Benxamin moved closer to Marcel; the silent night made clear a particular detail that the young Witsel could perceive in the twin's question. He knew that these kinds of words together had a purpose and an answer called Ernest - the cause of many of Victor's decisions. He understood what Benxa's intention was, but he feigned confusion.
“So, you made me come here to see Vic and his boyfriend for a favor?” Marcel inquired.
“Honestly at first yes. I need your help. Do you know how I can contact Daniel? Do you have any idea what your uncle did to him?” Benxa suggested.
“Are you trying to tell me that he hurt the boy, Ben? Ernest is a good father; Dani has not lacked for anything. What's more, sometimes he reminds me of Victor when we were younger. He hasn't jumped off a bridge, but he has fought with other guys his age.”
“Dani? You're sweet. I don't want to say Ernest physically abused him. But your point is important: Does Daniel look like Victor? Witsel is hurting the kid by not telling the truth about his parentage.”
Marcel hesitated with his answer; “I know t-there is something strange in all this. The boy doesn't look like Ernest. My uncle is a tall, thin man with a raisin face.”
“Haha... sorry. You're funny but offensive,” said the twin trying not to laugh at what Marcel was saying about Ernest.
“And you're a weirdo,” Marcel affirmed with a frown. “Take this seriously. My uncle has never told my parents or me who Daniel's mom is. You're a f*cking nerd and I think I understand you.”
“His mother, that woman is closer than you think. You lack common sense in this, dear. When I had the accident you thought I was Victor. Didn't you realize that although we are identical twins, we have certain details that differentiate us? Freckles are the key, our haircut, our way of speaking, of gesturing. People like you only see the obvious.”
If this argument had happened in the past, Marcel would have hit him for treating him like a fool. Benxamin for his part was acting. Sometimes he was humiliating, he pretended to be an idiot to provoke people with only one reason: to make them be honest.
“I'm not a smart guy like you. That doesn't matter, *sshole. Ernest once said that the boy's mother died and it is noticeable that Daniel behaves more like Victor.”
“So, do I have to repeat my initial question? Is there any way for you to understand what I want? I guess with this, you know who the mother is.” Benxa questioned wryly.
“I know, PIECE OF…! The Tamara thing is obvious,” Marcel sighed as loudly as he could to talk about something revealing. “You see, I've only been working in a school for a short time and it really took a lot for me to get this job, I don't know if my appearance has anything to do with it. What I want with this, so that you understand what I mean, is that... Ernest enrolled Dani in the same school where I work. He thought that since I was once a bully, I would motivate him to stop being one. At the same time, his father forced him to join the baseball team and I am also the coach. But, if I'm honest, Daniel hates that club.”
“Marcel, you are giving me too much information, let me organize my thoughts so I can understand you."
“I know it seems confusing but really... I just want this all to be resolved.” said the redhead. “And Victor has to know this.”
“I know, Marcel and not only that, my brother should have custody of his son. Daniel has been kidnapped. I know that if we talk to him without the permission of his legal guardian, it would be a crime and you know what would happen to us. But I am capable if necessary.”
“Prepare to go to jail, Mr. Investigator.”
“My brother is the biological father. We can confirm it with a DNA test. It would be unfair if Daniel didn't know, the sooner the better. Victor will do it and I will go above and beyond.”
Marcel felt that Benxamin had the authority to rule him as if he were his puppet. He wanted to return the favor to Victor and if that was the way to do it, he didn't hesitate to agree to help him.
“The boy told me on several occasions that when he was younger he would visit a friend of his father's in prison. Dani said that... he wasn't sure why he should go there, but that he liked to play with him, I guess he means Victor,” manifested the redhead crossing his arms.
“Yes, Stella noticed that and was never able to get close to my nephew. She hired a lawyer to sue Ernest, but you know how justice works. In that prison, the guards didn't allow two or more people to visit an inmate at the same time.”
“Daniel stopped seeing that friend 6 years ago. I remember that once he asked his father if he knew where Vic was, Ernest told him that he lived far away but he didn't give any further explanations. I don't know why he's been lying to him about something so important. Shit. I don't see the logic in that.”
