Chapter 27: Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures
"I'm sorry, we're just not looking for any help right now. We're overstaffed as it is," the manager said to Will, trying to get him out of the store.
"Sir, listen. I hate to beg and be a pain, but I've been looking for work for almost two months now, and I can't find a job anywhere. I'll work for minimum wage, whatever it takes, I need work really bad, sir, help me!" Will begged as he looked into the unforgiving eyes of the overweight manager of the drug store.
"Look, kid, I told you, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. It's a tough time for anyone to find a job. Wish I could help ya, kid," he said, walking away from Will and disappearing into the "employees only" room behind the counter.
Sighing in defeat for what felt like the millionth time in the past two months, Will walked quietly out of the store, bumping into someone on the way out. "Oh, I'm sorry, I -," he stopped speaking as he recognized the person he had collided with. "Chad?"
"Yeah. William Dumott? Good lord, I haven't seen you in years, how ya been holding up?" Chad asked, holding out his hand for a shake.
"I've been better." he trailed off, then continued, "Well, what are you doing here? I never expected to see one of my old football teammates in New York City!"
"Yeah, I can't believe we ran into each other! You wanna go out and get some coffee, or something?" Chad asked, thrilled to have seen Will again.
"I'd like to, but, god this is so embarrassing," he laughed nervously, "I'm broke. I don't have any money at all, I'm so -,"
"My treat," he promised.
Smiling for the first time that day, Will followed Chad down to the local coffee shop.
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"So what have you been up to, man? I don't think I've seen you since graduation back in 89, and how, what is it, 95? 6 years? That's crazy!" Chad exclaimed, stirring his black coffee around.
"Yeah, I can't believe it's been that long. I haven't been up to too much, but I'm married now," Will said nervously, cracking his knuckles repeatedly. He had never been out in high school; only his parents and Bart had known about his sexuality before he came to New York.
"Congrats man, that's great. So who's the lucky lady? What's she like?"
"I don't know how to tell you this, but it's not a lady. His name's Angel, he's a drag queen, and we've been together for two years. The marriage isn't legal, but we had a ceremony in central park a little over a year ago, and it was great," he spit out all in one breath, feeling slightly relieved that he revealed his sexuality, but nervous about what Chad would say.
Smiling warmly, Chad responded, "That's cool, man. I had no idea you were gay, but it's cool that you're happy. I could never ever picture you with a drag queen though. What's he like?"
"He's. god, he's everything I've ever wanted. He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, in and out of drag, and he's so sweet. The most selfless person I've met. I love him so much, it's crazy. I never thought I'd be able to be in a relationship like this with another man. I was so quiet about my sexuality in high school, nobody ever knew about it, and I figured it would always be that way, but Angel changed it all. He makes me want to be a better person." Nobody had ever asked Will about Angel before, and he loved being able to talk about his love the way he just had. It brought a warm, fuzzy feeling deep inside his heart.
"That's cool. She, I mean, he sounds great," Chad answered, looking genuinely happy for his friend.
"Yeah, he is. But I don't know how much longer we're gonna be able to stay together," Will admitted, returning his concentration to the cracking of his knuckles.
Tilting his head slightly to the side, like Angel did when Will said something he didn't fully understand, Chad asked, "What do you mean?"
Sighing and beginning the explanation, Will spoke. "So I owned this shop right near our apartment, and both of us were working there. But, a couple of months ago, business started getting really bad. We were barely making any profit. So, in order for us to still afford to live together and pay the rent and everything, we had to close it, and we both needed to find new jobs. Angel works at this drag club that his parents own, and he's working there full-time again, but he doesn't make enough money to support both of us. As it is, we've been going to the club every day to eat meals so we don't have to buy our own. I've been looking for a job for almost three months now, and I can't find anything. I even started looking before we lost the shop, figuring that by the time I needed to be bringing home the money, I'd be able to, but there's no work anywhere. I just don't know what to do."
Chad looked sympathetically at his friend. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his eyes, and he smiled. "Let's get outta here, I've got something to show you."
Puzzled, Will replied "Uh, sure," and followed Chad out of the coffee shop.
Once they stepped outside into the blistering August heat, Chad pulled Will closer to him. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, but it's only because I can trust you, and I know you need a job."
Still confused, Will listened intently to his friend as he whispered three words into his ear.
"I'm a dealer."
Shocked, Will gawked at him. "What- What do you mean?"
Chad pulled Will into a deserted alley. "I mean I sell. I'm a distributor, and I've got quite a few people working for me. So here's what I'm gonna do for you, William. I'm gonna let you work for me. You sell my 'materials,' and I'll give you a percentage of the profits. Granted I can't give you millions, but you'd be surprised how well it pays, and it'll definitely cover those expenses for you and- What did you say his name was, Angel?" Will nodded. "Yes, you and Angel will be set. I don't offer my products to just anybody, William. I trust you, and I can see how bad you need the flow."
