Bloody Texas

This is Bloody Texas

"Ladies and Gentleman!" A man with long dreads and a brown suit raised his arms up to address the crowd.

Keith adjusted his black tie; then tightened his greying bun and smoothed his white suit.

The man continued, "How are y'all doin' tonight?!"

A glint of light caught Keith's attention. He looked down at his ring. He brought his hand up to give it a small kiss.

Lance let out a gleeful laugh as Keith spun him again, letting go of his hand to let him take control. When he turned back around, his face immediately dropped.

Keith had kneeled down on one knee and held up Lance's passport. A matching ribbon wrapped around the book and carried a brilliant ring. Lance brought his shaking hands up to his mouth and stared at him in disbelief.

Keith stepped up to the edge of the curtain and waited with his hands behind his back. He took a quick look out at the excited crowd. His whole life flashed in the spotlights. Growing up. Getting a job. Meeting Lance. Marrying Lance. His smile wavered. Lance's death.

"You're gonna do great out there, Dad."

Keith turned around and reached up to ruffle his son's brown hair that resembled Lance's almost perfectly. Even his skin was the same shade of terracotta. "Of course I will, Ellis."

"Dad!" His other son looked up at him with bright eyes of blue hidden behind shiny black strands of hair. His light olive skin sparkled in the dim atmosphere. "You're famous!"

Keith brought him into a hug, "But I'm still your lame father, Caspian." He laughed, "Just a boring old man."

His chunky, pastel pink shoes tapped the front bumper as he kicked them. "Do you think somewhere out there, there's a world where we are together and happy? Where I'm not dying and you have everything you ever wanted?"

"Maybe we have a cozy house and some kids?" He joined the fantasy.

"Two kids," Lance corrected. "What would we even name them?"

"Two boys. One would be something cool- like 'Caspian.'"

Lance laughed at the silly idea, "And the other would be something cute- like 'Ellis.'"

"You're not naming our son 'Ellis.'"

"Then you're not naming our son 'Caspian.'"

"Touché."

"Whatever!" Caspian pulled back and stood next to his brother. They wore suits that made them look more like children than adults. Even though they were in their twenties, they still behaved like kids. Caspian was adopted from Korea when he was five. Ellis was Cuban. He was adopted when he was six. Now, Caspian was twenty-four and Ellis was twenty-one.

"My boys," Keith placed a hand on each of their shoulders, giving them a shake. "Carry the McClain family name with pride, ya hear?"

They high-fived each other, "Yeah!" Ellis pumped his fist and shouted, "For Papi!"

Caspian laughed and joined him, "For Papi!" He gradually dropped the smile and turned to Keith. "Dad, are you sure you're ready to tell us about him?"

The announcer called out to the crowd, "May I introduce our very special guest for the night!"

Keith turned to them, "Duty calls, my boys!" Before he left, he gave Caspian a solemn look, "And yes, my son. I think it's time you guys heard it."

Caspian gave him a nod and they trotted off with hyper waves, "See you out there, Dad!"

Keith walked back up to the edge of the backstage curtain.

The announcer talked with dramatic arm movements. "May I introduce the winner of numerous awards, the man who changed the world forever, the one who cured HIV and AIDS, Dr. Keith McClain!"

Keith walked up on stage and shook the man's hand. The crowd erupted with applause and enthusiastic cheers. As the man exited, Keith turned to look at the screen behind him. He swallowed the tears that collected in his throat as he stared up at it. A painting of Lance was shown on the screen. His hair was fluffy and smooth. His eyes were gently closed and his face held a beautiful calmness that only Keith could understand. Keith scanned the crowd and took note of all the copies of Lance in everyone's hands. He knew he would be signing them after the show. Every single one. The eyes of many different people stared up at him. He knew them all: the skeptics in fancy suits, the teenagers obsessed with love stories, the nerds that lived and breathed medical books, and his fellow doctors that supported him all through his journey. All of them held a Lance of their own. Keith took a breath and finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Good evening everyone!" He paused to let them applaud and cheer. When they quieted down, he continued. "As I can assume from all the looks you're giving me right now, you've come to hear about how I cured HIV and AIDS." He looked into every one of their starstruck eyes.

Keith smirked, "But unfortunately, that's not what I'm going to talk to you about." He motioned to the slightly confused crowd, "As I can see from all your laps, you've come to hear a story; and I'm going to tell you a story."

Keith took a breath and held his smile. The entire crowd was silent and staring up at him in anticipation. He lowered his gaze in recollection. "Do not be confused—this story is not about me. It is not about how a lowly bartender grew up to be a world-renowned HIV specialist. No. Let me tell you a story about the boy who really changed the world. A boy with constellations in his eyes. A boy that was always beaten down, but refused to fall. The Papi of my two sons. My one and only love."

Keith took a breath and looked into all of their eyes, "I'm going to tell you the story of a boy that changed my life; and in turn changed the lives of millions." A smile tugged at his lips. He lifted his head and puffed his chest, motioning to the screen above him. "In a story I call–"

Keith paused to smile up at Lance. His beautiful Lance.

He kept his eyes closed as he spoke, "Hey Keith?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you want to do with your life?"

He could feel Keith look down at him, "What do you mean?"

Lance sighed, "Like your purpose. What do you wanna do while you're alive?"

Keith took a long, deep breath. "Just live. Like this. With you."

Lance's chest ached and he flinched with it. He finally opened his eyes to watch the wispy clouds float across the sky. He gulped, "What about after I'm dead?"

Keith didn't answer. He just let the question fly away with the wind and burrow into the dirt.

"In a story I call—" Keith lowered his arm and turned back to the crowd.

Keith gave them a proud smile. "Bloody Texas."