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It didn’t take long after sunrise for Julius to realize this was an impractical way of going about his return to Vegas to find Henry. He was more gassed than the horse when he hit Escondido and needed fuel for his body and a quick rest if he were to continue; he was already feeling a bit wobbly fighting sleep. The first diner he came across on the outskirts of the town became his chosen stop, tying the horse up out front on the stair railing and slipping inside.
The greetings of ‘Merry Christmas!’ only added to the loneliness; he still didn’t know where Lee moved to as he assumed Muriel’s presence at The Chester was an indicator for the sudden disappearance. Maybe Lee was embarrassed but he shouldn’t be. After all, it’s not his fault, just like it wasn’t the one girl’s fault Julius dated in high school in the hopes he was wrong about himself. But sometimes there just ain’t nothing you can do to ‘fix’ those desires, and right now Julius knew more than ever who he was and who he wanted.
Christmas ham wasn’t on the menu until after 11am so a glass of eggnog and slice of pecan pie would be his holiday indulgence with the basic eggs and bacon. The only other couple of patrons around seemed to be in his situation of spending the day alone so he didn’t feel out of place other than being the only one to ride in on a horse. The horse–he now observed midway through his pie–was currently being overlooked by a man out front, and that got Julius tense up as he watched, prepared to dash outside in case the stranger decided to untie his stead and ride off with it. Instead, the man turns and heads up the steps inside.
“Who here owns that horse out front?” he asked fairly cheerfully as he looked around at the half-dozen people it could be. Julius just silently raises his hand and before he knows it, the man is sliding into the booth across from him. “How much would you like for it? Name your price.”
Julius could get greedy, asking for something high enough to make a profit after expenses already put towards it. “What will you do with it?”
The man’s smile softened a bit. “A Christmas gift for my daughter. My wife and I are separated and I only see her every couple of weeks. Every year while we were together our little girl asked for one and well, thought maybe I could make her wish come true.”
“Alright. Pay me the price of a bus ticket to Vegas plus a ride to the station and it’s yours.” Julius really only had one thing he wanted and that was to find Henry before the day was through, and why put this poor guy through cleaning out his wallet when he just wants to make his daughter happy? But the man didn’t feel right taking it for so cheap that he gave him $100 and told him to spend it on a nice Christmas dinner when he got there; Julius would be lucky if he got there before midnight but at least he would be able to sleep on the ride up.
When the bright lights of the strip under the already darkened sky came into view, it occurred to Julius he wasn’t exactly sure where Henry would be. Despite the chip left at The Chester, he doubted Henry would even be allowed anywhere close to the casino, and if they hadn’t already, the other casinos might have put up a ban for them as well. Perhaps his best luck would be to wait for the next bomb test to see if he shows up there. Or maybe, just maybe… he was in the most obvious spot for him to be.
The walk from the bus stop to the motel where Julius and Henry spent as much of a domestic life together as two people of their orientation could felt more like going home than any time Julius did as a child or Lee’s attempts to make them one as of late. Julius didn’t even have to remember the number, he could recall where their room was just by the environment as he prepared to take the biggest gamble of his life as he knocked on the door. He didn’t hear any movement on the other side; perhaps Henry was out? Julius tried a second and a third time before deciding maybe this was all a mistake, turning to leave before hearing the sound of footsteps rushing to the door. Julius was hesitant to look back in case he was wrong, prepared to take off running in case it was someone else.
“Julius?”
There was no mistaking that voice. Julius’ lips split into a soft smile as he turned around and saw Henry standing in the door frame, a towel wrapped around his waist and hair damp from the shower he must have been taking. “I got your note.”
“I was worried perhaps it was another Julius,” Henry said, returning the smile. “A friend?”
“Sister-in-law, actually. Or maybe not any longer, I’m not sure. But I am sure about one thing,” Julius says as he closes the gap between them.
“Oh?” Henry asks mischievously as he cocks his head to the side. “And what’s that?”
“That I’m in love with you, Henry,” Julius whispered as he placed a soft kiss on Henry’s lips as if to make sure he was indeed really standing before him. “And for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m home.”