423

Cody sniffed and hiccupped all the way home, and Luigi noticed the tax driver’s eyes in the mirror looking at them, judging and censorious.  He felt like shouting at the man, at abusing him.  He didn’t give the driver a tip, though, and in return the driver didn’t say goodbye but roared off in his taxi, making the tires squeal.

Needless to say, there was no space in Luigi’s cupboards for Cody’s clothes, but Luigi was sick of half the stuff he had and he was glad to have a clean out.

Cody didn’t help, but sat on the bed and then lay down with his face to the wall.

Luigi lay down next to Cody and put his arms round him.  Cody remained unresponsive.  Luigi kissed his neck, but didn’t speak.  He was at a loss how to proceed.  No matter that Cody had hurt him, Luigi still loved him.  But Cody had been so damaged by the abduction and rapes, by the sinister violence, by the close brush with a horrible death.

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Episodes 1 to 260 (without pictures, 10 episodes per chapter

420

On the tram ride home, Luke didn’t speak, but instead stared out of the window at the passing city.  When they got home, he said,

“Nice bloke, your Keith.”   He seemed a little melancholy.  You might get someone to love, even if he is gay, but I won’t get anybody ever, was the subtext.

“Not mine, Luke.”

“He likes you.”

Esmé shrugged.  “He’s gay,” she said.  “He’s a friend.”

Luke had watched how Keith had looked at Esmé, and he wasn’t so sure.  But he didn’t want to raise her hopes so he let the subject drop.

“Are you working tonight?” he asked.

“No.  Well, I have an assignment.”

“How does pizza and a beer and a DVD sound to you?”

“Which DVD?”

“I dunno.  I bought some new gay movies from Amazon.”

“Do you think I’m turning into a fag hag?” Esmé had read that term just that morning and it had terribly depressed her.

“That’s a horrible word, Ezz.  Just because you have two gay friends.” 

One of whom gets a hard-on when he dances with me.  “Yes, but, I’ll prolly never get a man, you know.”  She sensed Luke’s sadness and all at once she shared it.

“Why ever not?”

So Esmé finally told him.  It felt as if a wound was torn open and scraped with salt.  But afterwards—though there was still a throbbing ache—for the first time since it had happened, she believed that she would be OK.  Things would get better.

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Episodes 1 to 260 (without pictures, 10 episodes per chapter

397

The autumn sun was warm, but the air felt like champagne, sparkling and full of light.  Luigi, Cody and Jason sat in the garden chairs on the back verandah and chatted with Lucasta and Eleanor.  It was peaceful in the sun.  In the distance, there was the grumble of lorries on the main road, the clang and ping of trams.  From neighbouring gardens there came the indistinct mumble of people chatting, of washing machines going, of some energetic soul mowing.  The world felt right.

Even Cody felt some peace.  His life was in ruins; worse, he had ruined Phillippa’s life.  Well, there was nothing he could do now.  He had to start again.  From scratch.  And his grief and humiliation and terror still howled deep inside him.  And yet, on this autumn morning, with people who didn’t judge him or who at least had suspended judgment, he had hope.  He could start again.  He wasn’t dead, murdered by a demented pervert.  His life was in front of him.  And into his head came the renewed vow, that he would make his life worthwhile, and do something to pay back Fate or God or Life for his good luck.

And he wasn’t alone.  He had friends.  Luigi and maybe Jason.  And Eleanor and Lucasta.  Perhaps he could get a room here.  So he wouldn’t be a burden on Lou and piss him off.  If he still had a job.  If.

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Majorca Flats -- 320

From Troy Caperton's blog

“Don't!" said Jason into Cody's ear, as his tears flowed even faster. “You're with friends, now."  He pulled him closer, his arms firm and comforting.

“Come inside, everyone. This calls for more tea. What an exciting day we're having." Eleanor didn't know quite how to deal with this stranger's weeping.

“I'll just phone Lou," said Keith.

Cody shook his head.

“What? He loves ya! He's worried silly about ya!"

“It's just … I … I don't deserve him. I …. oh, God! It's been horrible!" Cody ground out been hiccups and sobs.

“Come on," said Jason very gently, treating him as if he were a small boy, not a grown man, as if he himself were still a prefect at school. “Let's go inside."

They crossed back across the road.

As the door closed behind them, a kombi roared up the road towards the high street.

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Majorca Flats -- 319

Cody looked at Jason with wonder. “Yes, I am Cody. But … ,�? suspicion replaced wonder, “ … how did you know? Who are you?�?

“Oh! I'm Jason. I'm a friend of Lou's. You are Luigi's Cody, aren't you?�?

“Yes, but … how … what's going on?�? Into his mind came the memory that Luigi had mentioned Jason that morning, when they'd stopped at the service station on the freeway. He felt a spike of anger, but it was quickly replaced by indifference. He shrugged.

“Lou just phoned, ten minutes ago. He was worried sick about you. He said he'd gone round to your house and … your wife ...�? Here Jason faltered. He turned to the car, “Hey, we've found Cody! This is Cody!�?

Keith opened the car door and stood in the doorway space. “What? Ya sure, mite?�?

Eleanor opened her door and Jason crossed the road to help her out. He took hold of Cody's hand to take him with him. Cody felt again the comfort of another human being's warmth, of the contact of skin against skin, and it broke through the cold reserve he'd been building around his heart. He started to cry.

Jason pulled him close. “It's over now, mate,�? he murmured, forgetting to be English just for that moment. “You're safe. He'll never get you. We'll look after you. You'll be OK.
Cody, meet my friends Keith and Eleanor Cumberledge.�?

“Welcome to Majorca Flats, Cody,�? said Eleanor, wondering how her life had managed to become so full of incident and people so quickly. Before Jason had turned up, she'd often been lonely. Now, not only was he around, but his friends were too. With a brief stab of sorrow she remembered that if she'd done things differently, she'd have had Bart and all his friends. His husband, maybe. Grandchildren. She shook her head to clear it of these unwelcome recollections.

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Majorca Flats -- 294

“But you did." Luigi was curt.

Cody didn't reply.

Luigi glanced at him, and he could see that Cody was weeping silently, staring out of the window, swallowing the sound of his tears.

There was a BP freeway garage just ahead, and Luigi turned into it.

He
pulled over at the far edge of the concrete apron, as far as possible from judgemental sightseers and undid his seatbelt. He put his arms round Cody. He didn't speak, just hugged him. Cody put his head on Luigi's shoulder and sobbed.

After five or six minutes, Cody lifted his head off Luigi's shoulder and gave him a watery smile. “Sorry," he muttered.

Luigi cupped Cody's head with his hand. “I meant it," he said, “I do love you. But … Coads love, you have a wife and a child. And maybe it'll work out." Cody shook his head without speaking. “You never know, love," insisted Luigi. “And what then? Is she going to be happy if you go on seeing me? Are you going to lie to her?" He let go of Cody and stared through the window at a jet taking off from the airport a few kilometres away. “When … I found out about it … I thought of all this. I thought of how I keep on falling for straight men and I keep on having my heart broken. And you know what?"

Cody made a small interrogatory murmur.

“I did it all over again. I went to the park, you know, Carlton Gardens near my flat and I picked up Jason. He was so macho and hot. I called him 'straightboy' and he called me 'gayboy'. But he was kind to me, and gentle."

“Is he straight?"

“No, I don't think so. I think he can do it with a woman. But he's basically gay."

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