Skyscrapers: A Tale of Two Architechts

A New Home

Karl called Aleks back.

"Was I right?" Aleks first words were.

Karl laughed at his friend. "Completely. On most accounts."

"I meant that he was hot."

"YES. Yes yes yes yes, but he didn't seem very, I dunno, like artsy."

"Like he didn't decorate the place enough for your liking?"

"You know me too well."

"Yep. I do. Are you gonna say you'd like to move in? I mean he probably has lots of people to choose from..."

"He said I could move in when I wanted to. Which was kinda weird. I mean I drop by to look and he says he wants me. I mean, yeah. I guess he just really likes me."

"I guess that's good right?"

"I guess so."

"I can help you move your stuff in this weekend, if you want."

"I'd love that, yeah."

Aleks brought their car over to Karl's airbnb and the two of them loaded the cardboard boxes that Karl was living out of into the trunk.

"You really don't have much stuff," Said Aleks.

"Yeah, I mean it's pretty much just clothes and my computer, and some pictures."

"You never like to have too much to easily move around."

"Nope."

They got in the car and drove to Karl's new apartment.

Vladimir answered the door. He had talked with Aleks briefly before, but he introduced himself again.

"I'm Vladimir, I met you before, but you know, I guess I'll be seeing you around more."

"Yeah, I'm Aleks, again. Me and Karl have been friends a long time."

"Do you two want help unloading the car?"

"Sure," Said both of them at the same time.

It didn't take long for them to put all the cardboard boxes at the foot of Karl's new bed. When they were done Aleks went into the kitchen to grab water and make a quick phone call.

Vladimir helped Karl unpack his clothes onto the shelves.

"So, how did you meet her?" Asked Vladimir as he folded Karl's shirts.

"Who?" Karl responded with no clear idea of who Vladimir was talking about.

"Your friend."

Now Karl understood who Vladimir was talking about, and he was mad at him. Not that he should have known better, but he did mess it up. So Karl decided to play dumb. "I'm sorry, who are you talking about?"

"Your friend in the kitchen. Aleks."

"But Aleks isn't a girl."

Vladimir stared at Karl, seemly as if he had made a mistake. "Oh! Aleks is a boy."

"Umm no, not last time I checked."

"I do not understand. How can this be?"

"No, I don't understand," shot back Karl clearly mad at Vladimir now. "They are just a person. They're genderfluid."

"They? Who else?"

"No!" Karl was mad, but he knew that it was not Vladimir's fault. Vladimir was clearly just uneducated. He was protective of his friend. Everyone always misgendered them. So he tried to calm down. "I mean that in English, 'they, them, their and theirs' are gender neutral singular pronouns. Aleks uses them because they don't identify within the binary. They are genderfluid."

"I see. Aleks is transgendered."

"That is an outdated and not very nice term, but sure."

"I am sorry. I will try to use the correct pronouns, but what is Aleks' real gender?"Karl was enraged by this, but Vladimir continued. "Not gender... I mean sex. Yes?"

"Look. It doesn't even matter. It shoulded matter. Aleks real gender is gender fluid okay?"

Vladimir shut up. Things were not off to a great start.

"I didn't mean anything I'm sorry."

Karl was silent.

"I really like your friend, where I grew up we didn't really talk about those things. I understand, but I don't have all the words, especially not in english. I'm not close minded, and I understand how protective you are being of them. I really do."

"I'm sorry, I kinda overreacted."

"You had grounds to."

Karl smiled finally.

Vladimir didn't smile back, but Karl understood he meant that he was sincere.

Karl had bad experience with Russians. Particularly those named Vladimir. Well, he never actually met that Vladimir, but he tried. He remembered back to all the turmoil. That skyscraper was his dream to realize make, not theirs. The Russians had bombarded him for so long.

They had blocked him from talking to Vladimir Aristov, their lead in this effort.

This Vladimir he didn't want to be like the last. Plus he was so dreamily beautiful.