The City

In the middle of the following week Martin started his new job as office manager at Nina’s real estate firm.  The subway trip up to Harlem was a long commute, but he was growing bored at home.  And needed the money.  Nina kept him busy all morning, then treated him to lunch.  “How are things for Frederico since the opening last weekend?” she asked.    “Great,” Martin said. “He got a new commission for some portrait work just yesterday.  It’s not exactly what he wants, but he’s glad to have the work.”   “He’s very talented,” Nina said.     “He is,” Martin agreed, then pondering, added “and he’s my best friend.”     “Just a friend?” Nina asked, trying not to sound piqued.    Martin set down his fork and looked up. “I guess with our history he’s a bit more.”

Meanwhile, Frederico was busy preparing a canvas when his phone rang.  He was glad he answered it when he heard Helmut’s voice.  “Bad news, friend,” the German said. “My visa was denied.  I’ll need to stay in Hamburg a while longer.”    “How much longer?” Frederico asked, disappointed that his friend had to miss the gala and would now be away for his next triumph.    “Probably a few months,” Helmut responded. “It totally sucks.  I’m going to lose the job and will have to start all over again when they finally get this settled.”

Disappointed, Frederico decided to take a walk.  He bumped into Jacob on his way into the building.  “What has you looking so down?” Jacob inquired.  Frederico explained the news from Helmut.   Being less than friendly with the Hamburger Jacob wasn’t at all disappointed. ”Serves him right,” he said. ”I’m sorry your friend won’t be around for a while, but sometimes these things happen for a reason.  If we’re lucky, he’ll find his dream job in Germany and he won’t be back at all.  Let him steal some German’s boyfriend for a change.”

At the end of the week, Tyler stood in Franz and Leon’s dining room.  He was staying the night with their dog Nairobi.  Her walker Todd would be by in the morning to house sit while they were driving to Memphis.  Spaz stood next to Tyler.  She was accompanying them on the trip to visit Kimmie.  “I called Adam this week and he has four tickets reserved for you to see his play,” Tyler told her. “Don’t dawdle on the way, your tickets are for Wednesday night.”    Unaccustomed to being told what to do Spaz furrowed her brow. “I have the whole route mapped out, with alternates highways in case Leon wants to drive through Amish country.  Although I think Franz said something about an amusement park in Ohio that might suck up more time than I’d like.”  The two of them looked at the map while Franz and Leon loaded the car.   This would be Leon’s first vacation since starting his new job. 

Nairobi watched them nervously.  Luggage going into cars upset her.

That night, after a long day at work of answering calls while Nina was out showing condos, Martin came home with a bag of Chinese take-out.   He was planning to surprise Frederico, but found his apartment empty.   He let himself in and put the food in the refrigerator.  Writing a note letting his ex know that the food was in the refrigerator out of the corner of his eye he noticed a box of condoms sitting on the table.  And in the trash an empty wrapper.

What does the City have in store next for our heroes? Stay tuned.

Initially based on actual events and real people, the story has progressed to such a point as to render everyone and everything unrecognizable.  Nonetheless, names and associations may have been altered to protect the guilty or to make things seem more interesting.

“The party is awesome.  Leon did an amazing job producing this event.  Everything is flawless.”  Franz was talking into his cell phone.  On the other end, Todd the new dog walker was house sitting in Jersey.  With both Franz and Leon working full time they needed someone to watch their dog Nairobi during the day.  Not realizing the animosity between Todd and the rest of the world, Franz hired him.  “Thanks for agreeing to watch the house for us.  Leon ’s going to be so surprised when I take him to the Plaza Hotel tonight.”     “No problem,” Todd said.  He lifted a glass of wine to his lips and held a photograph of his former friends celebrating Martin’s birthday last spring.  Leon was front and center in the picture, one arm around Martin the other around Tyler . “I’m sure Leon will be pleased.”     “I can’t wait for you two to meet,” Franz cluelessly said.     

