The long weekend with Jason Taylor was wonderful. I should have known that my man's best friend would be intelligent and funny and sensitive and fun to be with. He's damn good looking, too. Rick has all those qualities, but, for some reason, I expected Jason to be conservative and dull. He's anything but that. He and I clicked as friends immediately, much as Rick and I had done. Jason's a good guy, and I have the sense that he'll be coming back to see us often. And that's fine with me. We were expecting Chris and David Uhle that afternoon. They were going to spend most of the week with us, and then they were going to go on downstate to Lakeland to spend some time with their maternal grandparents. We visited them in Montana two years ago, the summer after Chris spent some time with us in foster care, but we haven't been back to Montana since then. They came to see us last summer, en route to see Chris's grandparents, and I feel a little guilty that we haven't gone back to see them. We went to the airport to pick up our new houseguests. Actually, it was just Kyle, Tim, Justin, Rick, and I. Brian wanted badly to go, but he had to work. The other boys were at work, too, but they didn't know Chris and David, anyhow. The Emerald Beach airport is small, with only four gates. Why there are even four is beyond me, and I have never seen more than one in use in all the times I've been there. They used to let you go into the gate area to meet people, but they put a stop to that after the September 11th tragedy. Now you have to wait in the area outside the security checkpoint. There are a few benches out there, but there aren't the nice chairs like there are in the boarding area. We all sat down, but we ended up relinquishing our seats to some oldsters who were there to pick up their grandchildren. Kyle went into the bar and came out with free popcorn for everybody. He always does that, and it was fresh and good that day. Chris and David were two of the first ones in the terminal. Chris didn't have crutches, as he had had last year, and it was pretty obvious the frail, stiff, little wisp of a boy who had first come to us in a wheelchair has developed into quite a man. He still wears a brace sort of thing on his weak leg, but it's much smaller and less cumbersome than the one he wore last summer. David had hit his growth spurt, too, and he's quite an impressive-looking guy. I saw Chris and David scan the crowd that was waiting, and their faces both lit up when they saw us. I watched our boys watching the Uhles, and the excitement on their faces and in their body language was palpable. I looked at Rick, and he was just as misty-eyed as I was. Chris speeded up his pace, and there wasn't a trace of a limp. If he had been wearing loose long khakis instead of shorts, there would have been no sign of his physical impairment. I thought of the miracle of physical therapy, and of the indomitableness of a boy of character. Kyle was the first one to greet Chris. They hugged, of course, and Chris picked Kyle up off the floor and spun around with him. "Goddamn!" Kyle said, rather louder than he should have. People turned to see what was going on, but they all smiled at the obvious love and joy Kyle and Chris exhibited. "I've dreamed about doing that ever since we found out for sure we were going to get to come here this summer," Chris said. Tears of joy were streaming down his face and Kyle's face, too. Chris and David hugged each of us in turn. We got their luggage, and our excitement attracted the attention of other people in the baggage claim area. "Are they brothers or cousins?" a middle-aged lady asked me. She was enjoying their excitement. "Neither. Just good friends, but close enough to be brothers," I said. "Well, there's obviously love there," she said, smiling. "Yes, ma'am," I said. "That's for sure." Kyle and Chris went and got the Land Cruiser, and they pulled it around to the door of the baggage claim area. Chris was driving. "Do you guys mind if we make a stop?" Chris asked, once we left the airport. "Don't tell me you got to take a shit," Justin said. "Yeah, and I want you to help me," Chris said. We all roared with laughter, remembering the scene of a few years ago when Justin was helping Chris in the bathroom and Chris shit all over him. "No way," Jus said. "Been there, done that. Still got the stains to prove it, too." We all laughed hard again. I got a little worried that Chris wasn't paying enough attention to his driving. "Chris, pull over till you finish laughing," I said. "I'm okay, Kevin," he said, and he settled down. "What I want is ice cream." "Absolutely," Rick said. He gave Chris directions to an ice cream shop. We all had huge banana splits. "So, wazzup?" Kyle asked in a thick grumble. "I've missed the sound of that voice," Chris said. "How