person with whom
you talk at school, join a club together, or go to church. A fight
idiot in a basement could end a normal friendship. But a better
friend was a person to whom you could entrust your life, a person who
You knew that I would always be by your side. Being best friends was one
promise to settle things at any cost. And why a best friend?
Could not it be a girl?
Alek and Becky arrived at the intersection of Etra and Orchard.
"I can go it alone the rest of the way."
"But I did not finish telling you what happened to Ethan!"
You jerk! Becky shouted. - "I can go it alone for the rest
of the way "is what I always say when we arrive in this part of
walking. We stayed for about seven days without talking and you already forgot.
- Say it again.
- What?
- Say it again.
- That's stupid.
"Tell me," Alek insisted.
He did not know why, but he knew that if he got Becky to do the
that he asked, everything would be fine.
"I can go it alone the rest of the way," Becky repeated,
dry.
"Why do not I walk you to the door?" Do you know
as South Windsor can be dangerous on a weekday afternoon -
recited Alek.
"It would be great, Alek," Becky said, almost in the same tone as
joking he used to use.
Alek was telling her everything along the way. For more
humiliating as it was, he even included the mockery of the other dropouts because
Alek decided that best friends could tell each other about their
most embarrassing moments. They arrived at her door at the time
that Alek has reached the end of history.
- So, what do you think?
"I think you like him."
- Of course I like. He's so cool.
"No, Alek. I mean I think you goooo much for him.
Alek stopped.
- What do you think?
Becky opened the door without answering.
"Becky, what do you mean?"
Alek came in after her.
"Yes, Becky, what do you mean?" Echoed the voice of her mother's coming.
from the inside.
Alek went to the room where Becky was taking off his skates and had already
got to open a Dr. Pepper diet. The parents were sitting on the couch.
yellow.
- Alek, we do not see you ...
"... a century ago. Nice seeing you again.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Boyce."
Boycots were older than Alek's parents. Still dressed in
the lab coats, they were sitting in the living room, drinking tea underneath.
of the Ivory Coast tapestry.
- Alek, use whatever you want ...
- …in the kitchen. You know where everything is.
Age was not the only difference between the Khederian and the Boyce. The
Alek's parents would never let a guest serve. They would tell the
asked what options were available, asked which he preferred and
they would either serve him or have Alek serve him. Alek remembered his mother training him.
when I was still at the beginning of school.
"Alek, you forgot to ask me if I wanted ice in the water -
he gently rebuked his mother while teaching.
Both he and Nik had to learn the difference between a glass of
water (high) and a glass of juice (low), once they reached sufficient age
to use them.
- Never use fruit juice with ice because it always gets cold.
And never use water in a cup or mug, water must always be served
in glass cup. If the person asks for water, you have to ask
prefer with or without gas, at room temperature or ice, and with or without
ice.
The Khederians always left a bottle of sparkling water in the
refrigerator and another in the pantry in case the visit appears, even after
that the father was fired. But Becky's house, like most
Americans, was much cooler than that.
"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Boyce," said Alek.
Alek wanted to be alone with Becky so he could ask her what she
I wanted to tell you when he said he liked Ethan, but since he did not see
Boy ce since they came back from the conference in Geneva would it be rude to go
running to the basement. Then he poured himself cranberry juice, went back to
the room and sat across from them in a huge chair with their feet
rocking a little above the ground.
- How was the trip?
"It was incredible, thank you for asking.
- We saw some ...
"... good friends at the conference ..."
"... and we learned about their research in the meantime.
"Two rabbits, one stone.
Since Alek had known them, the Boy ce ended the sentences one of
other. Alek thought he had never seen them apart. His parents always
responsibilities, even with the nature of
changed after the mother started working. Alek's mother could do
shopping on his way home from work, and his father would make dinner. But the boys
always go to the market together, prepare the food together,
they cleaned everything together. He always saw Mr. Boyce on the bench.
passenger when Mrs. Boycott was going to get Becky, and vice versa.
- Alek, look ...
- ... what we brought from Geneva. It was made in the same mold ...
- ... that the famous model of the eighteenth century.
The boys and men showed a metal bell so large that Alek
asked how they were able to carry it through the airport and
House.
"Next time they want to wake me up for class, they'll go
to enter hidden in my room and touch it next to my innocent
sleeping head, "Becky said.
"What is it, Rebecca ..."
"... you know we would never do that."
- I know I know! I was making a joke, people.
Alek never understood how Becky ended up having a sense of humor if the
parents took everything to the letter.
- Look at us ...
"... talking nonstop. You young people ...
- ... should want to go to the basement to watch movies instead of ...
"... listening to two old men talking about bells.
- Becky, honey, we're going ...
- ... visiting some friends in Baltimore over the weekend. We will leave
with you…
"... the phone number we're staying on, and money."
"It was great to see you again, Alek ..."
"... and send remembrance to your parents."
Becky got another soda, since she had already finished with the first, and
Alek followed her into the basement.
"Your parents are incredible, Becky.
- As well?
- It's that they are so the opposite of mine.
- I think they really are. But I would give anything to eat
that home made meal. The first number I memorized was
Scotto pizzeria.
Alek and Becky sat down in the usual places on the basement sofa with
a somewhat uncomfortable silence.
"You were not telling me about that guy you like?"
"I did not say I liked him!"
"Alek, that's why you upset yourself in the cafeteria today. Ethan just
asked to meet you later. You do not know what's happening with
he. You do not even know the right guy.
But ...
- I'm not done. That's the good part. Becky paused for a moment.
second and took a large sip of soda. - I know I'm right.
because I know what it's like to be upset when we're in the mood for someone. Becky
he paused again, long enough to make clear what he meant. -
Do you understand what I'm saying? Because I'd rather save both of us from the
embarrassment to recall the moment when I threw myself on top of
You like a woman of the night, okay?
"I understand, Becky. But I know what it's like to stay for someone else. I remember
such as when I invited Gail out or when I danced with Linsay in the
spring dance last year.
"And how were your two experiences in the dating world?"
"You know ... sweaty hands, cold in the belly, paralyzed tongue. Everything
what they say in the movies. That's not what I feel when I talk to Ethan. AND,
regardless of what I feel, it is not because I am at his end, it is because he is
of the second year, is quitting and the kind of face that organizes a war of
Epic food.
"So you're saying you do not feel any of this close to him or that
feels?
"I'm telling you ..." Alek began to speak, but stopped. - I am
saying I missed you, Becky. It's good to be here with you.
"That's not what I'm talking about, asshole.
"Becky, I think I'd know if I was gay," Alek insisted. - Now
Can we change the subject?
"So you're saying that, are not you?" Becky insisted.
"Look, it's not because I did not want to kiss you, that means I
like boys, "replied Alek.
Becky put the soda on the table and stood up.
"Listen, it's good to talk to you, and I also felt your
lack. I had no company to watch movies, and even though Mandy and Suzie
were here, I like you more than they do, but if you say
Stuff like that, you're going to have to get out of here now, understand?
Alek was frightened by her friend's explosion and dropped the soda.
unintentionally.
You jerk. Becky ran to the bathroom and came back with
paper. - Now pay attention, tap gently to remove the
spot.
- Thank you, Martha Stewart.
Alek made balls of paper towels, beat the stain
disappeared and threw it in the trash can.
- I'm sorry, Becky.
- It's all right.
Becky sat up and suddenly everything was fine again.
"I guess what I mean is I do not think of boys that way.
I do not know what to say. I'm already 14 years old. You do not think that if I were gay,
I would already know
- Do not know. One of my uncles just came out of the closet when he was about 40 and
Few years. He was already married and had children. I loved to spend the Day of Action
Thanks for it. My uncle, his ex-wife, his new companion, the
second wife of the ex-wife, the children of the first marriage and the children of the
second marriage of the ex-wife. That family tree had branches
for all sides.
"Ah, no one's waiting that long to get out of the closet."
"I'm just saying it sounds like you're after Ethan." Nor
I know if that means you're gay.
Alek looked away. The possibility of being gay had never occurred to him.
He'd liked to kiss his girlfriends. He never looked at girls in the
street of the way some guys of his age were doing, but it was created for
act with education. And you never thought of boys that way when you were
changing clothes in the locker room for physical education class.
"Becky, if I were gay, and I'm not saying it is, but if I were
Would you still want to be my best friend?
Asking this question directly demanded all the courage that Alek
got together.
- Are you serious?
- Very.
"Alek, I do not want to be rude, but I do not care if you're gay or not.
No one cares. Alek started to say something, but Becky continued to
talk, without giving him a chance to respond. - Because anyone who
think that there is something wrong with being gay is like one of those people about
which we read in history class, who believed in segregation. But
I'll bet Ethan calls, because I think he's in the mood for you too.
"Becky, you're a wonderful best friend.
"And you're a big man." Go apologize to Ethan. As you asked
Excuse me, you have no reason not to apologize to him. I'm well
more intimidating than him.

10
"No one comes to the church at once," Alek insisted, through a yawn,
while the Khederians performed the chaotic Sunday morning ritual of
try to leave the house. It made sense that the only way parents
defying Armenian tradition was stubbornly punctual. - Week
Last time, the Hagopian only showed up after we were there for two
hours. Two hours!
"It's important for me to set a good example," her mother insisted.
"For whom?" Alek wanted to ask, but decided
not to risk.
Despite the plans, preparations and calculations made every Saturday to the
night, it always seemed that the universe conspired against them and
series of events that prevented the Khederians from leaving home in the morning
time to make the 90-minute commute to the church.
with tranquility. That morning, for example, every time Alek would use the
bathroom, Nik was already inside. In addition, and equally
inexplicable, he spent 15 minutes looking for his suit jacket and tie.
separated the night before, and eventually discovered that they were in the basement.
And when the universe was not in the way, the parents were.
Inevitably, when the family was ready to leave, the parents remembered
something that needed to be done before they left. In that day,
they needed to sweep the garage.
"Finished, boys?" Cried his father.
Alek knelt, holding the shovel as far away from himself as possible.
Nik swept toward him.
"You're messing me up on purpose!"
"I'm not, you who can not hold the shovel," protested Nik.
"I'm sorry, my big brother in the special class. Please,
Show me the right way to hold a shovel.
Nik put down his broom and took the shovel in Alek's hand.
"You see, you have to hold it up, like that," he instructed.
- That's what I was doing! And that was what you were doing. -
Alek demonstrated using the broom to throw dirt at Nik.
"Mother, Alek is making a mess!" Nik complained when the
Mom came in the garage.
"Aleksander, do not mess with your brother's clothes!" We're already late!
She gripped the pearl necklace around her neck and looked at the anxious watch.
"We're just late because you forced people to clean the
garage! Shouted Alek. "I still do not understand why this could not wait."
until we get back!
"Oh, God forgive me if anything happened to us, and
someone had to enter our house. What would you think were
dirty garage
"Let me see if I get it," Alek said. "If, God forbid,
we were kidnapped or suffered a horrible car accident,
something so terrible that someone was forced to enter our house, the
What are you worrying about garage cleaning? In such a situation, I
I hope this is the worst thing we have to think about.
"Why are you always so morbid, Alek?" Her mother asked.
"Seriously," said his brother. "Have you thought about doing therapy?"
Nik turned around and spoke to his mother. - All right mother. I can finish here
alone.
- Thank you dear. I know I can always count on you. - She if
turned to Alek. "Can you help me find the car key?"
Alek rolled his eyes. The final act of the morning departure ritual of
Sunday was when parents lost something without which they could not
leave.
"But you have three copies!" Can not find any?
"Oh, you know I lost a month ago when my purse was
stolen, "the mother recalled.
"It was not stolen." You forgot the bag inside the cart
supermarket!
- Well, yes, but no one returned to the lost and found, right? That
it means that it was stolen.
Alek put his hands to his head.
"Well, what about the reserve key?"
"We left with the Eisinger, in the case of an emergency.
"Why do not you run to get it?"
"Honey, do you know how it's early?" And it's Sunday. I would hate
to bother them.
Alek thought of drawing her mother's attention to how ridiculous she was.
ask neighbors to keep a key to the case of an emergency and,
then decide not to ask for them when an emergency really happens,
but preferred to use a more practical tactic.
"What about Daddy's key?"
"Oh, I'm sure I put it right here when I arrived yesterday.
at night, "his father said, inspecting the empty bowl on the semicircular table at
side of the door.
"Did you retrace your steps after you entered?" Her mother asked.
"That's a good idea, my dear!" Let's see, I walked in, took off my shoes and went
to the bathroom, "said Alek's father, recreating every incident as he spoke.
"Then I washed my hands, went to the basement ... no, wait, I went first to the kitchen and
I drank a glass of water. Or was Pellegrino?
"I do not think you need to tell every detail," Alek said.
between the teeth. "Just see if the keys went anywhere else."
"Now you've interrupted my concentration and I'm going to have to start."
again, "said his father. He went back to the front door. I entered yesterday.
At night, I took off my shoes and went to the bathroom. After that, I went to the basement, wait,
no, to the kitchen, and then ...
- I found the key. It's in the car, "Nik shouted from the garage.
- Yes! That's it! I must have left it in the car! Exclaimed Alek's father.
They all went to the garage, and Alek silently thanked him
because Nik did not ask to drive. His brother did not drive badly, but the
as her mother shook hands as if she were on a roller coaster
each time Nik practiced with the temporary license increased the level of
stress of everyone.
A few miles later, when they were to enter the highway, the mother
He asked:
"Did anyone remember to bring the tabule?"
Everyone groaned at the same time, and, a half-turn later, they
were returning home to pick up the salad with wheat, parsley and
tomato that his father had prepared the night before for lunch that
went to mass.
And they went back to the road, with the table-pot on Alek's lap, because
Dad was afraid the food would spill if he were in the trunk.
Alek gave up on the fact that the plastic pot could save
safely when properly closed.
Alek glanced at his watch. The 7:45 numbers seemed to be
mocking him because he knew that instead of just being late
like everyone else, Dad would insist on going fast to try to make up for the time
lost. Alek prayed that they would not be stopped by the police, as
happened the previous year. See the mother try to convince, beg and threaten
The police officer not to receive a ticket was fun, but he preferred not to
risking another encounter with the law.
They arrived at church at the time the Mass was beginning and
ran into the cathedral, handing over the tabule to a volunteer, as if
delivery a baton in an Olympic relay race. Alek needed
use your entire arsenal of activities and mental exercises to stay
agreed during Mass. First, he counted the number of people present
- that Sunday, 157 Armenians and their loved ones had agreed
early to arrive at nine in the morning. Or rather, this was the number of
people sitting on benches at the end of the Mass. As Alek predicted, most
arrived late, over the next hour.
Then he began to name all the scenes depicted on the stained glass windows:
archangels, the Holy Family, the Ascension. Finally, the saint arrived
patron of the church, St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who was supposed to be
prayed that Christ would forgive his murderers while they killed him
stoned Alek's eyes were stuck in St. Stephen, cheering
so that Ethan would be so kind to him the next day as the saint went with
his murderers. After all, bullying in the cafeteria had to be a
to kill by stoning. Even if after the outbreak you had
sitting next to the person, in algebra class, for two days, wanting,
but without being able to apologize. Right?
Alek watched the priests walk down the aisles, swinging the
metal filled with smoke incense attached to sticks with chains. Every
times, Alek twisted to one of the currents to munch, throwing the balls of
metal and hot incense throughout the congregation. He did not want the
cathedral to catch fire, but I thought it would be a welcome distraction.
The priest was finally following to prepare the communion, which
would be followed by the sermon. After the Armenian sermon, the priest
would repeat in English so that all false Armenians, like Alek, who did not
could understand the language, could still benefit from the wise
words. Nik always made a point of reacting in the first stage of the sermon,
so that the whole congregation could see that he understood Armenian. At
times, Alek reacted together, nodding wisely alongside the adults or
making solemn expression in certain passages, just to irritate Nik.
Two and a half hours later, the service is finally over, and families
left the cathedral and entered the lunch line, with which all
contributed. When time allowed, as they did today, they sat in the air
free, on the large lawn behind the church. Time was also used to
keep the congregation integrated with the various related organizations,
such as Saturday and Sunday lessons, Armenian and
Biblical studies, and the division of the Armenian Church's Young
America, of which Nik was an active member, as was predictable. Alek feared the
the day his parents would force him into one of the church's youth groups.
The Khederians were one of the last families to arrive at lunch,
at Mass, Alek's mother liked to sit in the front. When they arrived at
plate on the food table, he was almost at the end. Alek
father smiled proudly, especially since another
The table bowl next to it was pristine. After filling the dishes with
lamb, bread, yogurt and salad, the Khederian joined the parents of the
Nik's girlfriend, the Hovanian, at a large round table.
"Would you like some more lemonade?" Nik asked Nanar before he sat down.
"No, thank you," Nanar replied formally.
Alek could never quite understand Nik's girlfriend. She had
almost his brother's height, but he had curves, while he was straight as a
post, with dark brown hair and eyes typical of the Armenians. Although
was a few months older than Nik, she almost looked like a woman,
while Nik was still in that embarrassing period between being a boy and
be a man. The only thing Alek could see that she and Nik had
in common, besides being Armenians, was the desire to please the parents.
- Are you sure? Nik asked again.
- Yes, I'm sure. Thank you, Andranik, "replied Nanar.
Nik sat down next to his girlfriend. But instead of diving into the
food at the same time, he waited a moment, looked at her and smiled.
Nanar smiled at him and put his hand over his. The whole scene took a while
just a few seconds, but reminded Alek how much Nik smiled more when
was near Nanar.
Mrs. Hovanian ate a piece of bureg, a tasty triangle
of mass, and began to cough violently. She was a plump woman,
lower and darker than most Armenians, with nose
protruding and red cheeks. For a moment Alek thought she
to commit the unforgivable Armenian sin of spitting food, but
managed to swallow with the help of a large swallow of water.
- Are you alright? Asked Alek's mother.
- I am. But I wish I could say the same thing about the Kirikian bureg -
she complained, putting the rest of the salty on a napkin. - Is so
dry. I think that's what happens when you put a Macedonian woman
to prepare them and pretend that it was you who did. Do you think any of us
Would you make a dry bureg like that?
"Of course not, my dear," agreed Mr. Hovanian, a man
tall and prematurely bald. "Is not that right, Nanar?"
"Yes, Father," Nanar agreed softly.
"I think the Kirikian bureg is good," Alek's father ventured.
Mrs. Hovanian laughed out loud.
"That's very kind of you, Boghos, but I can not help noticing
You did not get any.
"Did you experience sarma?" Asked Alek's mother.
"We'd like to, but it's just stuffed cabbage," she complained.
Hovanian. "There's no grape leaf." I also twisted to
Dolma, but all the stuffed peppers had run out when
I got to the table, and I decided not to eat zucchini, because I think the
too fibrous. But of course we love your tab, Kadarine. Nanar,
tell Mrs. Khederian how much you liked the table.
- Always have the perfect proportion of wheat, parsley and tomatoes,
Mrs. Khederian, "answered Nanar in time.
"It's a family recipe," Alek's mother said with a smile.
Long
"Boghos, Kadarine, will you excuse us for a moment?" - said
Mrs. Hovanian, getting up. Her husband and daughter imitated her. Us
we would like to ask Kalfay an about sharing a car on vacation.
And, please, no one mentions the kufteh they did on the trip of the year
past. The meat was too hot, I got sick the entire trip!
Alek's mother watched them walk away. As soon as the Hovanians were away,
she said:
- You can imagine how difficult it must be to spend your life
finding fault in everything?
"It must be very difficult for you to imagine," said Alek. But
nobody in his family noticed the irony.
The Hovanians returned a few moments later, smiling.
"As the Kalfay are going to rent a minivan, we can
ride with them to Niagara Falls - communicated, with joy, the
Mrs. Hovanian.
Nanar turned to Alek.
"I'm sad to hear you're not going to be able to travel with us, Alek." I
I was anxious to spend more time with you.
Alek was touched by Nanar's sincerity.
"Nanar, do not worry about it.
"But Mom and Dad are going to let Alek choose the vacation of the year that
"Come on," Nik said.
Alek waited for the insult or criticism that would come next, but Nik only
continued eating the bureg. Nanar's kindness seemed to transform the
brother in a normal human being.
- Mother, father, do not forget to leave the hotel's telephone number
so I can make contact if something happens and you are
no signal on the phone. Alek stuck a piece of lamb and put it in the
mouth.
"Let's leave all this information to the nanny," he assured her.
mom.
- What nanny? Alek smiled at his mother.
Alek's mother looked confused.
"What do you mean, my dear?" She asked, trying to keep the
appearances because of the Hovanian.
"Well, Becky's parents have left her alone since she was 13.
"But it's only for a weekend. We're going to be gone for a week.
entire.-
It is not a whole week. You travel on Tuesday and
They come back on Sunday, so it's only five days, actually. Furthermore,
I'm 14! Are you saying that I do not know how to take care of myself?
"Alek," his father began, "why do not we talk about it more
evening?
Alek knew what that meant: We will not let you make
way, but since we do not want to look like
front of the Hovanian, we will wait to impose ourselves when we are
alone.
"You know, Dad started taking Mom on his work trips when
I turned fourteen, "Nanar said.
Alek looked at Nanar gratefully for resurrecting his chance to
some days of freedom.
- Really? Alek's mother smiled faintly.
"I think it's good for young people to have a bit of independence. Help
in growth - explained Mr Hovanian. - Moreover, with email,
cell phone and Facebook ...
"Do you have a Facebook account, Mr. Hovanian?" Asked Alek.
Of course he does. We both have! - confirmed the lady
Hovanian. - How else do you think we keep in touch with the
AGBU1 and United Armenian Fund2?
"With so much technology, keeping an eye on children has never been easier.
Even when you are far away, "concluded Mr. Hovanian.
"And if anything happens, I can run to the
Eisinger, "Alek added. "Since it's not too early, I'd hate it."
inconvenient because of an emergency.
Alek lamented the criticism at once, but he could not help it.
"I think if we made a list of rules for you to follow
knowing that he would be punished for the rest of his life if he broke anyone
and if you promised to call every day and night, it might be possible -
said Alek's mother.
Alek looked at Nik. This was the time when he would say something
that would ruin everything. As expected, Nik opened his mouth to speak.
"Oh, Mother, relax. He'll be fine.
Alek stared at his brother, stunned. But Nik continued
eating and looking into her girlfriend's eyes.
Alek's mother sought her husband's approval with her eyes. When he
she nodded, she said,
- Just a friend at home at a time, you have to be in bed at
23h, you can not watch more than one hour of television in class days ...
- Wow! An entire hour! You're getting good with age.
Her mother ignored Alek's irony.
- And you have to call every day ...
"... at least once," his father added.
"... at least once to tell us it's okay."
- Combined.
**********
The strange orange light trembled, daring Alek inside. He remembered
vividly of Jack pushing and climbing on him the last time he
dared to go to the other side. But he'd sworn he'd apologize to Ethan
that day, and because he could not talk to him during algebra,
he had no choice but to face the tunnel, Jack and the rest of the dropouts.
Alek took one step and then another. When I was halfway through the
The lights went out, leaving him in the darkness. Alek forced himself to
continue walking, keeping focus on the promise of light at the end of
walking.
When he finally left, he saw the droppers skateboarding,
sliding through the parking lot they had occupied. Before I could
Ethan, he heard Jack's voice explode on the other side of the
parking.
"What are you doing here, asshole?"
"Fuck you, asshole," Alek said without hesitation.
- Nice. Alek heard a voice say that, turned around and saw Ethan on the skateboard,
sliding lazily around a cone. - I thought I'd have to
save your skin like last time.
"You will not have to save me any more, Ethan.
"Is it because I'm going to be too busy going to hell?"
- Look that.
Alek took a deep breath. He saw himself wanting to look at anything, less
for Ethan, like the left laced shoelace of his left sneaker or a
cap backwards gluing duct tape on the skateboard, but was forced to do
visual contact.
- I apologize for what happened.
- Good.
- Really. "He wanted to be alone with Ethan, but if he
it was there that the apology would have to happen, so be it. - Think
that my reaction was exaggerated.
- Do not say!
- I just found ...
"You made it very clear what you thought." You thought I was embarrassed.
to be seen with you in front of my friends. I'll tell you what, man.
Each of these guys, even the most assholes, like Jack, accept me
how I am. I'm not saying they organized a party when I left the
closet, but they do not care about me being gay. And I think that's amazing,
especially considering that none of them are. Therefore, they were only
having fun that day. Everything else was fucking up your head.

