Just Dumb Enough to Try

Hangout at the Gallows

        Heat prickled across his body. Dinner with his father had completely escaped his mind. Every month he would spend a night at home so they could catch up. It was only so his father could tell him everything he was doing wrong. He quickly texted Legosi.

       -Hey something came up. Can we reschedule?

       He waited a couple of minutes, anxiously bouncing his leg, before running towards the outskirts of the campus. He put the phone up to his ear.

       "Please pick up, Legosi." He pleaded.

       "The number you're trying to reach has a voicemail box that has not been-"

       "Fuck!" He huffed as he ran faster towards the bus stop. No one was there when he got there. Frantically looking around, he saw Legosi in the distance. His heart pounded in his ears.

      "Hey!" Legosi called, jogging up.

       "Hey," Louis panted. "Do you think we could-"

      "Louis." A voice called. A black limo slowly pulled up. "Who's this?" Oguma asked from a rolled down window. Louis' chest felt weak as two very different parts of his life collided.

       "This is Legosi, he is a friend and he was just leaving." Louis insisted, giving Legosi a look.

       "If he's a friend, we should invite him over for dinner."

       "Really, he has pla-"

       "Get in the car, Louis." His father said. He looked over to Legosi. "Give your information to the driver and he'll come pick you up."

       Louis could feel his lunch starting to come back up as he slid in across from his dad. Louis couldn't tell if he was shaking on the outside, but on the inside he felt like he was falling apart.

       Legosi exchanged information with the driver. He looked so naive. Louis felt shame as they pulled away from the waving Legosi, completely unaware of what he was getting himself into.

       Louis' presence was unnoticed during the car ride. His father had his laptop by his side, while reading a file. Louis watched out the window as they traveled past his old high school, on route to the house.

       The black bars of the gate slid open. Their spikes were as unwelcoming as always. They passed down rows of cubes bushes. A gazelle was snipping out the imperfections in one. Louis held his gaze as they passed.

       Louis kept his head lowered as he entered through the black double doors. He remembered being brought here after being bought. How wonderful it had seemed. He hadn't been taught to speak yet, so he was only able to express himself in excited wails. As he grew, it felt less and less like a home. Each passing year, it grew colder and emptier.

       "Go get washed up and dressed for dinner. Our guest will be arriving." His father explained.

       Louis scowled at how he said "our guest." The metallic click of his prosthetic echoed as he climbed the steps. He felt his father's eyes follow him, all the way up to his room. Even behind his closed door, he didn't feel alone.

       He wentinto his walk-in closet sat down on the floor. He wrapped his arms around his knees and exhaled. He accepted that he wouldn't be able to plan much for Legosi. The wolf wouldn't stick to a plan anyway. Maybe, he had learned his lesson from accepting dinner invites from powerful herbivores.

      He took out his phone and texted Legosi.

       -You really don't have to come if you don't want to.