Free The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon Page A

do.”
    A man stood behind the counter of the Saddleman, resplendent in Wranglers tight enough to petrify
testicles, a colorful cowboy shirt, a handlebar mustache, a cowboy hat, and cowboy boots. You could eat from his belt
buckle, it was so big. He looked like every rodeo rider in the history of mankind. Edward knew him. “Hello,
Jack. Long time.”
    The man eyed us, then nodded. “Didn’t think you’d be back.”
    “Some things change.”
    “That they do.” He cleared his throat. “Doing some shopping?”
    Edward nodded. “For Benjamin. Ben, this is Jack Galladay. We went to school
together.”
    Jack nodded to me, and I remembered, for once, to be polite. I held my hand out. “Nice to meet
you, Mr. Galladay.”
    Jack hesitated, then shook my hand. Hard. The dried blisters on my hand screamed. “You, too,
Ben.” Then he smiled. “You need any help finding what you want, I’ll be around.”
    Edward looked at him. “Still doing the rodeo?”
    Jack shook his head. “Broke my hip five years ago at finals. Three titanium pins holding me
together.” He gestured to the store. “Bought this place and here I am. Denise runs the back
end.”
    “Denise Reese?”
    He looked at Edward for a moment before answering. “Denise Galladay now. We married two
years out of school. Four kids.”
    “Say hello for me,” Edward said, and we started looking at the racks of clothes. Jack
wandered to the back room.
    I lowered my voice. “Was he cool to you in school?”
    Edward smiled. “Let’s just say some things aren’t as they seem.”
    I glanced at where Jack had gone, then back to Edward. “You mean . . . ?”
    He nodded. “Some people question their sexuality a bit more than others.”
    I couldn’t believe it. My dad is a straight gay. He didn’t look gay, and you’d
never know it until you got to know him. Jack Galladay looked the farthest from a gay dude that I’d ever seen.
“No way.”
    Edward sighed. “I’m not saying what he is now, Ben, and what we did really has nothing
to do with anything now. He was a good friend, and I’m sure he’s a good husband and
father.”
    Behind all of Edward’s sarcastic humor and quick wit, I realized he was good. He didn’t
hold it over Mr. Galladay’s head one single bit. “That’s why he looked nervous when we
walked in.”
    “Probably. We were stupid kids, finding out what we were. That’s all.” Then he
smiled, his eyes meeting mine. “I mean, after all, we both became family men.”
    “Spare me, Mom.”
    Edward looked at a rack of shirts. “Okay, here’s the rules. No gaudy colors, no big belt
buckles, and no cowboy hats.”
    I frowned. “I wanted a hubcap for a belt buckle, man.”
    He shook his head. “You can’t wear a belt buckle like Jack unless you won it in the
rodeo. Unspoken cowboy rule.”
    “Fine. Why no hat?”
    “Because you’ll look like a complete goof in one.”
    I shrugged. “Listen, Ed, if I’m going to do this, I’m going all the way. Do they
have spurs here? I want spurs. And I want a rope, too. Like a lasso thing.”
    “Okay, we’re leaving. I’m getting stomach cramps just thinking about you
walking down the street dressed like Howdy Doody.”
    I smiled. “Hey, if I’m going to lasso me a mare, I’ve got to be able to stay in the
saddle.”
    He gave me a disgusted look. “You watch yourself around her father. And it might do you a
small bit of good to lift yourself out of the gutter sometimes.”
    “I was kidding. Lighten up.”
    He looked at me, a serious question in his eyes. “Did you have sex with Hailee?”
    The difference between my dad and Edward was right here, right now. He wasn’t afraid to talk
about anything. “Of course we did. No woman can resist my touch.”
    He held up a shirt, grimaced, then put it back. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, Ben will return
to reality.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Okay, fine. No, but almost. Like a rounding-third-and-heading-home kind of
deal.