The First Male by Lee Hayes Read Free Book Online Page A

Tumor . The word rang with force in his head. As he pried himself off the door and forced himself to move down the street, the thought of a tumor stayed with him. What if he was dying? What if he got really, really sick? Who would visit him? Who would care for him? Who would care that he was sick?
    The thought of a tumor pissed him off. Bad luck had always been his best friend.
    As he weaved angrily down the crowded sidewalk trying his best to avoid pedestrians, he was struck by his harsh urban reality. People were squeezed into their metal boxcars on the congested roadway and others loitered on the street; some hung at the bus stop or walked easily into corner stores; vagrants, with nowhere to go and nothing to do, struck cool poses against the brick wall that was tagged with colorful graffiti. Simon was surrounded by people. Everywhere he looked, he saw them. There was no escaping them; yet, he felt, as he had always felt, alone. Even in the midst of a crowded city, he was separated from them. Brooke could only get so close. She’d never know him. Not really. Hewas different from everyone else, but he wasn’t sure how or why. He only knew that he was something else.
    By the time he reached Cisco’s Soul Food Café, his anger was gone. The smell of frying bacon was so prominent that he briefly considered reneging on his vow to never again eat pork. He had given up pork six months ago after a bad experience with an under-cooked chop from some fancy restaurant to which Brooke dragged him. As he moved through the semi-crowded restaurant, he salivated at the thought of a big, juicy BLT sandwich. He thought he would have adjusted to the tempting smell of bacon by now, but the power of its aroma still had a hold on him. He could hear Cisco’s teasing voice in his head saying that swine is divine .
    Simon eased into the back of the restaurant, slipped on his apron and headed to the grill, briefly making eye contact with Cisco, who was at the front counter at the cash register. Simon was happy to see Crystal, his favorite waitress, back in the fold. She had recently suffered the loss of her father and had taken several weeks off.
    When Crystal saw him, she smiled, winked and placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of a gruff-looking man, in a thick flannel shirt, who was focused more on her breasts than the menu. Simon smiled back, recalling the hot marathon sex he had shared with her one night after the restaurant closed. They must’ve fucked on every table in the place.
    â€œWassup, College Boy?” Franklin said as he moved around the corner, stopping suddenly when he saw Simon. “What ’cha doing here today?”
    â€œThat fool Jamal called out—again—and Cisco asked me to cover his shift. I don’t know why he hasn’t fired him yet.”
    â€œShit, it ain’t like he does anything when he’s here. Cisco ain’t fired him yet ’cause that’s his nephew and his brother would kick his ass if he fired his son.”
    â€œYou right about that,” Simon said, chuckling.
    Franklin looked at his watch. “Wait. Don’t you have class now or something?”
    â€œNah, I’m good.” Simon didn’t want to talk about school and Franklin shot him a quizzical look as he hung a dirty white apron around his neck.
    â€œWhen was the last time you been to class?”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œIf you can ‘huh,’ you can hear. I said, when was the last time you been to class?”
    â€œYou a fool, Frank. A real fool.”
    â€œHow about you answer my question?”
    â€œI don’t know. Maybe a week or so ago,” Simon lied easily. “Why you all up in my business?”
    Franklin shook his head from side to side. “Man, you a trip. I’ll never understand what goes on in that head of yours. You have a full ride at one of the most prestigious colleges in the country. You two classes away from getting yo’