College in the Desert-Chapter XII HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010! AUTHOR: Barry Mattison
WEBSITE/EMAIL: http://storiesbybm.webs.com stories@barrymattison.com
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INTRODUCTION:
This is a fictional story about how two young guys met at college, started a friendship that eventually became a long relationship, and endured all the good times and the bad times of that relationship over the coming years. The characters in "College in the Desert" are all fictional and any semblance to real persons--living or deceased--is purely coincidental.
DISCLAIMER:
This fictional story is written for the gay reader in particular and describes scenes of male nudity and sexual acts between two or more guys that some readers may find inappropriate and/or unsuitable for their reading. Please do not read any further if you find such reading offensive or if it may become property of anyone under the age of 21. This is copyrighted by Barry Mattison with permission to publish given to the Nifty Alliance Archive and is exclusively for the readers of this website. Copying, distribution or re-publication of this writing in any other web site, private or otherwise, is a violation of local, national and international copyright laws and will be pursued to the fullest extent allowable by law.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter XII-The New Year Begins ----------------------------------------------------------------------
When we left last week it was Christmas Eve. Tim and his family, and yes, Kenny, had just left the house after dinner. Kenny and Billy had left cookies, milk, and two letters on the table with their Christmas wishes for Santa and made us all promise NOT to touch anything or they would know about it. We didn't know how we were going to figure out how to handle this one, but we promised anyway.
After they had left we were so exhausted we left the partially cleaned up dinner dishes for the morning, shut out the lights and hand in hand, Jeff led Don upstairs and Justin and I made our way up the stairs behind them.
Justin couldn't keep his hands off me long enough to step up one step, and to tell the truth, I was quite comfortable making out right on the steps. There was something always special about my babe, but tonight it was like I was in love all over again. I wanted to feel every inch of his body with my hands, my tongue, anything that would bring me closer to him, starting from his sexy, narrow feet with five perfect toes, to the top of his head with his sweet smelling, soft hair. I had all night to do it too!
"Let's see if we can make it to the bedroom and take a quick shower," I said. "I feel grungy after all that running today and I want to make sweet, sweet love to my honey smelling like a rose, not a dumpster. How 'bout helping me wash up?"
"I'd love to run my fingers all over that hot bod of yours...soap it up...rub up against it, make it smell so fine so I can get it all sticky again 'cause tonight lasts forever. Let's go."
We ran up the rest of the stairs and shut the bedroom door...apparently a little too loud for the neighbors...Jeff and Don. I reopened it to say something and what to my wondering eyes should appear – Jeff standing there in his birthday suit – hard too!
"Hey you guys! Keep it down in there, It's Christmas Eve and we're listening for reindeer on the rooftop."
I heard a little giggle behind Jeff after that comment. "Yeah, right! When you hear 'em, let us know...on second thought...we'll be busy listening for a big white dude in the chimney. What are we going to do with the boys letters?"
"I don't know. You heard them, we're supposed to leave 'em alone. It's up to Santa on this one."
"Okay, we're showering and then hitting the sheets. Love you guys...Merry Christmas."
Over Jeff's shoulder peers Don's head. I heard a little giggle as the door slammed shut, "Love you guys too, Merry Christmas. Now get back in here before I have you waiting on the roof."
I shut our bedroom door, and after wandering around for a minute, found my honey already in the shower, waiting under the warm water for me, still in his t-shirt and boxers.
This was a new one...and WHAT A TURN ON! As the water ran down the front of his shirt I could follow the flow of water from one six-pack muscle to the next; the ripples of his taught chest were enhanced by two pert nipples pushing against the tight shirt. Outlined under his white boxers were the obvious edges of a small pair of the sexiest pair of white bikini's. The water had made both so transparent I could see his cock clearly pressing taut against the front, straining to find room to grow. The whole sight was so sexually stimulating I thought I was going to cum right there. I watched as he slowly began to lift the skimpy, tight, t-shirt up his chest, slowly wiggling his upper body back and forth until the shirt slipped off the top of his head. It fell to the floor of the shower as he reached down with a finger on each side of his trim waist and slowly, teasingly, began to slide the boxers down. Inch by inch they began to reveal the bikini underneath, which didn't hide much of anything under the flow of water running down the muscles of his chest, continuing down, following the outline of the growing bulge below.
