Deadly wrong, p.25
Deadly Wrong,
p.25
Or, maybe he should just be grateful for what he had. Maybe it was enough just to lie like this in Tom’s arms—warm and safe and comfortable, for this one night, this one moment, at least.
And, for the moment, he did indeed feel complete.
The window was just turning opalescent with the approach of dawn, the tops of the trees swimming up out of the gray.
Stanley’s slowing thoughts drifted back to the leaves Tom had plucked from his hair earlier, by the lake. They were in his bag, carefully folded up in plastic wrap. When he got back to San Francisco, he’d have them embedded in Lucite. Use it, maybe, for a paperweight. Or just keep it as a souvenir of Bear Mountain.
A sprig of bay leaves. He hadn’t even known it grew here.
By all rights, it shouldn’t. What he had seen elsewhere while he had been here was the Mountain Laurel, a different plant altogether, nothing in common except the name.
His leaves were from a Bay Laurel. A Mediterranean tree.
Roman, or Greek. And Chinese, too. The Chinese called it
“Moon Laurel.”
240 Victor Banis
But to the Greeks, it was Bay Laurel.
The sacred herb of Selene, the Moon Goddess.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lecturer, former writing instructor and early rabble-rouser for gay rights and freedom of the press, VICTOR J. BANIS is the critically acclaimed author (“…a master storyteller” Publishers Weekly) of more than 150 published novels and nonfiction works, and his verse and short pieces have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. His novel Longhorns (Carroll and Graf) was picked as best gay romance of the 2007 on AfterElton.com. His latest novel, Lola Dances, was published by MLR Press in March, 2008. Next up, Deadly Nightshade, MLR
Press, summer 2008. Visit Victor at his website http://www.vjbanis.com.
THE TREVOR PROJECT
The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-theclock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves lives though its free and confidential helpline, its website and its educational services. If you or a friend are feeling lost or alone call The Trevor Helpline. If you or a friend are feeling lost, alone, confused or in crisis, please call The Trevor Helpline. You’ll be able to speak confidentially with a trained counselor 24/7.
The Trevor Helpline: 866-488-7386
On the Web: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
THE GAY MEN’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROJECT
Founded in 1994, The Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project is a grassroots, non-profit organization founded by a gay male survivor of domestic violence and developed through the strength, contributions and participation of the community. The Gay Men’s Domestic Violence Project supports victims and survivors through education, advocacy and direct services.
Understanding that the serious public health issue of domestic violence is not gender specific, we serve men in relationships with men, regardless of how they identify, and stand ready to assist them in navigating through abusive relationships.
GMDVP Helpline: 800.832.1901
On the Web: http://gmdvp.org/
THE GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST
DEFAMATION/GLAAD EN ESPAÑOL
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
On the Web:
http://www.glaad.org/
GLAAD en español:
http://www.glaad.org/espanol/bienvenido.php If you’re a GLBT and questioning student heading off to university, should know that there are resources on campus for you. Here’s just a sample:
US Local GLBT college campus organizations http://dv-8.com/resources/us/local/campus.html GLBT Scholarship Resources
http://tinyurl.com/6fx9v6
Syracuse University
http://lgbt.syr.edu/
Texas
A&M
http://glbt.tamu.edu/
Tulane University
http://www.oma.tulane.edu/LGBT/Default.htm University of Alaska
http://www.uaf.edu/agla/
University of California, Davis
http://lgbtrc.ucdavis.edu/
University of California, San Francisco http://lgbt.ucsf.edu/
University of Colorado
http://www.colorado.edu/glbtrc/
University of Florida
http://www.dso.ufl.edu/multicultural/lgbt/
University of Hawaiÿi, Mānoa
http://manoa.hawaii.edu/lgbt/
University of Utah
http://www.sa.utah.edu/lgbt/
University of Virginia
http://www.virginia.edu/deanofstudents/lgbt/
Vanderbilt University
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lgbtqi/
Victor J. Banis, Deadly Wrong
