I had talked to my parents about how I'd been planning on renting an apartment of my own, and possibly with Nia. They seemed to approve of the idea, and also offered to help out with rent if ever I needed it, but I insisted that they didn't need to do that.
And so, they helped me out with apartment hunting, even Nathan gave me some advice and tips on what to look for since he lived in an apartment himself. We weren't dead set on anything yet, but we did look online a bit to see what were some good places in the metropolitan region to live.
I also received some gigs from Chance that were for more advertisements, and I was just hoping soon that my big break would come. But in the meantime, I had something else that I needed to work on…
…Which was getting closer with Nia's father.
---
"Well?" I typed, impatiently tapping my foot as I awaited Nia's answer on the phone.
The little pop-up bubble that indicated that the other person was typing was stuck for a few seconds. "I got the job!"
Wow, already? I thought to myself. "Congrats. How was the interview?"
I waited for Nia to text back before she sent me her message. "So easy. Some neckbeard interviewed me and I feel like I would have gotten the job even if I didn't prepare, lol."
"Well, great job anyway. When do you start?" I typed out before sending.
I waited for Nia to finish typing before she sent me another message. "This coming weekend. I have to do the training and all that, but I'm sure I'll be fine." Then she followed that up with another message. "Perfect time for you to head over to my house and help my dad out with that shed, don't you think?"
I sighed. I was still pretty nervous about that. Doing an activity with someone I barely knew was never my idea of a fun time, but I already promised Nia that I would do this for her. The problem was if Mr. Fotia even wanted me to help.
"I guess," is all I typed out before sending.
Nia and I continued to text each other, about life and just silly stuff. I actually got Nia to start reading some books—she was more of a visual learner, so she read graphic novels and webcomics, but reading was still reading. It was nice to talk about different books to each other.
Meanwhile, Nia had been getting me into video games, and I'd watch playthroughs of games online. Some of the games had really interesting plots, and I always loved a good story.
I was really glad that we were friends. I hoped there would never be anything that could come between us.
---
I spent the rest of the week working at the grocery store and doing research into what apartment I should rent. I found a few cheaper ones in the city, but 'cheaper' was still expensive.
I also continued to work out and continue my diet. I'd make time during my day to do a set of at least fifty squats, and I'd stay hydrated as much as I could.
The weekend finally came, and I would have to go over to Nia's house to help out Mr. Fotia…
I dressed up in a T-shirt and basketball shorts, my usual go-to summer attire. I told my parents that I was going to be helping out Nia's father for a bit, and they seemed very proud of me for that.
I drove down to Nia's house, rolling down the windows to cool down as I drove. I turned the jazz station on high as I cruised down the highway.
I had to put her address on the GPS in my phone, because I wouldn't have known how to get there otherwise. The only thing I really remember from the route to Nia's house was that we passed by a laser tag place that she suggested we could check out sometime with her other friends.
I finally got to her house and parked in the driveway. I was going to ring the doorbell, but I noticed that the gate on the side of their house was open, so I figured that maybe her dad was in the backyard. I walked through the gate and down a small path of gravel before I got to the backyard. I stopped when I saw Mr. Fotia, who was standing by the patio table looking at a blueprint of some sort. He was wearing a sleeveless white undershirt that showed off his muscular build.
I kicked a pebble with my foot that clattered down the path, which made Mr. Fotia look up at me.
I awkwardly waved before stuffing my hands into my pockets. "Hello, sir…"
"You, boy," he said as he put down the sheet and crossed his arms, looking at me. "You're Nia's friend, yeah? She ain't home right now, she's at work."
"I know," I said with a nod. "I'm actually here to help you."
He raised a brow. "Help me?"
"Yeah, um… Nia told me that you were working on building a shed, so I figured that you would probably want someone to lend a hand," I explained.
He looked me down and back up suspiciously before shrugging. "Well, alright." He turned and beckoned me to come over, as I gulped and made my way over to him.
"I already got the support beams installed," he said, pointing to the wooden foundation that he already built. "I gotta do the joists next. If ya wanna help, slide over the boards to me and align them where I marked 'em," he said, pointing at the pencil markings on the wood. "Then I'll screw them in place. We'll do 'em one by one."
I nodded. That sounded easy enough. I went over to one side of the shed's foundation where the boards were close by, while Mr. Fotia was on the other side, picking up his nail gun.
"So I just pick up each board and align it across?" I asked.
"Yes, boy. It ain't rocket science."
I picked up one of the boards before bringing it over. "Um… So I do it like… This?" I aligned it with the markings on the wood, carefully sliding it over to him before he installed it. "Just like that," he said and I nodded.