Ethan's words hurt Alek, but not because they were not true.
He swallowed the answer and the pride.
"That's why I'm here now, Ethan. Because I know I acted as a
asshole. I came to apologize. Take it.
Alek took a packet from his pack and handed it to Ethan.
- What is it?
- I think apologizing is easy. Just say "I'm sorry" and
hope everything is fine. Gifts work best. They say "Me
I'm sorry, and I'm willing to spend a buck and a time to show you
you how much I regret. "
"Cool, Polly." "Oh," Ethan nodded approvingly.
"Then open soon!"
Ethan sat on the skateboard with his back to Alek and opened the package. When the
paper, in pieces, fell to the floor, Ethan lifted what was inside.
- A book? - he said.
"Folheie," he said. While Ethan was doing this, Alek kept talking.
"Remember that the CDs came with inserts with the lyrics?"
So I made a booklet with all the letters of Rufus. I organized by disk,
then begins with Rufus Wainwright, then comes Poses, Want one and two,
Release the stars, All days are nights and, finally, Out of the game. Ethan
said nothing, then Alek went on. "I'm sure you already know."
almost all the letters, but I thought it would be nice to have them all printed and put together,
I do not know.
Alek hoped that this would uproot at least some kind of reaction from
Ethan, but he did not say anything. After a few moments of silence,
Alek added:
"I hope you do not think it's stupid, but I did not know what to give."
you. I do not know anything about skateboarding either ...
Ethan's shoulders began to shake. Alek took two steps to
behind.
"Look, if you do not want to, I can get you back," said Alek,
hurt
Being honest was one thing, but he was not going to let Ethan laugh at him.
for the peace offer he spent almost all weekend preparing.
Ethan then looked at Alek, who saw tears streaming down his face.
his.
"Come with me," Ethan said.
Without waiting for an answer, Ethan took the skateboard and began to slide.
"See you later," he shouted over his shoulder, wiping his nose.
with the back of the hand.
"Bye, Ethan," Jack shouted.
"See you tomorrow," a face with spiky hair shouted.
Ethan turned.
- What are you waiting for? He asked Alek, who was paralyzed.
like a statue of Rodin.
Alek took the backpack and ran after the boy on the skateboard.
1 Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). Non-profit organization
the purpose of which is to disseminate and protect Armenian heritage through
educational, cultural and humanitarian programs. (HUH.)
2 Non-governmental organization raising funds for the Republic of
Armenia. (HUH.)

11
Ethan jumped off the skateboard and unlocked the front door of a semi-detached house
using a wrench attached to one of the many chains
clothing. Followed by the heaps of books, records, CDs, DVDs, magazines and newspapers
stacked in all corners, on shelves and
wall surface available. It was difficult to identify what kind of furniture
there was in the house, because everything was drowned in piles.
"My father likes these things," Ethan said sarcastically,
responding to Alek's silent question.
"What does he do with all this?" Alek wanted to know, pointing to the books,
CDs and DVDs.
"He read, listened, or watched all the books, records, and DVDs of this house.
- You are kidding?
But Ethan kept walking.
Alek followed him into the bedroom, wondering how much that place would have
been scary a few weeks before.
"Shut the door," Ethan said over his shoulder.
Each wall of Ethan's bedroom was covered with images, making Alek
feel as if you had entered a kaleidoscope. Even the ceiling had pictures
castings.
Ethan picked up a green plastic bin of medium size that was
under the bed. While stirring what was inside, Alek tried to decipher
the clippings of magazines, posters and prints scattered around it.
All the pictures were of men. Some were movie stars,
like Ry an Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Jude Law and Johnny Depp. Others were
athletes Alek recognized Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Rafael
Nadal, Dway ne Wade and Joe Mauer. And Alek realized that some were
gay celebrities such as Anderson Cooper, Neil Patrick Harris and Alan
Cumming.
There was a whole wall dedicated to models at various points of
seminudez. Alek thought he was seeing more half-naked men in the
Ethan of what he had seen in all his life. Could not find any
poster with a naked man photographed from the front, but many were naked from the
waist up, and some were totally naked, but photographed
a form that only appeared part of the groin or the butt. Corando, Alek came back
to look at Ethan, who had finally found what he was looking for.
He put the green bin back under the bed and turned to Alek.
- Look at this.
Alek looked at the booklet, stunned. Had the lyrics of all songs
of Rufus, organized by disc. It was almost identical to what Alek had
Ethan.-
I'm turning my memory thinking about all the conversations I've
we have, "Ethan said. "And I'm sure I did not mention that I had
this. So I can only conclude that it is pure coincidence that you have made a
for me. And this is crazy, man.
- Because? I'm sure a lot of people know that you love Rufus.
"I did not get it from anyone. It was a gift. From my ex-boyfriend.
Ethan's gaze moved to the picture in the picture that showed
an image of him with his arm around a tall, handsome face, with
firm jaw and curly blond hair.
- It's him?
"Yes, Remi.
"Why did you break up?"
- It's a long story.
"If you do not want to tell me, you do not have to, Ethan, but I
count.
"It's not that I do not want to, it's ... well, it's embarrassing.
"More embarrassing than sending a person to hell?"
Ethan laughed, though.
"Oh, not so embarrassing. Nothing would be so embarrassing.
- So what are you waiting for?
Ethan jumped on the bed and lay on his stomach. Alek sat on the
floor beside the bed and looked at him.
"Remi was my father's student at NYU. He was Australian. My father
he thought he was intelligent, but his works were not good enough. So you asked
to talk to Remi a day after class and asked what was
happening. In the end, Remi could hardly
studies because his life was crumbling.
- What do you mean?
"His parents lost all the money they had just before
classes started, and he had to get a lot of jobs to
and could barely have time to devote to studying. He did not have
money to live in an accommodation, so I slept every day on the
a different friend. My dad freaked out when he heard that Remi had passed.
some nights on the street and told him to stay in our guest room until
find regular housing. I think it was supposed to be temporary, but when
Spring semester ended, Remi was still here. My father liked
his company, and he did all the things my father hated, how to
the vacuum cleaner and dishwasher and linen. And, of course, I did not care, because the
this time our relationship was already very serious.
"But he must be a lot older than you.
- Not much. He had skipped a year, so he was only 17, and I had
just done 15. It was nothing special. And look at it. Ethan
handed the portrait to Alek. He was the kind of guy who caught the eye.
"Did your father freak out when he found out you were together?"
"Honestly, I do not even know if he knew. Most of the time, I think
that he had no idea of anything. I think he thought Remi would be like
older brother I never had, and in many ways he was, even. Remi
made me like Rufus, and although I've been to the city a lot before
to meet him, he had a knack for finding nice people and places. He
he always said that if he were alone in the desert, he would not survive one day,
but in a city he would know how to turn around. It was he who taught me the trick of
bathroom of the train and how to walk through the city spending ten dollars all day ...
"Oh, that reminded me. I still had five dollars left.
"That's because I decided to skip the last part.
- Because?
"Because you were acting like a sour bib." Are you staying for the
next time.
Alek took a deep breath. His mind raced thinking about the possibilities that
a new day in New York with Ethan could bring.
- Where I was? Ethan sat down. - Ah. Remi knew how to walk
City. Wait until I show him his trick on Barnes & Noble or the
especially the umbrella.
- What does that mean? Alek asked anxiously.
"I told you, you'll have to wait and see," Ethan said, finding
grace, leaning forward to emphasize what it said.
Alek came back a little and stretched his legs.
"I know it sounds foolish," Ethan continued, "but I thought
I was going to spend the rest of my life with him. From the moment we
We all knew, everything seemed so right.
"Oh, he looks perfect," said Alek.
"It was," Ethan confirmed. - I think it was.
- You think?
"Well, sometimes ..." He stopped talking and looked away.
"What, Ethan?"
"Sometimes he did things that bothered me. But I knew it was
I was being immature.
- Like what?
"Some nights he would not come home. I kept waiting until
two or three in the morning and nothing, not a text message, not a
connection, nothing. And whenever I asked where he had gone, he said that
had been studying late at a friend's house. But the next day,
we found some of his friends, who eventually let
had gone to a nightclub the night before. You understood? Some bad shit
like this. I did not even care, actually. He was in college and could do the
whatever. But I wanted him not to lie to me, you know?
Especially since I knew he was getting other guys.
"Has he betrayed you?"
"It was not real betrayal, because we did not have a relationship
monogamous
- Really?
"Yeah, that's quite normal in the gay world. Ethan lay down on his stomach.
new. "I only knew when Remi told me. I hated the idea of him being in the
city all the time with so much temptation. But Remi said, "I will not let
an American teenager tying me up when I'm at my sexual apex,
no matter how beautiful he is, "Ethan quoted, using a
Australian accent. "After he disappeared, I promised myself that
I would never date anyone if it were not just between us. It was a lot
difficult the other way.
- And what happened?
Ethan did not answer.
Alek came a little closer to Ethan's bed and said softly,
"Tell me, Ethan. Please.
"Well, one day, in the middle of last summer, I woke up and he was not
on here.
"Did you stay out all night again?"
"No, she was gone. He packed his bags and disappeared,
as if he had never lived here. I know they had things going on.
with his family in Australia. He did not know if he would have money for the
next semester, and I think his father was sick. But I never imagined
that he would disappear like this. It was my first ever. Ethan paused.
to emphasize what he said.
Alek looked at him blankly.
"My first," Ethan repeated.
Ah! Exclaimed Alek.
"I mean, I've had some fuss over some guys before,
but only this. When he disappeared, we had been together for months. AND
we were firm. At least, I thought we were. And suddenly he
it's gone. No ticket, no nothing. I asked my father, and he said, "He did not
said? Remi decided to go back to Australia. " The fact that he told
My father and not me ended up with me. I ran from the kitchen table to the
I put Rufus to play nonstop and I cried all day. I do not
I could believe that he had done something like that with me.
"You tried to e-mail him or something
like this?
Of course! But his account at NYU was turned off, so whatever
I sent him back. And he never responded to the messages he was sending
Facebook, he was not even going into the account, and I did not know the
phone number of his family in Australia. Even today, if someone wants to
disappear, can disappear. Ethan took a deep breath and swallowed
dry. "When I kidnapped you to go to town last week, you went to the
anniversary of Remi's departure. I had not been to the city since that
because I remembered him too much. But when I saw that Rufus was going to play
just that day, I stared at it like a sign. Honestly i had fun
so much with you that I did not even think of it, only in a few moments at the show.
- How do I disappoint you? Asked Alek.
"Did you notice?"
Alek nodded.
"That was our song because every time he came home
after spending the night away, he sang to me and I had to forgive him
Ethan said gloomily. "I wish you had met him, Alek."
I think you would have liked him.
"I do not like it," Alek said.
- What?
- He looks like an asshole.
"You do not even know him.
"I do not need to know to know how much he treated you badly."
"You do not understand, Alek. Remi had an effect on people. Saw
happen to my father, to his friends, to strangers and, no doubt,
It happened to me. Ethan sat down and searched for the right words. - A
Remi's attention was like a superintendent searchlight that illuminated who
was with him. It seemed that there was nothing else in the world. Be with him
it made her feel that she was actually living, that every second was important.
"And because of that, could he treat you the way he wanted to?" He arrives, does
you fall in love, sleep in your house, eat your food, do not
no compromise and disappears without a trace. It would not be the end of
he left a note or warned that he was leaving so that you could
to dismiss And no one has an address or phone number in Australia?
"You do not understand, Alek.
- I think I understand, yes! Alek was getting agitated, like
happened when he was talking about the Armenian Genocide. - You know, my parents
always ask me and Nik to think about what it means to be
men. And they are not talking about turning 18. They are talking about
take responsibility and be good to people and be responsible for
actions. Remi could be sexy, fun and have good taste for music, but,
I have to say, he does not strike me as a man. Look how you treated yourself. a
year later and is still crazy about him.
"I always felt that I was very lucky to be with him," he said.
Ethan.-
Do not you see, Ethan? Who was lucky was him.
- You think?
"Ethan, look at you." You're the coolest guy in South Windsor,
everyone likes you, you dress well and even skateboard, dammit!
"It's not an ordinary skateboard. It's a shortboard, a smaller skateboard.
- It does not matter.
- No way! Ethan insisted. - The smaller is better for maneuvers.
- Alright, you even walk in shortboard! This guy did not value
You, but everyone I know would love to call you boyfriend.
"When I got home, after our cool day in town, I
I broke down, thinking of Remi and how much I missed him. And the next day was
worse. And when you approached me in front of the ice cream machine I
I felt myself crumble inside. Close to Remi, I felt that I was always
trying to act like he was good enough. But with you, I do not want to pretend
nor hide myself. That's why I did not say anything in the cafeteria that day.
I knew in five seconds I would start crying on your shoulder.
"That's what he's good for, Ethan.
Alek leaned in, caught Ethan's face, and kissed him.
 12
"You kissed him!" Becky shouted, almost choking on the soda.
- Speak low. My parents have not left yet! Whispered Alek.
Becky and Alek were sitting on the bed in his room. The morning sun
of Tuesday came in through the window and lit a clock with a robot shape
which he earned as a souvenir at a friend's bat mitzvah party.
"Sorry," Becky whispered. "But why did not you tell me?"
before?
"It happened yesterday. What did you want me to do? Call
For you from his room?
"Oh, that would not be a bad idea!" Becky said. - I'm your best friend.
I have a right to know these things before they happen.
"I'll try to remember that."
"Alek, this is the right time to remind you that you told me
Who is not gay?
Alek was silent for a moment. I could still feel the
Ethan's lips, a memory that looked like a dream.
"I think I was wrong," he said simply.
- I knew. I knew it! That's why you did not kiss me. none
straight man could resist my charm.
"Honestly, I do not know if I'm gay." I will not say that I will never go
kiss a girl It should only be less likely, as it is less likely
You make new friends.
"I'll leave your sarcasm aside because this is a very
especially for you, and when you recall the past, I want you to remember the
I was a supportive and loving presence - Becky jumped and
began to walk around the room, which was as meticulously arranged as
the rest of the house. - Tell me more! What happened next?
"After what?" Alek asked innocently.
"After you kissed him, you silly. He freaked out? Did you freak out? You
were through to the end?
- You are kidding? Until the end?
- Just tell me what happened - Becky got the Dr. Pepper diet
which he had taken hidden to Alek. "And no drink for you until I
know everything!
Alek closed his eyes so he could remember all the details.
"You should have seen his face." You know how Ethan is cool and
controlled? If his eyes had widened more, they would have leaned
in the middle of the face.
"Was it different?" Is kissing a boy different from kissing a girl?
Alek leaned over and searched for the right words.
"It was completely the same and completely different. He was not
beard a few days ago, and the unfinished beard scratched my face. This was
different.
"I know some girls who have a beard."
"Becky, do you want me to talk about it or do you want to make jokes?"
- Speak! Speak! Speak!
She sat in the wheelchair in front of the desk and
began to spin.
"It was more rude, and I'm not just talking about the beard. Everytime
That I kissed a girl, it was a delicate thing. It is sweet. But there is something
in kissing a person bigger than you that makes everything intense. Not from a
bad way In a sexy way. You do not have to control yourself for fear of
hurt the person.
"And you felt something like," Is that it? " Heard music and fireworks from
explode and thought "Is this how a kiss should be"?
- It was like ice cream.
- I worked at Dairy Queen. Believe me, it's not like ice cream.
- No, what I want to say is that it's as if my whole life I
had taken frozen yogurt. And kissing boys is ice cream.
"I can not believe how much you look cool now.
"Are you making fun of me?"
"No way, Alek." Becky stopped spinning and looked out the window.
"Do you know the way you always turn red?" It's one of the things I
but I like you. If anything slightly embarrassing
It happens, you look like a lobster. But now you are neither
pink And I mean rosy in the sense of blushing, not in the sense of gay.
Alek did not have to look in the mirror to know that her friend was
certain.
"You're hiding things from me." Becky jumped on the bed.
Alek and continued to hop. "Tell me what else happened."
- Okay, okay! But be calm. "Alek took a deep breath.
he waited for Becky to calm down to continue. "Seriously, we just stay in the
kissing for a while I do not know how long because I lost track of how
It happens when we're watching a good movie.
- Like a good Audrey Hepburn movie or a good movie from
Katharine Hepburn?
"Becky," Alek warned.
- Nevermind. I know what you mean.
"Well, he overcame the shock of my kissing gesture. AND,
besides being a man, he is the first older person I kiss. He
he knew what he was doing.
Becky rolled over in bed with excitement, kicking her legs in the air and almost
knocking down the soda cans.
- And then?
"A while later, we heard a knock on his door, and I almost gave a
I hopped so big it was the scare. His father had come home and
we were too busy doing, um, things, to listen to him.
"I'm sure you do."
"So ... we separate, and his father asks, on the other side of the
"Are you there, Eth?" And he replies, "I'm, Dad, with a friend." He
he spoke in a way that made it clear that this was not an invitation, and the father says,
"I hope you're having fun." We almost died of laughter.
His father walked away, but the weather turned cold, do you know what it's like?
Alek could not believe that Ethan's father did not insist on
know the friend, as his parents would have done. But, on the other hand, the idea
inviting a person to live with them, as Ethan's father did with
Remi, would never occur to the Khederians. Alek waited until he heard no more
Ethan's father's steps to speak.
"Do you really think your father did not know about you and Remi?"
"I do not think so, but we did not talk about this sort of thing."
"Do you think he'd freak out if he knew you were gay?"
"Look at my room, Alek." Ethan pointed to the cocoon made of
faces, breasts, bellies and asses of man around. "If you were blind,
deaf and dumb, would still know that I'm gay. My father does not care. Not
I have this kind of closeness to him. We talked about books,
music and sports. Not about personal things. And I'm sure he
I knew Remi was gay when he invited him to live with us. Or him
did not join two plus two, or did not matter to him. Now that I am
thinking about it, I had no one to talk to about Remi
How am I talking to you?
Alek looked at Becky and saw his luck for having a friend like
she.
- What happened next? Becky asked.
"We talked a little, nothing special, just talk. There
I realized how late it was and had to go home - Alek
She lay down and rested her head on the pillow. I just want to see how it's going to be in
school tomorrow.
"Pretty weird," Becky said. - What will you do? Walk with the
dropouts Maybe you should practice belching, farting and smoking so you can
integrate with the group.
- I'll try my best.
- It was very thoughtful of you to decide to have your first experience with
boys on a Monday, not any Monday but one that
the Fourth of July, so that you can use the holiday that
celebrates the birth of this nation by analyzing this experience with its
best friend.

"By the way, happy Independence Day," said Alek.

