A week after having ended
Cerdic’s life for all time, Manny got the call he’d been dreading.
Hamlin knew something was
very wrong the moment he saw Manny’s face when he showed up for his shift at
the house that evening. With Mr Shadrick gone, the explanation to the boys
being that he’d found a better job elsewhere, Gebhard had asked Hamlin if he’d
like to take Mr Shadrick’s place. Although unsure that he really had the
qualifications to teach the boys, Hamlin had still jumped at the offer,
especially after Gebhard had promised to look into hiring a real teacher on a
part-time basis as well.
Once he was able to get
Manny off by himself, Hamlin asked quietly, “What’s going on?”
“I’ve been ordered back to
Rotterdam.”
“For how long?”
Manny’s face tightened as he
tried to hide his emotions. “Forever, more or less. Except when I’m off on
assignments.”
“Oh,” Hamlin said quietly.
“Forever’s a long time.”
“Especially when—“ Manny
turned away.
“When what, Manny?” Hamlin
moved in front of him, searching his face.
“When I’m all alone.”
Hamlin looked at him in
shocked surprise. “Why would you be alone? I’ll be there, well, that is if you
want me to be, and if it’s allowed of course.”
“I can’t ask you to leave
everything behind just to be with me,” Manny told him softly. “It wouldn’t be
fair to you.”
"God, Manny, sometimes you
are so—eighteen. Don’t you think that’s my choice to make? I’d give it all up
to—" he paused a moment. “te worden met de man dat ik liefde.”
“Whoa.” Manny’s eyes lit up.
“When did you learn to speak my language?”
“I’ve sort of been studying
on the sly. I’m far from good at it but I wanted to be able to, just in case
something like this happened. Because, mijn liefde, you are not going to get
rid of me that easily. You need a keeper, and I’ve delegated that job to me,
like it or not.”
“I see. Do I get a say in
this?”
“I thought—" Hamlin’s face
fell. “I see. Sorry.”
Manny broke into a grin,
taking Hamlin’s face in his hands. “I don’t want a keeper coming with me, I
want a lover. You to be exact.” He brushed a kiss over Hamlin’s lips. “Please,
come with me.”
After returning the kiss,
Hamlin chuckled. “Well, I suppose, if you insist.”
“Insist? I’m ordering it,
and the hell with what mijn commandant might say.”
“Getting ballsy in your old
age.”
“Yeah, well—" Manny
shrugged. “We’re going to have to get a bigger place, mine’s kind of small.
What about passports, do you have one? And how soon can you get packed. And
damn, what about Gebhard? We’ll be leaving him in the lurch. Hell, this is
getting complicated.”
“Slow down,” Hamlin replied,
laughing. “Yes I’ve got a passport, remember I was in London, so that’s no
problem. When do you have to leave?”
“Tomorrow, although maybe I
can get that extended under the circumstances.”
“Find out, and then we’ll
let Gebhard know. In all honesty, I should stay here until he finds a
replacement for at least one of us, but that shouldn’t take too long. I hope.”
“God, I hope not.”
* * * * * *
te worden met de man dat ik liefde - to be with the man I love
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