Across the room, Frederico’s sedative and champagne combination kicked in.  Draped between Nina and Leon, they dragged him outdoors.  His phone rang - Helmut calling from Germany to congratulate him.  Too drunk to take the call, Frederico handed the phone to Jacob.  Still thinking he was speaking to Frederico, Helmut told Jacob about his upcoming interview with the consulate in Hamburg . “I should be back in the US sooner than expected,” he said.    Without a word, Jacob slammed the phone shut.   “Who was that?” came a voice behind him.  It was the attaché Jacob had been canoodling behind a pillar most of the night.  “Just a friend of Frederico’s, calling from Hamburg ,” Jacob briefly explained to him.  “What a coincidence,” the attaché said. “I work at the US consulate in Hamburg .”    An idea forming across his smile, Jacob said, “Interesting.  Want to go dancing?”  

Spotting Tyler and Martin approaching them, Leon hissed “Get him out of here before the paparazzi get a shot of him.”  Martin whisked the barely standing Frederico into a taxi.  Leon ran back indoors, leaving Nina and Tyler alone on the steps.  “What’s their relationship like,” Nina asked him.   “Martin and Frederico?” he responded. “Platonic.  I think there’s the potential for more, but they both know they work better as friends.”     “I wonder if the living arrangement you all have will let the friendship develop.” she replied.

In the back of the cab Frederico passed out on Martin’s shoulder.  “I love you,” he said.  “I love you too,” responded the other.

Long after the party died down, and the cleaning crew arrived, Franz carried Leon across the threshold of their room in the Plaza Hotel.  Leon exhausted and weary eyed, Franz loving him more than he ever could.  They fell asleep in each other’s arms.

What does the City have in store next for our heroes? Stay tuned.

Initially based on actual events and real people, the story has progressed to such a point as to render everyone and everything unrecognizable.  Nonetheless, names and associations may have been altered to protect the guilty or to make things seem more interesting.

Home from taking Helmut to the airport, Frederico knocked on Jacob’s door.  Jacob answered the door wearing a pair of overalls, rubber gloves, and a face mask.  He was in the process of knocking out the shower walls with a sledge hammer.  Explaining that he was running out to the UN to work on the fresco, Frederico stated that he couldn’t help but notice the tension between Jacob and Helmut.  “What’s the story?” he asked.  Jacob responded that there was no short answer and if Frederico was really in a hurry there wasn’t time to explain.  Frustrated that his curiosity wasn’t sated, Frederico changed into his work clothes and ran off.

As the UN event drew nearer, Leon’s long hours at the office became even longer.  Feeling pulled in a million directions by the committee members and half-wit minions, he forced himself to take a 10 minute coffee break with Tyler one afternoon.  “When was the last time you slept?” Tyler asked him.  Before he had  a chance to answer, Leon’s phone rang.  It was Franz asking if he’d be home for dinner.  He also pressed for Leon to give him some input on summer vacation plans.  “I’m too busy to even think about that,” Leon snapped.  “Let’s get this event behind me and then maybe we can discuss a trip.”  Tyler sat wide eyed and sipped his latte.  He’d never seen Leon and Franz argue.  Leon slammed his cup down and said “I am so stressed by this damn job!”   ”It’s your first project, it’ll get better,” Tyler tried to be soothing.   “The company has gone through 3 project managers since the start of the year.  I’m #4!”   ’Wow,’ Tyler mouthed. 

Halfway through the week, Greg and his bartender went to see a movie.  Greg squirmed uncomfortably through the film, a chyck-flick starring Drew Barrymore, Ashley Judd, Hilary Duff, and Ashton Kutcher.  He wasn’t sure how, but the purely physical relationship with the bartender had turned into date night. 

Adam, on his way to Memphis, dropped his cat - Mr. Sulu - off in Brooklyn for Tyler to watch over the summer.  Mr. Sulu promptly hid under the bed and wouldn’t come out.  Earlier in the week Adam had agreed to sublet his apartment to Ivan, whose roommates had kindly asked him to leave on the grounds that he was entertaining way too often.  Ivan was looking forward to having his own apartment for the summer.  He rearranged the bedroom furniture and changed the pictures on the walls.