Not even knowing how to respond, Will stared at him blankly for a few minutes, then finally spoke. "I can't believe you sell. I mean, I guess I'm grateful for the offer, but I don't know if I can do it. I mean, Angel and I are both so against those things."
"Well, you don't have to use just because you sell. Trust me, if all my employees were users as well they wouldn't be making any money," Chad reassured him.
"I guess. I don't know, I'm gonna have to think this over," Will said, nervously.
"Take your time, but remember, time is money, William. Here's my card, call me if you need me, and maybe we'll work something out," Chad said, then walked nonchalantly out of the alley, leaving Will alone, staring at the simple white business card. "Chad Masters, sales manager," it said in bold, black writing.
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Just like every night for the past two months, Angel trudged into the apartment well after midnight, still with makeup on his face, but not wearing drag. The bags under his eyes were enough to hold his whole drag wardrobe. Angel was getting tired a lot faster lately, due to the grueling demands of being a performer, which he had not been doing full-time for the past two years. Tonight, however, he was a bit upset. Usually, Will would show up at the club right around the time that Angel performed, and the two would eat dinner together and catch up on the events of the day, since it was usually the only time they got to spend together, but tonight, Will didn't show up. Hoping that he had a good reason for not being there, Angel walked into the bedroom to find Will sitting on the bed, facing the window and staring outside.
"Honey," Angel said softly as he walked in.
Turning around slowly, Will's face immediately brightened at the sight of his radiant lover. Standing up and holding out his arms for a hug, Will greeted Angel, "Hey baby. Sorry I wasn't there tonight, but I've got some good news."
Scampering into his arms for a comforting embrace, Angel smiled. "What's the good news, honey? Did you find a job?" he asked hopefully.
"I did. I've got to call some people back and work out what hours I'll be working, but it looks good. I'm really lucky to have found somewhere to work around here," Will answered.
"Aw, I'm so happy for you! Where are you working?" he questioned enthusiastically.
"Oh, I'm a salesman," he responded, praying that Angel wouldn't ask anymore questions.
"Sweetie! That's wonderful! Gosh, I'm so glad you found work! I was getting really worried, because I'm not making that much at the club, and you know, Queenie said that if we ever really needed to we could go and stay there, but I told her that it wouldn't come to that, because I knew you'd find work and you finally did and-,"
"Angel, baby, you're rambling," Will cut him off.
Giggling, Angel blushed slightly. "Sorry. I have a tendency to do that when I get excited."
"It's okay. It's cute," Will said, kissing him lightly on his glossy lips.
"I hate to cut this short, but I'm so tired. I really should get some sleep, because nobody wants to see a tired, old drag queen sing 'It's Raining Men' with bags under her eyes!" Angel laughed.
"Baby, you're beautiful no matter what. But if you're really tired, then go and get some sleep. I'll be in the kitchen, I have to finish up some paperwork for Bart," Will answered, hating the fact that he was lying to his Angel.
"Okay. Goodnight Will. I love you," Angel said from inside his dresser, trying to fish out some decent pajamas to sleep in.
"I love you too, Ang. I'll see you in the morning."
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Will closed the door behind him as he exited the bedroom, wishing that he could run back in and spill everything to Angel. He wanted to tell him about Chad, and about how he didn't know what to do, and all he wanted was to make enough money for the two of them to live together in their apartment, instead of having to find some cheap one-room place to live. He had spent the rest of the day, after coffee with Chad, contemplating about Chad's offer. He wanted to find a legitimate job that he could tell Angel about, so that he wouldn't have to feel like he was constantly lying to his lover. At the same time, however, he knew that dealing would pay a decent amount of money, and, as long as he was careful, it would be a job that he would have for a while.
Sighing for the millionth time that day, Will pulled the white business card out of the pockets of his faded khaki shorts and picked up the phone. Punching in the numbers, he waited until he heard a voice on the other end.
"Who's this?" it asked rudely.
"Chad? It's William," Will said into the phone, puzzled by the rough tone in his old friend's voice.
"Oh, William. Have you come to a decision yet?"
"Yeah. I think I'm gonna take you up on your offer," Will answered, defeated.
"Wise choice, I could tell you were desperate for some flow," Chad answered.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Will said, miserably, as he sighed and listened to Chad's voice, his thoughts wandering to a better place.
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A/N: Not one of my better chapters, but I hope you liked it anyway. I told you that some important stuff was gonna happen soon! Sorry Angel made such a brief appearance in this chapter, I'll try to make him be there more in the chapters to come. To all of you who have reviewed thus far, and are reading my story now: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! It means a lot to me =)
"I'm sorry, we're just not looking for any help right now. We're overstaffed as it is," the manager said to Will, trying to get him out of the store.
