The Boarding House

Perrysburg Or Bust

Joey 12 Epilogue

"That didn't take long!" Joey laughed as looked in his rearview mirror, watching the shrinking road sign for Charlie's Auto Repair.

"Shut up dork!" Bobby said from the other end of the connection. "So, this is what I'm thinking, I want your thoughts." Bobby started cautiously unraveling his very thin plan. "It'll take me about two weeks to get things to a point that I can leave. I want to come to Perrysburg. Get a job and an apartment and start life over." He offered knowing it was a very vague and simple plan, but for now that's all he had. It would have to work.

"Sounds easy enough. What do ya want my thoughts about? Seems that ya got it all figured out!" The sarcasm was not well hidden in Joey's reply. Honestly, it wasn't meant to be.

Joey felt excitement taking the lead over all of the emotions that have battled to get to the forefront of his mind today. There were still nerves and anxiety about what real life would look like after Bobby moved to Perrysburg and if they kept in their current progression.

There was also that lingering guilt and regret over some of his choices and how they were used hurt the man he thought he was falling for. If Bobby could forgive I'm, he'd have to find a way to forgive himself, but that was a thought for later so he pushed it away.

"Well, you know the city, so you know what areas are what." Bobby started, bringing Joey back into the conversation. "I'm going to start looking for a job from here. Can you help me scout out shops that are hiring and apartments for me from your side?"

"Look for apartments and jobs from Perrysburg?" Joey clarified his task while his heart slowly sank. "For you?"

"I mean, that is if you want to if you want me to come to Perrysburg," Bobby answered feeling a little like he was being cut from the scene.

"Yeah. Yes, I would like it if you were near me. I'd like to get to know you better." Joey's confirmation made Bobby smile, and Joey could hear it through the phone. "Yes, I'll keep an eye out for mechanic jobs and an apartment for you."

Bobby bounced ideas off of Joey for the next thirty miles of his trip and the vague plan garnered a little more detail. Bobby would tie up some loose ends, gather some cash pack up and come to Joey in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, Joey would look for an apartment for Bobby, obviously convenient and close to his parent's house so he could visit often and he'd watch for 'NOW HIRING' signs for him.

The miles passed quickly while their conversation unwrapped the future. Joey had already mapped the route he would take in the morning. He knew the big-named repair centers and would drive by each one hoping to see a "NOW HIRING" sign in each of them.

"Are we really doing this?" Joey asked, half in disbelief.

When he left home three days ago, apartment and job hunting for his prospective... what? What was Bobby? He had never allowed himself to think he'd have a boyfriend. Is that what Bobby was becoming? His boyfriend?

"I can't stay here Joey. You know that." Bobby responded. "And I want to be near you."

Bobby was in the same position. A few days ago he was unhappily attached to a female and now he was planning to run away from his dad, his hometown to maybe start a life with Joey. He would be in a new town where no one knew him. Bobby thought it was the perfect place to reinvent himself. "Yeah, we're doing this Joey. If you want to."

The phone went silent for a couple of miles. Each boy was silently contemplating their future and their future together.

Joey finally broke the lapse in talking. "Yes. I do Bobby. With all that I am." He paused under the weight of what he knew was coming next. "There are a bunch of things from this weekend that I regret, that I wish I could have a redo on."