Chapter 12“The Rocks” lie along Lake Michigan’s shoreline, on Chicago’s near north side. The lake’s cool blue-grey waves splash up against big squared-off boulders here, boulders that are covered with graffiti, spray-painted in various neon colors: lime-green, hot peach, fuchsia. On one of the boulders, a legend reads, “This is a gay beach. Heterosexuals not welcome.”
Summers find the boulders covered with sunbathing men, bodies oiled up, some wearing T-back swimming trunks, all attuned to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks, the drone of traffic on Lake Shore Drive. The rocks are hot, in contrast to the bone-numbing chill of the water, even in late summer.
In winter, the grey rocks match the sky. In December, the rocks are deserted, a playground only in memory. The water i
