They drove to the bank in Harlan’s red twenty-year-old Jeep Cherokee. It was so old there were holes in the seats, rust around all the bumpers, and the steering wheel made a strange crunching noise whenever Harlan made a left turn. One of the springs was broken and the left side of the rear end sagged. But Treston didn’t own a car and he didn’t mind driving around in the old car as long as he was with Harlan. He was so much in love with this strong, handsome man, he even held his head higher when they pulled into the bank parking lot.
Before they got out, Harlan said, “I need a little more money.”
Treston tilted his head sideways. “I don’t understand. Those guys gave you almost a thousand dollars and you said you only needed me to make up the rest of what they owed you. You said you were going to pay off the credit card with the money.”
“I have to pay a few dudes off first,” Harlan said. “After that, I’ll be completely free and I’ll owe no one. I only need about three thousand to get out of this jam.”
“Three thousand dollars?” Treston said. He felt a pull in his stomach. “I only have about two thousand in the bank. If I withdraw that much I’ll only have three hundred bucks left.” He’d been saving that money for a long time. He’d skipped meals and worked extra hours just to sock this money away. He knew it wasn’t much, not for most people. But to him it was a small fortune and a little peace of mind in case there was an emergency.
Harlan sulked and punched the steering wheel. “I knew you’d react this way. You only care about yourself. That’s okay. If you don’t want me to have the money, I’ll live. We can just postpone getting rings and getting married for the next six months.”
Treston took a quick breath. “Calm down now. Don’t get upset, sweetie.” When he saw the expression of defeat all over Harlan’s face he felt a tug in his heart. He reached over and caressed his handsome rugged face. “I’ll give you the money. We’ll figure out a way to pay off the credit card. I’ll just work more hours.” He didn’t want to wait six months to get married, even if gay marriage wasn’t legal.
So they unfolded from the old Jeep and went into the bank. While Treston withdrew almost all of his savings, Harlan waited in the background between two brown velvet ropes near the exit. Treston asked the bank teller to give him the money in one-hundred-dollar bills so he could slip it into his pocket without looking too obvious. He hated carrying so much cash around and he felt uncomfortable all the way back to the car.
When they were inside, Harlan started the engine and said, “Now I’m taking you somewhere very special. I’ve been planning this wonderful surprise for a couple of days.” He didn’t ask Treston to hand over the money right away.
Treston sat up and forgot all about the large sum of money in his back pocket. “Can’t you give me a hint?” Oh, how he loved surprises. He didn’t really want a hint.
“It’s someplace you said you always wanted to go,” Harlan said. “And that’s all I’m going to tell you for now. You’ll see soon enough.” Then he backed the car out of the parking space and headed toward the exit.
It didn’t take Treston long to figure out where they were going. He knew the roads; he’d traveled them all his life. “You’re taking me to Hoover Dam, aren’t you? I can’t believe it. I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never actually been to Hoover Dam or Lake Mead. I guess it’s like people who live in New York and never actually go to the Statue of Liberty. Or people who live in Washington, D.C., and never actually go to the Washington Monument. I once met a guy from Philadelphia who said he’d been born and raised there and he’d never seen the Liberty Bell. I guess when you live in a place you take all these things for granted. I’ve always wanted to see Hoover Dam, but I always kept putting it off. I feel like that guy from Philadelphia who never—”
Harlan cut him off. “You’re talking too much again, bitch. It’s giving me a fucking headache.” He spoke with a softer tone, as if he were trying to control his voice.
“I’m sorry,” Treston said. “I’m just so excited about going to Hoover Dam for the first time, I can’t help myself.” They were almost halfway there. It wasn’t more than a forty-minute drive and they were the only car on the road.
Harlan laughed and reached across the front seat. He grabbed the back of Treston’s head, pulled him sideways, and pushed Treston’s face between his legs. “Here, suck my dick for a while. That should shut you up.”
For the rest of the short trip, Treston remained sprawled across the front seat with his head between Harlan’s legs. At the exact moment they pulled into Hoover Dam, Harlan came with such a violent jerk, the old car swerved to the right and almost ran down an older couple walking toward a big silver Buick. Harlan honked the horn at them as if it had been their fault. Treston continued to suck until the car stopped.
Harlan grabbed the back of Treston’s head and pulled him away from his dick. When Treston sat up and wiped his lips, Harlan laughed and said, “I should have thought of this weeks ago to shut you up.”
Treston glanced into the mirror at his swollen lips. He was so happy to be there with the man he loved, he couldn’t stop smiling. “Stop that. You’re so bad. You know how much I love doing that to you.” But he hated having swollen lips. It always made him self-conscious, as if everyone who looked at him would know he’d been sucking a dick. Whenever he saw someone with swollen lips that’s what he always thought.
Although Treston didn’t want to complain, his surprise excursion to Hoover Dam did not turn out the way he’d expected it would. They went into the visitor center where Harlan glanced around and shrugged his shoulders. It wasn’t a busy day and Treston could have counted the people on one hand. He thought it would be the perfect time to see everything, and he wanted to go on tours. But when Treston suggested it to Harlan, he only frowned and said, “Let’s go see Lake Mead. Let’s find a nice private place and I’ll fuck you in the great wide open outdoors.”
“I kind of wanted to go on the Power Plant tour and the Hoover Dam tour,” Treston said.
“That shit’s fucking boring,” Harlan said. He set his palm on the small of Treston’s back and led him toward the exit. “Let’s go somewhere and fuck on a rock.”