"Sir, listen. I hate to beg and be a pain, but I've been looking for work for almost two months now, and I can't find a job anywhere. I'll work for minimum wage, whatever it takes, I need work really bad, sir, help me!" Will begged as he looked into the unforgiving eyes of the overweight manager of the drug store.
"Look, kid, I told you, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. It's a tough time for anyone to find a job. Wish I could help ya, kid," he said, walking away from Will and disappearing into the "employees only" room behind the counter.
Sighing in defeat for what felt like the millionth time in the past two months, Will walked quietly out of the store, bumping into someone on the way out. "Oh, I'm sorry, I -," he stopped speaking as he recognized the person he had collided with. "Chad?"
"Yeah. William Dumott? Good lord, I haven't seen you in years, how ya been holding up?" Chad asked, holding out his hand for a shake.
"I've been better." he trailed off, then continued, "Well, what are you doing here? I never expected to see one of my old football teammates in New York City!"
"Yeah, I can't believe we ran into each other! You wanna go out and get some coffee, or something?" Chad asked, thrilled to have seen Will again.
"I'd like to, but, god this is so embarrassing," he laughed nervously, "I'm broke. I don't have any money at all, I'm so -,"
"My treat," he promised.
Smiling for the first time that day, Will followed Chad down to the local coffee shop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So what have you been up to, man? I don't think I've seen you since graduation back in 89, and how, what is it, 95? 6 years? That's crazy!" Chad exclaimed, stirring his black coffee around.
"Yeah, I can't believe it's been that long. I haven't been up to too much, but I'm married now," Will said nervously, cracking his knuckles repeatedly. He had never been out in high school; only his parents and Bart had known about his sexuality before he came to New York.
"Congrats man, that's great. So who's the lucky lady? What's she like?"
"I don't know how to tell you this, but it's not a lady. His name's Angel, he's a drag queen, and we've been together for two years. The marriage isn't legal, but we had a ceremony in central park a little over a year ago, and it was great," he spit out all in one breath, feeling slightly relieved that he revealed his sexuality, but nervous about what Chad would say.
Smiling warmly, Chad responded, "That's cool, man. I had no idea you were gay, but it's cool that you're happy. I could never ever picture you with a drag queen though. What's he like?"
"He's. god, he's everything I've ever wanted. He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, in and out of drag, and he's so sweet. The most selfless person I've met. I love him so much, it's crazy. I never thought I'd be able to be in a relationship like this with another man. I was so quiet about my sexuality in high school, nobody ever knew about it, and I figured it would always be that way, but Angel changed it all. He makes me want to be a better person." Nobody had ever asked Will about Angel before, and he loved being able to talk about his love the way he just had. It brought a warm, fuzzy feeling deep inside his heart.
"That's cool. She, I mean, he sounds great," Chad answered, looking genuinely happy for his friend.
"Yeah, he is. But I don't know how much longer we're gonna be able to stay together," Will admitted, returning his concentration to the cracking of his knuckles.
Tilting his head slightly to the side, like Angel did when Will said something he didn't fully understand, Chad asked, "What do you mean?"
Sighing and beginning the explanation, Will spoke. "So I owned this shop right near our apartment, and both of us were working there. But, a couple of months ago, business started getting really bad. We were barely making any profit. So, in order for us to still afford to live together and pay the rent and everything, we had to close it, and we both needed to find new jobs. Angel works at this drag club that his parents own, and he's working there full-time again, but he doesn't make enough money to support both of us. As it is, we've been going to the club every day to eat meals so we don't have to buy our own. I've been looking for a job for almost three months now, and I can't find anything. I even started looking before we lost the shop, figuring that by the time I needed to be bringing home the money, I'd be able to, but there's no work anywhere. I just don't know what to do."
Chad looked sympathetically at his friend. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his eyes, and he smiled. "Let's get outta here, I've got something to show you."
Puzzled, Will replied "Uh, sure," and followed Chad out of the coffee shop.
Once they stepped outside into the blistering August heat, Chad pulled Will closer to him. "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, but it's only because I can trust you, and I know you need a job."
Still confused, Will listened intently to his friend as he whispered three words into his ear.
"I'm a dealer."
Shocked, Will gawked at him. "What- What do you mean?"
Chad pulled Will into a deserted alley. "I mean I sell. I'm a distributor, and I've got quite a few people working for me. So here's what I'm gonna do for you, William. I'm gonna let you work for me. You sell my 'materials,' and I'll give you a percentage of the profits. Granted I can't give you millions, but you'd be surprised how well it pays, and it'll definitely cover those expenses for you and- What did you say his name was, Angel?" Will nodded. "Yes, you and Angel will be set. I don't offer my products to just anybody, William. I trust you, and I can see how bad you need the flow."