During another day of unemployment, Martin went up to the roof to sunbathe.  Jacob was up there taking a break from his work on the apartment.  The two introduced themselves.  “What’s the deal with Tyler?” Jacob asked. ”He seems to embarrass easily.”     “Don’t let the blushing white boy act fool you,” Martin said. “He knows how to play the game, he’s just out of practice.”    “Oh?” Jacob asked.    “Bad break up last winter,” Martin explained. “Three year relationship.  He needs to get over it and come out of his shell.”    “Hmm, good to know,” Jacob said. ”And you and Frederico?”     Martin rubbed sunscreen on his shoulders and looked off towards the Manhattan skyline. “That ship has sailed,” he said.

At the end of the week, Frederico came home from the project site for a long shower and a raw meal of celery, carrots, apples, nuts, berries, and greens in lemon juice.  He invited Jacob up to his apartment and told him “I’ve got a couple hours of free time.  What’s the story with Helmut?”  He poured two glasses of chilled wine.    “Well,” Jacob started, then took a long drink. “It’s probably not as dramatic as you might think, but the main reason I moved in downstairs is because I’ve been struggling to pay the rent in Soho since my boyfriend moved out last year.”    Frederico said nothing, indicating with a head nod and warm eyes that Jacob should continue.     “You said Helmut has been here for 3 months?”     “Yes,” Frederico said, “he came on a tourist visa, decided he wanted to stay, found a job, and is on his way back to Germany to work out the visa.”    “Well,” Jacob said, taking another long drink and offering his empty goblet  for a refill. ”He was also here a year ago and made a move on my boyfriend.  More than a move actually, they had some ridiculous two week long affair while I was in California for my mother’s funeral.”    Frederico’s head tilted and his mouth opened.  Helmut had told him he’d never been to the City before. ”He told me he’d never been to the City before,” he said. “No wonder you didn’t warm up to him last week.”    Jacob smirked, “Chalk it up as another lie.  He comes every summer.”  and he lifted his glass, this time to offer a toast. “To new friendships and old nemeses.”  Their glasses clinked.

What does the City have in store next for our heroes?  Stay tuned.

Based on actual situations, names and associations may have been altered to protect the guilty or to make things seem more interesting.

While Jacob used his sledgehammer to tear down the walls of his bathroom and kitchen, upstairs Frederico and Helmut toasted their new projects.  They headed downstairs to see what the noise was.  Frederico introduced Helmut to the new tenant.  Jacob greeted him coldly.  Apparently there was some history between the two.  Intrigued, but too polite to pry, Frederico steared the conversation towards the changes Jacob intended to make in the apartment.  

Before the champagne was finished Helmut headed home to pack his bags.  He had to head back to Germany to handle his visa paperwork and would return to the City to begin his new job when everything was in order.  Frederico turned to Jacob and asked “What was that about?”  Jacob shook his head and simply stated “Not much. Not much.”

Deciding to make some changes of his own, Martin deleted Bad News Tommy’s phone number and email address.  If he was going to forget about the man he had to start by making it harder to contact him.  He enrolled in an extra kick-boxing class and revised his resume.  Something new was going to come along and it was up to him to make it happen.

Meanwhile busy planning the UN event Leon met with florists and caterers and entertainers.  His work days spilled into evenings and he got home later and later as the event date came closer.  Always the proud hubby, Franz had his own worries as another member of his staff turned in a resignation letter to take a new job with YooHoo.com.

Frederico began putting in long hours at the project site.  Occassionally a member or two of the Arts Committee would stop by to offer “advice”.  He took this in stride with a smiles and eye rolls.   

Adam received good news from his agent.  He’d been cast in a production of The Sound of Music at the Memphis Summer Workshop Theatre Group’s Waterworks Project Main Stage.  He had one week to find a cat sitter, sublet his apartment, pack up and get to Memphis for rehearsals.

