Chapter 6
The beginning of the school year was rapidly approaching. Devon had barely two weeks before he would have to attend fall workshops and get his room set up for the first semester.
Jade was eager to go back to his janitorial job again so that he could help Devon with expenses. Since Grandma's intervention, he at least had $2,500 per month coming in from the tribal council to keep him from feeling completely destitute until his physical therapist would allow him to work again.
"Have you ever been canoeing?" Devon asked on Sunday afternoon.
"Yes. I got to go with some boys from the reservation when I was visiting Grandma once. I think I was 12 or 13."
"Is it something you enjoyed doing?"
"Yeah, I was with a great group of boys. We camped overnight and ran around in loin cloths like a bunch of braves. I really got turned on seeing all that skin!"
"Cool! I have a canoe in the garage and camping equipment stored in the basement. I can't put the canoe on the convertible, but we could take it on top of your car, unless you're afraid we'd damage it."
"You can't hurt that piece of junk! I'd be pleased to provide the transportation. Where would we go?"
"I know a river in northern Wisconsin that would be great for a trip of about a week's time. Do you think your therapist would allow you to go?"
"He's not my mother! I'LL tell HIM that I'll be going."
Devon and Jade drove most of the day on Monday without a problem. Although the car did look like it had seen better days, it seemed to have the heart of a war horse, taking them smoothly and steadily to their destination. Even the AC worked perfectly.
It was past dinnertime when the two finally got on the river. Devon had driven Jade's car to their eventual pull-out point and been shuttled back to where Jade waited with the canoe and camping gear.
They pulled into the first empty campsite that they found and quickly set up. Devon did most of the work because he could sense that Jade was tired. Jade had the strength to make their dinner in the mean time.
After they'd eaten and tidied up, Devon put a couple more logs on the campfire. Once he was sure they had caught fire, he unpacked two towels, wash cloths, and a bottle of non-polluting body-wash.
They bathed in the river, washing one another's back and touching a lot. As they got out and dried off, it was evident that their contact had been stimulating.
Then Devon produced two chamois skin pieces that had leather strings attached to them and began to dress Jade in one of them. He looked stunning.
"This is the best I could come up with given the supplies at my disposal," he announced.
"I thought you got up after I went to sleep last night," Jade smiled. "Let me help you with yours."
"Well, what do you think?" Devon asked, as they stood back studying one another.
"These bring back good memories. It was one of the times I felt accepted and part of a group. My father had left for an extended period of time, I had evidently suppressed the memory of what he'd done to me, and I was about to discover that my dick was made for more than peeing."
"Did you boys play around?"
"Yeah, we all got hard wearing our loin cloths and some of us let our little dicks peek out."
"How did you get away with that with adults around?"
"They left us kinda on our own. Looking back, I think they must have planned the excursion to let us explore our bodies together. My people had a more relaxed attitude toward nudity than our white brothers."
"Hey, you're half white. Didn't that part of you get embarrassed?"
"Not after Jimmy Gray Wolf taught me how to play with myself."
"And you felt no guilt about masturbating, but did after that?"
"Yeah, it wasn't until fall when the fundamentalists got a hold of Mom and me. Then everything changed."
"Let's reenact the good times. I'll do a few things that Jimmy never thought of!"
Devon knelt before Jade's tilting loin cloth and licked the area between Jade's legs, making him almost lose his balance from the thrill. This would have continued in the open air by the fire, but mosquitoes drove the pair inside the tent where things proceeded.
Half an hour later, after they had lapped up the last of each other's load, they kissed tenderly. Jade was nearly asleep within five minutes of when his head hit the small pillow. Devon slipped out of the tent to put out the fire before joining him in dreamland.
Every day on the slow-moving river brought happiness and relaxation. Most mornings, they were treated to sightings of wildlife if they got on their way early enough. The beauty of nature helped to soften the memory of the struggles of the past several weeks. Jade felt like a new man.
His wrists and fingers became stronger and more flexible through the mild exercise of paddling the canoe. It was never a strenuous or tiresome experience because there were many changes in movement to keep it from being too repetitive.
With the exposure to the sun, his skin-tone evened out, including the areas on his upper legs which were nearly nude because of the loin cloths the two men wore constantly.
They washed their scanty garments daily when they set up camp, usually remaining naked until they were out on the river again. On the very last day, they wore their Speedos underneath to prevent accidentally flashing someone when they packed up Jade's car for the trip home.
Instead of driving back in one long stretch, the guys stopped halfway to spend a day at an amusement park. Devon had learned that Jade had never experienced the rides most kids take for granted. He decided to remedy that.
Jade's excitement was almost child-like. He enjoyed every ride he went on, and rode the big roller coasters and log ride several times. Devon figured that the cost would have been prohibitive had not the tickets been all-inclusive.