Just as the boxers started past the point of no return, up the chimney they went with a bound, surprising me. I looked up and through the building steam was a finger, sticking out the slightly open door, slowly indicating that I should enter, or flipping me off. I wasted no time in stripping down to my wife beater and the white, lo-rise briefs I had on. Then the finger started up again, pulling me in closer and closer, until it hooked onto the waist of my underwear and I was in the warm water flow...behind me a hand slid the door closed. I had a hard on that tented my briefs straight out and let the water flow right through my briefs and down my legs as my clothes quickly became soaked.
The hand slipped under my short and into my briefs and, as I watched – mesmerized – adjusted my cock sideways until it lay against my hip. Another hand appeared and slowly stripped my wife-beater off in the same manner as I had watched the other shirt come off. I reached out and slowly slid down the boxers that still remained on my now visible lover. As I started back up again I slid my hands up each of his strong, well formed legs until I came to the slinky underwear. Reaching up underneath one side with one hand I massaged his cock while grasping his balls through the thin fabric with the other one. My lips found the bulge in his bikini as I worked my way around the growing thickness with my mouth for a few minutes. The growing hardness told me to move on up to the taught muscles of his worked out abs for a few slow licks and then on up on to the waiting mouth where we started a dance with our tongues, trying to find a way in, deep in. I felt a pair of hands on my cock and balls. I don't know what there was about this new adventure, but I was so turned on that it was all I could do to not cum right there. By now we had wrapped our arms around each other, still locked in the kiss of love, and were pressing our cocks together, rubbing them up and down through the wet, soaped up fabric, until I thought mine would burst through the fabric.
At last I couldn't take it anymore. "I'm going to cum right now if we keep going like this. This is so hot and I'm so horny.
"We can't have that now, can we. This is just a 'short shower', right?"
"Then we better get this soap rinsed off and finish taking a decent shower you little hussy so we can make it to the next game, if you have one on that devilish little mind of yours. Oh no...back boy...hands off I said or you'll have to wait for a recharge. Turn around and I'll clean that cute little tush of yours – and the rest of your too cute bod while I'm at it."
He complied quite nicely. In fact, up until this point he hadn't even spoken a word, although his actions had said more than words could ever express. We quickly finished cleaning each other off, taking care to clean all the "little" places before hopping out and toweling each other dry with our very big, soft, warm, fluffy, sensuous towels. We ended up the toweling session staring into each others eyes.
Something changed in the room, the air, the world. I could sense the weird, sudden change, but couldn't wrap my mind around what it was; chills zooming up and down my spine letting me know that something special was happening. After taking a quick look around the room, my gaze settled upon Justin and I found myself irreversibly lost in his eyes...those soft, creamy pools of light brown encircled by pure white iris', set off by the longest black lashes I'd ever seen on a guy. I longed to see where they led me, what they'd seen in his young lifetime, and best of all, what they would reveal at the end of our lifetime together. I reached up and touched his cheek with my hand, still lost in time, as he leaned forward and kissed me tenderly – not the usual battle for dominance and frenzied attention – no, this kiss conveyed dreams, wishes, and something I'd never...ever, felt before – acceptance and pure love. My knees almost failed me.
I don't like the phrase, "he completes me," because it doesn't allow for each others individualism, but somehow, "completes", or "became one" was what happened at that magical moment on a Christmas Eve that I shall never forget. It was the best, maybe the only Christmas, Wedding, Birthday, and every other holiday present I'd ever dreamed about having.
We leaned into each other, foreheads touching, body's melded together. For the first time since we'd come upstairs, Justin spoke. It was only a few words, four to be exact.
