Berto's Roses
By Ben
Part XXXVI
My son called me at the hotel and asked if he could bring two of his buddies with him. Neither of them had a family member coming for the graduation and he wanted to share his Dad with them. Of course, I agreed, although I wasn't in any kind of mood to celebrate anything.
I picked the guys up at the appointed time and place and we went out to dinner. My son wanted Taco Bell, a place he practically lived during his adolescence, but I vetoed that idea. After having eaten real Mexican food for the past few months, I was not about to sit down to fast food grease and salt. Also, I wanted to take them to some place nice.
I had asked at the hotel lobby and the recommended a great place. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was tasteful but not too stuffy for the three young sailors. They ate like a pack of hyenas and chattered the whole time. Of course, the inside jokes and ribbing were lost on me, but they took the time to fill me in and we all had a good time.
After dinner, I asked them what they would like to do. They asked if we could go to the mall. While this was not my favorite activity in which to engage, I relented and asked directions from the restaurant manager. I guess it goes without saying that the malls in the Chicago area are much bigger than those in greater Charleston. Never the less, they had the same basic stores and they headed for their favorites.
My son found" Hot Topic" and they spent a lot of time in there. They sure looked out of place in the store. Here they were, three clean cut young men in Navy uniforms rubbing elbows with the freaks and punks. I sat in the mall just outside the store and waited while they blew their first liberty money. There were certainly worse things they could have spent it on.
I think we hit every music store in the place and they walked away with stacks of new CD's. I invited my son's friends to stay the night at the hotel suite and suggested that they might want to buy some civilian clothes and something to sleep in. I could have the hotel laundry service clean and press their uniforms the next day. This resulted in another buying frenzy and we closed the mall, then headed for the hotel.
I had picked up some sodas and snacks on my way to pick then up. We carried all of our stuff up to the room, then I went and filled up the ice bucket. I turned over the remote control and the phone to them and just let them do what they wanted.
As I expected, the first call my son made was to his girlfriend. Only my reminder that he needed to call his mother and that the other guys had calls to make kept this call to under forty five minutes. I got to talk to the other two guys and found them to be friendly and smart. Nether of them was designated to go to submarines, as my son was, but they seemed to be heading for some decent training and duty afterwards.
I got a chance to catch up with my son. We had sent emails back and forth and even talked on the phone a few time, but I hadn't had been face to face with him since before I left Charleston. He, of course, knew about the divorce and about my being gay. I filled him in an all the details of the bed and breakfast and invited him to come down whenever he could make it.
I didn't think he would be comfortable bringing one of his buddies to a gay bed and breakfast, but he could surely bring his girlfriend if she wanted to come. They had wanted to marry before he joined the Navy, but I had sort of talked him into waiting for awhile. She had a pretty good job and I thought it would be best if they waited until he finished his training and knew where he would be stationed for awhile.
It had been a long, taxing day for me. It started out with closing up the house in Santa Rosalia and packing my car with all of Jake's stuff and the stuff I was brining to Chicago. I was miserable and still pissed with Jake. He had not witnessed the scene with Berto, and I was in no mood to discuss it with him. Jake knew I was hugely upset, but his ego told him it was about him and Ricky. I didn't offer an explanation.
We rode in silence all the way to the Military terminal I San Diego. The weather was horrible and it seemed to take forever as I plowed through the rain, windshield wipers working furiously. As I passed the road to San Augustin, I wanted so badly to stop there and explain things to Berto.
It must have been quite a shock for him to come in and see me kissing his best friend. I Still didn't know if Berto had more than friendly feelings for him or not. And the way he felt about the way Mack had fondled him a few years ago had me worried that he thought I was the same kind of guy.
As attracted as I was to Berto I had never laid a hand on him. He was much to dear to me to risk alienating him that way. I longed to touch him, hold him, kiss him and, yes, make love with him, but I would never have initiated anything that would make him resent me in any way.
Now it seemed that none of it mattered. Everything was fucked up and there wasn't a thing in the world I could do about it, except wait. Mack and Nathan were at odds. Not that it bothered me too much that Mack was in the shits. But Nathan was a really good guy and I hated the way Mack treated their relationship so callously.
Ricky and Jose were on the verge of breaking up and this bothered the hell out of me. Rarely had I seen two people so much in love. They had their problems, just like any other couple, but they had both shown me that they loved each other wholly and completely.
I was pissed at both Bob and Jake for their parts in all of this fiasco. I couldn't yell at Bob because he was in Mexico City. The other asshole was slumped against door on the opposite side of my car and I drove Northward through the storm. I couldn't bring myself to yell at him either. I was too sad and upset about the rift between Berto and myself. Man! What a miserable start to long trip!