Not even knowing how to respond, Will stared at him blankly for a few minutes, then finally spoke. "I can't believe you sell. I mean, I guess I'm grateful for the offer, but I don't know if I can do it. I mean, Angel and I are both so against those things."
"Well, you don't have to use just because you sell. Trust me, if all my employees were users as well they wouldn't be making any money," Chad reassured him.
"I guess. I don't know, I'm gonna have to think this over," Will said, nervously.
"Take your time, but remember, time is money, William. Here's my card, call me if you need me, and maybe we'll work something out," Chad said, then walked nonchalantly out of the alley, leaving Will alone, staring at the simple white business card. "Chad Masters, sales manager," it said in bold, black writing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just like every night for the past two months, Angel trudged into the apartment well after midnight, still with makeup on his face, but not wearing drag. The bags under his eyes were enough to hold his whole drag wardrobe. Angel was getting tired a lot faster lately, due to the grueling demands of being a performer, which he had not been doing full-time for the past two years. Tonight, however, he was a bit upset. Usually, Will would show up at the club right around the time that Angel performed, and the two would eat dinner together and catch up on the events of the day, since it was usually the only time they got to spend together, but tonight, Will didn't show up. Hoping that he had a good reason for not being there, Angel walked into the bedroom to find Will sitting on the bed, facing the window and staring outside.
"Honey," Angel said softly as he walked in.
Turning around slowly, Will's face immediately brightened at the sight of his radiant lover. Standing up and holding out his arms for a hug, Will greeted Angel, "Hey baby. Sorry I wasn't there tonight, but I've got some good news."
Scampering into his arms for a comforting embrace, Angel smiled. "What's the good news, honey? Did you find a job?" he asked hopefully.
"I did. I've got to call some people back and work out what hours I'll be working, but it looks good. I'm really lucky to have found somewhere to work around here," Will answered.
"Aw, I'm so happy for you! Where are you working?" he questioned enthusiastically.
"Oh, I'm a salesman," he responded, praying that Angel wouldn't ask anymore questions.
"Sweetie! That's wonderful! Gosh, I'm so glad you found work! I was getting really worried, because I'm not making that much at the club, and you know, Queenie said that if we ever really needed to we could go and stay there, but I told her that it wouldn't come to that, because I knew you'd find work and you finally did and-,"
"Angel, baby, you're rambling," Will cut him off.
Giggling, Angel blushed slightly. "Sorry. I have a tendency to do that when I get excited."
"It's okay. It's cute," Will said, kissing him lightly on his glossy lips.
"I hate to cut this short, but I'm so tired. I really should get some sleep, because nobody wants to see a tired, old drag queen sing 'It's Raining Men' with bags under her eyes!" Angel laughed.
"Baby, you're beautiful no matter what. But if you're really tired, then go and get some sleep. I'll be in the kitchen, I have to finish up some paperwork for Bart," Will answered, hating the fact that he was lying to his Angel.
"Okay. Goodnight Will. I love you," Angel said from inside his dresser, trying to fish out some decent pajamas to sleep in.
"I love you too, Ang. I'll see you in the morning."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Will closed the door behind him as he exited the bedroom, wishing that he could run back in and spill everything to Angel. He wanted to tell him about Chad, and about how he didn't know what to do, and all he wanted was to make enough money for the two of them to live together in their apartment, instead of having to find some cheap one-room place to live. He had spent the rest of the day, after coffee with Chad, contemplating about Chad's offer. He wanted to find a legitimate job that he could tell Angel about, so that he wouldn't have to feel like he was constantly lying to his lover. At the same time, however, he knew that dealing would pay a decent amount of money, and, as long as he was careful, it would be a job that he would have for a while.
Sighing for the millionth time that day, Will pulled the white business card out of the pockets of his faded khaki shorts and picked up the phone. Punching in the numbers, he waited until he heard a voice on the other end.
"Who's this?" it asked rudely.
"Chad? It's William," Will said into the phone, puzzled by the rough tone in his old friend's voice.
"Oh, William. Have you come to a decision yet?"
"Yeah. I think I'm gonna take you up on your offer," Will answered, defeated.
"Wise choice, I could tell you were desperate for some flow," Chad answered.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Will said, miserably, as he sighed and listened to Chad's voice, his thoughts wandering to a better place.
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A/N: Not one of my better chapters, but I hope you liked it anyway. I told you that some important stuff was gonna happen soon! Sorry Angel made such a brief appearance in this chapter, I'll try to make him be there more in the chapters to come. To all of you who have reviewed thus far, and are reading my story now: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! It means a lot to me =)