He turned the pages of the album, pointing out other photographs of Waldo, at parties, in the park, at a bar, always with friends and always smiling or laughing. “Notice anything unusual about Waldo’s shirts?”

“No, not really.”

“He always wore long sleeves, whatever the weather was like.”

I looked again. In every photo his arms were covered. “Yeah, I see that now.”

“They covered the scars on his wrists where he cut himself when he tried to commit suicide,” Lauro said. “They were deep and ugly like he’d been handcuffed with barbed wire. Waldo knew what it was like to be thrown away and live on the streets. That’s why he went around saving people like Bill. And me.” He thumbed to a photo of Waldo in full drag. “She was loud, opinionated and sloppy but once that queen took you in, you were family and no one messed with her family.”

“What does this have to do with Nick?”

He closed the album and sipped some coffee, pinkie extended out. “Billy came from the streets, like me and Waldo, but Nick? He was a spoiled kid who didn’t even break a fingernail coming out of the closet. He couldn’t know what we had been through.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked, mildly. “Shouldn’t it be easier for kids Nick’s age than it was for us?”

He eyed me. “That’s right, I forget. You said you were one of us.” He delicately set his cup down. “Why should it be easier for them? Why shouldn’t they suffer like we did?”

“Well, they do have AIDS to worry about.”

“Honey, we all have AIDS to worry about.”

“Of course, you’re right.” I said. “I’m still not sure what this has to do with Nick being a gold-digger.”

“He took advantage of Billy. You see, he was the same age when Bill met him that Bill was when he got thrown out by his family. Billy took up with him because he wanted a do-over. He wanted to be eighteen again himself and for it to be different this time. Nick was his second chance. But,” he continued, bitterly, “there ain’t no second chances. Nick should have left Bill alone.”

“You think Nick knew Bill was vulnerable and exploited him.”

“Exactly.”

“Bill was older than Nick. Some people might say Bill was the exploiter.”