An Extraordinary Life - an anderperry story

Chapter Six - June 1962

Stranger on the Shore

It had been almost a year since Todd had seen Knox and Charlie and they would be arriving later the next day. He had stopped by the corner store to pick up some food and cigarettes (Charlie hadn't quite knocked the habit and Todd wanted to be a good host). James had moved out already so the three of them would have the suite to themselves. Todd's parents were planning on coming the following Monday to move his things home for the summer. Charlie promised to bring some alcohol so he foresaw a weekend of eating, drinking, and catching up. A partial Dead Poets Society weekend would be the perfect way to end his first year at college.

Todd had felt a little anxious the week leading up to their visit. Finals kept his mind preoccupied most of the time (and he aced each one, to his surprise), but there were a lot of moments when his mind wandered. While he was excited to see two of his best friends, he couldn't help but feel sad that Neil wasn't coming and nervous that he might unexpectedly show up with them. Charlie wouldn't do that, right? Well, Charlie might not but Nuwanda definitely would. Yet Todd couldn't bring himself to ask his friend if the boy he couldn't stop thinking about would be making a surprise appearance that weekend.

That night, Todd lay in bed, the first time he had slept in that room alone. It was quiet without James' snoring so he was left alone with his thoughts, specifically about his friends that were coming... and the one that wasn't. Not wanting to deal with that, he grabbed his pill bottle. There were three valium pills left. He grabbed one and swallowed it. He hoped that the other two would last him until he got the nerve to ask his mom for more. Where she got them, Todd didn't ask. He closed his eyes and let sleep finally overtake him.

Todd woke up feeling refreshed and excited. He was trying not to worry about what likely wouldn't happen but instead was looking forward to seeing his friends after so long. He felt ready. He had a few hours to kill before their train would get there, so he finished some last minute cleaning. Todd sighed. It would take him about an hour and a half to walk to Grand Central Station, so he decided to head out. Charlie said he and Knox would be getting off the 3:15 train from Boston.

Todd loved walking around the city. He found people watching fascinating and loved to look up at the architecture. James told him only tourists looked up in NYC but he didn't care. Some days he couldn't believe this was his home. Todd could walk the streets for hours and never get bored. That was how he discovered his favorite book store, coffee shop, and the gay club he one day hoped to be brave enough to enter. As he headed towards Grand Central Station, he couldn't help but feel happy. Everyone he passed seemed to be in a good mood, which he took as a good sign. Of course it was going to be a good weekend, he reminded himself. One last hurrah before summer started.

Grand Central Station was in sight and Todd looked down at his watch - 3:05. He had some time to kill so he headed inside to wait. He loved the architecture of Grand Central Station. Any time he was there he couldn't help but look up and stare. Fortunately he wasn't the only one - the tourists always joined in on looking up. Those moments when he was so caught up in the beauty of the city were the moments he felt most at peace. His mind was calm and focused on only his surroundings. The outside noise didn't cross his mind and the stress of school, heartache, and anxiety didn't cloud his thoughts. In those moments, everything was still.

But then he looked up to see Neil Perry staring at him, standing twenty feet away.

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One month earlier

One thing Neil was good at was acting. And he had been doing that daily for the last two years. The first year he spent pretending that he wasn't in love with his roommate, Todd. And the last year he spent pretending that he didn't miss or still love Todd.