The sexy Artie Eaton whose legal name is R 2 D-Two (courtesy of his Star Wars obsessed parents) did not have a traditional childhood. Left mainly to his own devices, he never knew love until he met Randy. The two men, each with a complicated past, give each other what is missing in their lives as they build a dream life together. When the dark sides of their lives collide, trouble begins. Secrets from their pasts, coupled with harsh and hurtful words, tear them apart. Moving on, each man tries to find happiness but deep down they both feel unworthy of true happiness. Randy, who had been lovingly nicknamed “Panda”, seems to have found happiness without Artie, but has he? Is Artie, the man who gave Randy the endearing nickname, happy without him or does he have no other choice but to live with a Panda heart but without his Panda?
Stepping out from around the end of the bank of lockers, I swear time began moving in slow motion, every head swiveled to stare, and it was all I could do to suppress a big gay gasp. Six foot-wow of tan, bumped with muscle on top, runner lean legs on bottom blond, the guy looked like a Michelangelo sculpture come to life. That hair! Dear sweet Jupiter! Surfer boy shaggy and streaked in browns and blonds as if each strand had been hand colored. The thick hair grew out so naturally it looked like a scissor had never been near it. I'm not a shy guy by any means and easy enough on the eye, but when this vision glanced my way I twisted my head. It almost hurt to look at him, kind of like staring into the sun. I gave my laces a final tug and stood just in time to look up and see him looking back at me AND SMILING!
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Randy was fun and easy to talk to, had a dry sense of humor and was much better being together one on one than in a group. Or perhaps he was okay with groups as long as Corey was not part of them, which I did kinda understand. The kid could blister wallpaper off with his scathing remarks and his tongue could have been registered as a lethal weapon after a few drinks.
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I am told of Randy sightings through friends although I have made it clear I do not want to know who he is with or what he is up to. He is seen at the gym, at a play, on the street. While I want not to hear about him, I would still accept a call (or a note or flowers or a rock through my window-anything to show me that he KNOWS I AM STILL ALIVE!).
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We ended up at the BIG club, yes, THAT one. The one whose alley smells like a public urinal trough and has been around longer than dirt, where the boy's room has a name and the women's room might as well be the men's room for all of the urinating done standing in its stalls over the years. It's an old barn; Cain and Able were their first Go-Go dancers. Despite the fact that we are dancing and drinking in a big Gay ruin, we are having that Gay old time we are known for when I spot the Panda.
The Panda does not dance or go out. The Panda would rather have his ears dipped in chocolate than be caught in this place. SomeONE has caused Randy to become Panda the Brave! Panda the Tolerant. Panda the weeknight goer outer, which he usually is NOT. So the someONE who has caused him to leave the Panda Condo is NOT me. The Panda is with someONE else.