"For you too, boy. We should not go to a barbecue or
Another celebration tonight?
"I think so," said Alek. "But how will my parents travel?"
I think I'm staying at home today.
"Ah, Alek, I am very happy for you. Really. Remember that uncle
gay man I mentioned, who only came out of the closet when he was already married and had
children? Think of all the years he lost. And here you are, at age 14,
which is not as old as it may seem, and with that clear
about yourself. Of course you had help from your best friend, but
even so.
Alek waited for a sarcastic comment that would destroy the moment
sincere from Becky, but there was none.
"Thank you, Becky," he said gently.
"Are you having a" out of the closet "party?
- What?
Like a debutante party. But for you to come out of the closet. You
invite me, or Jason or Matthew, or anyone with whom you
He walked when he had friends. And wear a pretty dress. We bring presents.
"Why do not you bring the gifts and we'll skip the part of the dress?"
"It does not work like that.
"Oh, so I do not want your presents." Besides, I know you're
saving to buy new skates.
- I already bought it.
- What?
"I'll have to say good-bye to the skating camp, but in two
I worked in that icy hell, I earned enough
buy these little things.
Becky jumped out of bed and pulled out a pair of
schoolbag.
"I can not believe you did not tell me soon."
- I think your first gay kiss is a novelty bigger than mine.
rollerblades. But now that we've touched on the subject, take a look. Are not they beautiful?
They have bigger wheels, so I can break the sound barrier. And they give
more support to the heel, and the alignment of the wheels is better. I Think
I'm in love.
Alek studied the skates carefully, breathing in the scent again.
"Where are the brakes, Becky?"
- Please. Brakes are for beginners. The most radical maneuvers,
like skating by handrails, are impossible with brakes.
"Look at you."
"Well, I think it's time we got rid of the things that
They mess up, "Becky said.
"Have we stopped talking about you?" Asked Alek. - Because
I need advice.
- Do not let him do anything bolder before the third
meeting. Otherwise guys think you're easy.
Alek smiled.
"Where do you think this will get any better?" He asked, taking out
a cupboard from the closet and opening for Becky to see.
- Who is it?
- Andre Agassi.
"Is not he the best tennis player in history?"
He was retired now. This photo is from when he was not just the
best player, but also the most delicious. My uncle gave me a gift of
last year and I've been wanting to hang for months, and now
I'll hang it.
"You do not think your parents are going to question why ..."
- ... I am hanging a poster of a famous half-Armenian athlete in the
wall? "I am only paying homage to my cultural heritage, mother and father, as
all good Armenian boys should. "
"Look at you, already hanging posters of cat men. If being gay does not
it works, you can try to be a straight teenage girl.
- Where should I put it?
- Right there. Thus, you can look at the bed before bed
Alek put the poster on the wall so Becky could tell if she was okay.
centralized. After some adjustments, they switched places to Alek ter
sure he'd enjoyed the way it looked when seen from the bed.
"I'm so glad you told me about it, Alek."
- Who else would I tell? Replied Alek simply.
Although Alek felt he could tell Becky anything, it did not
I wanted to say that he had to tell everything. For example, he decided to omit
Ethan's initial reaction to being kissed.
After recovering from the shock, Ethan walked away at once.
"I do not want a pity kiss from you, Alek.
- What?
"You took pity on me because I told you about Remi and went
That's what you kissed me.
The anger in Ethan's voice surprised Alek, but it did not embarrass him.
"Who's acting crazy now, Ethan?" If you do not want me to
Kiss you, I will not kiss. But, believe me, I'm not acting up.
Ethan thought about it.
- Really?
"You heard me, man," Alek said, punching him.
a joke on his arm.
In the security and privacy of Ethan's room, Alek felt freer
and more confident than at any point in life. So when Ethan
leaned forward and gave him a deep kiss, Alek responded.
Alek looked at how ordinary his room was. Turn it to
getting more to your face would be a challenge that he felt ready to
to stare.
- How are you doing? Becky asked, adjusting the poster. - Is good?
"Pull a little to the right," Alek instructed. - A little
more ... it's great!
He picked up a pencil and began to make marks on the wall.
"So, are you going to step out of the closet now?" Becky asked.
Alek stopped in the middle of the mark he was making.
- As well?
"Oh, you and Ethan will go hand in hand at school?" They will enter
for the Gay-Hetero Alliance in the fall? They will become experts in
musicals, fashion and wine?
"I did not think of any of this. Do you think people will treat me?
different? That I'm going to behave in another way?
"Alek, your personality has not changed, and you have not just discovered
which is adopted and is not really Armenian. You're still you. It's just you.
who likes boys.
"I think so," said Alek. "But I did not think of any of those
other things.
- I do not want to cause stress, but you need to think about why, if
you and Ethan go hand in hand at school, your brother will know, and you
he knows he's going to tell his parents, and then ...
- Oh my God. My parents! They will freak out!
Alek put the pencil on the table and sat down on the floor. So far, I was
floating through the thrill of kissing Ethan. But these issues did
realize how many other things he would have to think.
"They talk about grandchildren as long as I can remember." Having grandchildren is one of the
responsibilities. It is more important than
to celebrate Remembrance Day or boycott Turkish restaurants - Alek
felt a bad feeling in his hand. He looked down and saw that he had broken
the pencil in the middle.
"Is not it a little early for you to think about children?" You do not have to
to choose the kitchen curtain first?
"I'm saying that procreation is a sacred Armenian responsibility.
- Just adopt.
- It's not that easy. Passing DNA forward is part of the importance.
"Alek, you need to calm down, okay?"
- It's easy to talk. You are not about to be disowned by your parents.
Alek had not even thought about what he and Ethan would do at school. Fur
Ethan spoke and acted, Alek knew that he was not afraid of what the
other people thought. But Alek had not even thought of any
consequence.
"Why do not you talk to Ethan?" He has already gone through this. What's up
that being the youngest is good. I'm sure he'll know what to do.
He always seems to know.
- Thank you, Becky. Is a good idea. I'll try to postpone my outbreak until
talk to him.
Alek had not thought of any of these things when he
Ethan because his room seemed to have a dimension of its own, far and
rest of the world. Before Alek left, Ethan put out a song by Rufus
to play and insisted that he pay attention to the lyrics.
"What a beautiful and sad song," said Alek.
"It's One man guy," Ethan said. - It's my favorite. You
Do you understand what he's saying?
"I think so," said Alek. "It's about integrity, is not it?" That the
people will understand that he is the kind of guy who
believes and does not defend the things in which he does not believe.
"That's right." Ethan smiled. - Rufus's father recorded
years ago. He was a famous folk singer, so "one man guy", for him, was
a cowboy thing, alone by the pastures, doing the right thing. But you understand
Why did I want you to listen?
"Do you want to be a cowboy?"
"Very funny, Alek, but you will not escape so easily.
When Rufus sings, the music takes on a different meaning. When one
gay guy sings "I am a one man guy", that is to say something else. After
Remi, I thought it would be a guy the way Rufus's father sang,
alone in the world. But now, that I kissed you, I want to be a loyal
The way Rufus means. And I know this is news to you, that you may not
want to make no commitments now, but it's the only way I can
to get on board. With me it's all or nothing.
Alek stared at Ethan, stunned.
- I knew! Ethan said. - Remi told me never to get involved
with someone who had just come out of the closet. They are insecure people,
they do not know what they want and only use you as a homosexual experiment.
"How do you know I'm coming out of the closet now?" - He asked
Alek.
"Not wanting to disrespect you," Ethan said.
same if you had "novice" tattooed on your forehead.
"I just know that I like to be here with you and I can not imagine
wanting no one else. Is that enough for you?
- Enough.
Ethan pulled Alek to the bed where they hugged each other until they heard the
his father approaching the room again.
Alek smiled to himself as he remembered the speed with which he turned away from
Ethan flew to the other side of the room, just for safety.
"Why are you smiling, Alek?" Asked Becky, putting the
poster on the table.
- It's gay stuff. You would not understand, "Alek said.

13
The spoon Alek was knocking on the kitchen table later, at that
same day, it made a dry, echoing sound. He wondered how many times
he would have to hit her on the head to be unconscious. But if
parents might never leave.
"This is the phone number of the hotel where we're staying tonight,
explained the mother once more. - If you need us, call, and they will pass.
Direct to our room. Of course, your father and I will also be
our cell phones. After our fourth, we would stay at the Marriott near ...
It was the third time that the mother passed these instructions, and Alek
she could make the effort to pretend she was paying attention. At the
the front door to the kitchen, his father was checking
they had put everything they needed into the suitcase.
"Alek, do you hear me?" I want you to know how to do it.
Contact us if anything goes wrong, "her mother said.
"You're only going to be away for five days!" Now, show me where you are.
the pigeons, in the case of people-eating zombies attacking me
when you're away and I need to ask where the bandaids are.
"That's no joke, Alek. This is the first time we've been leaving you.
alone and
"And everything will be all right, Mother," Alek said.
Nik came down the stairs, wearing a shirt with a tie.
"Hey, the dance is only spring," Alek chuckled.
Instead of returning with another insult, Nik looked embarrassed and
turned to his mother.
"Do not you think it's exaggerated, Mother?"
"Oh, we're going to spend most of the time in the car today. Maybe you
You should save those clothes for dinner, dear.
Nik ran up the stairs.
- What's his problem? We only dress like that when we go to
church.-
I think ... well ... "her mother wiggled, clearing her throat.
"What is it, Mother?"
"I think Nik is trying to impress Nanar's parents." They are
so straight, you know ... He's afraid he's not Armenian enough to
they.
- If Nik does not suit them, they will have to order a groom
straight from Armenia, "said Alek.
"Honey, I was thinking, if you want to do your shopping for
summer while we're traveling, I'll leave it with you, "she said.
mother, handing an envelope to him.
Alek opened it and found a prepaid American Express card.
- Oh my God! Exclaimed Alek. "Thank you, Mother," he said,
hugging her spontaneously, surprising them both. - I swear I'm just going.
buy good clothes and nothing from Turkey. And I'll keep all the receipts.
- I know. I trust you, "her mother replied simply. -
We'll also leave this in the case of an emergency.
She handed him an envelope full of money.
Alek took it seriously, thinking he wanted the family
travel without him more often.
"I asked your father to stock up on various things like soap and
Canned.
- I know. Putting this together and the 20 pots of food he left,
nuclear war, I will be able to feed the entire
reduce radiation levels.
Alek braced himself for the next answer. But she just
she put her hand over his.
"We just want to make sure you have everything you need-
she said.
"I promise I'll be fine, Mother. Do not worry, okay?
Alek patted her arm comfortingly.
"You're a good boy, Alek. I'm sorry for not having ...
"Kadarine, may I speak to you for a moment?" - Alek's father
called the corridor. - We have to decide if we want to take I-95 to I-
80 or enter 287 and then swap.
Alek's mother smiled warmly.
"Do not worry too much about us when we're gone, okay? AND
remember: only one friend at a time, nothing to come to sleep here, and call all
day, morning and evening.
She got to her feet, left the kitchen and passed Nik, who was now
wearing a skinny hipster jeans and a tight striped shirt
to the body. He was carrying several books, which he began to pack.
"What is it, my dear?" She asked.
"I thought I'd take some books I have not read yet."
books. - This is a collection of plays by William Saroy an.
"Have you heard of him, Alek?" Her mother asked hopefully.
- Let me guess. Is it an Armenian who wrote plays?
- Is the greatest Armenian-American writer of the XX century - Nik
he replied quickly. He held up another book. - And this is the 40 days of
Musa Dagh.
asked Alek. - I even heard of that.
"He was Austrian, not German," Nik said.
- Whatever.
"Nik, what good books you've got together," his mother said. - I'm sure
that Nanar's parents will be impressed.
She kissed Nik's forehead and went to the car to help his father
things in the trunk.
"Are you excited for the trip?" Alek asked his brother.
- I am. Let's start by going to North Point, and tomorrow we should
get to Niagara Falls. And you, are you really going to be fine alone?
This sudden preoccupation with Alek seemed to be affecting
world.
- I'll be fine. Just do me a favor, okay?
Nik looked at Alek cautiously.
- What?
"Do not spend your holidays reading these books. The reason for traveling to
Some place is to know this place.
"I know, Alek, but those books are on my summer reading list.
I need to read everyone.
Alek put his hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Nik, there's a difference between wanting and wanting. Remember this,
OK?
****
Alek used to be afraid to enter the school cafeteria. But now your
heart was racing. It would be the first time he'd meet Ethan after
of the kiss. All it took was a quick evaluation of the salon to see that Ethan was
sitting with the dropouts at the usual table.
The table was in the middle of the hall, and the dropouts made more noise from the
that the rest of the cafeteria together. Discolored hair and piercings of
made them stand out from the other students as a phrase
marked with illuminator. Alek had to force himself to look away.
He walked toward the table where he used to sit. But,
after a few steps he heard Ethan calling him.
- What's up, Polly?
- Hi, Ethan.
Just to see him again, Alek felt shivers go through his body. The jeans of
Ethan had a low fit on his hips, and his hair fell on his face, so that
you could only see one of the blue eyes. He went to Alek with his hair
swinging with each step.
- What are you doing? He said, right in the middle of the way.
"Oh, here's the cafeteria, so I thought about lunch.
"Do not play with me, man. I meant what are you doing going
to that sad and lonely table where he always sits alone? You go
Sit with me from now on.
Ethan put his hands on Alek's shoulders and guided him to his desk.
In all the times that Alek imagined this situation, he never
I had considered that. He prayed there would be no place for him, but he saw that
Ethan had put the knapsack on the chair beside his. Not even at the
people challenged the sacred school code of places
saved.
- It's a pleasure to meet you, quitters! - complimented Alek
when they arrived at the table. At the same time, he wished he could withdraw his
words. - Not that I think you will become future quitting or
nothing ... "he said, desperately searching for words to get around
what he had said.
"We know how people call us," said a
black leather jacket, although it is summer. - But we invented others
nicknames
- As "challenged" - said proudly, a guy with two piercings
on the eyebrow, and the table approved with satisfaction.
"Or" destroyers, "said another man on the other side of the table, using
a shirt with the image of Bob Marley, followed by more expressions of
approval.
"Or" dishonest, "Alek added. But his comment was
received with silence.
"I do not think we're dishonest," said one of the quitters,
somewhat on the defensive.
Alek did not know what was worse, insulting Ethan's few friends
seconds after sitting at their table or almost beating a
a few weeks earlier.
"Anyway," Ethan interrupted, "this is Alek. And those are Andy,
Peter, Anthony, Dustin, Chris, Mikey, Jack ...
Alek did not even try to memorize all the names he was hearing. Their
parents had taught her to always shake the person's hand when
presented to someone and make eye contact. Alek heard the words "Legal
meet you guys "get out of your mouth. I knew I should have said something
It's like, "Hey, guys?" or just "Hi," or say nothing and gestured
with his hand, which would tell him that he did not need
words to have the respect of them.
Alek was painfully aware of how dislocated he was in that
group. Jeans and Izod green short sleeve shirt that mother
had given him his birthday, he looked at the table and observed the variety
of colors, metals and rough fabrics. Alek could see that all the
they bought and used what they had wanted for years.
"Why will he sit here?" Complained the boy with two
piercings on his eyebrows and shaggy hair, sitting at the end of the table.
Alek shifted in his chair, wondering why Ethan decided to subject him
to this unique and cruel torture.
"What do you mean, Pedro?" Ethan asked.
"Look, Ethan, when I was with Stephanie, I could not bring her to
our table. You know how fucked up she was when I did not
sat with her for lunch? She said that this was one of the main reasons
to finish with me
"I think the fact that you did not shower was another, Pedro," he said.
a guy with platinum blond hair and spiky. The whole table fell on the
laughter
"Good, Josh," said an Oriental quitter with mohawk hair.
was sitting on Alek's diagonal.
"Do not be a jerk, Pedro. You know Stephanie could not sit down.
with us because she's a woman, "Ethan said indifferently.
- So you're saying that just because you like men, people
Who are you with, can you sit with us?
"I'm saying only men can sit at our table, then
I can invite Alek to sit with us.
- What the fuck.
Think of it as a gay advantage. How not to worry about
pregnancy.
The whole table laughed again, and Alek felt himself relax just one
a little. He always lived far from the dropouts and watched them with
awe and horror. You never saw a quitter alone; they always walked
by the school in bands like wolves. But now that he was at their table,
I could see that they ate, fought and laughed like everyone else.
Alek leaned close to Ethan.
"Does everyone even know you're gay?"
- You know.
"Was it difficult to get out of the closet for them?"
"It was very difficult in my head. None of them are gay, and I know
these boys since I was a kid. But one day, during the ninth year,
at the same table, we were talking about which teacher we would like
eat. When it came to my turn, I said, "Mr. Spack."
A history teacher image with athletic bearing and shoulders
in the mind of Alek.
"First, they thought I was joking," Ethan went on.
"But I was not. Josh - Ethan pointed to the boy with his hair.
spiky and platinum-asked: "What does that mean? What do you like about
man, "and I said," Do you have a problem with that? "and Josh
replied, "Of course not, I would rather eat Mr. Spack instead of
Lady Schmidt ". And that was all.
"Was it that easy?" Asked Alek incredulously.
"Well, yes and no. Two trainees jumped on me after
I took the two of them to run.
"Did you hit two older boys when you were in ninth grade?"
"And I took a beating of them," Ethan admitted, embarrassed. - But,
after those two assholes formed, everyone knew it was not
to mess with me
One of the guys tapped his fist on the table.
No more whispers, girls!
- Shut up! Ethan shouted back.
Alek busied himself taking lunch from his pack.
- What's up, man? Asked the desisting Eastern man.
"Yeah, looks bad," Jack said.
He got up from the other end of the table and walked to the front
to Alek.
"I can not believe I'm sharing the table with the same guy
who almost whacked me a few weeks ago, "thought Alek. He
asked if Jack remembered having him pinned to the ground near the
tunnel.
Jack took the pot from Alek's hand. Alek felt that Ethan was going to react, but
manifested itself first. He needed to show Ethan that he could defend himself.
"They're soudé fruits," he explained as Jack continued to inspect.
the pot with small purple bulbs dipped in brine. - You never
Did you hear about it?
"I've never been to Bangladesh, I do not know where it comes from.
- It's a typical Armenian food, and it makes sense because this fruit alone
is born in Armenia. It's something in the mood there, I guess. When they
fall from the tree, need to be harvested immediately, otherwise
poisonous But when you pick them in time, they are delicious.
Jack got up and leaned on the table to look better. The others
boys stopped talking to accompany the scene.
"I do not think there's such a Soudé fruit," Jack said.
"Your problem, man," Alek said in the same way he had heard
Ethan used the expression, letting it crawl as if it were not
do not care. "It must mean that you do not want to experiment, which is a
sorry, because it's the best thing you could prove, but if you do not want ...
Josh spoke from the end of the table:
"I did a science job in the fifth year on that. They are for real.
Josh's hair was so blond it looked white, and he spoke with
an authority that no one would dare oppose. Alek did not know if
he would sit at that table again, but after Ethan, Josh was his quitter
favorite.
"I did not say I did not want to try it," Jack said, pulling back.
"Oh, you must be scared.
And to prove what he was saying, Alek took the pot from Jack's hand,
opened it and put a portion in the mouth. He chewed with enthusiasm and let
the fullness of the experience would appear on his face.
- Wow, that's good.
"All right, man, get over here," Jack said.
As Alek pretended not to hear, Jack shouted,
- I told you to give me one of those soudé fruits!
"That's no way to talk to him, asshole," Ethan raged at him.
even aggressive tone.
"All right, Ethan," Alek said, reassuring him. He pushed the pot
until he stood beside Jack's hand. - You better try a little piece
first, to make sure you can eat.
Jack looked at Alek defiantly, stuck his fingers in the pot,
grabbed two soggy bulbs and tossed it in his mouth. The whole table was staring at him.
start chewing, slowly at first, then more vigorously.
- Dude, you're right! It's amazing ... it's spicy and ...
Alek put his hands on the table with a worried expression.
"Did you say spicy?"
- IS.
- Oh my God! Shouted Alek, putting his hands to his face. - Spit,
face. Spit! The soudé fruit has to be sweet. It only spicy if you stayed too long.
time on the floor. In that case, it's lethal!
- Fucking shit! Shouted Jack, spitting bits and pieces
chewed on him and the boys sitting nearby.
- Give him water! Shouted Alek.
Someone threw Jack a bottle of water, and he began to drink and
spitting violently, trying to get the remains from her mouth.
"Call the nurse!" Call the emergency! Cried Jack,
between swearing and screaming.
"Dude, you're spreading this shit everywhere!" Shouted a
of the boys, wiping their faces.
"Seriously," Alek said quietly. - You are exaggerating.
"It was you who said it was lethal!" Cried Jack.
- I was joking, man. My God, you do not understand jokes?
- What?
"You ass," Alek went on. - There is no soudé fruit. This is only
Pickled Eggplant. They are miniature eggplants dipped in vinegar
and brine until they shrink and stay that size. They are harmless.
Everyone was silent as he absorbed what he said. Alek
realized that this was a turning point: or they would like the
or would be against him for humiliating a friend in group ten
minutes after being invited to sit with them.
From the end of the table, Josh's blond hair swayed as he laughed.
nonstop.
"You should have seen how you reacted, idiot," he managed to say between
laughter "Spitting eggplant all over, freaking out for fear of dying.
What a biba. It was hilarious.
Ethan started laughing a second later, and soon everyone was laughing.
together.
"It hurt, man," Dustin said, slapping the back of his
Jack.
"He took you right," agreed Peter.
In a short time, even Jack was laughing. The dropouts table was
a mess: it had spilled soda, overturned trays and sandwiches
trampled. But no one seemed to care.
"What does soudé mean, anyway?" Ethan asked.
"It means" it's a lie "in Armenian," said Alek, now laughing.
"Alek," said Jack through a laugh, "you're crazy.