The departures continued as one day while waiting for a train in SoHo, Tyler saw Todd approaching.  He instinctively turned away, but it was too late.  “Tyler!” Todd shouted.  Awkwardly Tyler greeted the alcoholic ex-friend.  “I’m glad I bumped into you,” Todd said.  “Oh?” Tyler asked, not sure what to make of Todd’s sober mood.  “I’m leaving the City and heading home to San Diego next week,” Todd said.  “Oh?” Tyler asked, perking up.  “My dad’s sick and Mom needs me home to help out,” Todd explained.  “Oh,” Tyler said, feeling bad for ever thinking ill of him.  Todd shrugged.  “So,” he said, “be sure to tell the guys that they don’t have to worry about bumping into me any more.  I’m through with them and the City.”   “Oh!” Tyler said, again reminded of Todd’s overly dramatic nature.  Todd turned and walked off.  Tyler watched him, just to be sure he was going.

What does the City have in store next for our heroes?  Stay tuned.

Based on actual situations, names and associations may have been altered to protect the guilty or to make things seem more interesting.

On Kimmie’s final night in town before heading back to Memphis, Franz and Leon took her to dinner.  Spaz came too, but she wasn’t allowed to choose anyone’s entrees.  After the meal, while Spaz and Leon pulled the car around, Franz asked Kimmie if she had been recruiting from his staff at Everyone’sOnLine.  She admitted that she may have interviewed a few of his employees.  He asked who, and she refused to say. 

On Monday Leon began his new job and met with the planning committee of the charity event he his planning, a large mural unveiling at the United Nations.

Later in the week, while visiting Frederico, Helmut told him that if he doesn’t find a job in the next week he’ll have to pack up and move back to Germany.  While the two drank their espresso Frederico got a phone call from the UN’s art committee.  His mural proposal was accepted and he begins work right away. 

On top of the feeling that his luck in love has flown the coop, Martin was downsized at the salon.  They gave him two week’s pay and showed him the door.  Alone and frustrated he found himself looking for someone online to occupy his mind.  When the trick showed up on his doorstep it was a familair face.  “Aren’t you Tyler’s friend?” Ivan asked. “I thought you looked familair.”

Meanwhile downstairs, a new neighbor moved in to the apartment next to Tyler.  Tyler rang his bell and offered a banana nut bread as a housewarming gift.  Jacob, the new neighbor, answered the door in a bath towel and a big smile.  “I’m your neighbor, Tyler,” he stammered and thrust the plate forward. 

What does the City have in store next for our heroes?  Stay tuned.

Based on actual situations, names and associations may have been altered to protect the guilty or to make things seem more interesting.

Tyler and Adam attended a play in Hell’s Kitchen that wasn’t entirely bad.  Following the show they went to a party in Chelsea where they bumped into Frederico and Helmut. Helmut had quit his job after an unwelcome sexual advance by his boss.  He was giving himself one more month to find employment before heading back to Germany .  Refraining from alcohol as part of his fitness regimen, Frederico was bored by the crowd.

At the same party, Ivan and Greg compared dating habits.  It was noted that while Ivan preferred the ease of using the internet for anonymous hookups, Greg was more comfortable in an old fashioned bar setting.  They both went home alone.

Martin tried to take advantage of Frederico’s absence from the building to invite Bad News Tommy over for a nightcap.  But Tommy wasn’t answering his calls.  Instead Martin went into Chelsea for a solitary cup of coffee.  There he bumped into Todd and a font of anger erupted, using words like “pathetic”, “loser”, and “whore”.  Todd returned the favor with expressions such as “pot head”, “asshole”, and “D-lister”.  Finally in an impassioned outrage Martin said “Stay away from me and my boyfriend!” and stalked away.  But he wasn’t sure which man he was referring to.

Franz and Leon hosted a dinner party in honor of Spaz’s mother who retired this week.  Over dessert they joked about the request she’d made about smoking weed to make up for a well mannered youth. Dick, Franz’s terminally ill father, piped up that he had stash of medical marijuana he was more than willing to share.  The room burst into laughter, followed by Franz drawing the shades.

What does the City have in store next for our heroes?  Stay tuned.

Based on actual situations, names and associations may have been altered to protect the guilty or to make things seem more interesting.

