"I still think this sounds depressing."
Claire grimaced. "There's a spot," she said, watching the reverse lights of a car come on as it started to back out. Tom stopped the car waiting for the space to vacate. "We'll just pay our respects to Calvin and catch up with some of our friends."
Calvin Custis was dying.
Calvin transferred to Claire and Tom's high school senior year, one of just a few black people in their school. He was well-liked but had trouble getting dates largely because none of the senior girls wanted to break the racial barrier and partly because at 5'4", he was shorter than most of his female classmates. Despite, his short stature, Calvin was a weightlifter and an amazing athlete at everything even basketball. Tom and Calvin were rivals on the field, friendly, but not close. Tom was the team quarterback, but Calvin ended up beating him out for Captain of the baseball team. Calvin had also asked Claire out multiple times despite the fact she was dating Tom and she towered over the short black man by a good half foot. Calvin had been more persistent when she and Tom officially broke up after graduation when Tom left for college, but Claire had politely declined, went on a couple of dates with several classmates for a month before she and Tom got back together when he called her crying about what a mistake he'd made breaking up with her. They married three years later when he graduated from college.
High school had been fourteen years ago. They'd stayed local, close to family. Tom got a job in real estate; Claire opened an arts and crafts store that she'd recently had to close. Calvin managed a bar and restaurant on Main street for the last ten years. They bumped into him once in a while or had dinner at his restaurant around once a year, always exchanging polite greetings and catching up. Calvin never married, was engaged once, but it fell through. He continued working out until he was as big as Dwayne Johnson compressed down into Kevin Hart's size. Nobody teased him about his height when they saw his biceps.
They'd heard rumors Calvin was sick. The big C. Ironic, as Calvin was called the Big C by his friends. Tom and Claire had seen him just nine months earlier and he looked fine, so they were shocked to hear Calvin was so sick. Calvin was officially retiring at thirty-two and his coworkers had decided to throw him a retirement party, but it was in reality a celebration of his life. Tom found it morbid, but Claire thought it was a great idea.
They walked the block down Main street to The Home Plate: Grill & Sport's Bar. They were early. Calvin was seated in an armchair, receiving well-wishers like a king receiving supplicants. "He looks good," whispered Tom to his wife.
"Looks the same except for the hair," Claire whispered back. Nine months ago, he'd had a healthy flattop and sideburns now he was bald.
A spot opened up and Tom approached the chair. "Hey Calvin," he said, his eyes flickering down. From the waist up, Calvin was still a broad-shouldered muscleman, but his legs were no longer muscular, they looked weak and scrawny. His hand was resting on a cane.
"Tommy Thompson!" said Calvin, smiling and greeting him with a strong handshake. "And Claire Casey."
Claire forced down a gasp when she saw the condition his legs were in. She took her eyes off his legs and caught Calvin's eyes on her breasts. Tom didn't blame him. Claire had dressed to show off for her fellow cheerleaders. She was wearing a blue twist tie, cropped tee from Victoria's Secret that showed off her flat tummy and an impressive amount of cleavage. Her breasts had been large in high school and many a guy called Claire Casey, Double C. Her old nickname no longer held true, however, as the only visible places Claire had gained weight was in her breasts and they were now a full DD. White short shorts with a black belt and sandals completed her outfit. "Hey Calvin," said Claire, leaning down and showing him even more cleavage as she kissed him on the cheek. She didn't mind the attention; the chestnut-haired beauty was used to it. She had bright green eyes, full lips, and high cheekbones. She'd been the most popular girl in school and nearly every boy had dreamed of getting her in bed. She was the hottest woman in the bar at that moment, probably the town, the county, and maybe even the state.
"You look great as always Claire," said Calvin, openly sweeping his eyes down her body. "Tom, thanks for dressing up."
"Yep," said Tom, in a worn tee shirt and jeans. He wore a suit and tie every day selling houses and refused to dress up when he was off work. He wasn't aging as well as Claire, his tee shirt hugged a growing belly and his sandy brown hair was receding with a small growing bald spot on his head.
"You look good," said Claire, though her eyes were sad.
"Liar," said Calvin, laughing. He was in good spirits.
"No, I mean it," she said. "You look good bald. It makes you look..."
"Virile," he said with a smile, making Tom snort. "Like a large black penis." This made Tom snort again and Claire laughed. "Speaking of penises, how come Tom hasn't knocked you up yet?"
Claire blushed. "Well, we are officially trying." She held crossed fingers up.
"We put starting a family on hold to get our careers going and travel some, but now that Claire's shut down her boutique..."
"And Tom's making good money," she added. "We're finally ready."
"Well, if it's a boy, name him Calvin," said Calvin.
"Uh... we'll think about it," said Claire, glancing at her husband. There was no way she was going to name her boy after Calvin. Of course, Calvin was pulling their legs, but when a dying man made a request of you, you got uncomfortable.
"How are the legs?" asked Tom.
"Weak," said Calvin, his smile dropping. "And growing weaker. The pain is constant, but you know..." He shrugged. "It is what it is." Calvin sat back.
They exchanged small talk for a few moments. Calvin invested in some land when younger and just sold it for a small fortune. Tom was a little peeved that Calvin hadn't gone through him to broker the sale. There was a line forming up behind them to greet Calvin, so the Thompsons moved on. "You should try the bald look," said Claire to her husband. "It does make him look virile."
"At some point, I'll give up and shave it all off," said Tom, "But until then, I'm fighting it all the way." He waved at some old classmates.
"CLAIRE!"
"TOM!"
The Thompsons greeted some of their high school friends. There were handshakes, hugs, beers brought, and shots thrown back. Despite the nature of the gathering, the next two hours were a lot of fun and felt more like an impromptu high school reunion than a celebration of life.
"Oh, it looks like Calvin's leaving," said Claire to her husband. Someone was helping Calvin to his feet. His legs looked shaky and he was wincing, sweat beading on his bald head.
"Let's go say bye," said Tom, pushing himself up off the table. "This is..."
"Yeah," said Claire, frowning. This was probably the last time either of them would see Calvin until his funeral.
