This story is set in the fictional city of Trenton, New Jersey. Yes, there is a real city by that name, but other than being a state capital on the Delaware River, it bears little resemblance to the city in this story. This is a work of fiction.
If you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include sex between males is illegal, or if you're not into this type of story, please leave. The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at NJMcMick@yahoo.com.
Chapter Two
I don't know how long I cried. Through all of the miserable years with Ralph, I'd never let myself cry. As bad as things got, I had my plan, something to look forward to, a future that was better than my present. But now I had nothing and I broke down. I wallowed in the hopelessness of my situation.
"Hey kid, are you all right?" What a stupid question. I looked up and saw a burly, middle-aged guy in a suit. I wiped the tears from my eyes with my hand.
"Yeah, I suppose so." I probably looked twelve sitting there on the ground like that crying.
"You sure don't look it. Did somebody do something to you?"
"No, stuff just kinda caught up with me, that's all. I'll be okay."
"You sure?" There was a kind, gentle look in his eyes that didn't quite go with his build. He seemed like he really cared. I was tempted to explain my situation, at least partly, and maybe ask him for some money, but it was just too humiliating. I couldn't be a beggar, a panhandler.
"Yeah, I'll survive. Thanks."
He looked like he didn't quite believe me and made no move to go away, so I got up and started down the street. I looked back over my shoulder and saw him going into the train station. I stopped about a block away and looked around. I knew nothing about Trenton, except that it was the New Jersey state capitol and was on the other side of the Delaware River from Chester, maybe fifty miles upstream. With nothing else to do, I decided to head for the river. I'd spent a good part of the last three years sitting on the banks back home, watching the water flow by, dreaming of my escape. Maybe something would come to me there.
It was five in the afternoon so I looked up at the position of the sun and headed in what I guessed to be a westerly direction. I walked through several blocks of a crappy old urban neighborhood that didn't look very much different from Chester. Then I got to an area that was a mix of old and new office buildings, separated by parking lots. Most of these buildings appeared to be state offices. I continued past them and ran across a major highway into a wooded park along the banks of the river.
As I walked, I thought, trying to figure out what I could do to get out of this predicament. I could go to the police, but all they'd do is call the fat bastard and send me home. I passed several churches along the way and wondered if they would help me. Mom and I had never gone to church. She had a Bible and had taught me a lot of what was in it, but apparently her experience with her 'religious' parents had soured her on churches. I knew that most cities had homeless shelters and someone at a church could probably direct me to one, but though they might feed me and let me spend the night, they'd probably have me on my way back to Ralph in the morning. I knew I wasn't going back no matter what I had to do.
I sat on a large rock on the edge of the river and watched the water. It looked odd to see it flowing from right to left, the opposite of the way I'd always seen it. I took that as a good omen, like as long as I was here, my life could go in another direction. I thought about my plans and tried to adapt them to this new situation. I'd worked as a waiter in the coffee shop so I knew I could do that. I'd planned on starting out doing that in New York. My savings had been to help me get started, to find a room to stay in and supplement my earnings if I didn't make enough at first. Without any money I couldn't get a room, but it was late July and warm, so I could sleep outside for while. The important thing was to get a job and make some money right away. I had to eat, that was my first priority. A roof over my head could wait, though not for long.
It was starting to get dark so I decided to go back into town to look for a place to sleep. I'd passed a small park in the middle of the city that might have a secluded spot to curl up for the night. On the way back toward the highway I came to a narrow road that wound though the trees. I could make out several guys standing along the side of the road, most of them alone but a few grouped together. There were a few cars driving very slowly along the road, slowing down even more as they passed the guys. A couple of cars were pulled over. I'd heard about urban gangs and though there was nothing about these guys that looked dangerous, there were lots of them and only one of me, so I didn't want to go near them. I decided my rock along the river was as good a place as any to spend the night.
It took me a while to get comfortable on the hard ground, but once I fell asleep I was dead to the world. When I woke up the sun was high in the sky. I got up and first thing stepped behind a tree to pee. It was kind of silly since there was no one around, but I'd always been modest. I knew I'd have to find some place with a real bathroom before long. Bears may shit in the woods, but I don't. I went down to the edge of the river and splashed some water on my face. I was dying of thirst but even though the water looked lots cleaner than it did back home there was no way I was going to drink it. I ran my hands though my hair, trying to make sure it was somewhat neat but without a mirror it was impossible to tell.