We continued with the next board, and then the next one as well.
"So… Nia told me that you used to be in the army," I said as we continued our work.
"That's right. Served twelve years as an officer," he said as he nailed down the board with the gun. "Now I do military training here."
"Oh, really?" I took a look over at him again. He really was so nice and muscular, much bigger and stronger than me, who had such a delicate and feminine body. "What was it like, being in the army?"
Mr. Fotia took a moment to reflect for a moment as he exhaled deeply. "Well, there's the good and the bad, that's for sure," he said. "I take pride in knowin' I've done my father proud and honoured him," he said as he placed a hand over his chest. "I just wish I coulda done more. If it weren't for my leg…"
"Your leg?" I asked curiously as I aligned the next board. He went silent for a moment as he nailed the board. "It's a sap story, ya ain't wanna hear it."
"No, I do," I said sincerely. He took a moment to think before he spoke. "When I was deployed to Afghanistan, I was shot in the leg," is all he said. He bit his lip in thought as he remembered it, shaking his head. "But it ain't like I can do anything 'bout it now, huh?"
I nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that," I said sympathetically. "I can't imagine how scary it must have been to get shot."
"Well, I'm one of the lucky ones," he said with a sigh. "Some others weren't even lucky enough to get out alive."
I went silent as I got the next board, aligning it with the marks as I slid it over to Mr. Fotia before he nailed it. "I think gettin' shot hurt much less than knowin' I had to leave Nia with her aunt and uncle for a few years while I was in Afghanistan. I wish I'd been there for her more."
"I'm sure you're doing all you can now," I said. "I know you and Nia must have your disagreements, but you're still her father."
Mr. Fotia took a moment before responding. "I'm trying," he said. "I just wonder sometimes how different things could be if Cynthia was still around."
"Cynthia?" I asked and he gulped, standing up and placing his hands on his hips. "My late wife, and Nia's mother," he said with a soft sigh. "She passed around fourteen years ago."
"I'm so sorry," is all I could say before I got the next board. "What was she like?"
Mr. Fotia nailed that next board. "She was a very lovely woman. We were high school sweethearts," he said with a slightly sad voice. High school sweethearts… Kind of like Daniel and I, I thought to myself sadly.
"She was a very gentle and kind woman. She was patient and bright, and she was the light of my life," he said. "Without her around, it's hard. It ain't easy being a father, but I'm really tryin' for Nia's sake."
"If you're trying your best, I'm sure Cynthia would be proud of both of you," I said with a nod. "Nia is a wonderful girl."
"She is, I just wish she could take her studies seriously," he said with a disappointed sigh.
"You shouldn't be too hard on her," I said, in a way that I didn't want to seem like I was trying to disagree with him. "School can be difficult for a lot of people, like it was for me… But Nia's got a job at that game store at the mall, and I think it's something that's more for her." I nodded. "I'm the same way, too… I took a break from school, and now I'm doing what I found to be my hidden passion."
"And what's that?" He asked. I smiled at him. "Modeling," I said as he seemed a bit surprised.
We continued to build the shed foundation in silence, other than the occasional question of how we were doing or me asking him what to do. Soon, we ended up finishing building the foundation and floor.
"I think that's all we should do for today," Mr. Fotia said with a nod as we admired our work. He wiped sweat from his brow. "Thanks for the help. It went a lot faster with more hands."
"No problem," I said with a nod. Surprisingly, it was actually not as bad as I thought it would be. I didn't mind it, actually. Mr. Fotia actually wasn't as scary as I thought.
"You wanna come inside for a bit? Nia ain't gonna be home 'til later, do you wanna wait for her?" He asked me, gesturing to the house. I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. How am I only noticing now that my hair's been getting longer?
"As long as it won't inconvenience you," I said shyly.
"Nah. Usually on my weekends I spend my time working out or watching the action movie channel," he said. "I ain't got much to do."
"I see… Alright," I said, nodding as Mr. Fotia and I went inside the house.
---
I was sitting on the cream-coloured couch, scrolling through my Posty feed and liking the photos from different clothing brands. Mr. Fotia stayed in the kitchen, keeping an eye on me so I wouldn't misbehave in his house. That was fine, though.
He mostly just sat at the kitchen table and went on his phone while looking up at me from time to time. It could have been awkward, but thankfully the television that had the news on served as background noise.
"You want anything to drink?" Mr. Fotia asked me, and I shook my head. "No, thank you."
I continued to fiddle around on my phone while I waited for Nia. She finally came home, and announced her arrival when she came in through the front door.
"Hey," I called out as I came over to the front door to greet her. "How was it?"
