Brash Blackberry #8

I had never seen a personal ad like it before. A ‘men seeking men’ ad in our paper:

SWM seeks SWM, 25-50
I’m 36, 5'10", 180lbs, brown hair/blue eyes, Leo, outgoing, down-to-earth, loves tennis, jogging, horseback riding.

I usually don't read the personals, but I had been single for a year and was beginning to feel desperate. I’m not into men, but the ad struck a chord with me. Why was this gay man living in our city? Does he have any friends?

I had an idea: I’ll write a story about this guy for my lifestyles section. I was an editor at the Scottsboro Herald in Scottsboro, Alabama and even if the guy wasn’t interesting enough for a story, this would still be an opportunity to meet the brave soul who dared to shake up our dull personals section.

I got his information from Sandy in classifieds and dialed his number. His name was Brian and he recently moved here from St. Louis to run his family’s business. Brian’s parents had just passed away in a car accident, so he finally came home after being away for 14 years. He was fine with being interviewed. We planned to meet at his house that evening.

***

I showed up a few minutes before 8. As I approached the door to his place, I noticed it was open slightly. The door knob was broken and much of the wood was splintered. Apparently, I hadn’t been the only one to see the ad.

Brian laid on the living room floor with his eyes closed. Most of his face was bruised badly and his clothes were torn. He could hardly speak. I helped him out of the house and into my ’94 Accord.

As we drove to the hospital, he told me how two men wearing ski masks broke into the house and beat him senseless, telling him to leave town. They didn’t want any “fags” there to pollute the minds of their children. They were family men.

After Brian had been checked out by a doctor, it was determined he had two broken fingers and a concussion. The staff fixed him the best they could. I gave Brian a ride to his place and after thanking me for treating him like a human being, I told him I’d call tomorrow to check on him.

I called in the morning just after I got up at 7:30. No answer. I decided to drive by his house on my way to work to see how he was holding up. As I pulled up to the residence, I knew something wasn’t right.

I walked in, pushing the broken door aside. Almost everything that had been there the day before was gone. Brian hadn’t moved all of his things down from St. Louis yet, but I couldn’t help but think it was all going to stay there.

***

I tried everything I could to contact Brian, but I couldn’t. Phone numbers got me nowhere. He sold the house through some independent realtor who fixed up houses and signed a confidentiality agreement with them so he couldn’t be tracked. To this day, I’m only left guessing what happened to him.

Everyday I read the personals, looking for anyone that might stick out of the crowd. If I ever see another ad like Brian’s, that man is getting a call from me. I’ll tell him a story about the ignorance and hate that permeates within too many people in this city.

At the newspaper, we’re supposed to be watchdogs for the people. I’m just taking the call a little more personal.