French Cup: A Neighborhood Story

Chapter 69: -Kazuya- Pin Pon Pan and the Monster from Across the Sea

"Slip and slide party!" Nikki screeched up the deserted street as he sashayed, holding up two full bags of Chirp's chicken and fries above his head triumphantly. He was the only one dressed appropriately for this weather, with his long faux mink coat.

"Coming this summer," Miyuki said dramatically and just as loudly, "the Rainbow Edition presents: hundreds of queers, fifty-five gallons of lube, one street. The block party to end them all: Astroglide, the Musical." She made clapping motions in a dance, then jazz hands for even more dramatic effect. 

"I'm totally going to sing for this," Hanako said nearby us, probably intending for just Chidori to hear. 

"Oh my god. Me, too," Chidori giggled. 

My hand went over my face, trying not to react. There was no way that was happening. It was way too dangerous. The giant drum of lube had gone unclaimed at the end of the night, abandoned by the person who had won it. Of course it was. Who the heck would want it?

Evidently, this group of people right here did. 

"It's probably not even good anymore," I called out to them. "It's been sitting in that drum for years, Prin said so."

"Out of the shadows," Miyuki went on even more dramatically, looking back at me with a flick of her head, "comes one villain to destroy them all. A Karen named Kazuya. Can the queers rise up and face this nemesis and throw him down the giant Astroglide slide? Coming to a street near you, June 2023."

Even I had to crack up at that. Next to me, holding my hand entirely too hard, Gyeong-Wan was finally smiling. 

"We're going to need more lube. Think they still sell it online?" Nikki asked Miyuki seriously. 

"I don't know. Let's look on Amazon."

I shook my head, sighing happily as she actually whipped out her phone from her slinky little purse. 

"Are we seriously doing this?" I asked, squeezing Gyeong-Wan's hand assuringly. He hadn't joined in on the conversation. Ever since we'd began reading stories at drag bingo, he'd seemed withdrawn. Not laughing at any of Nikki's jokes, blank faced when Hanako had sung, not even reacting at the end of the night when the drum of lube was revealed as the gag prize. How hard the audience had laughed, needing it. But, Gyeong-Wan had looked like he needed that laugh the most of all. And yet, he hadn't laughed one bit.

The others were deep into their conversations, not listening to me anymore. My bare shoulders were freezing. I hadn't thought Nikki was serious about us going over to his place after drag bingo to watch his favorite movie, but he'd hyped everyone up. We'd gone to Chirp's to get some takeout and Hanako and Chidori had gone into the liquor store to grab some sake and beer. They'd even bought more snacks, chips and things. It was officially a viewing party. 

And yet, all I wanted to do was talk to Gyeong-Wan. How was he feeling? Now that I thought about it, tonight had been really heavy. Nikki had tried to lighten it with jokes like he always did, but the stories this year had been harrowing. Often, there'd be a few stories of fun memories, something people could laugh at, a different kind of way to remember a person. There hadn't been any like that this year. 

As we kept walking, the others' voices faded around me. All of me was focused on Gyeong-Wan. He was new to LGBTQ things. He'd told me that himself yesterday, with being worried about that fact. That he'd wished he'd known more about being LGBTQ when he'd been with his first boyfriend. We'd talked for hours, about various things. His life, his hobbies, memories from when he was growing up. I'd talked about my dad, and he'd held my hands as I told him about how much my dad had meant to me, how he'd changed my direction in life.