When I'm finished cleaning the kitchen I decide to call Kid. It only takes him a couple rings to answer.

No Kevin, Sean says when he picks up.

It's Shawn, I correct him.

Sorry. I figured Kev would try again.

No, he went to the gym after he threw a few things across the room.

He's that pissed?

He shattered his phone when you hung up on him. He doesn't have a cordless anymore, so I'm attached to the wall.

Kev can be such a jackass, Sean says.

Yeah, I just told him that.

You two had a fight? Sean asks.

Yeah, just the normal name-calling and stomping around, I say.

he mumbles. So, why are you calling me now?

I'm apologizing for Kevin. I told him not to call you, but Kevin is Kevin

A big stubborn jackass. He didn't do any damage. Tell him I'm sorry for hanging up.

I say.

What did he want to talk to Scott for?

He wanted to ask him why he left, I reply.

Didn't you already tell him?

Yeah, but that's not a good enough reason, I explain.



Kev just began the next stage of recovery--angry.

Man, I feel sorry for his neighbors. You two fight loudly, Sean laughs.

I laugh with him.

Well, I better go, Sean says.

Okay. Guess I'll call you tomorrow morning.

Yeah, see ya.

See ya, I say and we hang up.

I go in the living room and sit down. After flipping through every channel twice on the TV, I settle for a repeat of Saturday Night Live. I watch an episode and a half before Kevin comes in the front door.

Hey, Shawn, he greets me as he walks into the kitchen.

Hey. Nice work-out? I ask. I know that he's not mad at me anymore. We never stay angry for very long.

Yeah. On my way home I picked up some subs for lunch.

At the mention of food I practically run to the kitchen.

Kevin and I eat our lunches while joking and having civilized conversation. Afterward, we go out and enjoy that Jackie Chan movie. We end up playing in the arcade for a while, and I win almost every game we play. By the time we get back to Kevin's, it's time for dinner.

What do you want to eat tonight? I ask when we get in the house.

I think I've got everything for spaghetti, Kevin says.

Garlic bread? Spaghetti is nothing without garlic bread.

Only the frozen stuff, Kevin answers.

That'll do.

In the kitchen we work as a tag team. Kevin browns the meat while I make the sauce from scratch. Spaghetti is a favorite of both of us. Kevin is telling me a story of some wild backstage stunt he pulled in WCW when he suddenly says, Shawn, what in the hell are you doing?

I look up at him and say, Adding the spices. What does it look like?

You didn't put enough oregano, Kevin tells me.

I put plenty, I argue.

No, you didn't.

I can see that Kevin is getting mad again. I know that Scott puts about half the damn container of oregano in his spaghetti. Obviously, Kevin wants me to make it that way. Too bad for him; I don't like a lot in mine. So, we continue to fight about it.

Just put more in, Kevin says.

I yell.

Damnit, Shawn! Fine, I'll do it myself. He reaches across my cooking area, and I smack his hand with the spoon.

Ouch! You ass! Kevin yells and I just laugh at him.

Fine, I'll put a little bit more in, I give in.

Kevin says and goes back to the meat.

We continue to cook silently. We have one little argument about the bread. Kevin likes his practically black, and I don't. We settle on medium brown. While we are eating, we apologize to each other and Kevin finishes his funny story from earlier.

Kevin and I clean up the mess from dinner and relax in the living room. We watch the first period of a pretty boring hockey game, then change the channel to watch

I critique the action while Kevin tells me what he thinks about the storylines and gimmicks. Kevin stomps up to his room toward the end of the show because of an argument about Hunter. I claim that Hunter barely talks to us anymore because of his over-grown ego. Kevin claims that he's really busy being the champ, and he'll see his friends when he has the time.

I go upstairs when the show goes off. I stop by Kevin's room and apologize for being an idiot. He says that he's sorry, too. Just before I drift to sleep I hear Kevin crying himself to sleep.

*****

Exactly one month after Scott left Kevin I get the magic phone call from Kid. I try for an hour that morning to call Kid like I have been doing, but nobody answers. Instead, Kevin's brand new cordless rings on the kitchen table.

I greet the caller.

Hey, Shawn.

Kid! Where are you? I've been trying to call you all morning.

I'm at the airport, Sean says.

I ask.

Dropping Scott off. He's going back home today.

Woo! Finally! I yell into the phone.

Sean laughs, You're a little happy about this.

You'd be too if you had to put up with Kevin's heart-breaking tears and his bad temper tantrums for a whole damn month, I tell Sean.

Well, Scott wasn't any easier.

Did he try to take your head off with a flying coffee cup? I ask with a laugh.

No, but did Kev barf all over you?

No. I guess we're even, I say.

Okay. Who's picking Scott up from the airport? Sean asks.

I will. Don't wanna risk having Kevin tearing off Scott's head in the middle of the airport.

He's pissed again?

I don't know, he's sleeping now. I really hope he's not, I say.

If Kevin's not angry then they might just fuck each other in the middle of the luggage claim area. I agree that you should pick him up.

I laugh and say, I can get my ticket for a flight back to Texas while I'm there.

Yeah. Scott's flight lands at 2:00 this afternoon.

Okay, I'll be there.

Good luck dealing with their reunion, Sean laughs.

Thanks. I'll call you when I get back to my house, I say.

Sounds good, Sean says and hangs up.



~~~~~
TBC