could you? We talk on the phone at least once a week," Kyle said. "I know, but it ain't the same," Chris said, in a perfect imitation of Kyle. "Listen at him," Kyle said, laughing. "You sound just like me." "I know," Chris said. "I been practicing." "You're good," Rick said. "Thanks. I had a good teacher," Chris said. "Wazzup is I don't have a girlfriend anymore. Things got ugly after that little mishap we had. You guys know about that, don't you?" "Yeah, you dumb fuck," Kyle said. "Don't you know about rubbers?" "Yeah, I know about rubbers, Kyle. Now. I've had quite a few animated discussions with my parents about contraception. But two things in my own defense. First, she swore to me she was on the pill. She said she couldn't get pregnant. Second, I was convinced I was sterile. That I couldn't make a baby," he said. "Did some doctor tell you that?" Kyle asked. "No," Chris said. "So why'd you think you were sterile?" Justin asked. "Well, I had checked myself. I couldn't see anything. I used a magnifying glass and everything," Chris said. "What'd you think? Sperms are the size of roaches or something? I gave you more credit than that, Bubba," Kyle said. "Well, I did it when I was in the eighth grade, okay? I know I was stupid, Kyle. My parents and her parents have all made that very clear to me," Chris said, and he looked pretty sad. "Hey, cheer up, dude. Don't come across the country and get mopey on me, okay? Chris, I know you're not stupid, man. Don't EVER think that. Do you think she really had a natural miscarriage, or did she have an abortion?" Kyle asked. "I really don't know. She said it was a miscarriage, and she didn't make me pay for an abortion. I guess I'll really never know," Chris said. "It sure put a damper on the end of the year, though." "I'm sure it did. She's the same one who swore to you . . ." Kyle started to say. "Kyle, please don't go there," David said. "This has been very difficult for our family, and we've talked about that a lot. Let's change the subject and talk about me." We all chuckled. He's really cute, much cuter, in fact, than he was last year. "What about you? What you been up to?" Justin asked. David most reminds all of us of Brian, so it's probably natural for Justin to be drawn to him. "Well, I have a boyfriend, and we're both out at school. He's going to be a senior, and I'm going to be a sophomore," David said. "Congratulations, man," I said. "And everybody's fine with it?" "They seem to be. I'm in rodeo now. Gay rodeo," David said. "No shit! I wish we had rodeo around here. I could get into some of that stuff," Kyle said. Justin said he thought he could, too. "We do," Rick said. "It's not specifically gay rodeo, but it's rodeo. Up in Bonifay and the little farming towns north of here. Don't you guys read the sports page?" "No. I don't read the paper, period," Kyle said. "I knew about it, Babe," Tim said. "I mean, I see the articles, anyway. I don't usually read them." "I don't even know why I'm saying this. I barely had time to breathe last year, much less be in rodeo," Kyle said. "I miss little Brian. I guess he's working," Chris said. "Yeah, he's working, but he ain't so little anymore. In fact, he's the biggest one in the house. In every way, if you get my meaning," Justin said. We laughed. "That boy's got a nest of hair on his chest, too. Him and Kyle have turned into bears," Justin said. "Brian is my friend," David said. "I can't wait to see him." "Yeah, ole Brian's a pretty special guy, that's for sure," Justin said. "He's going to take Friday off so we can go out to the island. Y'all are leaving Sunday, right?" "Yeah," Chris said. "Well, we are, too, but we're headed to New Orleans. Brian and Tim have to go to orientation at Tulane University, and Kyle and I have to register at UNO," Jus said. "When you guys are living in New Orleans, Dave and I are coming to see you," Chris said. "Chris, y'all will always be welcome. You know that, Bubba," Kyle said. Chris's mood had noticeably improved. We had all finished our ice cream by then, and he got very subdued again. "Guys, these last few months have been shit for me," Chris said. "All that bullshit with Jennifer and the baby and everything. I can't tell you how many times I wished I could have been here with you guys. My parents didn't take the news about the baby well at all. In fact, at one point I thought they were going to make me marry the bitch. Of course, I didn't think of her as a bitch then, but we weren't in love. Not like you guys are in love. We were in 'like.' We were in 'lust.' I don't know. So many times, I just wanted to say 'fuck it,' and get on a plane for here. I love my parents, and all, but they haven't really been my parents all that long, you know? Shit, I don't even know what I'm saying." "Well, you're here now, Bubba," Kyle said. "I