Page 43 of A Straight Line

“I don’t know,” I said, biting at my lip, “it is kind of untoward, isn’t it? The having sex with strangers in public thing, right?”

Denny’s chin tensed on my shoulder.

“What do you mean?” Felix asked.

“I mean, isn’t it kind of obscene?” I suggested though I wasn’t sure I believed anything I was saying. “It is kind of salacious to just meet some person, drag them into the bathroom in a bar, and go to town on each other?”

“You listen here, you little shit,” Felix said, nudging Bethany out of the way so he could lean further across the aisle. “You come from a long line of queers—of all different shapes, sizes, flavors, and colors—who have faced every form of oppression you could imagine. Sometimes the only way we could live freely and fully was by taking care of our needs in backrooms, bathrooms, and back alleys. We had to do what we had to do in order to live our lives honestly. To be with the people we loved. We couldn’t just set up house somewhere and have people be okay with it.”

Bethany was nodding furiously.

“We had to be discreet. Just so we wouldn’t be jailed, beaten—hell, killed—just because our love looks different on the outside. Giving some guy a blowjob in a bar bathroom is part of our heritage. It’s not salacious. A lot of people who belong to our community want to deny so much of what makes it great—just because it doesn’t fit in with polite society or doesn’t fit what they think the aesthetic should be. Even though now, at least in this country, two men or two women can get married, get a house, and live their lives openly a little more safely than in the past, it’s still an act of rebellion to be a queer. It’s still dangerous to be queer, no matter what the laws say.”

I chewed at my lip as I listened.

“When a guy gives a blowjob in a bathroom, sure, they’re having fun,” Felix said with a wave of his hand, “but they’re almost paying homage to where we came from. They’re on their knees thanking whatever power there is that we’ve come this far. For all that we’ve come from, we still have a long way to go. It’s downright frustrating. But sometimes you have to kick up your heels and celebrate how far we’ve come. That’s what we do. We’re queers. In the darkest of times, in better times, we kick up our heels and have a good time when we can. Because the dark times need some light. And you never know how long the good times will last. So…suck a dick every chance you get, Russy. A lot of queers have suffered for your right to do so.”

Felix sat back in his seat, and Denny’s chin stopped digging so roughly into my shoulder. For a long moment, we were all silent. I felt like such a dick for even suggesting that what queers do in bar bathrooms from time to time was bad. It was even worse that I had said it to one of the elder gays who hadn’t always had it as easy as I had. Sometimes, us younger queers forget what the queers who came before us have gone through. What they continue to go through as not just queers, but as older people. Often pushed aside by the next generation, like a lot of older people, forgotten, deemed “out of touch” or “not with it,” all of their wisdom, experiences, and hardships—the battles they fought and lost, the wars they won for everyone that would come after them—they weren’t appreciated enough.

You’re a real shit, Russ.

“Well,” Bethany said finally, “I would’ve said ‘eat a pussy,’ but I guess what Felix said is adequate enough.”

That immediately broke the tension, and all four of us were laughing uproariously.

“Look at that!” Bethany joked. “I got three gays to laugh at a pussy joke!”

“Okay, okay.” Felix slapped at her gently. “Just stop saying ‘pussy,’ would you?”

We continued to laugh, not just because we were glad that Bethany had wiped away the tension I had created with one question about bathroom blowjobs, but because it was funny. Also, the night was about celebrating Harry, Vic, and the little queer bar in the middle of America that could. There was no reason for any of us to be tense or pissed off. I smiled at the thought of Bang Bang, Harry, and Vic working so hard over the years to bring some joy to the life of queer people in Littleburg and the surrounding area for so many years. They had done such a good job that they were actually able to sell it off to another person who wanted to continue that tradition.

How was that not something to be joyous about, after all?

“Hey,” I said as I glanced out the windshield in front of us, “we’re going south through Littleburg.”

Felix grinned.

A Straight Line was located off the highway on the south end of Littleburg.

“We sure are, sugar,” Nita said as she steered.

“Nita!” Felix admonished her playfully.

“Oh, shut up,” She growled playfully over her shoulder at Felix, “it’s not like it would’ve been a secret much longer, you old queen. We’re almost there!”

Sure enough, another glance out the windshield showed bright lights up ahead as we passed the last stop sign at the end of Main Street. A few miles down the road, every color of the rainbow was shining high into the sky, as though searchlights had been set up. In amazement, I wondered how A Straight Line had gone from a queer bar in a little midwestern town that didn’t want it, to a business that the town would allow to put on such a display in the middle of the night. Of course, when I thought of all of the things that Bang Bang had done for Littleburg, and all of the things Harry and Vic had done for the community, it was no wonder that Littleburg finally came around.

“Is…is that the bar?” I gasped.