I looked at my watch and saw that it was eight-thirty. It was unlikely that any restaurants would be open in the morning but coffee shops would be. I needed a job and I needed one that day, so I headed into the city. There was no one on the winding roadway this time as I crossed it, climbed up a small hill and then crossed the highway. I spent the next three hours wandering through the city, stopping in at every place that looked like they might have a job I was qualified for. None of them were hiring, but at least I got to use the bathroom at the first place I stopped. My stomach kept rumbling, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything in nearly twenty-four hours. It didn't help that every place I went into smelled so good.
A feeling of hopelessness was starting to set in around noon when I spotted a storefront across the street with a sign over it that said Frank's Restaurant. It looked more like a little luncheonette than a restaurant but what caught my attention was a Help Wanted sign in the window. I practically ran across the street and into the place and looked around. There was a cash register just to the left of the entrance and a counter that ran the length of the place behind it. The opposite wall was lined with booths. There was a row of tables down the middle. That was it. There was a short, heavyset woman with very short graying hair at the register. She wore no makeup and had a mean look to her.
"You just gonna stand there all day or what, kid?"
"Um, is Frank around?"
"Waddya want him for?'
"I saw the sign in the window. I'm looking for a job."
She looked me up and down. "Frank's been dead for ten years. He was my husband. I'm the boss now. I need a dishwasher. Can you do that?"
"Uh, I guess so, ma'am. I was looking for a waiter job, that's what I did before, but I used to help clean up, too."
"You'll never find a waiter job lookin' like you do. You look like shit. Best to keep you away from the customers. What did ya do, sleep in your clothes?"
"I don't usually look this bad but I just moved to town and I don't have an iron."
"The job pays six bucks an hour, Monday to Friday, seven to three. We're only open for breakfast and lunch. You want it?"
I tried to quickly calculate how much that came to in a week but math was never my best subject in school. I knew it was over two hundred a week, though.
"I'll take it. When can I start?"
"Right now if you want. There's a shitload of dishes piling up in the back that I was gonna have to do after closing."
"Great! Um, what about meals?" I was starving and the smell of the food was really driving me nuts. I had a little over a dollar in change in my pocket but I saw nothing on the menu board over the counter for that little.
"You want a lot, don'tcha? Tell you what. Anything you want for breakfast, three bucks. Lunch, four. I'll take it out of your pay at the end of the week."
"Fantastic! Thank you, ma'am."
"Enough of the ma'am shit. I'm Gert. What's yours?"
"I'm Jerry, Jeremiah Walton."
"Fuckin' hillbilly name." She handed me a piece of paper and a pen. "Write down your name, address and Social Security number. Payday's Friday."
I jotted down the info, making up an address. I was going to have to find a place to stay soon and when I did I could give her a real address. She pointed to the doorway in the back of the room.
"Okay, get your skinny little ass in there and start washing."
As I walked to the back I noticed a middle-aged waitress taking an order at a booth and another one, slightly younger, working the counter. When I got to the kitchen there was a short Asian man in his thirties working over the grill. He stopped for a second and looked at me.
"Hi, I'm Jerry, the new dishwasher."
"Jung," he grunted and pointed to the overflowing sink and counter on the other side of the room.
I saw a few aprons hanging on a hook on the wall so I put one on and went to work. I called over my shoulder, "Hey Jung, can you make me a cheeseburger and fries? Gert said I could pay her at the end of the week."
He nodded and kept right on working. A few minutes later he put a plate with my lunch on the counter next to me. I scarfed it down and kept working. I thought about my finances while I scrubbed. Two forty a week, the pay came to. Even after paying for meals I'd probably be able to start saving something. Now all I had to do was find a room. I tried to ask Jung about rooming houses in the area but apparently his knowledge of English didn't extend much beyond the menu. I introduced myself to the waitresses as they came into the kitchen to place orders and pick up food. Luann was working the tables and Betty the counter. I asked them both about a place to stay.
"Don't you have a place now?" Betty looked concerned.