It was after 10:00 p.m. when Jade finally said he'd had enough fun for the day. Not wanting to drive half the night, Devon found an inexpensive motel a few miles down the road.
Jade felt somewhat guilty for being the cause of another monetary expenditure and suggested they could find a campground for less money, but Devon insisted he wanted to sleep in a real bed in an air conditioned room.
After their shared shower, Jade could see the wisdom of his words. Rubbing their bodies together until they both exploded was certainly a great ending to a wonderful day.
Jade went back to his janitorial job part-time the following week. He hoped to keep it up despite the heavy class load he would be facing. His new plan was to take enough credits in psychology to graduate with a double major. He had enough hours for a minor to go along with his business major, but the recent experiences in his life had made him more aware of people who needed counseling. He hoped to eventually get a masters' degree and become a licensed clinical psychologist.
When he shared his thoughts with Devon, he was pleased to find that Devon was 100% in favor of it.
"I know you're gonna tell me I'm mothering you, but I want you to consider dropping your part-time job after school begins. You have a home with me, and your allowance from the gambling revenues will cover your tuition. You need to keep your grade-point high so you'll be admitted into the graduate program. This university has one of the best in the nation, so you won't have to go anywhere further than my humble abode as you work on your advanced degree."
"Oh, man, I'll be sponging off you for another year or more after this one!"
"Don't married couples often support one another emotionally and financially when one or the other is furthering their education?"
"Sure, but we're not a married couple."
"We can be next June if you'll agree to be my husband."
"Is this a proposal?"
"It is; will you marry me? I'll go shopping for an engagement ring tomorrow if you say so."
"SO!" Jade joked.
"I love you so much, my cute little smart-ass soul-mate!"
"I love you too, more than I can ever express."
Actually, Jade did an excellent job of expressing his feelings for Devon before they went to sleep that night.
Jade smiled broadly as he removed his latex gloves after cleaning the men's room on the third floor of the office building where he was employed. He studied his healed fingers, especially the third one on his left hand. The sliver and turquoise ring with coral accents wasn't the handiwork of his tribe, but the image symbolized love, and that was the important thing.
It pleased Jade that Devon had found a local shop which carried American Indian jewelry. Jade had insisted on paying for a companion ring which bore the same design, but had the turquoise and coral reversed. The owner had contacted the craftsman in Arizona to overnight the pair so they wouldn't have to wait long.
The start of the fall semester meant that Devon and Jade had less time together. Devon had to adjust to a new group of students, and Jade had to hit the books full-force again. Nevertheless, they found time for each other.
Despite their responsibilities, they tried to keep Sunday as a "family" day. Sometimes there were laundry and other chores to catch up in the afternoon, but they did those together in order to stay connected.
They decided they would make the trip to visit Dyani about every six weeks. Being the only family Jade claimed besides Devon, it was important to remain connected with her as well. When traveling to her home, they would skip church and start very early in the morning, so they could have lunch with her and spend at least a couple of hours visiting with her before the long drive home. Being alone in the car together for those hours, would allow them time to share their problems, hopes, and dreams.
Devon mentioned that he'd also like to have his father come to visit. The idea of family seemed more important to him since Jade and he were becoming a couple.
He thought he might invite his dad and stepmother for Thanksgiving. It was doubtful that she would come because she had always been rather cool toward Devon. It was because of her that he had seen his father rather rarely in the past few years. She had never cared for Susan at all, and showed it. Perhaps her attitude might have changed now that he was divorced, but he wasn't going to hold his breath.
Devon wanted to send the invitation early enough so that his father could make plans, or come up with an excuse for regretting, allowing Jade and him make other arrangements. Perhaps they could invite Dyani if she decided not to visit her sister in Arizona as she usually did from the middle of November through the end of January.
When Devon hadn't received a response from his dad for several days, he decided to give him a call.
"Hello, Dan Cook speaking. How may I help you?"
"Hey Dad, did you get my email?"
"No, our Internet service has been down for several days and I was too lazy to go somewhere with free Wi-Fi to check it. I figured they'd be from Eileen bitching about something in the settlement."
"Trouble in Camelot?"
"We've been separated for several months and the divorce is proceeding pretty well."
"The email was an invitation to come here for Thanksgiving. I really hope you can come. By the way, is the divorce the reason you haven't been communicating lately?"
"Yes. I was embarrassed; I didn't want to face you because you warned me about her before we got married. Well, that and other reasons which we can discuss when I'm there. Do you mind awfully if I bring a friend?"
"Of course not; I have a friend I'd like you to meet too. It should be interesting."
"It's good to see you're moving on too, Son. I never thought Susan treated you like she should have."
"You're right. I guess she and Eileen were a lot alike, but I didn't see it in my case."