want to say some stuff. This is the only time I'm going to talk about it on this trip, but I have to say it. This boy right here, my brother . . ." He had to pause to calm down. Tears of love were in his eyes. "Dave has been my salvation through all of this, guys. This boy has given me hours and hours and hours of his time to talk, as I've tried to work through all this shit. It's only because of him that I don't hate myself right now. He's helped me see my parents' point of view in all of this, and he's kept me focused on my therapy, too. Dave was in the gym with me every day, doing all the shit I had to do. He's gay, and I'm straight, supposedly. I mean, I'm not gay, but I don't know that I want to be straight, either. It just fucks up your life. Anyway, I wanted you all to know this about my brother." There wasn't a dry eye around that table. "Let's go," Rick said, and we left to go home. I'm glad we had that discussion at the ice cream place. I think it made all of us realize that being straight isn't exactly a cakewalk, either. I think gay boys tend to idealize straighthood, if that's even a word, as a state or condition where everything is fine and cool. In fact, straight people have their problems, too. They may be different from the problems of gay people, but they're not necessarily any easier. When we got home, and Chris and David got settled in their rooms, we congregated in the den. Chris and I were the first two in there. He had taken off his brace and the clodhopper shoe he had been wearing with it, and he was just in deck shoes. "You don't need your brace?" I asked. "Naw. I haven't worn it on a regular basis for several months," he said. "Mom and Dad made me wear it for the trip because of the Atlanta airport, but I really don't need it anymore. When I get real tired, I limp a little bit, but I'm not there yet, Kev." "You've made amazing progress," I said. "I know I have. I work out every single day. I never miss," he said. "If I skip my exercises a few days, which I've had to do a couple of times, I'm back to limping. That's how fast I lose muscle tone. I'm not really working with a PT anymore, but I get periodic evaluations. They change my routine a little, but it basically stays the same." "Do you work out just your right leg or what?" I asked. "I give that a lot of attention, but I basically work out everything. Look," he said, and he pulled his tee shirt up over his head. He stood up. His left shoulder, arm, and pectoral muscle were very well developed. His right side was smaller, but it was well defined, too. His right side reminded me of Tim and Brian, and his left side reminded me of Rick and Justin. He isn't as big as they are, but he was looking good. "You look good, Bubba. Real good. I'm so proud of you," I said. "I wish I was proud of myself, Kevin. I mean, I'm proud of my physical accomplishments, but . . ." He let out a deep breath. "Come here and sit next to me," I said. I put my arm around his shoulders. "Let me tell you something. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that with Jennifer, but that doesn't diminish our love for you or our pride in you one iota." "I wish my parents felt that way," he said. "What did they say to you?" I asked. "A lot. But the thing that got me the worst was they said I disappointed them. And I know I did, Kevin. Hell, I disappointed myself. I mean, I'm not ready to be a father, but I would have stepped up to the plate. I really do think she got an abortion. She swears not, but, like Kyle started to say, I can't believe her, after the birth control pill thing. When I see you guys, I think it's so much easier being gay," he said. "Well, it's not easy being gay, just like it's not easy being straight. The bottom line is, it's not easy being a human being," I said. The rest of the guys came in just then. "Where have y'all been?" I asked. "We've been talking to our brother, Dave," Justin said. "Have you got a problem with that?" Chris and I separated. "Goddamn! Look at this. Stand up," Kyle said to Chris. "You're some kind of fucking muscleman or something." Chris was laughing, and the others were, too. Rick came in. He had been on the phone in the study, no doubt talking to his secretary. "Man, this is awesome," Kyle said. "You feel like working out right now?" "Yeah, I do need to," Chris said. "Well, let's go. Then we'll go for a swim, and then I'm going to get your ass up on a ski," Kyle said. Chris just giggled. Chris had graduated from high school with honors, had conceived a child, and had remade his body. Yet Kyle, ever the Alpha Male, had Chris totally wrapped around his little finger. Chris loves Justin, Tim, and Brian, too, and, of course, Rick and me, but Kyle is his idol. Could a less likely friendship, between straight Montana and gay Emerald Beach, Florida, ever exist?
