Free This One Time With Julia by David Lampson

could ever imagine giving to my firstborn son. I always knew this intuitively, but not consciously, not until recently. If you happened to have a male child before I did, you wouldn’t steal my thunder, would you? You wouldn’t name him Alexander, knowing what that name means to me?”
    “I doubt it.”
    “I’m afraid I’ve got to make it another condition of you staying here in my apartment.”
    “Okay, Marcus. I promise I won’t ever name anybody Alexander.”
    “That’s terrific. I’m so glad that’s out of my way.” He patted my hair again. “Goodnight, Joe. Tomorrow we’ll get all your stuff out of the dumpster.”
    It was good to be back in my bed, I’ll admit. Marcus had thrown away my favorite pillow, but I had packed my good pajamas and my bed still smelled like me. I was starting to drift off to sleep when Julia snuck in. Her palm was cooler than my forehead.
    “Are you sleeping?”
    “No.”
    “I don’t like how he talks about you.”
    “Like how?”
    “Like there’s something wrong with you. I don’t believe half of the things that he says, and I like the way you are. Why does everybody have to grow up so fast? Marcus is one of these people who wants everybody to be the same. I think it’s pretty funny that he’s accusing Alvin of ruining you, when all Alvin wanted to do was let you stay how you were.”
    “That’s what Alvin says.”
    “He’s right about one thing. You’re pretty good company. What will happen to you here?”
    “I guess Marcus is finally going to whip me into shape.” I tried to laugh. Julia was sort of stroking my forehead the whole time we were talking. She would start at my eyebrows and stroke all the way down to the back of my head. I couldn’t stop looking at her lips. “Or I could go with you.”
    “I had the same idea,” she said. “I could probably get you a job at the hotel. I’ll be working there all summer, up until I leave for college.”
    “All my clothes are in the dumpster.”
    “I know it’s really bad, but I think you should just leave them. I really think we should just run away.”
    She helped me find my shoes, and within two minutes we were sneaking out of the house together. Marcus came out of the apartment building in his bathrobe while we were getting into Alvin’s car. He didn’t seem angry, just very disappointed. I walked over to him to say good-bye.
    “Running away again,” he said. “I shouldn’t be surprised. But for some reason I am. I thought this time would be different.”
    “I know I can’t come back. I’m sorry, Marcus.”
    Across the street Julia was starting the car. She waved at Marcus. He huddled in his bathrobe and wrapped it tighter around himself.
    “How come nobody likes me, Joe? There are a lot of things to like about me. I handle all my responsibilities. Instead, this girl runs off with you. What’s wrong with me?”
    “I don’t know. Good-bye, Marcus.”
    “Goddamn you, Joe. When are you going to learn to act like a man?” Marcus suddenly got really angry. I had the feeling that he was about to punch me. “I’m so tired of you. Get out of here. Just get the hell out of my sight.”
    But when I tried to leave he grabbed my arm and pulled me close, and I could feel him spitting on my ear, “One day you’re going to realize your actions have consequences. What will you do then?” Across the street Julia was starting the car. Marcus glared at her. I tried to pull my arm away. “That girl’s too complicated. She knows something she’s not telling you.”
    “Good-bye, Marcus,” I said. “Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye.”
    He went inside without looking back at me again. I walked across the street and got into the car. Julia smoothed my hair a little bit and said, “Lights, Joe.” I turned on the lights and we drove away from Marcus’s house, past the McDonald’s and onto Ventura Boulevard.
    “Do you know how to get there?”
    “East,” she said. “We just keep going east.”
    Julia