It’s crazy how one simple mistake could cause so much shit. Well, to me it seemed simple. I understood why Carlito was so upset with me, but the only reason why I was thinking about Vanessa had to be because of the way me and Carlito were sitting in the tub together. Like I said, me and her use to do that sometimes and it just triggered that memory in my head. I felt like a dumbass for calling him by her name though. Now he was ignoring my phone calls and my text messages. He blocked me on Instagram and Snapchat. The only place he hadn’t blocked me on was Facebook, so I spent a lot of time looking at his posts and his pics, old and new. I absolutely hated how quickly I became attached to someone, because it made the breakup so much tougher to deal with.
“I fucked it up,” I said to Hector over the phone one Sunday morning. “As usual, I fucked everything up. It wasn’t the women, bro. It’s me.”
“Man, you gotta stop being hard on yourself,” he told me on the other end. “D, there’s nothing wrong with you.”
“Yeah it is. It was always me. I care too much and I’m too vulnerable. I’m the complete opposite of what a man is supposed to be.”
“Dominic, please don’t become one of those dumbass hyper-masculine type dudes who feel like they got something to prove. You don’t gotta do shit to prove you’re a man.”
“Caring about people and standing up for people who get treated like shit ain’t soft. Wanting to see other people succeed ain’t soft. I’m your best friend, Dominic. If I’d never met you, I probably would be just like these knucklehead vatos around here fucking with people for no reason to prove how hard I am. Instead, I care about the people I come into contact with and I run my own barbershop.”
“You run that shop because you went to school and got your license.”
“Yeah, and who told me to go to school in the first place? Who used to let me cut his head all the time even when I barely knew what the fuck I was doing?” He chuckled a little and asked, “Remember when I tried to give you a temp fade and that shit was a little lopsided?”
I started laughing and replied, “Yeah, man. I almost whooped your ass for that shit. But since I was a boxer and shit nobody fucked with me.”
“Eventually your hair grew back and just like always, me and you were cool afterwards. We’ve been homies for the longest man and I can honestly say you’re the best example of a man that I know. Who else could I say that about? My drunk ass pops who was barely around? My uncles who all slang drugs over in the Bronx? Dom, there’s nothing wrong with you. There’s nothing wrong with being a man and having a heart.”
“I appreciate that, bro. I needed to hear that.”
“You’re my brother, Dom. I always got your back.”
“I know, man.” I sighed and asked, “So, what the fuck am I gonna do about this Carlito situation?”
“What would you do for a woman to make up for doing something that upset her?”
“Buy her some roses and a teddy bear.”
“Carlito ain’t a woman, bro.”
“True but I remember back in high school he used to love Valentine’s Day and shit like that. I know you remember.”
“Another thing you could do is show him how for real you are.”
“Take him to meet someone close to you to show him you’re serious about the relationship.”
“I can’t bring him here, man. My mama would probably pass out.”
He laughed and said, “So take him to your sister’s place or something.”
“Which sister? Because Sophia would pass out, too.”
“Take him to Selita’s place then. You and her always been close.”
“True, but I don’t know man. I don’t know how Luis would react to that. He seems like the homophobic type.”
“Luis ain’t gonna say shit. He’s like half your size, man. Can’t believe your fine ass sister married that chump anyway.”
“Man, what did I tell you about calling my sister’s fine?” I laughed and he laughed, too.
After getting off the phone with him, I picked out some clothes to wear and then took a quick shower. I got dressed and after eating some breakfast with my mama, I left and headed to a mini mart not far from my house. I picked up a dozen red roses and a cute small brown teddy bear with a red sweater on that had I Luh U written on it. I then drove over to his place and parked on the side of his building. I stood by my car and then called him. When he answered, I almost got choked up.
“Baby, please don’t hang up,” I said quickly. “I just need you to hear me out for a second.” I waited to see if he’d hang up or let me continue.
“I’m listening,” he finally said.
“I only thought about Vanessa because of the way me and you were sitting in your tub. I used to do that with her, and I promise you it’s nothing more than that. I don’t love her anymore. I’ll always care about her because that’s how I am, but I don’t love her. Baby, my feelings for you are real. I can’t imagine how hurt I made you feel that night and if I could take it back, you know I would.”
