Vintage Rob

Chapter 22 - Back in Boston

Rob placed his elbows on the school cafeteria table and his chin on his interlocking fingers. If Yukiko discovered him emailing Sophia, a child, that would be the end. Getting in touch with Makiko was worth being pathetic and persistent, but he couldn't come across as weird or worse. And Makiko already thought badly of him. That was why she kept her distance.

Someone waved a hand in his face. Rachel eased down into the opposite chair. "Hello."

"I saw them, Yukiko and Sophia, and we talked." He shrugged.

"Better than nothing, right?"

"I hope."

***

After Rob's flight from Japan, he joined the Gears at one of New York City's late night television studios. From a couch on the stage, he laughed at the glib repartee between the Gears and the host. Vincent, their long-haired singer, played up Rob's importance as inspiration, which Rob pooh-poohed. More interviews and media events followed. The CD's title track, Vintage Rob, reached number two on the Billboard charts and remained in the top ten at the end of February. Rob did not shun promotional duties, but the momentum grew without him. He curtailed his involvement as quickly as possible and hunkered down in Boston, counting the days until April when he would return to Tokyo. Except for the Gears' short tour of Japan, he intended to spend a year becoming a somebody to Makiko, maybe even some sort of father.

***

One afternoon in mid March, on his way to meet Jennifer, Rob emerged from the subway station at Kenmore Square. The bookstore across the street tempted him, but he planned to kill time there later, before meeting Greg, his teacher friend, for dinner. When he glanced at the ambulances lined up along the curb, one door whipped open. George popped out and waved a burger at him. "Hey!"

"Hey!"

George stuck the burger and its wrapper on the dash of the ambulance. "Molly's been talking about you."

"Sorry."

"Not like that. She heard your Japan trip went well."

"Did it?" Rob's voice sounded like a small dog yelping. Both men laughed. George's laugh shook Rob like a heavy truck passing. In late December, they spent a night together when Rob photographed one of George's shifts in the ambulance. Those hours together had intensified their bond.

George clasped Rob's shoulder with one of his big hands. "Listen, Molly's worried she's been too hard on you."

A ripple effect from the Gears' success? "Oh?"

George squeezed Rob's shoulder. "Come on, have a drink with us some night. Molly's fine. You'll see."

"Okay, how about today? Some coffee."

***

Young women did not chase Rob down alleys, but patrons at cafes, bookshops, and other public spaces in Boston tittered when he crossed the threshold. Women were as alluring as always, and many had responded well to him before the Gears, but now the air always crackled with suggestion. He flirted, no harm in that, but surprising himself even, he did not pursue.

Greg, his teacher friend, wore a charcoal blazer to the restaurant. One of his elbows rested on the table; his other hand rested in his lap. His slim elegance trumped the physiques of men decades his junior, which maybe accounted for Kevin, his boyfriend, who was in his twenties. On Thursday nights, Kevin raced to karaoke night at a bowling alley/club in Jamaica Plains. Occasionally, Greg joined him.

"Please," Kevin said. "Join us for karaoke. Make the evening legendary."

"You'll never convince me." Rob crossed his arms. "Neverrrr."

"You don't have to sing. A group of us will surround you on stage." Kevin's eyes glinted as he stared into the distance, as if envisioning the scene in his mind's eye. "We sing, you inspire, just like you did with the Gears. The crowd will go nuts. Maybe you could even dress in drag."

Greg sighed. "Let him disappoint you, Kevin. Maybe next time."

A young blond waitress cleared away the dishes. She moved her hips around Rob and refilled their waters. After she left, Kevin almost shouted. "Well, she knows you're not gay. Is she your type?"

"Honestly, I don't have a type anymore. I'm just not interested." Rob gazed at his folded hands, which rested in his lap. It was true, but for how long? "Maybe I'll become a monk."

Greg narrowed his eyes. "Not interested? We should check your temperature."

"If there's a level in hell for men who refuse to satisfy women... " Oops, Rob did not know if either Greg or Kevin had ever had sex with a woman. His sweater suddenly felt too heavy and his face warmed up from the neck. "I mean for straight men."

"Yeah." Kevin shrieked. "We get it." He motioned with his hands. "Take that foot out of your big mouth."

"Will do." Rob gulped down some water. It was time to change the subject. "I had coffee with Molly today."

Greg frowned. "She accepted a thousand dollars from you a couple of months ago, even though she despises you."

"Well, I gave it to her... I don't like what the Gears thing has done to some people, but I welcome the change in her. She was nice, and if she talks to Makiko, I think she might talk me up."

"Let's hope so," Greg said.

"If the Gears thing got Molly on my side, it could bring Makiko around. Anything that helps."

Kevin emptied his wine glass, pushed back his chair, and looked at his watch. "I gotta go soon... Are you sure? No Karaoke?"

Greg and Rob shook their heads. Maybe it was time to change the subject again. "Since I'm moving to Japan, I have to find someone to take over the apartment I leased here." Rob touched and let go of his nearly full drink. "I want to keep a bedroom here, because I'll have to travel back and forth a few times. I don't need the money and won't charge half the rent, so if you know someone who needs a break, let me know."

"Everyone deserves a break," Greg said.

"Well, I'd prefer someone uninterested in hit songs or even the news cycle. Maybe a grad student of ancient history. Someone who won't trash the place. I don't care what they can afford."

Kevin clapped. "I love it. Giving back to the impoverished but highly educated." He tapped the pockets of his green army jacket, which rested on an empty chair beside him. "I know someone who works at a coffee shop near you. She could use a break. Somerville is expensive as hell." He pulled out his phone. "She's hysterical too. I'm sure she knows who you are, but she's way too cool for school. She won't mess up your celibacy shtick either. She's gay as hell."

Like Rob, Greg dates younger people too. Did you even notice?!

In your opinion, does Rob's celibacy shtick represent genuine reflection, or is it just that, a shtick?

I've probably written this before, but a star is a click away...