"Merry Christmas my love."
"Merry Christmas to you babe. I hope our life together is as surprising as tonight has been so far. I love you so much."
I lowered my left hand down from around his smooth-skinned waist, and locking fingers together, I led him to the bed, and holding both hands now, laid him gently down on the edge of the bed with his feet still on the floor. I knelt between his creamy thighs, placing one hand up under each leg, sliding them along each side of his waist, bringing me closer to his cock. Slowly I started sliding my tongue up and down his inner thighs, moving slowing, savoring each moment, each taste. Moving easily from thigh to thigh I slowly worked my way up the inside of his thighs until I could feel his growing cock and hanging balls drag through my hair as I licked closer and closer to my prize. As I kept working closer, all the time bringing my hands back to his thighs and moving them farther apart, I reached the area between his rosy pucker hole and his rising balls, the taint; I rimmed his nice clean hole for a minute or so while he moaned and squirmed about, then started flicking the tip of my tongue up towards his nut sack. The differing sensations were driving him crazy, and his cock grew to full mast as it slapped against his flat stomach muscles. I continued on this new torture trail a few times – back and forth from his every widening hole to his ever tightening ball sac while he purred and moaned.
As I reached the near hairless nut sack, now drawn up close to the base of his beautiful cock, I slide up the length of his steely rod until my tongue reached the slit at the top. Out of it was leaking a small river of pre-cum, sticky, plentiful...and tasty. I eagerly lapped up the puddle gathered on his stomach, and then went back to lick his eight inch lollipop up and down on all sides, holding the base with one hand so it now stood straight up. As I reached the top I opened my mouth and slid down his shaft, taking the whole thing in one move. By now I had learned how to do it without gagging and was quite good at sucking his cock. I began a slow, hard sucking on his engorged cock, feeling the veins with my tongue running up and down the sides, flicking my tongue under the sensitive crown and watch him squirm even more in agony and pleasure. Each time I reached the top I stopped to lap up the sweet juices pouring from his dick tip.
As I started sucking on his rock hard cock again I heard him whisper to me, "Please fuck me babe, please."
Without saying a thing I swung his legs onto the bed, then rolled him over onto his stomach. His hot buns were highlighted by the soft rays of the full moon. I opened his legs wider and slipped in between his legs with my head so I could reach his pucker hole with my tongue. Rimming him with a flickering touch of my tongue tip all around the edge, then pushing it in and out, tasting his musky smell, mixed with his other smells, etched in my memory forever the primal man, now my lover. I spit into his hole and pushed my index finger in. It went in easily and was followed by a second, then a third. Slowly I worked the three fingers in and out until he was ready. His beautiful butt was working back and forth so sexy and inviting and he was purring like a kitten.
I reached into the bedside drawer and brought out some lube and a new toy I'd picked up as a Christmas surprise for just such an occasion – a vibrating cock ring. I put it on, lubed up my dick and Juss' waiting hole and slowly pushed the head of my cock in. Juss started moving his rear in a circular manner, mixing his movements with an occasional push backwards towards me until I could feel his prostate as I fucked him slowly, at first. We began a faster rhythm as he craved more of me; deeper and deeper I pushed, pulling out all the way and plunging back in. I lifted him up until I could reach around and grab his steel hard cock. As I felt my orgasm starting to build deep down in my loins I reached down and turned on the vibrator to the second position. Instantly the new vibrations sent shivers of pure pleasure in all directions, starting from my ball sac, vibrating up my rock hard cock buried to the hilt in Juss' butt, and rubbing up tight against his prostate. As we bucked harder and harder I reached down and pressed the button one final time. Number four was all it took to take both of us over the edge and into simultaneous orgasms.