14
"Let me get this straight. Your parents are going to be away the week.
- IS.
"There's no one with you or caring for you."
- Not.
"And your mother left a lot."
- IS.
- When's the party, man? Ethan asked, jumping with joy.
Alek and Ethan were going home after school. For Alek, it seemed
more that floated than he walked. After the soudé play, the friends
of Ethan received Alek better. He knew that he would never be in the group, but
he agreed not to feel totally excluded when he sat at their table. THE
Algebra class was an exercise in resistance because he was so close to
Ethan, but not being able to talk to him or touch him. Sometimes,
Ethan looked at him and their eyes met. Ethan smiled and
He looked at Mr. Weedin closely, pretending to be absorbed in class.
Alek and Ethan reached the tunnel entrance under the train station.
- What are you going to do now? Asked Alek.
"Oh, I usually stay with people and go skateboarding," he said.
Ethan, dropping the skateboard and climbing on it. "But I think you and I are going to have
an impromptu adventure in New York today.
- Today? We can not go to the city today!
- Because?
"First, if my parents found out, they would kill me!"
"And where are your parents now?"
"Well observed," said Alek. "But I still have to call them."
today. From the landline.
- It's all right. Go home, call them and come back in time to get the
train of 16h33. This will give us enough time to wander the Big Apple.
Alek thought for a moment. Ethan's plan was solid.
- I will be there.
Ethan leaned over, kissed Alek's cheek, and walked out.
with the skateboard on the shoulder.
Alek's cheek went up in flames. He stood still, watching Ethan
move away. The gypsy on Ethan's floor was the first thing he called the
Alek's attention as he walked through the cafeteria or some
school. His gait said, "I own my nose, and if you do not
I like it, I do not care. " As always, the elastic underwear was
appearing above the pants. But this time Alek did not look away. Ethan
turned suddenly and saw that Alek was looking at him. He blinked, threw
a kiss, put the skateboard on the floor, jumped on top and walked away.
Alek went home and tried to think of how this sudden
York would affect their schedules. He had promised his parents that he would
that day and wanted to keep the word. I was also planning to write
the work comparing Romeo and Juliet to Works of lost loves
for English class, but that he could do the next day, since the
work was only for Friday.
Alek was changing when the phone rang.
- Hello.
"Hi, cat," said a husky voice on the phone.
"Uh, who is it?"
The hoarse voice continued:
"I'm thinking of skating to show you who I am."
- Becky?
- C'est moi! She said, abandoning the pretense.
- What is going on?
"Are you still up tonight?" I have a great movie and a popcorn.
delicious microwave to enjoy your first night alone.
Well, second, considering that your parents traveled yesterday, but you know the
what I mean.
"Uh, Becky, do you mind if we reschedule for tomorrow?"
"Oh, you know how busy my social life is. Wait. I will
check. Will you tell me why you will cancel your plans with me so in
How do I check my schedule?
"Ethan invited me ... Well, he thought it might be fun to go to
town today, with my parents traveling and everything ... "Alek stammered.
"And you told him we had plans?"
"To be honest, I'd forgotten until you called.
A long pause followed.
"I know I have every right to be furious, but I'll let it go."
I'm a very educated person. Like a princess. As Audrey
Hepburn in The Princess and the Commoner. Alek, go have some fun today.
- Really? Are not you angry?
- Nevermind. Have fun, think about how much your best friend is
wonderful, and we can watch The reason for my affection tomorrow.
"You're awesome, Becky!"
Alek hung up the phone, put on a pair of shorts and an old T-
cut the grass.

The second hand of Alek's robot clock

while he talked to his mother on the phone, an hour and a
lawn cut after.
"So, are you having fun?"
"Yes, Alek, thank you for asking." Today we took the Maid of
the Mist by Niagara Falls and tomorrow we will visit the community
Burlington, on the other side of the Canadian border, so that the
young people can do research on cultural heritage projects. You
should think about joining the group next year.
"Sounds great, Mother.
There was grass in Alek's hair and his fingers were stained. He
knew the parents had the money to buy a motorized
father insisted on using the manual cutter because it would help his
"Improve character".
"Is everything okay?"
"Oh, almost everything.
"What is it, Mother?"
Alek walked to the shower and turned on the tap to be able to enter as soon as
get off the phone.
"Traveling with the Hovanians can be so tiring." Nothing seems
good enough for them. Today, Ms. Hovanian insisted on
enter the kitchen of the Armenian restaurant where we have lunch to show
as if a real kibbe is made.
"Ah, you know these Armenians," he teased, and went
rewarded with the sound of his mother's laughter.
"These Armenians," she agreed.
"Well, if there's nothing else," said Alek.
"Are you in a hurry, dear?"
Alek looked at his watch nervously. It was almost 4pm, so he just
had a few minutes to turn off the phone if he wanted to get to the
time.-
Of course not, Mother, "said Alek.
Somehow, the mother could always tell when
something going on. That is why he asked his father, not his mother,
to sign the math test when he had to fake the
the day after his first trip to New York, which he ended up with.
to do it again when she went to visit Becky at Dairy Queen after fighting
with Ethan. Sometimes he wondered if all the Armenian mothers had
telepathic capacity or whether it was his alone.
"And how was school?"
"It was all right, Mother.
"You know, Mrs. Schmidt told us you're doing very well. If
continue to do so, it will not be a problem to accompany the special
autumn.-
Yeah, well ... So, did you guys like the hotel?
"Oh, I asked to change rooms because the first one smelled of
cleaning product. I think they must have had the carpet cleaned.
recently and, as much as I am grateful for the cleanliness of the place, you know
as my sense of smell is sensitive. The second room was better, but the view was not
it was so good
His mind began to wander as his mother spoke without
pros and cons of hotel rooms.
Looking at the shorts he had separated to wear, Alek wished he had
something more funky to use in the adventure in New York. But I had
looked at all the trousers and shorts in the closet, and they all looked equally
ridiculous
- ... I just hope the food in the restaurant is good.
- I'm sure it will be.
"Have you done your summer shopping yet?"
"I was thinking of asking Boycott to take me to
shopping together with Becky this week.
- It's a great idea. But pay attention to buying clothes that
serve right.
- Thank you mother.
"And use the card." You know how much we spend, do not you?
Alek had foreseen it.
"I think you left enough money for the clothes." Because I
I do not use the money then? Then I'll save the card for some emergency. You
does care
"Whatever, my dear. I have to get ready for dinner. His father Nik and
Nanar send you souvenirs.
- Say hello to them.
- How is it?
"I meant to say" Hi "to me.
Alek hung up the phone, tossed his dirty clothes into the basket, and entered the
shower.

- Come on, come on, come on! Ethan shouted from the platform.
When Alek arrived at the train station, he was gasping for running.
the whole way. Alek climbed the stairs running a second before the train
stop and the doors open. He put his hands in his pockets to feel the
objects you picked up at home: the key, the envelope with money and the
Metropolitan Museum to give good luck.
"You were making me nervous, man. Why did it take so long?
"Mom ... phone ... a lot of time ..." Alek muttered between
inspirations.
- We have to go, man. You remember how it is.
- Yes sir!
Alek went into the bathroom and left the door open as Ethan opened the door.
and grabbed a black pen and a piece of white cardboard.

Alek felt the train go into a tunnel. He recalled, based on the previous round,
that they would reach Penn Station in a few minutes.
- What are we doing today?
"Let's take it in style."
Alek did not know what Ethan meant, but he had learned to trust
that things would be explained when he needed to know.
"I have a request," Alek said.
- Oh, you got it? Ethan cocked a questioning eyebrow.
"I want you to take me shopping."
"I think it's too early to choose curtains." After all, no
We are lesbians.
"That's not what I mean, Eth. I want clothes like yours.
Outfits.
"It's not because we're together that you need to dress like I do,
Alek. I like the way you dress. It's nerd-chic.
I think it's just nerd-nerd. I'm not saying that I want to dress like
you, but…
Alek stopped speaking. His parents have always criticized these Americans who
bought clothes every month to keep up with the latest fashion, and Alek
I did not want to be such a person. But he was tired of dressing in a way
which did not fit him. Even if it meant going to school in his underwear,
Alek promised never to wear khaki shorts again.
"Oh, you're in luck, man," Ethan said. I do all the
my shopping downtown, so it will be easy to go to one store or another. Let's go
see what you like. But it will take some money.
- Leave it to me.
Alek took the money from his pocket and showed Ethan.
- Oops, man. You can not keep showing your money like this when
We arrived in the city.
With embarrassment, Alek tucked the envelope back into his pocket.
- And then, MetroCard two for a special?
- Not today. The weather is beautiful and we are not in a hurry. Let's go
walking through Manhattan. It's the best way to get to know the city.
"Wherever you go, I'll go with you."
"I know you're with me." Ethan leaned down and kissed Alek gently.
on the lips. The train stopped. - Let's go.

15
"What are we going to do first?"
- Let's change your look. What do you have in mind?
"I just do not want to wear those idiot khaki shorts anymore."
"You have to decide how you want to get dressed. People do not dress
well by chance. It has to be planned, even if it does not seem to be. I Think
you need to look at some options. Luckily, I know where to go.
The summer breeze relieved the heat, and the humidity was blessed.
low. Alek and Ethan crossed with a group of street acrobats
jumped on each other in daring maneuvers to the sound of hip-hop music
in front of a huge sculpture of a twinkling cube that spun and
seemed an artifact of the future.
- Downtown is totally different from the Mile of Museums and Central
Park, "Alek commented.
"That's great in New York. It seems to be made up of a thousand cities
different, all stuck on a small island.
- Everything in uptown was clean and organized. But here is more ...
- Relax? Ethan suggested.
- Relax?
- IS. Relax. And artistic. Downtown is artistic, "Ethan said. - Is
good way of thinking about your new look. Before, you were clean and organized,
like uptown. But, now, you will discover downtown, artistic Alek.
"The artistic Alek," Alek repeated to himself.
Alek and Ethan entered a small park surrounded by streets and shops.
Alek saw a sign saying UNION SQUARE NORTH on a nearby street.
"You must see that!"
Ethan took Alek's hand and practically ran to the other side of the
where a group of boys skateboarded rails, ramps and
stairs.
"It looks like what you did there in the city," Alek said.
"That's our inspiration. No matter what time of day it is, always
There's a bunch of kids here. Take a look at them! "Ethan," he said,
excited. "Amazing maneuver, man," Ethan shouted at a skater who
jumped on the railing with the skateboard, slipped, spun in the air and fell quietly.
The skater responded by tapping his chest twice with his hand closed and
making the peace sign for Ethan.
After watching the skaters for a while, Alek and Ethan followed.
to the south. A few blocks later, they turned left at Astor Place.
- It's all right. I know you did not ask, but if we're going to turn you,
we have to start with the hair.
"Ethan, you might find yourself some sort of miracle worker, but you do not."
have my Afro-Armenian hair. I'll wear my hair like this until I die.
"You do not know my friend Marco. The guy is a genius.
Ethan descended a ladder under a barber's plate in which the
ASTOR HAIR words were formed with white bulbs on a background
black. Alek followed behind. They came to a maze of mirrors and chairs
a barber so dark that Alek did not understand how the barbers could
see people's hair, much less cut. The place had no similarity
none with the lighted halls with elevator music in the mall,
where Alek's mother took him all his life.
Everything on the premises was on the move: barbers cutting
impetuously, assistants sweeping the floor with care and razors
electric buzzing with audacity. Customers were almost all men
adults, but Alek saw younger boys than he and some elderly people walking
by the room with walking sticks and walkers. Even customers who were already
cutting their hair had an aura of energy and argued lively
local politics or sports with each other. Ethan did not even pause to observe the
pandemonium. He went straight to the barber at the back of the room.
"Ethan, my dear, it's so good to see you!" Said a fat man.
middle-aged man with a beard for a few days, a bulky mustache and
strong accent.
"Marco, this is my friend Alek. Save the! Ethan demanded.
Marco had warm brown eyes and chubby fingers. Stressed
on scissors, looked like sausages about to jump out of the film.
Marco pulled Ethan and Alek aside.
"I'll finish this client in five minutes." You have a waiting list, but
Any friend of Ethan's my friend. "Marco ran his fat fingers.
by Alek's hair. - Greek?
- Armenian.
That would be my next guess. Only Greeks and Armenians have crazy hair
like this. Let's see what we can do, okay? You should use your hair, not the
hair use you, right?
Half an hour later, Alek came out of the basement with a new haircut.
Despite the detailed instructions he received, Alek had no
he would be able to recreate Marco's perfectly messed-up appearance in
15 seconds, using some products and arranging with the hands.
- Take a look at my boy! Said Ethan with admiration.
when Alek left the barber.
Alek saw his reflection in the glass of a shop window. The cut looked even more
drastic in the light of day than it seemed in Marco's dark mirror. He never
she had noticed how ancient hair took the focus out of her eyes, nose and
ears. With the shorter cut, his features stood out.
- I feel naked.
"Scary, is not it, having nothing behind it to hide?" -
Ethan asked.
"Yes," agreed Alek. "But it's also liberating.
"Man, it's very beautiful." Ethan took a deep breath and shouted,
- My boy looks beautiful!
- Shh!
Alek looked around to see if anyone had reacted to the explosion of
Ethan. But Ethan was already walking.
"Now we need to get some nice clothes for this cat-
he commented. - Let's go.
Ethan and Alek walked for another 15 minutes until they stopped in front of a
building with the words HOUSING WORKS in stencil in the shop window and
at the door.
"Come with me," Ethan said, entering the shop without slowing his pace.
Alek went.
- Ethan! A young Afro-descendant called from behind the register.
"You have not been here for a century!" Good to see you, cat!
- Clarice! Hey Girl? Said Ethan, leaning over and giving a
I hug her. - This is Alek. Alek, this is Clarice. She is graduating from FIT,
the Fashion Institute of Technology, so she knows things. - He turned around.
for Clarice. "I'm thinking of something nerdy-chic." You can
Help us?
- Of course, come with me.
When Clarice left behind the bench, Alek could appreciate the whole
complete. She was wearing tight purple pants and a black shirt
sleeveless sequins that gleamed as she walked. Ethan and Alek
they followed Clarice as she ran through the macaws of clothes.
- It's a used clothing store! Exclaimed Alek.
"How do you think I'm fashionable with little money?" - He asked
Ethan. "But it's not just a used clothing store.
- We donate our profits to homeless and HIV-positive people -
Clarice explained to Alek, as he guided him through the macaws. - You stay in the
fashion and helps a good cause at the same time.
"They also have a downtown bookstore," Ethan said. - Not
that I have spent a lot of time there.
"Let's see." Clarice assessed Alek as a scientist trying to
understand the results of an experiment. - No light earthy tones
nor yellow, I like you in strong primary colors and maybe a
brown to highlight these eyes. Does it look good, Ethan?
"On the fly, as usual, Clarice.
- How's this? She asked, taking a green shirt
Faded
- It's the Green Lantern badge! Exclaimed Alek with joy,
admiring the drawing of the white circle in the middle of the T-shirt.
- What? Ethan said.
- "On the clearest day, on the darkest night, no evil shall escape the
my vision. "It is the motto of the Green Lantern!
"It does not matter," Ethan said. - I just thought it was cool. You hold
while Clarice and I took it, "he said, tossing the shirt to Alek.
Before long, he was buried under a pile of clothes.
He immediately vetoed some things because he thought they were too
a red fair trousers and a t-shirt neon purple tank top. But Ethan did not
did care
"We're just trying to figure out what you like.
When Alek thought he would fall apart under the weight of the pile of clothes
which he was holding, Ethan said:
"Go try all this." I'll be there in a second.
Alek found the dressing table in the far corner of the shop and waited in line
until one of them is available.
After closing the curtain, Alek took off his shoes and khaki shorts and
tried the first pair of navy-blue
buttons and with orange stitching.
- Alek, come and parade for me! Ethan shouted outside.
Timidly, Alek opened the curtain and walked away.
- "The rain in Spain falls with such intensity" - recited Alek
with a British accent.
- As?
Ethan evaluated the trim of Alek's pants from every angle.
- That's what Eliza Doolittle's teaching to say correctly when she is
finally turned into my fair lady.
- Okay guy. This one looks beautiful. Try with ...
Ethan went to the dressing room and got a tight black T-shirt with V collar.
Alek changed his T-shirts and left with his full suit. Ethan whistled
with approval.
"That's what you'll be wearing when you get out of here." Between there and me
Show me the rest.
Ethan's enthusiasm spread to everyone. When Alek left the fitting room,
a few moments later, this time wearing the Green Lantern T-shirt
with a straight low cut gray waist jeans, other customers
who waited in the queue of the taster clapped. Ethan made him parade with
the clothes down the hallway, to the delight of the improvised audience.
"You need some clever shoes for this outfit," he suggested.
an elegant and well-dressed young man with a briefcase in his hand.
"These two make a lovely couple," a middle-aged woman whispered.
who was wearing a beige straw hat for her friend.
In the dressing room, Alek took off his shirt and was deciding what to try
then when he heard Ethan on the other side of the curtain.
"I chose that for you." I want to see if you look better on the frame.
black or silver. I think we're ready to choose accessories.
Alek had a glimpse of himself in the mirror, shirtless, before
Ethan come in holding two pairs of sunglasses and some cords with
wood beads.
- Oh, hey. I did not know ... I'm sorry, I thought you were dressed
Ethan said when he saw half-naked Alek. But he made no move to
leave.
"I was just trying to decide what to try now," he replied.
Alek, turning and turning his back on Ethan.
- How's it going?
Ethan showed an almost transparent white shirt stamped with
a floral design on the shoulders and back.
- Fine, you want to leave it here? Asked Alek.
"I'd rather you turn around so I can see you put it on."
Alek paused for a second, then turned slowly. Realized
that Ethan was looking him up and down. Although it should have been
Alek felt a secret emotion for being half naked in front of
Ethan. And having so many people around made everything more exciting.
"I did not know you had such a sexy tris," Ethan said slowly,
enjoying every word.
- Tris?
- Triceps, damn.
"I told you I played tennis for years."
Ethan touched Alek's elbow with one finger and ran from the triceps to
the shoulder. Alek felt every hair on his body shiver. Ethan's Finger
remained on Alek's shoulder for a while and then descended slowly,
accompanying the breastplate.
"And I did not know you were so tanned." All Armenians take
color as well?
"Ah, many Armenians are very white, like my mother. My
brother pulled more of her skin type. But I'm more like my father.
He is so dark that sometimes they think he is Turkish.
"Thank God for your father's Armenian genes.
Ethan's finger stopped beneath Alek's chin, and suddenly he
pushed against the wall of the dressing table. Ethan leaned against Alek's body.
and kissed him.
- Not here! Protested Alek, almost without strength, after a few
seconds.
"It does not make any difference to me where to make out - Ethan
He smiled shyly, but turned away. However, your body language
made it clear that he would have been happy to continue kissing. And maybe even
more. - But it's alright. I want to see you in that button-down shirt.
In the box queue, a few minutes later, Alek could not believe
that the two pants, the three shorts and the four shirts he was wearing
holding, not counting the blue pants and the black shirt with V collar that Ethan
chose for him, the silver sunglasses and a string of beads
cost less than half of the money their mother used to
spend on summer clothes.
"How about that, to give the finishing touch?" Ethan asked, showing
a worn leather backpack.
Alek dropped the clothes on the floor and hugged the backpack affectionately.
"Goodbye, JanSport," he said, pressing his face into his bag and
inspiring the scent of old leather.
"I'll take that as a yes," Ethan said, taking the clothes.
of Alek from the ground.
A few minutes later, they left the store with Alek proudly
wearing the new clothes and the rest folded in the leather backpack, hanging
on the back.
"Remember the five dollars we did not spend last time because
Were you all sour?
"I was not sour, whatever that means!" I thought you
I was being homophobic ...
"... when I was just being homosexual," Ethan said. -
Are you hungry?
With all the activities of the day, Alek had not realized that he did not eat
since the soudé fruit incident.
- Dying!
"That's what we're going to use the five dollars for. Even in New York,
you can find good and cheap food.
Ethan slowed and Alek followed. "How should it be?" He asked himself.
Alek, "know how to walk through the city?"
"Let's have a little something to eat, then we'll go to the High Line."
- What is the High Line?
"You have to see it to believe it," was all Ethan said.
Alek and Ethan went through countless restaurants, kiosks and
food strollers as they walked through the city.
"Can not we have something here?" Asked Alek.
"No," Ethan said quickly. - This place is kind of far,
but if you want the best you have to be willing to go after it. Mainly if
wants the best is cheap too.
They passed a basketball court and Ethan turned left.
- We're in the West Village. It was a bohemian / gay neighborhood, but it happened.
gentrification and now only rich people live here. And NYU students.
We arrived.
Ethan paused in front of a small striped awning in white and brown
next to a sign that read MAMOUN'S FALAFEL.
- Chickpea nuggets! Exclaimed Alek.
"Do not tell me that falafel is Armenian, too.
"It's not, but it's from the Middle East. But my mother was
family as a child, and mothers exchanged recipes all the time.
Falafel to me is like hot dogs to most boys.
Ethan went to make the request, but Alek interceded.
"You may," he said. "We're going to want two falafel sandwiches,
but I want with real Arabian bread, not this thick deal that these
Americans like.
The guy behind the counter nodded approvingly. Picked up Arabian breads
well under the counter, opened and used tongs to catch balls of
falafel in the frying basket.
"How long has this falafel been there?" Alek asked the man,
who looked with embarrassment instead of responding. - That's what I thought. You
Would you mind making it fresh, please?
The subject made balls with crushed chickpeas and put
in boiling oil.
"You really suck on falafel," Ethan commented, impressed.
"You have no idea the pride my parents would feel about me now."
Replied Alek.
When the falafel was ready, Alek pointed to the accompaniments.
- You can take light on the salad, and we want cucumber in the brine and ...
- Soudé fruits! Ethan exclaimed cheerfully.
- And eggplant pickles would be great. And let's have tahine and sauce
Spicy, please. Sahtein, "Alek said when the man gave him the
falafel sandwiches.
"What does Sahtein mean?" Ethan wanted to know.
"It's kind of bon appetit in Arabic," Alek said.
"Will you pay together?" Asked the man, adding up the total.
- Yes please.
Alek stepped forward before Ethan had the chance to respond. Delivered to the
box a ten dollar bill from the envelope and put a dollar in the
tips.
"Alek, you do not have to pay for me.
- I know that is not. But this is a date, right?
- Amen.
"Assuming it means" yes, "it's my pleasure.
- I can. My boyfriend bought a falafel sandwich for
me, "Ethan boasted to the goth girls behind him.
"You two are so cute." And you're so lucky. Being gay is so
fashion now. I'm thinking of becoming a lesbian, "replied the taller one.
Alek would have laughed or reacted to the girl's comment, but she was still
absorbing the fact that Ethan had used the word boyfriend. They ate
walking, with Ethan practically dragging Alek.
"My mother says it's not healthy to eat," Alek protested.
"Your mother does not have to get to the High Line before closing.
They walked endlessly, and Ethan led Alek down a circular staircase
external. A lane with garden, parallel to the river and suspended in the middle of the
city, received them.
- That Cool! Exclaimed Alek.
- It is not? Ethan nodded. - Here was a railway line used to
delivering milk, meat, fruit and vegetables, and raw goods and manufactured by
City. Then it was closed for an eternity and people wanted
but someone had the idea to turn it into a park. Come on!
"It's the opposite of Central Park," Alek observed as they walked.
- As well?
"Oh, in Central Park, you forget you're in a city. Here, the
city and nature mingle in this incredible hybrid thing. High Line does not
could exist anywhere else.
"Not really," Ethan agreed. - I love the view of the city from this
Second floor perspective. He pointed to the west. - That's where the
Ramblers, the city's gay football team, plays every Monday night. AND
there is the Chelsea Hotel, which was the place to be. And, look, this is mine.
favorite part, "he said when they reached 26th Street. They sat down.
hanging over the street, watching her go on to what seemed to be the infinite. -
You never see a street or avenue from that angle. Is not that amazing? - He asked
Ethan
Alek nodded and watched the street go on toward the horizon.
They passed by couples holding hands and more food strollers.
When they arrived at a Mexican pallet kiosk, Ethan took the wallet
with proud.
"If you can afford my falafel, I can pay for dessert," he said.
he, buying a strawberry palette and another mango with pepper. -
Do you want to share?
- A popsicle? Asked Alek.
"Afraid of getting my germs?"
They kept walking while they took the popsicles, admiring the
architecture of the suspended park and the way it seemed forever
integrated into the foliage and green.
"Come, come," Ethan urged. - We do not have much time.
- Time for what?
- Hurry up! Ethan said, practically dragging him through another
circular staircase.
Alek followed Ethan to the other side of a street, to a small
lawn on a pier.
"We're at the west end of Manhattan," Ethan pointed to the street.
which followed in parallel to the river. This is the West Side Highway.
"I live forgetting that Manhattan is an island," Alek admitted.
He lifted his face and saw the sun set behind the outline of New Jersey.
Alek grew up in New Jersey and knew that the city had a reputation as the
country. And usually Alek thought the reputation was deserved.
But at that moment he was seeing some rays of sunlight
darkened sky with purple, red and orange beams of light. The reflex
gently in the water, as if any disturbance were to make
the image disappears. Alek thought that even New Jersey was beautiful by
lenses from New York. Alek and Ethan stared at the look.
"You called me a boyfriend when we were buying the
"Alek said quietly, still looking forward.
- At Mamoun's?
- IS. You told those girls that your boyfriend paid the
food.
- And?
Alek paused, wondering if he would have the courage to make the
Terrifying question.
"Why me, Ethan?" You're so ... well, you could have any
person you wanted. Why did you choose me?
"I have a crush on the Armenian people. With all this history of
genocide…
The breeze that was blowing stirred some strands of Ethan's hair. Alek
He thought he would be happy to spend the rest of his life with the sun, the water, the
wind and Ethan. But that did not mean he was going to let him get away from the question.
"I'm serious, Ethan," Alek insisted gently.
He put his hand over Ethan's, which was propped on the parapet and
she intertwined her fingers with his.
Ethan paused a long, handsome pause before he began to speak.
- I think when you are our age it is very easy to make the
easy choice. What adults do not understand or may have forgotten is
that most of the time we do stupid things, we know that we are
making a fool, but we choose to do it anyway because it's more
easy. But you are different. You're not afraid to do the right thing,
even if it is more difficult. How to warn Mr. Weedin that he copied the
wrong problem on the blackboard. Or catch my attention when you thought I
was being homophobic. And I respect that, Alek. You have personality.
I want it on a guy I'm staying with. It means he's going to treat me
well deserves to be treated well.
Alek leaned his head on Ethan's shoulder and continued to watch the
Sunlight disappears.
"One more thing," Ethan said after a long pause. - It is
was already true before today, but now it is undisputed. He put his arm around her.
around Alek's shoulder and whispered in his ear. - You're sexy,
boyfriend.
 16
Alek had separated the clothes the night before, making a pact with himself
even that he would use them. Even so, she had to force herself to ignore the
Comfortable invisibility of the old clothes from your closet's shopping.
While walking the High Line the day before, the new clothes made
sense. But on top of his bed in New Jersey, they looked so
displaced as fireworks at a funeral.
Alek did not know whether it was a good sign that Mrs. Imbrie, the teacher
of English, did not recognize him when he entered the room that morning
wearing a tight jeans and a red checked plaid shirt
short and with the new haircut. And although he is not dressed as a
he felt more comfortable at their table. Josh, with hair
stuck platinum, even said:
"Ah, man, I'm straight, but I'd get you easy, easy.
And Ethan answered at once:
"Josh, are you straight?"
The whole table burst into laughter.
(I.e.
- Want a drink? Alek asked Ethan later, after class,
when they arrived at his house.
- Water's fine.
- With or without gas?
- With gas.
- Cold or at room temperature?
- Do you have water with ice and at room temperature?
- A good host is prepared for all possibilities -
replied Alek, quoting his mother.
Ethan was lying on the couch when Alek returned with sparkling water to the
room temperature. He placed it on a cupholder in front of Ethan and
He sat in the armchair.
"Why are you sitting so far, boyfriend?" I do not bite -
purred Ethan.
Lying down on his belly, his back arched in the sunlight
who was coming in through the living room window, Ethan looked feline.
Alek approached slowly and sat down on the other side of the sofa. It was the
the first time the two of them were alone in a private place from the
first kiss. The possibilities terrified Alek and made him euphoric.
As if reading his mind, Ethan said,
"You're still too far away.
Alek came closer, until he had his knees beside his head.
Ethan. Ethan put his head on his lap, arched and gave a firm kiss.
on the lips.
When Alek learned about the Trojan War and, consequently,
about Helen of Troy having been the face that launched a thousand ships, found the story
totally unbelievable. The idea that a single person could attract,
inspire or provoke hundreds of men to risk life and freedom
it seemed the kind of mythological hyperbole that never happened in the real world.
But as he kissed Ethan, Alek understood why all those
ancient Greek warriors entered those ships and sailed to each other
side of the world.
Much of what Ethan had already taught Alek was descriptive; as the
streets of Manhattan were organized or the deeper meaning of a
music by Rufus Wainwright. But now he was teaching through
examples, and Alek was an avid student. Alek learned when to bow and
when to back off, when to nibble and when to breathe.
Ethan began to gently run his fingers through Alek's hair. O
pressure was so subtle that Alek did not notice at first, but in
the movement soon evolved into something stronger. There came a
where Ethan took handfuls of Alek's hair by the roots. Alek
surprised, interrupting one of the kisses with a deep groan and
guttural. Ethan held on again, and Alek moaned even louder.
"You like that, do not you, boyfriend?" Ethan smirked.
"I like it," said Alek.
A few days before, he might blush, but not now.
Ethan's hands followed the top of Alek's shirt. Alek
took a deep breath and realized that he had lost track of time and did not
He had an idea if he and Ethan had been in jail for a few minutes or
many hours.
Being with Ethan made Alek so terrified. The first
Once they kissed, in Ethan's bedroom, some factors conspired
to limit the experience: they knew Mr Novick would return to
house at any moment, and besides, Alek had never kissed a boy.
But now, accommodated in the living room, without threat of interruption, Alek
he had no idea how to slow things down and how much he would feel at ease.
And part of him was afraid he would not want to know any of these things,
lose in curiosity and hunger.
Ethan opened the buttons of Alek's red plaid shirt one by one.
When he reached the last, he left his hand on the first button of his pants
jeans by Alek. Alek turned away from Ethan.
"I'm joking with you, man," Ethan laughed. - We are not
ready for it yet. We have to wait at least a few days.
- What? Said Alek, terrified and excited.
- Man, I'm just teasing. Where did your sense of humor go? Shut up
mouth and kiss me You're getting good at it.
Ethan took off his T-shirt, put his hands on Alek's face, and pulled
close again. The sound of the bell interrupted the embrace.
"Never mind, man," Ethan begged. - Whoever it is, goes
end up leaving.
"And if my parents asked Eisinger to come and take a look at
me?
- Who cares, man?
- I care. Come on, wear a T-shirt, "Alek insisted.
- You are kidding?
- Do I look like I'm kidding? Asked Alek, tossing the T-shirt
for him.
"I'm not embarrassed for being gay, you know.
"Neither do I, but that's not how I plan to get out of the closet for my
parents, okay? Now, dress up! Alek ordered as he headed for the door.
front.-
I brought the film, a pack of Cracker Jack and of course Dr. Pepper
diet, "he heard Becky say before the door opened wide. - I am
suppose that his parents have left enough to feed a
Little army, is not it? Because if they did not ... "Becky stopped talking.
when he saw Alek. - Alek? It's all right? What happened to your hair?
- Hi, Becky. Is it already six o'clock? I forgot we agreed.
"You see," Becky said, looking at him and at his shirt.
half open.
"Hi, lass," Ethan said from the room.
Becky looked from Alek to Ethan to Alek again.
"You must be Ethan.
"And you must be ...?"
- I 'm Becky. I hope Alek has quoted the best friend for you.
- The skater!
- Bingo.
- What a cool roller. Are they Kinetic?
- Almost. Active.
Alek could not believe it. Even in this situation, Ethan
Keep calm.
"Me and some skateboarding friends on the other side of the tunnel -
Ethan continued. "Almost all of us, but some use skates. I would invite
you to go skating with us if we did not have a rule that forbids
girls.
"Ethan, if that's a challenge, you can consider me in." Have
sure I could teach you little things and dropouts.
Alek cleared his throat with little subtlety.
- Becky, Ethan and I were ...
"Oh, I have a pretty good idea what you were doing. But you already
You quit once and you will not quit again. Ethan, you can stay
with us if you want And I think it's a good idea, the three of us,
A little time together. You may be Alek's boyfriend, but I'm the
best friend. I've known him for a long time, I know him better and I'm not going to
No place, so you better get used to it.
Becky headed for the adjoining room.
"I'll fix everything," she said from the TV room. - Move it! I am
crazy to see this movie. Again. There's Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. THE
The reason my affection is not an old movie, but it's so good that it's like
were. Jennifer Aniston is pregnant with her boyfriend, but she is pregnant and decides to
baby with Paul Rudd, the best gay friend, whom he fell in love with. Remember
something?
Alek was stunned.
"The girl has the courage, eh?" Ethan said to Alek. - Remember me
never make her angry.
- You come? Becky called from the TV room. - It's already starting!

