Love is Always Write Anthology Bonus Volume

out the place if they went to New York City, but they never had. On screen, the light levels flared as something flamed on the dark street.
    Eddie paused on his way toward the living room with more drinks and turned to look at the screen. "Yeah, it's the Stonewall. We've never been there, although of course one hears things. It hasn't been open that long. What, a couple of years maybe? But enough is enough. I don't really want to hear about that anymore." He set the tray of drinks firmly down on the coffee table.
    "Hear about what?" Daniel went over and turned the knob on the set. The sound hissed and then come on louder. "...since early this morning. Several homosexuals were arrested and four police officers were injured in the riots. For a while today, quiet reigned and it seemed as if the violence and rioting might be over. But now the crowds have begun to gather again. Fires are burning in the trash barrels and..." Phil shoved Daniel out of the way and snapped off the television completely.
    "What did you do that for?" Daniel demanded. He reached toward the set and Phil grabbed his hand and shoved it away.
    "I don't want to see it. I'm up to my eyeteeth with that mess. They're damned fools!"
    "Who are?" Daniel turned to Eddie. "We went for a drive in the country and ended up spending the day. I haven't heard anything."
    "You haven't?" Eddie went over to the newspaper rack and pulled out the Times . He unfolded it and passed it to Daniel. Jacob stood with his chin on Daniel's shoulder as they read an account of the previous night's rioting at a gay bar with growing wonder and anger and excitement.
    "They actually did it," Daniel said. "They fought back against the cops. Holy cow, I never thought I'd see the day."
    "They're idiots!" Phil snatched the paper away and folded it with hands that shook a little. "They have no idea what they're doing. They'll set the whole homophile movement back decades! How can we ask to be taken seriously, to be treated as equals, when we have men in dresses doing line dances and singing about their pubic hairs while the police arrest them?"
    "They did what ?" Daniel couldn't help grinning. "I didn't see anything about that."
    "Phil's been following the accounts all day and ranting about it," Eddie said. "I made him put it away so we could have a nice quiet dinner with you two."
    "And I don't want to give it one more moment of my attention," Phil snapped. "It just makes me sick. People are going to think that's who we all are. Men with curls and makeup and dresses and the boys from the park, burning and breaking things. It will just make them angrier. And they'll come down even harder on all of us. We were making slow progress, our way. And now this!"
    "Can we just turn the television back on for a little while?" Jacob asked. "I'd like to see what's going on right now. Just for a minute."
    Phil slowly said, "If you must," and it was Eddie who said, "No."
    "What?" Daniel stared at Eddie.
    Eddie folded his arms. "No. You're just going to get Phil all riled up and he'll be pacing and yelling all night. Enough is enough. If you want to get all excited about gay boys whooping it up on the streets of New York until the police beat some sense into them, you can just do it at home." He tried a winning smile. "Come on, boys. I brought the drinks. Let's all just have a nice evening together, okay? We don't get to see the two of you together half often enough. Let's enjoy it."
    Daniel and Jacob followed Eddie back to the living room. But Daniel couldn't settle into a discussion of books and films and where to go for vacation, when out there on the New York streets gays and lesbians were standing up to be counted. He lost the train of conversation time and again. After about a half hour, Jacob stood. "Listen, we're going to cut this evening short. We'll have to do it again soon."
    Eddie looked at them sadly. "You're thinking about that stuff going down in New York."
    "Yes," Daniel said. "It's... It feels important. That's our people out there."
    "Not my people," Phil snapped. "The Stonewall is full of drag queens and fairies. They're exactly the people we don't want the movement associated with."
    "They're gay," Jacob said firmly. "Like us." He stood, pulling his keys from his pocket. "Thanks for the dinner. We'll see you again soon."
    At the car, Jacob shoved the keys into Daniel's hands. "You drive."
    Daniel glanced over at him as they pulled out. "Are you okay?"
    "I don't know."
    Daniel mused,