It was August and it had been a particularly hot summer. He ended up on Steve’s doorstep with nowhere to go. Jack knew Steve was happy to have him, no matter how he acted. Steve was an old pervert. He was always trying to get Jack drunk so he could take advantage of him. Now he was on his doorstep needing help. Jack spent a lot of time at the library hiding out inside of books. Steve thought a lot of himself and was always trying to convince Jack that he was worthy of his love. He called himself a spiritual guru. He would say anything to get Jack into submission. Jack was truly lost, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. Steve was trying to capitalize on this. Jack needed a place to live. Steve knew that Jack needed him for that but Steve wanted more. 

Jack was in a bad spot. He had no friends and no family in town, having recently moved. Jack was all alone and lonely, very vulnerable and needy. Jack met Steve while wondering the streets one night. Steve was acutely aware of Jack’s deficits and used them to his advantage. Steve was always working an agenda and most of the time that agenda was getting Jack into bed. Jack was disgusted by Steve but Jack had no job and nowhere to go. He was between a rock and a hard place.

Steve worked graveyard shift at a hotel in town. Jack wondered into the hotel Steve at one night. Steve liked to play big shot and made sure everyone knew him so when a job opened up at another hotel, Steve found out about it. Steve didn’t really like the idea of Jack being at his house alone all night so Steve got him a job working graveyard at a smaller motel. Now they were the same, on the same schedule. He liked this Steve always had to top whatever accomplishment Jack made, he was very insecure, but Jack left this alone. Jack thought Steve only played like he was a nice guy. Jack was scared of Steve, deep down.  Jack thought Steve could kill him if he wanted. But he didn’t have anyone else, and was very lonely. So, Jack worked at this job, never missing a day, and slowly growing closer to Steve.

Steve had had young men in his house before Jack and Jack knew it. He found photos around the house and even met one of them but they never got a chance to speak. He was a lost soul too. But Jack wondered what happened, why did they leave? Jack thought that they probably saw through his shit and left. Jack could see through his shit but Jack really wanted it to be true. He wished someone would actually have all the answers for his life. But Jack would eventually have to find all the answers himself. But for now Jack was sbmissive to Steve. He would listen to him talk spirituality. Steve claimed to be “ a master”, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean, and Jack bought it. He knew that Steve could be completely full of shit, but Jack wanted to know for sure. He didn’t want to pass on something that could potentially help him in life. Steve claimed that his humble existence was an act of humility. In his past he worked for Elvis, was a fighter pilot in Vietnam and a grunt, simultaneously. This was a typical Steve slip. Not accounting for time. There was no way a fighter pilot is going to fight with the infantry. But, if confronted, Steve would have some answer that made no sense. Jack wasn’t about to confront Steve on his error, he was scared of him, after all. So Jack went on trying to believe Steve’s “teachings”. He tried to shut off his own instincts which told him that Steve was full of shit.  Jack was not successful at life, his way wasn’t working, so he was searching for answers and what he found was a charlatan.