Two hours later, the final credits crept up the screen.

"Filming," Ethan said. He and Becky were on the couch, and Alek was
sprawled on the floor. - It's cool to see gay characters that are, like,
normal. When was it released?
"In 1998," Becky said, reading on the cover.
So far ahead of time.
"I'm glad you liked it, Ethan. I would tell Alek to finish with
you if you had not liked it - even in the midst of predictable crying,
Becky was still herself. - I like the fact that so much happens
thing in this movie, like a woman who has a baby alone and the
importance of the promises that friends make to each other. Becky
Alek stared as he blew his nose in a tissue and dried the
eyes. "Do you know what I mean?"
"I know now," Alek said seriously.
"What did you think of the movie, boyfriend?" Ethan asked Alek,
sitting on the floor next to him.
- Yeah, Alek. You're strangely silent.
Alek thought for a moment before answering.
- I was just thinking ... how long does it take for an idea?
to change.-
What do you mean?
Becky had finished with the handkerchief and was now wearing the
blouse to wipe your nose.
"We have a sense of family, of course, which has existed for thousands of years. AND,
at the end of the movie, we see a different idea of family.
"Or many different family ideas," Ethan said.
- Exactly: gay, straight, very different ages, interracial. And I
I was wondering how long it will take for us to have more than one
idea of family in the head.
- How many kids of your age do you know are from a "family
normal"? I only see my mother a few times a year. The parents of
Most of my friends are separated or do not speak. I think it's in
It's time our family idea matched reality, "Ethan said.
"Ah, most of the time, reality does not make sense, and I think
That's one of the reasons the film is so good, "Becky said. She took a
bag of pretzels and began to eat. "Like when Jennifer Aniston and
Paul Rudd began to kiss. They were best friends, she knew that
he was gay, and if his ex-boyfriend had not called at the time,
who knows where they might have gone.
"I've never kissed a girl," Ethan said.
- Really? Asked Alek. It would never have occurred to him that he could
be more experienced than Ethan in certain respects.
"No. But who knows, I might go to college and finish
experimenting with people of the opposite sex, but so far the
It happened.
"Oh, I think of kissing girls sometimes," Becky said, taking out the
DVD player.
"I do not believe it," Alek said.
"Of course," Becky shrugged. - But on the other hand, I think
that the sexuality of women is much more fluid.
"Than what?" Ethan asked.
"Than men's."
Alek leaned forward.
- Oh yes? And what do you know about men's sexuality?
"Oh, there's a guy I used to be-"
"You never told me that!"
"I must have forgotten," Becky continued. - That Brock who lives
on my grandmother's street in Maine.
- He? I can not believe you stayed with the guy you called
"Brock, the goofy bicycle"! Said Alek with accusation in his voice.
"Oh, he sounds interesting," Ethan said.
"He asked me if I'd ever thought about kissing another girl-
Becky continued.
"My friends talk about it all the time," Ethan said. - Faces
straightforward are so predictable.
"And I said no. And he asked, "Not Kate Winslet?" We had
finished watching Titanic, then, as you can imagine, the image
It was fresh in my head. I guess I'm not a lesbian, but I said
that yes, that he would kiss her. And then he began to quote all my other
favorite actresses such as Audrey Hepburn, Anne Hathaway and Rachel Weisz, and
I said yes to all of them. So I think I'm either a bisexual or a
tremendous piranha of famous.
"I can not believe you did not tell me about Brock," he said.
Alek.
"It was before we met, Alek. And I did not mean to intimidate
you with my experience.
- Girl, you talk more wisely than you think - Ethan
informed you.
"Ethan, I've tried to tame you for you, but you know how he can
be difficult, "Becky said. "When you kissed him, you found ..."
"I think that's enough of that," Alek interrupted quickly. -
Limits, okay?
- I agree. See you two snuggling is leaving me
Becky closed the cover of the DVD, put the skates on and
direction of the front door. "It was good to meet you, Ethan. I'm sure
that we'll see around.

17
Alek spent the next two days floating, with the newly discovered freedom
expanding your definition of joy. Instead of ending the
Shakespeare's work for Mrs. Imbrie's class, Alek stayed with Ethan
until midnight after Becky left that farm. And in the morning
next, he woke up and ate Cracker Jack with Dr. Pepper's
morning, before leaving to meet Ethan at the train station for another
adventure in the city.
When the unexpected rain caught them sipping ice cream in the West Village,
Ethan ran to the nearest hotel and explained to the doorman that he was a son.
of one of the guests and got a huge and beautiful umbrella that the
protected on the way to the nearest Barnes & Noble bookstore. In there,
Ethan showed Alek his favorite trick of urban survival. Got a
expensive-looking book on one of the shelves, walked with him for a
time and then "returned" it in the box.
- Normally we do not accept merchandise returned without receipt,
even in perfect condition, "explained the box.
"It was a birthday present," Ethan said courteously.
A few moments later, he had a store credit worth
book "returned."
"You like books, do not you?"
Ethan handed the card to Alek, who stared at him,
impressed.

While Alek continued to call his parents every day and every night,
they kept believing everything was fine.
- What you gonna do today? Asked the mother when they talked
on Saturday morning.
"Who knows, Mother?" How are the other families? The Kalfayan
force you to eat their food? And the Hovanians, have they been able to relax?
- The opposite. Nik needed to rush to find Nanar because she said
that there's something you need to talk to him about.
"You think she's pregnant?" Alek joked.
"That's not funny," she replied. - What you gonna do today?
"I was thinking of playing tennis."
"That's great, Alek. Alone?
"No, with a friend."
- What? She asked.
"I said I'm going with a friend," Alek repeated.
"I'm sorry, dear, I was talking to your father."
he could hear the muffled voice of his father on the other end of the phone. - Dear,
something seems to have happened. I'll call you later, okay?
"Of course, Mother. See you tomorrow. Have a good trip.
Alek hung up the phone. He took a look at the arts section and the
Sunday Times Magazine that arrived on Saturday, enjoying the
possibility of being able to read the newspaper first. As the youngest member of the
family, he used to have to keep what the other three had already read.
"What time do you think your parents are coming back tomorrow?" - He asked
Ethan.-
Evening. They will drive all day.
- Beauty.
"Let's play tennis today," Alek said, putting the newspaper on top.
of the table.
"I love it when you take over." Ethan smiled.
"Let's see if you'll still think like that after I've smashed you."
When he and Ethan got to the courts, it was clear that Ethan was not
tennis player; he just wanted to try to make the ball go over
network. So Alek held on. Even so, Ethan was impressed.
"I need to tell you, man, when you said your business was tennis, I
I did not believe. But you're really good!
- You have not seen anything yet.
- Seriously?
Encouraged by Ethan's admiration, Alek started playing the best.
way he knew, retrieving the forehand with both hands, throwing the ball in the
bottom of the court and approaching the net as it did in the best time of year
previous.
"I like playing tennis with you, Ethan," Alek said when they
were drying the sweat with towels after the match.
- Why do I look gorgeous on the court?
"No, you look like an idiot running around tempting
Bounce my balls. I liked it because it's good to do something that I am
best.
Ethan slapped Alek's towel with a towel, which, too,
joking, fought back.