"So easy. This'll be a walk in the fuckin' park," she said with a giggle. "How was it with you and my dad?" She asked in a quieter voice.
I nodded and gave her a small smile. She seemed thrilled, which made me chuckle.
"Let's talk outside," I said to her, just in case her dad was eavesdropping on us or something. She nodded before I opened the door and we stepped out of the house and closed it. We sat down on the porch bench.
"So, you think you're getting any progress?"
"Well, he opened up to me a bit, surprisingly," I said as I twirled a piece of my hair with my finger. "About the army and a bit about your mom."
Nia slowly nodded before looking down, as if she was thinking about something. She shook her head and smiled at me. "I'm glad we're getting some progress in. I'm gonna just keep working hard so I can move out. We'll live together, right? Roommates forever?"
"Roommates forever," I said as we shared a fist bump.
We spent a bit more time talking as we watched the sun set, then I decided that it was time for me to get home. I said goodbye to Nia and told her to say bye to her father for me.
As I drove back home, I couldn't help but think about Mr. Fotia. He wasn't as scary as he first seemed—but he was indeed a very serious man. I wondered about what kind of person he was under that hard layer, though. I wondered what were the kinds of things that he liked. He said he likes action movies, I wonder what kind of music he listens to. I wonder what he was like when he was my age. I wonder if he has any brothers or sisters. I wonder… What it was like for him to be in the war.
All I could do as I drove was wonder about Mr. Fotia. Even though I told myself I was doing all this for Nia's sake, part of me actually wanted to continue to see Mr. Fotia and learn more about the kind of man he was.
---
The next day, I was awakened in the morning by my phone ringing from my nightstand. I saw that it was Chance calling me, and I sat up and picked up. "Hello?"
"Cody. How are you doing? I hope I didn't interrupt your sleep."
I rubbed my eye with a hand. "N-no, I was awake already."
"Good. So, I have some news," he said, immediately making me alert. "Oh?"
"I don't know if you're familiar with Pieri, but they're a unisex fashion company. I was contacted earlier saying they saw your Posty profile and wanted you to be one of their models for the rest of this year."
I widened my eyes. "For real!?" I exclaimed as I got up from my bed. "That's pretty big, right?"
"It is. Pieri is pretty high-end. It's popular amongst teenagers and young adults," he said. "This is kind of major, Cody. I'm real sure my family—I mean, your family, is going to be proud. Though you're not a big shot yet, this is definitely a big step in the right direction."
I nodded and smiled. "Yes! Do you know when I'll be doing shoots, then?"
"You'll be doing shoots for them pretty much all throughout the rest of the year. I already signed the contracts," he said. "Your first shoot session will be in New York city and start the Tuesday after next week and go on until Friday. It's going to be quite busy, so I hope you'll be able to keep up with it."
"I will. I promise," I said surely.
"Oh, and I'll be heading to New York, as well. There are some people I want us to meet," Chance said, which made me curious. "Such as who?"
"Important people. They're definitely the kinds of people that having connections with will be beneficial to our careers," he said. "Anyway, prepare for the trip."
"Alright," I said. "Thanks again."
"No problem. Take care," he said, before I hung up. I wanted to scream to the world how happy I was. I'm really gonna be in a catalog! I thought to myself, running in place in excitement.
I ran out of my room and immediately bursted into my parents' room, where they were both still sleeping. "Ma, Pa, I'm gonna be in a catalog!"
My parents groggily awakened as my mom smiled at me. "That's really great, hon. I'm so proud of you," she said.
"I don't know what that is, but I'm proud of you too, kiddo," my dad said before putting on his glasses.
"Why don't I make us some breakfast to celebrate?" My mom suggested as I smiled and nodded.
---
My mother made me blueberry pancakes, and even though I was still following my diet, I just couldn't resist. The three of us sat together at the table and had breakfast, and my parents expressed how proud they were of me. It felt good that they actually were genuinely proud of me and not comparing me to Nathan. I ended up texting Nathan the news, and he seemed to be really happy for me. Nathan was an elementary school teacher now, and I had to admit that I was proud of him too.
I told my parents about how I'd have to stay in New York city for a few days for the shoot. New York was much further away from us than Los Angeles was, and so they told me that either they would have to accompany me there—much to my distaste—and so we decided I would have Nathan accompany me instead. I didn't mind that at all, as at least Nathan and I could actually do stuff together in New York.
I texted Nia about it and asked her if she wanted to come with us, but she said that unfortunately she wouldn't be able to with her new work schedule. She then asked me if I was going over to her place to help my dad out, and I decided that I might as well.
I dressed down for the day, deciding on a sleeveless shirt and cargo shorts. I put on some suntan lotion—it was a hot day, and working outside would mean I could get a bit of a tan in.