“No. Carlito, I think I’m falling in love with you. And yeah your cooking and the sex play a role in it.” He giggled when I said that. “But baby, it’s also because you remind me of a time when life was good and innocent. When the neighborhood boys used to fuck with you, it made me feel so good knowing that I could protect you and keep you safe. If I was real with myself then the way I am now, I would’ve been made you mine. I would’ve accepted the fact that I’m bisexual and I would’ve been proud because I would’ve had you.”
“Baby, please don’t hang up on me. You gotta know how special you are to me. I’m outside right now at my car looking up at your window.”
“Boy, are you serious? Hold on.” He looked out of his window up on the fifth floor and saw me standing beside my car. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to plead my case in person. Now come down here. If you wanna end it then you gotta tell me face to face.”
“Dominic, I don’t wanna end it.”
I got excited and asked, “You don’t?!”
“No. You’re right. I shouldn’t have tripped over you calling me by her name like that. I guess I was a little jealous. There’s things that she probably could do for you that I couldn’t.”
“Nah, not really. I mean she couldn’t cook as good as you and her attitude sucked most of the time. You have no reason to be jealous of her. I’d take you over her any day.”
I turned around to see him standing there with a smile on his face. I put my phone in my pocket and hugged him. It had been a minute since I’d last seen him in person, so I was hugging him extra tight. I finally pulled back and looked into them pretty eyes and told him, “I promise I won’t fuck up again. I am so sorry, baby.”
“I forgive you. And I’m sorry for trippin’ the way I did.”
“You had every right to trip.” I softly touched his face and asked, “What are your plans for later?”
“I want you to come somewhere with me.”
“Dom, you want to introduce me to your sister? And which one? I remember two of your sisters from high school and they were kinda mean.”
“My oldest sister, Selita. She doesn’t know about me but if I gotta start somewhere, it might as well be with her. She’s the only person in my family that I know would be cool with it.”
“Are you sure? Dominic, I don’t wanna cause trouble between you and your family. We can keep this on the low if you want.”
“What I want is to show you that I’m for real. I’m not ashamed of you. I’m not ashamed of this relationship. I’m bi and I’m not gonna hide it.”
“You don’t owe me anything, baby.”
“That’s not true. I do owe you two things. I owe you respect and honesty. And how could I do that without respecting and being honest with myself first?”
“Are you sure your sister won’t trip if you tell her you’re bi?”
“I can guarantee she won’t. Now her husband might be another story. I don’t really kick it with him like that so I don’t know how he feels about gay or bi people. If he has something to say then he’s gonna have to say it to my face.”
“I’ll go with you to your sister’s house tonight. Come on, let’s go up to my apartment. I can make us some hot chocolate.”
“Hold on. I thought I might’ve needed something to sweeten the deal so…” I turned to my car and got the roses and teddy bear I’d bought him off the seat.
“Aw, Dominic. You didn’t have to get me gifts.”
“So, I can take them back to the store and get my money back?”
“Boy, you better give me my gifts. ¡No juegues conmigo!” He snatched the roses and teddy bear from me. “Aw, thank you, baby. I’m gonna name this bear Jorge.”
“Why you gonna name him that?”
“Because I used to have this miniature poodle named Jorge when I was a kid.”
“That’s cute.” I put my arm around him as we began walking into his apartment building. “Oh, baby, you might not wanna wear that Chicago hat to my sister’s.”
“Why not? I got peoples in Chicago and I visit there a lot.”
“Because her man is kinda crazy about people reppin’ other cities. If it don’t got Brooklyn or any other place in New York on it, he starts trippin’.”
“Hmm, I’m not so sure if I’m gonna like him then.” He giggled as we hit the stairs to go up to his apartment.
My sister Selita and her husband Luis lived in the Crown Heights neighborhood with their two kids Luis, Jr. and Nina. I’d texted my sister and asked if I could bring someone over for dinner and she was cool with it. I was a little nervous as I drove with Carlito to their house, but I was looking forward to introducing them to him. When we arrived, I grabbed his hand as we went from my car to the front steps of my sister’s row house. I knocked on the door and Luis opened it after a few seconds.