"Uh, yeah, I do, but it's too far to walk every day, especially in bad weather. I was hoping to find something close by."
"Well, there's a rooming house a couple of blocks over where a guy who was working here last year stayed. It's not much but he never complained."
She didn't know the exact address but told me what block it was on and what the building looked like. By three o'clock I wasn't anywhere near done with the dishes, having started with a half-day backlog, but Gert came into the kitchen and told me to leave.
"I'm not payin' any overtime. You can catch up tomorrow. Remember, seven o'clock sharp. Only thing I hate worse than someone who's late is someone who doesn't show up at all."
As soon as I was out the door I headed for the rooming house. I found it with no problem. It was a three-story wood frame house with white vinyl siding. It looked like a big box and had a narrow alley running along either side. My heart jumped when I saw that hanging under the Rooms to Let sign next to the door was another smaller sign that said Vacancy. I rang the doorbell and stood there nervously shifting my weight from one foot to the other.
The door opened and I didn't know quite what to make of what I saw. The woman at the door must have been about sixty but thought she was thirty. Her hair was platinum blonde and it just had to be a wig. She was wearing tons of makeup, making her skin look ghostly pale, Her eye makeup made her look a bit like a raccoon and her lips were bright red. She was wearing a long lavender silk robe and had a glass with ice and some light brown liquid in one hand and a cigarette in a long holder in the other.
"Yes dear, how may I help you?" Her voice was a little raspy and she had a bit of a southern drawl.
I pointed to the sign next to the door. "I'm looking to rent a room."
"Why, certainly." She stepped aside and motioned for me to come in with a dramatic wave of her arm.
She led me into a sitting room just to the right of the front door. She sat gracefully in an armchair and motioned for me to sit as well. I looked around and there seemed to be an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts on every flat surface. There were probably a dozen empty glasses scattered around as well. There was a soap opera on the TV but she picked up the remote and hit the mute button.
"The rooms are $120 a week, payable in advance. You share the bathroom but each room has it's own sink. Fresh linens once a week."
"A hundred and twenty?"
She shrugged. "That's the going rate, honey. It's a decent neighborhood and I keep a clean house. You won't find a better deal around here."
'There goes half my paycheck', I thought. But it was two blocks from work and I didn't think she'd lie about what other places were charging. Besides, I didn't know of any other place. "Okay, I'll take it. Except I don't get paid until Friday so I won't have the money until then."
"Then come back on Friday. If I've still got a room available, it's yours."
I must have looked as disappointed as I felt. "Sorry, dear, but I've been burned too many times. No money, no room. I can't hold it for you without a deposit, but don't worry. It's been vacant for two weeks and I have another tenant leaving this week, so you'll probably find something available on Friday."
I left the rooming house feeling down and not at all confident. I figured I could sleep outside three more nights, that wasn't the problem, but I'd been so excited, first finding a job right away and then getting a lead on a nearby room. And then it felt like I'd run into a brick wall. There was nothing I could do about it, but it was still a disappointment. Three nights in the open air wouldn't be bad as long as it didn't rain. Three more days without a shower, though, and I'd be feeling pretty grungy and probably smelling pretty bad, too.
I wandered back down to the park by the river. Instead of going to my rock on the bank, I wandered around until I found a bench with a view of the river. The sun was dropping over Pennsylvania on the other side as I watched a few boats go by. I was trying to bring myself back up, to remind myself of the good things that had happened that day. I had a job: that was the most important thing. And on Friday I'd probably have a room. The job wasn't going to pay as much as I hoped and the room was going to cost more, but I could work around those things later. Right now I was just concerned with survival.
I saw a big golden dog run across the field in front of me and looked around to see where he'd come from. An old man was walking slowly in my direction. The dog circled back to him and ran around in circles, leaping in the air as he talked to him. When they got close to my bench the dog noticed me and ran over, sniffing me, burying his nose in my crotch. I scratched his ears and looked up at the man, who wasn't quite as old as I'd first thought, maybe about sixty.
"He's beautiful. What kind is he?"
"She's a golden retriever. Her name's Dixie."
She jumped up, putting her paws on my thighs, trying to sniff my mouth. I laughed in her face and rubbed her back. "Hey Dixie, how ya doin' girl?"
