Naked Hero - The Journey Away

before we head off?”
    “No, I’m fine, Lewis. I’ll see you at the door.”
    An awkward silence persisted between them as they drove back to the house. Lewis didn’t mind too much, he didn’t really want to talk about the match, not yet anyway, and he thought it best to hold his tongue on the other big topic of the day. Sadly, Jim had no such restraint. He had too many questions to let things lie as they were. Eventually he plucked up the courage to mention the day’s events. Not even a tickle of foreplay. Jim Murdoch cut straight to the chase.
    “I thought you’d lost that, Lewis... Christ, I felt powerless to help. But... somebody helped. Is he a friend? Seemed like more than just a fan.”
    “Aye, I know him, Jim. We met in Sydney.”
    “Oh, I see. When was that then?”
    “The night before we left... It’s not a problem, Jim, is it - to have a friend?”
    There was acid in Lewis’s voice, which should have told Jim Murdoch to back off, for the time being at least, but the silly old codger pressed on - stuck out his chin and begged to be hit. “No, not at all!” Jim announced. “He certainly did the trick and got your head back together. I would have liked to have met him and said thanks.”
    “You could have done, if you’d just come over to us in the lounge earlier.”
    Jim was shocked, too shocked to see the bluff, and he folded immediately, “I didn’t realise you’d seen me, Lewis. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”
    “You were right - I didn’t see you... just a guess. I mean, let’s face it, you can’t cope with the idea of me being with a man, so I can imagine what it must have been like for you to walk in and actually see one sitting there beside me... Did you recognise him? Did you know it was him - the one that shouted out? We were just sitting there, talking, that’s all. You could have come over, said hello, said thanks… acknowledged him.”
    “That’s not how it was, Lewis. I just thought you might want some time to yourselves.”
    “Bollocks!” Lewis snapped, his anger reaching fever pitch – months of suppressed annoyance now finding a vent. “What’s going to happen, Jim, if I get a boyfriend? If somebody were to start travelling with us on the tour - sleeping in my room, strange noises in the night… and in the day as well with a bit of luck. How the hell are you going to cope with that if you can’t even bring yourself to come over and say hello to someone - someone who managed to help me today? Was it that awkward, that embarrassing, to be near two gay guys?”
    Jim’s silence was answer enough. Lewis knew fine well that that was the case so he really let loose with words that would have been best left unsaid. “Of course, maybe I’ve got it wrong. Maybe you were embarrassed for a different reason. I mean... what were you doing when he was calling out - shouting out his support for me? Had you actually managed to lift your head out of your hands by then?”
    “Lewis!”
    “Can you pull over please?”
    “We’re almost home, Lewis.”
    “It’s not my home!” yelled the lad, blinded by his rage. “It’s a house we rent. I don’t have a home... Not anymore. Now can you pull over? I need to get out of this car. It’s been one hell of a day and I’m lashing out. You’re too easy a target for me just now, Jim.”
    The car came to halt and Lewis unfastened his safety belt. “I’ll walk from here. I might be some time... I’m sorry, Jim - I shouldn’t have said those things. I know you’re trying... His name’s Lee, by the way. An Englishman! But still, eh, it could be worse. At least he’s not a Rangers supporter.”
    Lewis got out of the car and closed the door. He’d said enough, and he’d heard enough, but Jim needed a few words more. The windscreen rolled down.
    “We need to talk, Lewis, about tomorrow.”
    “I’ve got enough to contend with just now, Jim, trying to come to terms with today. Let’s just leave tomorrow where it belongs for once.”
    “But, Lewis...”
    “But enough, Jim! Please... just let it go, will you?”
    “Okay,” sighed the coach, accepting defeat. “I’ll see you in the morning then, if I don’t see you later. Remember, you’re on court at ten.”
    “I’ll be there for it, Jim, don’t you worry.”
    Lewis watched the car as it pulled away, and then he headed off in the opposite direction. There was nowhere in particular he wanted to go, just a house that he wanted to avoid – a house that was