I feel like a pure fool over what happened with me and my girlfriend. We started dating before Christmas, and we started having sex almost right away. I don't think I was all that aggressive, but it just seemed to happen. Before the first time, I asked her about protection. I really didn't think I could father a child, but I wanted to make sure we were safe, just in case I was wrong. She assured me she was protected. I had been with two or three other girls, and it had never been an issue. Apparently, they all got on the pill before they started dating. Then around the first of April she called me one night in tears. "What's the matter?" I asked. "I'm pregnant," she said. My heart stopped. I was barely eighteen. She was seventeen. We were way too young to have a family. Plus, I didn't want to marry her, anyway. "Are you sure?" I asked. "I haven't been to a doctor yet, but my mom and I did three home pregnancy tests tonight, and every one of them said I'm pregnant," she said. "Is it mine?" I asked. "Of course it's yours, Chris. I haven't been with anybody but you for months. It's yours," she said. "But I think I'm sterile," I said. "Well, think again. You're the father," she said. Believe it or not, I actually got an erection when she said that. That's how fucked up I was. I was proud that I could be a daddy. That news aroused my masculinity, and I got hard as a rock. I was going to be a father. Me! Chris Uhle! "Are you still there?" she asked. "Yeah, I'm here. What are we going to do now?" I asked. "What did your mom say?" "She's totally pissed off and so is my dad. I'm going to the walk-in clinic tomorrow," she said. "For what? Are you sick?" I asked. "No. We've got to get medical confirmation," she said. "Although I've been throwing up every morning." "Oh," I said. "Do you want me to go with you? I can skip school and go, you know." "No. My mom said she and I would take care of this problem," she said. "Don't tell anybody, you hear?" "Okay," I said. The next afternoon, I called her as soon as I got home from school. "What did the test say?" I asked. "I'm pregnant," she said. "Just like I thought." "I'm coming over," I said. "No. Don't come over here," she said. "Why not?" I asked. "Because my mom will kill you if she sees you," she said. It was a Thursday afternoon. "Are we going to see each other this weekend?" I asked. "No. I've got to go to Billings tomorrow," she said. "Billings? For what?" I asked. "I have to see a specialist there tomorrow. I'll call you. Goodbye," she said. "Jen . . ." I said, but she was off the line. Jesus! What do I do now? I just sat there, staring off into space. Dave tapped on my door. "What?" I shouted. "Can I print something?" he asked. "Yeah, come in," I said. I had the one and only printer in the house hooked up to my computer, and he needed to use it for a paper he had due the next day. He was in just his briefs. He put his floppy into my computer and started up the printer. "What's the matter? You look like diarrhea," he said. "Thanks," I said, but I smiled at him. "Can you keep a secret?" "Yeah," he said. I told him all about Jennifer. "I think you need to tell Mom and Dad," he said. "I don't want to tell them," I said. "They're not going to like it." "I know, but you can't really keep a baby secret, Chris. Her parents are going to be calling them," he said. Shit, I thought. He's right. I can't keep a baby secret. God! What the fuck have I done? I have been so fucking stupid. Not to mention irresponsible. In a little while, I worked up the nerve to go tell them. They were not happy about becoming grandparents, at all. We're not a religious family, but that didn't matter. They weren't happy. They kept saying I had ruined my future. It was that kind of stuff. Some guys wanted me to go out with them Friday night, but I was too depressed to want to go. I had gone to school that day, but, by third period, it got to be way too much. I checked out of school. I told them in the attendance office that I was sick, and, since I'm eighteen, they didn't have to call my parents. I went home and raided the liquor cabinet. I drank four or five stiff vodkas, and then I went to sleep. "Chris, honey, what's the matter?" my stepmom asked, when she got home from her teaching job. She was at my door, which was closed and locked. "I don't feel good. I'll be okay," I said. "I think I have a stomach virus." I lied through my teeth, of course. "Well, if you need us, call us. Okay?" she said. "I will," I said. I woke up with a headache, and the last thing I wanted was family time with them. I flipped on my TV for background noise, and I just lay there. I was numb. I had no idea what time it was, but I knew it was well into the evening hours. There was a tap on my door. "What?" I asked. "It's me. Let me in," Dave said. I got up