The man sat down on the other end of the bench. He was about six feet tall, had short dark hair with lots of gray in it and a few lines at the corners of his eyes. He looked a lot more dignified and comfortable that the woman at the rooming house who was probably the same age.
"You obviously like dogs," he said as I continued to scratch and rub Dixie.
"Yeah, but I never had one. I've lived in an apartment my whole life."
"They make good companions. They have an unlimited supply of love."
"She seems to have an unlimited supply of energy, too."
"Yes, she does. We spend a lot of time in this park but she never tires out."
"You live nearby?"
"Right over there." He pointed to the northern end of the park. I hadn't been up that way so I didn't know what was up there. "Are you from around here? I don't think I've seen you before."
"I just moved to town. I'm staying about a half a dozen blocks that way." I pointed toward the city. "Is this park safe at night?"
It was nearly dusk so it sounded like a natural question, although I was thinking in terms of overnight.
"Yeah, sure. There are some bad areas in this city but not around here."
"Oh, 'cause last night I was down by that little roadway over there and I saw lots of young guys just hanging around."
He laughed. "You don't have to be afraid of them. Those boys are just cruising."
"Cruising?" I had no idea what he meant.
"You know, looking for sex. Some for fun, some for money. Either way, they'll leave you alone unless you don't want to be left alone."
"Sex? You mean those guys were all gay?"
"You didn't see any women down there, did you? You shouldn't be so shocked. There are gay people all around."
"Yeah, I guess I knew that. It just hadn't occurred to me when I saw them, that's all."
As we sat it seemed to be getting darker by the minute.
"Well, I'd better take Dixie home. You take care of yourself."
"You too, mister."
"My name's Norman Fredericks." He held out his hand as he stood up.
"I'm Jerry Walton." I shook his hand.
"Nice meeting you. Maybe we'll run into each other again."
He called to Dixie and she followed him as he headed toward the northern end of the park.
I sat there thinking about the guys I'd seen down the road. I'd never known anyone else who was gay and it excited me that there were so many so near by. But Norman said those guys were there for sex. I had nothing against sex. I had lots of sexual fantasies and couldn't wait to try some things out, but first I really wanted to talk to someone, to find out what it was all about. And those guys probably weren't hanging out in the dark looking for someone to talk to.
I skirted the cruising area and found my way back to my rock on the riverbank. I set the alarm on my watch for six to make sure I got to work early and, using my knapsack as a pillow, curled up on the ground and went to sleep.
I must have looked like hell when I got to work in the morning. I don't know what Gert and the others thought but I spent the first ten minutes in the men's room trying to clean myself up. I stripped off all of my clothes and washed myself the best I could without a washcloth. I managed to squeeze my head into the small sink and washed my hair with the soap from the dispenser. I aimed the wall-mounted blow dryer all over my body to dry myself off. I took clean clothes from the knapsack and got dressed. I combed my hair and left it to dry the rest of the way by itself. When I left the men's room I felt ten times more human than when I went in.
"Well, that's better. You looked like you'd had a pretty rough night when you first walked in here."
"It wasn't so bad, Luann. I just don't wake up well and I was in a hurry to get here on time."
"It's seven o'clock, kid. Get to work." Gert pointed to the clock and then to the kitchen. "You've got lots left over from yesterday to get started on."
My eight hours at the sink felt like twenty-four but I got through it. I ate a huge breakfast and a huge lunch, waiting to have lunch until Jung was just about to turn off the grill. I'd made it through two days with only one meal; being able to have two meals a day was like a luxury.
I lucked out and got through two more nights under the stars without any rain. Cleaning up in the men's room at the restaurant wasn't so bad. The worst part was brushing my teeth using the liquid soap. I decided the first thing I was going to buy when I got paid was toothpaste. Friday afternoon Gert came into the kitchen a few minutes before three with my paycheck. I took one look and gasped -- $119.12.
"This can't be right. Shouldn't it be more that this?"
"Don't forget you only started on Tuesday and just worked two hours then. You had three breakfasts and four lunches. And then there's the taxes. Don't worry about it, kid. You'll have a full week next week and you'll bring home a lot more."