“Wassup, Dom,” he said with a smile. His smile faded when he noticed I was holding hands with Carlito. “Uh…who’s this?”
“Man, it’s cold as fuck out here,” I snapped at him. “Let us in.”
He stepped back and let us inside. After closing the door, he looked at us again and asked, “You gonna tell me what’s going on, man?”
“Where’s my sister and the kids?”
“Selita is in the kitchen, and the kids spent the weekend in the Bronx with my mama. They’re not coming back until tomorrow morning.” He turned towards the kitchen and called out, “Selita, your brother and his…friend is here.”
my sister Selita & her husband Luis
“About time,” said my sister as she stepped out of the kitchen. “Hey baby brother!” She came over to me and hugged me. “You finally trimmed that damn beard? Thank goodness. Now everybody can see that handsome face better.” She noticed Carlito. “And who is this? You look familiar, cutie.”
“This is Carlito.” I grabbed Carlito’s hand again and admitted, “He’s my boyfriend.”
Luis stumbled and hit one of the side tables by the door, almost knocking a lamp over. We all looked at him for a quick second before looking at each other again. I was surprised that my sister was still smiling after I’d just told her Carlito was my boyfriend. She looked at me and asked, “Does Carlito like chicharrón de pollo?”
“I love it,” Carlito answered with a smile.
“Okay, can you cook? Because I could use a hand in the kitchen.”
“Of course.” He looked at me and I winked at him as he and my sister headed into the kitchen.
“Damn,” said Luis. “I never would’ve guessed that about you, man.”
I stepped to him and looked down at him before asking, “Guessed what?”
He flinched and replied, “That you would…you know…have a boyfriend.”
“You got a problem with it?”
“Nah, man. You’re good. You’re my wife’s brother so whatever she’s cool with, I’m cool with. No problems here, bro. You wanna go to the den with me and watch some football?”
“I’ll be in there in a minute.”
“Alright.” He headed into the den and I quietly stepped over to the kitchen entryway and peeked inside so that I could listen in on what my sister and Carlito were talking about.
“Can you pass me the pepper?” Selita asked him.
“Sure,” he said before picking up the small container of pepper and handing it to her.
“So, how long have you and my brother been dating?”
“About two months now. We go back a long time though. We both were in the same grade at Bushwick High back in the day.”
“Dang. You probably know my sisters Sophia and Leena then. They’re just a year older than Dom.”
“I think I remember you. Your hair was longer then and you were skinny as hell.”
Carlito laughed and said, “Yeah, that was me.”
“You were a cutie back then, too.”
“Aw, thank you. Dom was right, you’re nice. I’m a little shocked at how well you’re taking this though.”
“When your brother told you that I was his boyfriend, you didn’t even gasp or seem surprised.”
“That’s because I’m not. Carlito, I changed that boy’s diapers when he was a baby. I practically raised him and most of my other siblings myself because I’m the oldest and my mama was always working. I know Dominic and I knew one of the reasons why he could never make it work with a woman is because he simply doesn’t belong with one. He may be attracted to women and he can keep something going with women for a while, but it just doesn’t work.”
Hearing her say all that really blew my mind. I had no idea my big sister noticed stuff like that about me. It’s true she was always there for me, paying for my training fees and stuff when I was boxing and meeting with my teachers whenever our mama couldn’t. Still, I didn’t think she paid that much attention to me like that.
“I’ve always wanted to talk to him about it,” she continued, “but it just never seemed like the right time. I definitely remember times where I’ve caught him checking out guys like you and normally that would be a little alarming, but it only confirmed what I already knew about him.”
“So, you’re not upset?” Carlito asked her.
She laughed and told him, “Not even a little bit. I can’t speak for my other siblings and our mama, but I’m not bothered by it at all. I can think of some of our uncles and aunts who also won’t be bothered by it. They have openly gay kids. People act like it’s a big deal but at the end of the day, people get over it. As long as you respect my brother and keep him happy, you’re a part of the family.”
“You really know how to cook?”
“Yeah, I know a lot of recipes.”
“Good, because my brother loves homecooked meals. And you know he’s big so he eats a lot.”