to unlock the door for him, and all that vodka hit me in the head. It was awful. "Do you want to talk to me?" Dave asked. "Bubba, my life is so fucked up right now, I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel," I said. "I don't know if I can talk about it." "Jennifer wasn't in school today," he said. "I know. She had to go to Billings," I said. "Are you really sick?" he asked. "Yeah, but not physically. I have a bad headache, but that's from drinking all afternoon. What are Mom and Dad doing?" I asked. "I don't know. I just got home, and they weren't in the den. Maybe they're in bed. It's ten o'clock," he said. "Do you feel like going to Rocky Mountain Waffles? I'm real hungry," I said. "Sure," he said. I went into the bathroom that he and I share, and he went with me. I took a leak with him watching, which was nothing new for us, and then I washed my face and put gel in my hair. I actually felt a little better just from doing that. We keep aspirin in the medicine cabinet, and I shook out four and swallowed them. Then I drank a second glass of water. I felt really washed out, and I craved liquids. "Here, you drive," I said to Dave, flipping him the keys. "Really?" he asked. "Yeah. Really," I said. He had his learner's permit, but our parents never let him drive much, especially at night. He was thrilled with my letting him drive. We walked into Rocky Mountain, and the first person I saw was Jennifer's brother. He's a student at UM, and he was with some other people in a booth. Shit, I thought. He was just about the last person I wanted to see. He saw me right away, but he didn't give any sign of recognition. He's not the friendliest of guys under the best of circumstances, but I figured that if he knew about the baby, he was really pissed off at me. Dave and I ordered our meal, and I was in a pretty foul mood. He was chattering on about driving and how awesome it is. He said he can't wait to get his own ride. Boring shit, really. I didn't say anything. "What's the matter? Are you still upset about Jennifer?" he asked. "YES, I'm still upset about Jennifer. Arrow's sitting in that booth over there," I said. "Arrow?" he asked, uncomprehendingly. "Yeah. Arrow. Jen's brother," I said. "His name is Arrow? What a strange name," he said. "Yeah, well, that's his name. He saw me come in, and he didn't smile or wave or anything," I said. "Do you think he's mad at you?" he asked. "Probably. You may need to get my back on this, okay? You know I'd do the same for you," I said. "No problem, Bubba. Maybe he just has a hangover," he said. That made me smile. "Very funny," I said. The group Arrow was with finished eating, and the waitress had already taken their money. They got up to leave. They had to pass our booth to get out, and I wondered if Arrow would say anything to me. "Hi, Chris," he said, rather coldly. "I want to talk to you." "Hi, Arrow. Do you know my brother, David?" I asked. "How's it going?" he said to Dave. "Fine," Dave said. "Can we talk?" he asked. "Sure. Have a seat," I said. Dave scooted over to make room for Arrow. At first it didn't look like he wanted to sit down, but then he did. "What's on your mind?" I asked. "My sister had a miscarriage today," he said. Dave's face lit up in a grin. I was feeling the same way, but Arrow wasn't. I didn't want to appear happy over something he evidently considered a misfortune. "I don't know what to say," I said, and I really didn't. "Well, I thought you'd want to know. There really isn't anything to say. These things happen all the time, especially with young girls early in pregnancies. You might want to give her a call tomorrow," he said. "Listen, my friends are waiting for me, so I'd better go. Nice to meet you, David." "Nice to meet you, too," Dave said. When Arrow was gone, Dave and I burst out laughing. "Miscarriage? Do you believe that?" Dave asked. "Probably not, but at this point, there's nothing anybody can do about it," I said. "Let's put it this way: I don't consider it bad news." He laughed. We finished up our meal and went home. Because I had slept for several hours that afternoon, I couldn't get to sleep when I got in bed. I thought about the boys in Emerald Beach. They'll never have to deal with pregnant girlfriends, and, somehow, that was very appealing to me. The next morning I called Jennifer and told her I was coming over. I didn't ask her; I told her. She wasn't very enthusiastic, but she didn't object, either. I stopped at a grocery store and bought a nice bouquet of flowers to give her. I also wanted to get a card, but I couldn't decide between a get well card and a sympathy card. I ended up just writing, "All my love, Chris," on the little card that came with the flowers. It crossed my mind that "Congratulations" might be the best message I could write, but I didn't