“Well, it ain’t the Taj Mahal,” Felix said.

“But it may as well be to us,” Bethany added.

Up ahead of us, the first bus was slowing down in front of where all of the lights at the entrace of the bar were shining up into the sky. Then the second bus and the third, and finally, Nita slowed our bus down behind them. With her high-heeled foot, she somehow expertly applied the brakes on the bus and brought us to a stop behind the third bus, with just enough room to avoid a collision. Once the bus was at a full stop and she had shut it off—and all of the other buses had queers pouring out of them—Nita turned to look over the back of her seat at us.

“Okay, ya’ bunch of drunken queens!” She shouted. “Any other ride you’re getting from me tonight won’t be on this damned bus!”

Everyone laughed and rose from their seats. Chaos was on full display outside of the bar as all of the people who had arrived on the buses waited outside. When I stepped off the bus, I could see Harry and Vic near the doors, where the two “cops”—Officers Johnson and Smith—were making everyone wait. Once the buses were unloaded, and the crowd had quieted down, Officer Johnson stepped up.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” He announced loudly, “we’d like to welcome you, on behalf of Ms. Bang Bang Baisemoi, to A Straight Line!”

Then, much to everyone’s delight, the “cops” ripped their shirts open, exposing chiseled pecs and abs. Hoots and hollers sounded from the crowd, as the two men in cop uniforms reached for the doors. Each of them took a handle and pulled the doors wide. Disco music greeted us all, and we cheered. Immediately, the crowd surged forth like a wave, and we were all pouring through the front doors of the bar. I lost sight of Harry and Vic as the crowd moved through the entrance in a giant undulation of bodies, but once I had managed to push my way inside, they were easy to spot.

Bang Bang had a platoon of queens at the bar serving drinks, tables and chairs set up, and the dance floor cleared out for anyone who wanted to kick up their heels. A table with two chairs had been set up at the edge of the dance floor, which was obviously intended for Harry and Vic. If there was any doubt about that, Felix and the other guys from The Flirtatious Five were leading them to the seats of honor. I smiled, realizing that all of the guys had obviously been in on Bang Bang’s plan to get my uncles to the bar one last time before the new owners took charge. Simon and Phil had been left out of the scheme—for obvious reasons. Of course, Denny had been clued in by Felix, so I found myself wanting to be hurt at being left out. However, I remembered that I had just recently moved in with Vic and Harry, so who had the time to pull me aside and tell me the secret plan?

Nearly half of the people in attendance were on the dance floor, dancing to some disco song I wasn’t really familiar with, while nearly half were at the bar, driving the drag queens crazy with drink orders. From the look of things, the queens were simply shoving beers and shots at people, basically telling them to make do with what they gave them. I imagined that Bang Bang hadn’t paid the queens to actually tend bar like professionals, so they were under no obligation to make anything fancy for anyone. Beer and shots would have to suffice.

Denny suddenly appeared at my side once again with two beers—gripped by the necks in one hand—and two shots—cradled in the palm of his other. With a laugh at his ability to get to the head of the drink line so quickly, I took one of the beers and one of the shot glasses from him. We tapped the shot glasses together and tossed them back. Tequila. And not the best. But I was perfectly fine with that. We set our shot glasses on a nearby table and tapped our beers together before taking a long drink off of them as well. Then the two of us turned towards the dance floor and watched everyone dancing from afar, the music so loud I could feel it in my bones. I imagined that both of my uncles would be saying “huh?” and “what?” a lot for days following the party. But they’d be smiling when they said it.

While we stood there, sipping our beers and watching everyone dance, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Denny kept glancing at me. I knew that he wanted to remind me that he had been saving a dance for me, but I hoped he wouldn’t. I just wanted to stand there and enjoy my drink and watch everyone having a good time—especially Harry and Vic. I didn’t want to ruin the night by having too much fun with Denny. Months may have passed since my last relationship fell apart at the seams, but I just wasn’t ready to give my heart hope. After a few minutes of the song that was playing, Denny seemed to realize that I wasn’t going to dance, and just stood close by, his arm touching mine, as we watched everyone else having fun.

When the last few notes of the song tapered off, and silence took over the room, all of the lights suddenly went out. Several people gasped. A few screamed out. Others made sexual noises to be funny. I felt Denny’s hand find mine at our sides, and his fingers slipped between mine. My first instinct was to pull away, but instead, I just grasped his hand back. It was dark. I didn’t have to see him looking pleased, and he couldn’t see the small smile that turned up the corners of my mouth, no matter how much I willed it not to happen.

After a few moments of darkness and everyone making rude sounds, a single spotlight came on in the dark. A large white circle appeared at the center of the stage that was just past the dance floor. Screams of excitement echoed through the bar when we all realized what the spotlight was focused on.

Bang Bang Baisemoi.