“Lying frees you from a lot of responsibilities, right? However, the father-son connection doesn't go away that easily,” Benxamin expressed, touching his temple.
“Dani started using social media a short time ago; I think he wants to find his friend on his own. I'm a little worried about my cousin but,... well, at least I know that Tamara is taking care of him. She doesn't work, actually she doesn't do anything. Tamara is like her father.”
“As well as cowardly?”
“Yup! I hope Daniel isn't like these idiots. I honestly don't have much of a clue how this social media thing works. I just created a damn account and I'm having a really hard time figuring this out.”
“Me neither, I'm old for that,” Benxa affirmed between laughs. “But Victor is worse, he doesn't even have a cellphone. Although Lester is teaching him how to use it. The two seem so different with the use of technology. Before it was Victor who taught him math and now it is Lester who teaches him how to use a phone.”
Marcel took the matter seriously. His bus had moved away from him, but he was going to take the lead to finish his talk. “On Friday, go to school with Victor on Friday, Benxa. Dani has baseball practice.”
“Legally, I'll get in trouble. But if Ernest finds out somehow, I'll tell him along with my lawyer that it was a coincidence,” Benxa said with a wink. “I'm not following the rules at all, I'll let Victor know and,... one more thing: call me, okay?”
Marcel was petrified at his suggestion, “I hope this is not a joke.”
“I can be whatever you want, but never a liar,” the twin replied seriously.
Once the conversation was over, they shook hands like imperfect rivals and went their separate ways. The plan was going to be carried out, precisely a few days after Victor's ambitious theater project, but to which Benxa didn't attend, giving the couple intimacy was his priority.
***
Why was Derek Zebrian accused of killing a gang member? Why was there no justice for him? Was he a real victim?
The murderer was the son of one of Witsel's associates. Ernest was the protagonist of a series of unsolved crimes, and always got away with any accusation against him. But being a father was his "weakness". He compared himself to other parents who had to raise their children alone - it was a ruthless similarity -, he couldn't realize that his criminal position was his main excuse.
Witsel didn't agree with the behavior of those around him in terms of mistreating someone for no reason. The young assassin mistakenly believed that he was doing justice on Ernest's behalf. He died by order of his boss and unfortunately Derek was there. A shot rang out; a gun fell nearby. Derek touched it; he wanted to do the same but stopped; his fingerprints were the excuse; clumsiness and revenge on his part. The man appealed and pleaded in vain for his release. Witsel was a perpetrator, but also a judge, jury, and executioner.
***
In the medium security prison where Derek was being held, a play directed by Victor was going to be performed in the company of Lorna with the members of the Outcast Club, Lester was able to go with him. With special permission, Victor's boyfriend was allowed to visit the jail, but upon entering there and through young Dautt himself, the warden somehow agreed to let Lester be part of the staff accompanying Lorna. For the professor, he was one of the many worlds he wrote about as a child.
Victor was willing to let his partner learn from these new experiences, and Lester, for his part, was committed to enjoying them. With each action of his Victor - heroic for him -, he couldn't help but smile like an idiot in love as his mother once told him.
What does it feel like to be in love? The question Lester once asked himself now had an answer, in the mind of a thirty year old man. Having had relationships with other people before Victor made him understand that he was never satisfied with what he wanted. Thinking of that person all the damn time like he had nothing useful to do, not acting genuine to make everything seem perfect was just plain stupid. Lester felt with Victor that he could find the complement he needed and that he could experience new things without feeling self-conscious.
Although without implying that this is not a fairy tale, Victor wasn't a charming man, much less a detailer of those unconvincing romantic stories. Lester - addicted to cleaning -, hated when his boyfriend touched something without his permission or didn't pick up his pants after throwing them on the floor and leaving them there for hours. He went into a state of uncontrollable rage, when his bed partner ate certain foods and made strange noises. He wanted to kill him sometimes when the twin forgot to call him after work to at least ask if everything was okay.
