Rentboy

his purse
    away. “How are you doing? Or more to the point, how’s your father?” He leaned forward speaking in
    a low voice, “Is he still with us?”
    That early-morning conversation seemed like months ago, not weeks. “Unfortunately, yes.”
    The relief registering in the man’s expression was profound. “I’m so glad to hear that. Violence
    is never the answer.”
    “You should tell my dad that,” Fox said.
    “I’m sorry things are difficult for you.” He looked around to indicate the premises at large. “At
    least you’re working. That’s a bonus.”
    It was all too much to go into, and he didn’t want to start lying again. “Things are not always as
    they appear, vicar.”
    The man dipped his chocolate finger into his coffee, then sucked off the chocolate like a little
    kid. Fox could see Eddie doing something like that.
    “Tell me more. I’ll help if I can.”
    Over by the window, the MILF was starting to look annoyed with Aubrey, who was chatting to
    her with his hand under his green apron as if he might be masturbating.
    “I met a lovely bloke, and I’ve screwed it up,” Fox said. “But I suppose you think queers are all
    going to hell.”
    The vicar had a really pleasant smile that squished his eyes to slits. “Not at all. That’s the
    Catholics. You should come to my church sometime.”
    “That’s not likely to happen,” Fox said.
    The MILF was looking really pissed now. What the hell was Aubrey saying?
    “So how did you screw up with your boyfriend?”
    “I lied to him.” Ashamed to admit it, Fox looked at his hands. “I wasn’t true to myself. I let
    someone manipulate me.”
    “Your father?” the vicar asked quietly.
    Meeting his gaze, Fox asked, “How did you know?”
    The vicar popped the last bite of chocolate finger in his mouth and shrugged. “You’re a decent
    young man; I can tell. Just promise me you won’t kill him. The Bible says the lamp will go out on any
    man who kills a parent. That means the light of God will go out in your life.”
    “What about a father who beats the hell out of his kids and wife and threatens to kill them?”
    “Ahh.” The vicar nodded. “So that’s it.”
    The door opened, bringing with it a burst of traffic noise and fumes. The store manager walked
    in just as the MILF screamed, “Get away from me, you dirty little boy!”
    “What the hell are you doing?” the boss shouted at Aubrey, whose fat face was red.
    “That overweight youth made a sexual remark at me,” the woman said.
    “She’s got a dog in her bag,” Aubrey shouted back.
    Throwing the Louis Vuitton over her arm, the woman stormed out.
    “Get your apron off. You’re fired,” the manager said to Aubrey. He looked at Fox with the vicar.
    Even atheists behaved themselves when they saw a man in a dog collar. “Sorry about that, father. Are
    you being taken care of?”
    “Yes, this nice young man is being most helpful.”
    The boss threw Fox a glare. “I’ve told you not to wear that makeup at work. Can you cover the
    whole shift on your own? It’s only a couple more hours. I’ve been looking for an excuse to fire that
    lad. He’s useless, and he eats the merchandise and doesn’t pay. I watch the CCTV, you know.”
    “No problem,” Fox said.
    With a filthy look at Fox, Aubrey threw his apron on the floor and opened the door. “He’s a
    queer!”
    “As long as he doesn’t make passes at the customers, I don’t care,” the boss said. “Sorry, father.
    Give him a cupcake on the house,” he said to Fox. He followed Aubrey outside as Fox broke into
    giggles.
    “Now that was an answer to a prayer. Do you want chocolate or lemon?”
    “Let’s try the lemon.” The vicar rubbed his hands together, looking really excited at the prospect
    of a free cake.
    With great care, Fox placed an iced lemon cupcake on a plate with a paper serviette. Aubrey
    was gone, and despite all the other shit in his life, Fox felt a moment of delirious happiness. “I’m a
    wicked boy, vicar.” He sat down with him again.
    Happily peeling the paper off the cupcake, the vicar said, “Somehow I don’t think so. Would you
    like me to go with you to your boyfriend and help you make up with him? I’m rather good at
    relationship counseling. I counsel couples before they get married.”
    “What would you know about relationships?” Fox asked. “You’ve never even had sex.”
    “No, no. That’s the Catholics. I keep telling you. The Church of England is different.