"And I saw it in your case but not mine," Don said. "I guess love really is blind."
They spent a few more minutes catching up and sorting out plans before signing off. Devon looked forward with both joy and trepidation. He wasn't sure how his father would react when he discovered that Devon was moving on, but with someone of his own sex.
It was on a drive to visit Dyani in mid October that Devon told Jade about his concern for a 16-year-old boy in one of his English class. The boy looked to be mulatto and tended to be a loner. Nearly every day, he came to Devon's room after the dismissal bell and sat to one side, quietly doing his homework.
Devon occasionally engaged him in conversation, especially when he needed a break and sensed that the boy was finished. In those discussions, Devon learned that Tim Jones did feel like an outsider, as he had suspected.
"Let me guess," Jade mused, "He's not accepted by either race."
"It seems that way. He says the kids call him Oreo. Some of the African-Americans say he's a white boy in a black boy's skin, and some of the white boys use the "N" word when no one in authority is around."
"Do you want me to talk to him?"
"I think he could use an older brother, if you can spare a few minutes now and again. You, no doubt, have an empathy that I wouldn't, and I'm afraid of the rumors which might get spread if I were to get too close to him. You know, as a gay man who has power over him, I could be accused of trying to `make him gay'."
"Do you think he might be gay?"
"It's difficult to tell. He's like you are in that regard too. He comes off as perfectly straight – just a normal teenage male."
"If I can help him, I'd be willing to give it a try. How should I approach it?"
"I think it would be a natural thing if I could get you to talk to my class some day. We're going to begin reading the first book in the Clan of the Cave Bear series as our novel in the middle of next week. I know it's about prehistoric times and has nothing to do with American Aborigines, but the girl, Ayla, finds herself plunged into a culture with which she is unfamiliar and has to adapt."
"I know; I had to read it in high school."
"That is a plus! I would have bet you hadn't read it."
"That's a logical assumption because I think a lot of people are unfamiliar with it. It's a great tool for teaching greater understanding among people of different races and traditions. If you like, I can compare it to my own experiences of not fitting in."
"That will make you vulnerable, emotionally. Are you up to facing that?"
"Yes! It will help me to heal from my own wounds, especially if I could reach that kid. Being around him could give me a clearer picture of what it would be like to counsel children on a regular basis."
"Since you've already gone through the vetting process so you can work one-on-one with children for your practicum experience, no one should object to your being in the classroom whenever you can come."
Dyani was very pleased to have the young men visit her in October because her stay in Arizona would keep them from getting together over the holidays. Had she known earlier her grandson would be back in her life, she could have altered her plans. Next year, she would do her best to have the men for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
The only blemish on that would be if Robert tried to crash the party. She had filed a no-contact order to keep him away, but she knew a piece of paper wouldn't stop him if he decided to come.
But Jade was here now, and they were safe for the moment, as far as Dyani knew. She had made arrangements with the council to give him a surprise on Saturday afternoon.
When he and Devon accompanied her to the tribal business meeting, he turned out to be the center of attention for a brief time after a short report about gambling revenues and action of a couple of motions.
"Jade Matson of the clan of Young Bear," the head of council announced, "Please come forward to receive an award."
Jade and Devon looked surprised, but Dyani simply nodded and smiled.
"It is my great pleasure to present this check for the sum of $10,000 to be used for furthering your education. We have a scholarship fund that sometimes goes unused. Therefore, we have built up a surplus. Your wise grandmother applied for it on your behalf. We hope it will help you with your expenses."
"Wow! I don't know what to say! I thank you from the bottom of my heart. With this money, I can go on for a masters' degree in psychology and, hopefully, fulfill my dreams to be a children's counselor."
"We are proud of your ambitious plans, and we want to help make up for some of the money which your father stole from you over the years. We were negligent in not catching on to what he was doing when you turned 18. We apologize for the oversight."
With the formalities over, some of the women brought out several freezer containers of homemade ice cream in flavors of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee.
"This is one of the benefits of being conquered by you guys," Jade whispered to Devon. "We didn't do this cool stuff with bison milk."
"I hate to think of my people in the role of forcing your people off the land," Devon responded quietly. "It makes me sad."
"You'll feel better when you finally get to subjugate my butt," Jade said in sotto voce.
"You're a naughty boy."
"I do my best!"
Author's notes: Thanks to the following who emailed this week: Ott H, Paul R, Luke C, Wayne, Jae B, Jim W, Desert D, Buddy M, Tom A, Desert D, Lola B, Nick S, Tony W, Mendy D, Paul F, and Joe W. I should include Walt S who sends me goodies often.
Here's a link you might like to check out: http://news.yahoo.com/military-seeks-help-male-sex-assault-victims-180253958--politics.html
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Peace,
David