As I pumped load after load into the inviting depths of Juss' insides, he in turn was spraying cum everywhere...the first load hitting the ceiling – a first – the rest spraying everywhere. As the muscles of his orgasm forced jizz to spew from the end of his cock they, at the same time, squeezed the cum from my swollen rod that was impaled to the hilt in his moist hole, to deposit even more cum deep inside my lover. Eventually things subsided for both of us, and as we started to fall sideways to the bed, exhausted, I reached down and shutoff the vibrator.
Juss was the first to say something – after we rested for about ten minutes – "I don't know what you did to me, but I don't think I can cum again for another week."
Reaching down to the controller of the vibrator, still wrapped around my hard cock buried deep inside the love tunnel of my hot lover, I touched the high button for a moment.
"Whoa! That was the most unbelievable combination of sensations I've ever had," as he jumped up in surprise, lifting himself almost off my still hard cock.
"It's a vibrating cock ring. I ordered it for a Christmas present for both of us to try. I've never felt anything like it before while fucking someone, especially with the sensation of all the foreplay combined with it. I was thinking of spicing up our love life a little, but you beat me to it with the shower, stripping act. That was so hot I almost creamed myself before I even got in the shower."
Juss lifted himself off my semi-hard cock and stood up. "My legs are a little stiff, no pun intended, but that was THE most incredible, mind-blowing sex I've ever had."
I stood up, took off the cock ring and wrapped my arms around my honey. We kissed for a few minutes without even thinking about it – it was just a part of our relationship now – and a thought occurred to me.
"It just hit me that there is no way, at least at this point, that I can be without you within arms length for more than a few minutes. How am I going to function when school starts up again?"
"I've kind'a been thinking the same thing. It's like, you know, especially after today...your proposal, the money and all, and more than anything, the intimacy and bond we share...I don't know how to deal with the thought of being apart again...even for a few hours. Do you think it'll just work itself out naturally?"
He had been holding the gold cross on a chain around my neck in his hand, twisting it absentmindedly as he talked – and thought – at the same time.
"I haven't a clue about this one. I have never felt this way about anyone before. I guess we just take things day by day and see how they work out. Let's not worry about it for now. How about a quick shower to clean up and try to get some sleep. I feel like I'm still vibrating...it's making me hard again."
"Oooooohhh...sounds like more fun to me."
We both turned and looked at the bed. I had wondered what it felt like with the cock ring vibrating away on my lovers cock, buried deep in my bowels.
Later, sometime, we did take a shower and cleaned up, exhausted but sexually satiated and vibrated to a tingling glow. Seems that thing could be used for a few more things. Oh well...ahh...it felt so good to fall into bed finally.
EYUK! Somebody forgot to change the sheets!
It was eight in the morning when the phone rang.
"Hello."
"Uncle Doug, it's Kenny and Billy, Merry Christmas! Are you guys up yet?"
"Uh...sort of," feeling Justin's morning woodie poking me in the butt. "Did you guys get something from Santa yet?"
"Yeah, I got all kinds of neat stuff! And Billy did too! It's so cool all the new furniture, the computers, everything! It's like having my own room 'cept I got people who really love me now. When can we come over and see if Santa left what we asked for in our letters? You guys didn't read them did you?"
"No, none of us did. We promised we wouldn't and we didn't. Is Tim there close to the phone? I'll talk to him about a time for everybody to come over."
"Yeah. Want me to put him on the phone?"
"Yes honey and Merry Christmas, we all love you. Put Tim on the phone please."
"Merry Christmas and I love you guys too."...click...hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Justin had been resting his head on my neck listening to us talk.
"Hung up on 'ya didn't he."
"Uh huh. He's so excited he forgot to put Tim on the line. I'll wait a minute and then call back."
I had no sooner said that and the phone rang...it was Tim as expected.
"Hi Tim, Merry Christmas to you and Kathy – Justin yells Merry Christmas over my shoulder towards the phone and Tim says the same back to him – how did the boys like their first Christmas together with you?"