One week into the new pad in Brooklyn , Tyler has had his share of spackling and painting the raw apartment.  Grocery shopping was a particularly trying enterprise.  The bright spot is that although he’s no longer living under the protective umbrella of Leon and Franz’s support he does have Frederico and Martin living in the same building.  They have been good resources in settling into the new neighborhood.

They’ve also been entertaining.  Five months after their (most recent) breakup, the two have been testing the waters of dating again, while also testing the limits of what is acceptable to flaunt in front of the other.  Frederico was careful to invite a boy over only in the afternoon when he knew Martin would be at work.  Likewise, Martin was wary about going on a date on a weeknight when it would be more obvious.  They’ve managed to keep everything civil, but Tyler has observed some tensions brewing just under the surface.

Nina joined Tyler, Frederico, and Martin for cocktails on Friday.  After her recent divorce she moved into the upper unit in the Harlem brownstone she and her ex-husband own.  She was full of questions as to how they manage to stay friends yet live so close to each other.  Tyler was smug and quiet as he leaned back and listened to their insistence that they have no problems.

Helmut also joined them for drinks, but wasn’t in a good mood.  Although his employer has agreed to sponsor him for his work visa he needs to pay the attorney’s fees himself.  The process is becoming longer and more expensive than he anticipated.

Ivan resumed his internet hookups, tricking with a horned up musician in the Upper West Side .  All was going well until the trick pulled out a can of Crisco and asked for some fisting action.  Although he balked a little, Ivan shrugged and decided to try something new.

Kimmie called Franz midway through the week from Memphis .  She was very excited to tell him that she was offered the position at Yoohoo.com and that she accepted.  As he had coached her through the interview process he was very excited too.  The fact that Yoohoo.com and Franz’s employer Everyone’sOnLine are major competitors shouldn’t get in the way of their friendship.  So they think.

Leon cleaned out the guestroom that Tyler just vacated to make room for the impending visit of Franz’s father, who was recently diagnosed with a terminal heart condition. 

What does the City have in store next for our heroes?  Stay tuned.

Based on actual situations, names and associations may have been altered to protect the guilty or to make things seem more interesting.

On Tyler ’s last night in New Jersey , Franz and Leon took him to one of the area’s numerous Italian restaurants.  It was four months ago that Tyler arrived on their doorstep, heartbroken and unemployed.  After two months of working in the city and commuting with them every morning he’s taking the big plunge and moving into his own pad in Brooklyn . Laughter and memories flowed before the check came and everyone stared at it. 

The next day, after Tyler walked Nairobi one last time, the boys packed up the SUV and drove Tyler into the City. 

Frederico began a new health food diet.  He stopped eating meat and cut out complex carbohydrates, all to get ready for swimsuit season.

Later in the week at their kick boxing class, Todd overheard Martin agree to find some pot for Leon .  He promptly went to the gym’s management and reported that Martin was dealing drugs in the locker room. 

Unbeknownst to him that Martin had been kicked out of the gym and his membership revoked, Leon went the gym every night looking for him.  Finally, on Friday Todd told him what happened to Martin, adding “you’re lucky I don’t turn you in too.”  Flummoxed, Leon called Spaz from his commuter train trip back to Jersey telling her to look elsewhere for her mother’s fix.

Disappointed that her mother’s retirement party would be a sober one, Spaz made a run to Target and bought some cute little loaf tins and baked a dozen zucchini breads.

Back in Chelsea , Helmut found a job with a small architectural firm.  The pay was low, but they did agree to sponsor his work visa. 

Tyler and Omar attended a birthday party for Nina at a bowling alley in Harlem .  Newly divorced and looking to have fun, Nina was a ball of energy in the lanes.  Omar on the other hand was too self conscious to let anyone see him lug a ball and Tyler was exhausted from his move.  But they managed to have a good time leaning against the wall critiquing everyone’s technique.

What does the City have in store next for our heroes?  Stay tuned.

Based on actual situations, names and associations may have been altered to protect the guilty or to make things seem more interesting.