know if she was in a state of mind to see the humor in that. I didn't know what to expect when I got to Jen's house. Arrow's car wasn't there, and the cars of both her parents were gone, too. That made me relax a little because it meant it would just be her and me. I didn't think it was any more my fault that she had gotten pregnant than it was hers, but you never know how people are going to react to the boy in cases like that. A lot of people think that an eighteen-year-old boy is only capable of thinking and reacting with his dick. If that's how they felt, I would have been in trouble if they had been home. Jen seemed fine when she answered the door. She loved the flowers, she said. They were already in a vase of water. She set the vase down in the living room, I guess for the whole family to enjoy. I dunno. She got us cokes, and we sat down in the living room to talk. That was unusual. Most of the time we went to her bedroom. In fact, that had been the scene of our lovemaking most of the times we did it. I wasn't sure if talking in the living room meant anything or not. "Arrow told me he saw you last night," she started off. "Yeah. He told me what happened. That you had a miscarriage. Was it painful?" I asked. "Not really. It was like having my period," she said. "I didn't bleed a whole lot more." "That's good," I said. That was way more information than I wanted. "Yeah," she said. "Chris, do you still want to be my boyfriend?" "Well, yeah. Sure," I said. "There can't be any more sex," she said. "And I can only go out with you on double dates. No more single dates." Ouch! I thought. "We could use condoms," I said. "We could still have sex that way, couldn't we? Or, uh, you know. Like, uh, oral sex." "No. None. I promised my parents," she said. "No sex. Period." "Jen, don't you think that's a little harsh?" I asked. "Maybe so, but that's the way it's going to be," she said. "Are you cool with that?" No! I thought. Hell, no! I mean, I'm not a sex fiend, but I also am not in love with you and willing to wait years until we get married. I don't even like you all that much. I wanted a girlfriend, and you wanted a boyfriend. That was the deal between us, I thought. There are plenty of girls who'll have sex with me. I know a lot of people think my attitude's wrong, immoral even, but I don't. I'll bet there aren't ten kids in the senior class, except maybe some of the Mormons, who think that what we were doing is immoral. And I don't give a shit about them. "Jen, this kind of takes me by surprise," I said. "I knew it would, Chris, and if you don't want us to continue seeing each other, I can understand," she said. "I like you a lot, but you know . . . " "You're not in love with me, are you?" I asked. She paused for a long time, and she must have been thinking about how to let me down easy. "No, Chris. I'm not in love with you," she said. "Jen, let's stay friends, okay?" I said. "Okay. My parents said you'd say that. Do you want to take your flowers with you?" she asked. "Of course not. Those are yours. We had some good times together, and, for me at least, the sex was pretty awesome. Thanks, Jen, and I'm really sorry you had to go through all of this," I said. "Thank you, too," she said. "I think you'd better leave. My parents are going to be home soon." "Okay," I said. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when her parents got home. I can just hear her mom and dad saying, "I told you so." Ironically, I know for a fact that Arrow never asks a girl out a fourth time if he hasn't gotten laid by then. I went home and went straight to my room. I immediately deleted all of Jen's email to me and mine to her. I had saved a bunch of Instant Messenger chats that Jen and I had had. Those almost always involved us having cybersex. Some nights, when she wasn't available to chat, I'd reread those and jerk off. Not anymore. She was out of my life. That afternoon, I told my parents what had happened. They knew as well as I did that she had gone to Billings to have an abortion, but none of us even mentioned the A word. They took David and me out to dinner and a movie that night, and it was the first time we had done anything like that as a family since I had started dating Jen. The whole issue of the pregnancy and the breakup never came up, and I was glad. They had had their say in the days before that, and they knew I had learned an important lesson. I already had prom tickets, and I called Jen and asked her if she wanted them. I thought that was only fair since she had probably already spent a bunch of money on a prom dress. I was going to wear a tux, but mine would be a rental. She said she didn't want the tickets. She was going to the prom, but the guy had already bought tickets. Whatever, I thought. I went to the prom with a girl who is a really good friend of mine. We made out a little that night, but there wasn't any real sex involved. I know my days as a heterosexual aren't over, but I made a resolution to wait to have sex until I'm in a real relationship, where we both love each other. It was during all of that, and the months that followed it, that David and I became best friends for life. We've been close ever since I moved to Montana, but I got to appreciate and love him more and more after what he and I referred to as "the Jennifer incident."