"Well, let's see. First they woke us up at three o'clock in the morning to see if it was too early, we said yes it was, go back to bed. Then at four o'clock, and every half hour until finally at five thirty we let them get their stockings and climb up on our bed and open them, and also pick one package from Santa that was marked 'OK TO OPEN FIRST'. Well, I've never seen two kids so excited in my life, and we have you to thank for giving us this opportunity by the way, but I never knew that Kenny didn't even know what a Christmas Stocking was. I remember us getting them, but apparently they didn't give him one after he came out. But anyway, the smiles and laughter this morning so far have more than replaced the years lost. Thank you Doug, you're a very special person and my best friend."
"Thanks Tim, I appreciate that and think of you as the same. I wish I could have seen the boys start this morning."
"Don't worry, we recorded it on my digital video so you guys could see it. So how's about we all come over about eleven thirty, is that too early?"
"No, hang on a sec...psst...Justin, can we get everything cleaned up and ready downstairs so they can come over by eleven thirty?"
"Yeah, I'll wake up the two sleepy heads and we'll all get started on getting things going. Say yes."
"Okay Tim, that sounds fine. We'll see you then. Bye."
"Oh jeez," Justin groaned, "it's so early."
I was awake now. I rolled onto Juss and started tickling him, but just a little. He hated it too early in the morning.
"Merry Christmas baby, reach under your pillow."
His eyes lit up and he bounced up into the air, throwing me to the end of the bed. His muscular tush was so cute as he fished around under the pillow – we had about six of them – looking for whatever was supposed to be there. Finally his fingers latched onto something and he pulled it out.
Looking at me he asked, "what is it?"
"Open it and find out."
After shaking it a few times he carefully opened the box and under the tissue, wrapped in foam, was a brand new key. No note, nothing indicating what it fit. He looked at me with his head cocked to the side and a quizzical look on his face.
"Whaaaa...?"
"Don't ask now. Later on, you and I will take a ride and test that key somewhere special."
"Thank you sweetie. I love you so much. You're always surprising me with something when I least expect it. Why do you do that?"
As he leaned backwards and lay down on the bed, pulling me on top of him, I replied, "I love to surprise you because it makes giving you something that much more fun. I am always listening to people when they say , 'Oh, this would be nice to have, but I can't afford it', or 'I could really use one of those'. So when I see one of 'those', I buy it and put it away until it's needed for a birthday or other holiday. I just love to see the expression on the persons face when they open the gift. They almost always comment about how could I remember they wanted it or something to that effect. It just brings me enjoyment."
"Please don't ever stop doing it. It's one of the qualities you have that makes me love you so much. I need to learn a few things from you like that."
"I don't want to change a single thing about you babe. You're perfect and I accept you just as you are...even with all your faults...hahahaha!"
This time I did tickle him real good around his naked, but taut stomach. Less than a minute later Jeff and Don came bounding in, naked as jaybirds and jumped on the bed to join in the party. Only in our house could this happen, but it was Christmas Day after all...and tickling was allowed on holidays. We soon had a pillow fight going and some good, old-fashioned fun before Justin reminded us that Tim and family were coming over soon. I told the others what Tim and I had talked about, mostly, on the phone earlier, and that we had better get cleaned up and get the dinner dishes cleaned up from last night.
"Jeff, did you guys do anything with the boys' letters they left for Santa?"
"No way. You heard his orders; knowing that rascal he probably had them booby-trapped or something. I don't know what we'll tell them when they get here and see the milk, cookies and the unopened letters still sitting there."
"Neither do we, but life does have disappointments and maybe it's time for Kenny to see that you can't get everything that you always want. Okay, we took showers very, very early this morning, so we'll get dressed and head down and get started."
Jeff and Don looked at each other automatically, then back at us in unison and replied, "so did we, we'll meet you at the top of the stairs in a few."
Off they went, what a pleasure to see such beautiful butts so early in the morning attached to such perfect bodies...and such great guys.
We all met at the top of the stairs and chatted on the way down about where to get started. As we rounded the corner of the hallway entering the family room where the tree was set up we all stopped in our tracks. The mile and cookies were all gone, the letters were still on the stand, and under the tree were a bunch of boxes, none of which any of us had bought, brought down, or placed there.
