Charlie had a window in his office. He noticed the snow falling and thought that he would give it an hour and see if it stopped. By the three hour mark, it still hadn’t. He was a small man, bald and potbellied. He rose out of his chair and into the small hallway of his office into the main area of his store.
His store was fragrant and beautiful. It sold scented candles of all kind. The walls were a light pink and the carpet was a deep blue. Gentle music was playing over the speakers. There was artwork made by his wife and children on the wall, framed of course. His two employees, Riley and Caroline, didn’t stop working.
“Riley, Caroline,” he said and they turned their heads to look at him. “I don’t want to drive home in this shit and if I don’t want to do it, I don’t feel like you should have to do it either. Go home for the day. You’ll get paid for the rest of the day.”
“Thanks, boss,” Riley said.
“I don’t drive in,” Caroline said.
“Well, you deserve a day off either way. Get out of here,” Charlie said. “I’ll close up. Riley, I’m sorry that I didn’t do this earlier. You have much farther than I have to go.”
“Don’t worry about it, boss.”
“Get going and I would appreciate a text that you got home safe.”
“Will do, boss.”
“You can call me, Charlie.”
“You got it, boss.”
Charlie rolled his eyes and went to the cash register to start cashing it out. Riley and Caroline went into the employee area and gathered their things. They walked out into the parking lot of the strip mall. Caroline helped him clean off his car and then Charlie’s.
“Do you need a ride home?” Riley asked Caroline.
“I’m good,” Caroline said. “Safe travels.”
Riley gave her a two finger salute and got into his car. He pulled out slowly as Charlie came through the door. Charlie waved at him and got into his car. Riley started home going slowly. It normally took him about thirty minutes on the back roads but this would be probably around forty to fifty. But as his father always said, go slow in snow, get home in one go. He thought that his dad was really trying to push for that rhyme.
Thinking about his dad’s words made him think about Charlie. His dad liked Charlie and told him to respect the man. Riley did respect him and it was the reason that he called him boss. He was the boss. He was a man of honor and dignity. He stood up for his employees when the shittier customers gave them the stick.
His wife was beautiful, tall and willowy. She had modeled in her youth and had only stopped when she found something else that interested in her. One of Riley’s coworkers had decided to make a pass at her because he thought that he was God’s gift to women. Charlie’s wife laughed in his face. She called her husband and told him what had happened. Charlie had laughed as well. They kept laughing until the coworker quit in tears.
The store was a pet project of Charlie who three loves in his lives. His wife and children and in a far second, candles. He made most of them himself. It’s what kept bringing people back. He paid Riley enough that he didn’t need a second job. He gave them health insurance. At times he felt like he was wasting his life but why break up a good thing?
The areas outside of the strip mall was mostly farmland. He kept driving, watching horses wander back into their stable. There was no one on the road. It was only eleven a.m. He thought about the people in their office buildings that stupidly didn’t work for Charlie. The roads were already starting to get bad. It would be miserable later that night.
He got to an intersection with a four way stop. A man was walking down the street and came to the stop sign. Riley figured that he could let the man go. It was worse walking through this than driving. He thought that up until the man slip and fell. It was a particularly nasty fall, the man was on his legs and then they went to their left and he hit the ground.
The man got up but then fell once more. He then just kind of laid down. Riley thought driving away but then he wondered when someone would come along. He thought about it for a few seconds and then put his car in park.
He went to the man.
“Hello there,” he said. “Do you need some help?”
“I’m fine, my arm just hurts a little bit,” the man said.
“Can I help you up?”
“I’m fine.”
“Please, sir.”
The man relented and Riley helped him to his feet. The two of them walked over to Riley’s car. The man pulled back his hood. He was old with a well kept beard and whitening hair. He was wearing a large windbreaker coat.
“Thank you,” the man said.
“No problem,” Riley said. “The name’s Riley. What’s yours?”
“Morgan.”
“Good to meet you, Morgan. Can I take you somewhere to get checked out?”
“I’m fine.”
“You said your arm hurt and not to be a little ageist, you’re older. I’m worrying you…”
“I’m not having a heart attack. I had one of those and I know it’s not that.”
“Sir, please. The urgent care is just up the road and I’ll take you home.”
“Fine.”
The two of them drove into the snow. They got to the other strip mall and Riley helped Morgan out of the car. He shook him off but was still holding his arm. The urgent care was thankfully open. A young Indian woman in scrubs was sitting at the front desk.
“Wow, I was just about to leave. That is providence,” she said. “How can I help you?”
“This man is having arm pains and he fell out in the snow,” Riley said.
“Are you…”
“I’m not having a heart attack!” Morgan growled.
“Fine, fine. Come in the back, let me check you out. Would you like your son to come with you?” the doctor asked.
“He’s not my son,” Morgan said.
“Just a good Samaritan,” Riley added.
“Let’s get you checked out, I’m doctor Indara Patel.”
“You can go, Riley,” Morgan said.
“I’ll wait. Gotta make sure you get home or I’ll worry,” Riley said flopping into a chair.
Riley pulled out his phone and texted his boyfriend. It was starting to get serious but he still hadn’t met his family. His name was Keith and he was really getting into with him.
Riley: Hey, I think that we should cancel tonight. The snow is really bad.
Keith: Yeah, I think that’s best.
Riley walked back out to his car and got a book from his bag. He started reading and made it through a fair amount of his book before Morgan came out wearing a sling. He seemed unhappy.