“¡Usted puede decir eso otra vez! I’ve never cooked for someone who not only eats seconds but thirds and sometimes fourths.” They started laughing together and that’s when I walked in.
“See, why y’all gotta talk about me behind my back like that?” I asked. “I ain’t greedy. It just takes a lot of food to fill me up.” I grabbed Carlito from behind and kissed the side of his face before asking my sister, “You really cool with me having a boyfriend, sis?”
“Yes,” she answered. “And look at you two. You make a cute couple. Now go watch football with Luis so I can talk to Carlito some more.”
“Dang, y’all already buddies and shit?”
“That’s right. If Carlito knows how to do hair, then he’s gonna have to be my new best friend.”
“I can do hair,” Carlito told her.
“Well, that seals it.” They shared another laugh and I shook my head as I left the kitchen to go watch football with my brother-in-law in the den.
“You want a beer?” he asked me.
“Nah, but I got Budweiser.”
“Okay, I’ll take one.” He handed me a bottle of beer and I popped the top off of it and took some sips from it. “Who’s winning the game so far?”
“Raggedy ass New England. They scored again before these commercials.”
“I know right.” He finished his bottle of beer and then asked me, “So, what’s it like being…you know…with a dude?”
“Really, man? You really asking me that?”
He got scared and quickly said, “I was just asking, bro. No need to get mad.”
I laughed and told him, “Just fucking with you, man. I’m not gonna tell you about every detail, but what I can say is that I haven’t been this happy in a long ass time.”
“Who is the man in the relationship though?”
“Okay, now you’re making me mad.”
“Shit, my bad. I’m sorry.”
“I can’t speak for every same-sex relationship, but me and Carlito are equal. One thing I learned from my relationship with women is that I was being too dominant at times that didn’t call for it. I’m not gonna do that with him.”
“Even if he starts pickin’ out your clothes and shit? I hate when your sister tries to make me wear something she picked out.”
“I’ll let him pick out my clothes if he wants.”
“Can I ask something more personal?”
I sighed and rolled my eyes before telling him, “The only thing I’ll tell you is that he can suck dick better than any woman I’d ever been with in my whole life. No bullshit.”
“Word? Damn, I can’t even remember the last time your sister…”
After over an hour of agony talking with him, my sister called us into the dining room because dinner was ready. We all sat down together and held hands as Luis said a prayer. While we ate, Carlito kept looking at me and smiling. Him and my sister talked constantly the whole time, sharing hair maintenance tips and meal recipes. Luis continued to tap dance on my last nerve by asking dumb shit. Overall, I had a good time and it made me feel good to see Carlito had a good time, too. Before leaving, we made plans to go out on a double date in the near future.
“You were right,” he said to me as we rode through Bedford Avenue back towards the Williamsburg neighborhood. “Your sister was really cool.”
“I knew she would be,” I said back. “I wasn’t expecting her to be that cool though.” I laughed a little and then reached over to grab his hand with my free hand. “I’m glad you and her hit it off, baby. I wish it would be like that when I introduce you to my other family members.”
“You don’t have to do it just yet if you don’t want to.”
“Nah, I want to. I had a convo with Hector this morning, and it really opened my eyes. I really have nothing to be ashamed of. I got you and that’s all that matters, baby.”
“Aw, baby.” He caressed my hand. “You know you’re getting some ass tonight, right?”
I got super excited and looked over at him as I stopped at a red light. “You for real?”
“If you want it. I mean if not, we can just watch some TV or…”
“Damn the TV, the only thing I wanna see is that beautiful booty hole winking at me.”
“You done got my dick hard now. I’m about to run this red light.”
“Boy, you better not!” He playfully hit me and started laughing.
We went back to his place and made love for the second time. After the lovemaking, we took another bath together and I didn’t once think about Vanessa. This time I got to spend the night all cuddled up with him after the bath. Usually it was hard for me to go to sleep at night but with him in my arms and his feet keeping mine warm, I was knocked out the moment I closed my eyes. I know I probably fell asleep with the biggest smile on my face. Nothing was gonna take that smile away as long as I had Carlito.
[Disclaimer]: Pictures used do not reflect the sexuality or personality of people in the pictures. They only serve as visual examples of the characters.