I took my car and headed down to Nia's home, starting to familiarize myself with getting there. Once I finally got to her house, I parked by the curb. I saw Mr. Fotia seemingly arguing with a big-bellied older man from the house next door.
I got out of my car and shut the door. "...And keep your damn mutt from shittin' on my damn lawn!" Mr. Fotia yelled at the man. I gulped. I wasn't even the one being yelled at, yet I still felt myself cower in fear just hearing him angry.
The man rolled his eyes before going back inside his house, and Mr. Fotia sighed before turning around, seeing me. I waved. "Hello, Mr. Fotia."
He took a moment to remember my name. "Cole, was it?"
I chuckled awkwardly as I scratched my head. "It's Cody, actually…"
"Right. You're back to help out again?"
I nodded. "Yeah. Um… What was that all about with your neighbor?"
Mr. Fotia sighed again and gestured towards his neighbor's house with his thumb. "His damn dog is always shittin' on my lawn and he ain't even clean it up. How hard is it to just be a decent person and pick up after your fuckin' pet, huh?"
I widened my eyes and nodded. "Y-yeah, for sure…" Note to self; don't get on Mr. Fotia's bad side.
"Anyways, let's head to the back," he said, as I followed him through the gate and down the pathway to the shed that was being built. It seemed that Mr. Fotia had begun to build the framework for one of the walls.
"What should I do?" I asked, looking at him. He pointed to the wall he was already building. "I've already started this one. Just place planks of these wood the same amount of space away from each other in between these two frames, and I'll nail 'em."
I nodded, going over to the other wood pile he indicated. I placed one of the beams down across the other beams to connect them before Mr. Fotia nailed it down. I continued and got another beam, carefully trying to measure the distance from the first one. I asked Mr. Fotia to help decide where the second beam would go, and he used measuring tape to figure it out before telling me where to put it.
After we nailed down a few more beams, Mr. Fotia stood up. "Something goin' on?" He asked me.
I looked up at him and raised my eyebrows. "Hmm? What do you mean?"
"You've been smilin' a whole lot the whole time we've been working n' acting all giddy," he pointed out before taking a drink from his water bottle. "I was just wonderin' if something happened to ya."
"Oh," I said as I touched my face and smiled softly. "I got a gig to model for a catalog in New York, so I'm really excited about that."
"Oh, I see," he said with a nod. "That's nice."
I nodded before we continued to build the wall, and eventually finished it. We put it to the side to go on with building the next wall the same way.
"So, you do modeling, huh?" Mr. Fotia asked me, and I nodded. "Yes, I'm really passionate about it. I love it."
"Yeah? What about it you like?" He asked. That was a good question, I took a moment to think about it. "Hmm… I love how it makes me feel. I feel confident when I have a camera on me," I said. "I like portraying a role and expressing the emotions of my role through doing different poses. I feel like I'm really a character in those moments when I'm doing shoots. Almost like I'm not my usual, boring self—but when I'm modeling, I'm like a more powerful version of me."
Mr. Fotia seemed to really listen to my answer. "I see," he said with a nod. "Having passion about something is a good thing to have when you're young."
"Is there anything you're passionate about?" I asked him as we continued to work. He seemed to think for a second before answering. "I suppose my passion before when I was younger was being in the army," he said with a sad sigh. "I was aiming to become a high-ranking officer."
"But… Your leg, right?" I quietly asked and he just nodded before nailing in the wooden beam into the frame. "Military training ain't too bad. But it ain't the same, that's for sure."
I brought over another board from the pile. "If I may ask, what made you want to join the army?"
"My father," he answered. "He fought in Vietnam. Growin' up, I always thought he was a hero," he said with a deep exhale. "I grew up watching war movies, wanting to be a hero too. It's really what made me want to be an officer, I wanted to lead men and women to be their own heroes as well by serving this country with pride."
I smiled and nodded. "Well, at least you got to, even if it was just for a little while," I said, as Mr. Fotia scoffed and looked away. "Yeah, well that dream's gone n' past me now. Ain't nothin' more for me to be passionate about, other than my daughter's happiness." He nailed the wood to the frame.
I pursed my lips. "I'm sure there's something else you're passionate about. Maybe you just haven't found it yet, just like me. I wasn't passionate about anything until I found modeling. I mean, I liked reading, but that's more of a hobby…"
Mr. Fotia seemed uninterested in the conversation now, and changed subjects as we continued to work. "You don't go to the gym, boy? You're lookin' 'bout as frail as a sprout."