“His arm is broken, I’ve given him some pain medication and an order to take it easy,” Dr. Patel said to Riley.
“Got it,” Riley said as if that meant anything to him.
“Thank you, miss,” Morgan said sincerely.
“No problem. I can close up shop with a sound heart,” she said. “You boys get home safe.”
Riley lead Morgan out to the car and opened the door for him. He asked Morgan his address and Morgan told him. He noticed that Morgan stopped and looked at the pride bumper sticker on the back of his car and hesitated for a moment. He climbed in and Riley started putting the address into his GPS.
“Do you have a charging cable? My phone’s dead. I have to let my son know what’s going on,” Morgan said.
“Yeah, here,” Riley said and handed it to him.
“Thanks.”
They drove in silence for about three blocks.
“I know what that sticker on the back of your car means,” Morgan said.
“Oh, do you want me to let you out?” Riley asked.
“No, it’s fine. My son’s gay.”
“And you’re cool with it?”
“I don’t fully get it but I don’t have to. He’s happy and I love him. I call that a win.”
“That’s pretty good.”
“How did your parents take it?”
“My dad gave my mom a twenty when I came out. They were accepting after that.”
“Ha, he sounds fun.”
“Hm.”
They lapsed into silence.
“My son brought me to one of those parades one year. Told me to wear a ‘Free Dad Hugs’ shirts. So many of them came up to me. They wept. They cried in my arms. I’ve never been more furious in my life. What poor excuse for a parent lets their child think they don’t care about them? For that? Idiots,” Morgan said.
“Testify,” Riley added.
“My son’s mother didn’t accept him. It was the one thing bad about her. I still miss her. I wish she could have gotten around it. She missed a lot of good times with him.”
“Hm.”
“Are you seeing anyone?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m dating a great guy.”
“Good. You’re a good person, helping someone you don’t know.”
“I couldn’t leave you. It’d be horrible. I’d be like one of those parents.”
“Exactly.”
Riley drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and then told Siri to play some Johnny Cash. Morgan nodded approvingly.
“My phone has a bit of a charge, I’m going to call my son,” Morgan said.
“Go ahead,” Riley said.
Morgan put the phone to his ear. The son on the other end picked up immediately. Riley only heard one side of the conversation and it went like this:
“Hello? Yeah, I’m fine. I just had a bit of a slip. My arm is busted. I’ll be fine. I was out walking. A nice young man picked me up. Took me to the urgent care. Nice doctor. Said she ask for his number but turns out he’s gay. Yeah, yeah. He’s going to take me home. Should be about thirty minutes. You don’t have to do that. I can manage. Fine. I’ll see you in a bit. I love you. See you soon.”
He hung up the phone.
“My son is going to meet us at my house,” Morgan said.
“Good, I’ll know when he gets near. Using my gaydar. We don’t tell you that’s what it’s actually for. Identifying when we’re near to each other. Straight people don’t actually have it,” Riley said.
Morgan let out a coughing laugh. Riley noticed his phone was buzzing. He saw it was Keith. He answered it on speaker phone.
“Hello?” Riley asked.
“Hey!” Keith said.
Morgan looked down at the phone.
“My dad fell when he was out walking, I’m heading over to his house. He broke his arm,” Keith gasped.
“That sucks,” Riley said.
“Yeah, some guy is driving him home. I’d kiss him, if I wasn’t already dating you,” Keith said.
Riley glanced at Morgan, a smile spreading across his face.
“I mean, you can kiss him if you want. He’s doing something really nice,” Riley said chuckling a little bit.
“He is,” Keith said. “Why did he need to go for a walk! I would have brought him anything he needed. Ugh, I love him but he’s so stubborn sometimes.”
Morgan looked at the phone and raised an eyebrow. Riley realized that he was walking a tightrope walk.
“Let’s not be too harsh on him. Everything you told me about him shows that he’s a good guy,” Riley said quickly.
“He is, he’s the best man I know. He’s my hero. He just needs to know that sometimes he shouldn’t go out in a blizzard,” Keith said.
Morgan nodded his head back and forth seemingly agreeing.
“You know you never told me your dad’s name. What is it?” Riley said.
“Morgan,” Keith said.
“Cool name.”
“It is. Alright, I have to pay attention to the road. I’ll see you later. I might have to stay over his house a few times to make sure that he’s okay.”
“Hey, do what you have to do. No worries on my end.”
“Okay great. I’ll see you when I can.”
“See you.”
Keith hung up and Morgan and Riley started laughing.
“I thought I wasn’t going to make it through that,” Morgan said wiping at his eyes.
“That was so funny,” Riley said.
They came to a stop at a stoplight. Morgan turned in his seat.
“Nice to meet you,” he said and offered his hand.
“An absolute pleasure to meet you, sir,” Riley said.
“Call me Morgan.”
“Now that you’ve asked, I will.”
“Do you want to stay at my house when Keith gets there?”
“That would be great. How funny would it be if when he comes through the door, I just come out of the kitchen or something.”
“That’d be great.”
They got to Morgan’s house and Riley helped him into the house. The two of them sat playing chess and drinking cocoa while they waited. Morgan was much friendlier now and was sharing stories about Keith. It was timing perfection where Riley was getting them more cocoa and he heard the door open.
The look on Keith’s face when he walked into the living room with three cups of cocoa was one that Riley would hold onto for the rest of his life. During their wedding years later, Morgan would tell this story again with tears in his eyes. He would toast the man that was a stranger and now he called son.
Franklin Cota, an author and podcaster 