Julian

V. May, Ch. 52

     Marlo placed his hands on his knees. He could barely speak through his panting. "Stop. Stop. I need to catch my breath."

     Calvin jogged back to his brother. "Oh, come on, Cabrera. How're you going to keep up with an active toddler if you can't even jog a mile?"

     "I should be at home enjoying my last days of freedom with an ice-cold beer and my latest Reader's Digest."

     "Hey, I'm about to be an uncle and a godfather. You don't see me complaining. Now, come on. Breath through your nose."

     After a week of depression, Calvin found a lot of comfort in making plans, getting some exercise, and spending time with loved ones.

     He was experiencing a renewed energy after what Marlo told him about Genevieve.

     He didn't want to think that perhaps the reason she loved his touch was because he looked like her former lover, or that she never liked his touch to begin with.

     Nope. She liked me.

     Discussing the past was still difficult. It was far more comforting and exciting to talk about the future.

     What mattered most to Calvin was that Marlo wanted him in his life, and he wanted Marlo in his, regardless of the miles that would soon come between them.

     Marlo straightened up and placed his locked fingers over his head. He wore a sweat bib. "Can we walk for a bit?"

     "Sure, old man."

     Calvin looked out into the ocean. Saturday morning jogs by the beach with Marlo were a one-time ritual the men agreed to before Calvin left San Kolbe.

     "You're one to talk about laziness," said Marlo "You're flying to Los Angeles when it's just a two-and-a-half hour drive away."

     Calvin groaned. "George wanted to fly. I would have been fine driving."

     Marlo wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "When do you leave, anyway?"

     "Desperate to get rid of me?" Calvin teased.

     Marlo laughed through heavy breaths. "Absolutely."

     He pushed him gently. "I leave on the sixteenth."

     Marlo stopped walking. "Friday, the sixteenth?"

     He turned around when he didn't see Marlo beside him. "Yeah, why?"

     "That's opening night."

     Calvin winced. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh, no. I forgot."

     "Can't you move it down an extra day?"

     "I can, but is my presence all that necessary? Roger and Cookie will be there."

     "Of course your presence is necessary. You're one of the directors."

     Calvin still wasn't used to the camaraderie he was building with Marlo, but he enjoyed the discomfort. It was a sign that he was making progress. "Okay, I'll talk to George and we'll move it to Saturday. At least that way, if the play flops, I can skip town."

     Marlo took a deep breath. "You know something? I think I'm ready to jog again."

     Calvin watched Marlo zoom ahead of him. "Oh, don't break your hip, old man."