Okay...spooky...but there had to be an explanation. We still had to get the rest of the house cleaned up. We all thought it best to hit the kitchen and just get it done fast. Rounding the corner another drop dead mystery. The kitchen, left in total disarray from last night's dinner, was now...totally spotless. Not a single thing was out of place. In fact, the whole house, at least from what we could see, was totally clean.
I looked at Jeff, and he looked at me.
"Did you guys..?"
"But I thought it was...and the presents?"
All I could do was shrug my shoulders. "Maybe there is a Santa?"
It was getting close to arrival time for the boys, so there was no time to stand around and play guessing games. In addition to everything we had given to each other the previous night, we had also saved a few gifts to open with the boys when they got here. But our enjoyment this year would be watching the boys, especially Kenny, enjoy the allure and mystery of a Christmas without being put down, left out, or in Billy's case, without and alone.
Justin got down the hot chocolate, marshmallow and extras for the kids, put on the coffee while I got together some snack trays and munchies. We planned to eat dinner about two, maybe two-thirty so I wanted to make sure there was enough to keep everyone full enough until then.
The doorbell rang...I went to let Tim and his gang in. The first thing that hit was two totally excited boys who ripped their shoes off, gave me a tight hug and a Merry Christmas, then ran for each of the others for their hugs. I gave Tim a hug and looked into his eyes, catching the reflection of mine in the mist of his. Kathy too was bursting with pride, love, and a genuine calmness about her that I hadn't seen in our brief acquaintance.
As the boys, Tim and Kathy made their greetings, Justin walked over and we wrapped arms around each others' waists, giving each other a quick kiss. This was what family was all about, and if I never received another gift, the feeling in my heart that morning was one that would last forever. Justin and I would talk about it many, many Christmas's after that as the boys got older, but that first one with us all together was the best ever.
After everybody had settled down the boys asked if we could open presents. We said it was alright with us but check with Tim and Kathy first. With their approval we all settled down around the huge pile of presents around the tree.
"Kenny, before we get started would you please get some large garbage bags from the kitchen for the wrapping paper."
"Sure uncle Doug."
"Thank you."
When he got back we opened two of them up and set them around to try and control some of the mess. Kenny and Billy wanted to pass out the presents, so we sat back and relaxed as they crawled into the pile and started reading out names. It seemed like most of the names were theirs. But there were other gifts for Tim and Kathy from us, Jeff and Don, and Kenny and Billy.
Eventually there was a pile of boxes of various sizes to the side that the boys were not touching or handing out. I asked Kenny about those.
"Those are the things that we asked for in our letters to Santa. Thank you for not reading our letters. They're still even sealed and taped closed with our special marks, just like we left them. I knew I could trust you guys."
I was really glad we hadn't touched anything, but it made the mystery of the letters, milk, cookies, and now, a growing pile of presents even more mysterious. To the boys it made all the sense in the world, Santa ate the cookies, drank the milk, and read the letters through the envelopes. Everyone seemed to remember, or know that but us. That was changing in a hurry though.
We had given everyone their biggest gifts during the previous days and on Christmas Eve, so today we gave the boys some new clothes for school, games for the game room, and additional computer add ons, plus cash to buy a few things they wanted to pick out on their own. We also gave Tim and Kathy a large set of dishes for their growing family with silverware and some gift cards at major stores for those unexpected items that pop up just when you least expect them. Although we had asked Tim & Kathy not to do anything for us, they did get us a few well thought out gifts that were for meant for us as couples instead of individuals. It seemed as their way of acceptance of our joining together as couples, and also the beginning of things that belonged to us as a couple. That meant more to us than any material items ever could.
Eventually all that was left was the pile of "Santa" presents that the boys had asked for in their letters.
