CHAPTER 9
February 28th, 1993
Anthony hovered near his stereo system, which he had moved down to the basement family room for the party that was now raging. At least, that’s what he’d imagined when planning his birthday. Everyone had shown up already. In years prior, he would have celebrated with his family and Omar, but turning sixteen was a big deal, so he had invited more people than usual, including his entire circle of friends and some of the cooler kids from journalism. All of whom were lounging around while looking bored.
He turned to Silvia. She was kneeling next to the stereo and adjusting the equalizer. “You know how in TV and movies, whenever they show a party, tons of people are dancing?” he asked. “Do you think that’s complete BS? Or am I doing something wrong?”
“You know,” Silvia said, her tone diplomatic as she stood, “despite being allowed to play anything I want at the record store, Lester prefers I avoid certain kinds of music.”
“Oh yeah?”
She nodded. “The Cure is great, and ‘Disintegration’ might be their best album yet, but not many of the tracks are danceable. It’s more the kind of music you’d put on if you’re feeling introspective, or if you’re chilling with a fellow music lover.”
“Good idea,” Anthony said. “Let’s go hang out in my bedroom. I’ll tell everyone else to go home.”
Silvia laughed. “I’d love that if this wasn’t a special occasion. Speaking of which…” She took a wrapped gift from the covered turntable and handed it to him. “You haven’t opened my present yet.”
Anthony peeled off the paper while fighting down a smile, although he made a face when a box containing headphones was revealed. “These aren’t the exact same ones that I gave you for Christmas, are they?”
“The same make and model. I love my pair so much that I wanted you to have your own. And I added a little something.”
He opened the packaging, already thrilled with the gift, since his old headphones were basic and not very good. He instantly saw what she was referring to. Added to the contents of the box was an audio jack splitter. “Is this so we can listen to music together?” he asked in excitement.
“I imagined you using it with Cameron, but yes, that works too.” Silvia handed him what appeared to be a mixtape. “I also made you this.”
“What’s the theme?” he asked.
“Check out the liner notes.”
He turned the tape over, noticing that each line was written in a different color of ink, creating a rainbow. Beneath each artist and song was additional information:
Pete Shelley – “Homosapien”
Shelley, lead singer of the Buzzcocks, is bisexual.
Bronski Beat – “Smalltown Boy”
The lead singer, Jimmy Sommerville, is gay.
And so it went, on and on, each song queer in some way. Which was incredible, because if challenged to come up with such a list, he would have quickly stalled.
“This is amazing,” Anthony said, looking up at her in wonder. “I can’t wait to check it out!”
“I had so much fun researching it,” Silvia said. “And I’ve discovered tons of new music that we have to talk about. I’ve been holding back because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”
“What a great gift! Thank you!”
He looked at his other guests, wanting to share his excitement. Whitney wore a skeptical expression while Dave and David explained something to her. Mindy was talking to Cameron, his boyfriend’s eyes seeking him out before he flashed a subtle smile. Omar wandered the room aimlessly while trying to find something interesting to film, settling on Galen, who was shuffling a deck of playing cards while setting up a trick.
“Maybe you should choose a different album to put on,” Anthony said with a grimace. He had hoped to get them interested in some of his favorite music, but none of them were really listening anyway.
“I noticed that this CD is still shrink-wrapped.” Silvia held up the B-52s.
“Oh. Ricky gave that to me. Too bad he couldn’t be here.”
“Can I open it?”
“Sure.”
Anthony was distracted by his father, who had come downstairs and began doing a weird little dance that involved squatting and popping back up again, all with a grin plastered on his face. So embarrassing! It didn’t help that Joe was a big beefy guy with a bristling mustache. “Having fun kids?” he shouted in a New Jersey accent, drawing even more attention to himself.
“Kill the music,” Anthony hissed. “Please!”
Silvia stopped the tape. His dad looked disappointed before walking over to join them.
“Have you got a minute, son?” Joe asked. “Come on upstairs with me.”
“Sure.” Anthony followed him up to the main floor. “Is the music too loud?”
“Not at all,” his father replied. “I wanna give you your birthday present. But not in front of all your friends, in case you don’t like it.”
That was odd. He didn’t have a clue what it could be, but when his dad led him to the front door, his anticipation built. Every teenager wanted a car for their sixteenth birthday. He had never expected it though. His family didn’t have that much money, and neither of his brothers had gotten a car.
“Right out here,” Joe said, his expression anything but certain.
Anthony braced himself for a rust bucket. Which he would be totally fine with.
“See anything you like?” Joe asked.
Anthony glanced around and spotted, parked along the street, a rectangular black car with silver side panels. He knew it was his, because a big bow—also black—was on the hood.
“Is that for me?” Anthony asked in disbelief.
Joe’s furrowed brow finally eased as a tentative smile appeared. “That was the idea.”
“Really?” Anthony rushed over to get a closer look. The car was boxy and all sharp edges. There wasn’t a single curve, but he didn’t mind, because it was also respectable in appearance, like a slim-cut suit. He’d never wanted a sports car or anything showy. In fact, had he been walking a used car lot, this one would have been a contender.
“What is it?” he asked.
“A car,” his father teased before sucking in and tilting his head to consider it. “You’re looking at a nineteen-eighty-two Dodge 400 Coupe. So yeah, it’s already over ten years old, but this was a premier car when it first came out. The condition is great and so was the price. I used to know a fella who had one. He said it was very reliable. I know it’s nothing fancy nowadays but—”
“I love it!” Anthony said. “Where are the keys?”
His dad grinned and pulled them out of a pocket. “Happy birthday, son.”
“Thanks!” Anthony accepted the keys and spun around to consider the car again. “It’s really mine? I don’t have to share it with anyone?”
“Only if one of ours breaks down,” Joe said. “Otherwise… Yeah. It’s all yours.”
Anthony ran around the front and climbed inside. He wished the interior was black rather than tan, but he didn’t care that much. Both the front and back seats were long benches, which had all sorts of potential for him and Cameron to explore together. He put a pin in that train of thought when his father climbed in beside him. Anthony noted the wood paneling on the dashboard with amusement and was intrigued by the old-fashioned stereo.