I furrowed my brows at that expression. "Mmm, I work out a little bit, I just do cardio and squats, and make sure to watch my diet," I said factually. "I'm not exactly interested in lifting or anything, I don't mind having a feminine figure. I think it makes me different and unique."
He raised a brow. "Really, now? I woulda thought a lotta boys your age get into lifting."
"Maybe. But I want to be a glamour model," I said as I made a dramatic pose. "I aim to be an androgynous icon."
Mr. Fotia didn't laugh, but only seemed to shrug. "Well, to each their own, I suppose."
We finished the second wall, and continued to work on the other two walls while we continued to have a bit of smalltalk. We didn't get into anything too personal—mostly just talking about our interests and daily life and stuff like that. It seemed that when Mr. Fotia wasn't working as a military trainer, he liked watching action and war movies or working out in the basement. He also seemed to enjoy handiwork as well, such as fixing and upgrading things in the house or building for the garden in the backyard. After we finished the four walls, Mr. Fotia told me that we should be finished for the day.
"You want a beer?" He asked me, and I declined politely and opted for water instead, as I had to drive home soon. He went inside the house to grab us drinks as I sat on top of the covered hot tub, going on my phone to check my social media. He came back out and handed me a cold glass of water before he sat down in a patio chair and cracked open his can of beer. He was sweating from the heat, and I had to admit, he looked really good…
I shook away any indecent thoughts about him as I smiled and acted innocent. "Thank you for the water," I said before taking a sip to cool myself down as he nodded in response. We took a nice moment to just refresh ourselves as we relaxed in the summer heat.
"You know boy, ya ain't too bad," Mr. Fotia said to me. "I appreciate you comin' all the way down here just to help me out. Your parents must be good people."
I smiled, ignoring the fact that I was pretty much only doing this because I felt like I owed Nia. "My parents are definitely good people… I just don't know if I could ever tell them that I'm…" I cleared my throat and felt myself blush a bit. "Gay."
"Why not? You afraid they won't accept you?" Mr. Fotia asked with a raised brow before sipping his beer.
I shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. They're pretty religious, so I'm worried things would be complicated."
"Boy, you oughta know… Good parents love their kid no matter what," he said as I looked at him. "I'm sure if they're good people, they wouldn't care what your sexuality is. In fact, I think it would make 'em happier knowing you're bein' honest with them." He sipped his beer. "But ya ain't gotta push yourself to tell them if you ain't ready."
I felt a warm sensation in my chest hearing him say that to me. I nodded surely with a smile. "Thank you, sir…" I sipped my water. "Does that mean you'd still love Nia if she was gay?" I already knew that Nia liked girls, which means she was either gay or bisexual, I wasn't sure.
"Of course. I ain't care what my daughter likes, I just want her to be happy," he said before sighing. "Although, sometimes I feel like I'm not doin' a very good job as a father even though I'm trying."
I shook my head. "Just keep doing your best. I don't know exactly what your relationship with Nia is like, but she's lucky she has an understanding father like you." I sipped my water again. "Just… Try and be a bit easier on her. She's a young adult, after all. I'm sure she wants some freedom."
Mr. Fotia took a moment to think, as if there was truth to what I was saying. "I suppose you're right," he said with a sigh. "I'm just scared of losin' her like how I lost Cynthia. I don't want anything bad to happen to her, too."
"You just have to trust her," I said with a nod before Mr. Fotia looked at me and nodded back.
The two of us finished our drinks before I decided that I needed to get home, as I had work at the grocery the next day. "I should get going," I said to Mr. Fotia.
"Thank you for helping me out this weekend," he said as he got up and walked over to me, presenting me his hand. I looked at his strong-looking hand before shaking it, feeling that familiar strong grip from when I had dinner with him and Nia.
I took my hand back. "So, when will you be continuing building? Next weekend?" I asked. He nodded. "Yeah, I'll continue next weekend. You can come by again to help if ya want to, I appreciate the help a lot."
I nodded and smiled. "Then I'll see you next weekend," I said before waving goodbye and heading out of the backyard, through the gate and back to my car. I put on my seatbelt and started my car, looking back at the house with a smile before I drove away.
Driving back home, I couldn't help but think about Mr. Fotia again. There's something about him… He's a nice guy, I thought to myself. I feel a lot more comfortable with him now.
I was beginning to grow fond of Mr. Fotia. I didn't know yet if there were any feelings there—but all I knew is that I thought he was a nice and interesting guy, and incredibly handsome too. All I could think about was how excited I was to see him again next weekend.
It was almost as if I was forgetting that I was just supposed to be doing this for Nia, because I was genuinely enjoying spending time with her father. Thank you, Nia… For getting me to agree to do this odd favour for you.