Yip, Yap, and Yup (Part32 of a Story in 3 Parts)

 Markwildyr.com,Post #239

 

Image Courtesy of Freepik:

 

Well, today, comes the finalinstallment of our story… from Yup’s point of view. Hope the trip wasentertaining. 

* * * *

YIP,YAP, AND YUP

YUP

I don’t believe it. One of thetwo guys I shared the womb with has a problem with me. And I do mean a problem.Last week he picked a fight with me by talking trash about a girl I know helikes. Just because she picked me over him. Okay, so I do believe it. I justdon’t understand it.

We used to get along, allthree of us, like the triplets we were. Went everywhere together. Dideverything together. Buddies… buds… brothers. Now it’s me against Yip with Yepstanding in the middle trying to figure out which way to dodge. That fight Imentioned? It was a real fight. I merely defended myself at first, but when itwas clear he was out to hurt, I started slugging it out with him. Dunno whereit’d have ended if dad hadn’t stepped in.

Things went from bad to worselast semester when he got thrown off the basketball team for trying to provokea fight with me during a practice game. But worse went to worst last Fridaywhen the soccer coach threw him off the field for bad sportsmanship. Kepttrying to hurt me with the ball while I was playing goalie. I felt sorta badover that one because soccer is Yip’s game. Pretty good at it when he plays thegame instead of plays to hurt.

Tomorrow, I’m gonna try to seeif I can’t work things out with my brother. Families oughta hang together, not tearone another apart. Tonight, I just want a good night’s sleep, and in themorning, I’ll say whatever I have to to set things straight.

I tried to still my mind—youknow, rehearsing what I was gonna say tomorrow—but it wasn’t easy. I’d about enticedthe sandman through the bedroom door, when a “whomp” brought me wide awake.

The night outside my windowlit up like Christmas. It took me a minute to figure out something was on fire.I pulled open the curtain and found it was my car. I’d been low on gas, andthat sound I heard was the fumes in my tank going off. Now the back end wasburning away merrily.

I pulled on trousers and loafersand raced outside, but there wasn’t much I could do. Both my brothers showed upin the yard, and Dad wasn’t far behind, already on his cell to 911. The firetruck arrived first with the police not far behind.

The fire department wasefficient, the police… not so much. There’d been a couple of similar incidentson the other side of town, but nobody’d been busted for it. The cops decidedthe miscreants—their word—had moved to this neighborhood. But I knew better.All I had to do was look at Yip’s smug kisser, and I knew. Still, I couldn’taccuse my brother of arson, not even when he mouthed “how do you like themapples,” when nobody else was looking.

The car was a total loss.

“Don’t worry, insurance willtake care of it,” Yip said in a consoling tone of voice when we all went backin the house to try and get some sleep after all the responders left.

Yeah right. Whoever came outahead when dealing with an insurance company?

****

“Jerry, I can’t see youanymore.”

Cindy was the only personalive who called me Jerry. To the rest of the world, I was Yup. I sorta likedbeing Jerry, but I didn’t like what I was hearing. With my blood running coldin my veins, I put a hand to her cheek and forced her to look at me. Other kidsswirled around us as we stood in the school’s hallway.

“What are you saying? We getalong great. I… I love you, Cindy.”

She clasped my hand and pulledit away. “I have feelings for you too, but… but I can’t take the pressure. Ihate getting up in the morning anymore.”

“Why?”

“Yip calls me every day. Tellsme I’ve gotta break up with you.”

“You can’t let him tell youwhat to do.”

“I even told my folks, andthey called your folks, but it didn’t do any good. He quit for a day andstarted back up.”

“Tell your dad again.”

“It won’t do any good.”

“Call the police and tell themyou’re being harassed.”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that!”

“You’d break up with me beforeyou’d go to the police?”

She was silent for a longmoment, head bowed, her long brown hair shielded her face, denying me theopportunity to study her big, brown eyes. Her eyes were her best feature.

“He… he said you were queer…uh, gay. That you went to Lincoln Haverson after our dates and… and….”

“And you believe him?” Idemanded in a harsher voice than I intended.

She glanced up, those fabulouseyes troubled. “I… I don’t know. We just need to cool it for a while.” Afterthose words, Cindy ran for the exit.

“I’ll take care of it!” Iyelled after her.

****

Yip was waiting for me when Igot home. He sat on the front porch with his beach bag between his feet. I knewit held his swimsuit, a brightly colored beach towel, and some sun lotion. ButI didn’t know what else was in there, and these days I suspected he was toting.Our dad was a gun rights activist, and saw that all three of us had a Ruger’spistol and a Winchester .30-.30 rifle.

“Hello,Yup, you don’t look happy,” he said with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You son-of-a-bitch,what lies have you been telling Cindy?

“Cindy?”he asked with a smirk on his face, letting me know it wasn’t just Cindy he’d spreadhis filthy rumors to. “Just wondered why you and the town queer were so close,that’s all. Thought maybe she’d ask you and clear it up.”

“Lincolnand I are acquaintances, not friends.”

“Seem friendlyto me. But then, you’re a friendly guy.”

“I don’ttreat him like dirt, like the rest of the school does.”

Hespread his hands. “There you go. Friends. Does he give a good blowjob?”

“Iwouldn’t know,” I said. “But you probably do.”

Yip gavethat smile that made him so handsome and so infuriating all at the same time. “Matterof fact, I do. He gives a great one when a guy gets hard up. Gotta run. Meetingthe guys at the school pool.”

Hegrabbed his beach bag—which seemed awfully heavy to me—and brushed past me onthe way to his car. I sat on the porch for thirty minutes to think things over.Maybe I should go to Dad. In the past he’d just tut-tutted his way around aproblem between us, blamed everybody and done nothing.

Mom wasa little more effective, but I didn’t want to get her in the middle of this,especially if he was throwing the “queer” word around.

Thecops? Sibling rivalry. Plus, they tended to be unsympathetic to anyone labeledgay, true or not.

The coachesat school? Possibly, because they already knew how he acted toward me.

Aftersome more thought, something became clear. I needed to handle this on my own.Man up, Yup, man up. I went to my room for a moment before starting for the pool…hiking because I hadn’t been able to replace my car yet. That was okay, it wasn’ta long walk. It would give me time to get in the proper frame of mind for what Ihad to do.

Withthat thought, I wondered if anyone thought it strange I wore a windbreaker thistime of year. But I needed a jacket to conceal my Ruger.

*.*.*.*.

Looks like Yup’sgonna make some of those terrible, senseless headlines we’re all living withtoday. Surely, there’s another way.

 

My contactinformation is provided below in case anyone wants to drop me a line:

Website and blog: markwildyr.com

Email:markwildyr@aol.com

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Twitter: @markwildyr

Now mymantra: Keep on reading. Keep on writing.You have something to say, so say it!

See you later.

 

 

Mark

 

New posts the first and third Thursday of the month at6:00 a.m., US Mountain time.