"Why are you taking so long?" Alek asked, entering the room.
kitchen.
He looked at the piles of clothes, unwashed dishes and garbage bags,
wondering how long it would take to get the house back in
order acceptable to the Khederian.
- One second! Ethan answered.
Ethan was holding two glasses of water and staring at the
refrigerator. Alek took the glasses from his hands and set them on the bench. Stayed from
standing behind Ethan and wrapping his arms around his waist, nestling his face
in the neck.
- What are you looking at?
"Sinister, is not it?"
Ethan was reading the black-and-white photocopies of two
newspaper caught in the Khederian's refrigerator. A headline read "Stories of
Armenian horror confirmed "and the other was:" Exiled Armenians pass
hunger in the desert ". A photograph of a caravan of Armenians
skeletons in a forced march in the desert was hanging beside the
article. As Alek could not remember a time without papers in the
refrigerator door, nor did he notice them any more.
"Are these from the New York Times?" Ethan asked.
- Are. The first article is from 1915. The second, with the photo, is from 1916.
It was just the beginning of everything.
"I thought you said some people still deny that
that happened.
"They do not," said Alek simply.
- As? If there were people writing newspaper articles at the time, like
Can anyone deny it?
"That, Ethan, is the question of the incredible pain born of the injustice that
Armenians carry on their backs - Alek discovered that the histories of the past
of the family were kept inside when he looked for them,
ingredients in a well-stocked pantry. - My parents want me to
let us value what we have, and let us not forget the atrocities inflicted upon our
people, so they put those articles there.
"I have no idea what it's like to carry those things around with
you. I'm a European mongrel. My father is Irish, French and German, but
none of this has any meaning to me.
- And his mother? Asked Alek.
- What about her?
"You never talk about her," Alek probed gently. - What she
does?
"Marijuana," Ethan said.
"And she earns well to smoke marijuana?" Alek joked.
- I'm not kidding. She was a hippie when she became a
marijuana industry. She is one of the people responsible for marijuana being
making it legal in all western states.
"It's not the type of job that someone's mother
Said Alek.
"Oh, she's not a normal mom," Ethan admitted. - It was not just made
for this business of being a mother who does not work. Not even to be a mother who
works. That's why he jumped out.
- Do you miss her?
Alek could not imagine his parents separated, nor how it would have been
his childhood with only one of them.
- All the time. But I'd rather you have acted like that to become a slave to the
system. Anyway, even if she was still here, I think I
would not have a connection with the oppressed Hungarian ancestors in the way
you have.
"I do not keep thinking about it all the time, you know.
- Really?
"It is so," Alek continued. - You're gay, right, but do not go out there.
thinking "What am I going to use today since I'm gay?" or "As a person
would gay react in this situation? "
- Of course not. Sometimes I spend five whole minutes without thinking that
I am gay.
- I'm serious. How often do you really think?
in that?
"I think certain situations make me think more than others.
Like when Remi and I walked hand in hand at the mall and people
they looked. But when I'm walking the streets of New York, it does not matter.
"It's the same as being Armenian. Most of the time, it is not
the main thing in my head. But I remember Nik coming home.
after class last year practically crying because the history class
European Union spent a week talking about World War I
and the teacher did not even mention the Armenians. The "Armenian Genocide" nor
was on the book's index. When something like this happens, you
you have to think about what it represents for you.
- So that's what it represents for you: pain, suffering and loss?
"Oh, in part, yes, of course. But there's more to it than that.
Alek took Ethan to a glass cabinet on the other side of the kitchen.
He opened it carefully and handed Ethan a large picture in a picture frame.
"That picture was taken almost a hundred years ago. It is the family side of the
my mother, when everyone lived in Van. Van is in Turkey; my
family lived in the Armenian quarter there for nearly 300 years.
"Why are they making those faces?" Usually people
in old photos are with serious and depressing expressions and they remain immobile
like statues.
- You see that? Alek pointed to one corner of the photo.
"It looks like a cat's tail," Ethan said.
- That 's right. Van's cats were special, they said they were good.
lucky because everyone has one blue eye and one green. At the time this photo was uploaded
Sarma, the family cat, jumped in front of the camera and gave a fright.
all around the world. They took another picture, and this, considered spoiled,
gave to my great-grandfather. He's here, in the back row, at the right end.
"He seems to be our age."
"Yeah, he was 15," Alek said. "He was the only one who survived the
genocide.
Ethan looked at all the Armenian faces in the photo, laughing, surprised,
irritated
- Let me get this straight: all the other people in this picture
died
Alek nodded.
- I think all the time how lucky I am to be here, how much
I am fortunate to have my great-grandfather, against his parents' wishes, to pack and
party when things got bad. And for having uploaded this picture with him,
otherwise I would never know what those relatives were like. But there are many other
things that go along with being Armenian, "Alek said, taking the picture.
from Ethan's hand and replacing it in the glass cabinet. - Like this.
He showed a large, round and flat clay object of the
size of a dish. Ethan picked up and stared at the
surface.
"This was done by the Balian family in the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem.
That signature, "Alek said, turning his plate," is how you
true. They're the only ones who still do that sort of thing.
"Is there an Armenian quarter in Jerusalem?"
- Clear. We were the first country to convert to Christianity, you know?
"It's beautiful," Ethan said, admiring the two intertwined fish.
painted green and brown with an intricate blue edge.
- All the images in the Armenian crafts have any meaning. At
Sometimes they tell a story; other times, the image is symbolic.
"What does this picture mean?" Ethan asked.
"You mean miasnut'yun."
- How is it?
"I do not know exactly how to translate. Unity? Unity? The image
represents two whole beings completing themselves. Together they form one thing
new Something bigger and better.
- Sounds like a good explanation.
Ethan leaned over and kissed Alek.
Later that day, the two young men were sitting on Alek's bed,
with legs intertwined.
"Your room is so neat," Ethan said, with something amused.
and disgust
We packed every Sunday when we got back from church.
"And it was your parents who chose this green vomit from the walls?"
"It's moss-green, and my mother says it's calming," said Alek,
nodding.
"Our next project should be your bedroom." We should make a
transformation in him as we did with you, "Ethan said.
"One thing at a time," said Alek.
He wondered how his parents would react to their new hair and
clothes when they returned home the next day.
- What do you want to do today?
"We can watch TV, I think," Ethan said.
"As long as we do not watch Kim Kardashian." Not you
knows how many hours Armenians in the world have been complaining about
she was the one chosen to represent us. I even listened to my mother.
to say that she missed the good times when Cher was out there with clothes
inadequate.
"Did she say why she had to get off so fast?"
Alek laughed.
"I imagine you've discovered that breakfast milk from the hotel
was not organic and bought from local suppliers. She called when
we were playing, but he did not leave a message because he never left. I tried calling
then, but it fell straight into the mailbox, so I left a message at the hotel. I had to
spell "Khederian" three times.
- What is Cher's last name? Ethan asked.
- Sarkisian.
- Sarkisian, Khederian, Kardashian ... all Armenians have
surname ending with "ian"?
"Yes. Or" y, "sometimes, but it's the same thing. It's patronymic.
In response to Ethan's expression of misunderstanding, Alek explained:
- It's the equivalent of "son" in English. Here's Johnson and Anderson, we
we have Hovanian and Boghossian. It means "son of" in Armenian.
"You're a well of knowledge," Ethan said.
"Of Armenian futility," Alek added. - We should start.
to clean the house.
"Do not you have a maid?"
- You are kidding? We even tried to have it when my mother started
to work full time, but my parents spent so much time
cleaning the house the day before her coming because they wanted to impress her
with the clean house we ended up concluding that it was not worth it.
Alek thought of the energy involved in letting go of Ethan and going to take the trash
outside, put the dishes in the dishwasher, clean the countertops, vacuum
on the carpets and rag on the floor and concluded that it seemed impossible.
"I think we can do it tomorrow."
- No sir. We have another planned New York tour.
"Ethan, my family is coming back tomorrow!" We do not have time to go to the city.
"But you said they'd be late, would not you?"
- IS.
"Then leave the rest to me." Meet me at the station to get the
10h17 train, and we'll be back before dinner. Or better yet, I can
to spend the night here and go out together tomorrow morning.
"You know how to be persuasive, Ethan.
- Tomorrow is a surprise, so do not even think about asking what we are going
to do, okay?
Thousands of possibilities arose in Alek's mind, as a
casino machine
"I do not know what I'll do when my parents arrive. The idea of not
to go to New York whenever I want and get stuck here again is so
depressing.
"You know, I do not think our suburb is that bad," Ethan said.
"How could you, who introduced me to the city, think that?" There is not
nothing to do here. Never. Even if you were old enough to drive and
we had a car, what's up? We could go to the mall. Unless it was
after eight o'clock, of course. Then our only option would be the
Route 130. But if we lived in the city, we could walk the High Line
or take palettes or watch the sun go down over the river or we get lost in the Central
Park. We could even play gay football with the Ramblers! That's why
I hate it so much here. It's as if everything died when the sun sets.
"Do you really think the suburb is a drug?"
- Think.
"And you think that's bad?"
"How can that be good?"
- I'll show.
Ethan left Alek's bed. He turned on his cell phone in the
Alek, and a song by Rufus began to sing: "You can go out, dancing ..."
"Between my legs, right?" Asked Alek.
"More certain than you'd think," Ethan said.
He turned up the volume until Alek could feel the beat on his bones.
Ethan closed the door and lowered the light until the room was so dark that Alek
I could see him.
- Ethan!
- Shhhh.
Ethan took off his shirt, walked over to Alek and put his finger to his lips.
Alek kissed his finger lightly. Ethan stretched out his other hand and placed it on his knee.
Alek. He bent down, kissed Alek on the face, on his mouth and on his neck, down
slowly through the body. The hand went up the side of the leg until the fingers stopped.
on the waist of his pants. Then they began to slowly move the button.
Alek closed his eyes and tilted his head back.
Every inch Ethan came down with his hands made Alek's heart.
hit harder. A few days earlier, when Ethan joked about it, little
before Becky came in, Alek was more afraid than anything else
in life. She was still afraid, but now she felt she might be ready.
Ethan's hands were able to release the button. Alek left the letter of
music from Rufus take care of him. Music had never made so much sense.
If the world were to come to an apocalyptic and cataclysmic end, it was
just the way he wanted to be: with Ethan.
Alek opened his eyes and saw Ethan looking at him. Did you know what question?
was being made. Was he ready? Did you want Ethan to do that?
But before Alek could decide, the bedroom door opened with
violence. A person with a golf club over his head, prepared
to attack, jumped into the room.
- Call the police! Ethan shouted as he jumped and knocked over the
floor.
Alek jumped over Ethan and the invader to get to the desk,
picked up the cell phone and fought with the password-protected screen.
"Nine-one," the attendant said in Alek's ear. - What is your
emergency?
Screams were heard as two more people appeared at the door,
one holding a baseball bat and the other holding the iron frying pan
casting Le Creuset's favorite mother, which she hid in the front closet.
"How would these invaders know where to find this?" Asked Alek.
"Unless…"
- Stop! Do not move! Shouted Alek.
Everyone in the room stopped.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, there's no emergency," Alek said on the phone,
and hung up.
He turned on the light and saw his brother and mother standing in the doorway of the room and
Ethan, his fist raised, trapping Alek's father on the floor.
- Ethan, stop! Alek shouted, pulling Ethan's arm before he
could punch.
Ethan looked down and hurried out of the lord.
Khederian.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Alek's father. Are you alright?
"I'm fine," Alek's father replied indignantly, rising to his feet.
He looked at Alek. - Are you alright?
"Why would not I be?" Asked Alek.
"When we got home, the front door was open and the house
was so messed up I thought I had been invaded, "explained her mother,
lowering the skillet. - We thought we had arrived in the middle of a
assault.-
So you guys sneaked in here to pick up the thieves?
Alek asked incredulously.
The mother nodded.
"My God, you're so baroque!" Why did not you call the
police? What if one of these imaginary thieves had a gun?
- We called the police. But we were worried about you.
Said his mother.
"Why is the house so messed up?" Asked Alek's father. - AND
What the two of you were doing here with all the lights off and ...
The father stopped talking. Alek felt his cheeks burn
red. Everyone in the room was awkwardly silent at the
the family realized what they had interrupted.
Everyone except Ethan, of course, who sat on the floor and started laughing.
"You think that's funny, lad?" Alek heard his father say in his voice.
that he reserved for the worst situations.
Oh man…
- I 'm not a guy. I'm an adult. You can call me Sir
Khederian. Although, after what I saw today, I doubt you'll come back to me.
call anything.
Now it was Ethan's turn to be paralyzed. Alek had seen Ethan use
the charm to get out of one situation after another, but to its best
smile was useless before the furious Armenian patriarch.
- What's your name?
"It's ... uh ... uh ..." stammered Ethan.
"His name is Ethan Novick," Nik said nervously. - He's from mine.
class at school.
"Mr Novick, I imagine the police will arrive in a few minutes.
If you are still here, I have every intention of saying that you are a
invader.
"I did not. I'm a friend of Alek's, "Ethan protested.
"Unfortunately for you, this house is not Alek's." It's mine. And if you
out of it in the next 60 seconds and I'm sure that I will never
displeasure to see you here again, there is a chance you will not
night in jail. Am I being clear?
Ethan looked at Alek. Alek knew he had to say something, that
should defend her boyfriend or explain to her parents that things were not as
bad as they seemed. At least he knew that was what Ethan would do.
But he just bowed his head in embarrassment. More than the shock of parents,
he could feel Ethan's disappointment burning him.
"Yes, sir," Ethan said, taking off his T-shirt and running off.
Alek followed Ethan down the stairs to the front door.
"I need to get out of here, man," Ethan said. "See you tomorrow, okay?"
"Ethan, there is not the slightest possibility that I can meet
you tomorrow.
- Because?
- Are you serious? My parents will kill me. If I'm lucky,
They're going to punish me until I graduate. But the chances that I can go to
tomorrow morning are the same as to be born wings in me now and
I fly out of here.
"Come and sleep in my house, then," Ethan said with eyes.
shining.
Alek stared at him unbelieving.
"You do not understand, do you?"
- What?
"What it's like to have to do what your parents say.
"You do not have to do what they say, Alek. You choose to do.
Just as you are choosing not to meet with me tomorrow,
know that I planned something special.
"You do not understand why your father does not care what you do.
"You know nothing about my father," Ethan snapped. -
So do not use it as an excuse to be a little pussy and not
parents.
"That's not what I meant," Alek said.
"Either way," Ethan said. - You better get back to the terrorists.
who are so fond of you that they will punish you forever. See you,
face.
Ethan knocked on the door.
Alek looked at the closed door for a second, then went up the stairs
slowly into the room.
- Aleksander Khederian, you have so many things to explain that you do not
I do not even know where to start, "her mother said when he reappeared in the doorway.
from room.
"I thought you'd only be back tomorrow." Alek felt tears.
appearing in the eyes. "If you'd let me explain ..."
"I do not think I need an explanation for what I just saw,
said the father. "You're a disgrace to this family."
The blood drained from Alek's face and he expired intensely, as if
had been punched in the stomach. His hands began to shake and he
she had to lean against the bedroom door. He looked at Nik with a hope
impossible for his brother to defend him or at least to say something.
But Nik looked away, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Alek, before you go to sleep, you'll clean the whole house,
"said the father. "Tomorrow morning, at eight o'clock, you must be
in the dining room, where her mother and I are going to discuss the events this week.
After the day we had, we just wanted to go home and rest.
I can not express the size of my disappointment at having you
denied even this. We expect sincerity and clarity. Understood?
- Yes father.
Alek bowed his head and waited for the rest of the family to leave the room.

18
At 7:55 am Alek entered the dining room and sat at the table.
He suppressed a yawn. Cleaning the house made him stay up well.
later than he was accustomed, and he knew it was not the time to
to caprichar In addition to throwing all the garbage away, he took out the recyclable garbage and
scrubbed the entire kitchen, using an old toothbrush to clean the
difficult corners. Then she emptied the refrigerator and cleaned it, since she knew it was
the task of which the mother less liked because she was afraid of the food
room temperature.
When he went to bed, he was too anxious to get
to sleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling, his mind
fired and the heart beating fast, until finally falling into a sleep
agitated When he woke up in the morning, he could not remember the nightmares
that he had, only the bizarre impressions they left.
The sounds of the parents coming down the stairs made Alek sit upright. They
entered the dining room and sat down in front of him, on the side where the
closet with all the dishes and good silverware of the family.
Her mother was especially beautiful, dressed in a
meant he was going to work on Sunday. The father was wearing a shirt.
tucked into the well-worn brown pants, a formal farewell to the
sweatshirt he'd always wore since he'd been fired. Alek succeeded
imagine what it would be like to get together with them in a work environment:
parents who cared for the family, but serious professionals as well as
prepared and motivated.
"Aleksander, when we left you alone on Monday, it was a
act of trust and respect. By so violating the guidelines
that we left, you disrespected us and destroyed that trust -
mom.
"But I do not ..." said Alek.
- Enough! She interrupted at once. Let's make it clear
when we want an answer from you and when we do not want to. Not now
we want.
- Yes mom.
He looked at his father, who looked at Alek with an empty face
looking like a stone mask.
"Let's start with what bothered us most," the
mom.
"I know what you're going to say and I think it sucks," Alek said. - You
are very homophobic. If they had caught Nik and Nanar with
they would react like this.
"We're not talking about Nik, let alone about Nanar,
exploded his father. "Besides, Nik is almost 17, and the point here is
you. Now. At age 14. And if you think that kid is the one who
Bother you, you give us no credit.
Alek hesitated.
- What do you mean?
"You know your mother and I met when we lived
in New York. Do you think we did not have gay friends? Asked the
father, unbeliever.
- I think not…
"That's what I mean," his father murmured.
Alek's mother put her arm around her husband's shoulder.
"Alek, do you remember Tim?"
"Uncle Timmy, Dad's roommate?"
"Yeah, well, Uncle Timmy was my first boyfriend in college. He
He left the closet shortly after we finished.
- Uncle Timmy is gay? Why did not you ever tell us?
"I think it was easier not to tell. But I wanted you to trust
in us as we usually trust in you. We created you and Nik to have
the open mind, and I think it's the least you can expect from us.
"So you do not mind if I'm gay?"
"Of course I'll call. I'm your mother. I call everything that happens with
you. And if it were up to me, would I choose to be gay? - Mother's voice
of Alek failed. She paused for a second as she assessed the
question and the implications of the response. - To be honest, probably
do not. But I'm saying this because I saw how difficult it was for my gay friends
accept their own sexuality living in a world that was not happy
with their presence and also with the issue of AIDS at the time. And despite
I think everything is better now, I hate the idea of my baby having to
deal with more pain in your life than what already happens in life at all
world normally. Alek's mother paused again, her eyes
full of tears.
Then, with astounding ferocity, said:
"And if you think it frees you from having to give me grandchildren, it's very
mistaken.
"Oh, and how exactly do you expect me to do that?" - He asked
Alek.
"You'll find a way," her mother said.
- You can adopt. A lot of gay couples just do that, "his father said.
"I know, I know," Alek said, still trying to absorb this upset.
unexpected.
"Let's continue, then." Mrs. Khederian took an envelope from the
folder. Alek acknowledged it to be one of the correspondences he
received during the absence of the parents. "Can you explain it to us, Alek?"
Alek stared at her stupidly for a moment.
"That's one of the times we want an answer," her mother said.
Alek took the envelope. Inside was a school memo listing
his faults.
"Is that what bothers you most?"
"You know how important studies are in this house," he said.
the mother.
Alek spent all night and early in the morning afraid of the conversation
with the parents. Fear consumed him as he tidied the house. Made with
stayed up late, and when he finally got to sleep,
haunted your thoughts.
But now she had relaxed. I knew the rest of the conversation would be difficult and
bother. I knew that I would have many things to apologize for and that
it would take a while until everything returned to normal. But realized that parents
they were acting just as he should have expected: putting the
studies in front of everything.
"I killed a class to go to New York with Ethan," confessed Alek.
"Is that where your hair was murdered?" In New York? She asked.
mom.
"Well, yes, but it was a different day.
"So let's add New York unattended on your list."
of crimes.
- Yes father.
"And the second foul, in the afternoon of the 29th?"
"I fought with Ethan, so I went to the Dairy Queen behind Becky, to
talk.
"And why were not we notified of these faults?"
"I faked a ticket with Dad's signature," said Alek,
looking away.
The father shook his head in disbelief.
"And so we add the falsification of your father's signature, and the
worst of all, to have lied to us.
"Yes," muttered Alek.
When I was performing these individual acts, they did not
particularly misleading. But, exposed like this, Alek had to admit that
formed an impressive ensemble.
"Is there anything else you want to tell us?"
"Uh, I did not give English a job on Friday because Ethan and
I went to New York again.
"And, let me guess, you were planning to fake another."
ticket? Asked his father.
Alek nodded.
"Your father and I spent the whole night wondering how you could
behave so irresponsibly and immaturely and so different from how
you are. The only reason we can attribute to this behavior is this
Boy, Ethan. It must be a bad influence. The Alek I Know
I would never have done any of these things.
The mother folded the paper and put it in the envelope. The parents exchanged a
look and her mother spoke again.
"We did not think you should see him again."
"Are you kidding me?" Alek began to cry. - You
spend so much time telling me that they are not homophobic and now they tell me
I can not see Ethan anymore? Mother, father, please. Can you punish me for how much
want. Double my amount of chores until I'm 100 years old. Me
Stop punishing yourself to college. But do not tell me that I can not see
Ethan.-
Alek, I know it's hard, but it's for your own good, "his father insisted.
"You're hypocrites!"
Alek's father looked at him angrily.
"Do not insult us, you disrespectful liar!" He cut off. - Alek,
Do you know what it feels like when your own child lies to you? And not
I'm not even talking about a big thing. Even a little lie hurts
when it comes from someone you love so much. But all of a sudden, there is a festival
of lies coming out of your mouth. I hope you have children to be able to
know one day what it's like to be hurt by them like that. We do not create you to be
this kind of man. You should feel ashamed. I feel ashamed of you.
"Alek, that's all we have to say," said her mother. Until
you be warned, consider yourself punished. You have to come straight home.
after school. Your phone privileges, including your cell phone, are
suspended indefinitely. Let's put a password on your computer
so you can not access the internet. You have two more weeks of
classes ahead. I suggest you get ready and try to save the summer.
"Can I say something now?" Alek asked quietly to his parents.
"No. As long as you do not start acting like an adult, there's no reason
to treat you as one.
Alek's parents got up and left the dining room. Alek looked
down and saw the two wet circles that the tears left in the game
American.
 19
If the last week of Alek's life had been pure ecstasy, the week that followed
it was pure hell. He was not allowed to walk to school,
Father insisted on taking him and picking him up. Alek sat in the passenger seat
every morning in silence, challenging the father to say anything
about your Clothing Works clothing. But he said nothing. The house routine,
school, homework, homework and homework was rooted in such a way that any other
kind of existence seemed a distant memory. The almost perfect time
to play tennis, teasing him while he was driving in his father's car, only
made everything worse. The racket was in the closet, neglected, like a
forgotten friend He could not even see or call Becky.
Worst of all, he had not talked to Ethan since the fight. Although
Alek wanted to go to New York with Ethan on Sunday, how much more
I thought about it, the more I became angry. Ethan knew it was not a
decision. He did not want to be grounded.
When Alek entered the cafeteria on the Monday following the sermon
parents had already decided that Ethan had been immature, and he did not know if
She would sit next to him.
"This time," thought Alek, "Ethan can have lunch with his
schoolbag."
Alek's plan went downhill when he realized that Ethan did not
was sitting at the table as usual. Alek stood in the middle of the cafeteria
feeling more and more angry. He was the humiliated one in front of the parents. He had
the door knocked on the face. He was grounded for the rest of his life. He was the one who
he needed to be trapped in the suburban while Ethan was going to New York. And he should
that it was just coincidence that Ethan was late and had not kept the
his place Ethan just happened to think he was going to sit at the table of dropouts.
alone? Alek was stamping his feet to the old empty table, sat down, took the
buregs of spinach and opened the algebra book.
A few minutes later, Alek saw Ethan entering the dining hall with Josh,
Jack and Peter. When he saw Alek, he stopped and whispered to his friends, who
they went straight to their table and left Ethan alone. He stood
looking at Alek across the room, a vague expression on his face.
Alek looked over the pages of the open book.
The stares and postures remained firm, like cowboys in a
film of the old-west, without either of them wanting to take the first step or
back off. After a few infinite moments Alek interrupted the immobility
and looked back at the book. "If he is not man enough to come ask
Excuse me, I'd rather prepare for algebra, "thought Alek. Some
A few minutes later, Alek stole a glance at Ethan. Instead of being in place
Ethan was sitting on the other side of the table, his back to Alek.
After lunch was over, Alek went into the classroom, straight to the
Lord Weedin's desk. The teacher lowered the newspaper he was reading and looked
to Alek over his glasses.
- Can I help you? He asked.
- Mr Weedin, I am having difficulty seeing the
background image, "Alek lied," and I wanted to know if I could sit
the next two weeks of class.
- Sounds sensible. You can sit there, "said Mr. Weedin,
pointing to the wallet in the front row that was farthest from the door.
"The easy part is done," thought Alek.
"Anything else, Mr. Khederian?"
"I know you have a policy of disapproving of anyone who
I did not have a reason for class, and I wanted to know if there was any extra
I can do to try to make up for my lack of Friday. I do not want to repeat.
- This means that your lack of the sixth, unlike the others in this
semester, was it for no reason? Asked Mr. Weedin.
"Yes," admitted Alek.
"Mr Khederian, it is clear that you have mastery over matter. If
I would not have killed a class, I would have recommended you to the
next year. But unfortunately, I can not make exceptions for students,
regardless of how smart they appear to be.
Mr Weedin took the paper and read it again.
The teacher's resolution almost made Alek give up. But he knew how much
that was important to parents. And, I had to admit, for him, too.
- Mr Weedin, you do not think that I reproach myself in a matter
when you think I'm able to keep up with the special class is
counter-productive? Alek cleared his throat. - That we can abandon
our oaths to meet / Otherwise we will lose ourselves to
keep our oaths.
"Is that Shakespeare?" Inquired Mr. Weedin, intrigued.
- Yeah, it's from Lost Love Works. I just did a job
comparing with Romeo and Juliet for English class, and this quote was
In my head.
- Because?
Mr. Weedin leaned back in his chair and took his reading glasses away.
to look at Alek without hindrance.
"I think we spent a lot of time trying to keep the promises we
we do or the rules that we create and we forget that it is also
important to look carefully at these promises and rules and make sure they are
fulfilling its role, not the other way around.
"Well, Mr. Khederian, you are quite persuasive - the teacher
he tapped the pencil on the table three times. "But I will not make it easy for you." I will
double your amount of homework. If you do everything satisfactorily,
your penalty will be reduced and instead of disapproval, I will lower your score.
So the biggest note you can receive is B.
Alek had to be careful not to hug Mr. Weedin.
"Thank you, Mr. Weedin, thank you very much. I promise to do the best
that I can
"What's your best you, I wonder?"
"I do not know, Mr. Weedin, but I'm anxious to find out.
- Me too, Alek.
Alek ran for the new wallet, took his homework and the book and
She took care to be reading carefully as Ethan entered the room. Alek
he hoped Ethan would be surprised to see him sitting across the room.
Because he was confined at home, Alek actually liked the increase in
amount of duty. He only wished that his parents could lower their grade, as
Mrs. Imbrie said she would do when he handed over the work on
Shakespeare that morning, and then to continue life instead of
looking at him with grief and disappointment every time they were forced to
interact.
The following Saturday Alek woke up before nine o'clock and
foot-step ladder to catch the New York Times before any other
family person wake up.
When it was finishing Magazine, an hour later, Nik appeared.
"Can I read with you?" He asked.
It was the first words that Nik addressed to him since the family
came home on vacation a week earlier.
Alek shrugged, indifferent.
Nik sat down next to Alek and picked up Magazine, while Alek
reading in the order you liked: arts section, sports and, finally, the first
notebook. They read in silence for another hour. When Alek
finished the international news section, closed the newspaper and got up
to go back to the room.
"Alek, do you have a second?" Asked Nik.
"Nik, if you're going to piss me off about something I did or did not do."
I did, forget it. I have no energy for this.
"You do not have to be hostile.
- Really? I dont need? This whole week was hell, Nik. You
he has never been punished, not for a day, so he can not understand. O
older brother should not be the one who messes up to make things even more
easy for the youngest?
- What?
"Do not you realize how hard it is to be your brother?" You do everything
right. He makes perfect notes, works as a camp monitor in the summer,
never late for breakfast and dinner and join the group
young woman from church. Damn it. I wanted you to do something, any
Mom and Dad did not approve.
"Are you kidding me?" Asked Nik.
- Do I look like I'm kidding?
"Alek, you got it all wrong. Being the oldest sucks. You
Do you think I like the weight of having to do the right thing all the time? You know
how many times do I have to hear Mom or Dad say they're counting
with me, Andranik, the firstborn, and I can not disappoint them?
"Then why do you always do what they tell you?" And what they
expect You even date Armenia!
- No longer.
- What?
Nik looked around to make sure they were alone.
"Did Mom and Dad tell us why we came back early from the trip?"
"Honestly, with everything that has happened, I think the change in
holiday plans is not on the very short list of subjects that I have
permission to speak to them.
"I'm sure it was not the reception you'd have planned if
was waiting for us, "Nik said.
"Not really," Alek agreed.
"Well, it turns out Nanar is not really Armenian. Or, at least
less, not just Armenian, "Nik said. - The day before the holidays
When she finished, she told me that she discovered something that she thought
I should have known.
"And what could it be?"
"Ah, her father is Armenian, but the mother is not. It's Turkish!
Alek's jaw dropped.
- This means…
"Nanar is half Armenian, half Turkish. When the mother and the father
They were in love, they knew his parents would never accept her. So,
have lied about it and have been lying ever since.
"How did Nanar find out?"
- It started with the cultural heritage project we did for the
young group. She began to investigate the history of the mother's family, and
the more he investigated, the more things got weird. Even before the trip
she told me that she felt that her mother was hiding something from her. There
we went to do the research in the library of Burlington and she found a census
of the city where the parents were born. The father's family was listed on the side
Armenian, but her mother was on the list of Turks! She confronted her parents and they
they confessed, and she came running to tell me.
"What did you do, Nik?"
Nik looked away.
- Oh no.
"I told her I could not date a Turkish person," she admitted.
Nik, looking away from shame. And I ran out and told Mom and
Daddy, who told the rest of the families, and, one by one, everyone decided to go
although earlier. The Kalfayan did not even expect Nanar and his parents. They did the
suitcases and left. I do not even know how they got back home.
"Nik, you've done some stupid things in your life, but I have to say that
this takes the prize of the most idiot. Your girlfriend, the only person close to
who you are endurable, opens with you and you reject it? She does not
needed to count. She could have kept the secret, but decided to be honest with
you. Do you know how much courage is needed for this? Is there anything
in being straightforward that leaves you insensitive or is it cosmic coincidence?
"You think I do not know I was an asshole?" Nik asked in anguish.
"The moment I did what I did, I already felt it was not right.
"Then why did you do it?"
"I knew it was what Mom and Dad would like," Nik confessed.
"But now I do not care. Without Nanar, I feel like a dolma without stuffing.
Like a baklava without pistachios. As…
"Yeah, I get it," Alek interrupted.
"I need to think of a way to get her back."
"Even if it means annoying Mom and Dad?"
"Still," said Nik. "Being away from Ethan is like this for
you?
"It's not the same thing because Nanar did nothing wrong, and Ethan
did. He has not spoken to me since that day.
"And you tried to talk to him?" Asked Nik.
Alek looked away instead of answering.
"At least I know when I'm an idiot," Nik said. - You can
imagine what it must have been like for him? Knowing Mom and Dad would already be
normal circumstances. You need to look for him, Alek.
Alek felt himself sink inside, how he always felt wrong
and another person was right. And that feeling began to turn something else,
a wild thing, dangerous and crazy.
"I think I know what we need to do," Alek said.
- You know?
- Know. One thing that will bring Nanar back to you, straighten out the
things with Ethan for me and get Mom and Dad off our feet. But only if
work, of course.
"What if it does not work?"
"Nanar and Ethan will never talk to us again and Mother and
Daddy will stop us from punishment until the Turks finally admit the
Armenian Genocide.
- Where do I sign?
"You really want this?"
"I trust you, Alek. Think about how much time we spent
working against each other. If we started working together, what
we could not do?

