Well, I’m not as far as I’d hoped to be with NaNo. But I’m very close to the end of writing this novel, which is better. Then onward and upward! I have a few short works in progress along with the edits on two novels. Plus I need to fit in two out-of-town trips and another pair of concerts in the next 3 weeks. Christmas is going to feel like a relief after all that!
On to my WIPpet. When we last saw AJ, he was discussing health center educational materials. Done with his work, he’s gone to have lunch with his best friend, Luke. This snippet has less of the playfulness of the last one. What AJ says about calling someone to help Luke not doing much good is true—domestic violence between a same-sex couple is often not taken seriously, and there’s a reluctance to call or admit there’s a problem in the first place for a number of reasons.
WIPmath: Nothing fancy. 18 sentences for the 18th.
Once Carrie was back and taking care of the people in and out of the health center, AJ ducked out. In his car, he debated whether or not to text Luke and decided against it. Luke sometimes forgot to delete messages, and AJ wasn’t up for another confrontation with Luke’s volatile boyfriend when he saw a message from another man. AJ sighed. Without having witnessed Greg’s vicious side directly—other than the time he called to scream into the phone at AJ—there was little he could do. Luke had to make that call himself, and thus far, he’d never done it.
At least Luke had work, a local place called Taco King. It was run by a family, and they were good to Luke. He deserved it, after all he’d been through. AJ knew Luke hid a lot from them, too. If they’d known even half of what AJ did—or had ever seen it—they’d have called someone, not that it would have done any good. AJ pulled up out front and got out of his car, scanning the lot to make sure Greg’s compact wasn’t parked anywhere in the lot. Seeing nothing, he entered the tiny counter-service restaurant.
Luke was finishing up with a customer. AJ studied him from the doorway, while Luke wasn’t paying attention to him, and was relieved to see nothing immediately worrisome. His surfer-blond hair had been trimmed short and spiked, and he had faux-diamond studs in both ears. AJ wondered if the new look was Greg’s doing. Luke looked tired, and he was still too thin, but his face wasn’t a mess like it had been last time. Satisfied, AJ approached the counter as soon as the previous customer was gone.
Like what you read? Be sure to check out the other entries and add your own. Just post a bit of your WIP, connect it to the date, and link up with us. Many thanks to Emily Witt for giving us this space. Happy reading and writing!
I understand completely! It is hard to break up anything like that, especially if you’re the one looking in. Poor AJ, he really cares for Luke. And Luke seems to be going through seems things himself. I hope all goes well for the both of them.
Another victor for nano. Congrats! A finish is a finish in my book. Kudos to you 🙂
Yeah, exactly. AJ can’t do it for him; the best he can do is be a friend.
My goal was 30k. I’m about 10k away from that (not that I’ve updated my word count, LOL…I keep forgetting!)
Dang! Now I want to scoop Luke up, tell him that he deserves peace and happiness as well as love and lust (and that there are different kinds of love, too, and the best ones don’t get your face rearranged).
It’s sad that same-sex domestic violence is treated differently than any other type. Does it have to do with morality, something else, or a blend? I didn’t know this, and now I want to know more. I’m imagining that it would only complicate whatever innate resistance there is to speaking out to suspect that, if you did, you wouldn’t even be taken seriously.
I hope Luke’s going to be OK. Being the mom of someone with surfer-blonde curls, I’m feeling all maternal towards him!
Luke will be okay. He has someone looking out for him (other than AJ). 🙂
There are a number of reasons intimate partner violence isn’t taken seriously with same-sex couples. Some of it is outright homophobia. But there’s also a disbelief that a man could be a victim or a woman an abuser. There’s definitely an attitude of “why didn’t you stand up for yourself” among men. There’s a common belief that it’s not really violence, just a “lover’s quarrel” when it’s a same-sex couple. Many people don’t want to report it, either. One reason for that is there’s already stigma attached to being in a same-sex relationship and there’s a fear it will further alienate the community. In other situations, the victim may not even be out to friends/family. It’s all-around very difficult.
Poor Luke! And poor AJ! He’s in a tough situation.
Kudos to anyone even attempting NaNo. It’s great that you’re making progress.
Some days, it doesn’t feel much like progress. LOL! But yeah, slow and steady.
Luke will be okay. AJ is a classic “rescuer” who feels responsible for everyone. He has to learn he’s not.
awww I love AJ now. He’s good for Adama =P and it’s not just for the names sake haha
Aw, thanks! I love him too. I created him years ago and then never did anything with the story. Then last year, I dusted him off and gave him a YA story. Now I’ve grown him up and sent Adam his way.
(And Adam is actually good for him, too…they just need to figure that out!)
>.< Poor Luke. I hope he can work up enough of whatever it is he needs to work up to get out of tht relationship.
There’s more to this scene. 🙂 I’ll post the rest next week.