I dropped Jake at the Military terminal and didn't even bother to get out of the car. There were young seamen and petty officers standing by to take his baggage for him. Such are the perq's of a Navy Commander. He did come around to my window and shook my hand good-bye.
He told me that he hoped I wouldn't hate him forever and to call or Email him when I felt better. I told him I didn't hate him, that I was just angry and upset about a lot of stuff that went on before, during and after the party.
That damned party. I wish I had never planned the thing, had never brought all those people together . What I hoped would be the perfect kick off for the bed and breakfast, was the biggest personal disaster I could remember.
The guys and finally quieted down and were ready for bed. I gave my room to my son and the other guys shared the second room. I told my son I would be in in just a bit, that I wanted to relax and unwind alone for awhile. I ended up sitting on the couch all night, feeling helpless.
I wanted to call Ricky and talk to him, but I needed to give him time to talk to Jose first. I really wanted to talk to Berto, but I knew he didn't have a phone in his dorm room. Besides, I was not confident that he would talk to me anyway. I knew we would eventually have to talk about it. If it waited until he next came home. Manuella would certainly sense a problem and want to get to the bottom of it.
I didn't want to talk to Bob or Mack or Jake at this point. I wasn't really close enough to Nathan to call him and talk, so I just sat and watched the sun come up over Lake Michigan. I thought about all the hotel and motel rooms I had stayed in and the people whom I had met and about the events that took place.
The first had been Jake in Atlanta. That seemed a million years ago, and so much had happened with him that the memory of that first wonderful time together had become somewhat tarnished. Then I recalled Randy and Wade. Their innocence and enthusiasm was a rare and beautiful thing to have shared. I found myself looking forward to seeing them when they came to Casa de la Rosa next week. I remembered, with the first smile that had found its way to my lips in two days, the day I had met Ricky and Jose at Don Chavez' hotel. The time we spent playing volley ball and chicken in the pool. I grew erect thinking about watching Ricky and Jose sharing their bodies on the terrace below my room in the moonlight. And, later, the next morning, of when Ricky had come to my room and we made beautiful love before I had continued my trip to Mexico.
I let the guys sleep in and when they began stirring, I ordered brunch from room service. I watched the sun come up over Lake Michigan and by the time everybody got up, ate, showered and got dressed for the day, it was well past noon. I took them downtown and let them do whatever they wanted to do We made plans to meet later for dinner and a show then I headed for the museum.
I wandered around looking at everything and found my mood was improving. I bought souvenirs for Manuella, Berto, Ricky and Jose in the gift shop. I also found what had to be the biggest and most extensive art supply store in the world. I roamed the aisle filling my shopping basket full of brushes, paints, tool, etc. I bought several prepared canvases and frames and arranged to have them shipped to Santa Rosalia.
I was running a little late when I showed up at the dinner theater with all my sopping bags. We had a great meal and watched "Cabaret". It was wonderfully campy and very well performed. My son kept giving me "the look" whenever anything particularly gay occurred, but I could tell he enjoyed the show.
Afterwards, we dropped by the hotel and the guys changed into their clean uniforms. They had to be back on base before midnight. The pass I review was scheduled for the following morning. I knew my son would not get any more liberty until he left boot camp for leave and then submarine school in Groton, Connecticut, so I had made plans to check out of the hotel the following morning. I would attend the ceremony, have lunch on base with him, then head for the airport.
After dropping them at the base I decided to stop by a gay club I had found on the Internet before I left Mexico. I paid the cover charge and walked in an upscale establishment with a long oval bar and a large dance floor. The lights were flashing to the music and there were hot young dancers clad in tiny g-strings on the bar.
I ordered bottled water and took a seat at a small table near the dance floor. As I watched the dancers on both the floor and on the floor, I began to relax a little more. A thirty-something guy walked by my table then stopped. I looked up and we made eye contact. Dark brown eyes under thick black lashes and brows. Overall average features but then he gave me a great smile.
"How ya doin'?" I asked. being always suave and sophisticated, the master of pick up lines. Honestly I could have come up with something better, couldn't I?
But it must have done the trick, because he replied, "Alright. Do you want to dance or something?" nodding toward the dance floor.
"Honestly, I'm not really in the mood to dance, and I'm not very good at it anyway. Bit I would like to sit and talk, if that's okay with you."
"Sure", he smiled back at me. "Just let me get a beer and whatever you are drinking and I'll be right back."