20
"You're twisting the sarma too tight," Alek insisted.
"I'm not," Nik said.
"They'll explode when they're cooking," Alek warned.
- Do not go.
- Go.
- Do not go! Nik practically screamed and tore the sheet on which
working, spreading stuffing of lamb and rice all over the kitchen.
The Khederian brothers paused for a moment and took a deep breath.
"Why do not you do it to me?" Asked Nik.
"You know Mom and Dad still have not taught me-
replied Alek.
- I teach. Here - said Nik, passing one of the grape leaves
unwound for the brother.
- Seriously?
"Why not?" Place a spoonful of stuffing in the middle,
sides and wrap from bottom to top.
Alek took the sheet and began to work according to the instructions
of the brother.
"See how fast it goes when we do it together?" - said
Nik.
Alek nodded in agreement and appreciated the long awaited sensation of
grape leaf in hands.
"Alek, after we've finished rolling the sarma, I'm going to start
chop the onions to prepare the beans and lentils.
He put the sarma in the pot and began to make the second layer.
"Why do not you start with lahmacun and I'll take care of onions?"
Alek looked at the kitchen, which looked like a war zone. Nik
he asked one of the friends of the student council to take him to buy the
Ingredients. They had been back for hours, and Alek and Nik believed,
naively, that they would have enough time to cook. Then they separated
each ingredient as their parents did before embarking on the preparation of
a long meal. But after a few hours it seemed like a
earthquake had hit the kitchen and threw the ingredients in
random effects. And no plate was ready.
- What time is it? Alek asked nervously.
"Seventeen.
- We only have 45 minutes left!
"So, what are we waiting for?"
Alek discharged the anxiety on the onions. When did you think
this dinner and suggested to Nik the week before, it seemed like the perfect idea. They
spent the rest of that Saturday and Sunday browsing the cookbooks
of parents to try to work out the perfect dinner.
"How about making entrance kufteh?" Alek asked his brother.
- What is it?
"Is there anything Armenian culture you do not know about?" -
asked Alek, feigning astonishment.
- Tell me what it is.
"Aunt Arsinee does all Easter, remember?" It's that little ball of lamb,
pinion and parsley, like an Armenian burger. It makes too much cum.
"Is not it hard to do?" I think we need to do things that
we know. Or at least things we think we got.
Alek thought about it.
"Makes sense, Nik," he agreed.
They combined starting with the lahmacun prepared with
a loaf of bread baked with ground meat and herbs that
needed to be heated. As input, they decided to do sarma, which would be
served with cornflour, lentil and pod in walnut sauce.
If he'd realized how much chopped onion was needed,
perhaps Alek had chosen another dish. He tried to push his face away.
protect his eyes from tearing, but he was afraid to end up cutting
the fingers.
"Here, let me show you a trick," Nik offered.
He lit a candle and placed it next to the cutting board.
- That should help.
- Really? Asked Alek.
- IS. Chopping onions makes you cry because the layer enzymes
onion mix with the sulphonic acids in the inner layer and
produce thiopropionaldehyde oxide. The gas rises to your eyes and reacts with
the moisture, creating sulfuric acid. Then your eyes burn and release more water,
and a chain reaction happens. But the flame pushes the gas away.
"I can not believe that for the first time I'm glad you're
nerd, "said Alek.
"Cut those onions off soon, okay?" 30 minutes left - Nik filled a
large pot with water, placed on the stove and lit the high flame. -
Let's see, he thought aloud. - There must be about 8 liters of water and,
one minute for every 900 milliliters, the water should boil in less than 10
minutes.
"For your information, your cool nerdie has become super nerdice."
ridiculous, "said Alek.
He took a large frying pan to the pods and set it on fire
medium. When it was hot, put a few tablespoons of olive oil, waited
that it began to boil and threw half of the onions in, stirring
gently until translucent. While the onions were cooked,
he crushed the walnuts and garlic into a paste and seasoned with
coriander, paprika, salt, cayenne and red wine vinegar.
"I'll start making the lentils," Nik said, putting a
pan over low heat.
As the pot warmed, he added a few spoons of
olive oil. She took the leftover onions and put them in the pan,
cooked slowly until they caramelized, as he had seen his father make a
million times. While the onions were squeaking softly, he washed the lentils
and began to rummage in search of stones and impurities.
"Good idea," Alek said. - Can you imagine the scandal?
What would Mother do if she bit something hard and inedible? It's almost
reason enough to put something like that on her plate and see what happens.
"Almost," Nik said, to make sure Alek was joking. -
You did not tell me how you persuaded Ethan to come.
Alek gave a nervous laugh, then took out the cut pods from the
refrigerator and threw over the transparent onions in the large frying pan.
"He's coming, is not he, Alek?"
- Clear.
"Then why the nervous giggle?" Asked Nik.
"It's just that, well, I spent the whole last week trying to pack
courage to invite him ... "Alek began.
"That it's your way of telling me it did not really happen,
right? Said Nik.
"Then I asked a friend to help me," Alek said.
As Alek's father had another job interview and could not go
to pick him up after class on Friday, Alek took the opportunity to
Becky on the way home. He knocked on the door urgently, praying
Becky be at home. I had to call the landline phone's cell phone.
after class, then the window was a few minutes.
"Where are you, asshole?" She asked as she opened the door.
door. "You have not returned any of my calls. Neither emails.
Neither text messaging. No signs of smoke.
"I'm grounded forever. My parents came and got me
with Ethan.
"Should I start a support group with them?" I stayed
totally traumatized when that happened to me.
- Thank you, Becky.
"I'm always here for you."
"Look, I need you to do something for me," he explained.
quickly everything that had happened. "That's why I need you to
give me a message and ask Ethan to go and have dinner tomorrow.
night with my family.
"Are you Romeo or Juliet?" She asked.
- What?
"Ah, if I have to be the Mistress and carry messages from one to the other,
I want to know who is who.
"I'll have to say I'm Juliet to do this for me, is not it?"
- Smart kid.
"All right, Becky. If you are the Mistress then Ethan is Romeo and I am
Julieta.-
Say it again.
"I am Juliet," Alek repeated.
- Leave it to me. He will, "Becky assured her.
"And make sure he knows what he's going to face, okay?" She asked.
Alek looked at his brother, who was rinsing the lentils one last time.
turn.
"How did you make Nanar come?"
"I did what any guy with self-respect would do. I returned it in store
all the Armenian books I bought this summer and used the money to
have a dozen roses delivered to her house with a note begging
forgiveness and saying that if she would take me back, I would be her slave to
ever.
- Very masculine.
- It worked, right?
Alek left the pan with boiling water to cool for a few minutes and
poured half of the liquid into the coiled and raw sarma. It slightly increased the
fire, and as soon as the water boiled again, he covered the pan and set the fire down.
medium, leaving cooking in soft boil. The intense and natural smell of
Grape leaves scented the environment.
"I do not think I'll ever be able to smell sarma without thinking about
our house, "said Nik.
"I know what it's like," Alek agreed.
Nik's onions had finally caramelized and were golden.
He turned a few cups of washed lentils into the pan and stirred for cobrilas
with the remainder of the oil.
"You know you do not put salt in the lentils until they
They're ready, right? Instructed Nik.
"Dan," replied Alek. "I'm not one of those Americans. All
world knows that you do not put salt or vinegar in legumes until you
are ready, otherwise they do not cook completely.
"You know, I do not mean to suggest that you're dumb when
I say things. I'm just trying to be a good big brother, "Nik said.
Alek felt thousands of sarcastic responses travel from the brain to the
language. But instead of letting go of any of them, he muttered only one
"Thank you" softly and continued to move.
"Let's see," Nik said. "The tress just needs to stay there and absorb it."
the water, the sarma has to finish cooking ...
- Do not forget to put the tomato extract.
- I will not forget. We need to finish the pod, put the broth
chicken in lentil and bring to a boil over low heat, add the sauce
matzoon and heat the lahmacun, but I want to wait to do this in the last
so that it does not cool down. I think I can handle all this. You can
put the table?
"All right," said Alek. - I can serve the appetizers, too.
"Do you think we need the braided cheese besides soojoukh?"
I think the meat with the Arabian bread and the olives is already good.
- Braided cheese is important, all right?
"All right," Nik agreed.
Alek took the soojoukh, a dry salted meat, in one of the bags and
cut it into thin slices, then tidy up a plate around a
generous portion of braided cheese. He then cut the Arab bread in
four parts, took the liquid out of the olives, put in a bowl of
and picked up another for the lumps. She put all the appetizers in the room,
with a stack of napkins by.
In the dining room, Alek opened the cupboard where the parents kept the dishes
good and took out a pile of dishes. He put it around the dinner table, folded it
six cloth napkins and positioned in the middle of each dish. Then,
Alek took the cutlery from the drawers. How he and Nik decided not to serve
salad or soup, he only needed two forks, a knife and two spoons.
Each item was precisely positioned: the entry fork and then the
main dish on the left side of the dish; the knife and the teaspoon on the side
right. He placed the dessert spoons horizontally on top, with
the cable to the right.
When he placed the last spoon, the oven timer rang
kitchen.
- Is it lahmacun? Alek asked his brother.
"Yes," said Nik. "Do you know where the thermal gloves are?"
I put it back in the drawer.
- Thanks.
Alek went back to the kitchen, picked up the yoghurt
they did it earlier and sprinkled fresh mint on top.
- Great idea to serve the lahmacun with accompaniment of matzoon,
Nik, "Alek said to his brother.
"Nanar says that's how her family does it because they love it."
wet in matzoon. When we left last night, she told me ...
Nik stopped talking when he heard the front door.
- Can we come in yet? Cried his mother.
Alek and Nik looked at each other and nodded.
"You can come in, people," Alek shouted.
They heard the front door being closed.
"Boys, everything's so scented," the father said warmly.
Alek and Nik took off their aprons and left the kitchen to meet their parents,
in the dining room. Mrs. Khederian was wearing a short navy blue dress
of cotton. Alek realized that it was the first time during the summer
that he saw her wearing a different outfit. Mr Khederian
was in a suit and tie and square silver cufflinks.
"Are you going to tell us why you decided to prepare this dinner or
Are we going to have to wait to find out? Asked his father.
The ringing ringing sound saved them from having to respond.
"Should I attend?" Her mother asked.
- Not! Answered the boys at the same time.
Alek glanced at the living room clock, which read eight o'clock in
Score.-
It must be Ethan, "he whispered to Nik.
"There's no way Armenian or Turkish has come on time,
agreed Nik. "Do you want to go?" I can keep them busy.
"Thank you," Alek said gratefully.
- Ready? Asked the brother.
"Ready as I'll ever be," replied Alek.
 21
Ethan was wearing a cream linen suit over a shirt
white hair and gel-backed hair. Alek inspired the
sweet aroma that he exhaled and his knees went wobbly. They stayed
looking, a familiar and embarrassed look.
"I did not know if you were coming or not," Alek said.
"Neither do I," Ethan admitted.
Why did you come? Asked Alek.
"Because I'm older than you.
- What does this have to do?
"I have to be mature and forgive you when we fight."
"Funny, I do not remember asking for your forgiveness."
"And that's what makes forgiveness so incredibly mature."
Ethan smiled. The smile warmed Alek's insides. He took a step
in the direction of Ethan and ran his hands slowly around his waist.
As Ethan did not move, he inclined his head, leaned against his chest, and listened.
the beats of your heart.
"I'm so glad you're here," she whispered.
"Me too," Ethan whispered, running his hand through his hair.
Alek.
"You're going to ruffle my hair," Alek protested.
exactly where it was.
"So, what's the stoppage, Polly?"
- It's dinner. I, you, my brother, his half-Turkish girlfriend and
my parents. Do you think you face it?
Becky told me. I'm in.
"Let's see if you'll still think like that at the end of the night."
He held Ethan by the arm and led him inside. The parents were
eating appetizers when Alek came in and stood up as soon as they saw
Ethan.-
Mother, father, I think you remember Ethan Novick. Ethan, my
parents. And I think you know my brother, Nik.
- Mr and Mrs Khederian, I would like to apologize for our
first meeting that, I believe, happened under unpleasant circumstances
Ethan said formally.
"Young man," began Mr. Khederian.
"Please, sir," Ethan interrupted gently. - I
I would like to go to the end with this, because I bothered to write everything and
to decorate. Ethan paused, which was like a request for permission, and the
Mr Khederian nodded slightly. - I want
you know that I really like your child and I hope you give me the
opportunity to show who I really am. I may not be a model citizen
like Alek, but that's one of the things I like about him and I do not want to
change it. I do not want to be a bad influence. Ethan looked at Alek for
a second and went on. - A very important person to me said
since apologies do not cost anything. It's easy to say "Me
sorry "and expect everything to get better. She also said that gifts
work better. A gift means "I'm sorry, I'm willing to
spend time and effort to show how sorry I am. " Therefore, here
it is. Ethan took out a small package wrapped in tissue paper.
white from inside the jacket pocket. - Accept this gift as my
apology Hope you like it.
Alek's father hesitated only for a moment, but he reached out and took the
Ethan's package. He untied the light green tie, opened the box, and took what he had
inside: a unique blue and white ceramic tile, authentic from Armenia.
- How did you get this? Asked Mr. Khederian,
stupefied
"Peter Balakian gave it to my father.
"Your father knows Peter Balakian!" That Cool! Exclaimed Nik.
"They've been best friends since joining NYU together. My
father had lunch with him the next day they returned from the trip, and it was
that's what I wanted Alek to go to the city with me.
"So your father is a college professor?" Asked Alek's mother.
with hope.
- Of sociology. Specialized in urban planning.
- That's lovely, Ethan. What an attentive and meaningful gift.
Mrs. Khederian smiled. Alek's parents looked at each other for a
time. Alek could not see any gesture that indicated communication
between them, but he knew that a whole conversation had taken place at that moment.
"I imagine Aleksander invited you to dinner tonight."
"You did," Ethan said, nodding.
"Why do not you stay?" To spend the night with us? Said the gentleman
Khederian, holding out his hand.
Ethan exhaled and shook hands with Mr. Khederian.
- Thank you sir. Yes. It would be an honor.
"There are snacks on the coffee table," Nik called from the living room.
Alek took Ethan's hand and led him into the living room.
"I did not know your name was Aleksander." I'll call you "the
Great "from now on," Ethan teased, stroking his hair.
spiked Alek.
"Great idea," Alek said. "If you want me to kill you."
"They are authentic Arabian pickles," Nik said, explaining what
appetizer. - And this is…
- Braided cheese! Ethan said cheerfully.
"If you eat like that," said Nik, holding a braid.
- You can leave it, man. When it comes to braided cheese, I'm a pro.
Ethan pulled a strip and put it in his mouth.
The bell rang for the second time that night. Alek and Nik are
they looked, and Nik stood to answer. Still in the door, he gave a hug
tight in Nanar. She was wearing a lilac dress with a simple belt,
and a white shawl on his shoulders. The heels made her even louder, and Alek
saw a defiant force in her posture. Instead of apologizing for the
height, she was using it in her favor.
- Not! Alek heard his mother say.
She crossed the entire lobby and blocked the guest's entrance.
- No what? Asked Nik, releasing himself from Nanar, but still
holding her hand.
"Your mother is saying," No, do not ask us to accept it in our
house "- said Mr Khederian. - And I agree.
"Mr. and Mrs. Khederian, I am so different now from the person who
Did you have lunch with you every week after Mass last year? -
Nanar asked in a firm voice.
- Yes! Yes it is! Replied Mrs. Khederian.
- But I did not do anything! Nanar protested. - Why find out that
My mother is Turkish has made me more cruel or worse? Why Your Opinion on
Did I change because of something I have no control over?
"Nik told us that his family belonged to Van. Did you know that my
Was the family from there too? Asked Mrs. Khederian.
"No," said Nanar.
"Boghos, bring the picture," said Mrs. Khederian.
"You think ..." he began, but she interrupted him.
"I told you to bring the picture," his wife insisted.
He went into the kitchen.
"My grandfather was the only person in the family who had the
Turkey. It's easy to look back and ask "Why did not everyone run away
when you saw your friends and families being persecuted and executed? "
how many of us, even now, would have the courage to leave everything we
know how to abandon the roots and community to go to a
new and strange, whose tongue we do not speak? He was a bit older than
that Nik left.
Mr. Khederian returned from the kitchen with the family portrait.
He handed it to his wife, who showed her Nanar.
- With this photo my grandfather taught me the names of the members of
family who were killed in the genocide - she pointed to a woman in the
back row that was laughing. "Manushag, my grandfather's aunt, who
dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, raped and murdered in the
City. She pointed to a man beside her, solemn and
proud, wearing suit. "Her husband, Simon, was punched in the belly
with a bayonet when he tried to intervene, and was forced to watch what
was happening to his wife as his life gradually faded. - She
pointed to four standing children in order of height. - Taniel, Garnik,
Adrine and Sevoug, their children, were surrounded like animals and deported,
forced to march through the desert to which none survived.
She kept pointing at the portrait.
- Sona, my grandfather's elder sister, who was killed along with the
husband, Ara, and the two sons, Patil and Elnaz, when the Armenians of Van
tried to come together and repel the attacks.
She pointed.
Karekin, the youngest, hid in a well. She died of
famine and the corpse was discovered weeks later. It was considered one of the
who were lucky because he did not die in Turkish hands.
She pointed.
"My great-grandmothers, Dikran and Marine, were shot in the head by
dinner table, shortly after my grandfather left. He did not even say goodbye to the
parents, the only ones in the family who were still alive when he left,
I thought I could not go if I went to talk to them. And they stayed,
deluded and believing things would improve. In 1920, there was no longer any
a single Armenian in the city.
Mrs. Khederian's body was rigid as she spoke, with the
family stories making his voice more tense.
"I know you're not responsible for any of these things, Nanar. IS
of course I know. And all I want is to be able to
The girl who gives Andranik, my eldest son, so much joy. But how can I?
to know what his mother's grandparents were doing in 1915? How can I know
if your great-grandfather was not the one who pulled the trigger against people in my family, or
that something in your family's home today has not been stolen from
my one hundred years ago? How can I get you into this house if you do that?
would it insult the ghosts of my ancestors?
"I do not know, Mrs. Khederian," Nanar answered truthfully.
Nik let go of Nanar's hand, and Alek could not decide which of the two
he seemed more defeated. Alek's mother walked to Nanar and put her hand on the
shoulder.
"You came by car?" He asked gently.
Nanar nodded.
"Go home, Nanar, and let's think about it in the future,
when we're not so nervous, okay? - instructed the
Mrs. Khederian.
Nanar nodded again and turned, his body withered, defeated.
"No, it is not well," said Alek.
"Alek, please," his father said gently. - This has nothing to do with
to see you.
Yes, you do. I think it's a family affair, and this is my family.
too, so it has a lot to do with me, "Alek insisted. "Nanar is ours."
invited. She was invited by a person from this family to come to her house and,
if there is one thing I know about being Armenian, it is that we treat the guests
with respect. So you can explain why this is not worth
now? You are saying that being against the Turks is more important than
the hospitality in the hierarchy of the Armenian tradition? Because as far as I can
genocide occurred a hundred years ago, but the Armenian people and their
supposed and famous hospitality existed some three thousand years ago. So, I think,
merely by the nature of age, hospitality beats all the rest.
"Alek, you know how hard it is for me to leave this boy ..."
"His name is Ethan, father," Alek said.
- It's all right. Let Ethan enter this house knowing that he was the
cause you lied to us. But we did it. Your mother and me. Now
Let's have dinner with you two. Is not that enough for one night?
The week before, the idea that parents would welcome Ethan home
would have been inconceivable to Alek. When he and Ethan got together, they never
it occurred to him that the relationship would be something he could incorporate
family life. And suddenly that door was open and the possibility of
to be able to have that all called him to enter.
But he could not. Not like that. Because it was not right.
"You do not understand, do you, Father?" I can not accept your proposal. And Nik
I would not accept it if the situation were the reverse. You, among all the
people, you should know that. Because you created us for it.
"This is my boy," Ethan whispered to him.
Alek left the house and put his hand on his mother's shoulder.
"Our dead ancestors do not care if Nanar dines here, Mother.
"How can you be sure?" She asked, and Alek succeeded.
to hear how much she wanted him to be right.
"The only thing they want for us is for us to be happy. What if
Nanar makes their great-grandmother happy, and you'd have to be blind not to see how
Nik smiles when Nanar is close, that's all they want. They
they would like you to choose the living for the dead.