Before Kenny handed them out he said, "we just wanted all of you to know that in our letters, because we have received so much from all of you and feel so much love, especially me coming from such a bad situation, that Billy and I wrote and asked Santa not to leave us anything when he stopped here, but to leave the things we put on a list for each of you."
They gave each of us two gifts from the pile. I was focused on what they could have thought of for Santa to leave for me. The first box Kenny handed to me he also handed one of the same size to Justin, Jeff and Don. Inside I found a small, blue velvet bag with a gold sash holding it closed at the top. I opened it carefully and found inside the most exquisite, fine gold chain on which hung a miniature gold key. Looking at Justin right beside me, he found the identical item in his box, except the chain and key were in a red velvet bag. We both looked at Kenny and Billy to thank them for the gifts, but Kenny lifted his hand as if to say, 'wait, there's more'. We waited until Jeff and Don had opened their first boxes.
Then he simply handed the second boxes to us. They were were smaller and wrapped very smartly. Justin and I opened them at the same time. Inside mine I found, again, the same size and type of bag as before, and inside this bag was an intricate, gold circle with another circle inside it, and so on. On each of these circles was some small, unintelligible wording. Justin found the same in his box, but the wording seemed slightly different. Neither of us could read the words on the circles as they got smaller and smaller. As pieces of jewelry they were stunning, beautiful, even mystical in some strange way. On the top we of each ring was a ring. It became obvious that this "thing" was meant to be somehow connected into one.
The circles had been intricately split in half, not like those that you find in the stores, but so finely cut that when we tried to fit them together to make them one piece, we couldn't.
"Try the keys," came a soft voice from across the room – it was Kenny.
It took us a few minutes to find the keyholes. They were located on one side, side by side and had to be turned together before the two circles slid perfectly together. When they did the glass covering one side of each one slid together and became a magnifying glass. Justin took the piece of jewelry, no rounder than an inch and about an eighth of an inch thick in his hand and read what it said under the magnifying glass. When he was done there was complete silence in the room – don't forget, Jeff and Don had gotten the same thing and were about at the point we were in the process of reading the script – following his silent reading, Justin handed it to me to read. Inscribed in minute detail across both pieces was a short poem that was only readable when the two pieces were locked together as one.
I read on:
We've wished upon a special star our whole life through, it seems. And then, one day we got our wish it made all our dreams come true. So now whenever we're apart we wear that same bright star. It makes me feel so close to you no matter where you are.
"Look inside your little, velvet pouches," Kenny said.
We all scrambled to find the right pouches since there were two pouches with each gift. Carefully holding my hand under the one the disc was in, I shook it lightly and out slid a gold star with a little ring on top, obviously meant to be put on the chain. The star was strong and thick enough to stand up to continued wear. Our starts had 'Justin & Doug Forever' inscribed on them, and Jeff's and Don's had their names on theirs. I slipped the end of the chain through the ring of the star as I realized the enormity of this whole gift. I knew there would be a problem getting the clasp to latch together, so I waited while Justin put the star on his chain and then I lifted the chain up, over and around his head and latched the chain behind his neck. He in turn did the same.
As I looked at Justin we both had tears in our eyes, and looking at Jeff and Don...the same.
"Kenny," I said, "this is an incredible gift you've given us and we love it beyond what words can express. First they had to be expensive, second, the meaning of all this is almost beyond what we can comprehend at the moment, and third, to have put together such an intricate, complicated and almost ancient artifact is almost beyond what even I could do. Can I ask how you did all this? And how did the gifts get here last night on top of everything else?"
"Uncle Doug, pick up my letter please, open it and read the beginning."
"Okay, if you say to. This sure has been a weird Christmas so far anyway." I opened his letter, which was no easy feat with all the tape he had on it. I got it opened, pulled out the letter and started reading out loud.