I indicated that I was fine with my water and he elbowed his way to the bar. When he returned he sat across from me. He extended his hand. "My name is Calvin. I don't think I've ever seen you in here before."
I shook his hand and introduced myself, then explained to him that it was my first time there and what I was doing in town. Calvin was a native Chicgoan and worked for a CPA downtown. I told him about being from Charleston and, most recently, Santa Rosalia, Mexico. I told him about the bed and breakfast there and invited him to come down sometime.
Calvin told me he had recently lost his partner of seven years to stomach cancer. This prompted me to talk about Bob and his problems. He listened attentively and we seemed to get along just fine. He invited me to his apartment, but I declined. I offered, instead my hotel room, since it was near the Recruit Training Command and the airport. I explained that I was checking out in the morning and then going to the ceremony. He agreed to go with me. He worked near the club and would come and get his car the next morning. On my way to the base.
Once inside the hotel room, we kicked off our shoes, sat on the couch, and talked. At one point, Calvin turned to me and I just leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. I've always found it amazing how you could be talking away one moment, and then the next the only communication was done with lips, hands and bodies.
We made love, sweetly and tenderly on the couch, then I led him, naked to my bed. We cuddled and kissed and held each other all night. I could tell he needed this type of healing as much as I did. We were not in love, but we were exactly what each other needed that night. I fell asleep snuggled up to his back and butt, my arms around him. I slept soundly and woke with the sun, completely refreshed.
Calvin was still there in my arms. I gently kissed his bare shoulder and he stirred, reaching his hand back to touch my hair. "Good morning," I murmured. "Did you sleep okay?"
"Yeah, just great. I haven't had much sleep since I've been sleeping alone. Last night was wonderful, thanks."
I kissed his ear. "No need to thank me. It was great for me too, exactly what I needed."
We showered together and I got my things together after we dressed. I checked out of the hotel and we went for breakfast at a small coffee shop that Calvin recommended. I took him to his car and we said our good-byes. I did make sure he had my business card and the Internet address of my website for the bed and breakfast. He promised he would take a look at it and send me an email. I thought to myself that he sounded sincere and looked forward to his message.
The graduation ceremony was perfect. The pass in review could not have been better. It stirred up a lot of memories for me as well. When the band played "Anchors Aweigh", I could not supress the tears in my eyes nor the large lump in my throat. I was a proud Papa indeed as I watched my son follow in my footsteps on the parade ground.
I met my son for lunch and he introduced me to his company commander. He was a Chief Aviation Electronics Technician, but I couldn't hold that against him. He kept calling me sir until I reminded him I was a retired Chief Petty Officer, then we got along fine.
After lunch, I told my son good-bye and that I was proud of him. He would be heading to Charleston for leave and then up to Submarine School and further training before getting orders to his first boat. He promised he would try to get down to see me after he finished training. I looked forward to seeing him again.
I got to the airport in plenty of time to check my bag. I had bought so much shit I couldn't carry it all on the plane. I sat at the gate for eternity and finally we boarded the plane and were on our way. I wasn't until I was pulling back into the carport at the casa, that the depression found me again. The house was dark and, since it was, once again, storming when I got there, I decided to just unpack later.
I opened the kitchen door and flipped the light switch. Nothing happened. "Dammit" I muttered. The electricity had been knocked out by the storm. I fumbled around and found some fruit and a coke and went out to the studio. I pulled off my wet clothes and left them in a soggy pile on the floor. I sat cross-legged and naked and ate two pears and a banana, washing them down with Coke.
As I looked out of the big windows toward the garden and the sea. Mother Nature was putting on a spectacular show for me. The storm raged and lightening flashed. The thunder boomed so loudly, it rattled the windows. The wind blew the rain against the glass in great gusts. I worried what damage was being done to Berto's roses. If and when it blew itself out, I would survey the garden and repair what I could.
At some point I fell asleep because the next thing I remember, the sun was in my eyes and the noise of the storm had given way to an eerie silence. I looked through the window at the cloudless sky. The palm trees in the garden had taken a beating. They had lost most of their fronds. I went out the door into the cool clean air and walked, naked, into the garden. What I saw there made me weep.
Every rosebush had been stripped bare by wind and rain until all of the bushes were as naked as I was. I stood in the middle of the garden, holding my hands in the air and openly crying. I was in dispair. The garden was ruined, Ricky and Jose were ruined, and Berto...
Don't leave me now guys! So much will be happening and soon! Please write to me at ben_sc@hotmail.com. If you haven't read any of my other stories, check them out under the "Authors" link. Look for "Lyle Benton".