22
Two hours later, the Khederian family was with Ethan and Nanar in the
dinner, drinking Armenian mint tea and finishing the dessert.
"Do not tell me you baklava too," said the
Mrs Khederian, jabbing the last piece with her fork and putting
mouth with pleasure.
"Of course we did," Alek insisted.
- If "we did" I mean "we ordered at Damascus Bakery
Brookly n "- added Nik.
"But did you sprinkle the cinnamon and clove yourself?" - He asked
she.
"Of course, Mother," Nik said proudly.
"You work in the city, do not you, Mrs. Khederian?" - He asked
Ethan.-
South of Port Authority.
"You should go and see the Market Cafe on the corner of Ninth Avenue
with 38th Street. It's one of the best restaurants in New York in my
humble opinion.
"I'm always looking for new places to try," she said.
Lady Khederian, nodding with appreciation.
"And you went to International Grocery on 40th Street?"
"I went there a few times, but I never went in."
"That place is too much, I mean, it's very good," Ethan said. -
There's a lot of seasoning. I've never heard of most of them.
"My mother took me there last year," Nanar said. - She said that
it made her remember home.
"Nanar, do you mind if I ask a question?" Said the gentleman
Khederian.
- Of course not.
"How did your mother do that?" How did you hide her ethnicity? It should not have
been easy.
"She told everyone she had no relatives. Is not it sad? It happens that
we have an aunt and cousins who live in Baltimore and I did not even know it.
- It must be very strange to discover that your past is not what you
I thought it was, "Nik observed.
- And it was. I mean, it still is. Because it makes you feel
different person even if you are not. Especially when he discovers
that your past is something you were created to hate - explained
Nanar. "I'm still trying to deal with all this." What will happen in the
next time one of my Armenian friends makes a joke
impromptu about Turks?
"Do not tell me," Ethan said in sympathy. - You imagine
How many times do some guys think I'm straight and use the word fagot? What's up
I have to decide if I'm going to let it go, which is what I do not want, or if I go
correct it and make a drama, which is something else that I do not want.
"That's what makes it difficult, there is no clear sense of what the thing is.
certain to do, "Nanar agreed. "But I knew I had to tell Nik.
"And when I freaked out, did you repent?"
"No," said Nanar simply. I knew I did not
wanted the burden of carrying the secret. It weighs on the shoulders.
"It does," Alek agreed.
"My mother always said that she believed that the Turkish refusal to
recognizing the truth about genocide hurts the Turks almost as much as
Armenians because it prevents them from having the healing that comes from the truth -
Nanar paused before continuing. - I think that makes the decision
From lying to me all these years, even harder.
"I need to tell you something," said Mr. Khederian of
suddenly putting the cup on the table.
The five other people in the dining room turned to look at him.
"What is it, my dear?" Asked the woman.
- I got a job!
The children celebrated, and the woman wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
and kissed him.
"How wonderful, dear.
"But I refused," said Mr. Khederian.
Mrs. Khederian shrugged.
- You did what?
"Seriously, Father," Alek asked, "why did you give yourself up?"
to go to the interviews if you did not want the job?
Mr Khederian spoke cautiously, articulating the thoughts
as the words came out of the mouth.
- Only when I got the job that I noticed, do you prefer to stay in
House. I can see you more than I saw in any other time of my life.
life, and I have some ideas of work that I want to develop. At
Sometimes you need to get what you think you want to realize that you never
wanted this, in fact.
"You see, everyone is taking a load off their backs," he said.
Ethan.-
Everyone but you, Mother, "Alek said.
"I do not know what to say," Mrs. Khederian insisted. - I do not have
secrets, I do not do anything I should not and I have nothing to hide.
"I do not believe it," Alek said. "There must be something." Some
thing that you think about in that moment before falling asleep with guilt
or the remorse that turns you inside.
"Nadinha," said Mme. Khederian with simplicity.
"Nothing, Mother?" Asked Nik.
Mrs. Khederian paused shortly before answering.
"Well ..." She stopped talking.
- I knew! I knew it! Said Alek.
"I can not believe I'm going to admit it," said the lady.
Khederian.
Was Nik designed before the wedding? Asked Alek,
hopeful.
"Is Alek the son of another father?" Nik asked in that same tone.
Mrs. Khederian looked away and put her hand on her neck, like
was agonizing. The husband leaned toward her, intrigued.
"Tell me soon, my dear! He encouraged.
"Sometimes when I go to Whole Foods, I stick a dill
packet of parsley, "she confessed.
For a moment no one said anything.
"I do not get it," Ethan admitted.
"Oh, I do not need a whole bunch of dill, just one gallon
to decorate the food. But I hate the idea of throwing all the rest away.
"You can freeze." That's what my mother does, "Nanar suggested.
"It would suit a soup or a stew, but I prefer fresh dill."
as decoration.
"Let me get this straight," Alek said slowly. - Your great
The secret is that you steal dill worth two cents at Whole Foods
every two weeks
"And I feel terrible for that," said the mother guiltily.
transparent on the face. "It's theft, after all." What if the cashier understands?
Or if I'm seen by the security cameras? Can you imagine the
scandal?
"We would never survive," said Alek.
"Well, I do not want to be rude," Nik said, "but we have to go to the
bed. Alek and I need to study early tomorrow.
- For what? Her mother asked. - Classes only start in two
weeks.
"Ah, yes, but when you make a special class of algebra II there are duties
for the holidays, "boasted Alek.
Alek's parents looked at him with joy in their eyes.
"Do not get too excited, it's just algebra. Mrs. Imbrie wrote down the note.
of my final work, so I'm going to do normal English next year - he explained
Alek.
- That's absurd! Mrs. Khederian stood up. - I will
talk to Mrs. Schmidt Monday early in the morning.
- Mother, relax. It's all right. I did not kill myself to study or anything.
And that will allow time for other things, like tennis.
"He's right, Kada." Alek's father took his mother's hand and she
sat "Besides, special algebra class is something that
we can be proud
The mother nodded in agreement.
"And I'm sure that if you try hard, you can go to the class
English in the second year, which means that there may still be
early when ...
"Why do not we face one year at a time?" - suggested Alek,
interrupting the mother.
"What an excellent idea," agreed the mother. - There is no reason to
hurry up, do not you? She said, turning her attention to Nik and Nanar.
Nik, understanding at once what she meant, put her hand
over Nanar's protective form.
"What are you saying, Mother?" That I should break up with my
girlfriend because she's partially Turkish?
"I'm sure that's not what your mother is saying,
interrupted Mr. Khederian. "It's always good to go slowly to
you can digest everything that is happening, like you do after a
great meal. When you grow old like you and your mother ...
"You're not so old," Alek interrupted.
"As I was saying, when you get older, you'll see
how important it is to let things take a natural course.
"Well, I need to go home," Nanar said, standing up. - Watch
You in church tomorrow, Mr. and Mrs. Khederian?
Are you and your parents planning to go to church this week? She asked.
Mrs. Khederian, with obvious surprise in her voice.
- Clear. My mother was converted before she became engaged to my father. She
you have as much right to be there as anyone else, "Nanar said.
"We'll see you there," Nik said. - And I do not know about my
parents, but I want you to know that I will always sit with you, in the
church, lunch, and anywhere.
Nanar hugged Nik, and he accompanied her to the car. The Khederian
they turned their attention back to Ethan.
"Ethan, you need to understand the embarrassing situation in which
"said Mrs. Khederian. - Of course you do Alek
happy…
"And he makes me happy," Ethan said.
"Yes, that too," agreed Mr. Khederian. -
But a nice dinner is not proof that you will be a good influence to
our son.
"So what, Father?" I can only date Ethan if my average
high? Alek mocked.
"It's not that easy, son. Unfortunately, we can not leave ...
"Ah, I do not know, Boghos," said Mrs. Khederian.
Alek's father stopped talking. He turned and looked at the woman.
"We do not disagree in front of the children, remember, Kadarine?" -
he said in a delicate whisper.
"Maybe it's time we started treating them like adults.
Mrs. Khederian went on. "After all, your parents did not find me."
a good influence when we first met.
"And why, Mother?" Asked Alek with maximum neutrality.
possible, cheering for the tone did not betray how much he wanted to know.
"First, because I'm three years older than your father, what
left scandalized. In addition, I was doing masters, and his mother
wanted him to marry a good Armenian girl who owned
house, not with a woman who worked outside and had a career, who ...
how did she say Mrs. Khederian asked her husband. - "Did not know
to smash right sarma even if her and her children's lives depended on it. "
Alek could not choke out a laugh as he imagined his grandmother talking.
this way about your mother.
"All right, my dear, I think it is enough," said Mr. Khederian.
"Of course there are certain rules in this house that we expect Alek to follow,
Ethan, "Mrs. Khederian explained. "And if we think you're not going to
respect these rules, there will be no place for you here. It's that simple.
- I understand.
Ethan held out his hand and gave Alek's mother his best smile while
they shook hands. Nik returned in time to say goodbye to Ethan, who
thanked the hospitality of the Khederian.
"Thank you," Alek murmured.
- Whereby?
- For coming.
"It's no big deal, Polly."
They kissed until Alek was afraid that his parents would not trust him, and
Ethan took the skateboard in the Khederian's garden.
"Are you going to skate home with this suit?"
"The way I'm feeling, I'm practically flying home."
Ethan answered. "Besides, did you ever see me fall?"
He left and slipped out. Before disappearing into the darkness of night,
turned and threw a kiss at Alek.
Alek entered the house and closed the door. He leaned against it to enjoy the
feeling of his lips on hers. She sat up and went back into the living room,
where the family was waiting for him.
The parents were sitting on the couch and Nik had begun to take the plates
of the table.
"I wanted the baklava to be fresher," said Alek,
eating some crumbs while helping his brother to tidy up. - And I think
that we do not cook the sarma completely.
"Do not do that," her mother reprimanded.
- What? He wanted to know.
"That thing of criticizing everything.
Alek looked at her in amazement.
"Where do you think I've learned?"
"Ah, it's good to have a high standard," his father said.
- But it's also good to be able to sit down and enjoy a home-cooked meal
well prepared, "concluded her mother. - That's why the food is so
important in the Armenian tradition. Make something you need
do on one thing you want to do. Now you guys are going to stay
seated while my father and I finished the tidying up.
"You do not have to do that," Nik said.
"We know not," said his father.
"But you two fix it when we cook, so it's only fair that the
People clean when you cook, "her mother insisted. - Then you can go if
sit back and relax. You deserve!
Epilogue
"Right after you left my house, I went to the skateboard. Now
you know how it can be - Becky told Alek, punching the
Ethan's shoulder playfully. - Especially when he is with the
despicable
"It's quitting." Ethan was struggling to keep up.
while dragging Becky's giant suitcase.
"But when you do that, you're despicable," she said. -
And hurry up. I do not want to miss the train.
"Becky, it's five minutes from your house to the station. We have time to
beça.
Alek adjusted the strap on his shoulder bag, wondering if
it would not have been better to have worn an old, dull cotton tee shirt
instead of the light-blue polyester short-sleeved shirt he bought at
Housing Works. But an old T-shirt would look ugly with jeans
had chosen to wear that day. He held the small suitcase better.
who was pulling while wondering how a little girl
as Becky might need so much to spend a week away.
"The only way you'd miss the train would be if Ethan and I
we would faint from exhaustion. And you can explain why it is not
carrying no suitcase?
"Remember when you were straight and gentleman?" - a strip of the
overalls that Becky always wore fell lazily from her shoulder. Feel
lack of those days. Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?
Alek nodded anxiously.
- So I say, "Ethan Novick, I have a dinner invitation from Alek
Khederian for you, "Becky continued.
"Everyone laughed," Ethan added, with good
humor. He was wearing special Ethan-style clothes that day:
black, white and gray camouflage trousers and a red
sleeves with the words I DO, BUT NOT WITH YOU in front. - I
I was very embarrassed. But of course I was not going to show this to my
friends.
"So he asked me what would happen if it was not." And I said:
"I promised I'd make you go, Romeo." By now, everyone was
dying of laughter. And then Ethan says he bets my skates against skateboarding.
to decide whether to go.
"Why did not you tell me that's how Becky convinced you?"
to go to dinner at home on Saturday? Asked Alek.
- And there's more! Her eyes flashed with malice.
"I do not want to brag," Ethan said, "but I'm good on the track and I'm
good on skateboard. So good that it's hard to imagine one of the guys doing better, and
even less that skinny girl with skates with wavy hair that only
I know Polly's best friend -O.
"I'm just checking the circuit for a few minutes. Do you know,
evaluating angles, understanding the impulse, these things.
"And then, bum, she skates like the demon possessed," he said.
Ethan. "Skip grids, spin, skid on your back." The first time, it rocks.
No doubt. She approached and said that if I did not appear well-dressed
and make a good impression, she would have to give me another lesson.
Alek laughed with satisfaction, thinking how much the first experience of
Becky with the dropouts was different from his with Jack earlier in the summer.
"I need to thank you, Ethan. I do not think my parents ever noticed
how much this "skating thing" was important to me until I got back to
home that day and tell them how I beat you. That's why they decided
send me to the skating camp, after all.
The three of them arrived at the station.
- Come on, boys. These bags will not be left alone.
Ethan and Alek exchanged glances before pulling their suitcases to the platform.
"The feeling of taking the train alone is so adult." are you sure of
Do you know where you're going? Asked Alek.
"I'm going to get NJ Trans to Trenton, change lines to Amtrak,
then I'm going to Wilmington. The camp has a van that will pick me up.
"And who's going to help you carry this whole shit out of the
line? Ethan asked.
"I'll be fine, boys, stay calm. Oh, I can not wait!
On the first day, they tell us to do activities to assess levels,
You know? There they prepare the program according to each one.
Becky went on to explain the details and nuances of
skating camp until the train stops at the station a few minutes
after.-
Do not die of longing for me, "she said to Alek.
"Impossible," he replied.
And the train took her. Alek and Ethan watched him disappear in the distance.
"This summer is a dream," Ethan murmured.
- I know.
"I hate the fact that it's only a week from now."
"You got it all wrong, Eth," Alek said, holding his hand.
gently by Ethan's surfer's hair. "This summer is not the dream.
We are a dream. You and I. And it does not matter the time of year, since
let's be together
"I like that, Polly." "Or-" Ethan smiled.
"Let's detonate, you and me," Alek said.
- What does that mean?
"It's from a Rufus song, clown. I mean: Careful, world.
Let's do crazy things together.
"Let's detonate, you and me," Ethan repeated.
Alek leaned in to kiss Ethan as the platform vibrated through the
force of two trains passing through the station in opposite directions.