The professor wasn't a love either; Victor had to put up with his boyfriend being so meticulous in the most insignificant details. He got bored with his 15-minute tantrums a day complaining about his co-workers and hated when his partner bought expensive and useless things with his credit card. But without a doubt, what bothered him the most was that Lester always took over the bed they shared, making him fall to the floor several times.
The defects and unpleasant things of the other were the consequences of being in love. Lester posed as someone experienced in love only because of his wishes, with Victor he was completely unaware of maintaining a stable and lasting relationship. Learning with that man was a headache, but with this he reaffirmed his will to continue with the twin no matter how hard it was for him to maintain that closeness. Sex wasn't the only essential in his coexistence; it had to be a complement and the professor assimilated it with perseverance, focusing on his job and his other activities with his boyfriend.
***
The play in question was a monologue about the story of a soldier who fled the war and took refuge in an abandoned house. The Coward Dante, that was its name and Derek was going to be the lead. The actor - sitting on an old sofa -, had to pronounce his lines in a state of exhaustion. In order to have a much more natural interpretation, he previously circled the patio of one of the pavilions 10 times.
Victor had another intention besides his prison job; Lester wasn't going to be there just to see his boyfriend finally succeed at something. Lorna had a television camera that she had finally rented - after getting permission from the prison warden -, to make a documentary about her social work.
The twin requested, with the help of the actress and the cameraman in charge, that his Lester be allowed to learn how to use a camera and also witness the filming of the monologue. The professor was sitting like an adorable child in his wooden chair away from people, watching Derek read his lines over and over again. Grateful to that man for having protected Victor. In that, his boyfriend approached him and took him by surprise.
“What? Are you going to sit here doing nothing?” Victor took his hand.
“Where are you taking me?” Lester asked confused.
“You like this movie thing and you have to work as Lorna's assistant.”
“No, no,... stop! What are you talking about?!”
“You will be next to the cameraman and you will see how all this works. You don't know how much it cost me for you to come here. Good luck.”
“VICTOR! Don't do this to me. It's ridiculous.”
A flushed Lester walked slowly towards the cameraman. Lorna noted the man's shyness and spoke to him in a friendly manner,
“Victor has told us a lot about you. Hmm... you wanted to be a film director, right?” she said.
“I'm sorry that he involved you in this, I don't mean to upset you. It was just a silly dream I had when I was young,” he expressed with a deeper blush.
“On the contrary, he was very interested in having you join us and well, welcome to the club!”
The day Lester cried in front of the twins in the morgue, he promised himself that he wasn't going to share his weaknesses with anyone but his partner. However, a slight smile was enough to thank the man he was going to scold later that day.
“My name is Dante.
The coward who prefers to live.
He who prefers to dispense with his principles rather than submit to war,… ”
Derek said each of his lines as if the man was actually experiencing the horrors of the scene. Lorna taught Lester how the camera works, the lights, the choreography. The project, after several hours of hard work, was successfully completed. She was going to be in charge of producing her short documentary to be broadcast on national television, but she needed someone else - with the complicity of Victor.
“Lester, I know you're an engineer and we need someone like you to work with us. You won't be a director or anything, and you won't have the best pay, I must warn you. But, would you like to be one of our production assistants? Victor told me that you work on weekends, I'd like to know if you could help us in the afternoons. He is an excellent theater actor. He learned a lot and he wants you to join us too. I've known him since he was here and I trust him. You seem to be someone very important to Victor, he told me that you are his partner.”
The professor's eyes widened. “Are... you serious? But,... ”
“Well, I don't talk much about my personal life. I have been working with my girlfriend for several years and we are not the best team but we tried and I think the same thing happens to you two. So, what do you say? Do you accept?”
Lester looked at Victor - he was talking to Derek, congratulating him on his performance.
He felt like a young adventurer, the one who wanted to make a living from movies and write stories. Victor had given him a rare opportunity. He wasn't going to be that gentleman that the professor had in mind - no one could be. Giving him back his teenage dream made Lester love him a million times more. Instead of scolding him as he had planned, he thought of inviting him to dinner and letting himself be carried away for the rest of the night with him.
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