Dear Santa,
My name is Kenny. My parents have told me for a long time that you don't exist, but I always believed that you did. If you are real I need your help. This year has been a very bad year for me at school. I got beat up a lot for being different and had to leave school and Uncle Doug, Justin, Jeff and Don took me in and accepted me just like I was. They stood up for me, helped me at school and even made me part of their family. I have money now, but I can't touch any of it until I'm older. Can I get a loan from you and have you give them something very, very special from me and my little cousin Billy 'cause I don't know how to thank them right 'n proper. We don't want to ask for anything for ourselves from you cause I'll owe you money which I can leave for you next year on Christmas Eve, I promise. I'll tell you what I have in mind when I say my night prayers.
Please make it something very special for both Doug and Justin who are getting married someday and Jeff and Don who are also getting married someday. I love them all very much.
Thank you. Kenny and Billy.
PS, the cookies are store bought and the milk is fresh but we hope you like them. And if this letter has been opened please leave me a note so I can have a talk with my uncle Doug 'cause he promised. Thank you.
Signed, Kenny and Billy
There was little that could be said after reading the letter other than to thank the boys...and Santa?
Since that Christmas Justin and I have always believed in Santa Claus and always leave milk – fresh – and store bought cookies out on Christmas Eve.
Anyway, the rest of the day was uneventful, compared to our Christmas miracle, and the time passed quickly through into the New Year's Eve when the four of us went out to celebrate. Justin and I did go on our trip to the coast; the whole trip was such a great stress reliever for both of us – I'll tell everyone about that later – but there was one other thing that I did want to mention.
I had given Justin a special key on that morning and promised him I would take him on a ride later and show him what it was for. So later, after Kenny and his family had left, we all piled into Jeff's car and I gave him directions as to where to drive. It was only a short distance from the house and I wanted to show everyone what I had done. We went about six blocks before I asked Jeff to stop in front of an empty building on the main street of the town.
"Okay, everyone out, we're here," I said.
"Where's here?" Juss asked.
"Right here," have the key Juss? I asked, looking at the empty storefront, hoping the key worked.
He pulled out the shiny, brand new key, pushed it into the lock, and turned it. Darned if it didn't unlock. We all walked in and looked around. It was a newly refurbished building, about fifteen hundred square feet of sparkling clean, equipped and fully furnished Dojo.
"So, what's this all about?" Juss asked me.
"Uncover that thing over there against the wall and you'll see."
The three of them walked over, lifted the tarp off the large, hand painted sign and stepped back to read about Justin's own Dojo...right here...in this building...that we now owned. It still needed more information put on it, like the name of the Dojo that I had wanted him to select himself, hours, et cetera. It would be a labor of love for both of us to finish it up when we got back from vacation, but it was ours, a check mark on his list of dreams, and part of a new direction in our lives.
-------------------------------------------------- I know a few of you have commented about the fact that this story seems like a fairy tale sometimes because things always seem to work out for the good; I'd like to address those comments...first, this is a fiction story, so it can work out that way, and second, I believe whole heartedly that if you live your life right, treat other people like you would like to be treated, and follow a consistent set of moral guidelines and place others before yourself, life does have a funny way of turning out. That's how I've lived my life and I have the trail of my life to prove it. While not everything comes out perfect, nor does it seem fair sometimes, as my current situation with a rare, chronic illness that gets more debilitating every day shows, there is good in all things if you stop and look for it. I never would have taken the time to sit down and start writing had it not been for this disease...another check mark on my list of dreams.
Lastly, the story is a long way from being over, and for those who stick with me, life will show its true side from time to time as the boys move on. But it takes time to write a story like this; I wanted to produce something that people can read and enjoy that has more than three or four sex scenes, a few changes in partners, poor language and grammar (although I do make mistakes when I get in a hurry), and other minute problems that plague many of the short stories on the net. So for those people who are staying with me and writing comments about positive thoughts I might implement in the story, I thank you. For those that want to complain, I also welcome your comments and will also return your emails, but my wish is that you take the time to slow down and see beyond the desire for instant gratification and enjoy what others have gleaned from life...and love.
Thanks to all of my loyal readers and club members...Happy New Year! and Happy New Century!
Barry