I had sort of forgotten how much fun the Emerald Beach guys are, but Chris and I weren't there anytime before it all came back to me. Kyle and Justin are absolutely hilarious, and they keep everybody laughing. Chris thinks those two are gods, I think, especially Kyle. My two buddies are Brian and Tim. Despite having cerebral palsy, or maybe because of it, Chris has turned into a real gym jock, and he's much more like Kyle and Justin than I am. Brian and Tim, on the other hand, are more intellectual and quieter than their partners. The biggest physical change is in Brian. He's grown a good three inches in the year since I last saw him, and he's now the tallest of the four. He's not the most muscular, but he's no slouch in that department, either. I guess the things that surprised me most, though, are the size of his penis and the fact that he has hair on his chest. The hair isn't thick or matted, like some guys have, but to me it's really sexy. Kyle is the same way when it comes to chest hair, but his penis is about the same as I remember it from last summer. I'm gay, and I'm out to everybody at home, pretty much. I have a great boyfriend that I love a lot. His name is Sean, and he's going to be a senior this coming year. I guess it's a case of opposites attracting because Sean is more like Kyle and Justin than he is like me. He's on the football team. He took some verbal flack when he came out to guys on the team, but that died down after a couple of weeks. The bottom line is, nobody wants to confront Sean or me. Chris helped us a great deal with that, too, and he made it very clear that he would have our backs, if we needed him. High school kids can be pretty callous sometimes, but all the people in his class knew that Chris had showed up at that school the first day in a wheelchair. The fact that now he could kick just about any ass in that school didn't matter. He was still "the crippled boy," and that worked to his and our advantage. "Brian, the dogs are doing so well," I said. He grinned with pride. "I know," he said. "Trixie officially belongs to me, and she's moving to New Orleans with us, aren't you, girl?" Trixie knew he was talking to her and about her, and she wiggled her butt to show her excitement. "Is Krewe going to be okay without Trixie?" I asked. "I don't know. I'm a little worried about that. I suspect they'll both go through a period of separation anxiety, but we'll bring Trix back here every time we come home," Brian said. "Krewe isn't as smart as Trixie, and she'll probably get lonesome for her friend at first. And for me. But we can't have her. Krewe belongs here, and she'll get over it," Brian said. "Are you excited about moving?" I asked. Brian didn't respond right away. He rubbed that little patch of beard stubble right under his bottom lip, like that's what he does to help him think better. "Yeah. In a way. In lots of other ways, I think I'm going to be homesick," he said. "I mean, Justin, Kyle, and Tim will be with me, but Kevin and Rick have been the only real parents I've known. I love them, Dave. It's going to be hard to leave." "Are you guys going to live in a dorm?" I asked. "No. Tim and I are going to one university, and Justin and Kyle are going to another one. We're going to live in an apartment over the garage at Kevin's parents' house. We've stayed in there a bunch of times already on trips, and it's really nice. Plus, we consider Kevin's parents our grandparents, and they consider us their grandsons. We think that'll work out fine," Brian said. "I wish I was going to college," I said. "Where do you want to go? University of Montana?" Brian asked. "NO! If I did that, I'd have to live at home. That's what Chris is doing. My first choice is Stanford. Then Yale and Duke, in that order," I said. "Have you got what it takes for those places?" Brian asked. "You know about them, don't you?" I asked. "Yeah," he said. "I probably do, but not necessarily on Early Decision, like you and Tim did at Tulane. It's always a crapshoot. We'll see," I said. "What about your boyfriend? What's he going to do?" Brian asked. "He wants to play football at a Division II school, and he probably will. Bri, I don't know that he and I are in it for the long haul," I said. "I got you," Bri said. "Let's go see what the others are doing." |