I just stared at the damn check, not believing how little it came to. "How can I cash this, Gert? I haven't got a bank account."
"There's a place on the next block but they'll rip you off with their fees. Stop by the register on your way out and I'll cash it for you."
As soon as I had the money in my pocket I was out the door heading for the rooming house. With the change I'd had in my pocket all week I had enough for the room. There would be nothing at all left for the week, but I had to get the room. I'd figure the rest out later. I rang the bell and the lady opened the door, looking just like the other day, only this time her silk robe was pink. She smiled at me.
"I'm so glad you came back, honey. The room is still available. Have you got the money?"
"Barely," I nodded.
She opened the door and gestured for me to some in. I followed her into her sitting room again and she held out her hand. I slowly counted out the money.
"You were right when you said barely, but it's all there, that's all that matters." She turned and took a key from a drawer and slipped it in a pocket in her robe. "You're in 203, follow me."
She talked to me over her shoulder as we went up the stairs.
"There's a bathroom on each floor. You can use any of them. No eating or smoking in the room. No overnight guests. No female guests in your room at any time. Keep the noise down, the walls are thin. Fresh linens every Friday."
She stopped at the first door on the left when we got to the second floor. She knocked. "Lady coming in," she called out and pushed the door open. It was a large bathroom. There were two booths, a urinal, a sink and three stall showers. The fixtures were old but the room looked clean. There was a young Hispanic guy on his knees scrubbing one of the showers. He was shirtless and though he looked small he was quite muscled. He looked up at me, smiled and winked.
The lady went back out and turned toward a door diagonally across the hall and I tagged along.
"That was Manuel. He's in 305. He does the cleaning in exchange for part of his rent. He's a nice boy, but he's a fairy, so keep your eyes open around him, unless you happen to swing that way, too."
She stopped, took the key from her pocket and turned, looking me over from head to toe.
"You don't look old enough to be swinging any way. How old are you?"
"Eighteen," I said as confidently as possible.
She frowned. "You wouldn't happen to have a driver's license to prove that, would you?"
"Um, no, I don't drive."
"Didn't think so." She shrugged. "I guess I'll just have to take your word for it then."
She unlocked the door, swung it open and stepped aside.
"Home sweet home."
I walked in and looked around. The room was maybe ten by twelve feet with a single window at the far end with a small table under it. There was a twin bed along the right wall and a small chest of drawers and a sink on the left wall. Next to the door was a metal shelf about seven feet off the floor. It had a folded blanket on it and a bar under it. I assumed that was the closet. There were no hangers, but then I had nothing that needed to be hung up. There was a bare mattress on the bed.
"You can get your linens from Manuel. Any questions?"
"Uh, yeah. What's your name?"
She giggled. "Oh my, did I really forget to tell you? I'm Lucille." She held her hand up toward me, not in the position to shake but more like she expected me to kiss the back of it. I didn't know what to do so I took it in my hand and shook if slightly.
"I'm Jerry. Pleased to meet you."
"I had a beau named Jerry years ago." She got a distant look in her eyes. "Good luck, Let me know if you need anything." She turned and glided down the hall toward the stairs.
I closed the door and looked around my new home. It was pretty grim, but clean. It was also nearly a hundred degrees. I dropped my knapsack on the floor, crossed the room and opened the window and then dropped onto the bed. The mattress was thinner than the one I was used to at home and there no sheets on it but I didn't care. After spending four nights on the riverbank, it felt like I was floating on a cloud. I lay there for quite a while, enjoying the comfort, trying not to think about how I was going to get through the weekend with no money. After a while I decided to unpack. That took nearly a full minute. All of my clothes didn't even fill the top drawer of the dresser. I put the picture of Mom on the table near the head of the bed and left the knapsack on the floor. I was done. I decided to go find Manuel and get some sheets and towels. I was dying for a shower.
I looked in the bathroom but he wasn't there so I went upstairs. Lucille had said he was in 305. I knocked on the door and a minute later he opened it. He was wearing a pair of faded gym shorts and he was covered with sweat.
"Hi, I'm Jerry. I just moved into 203 and Lucille said you'd give me some linens."
He shook my hand and nodded. "Manny. Been expecting you. Just a sec." He turned to his dresser and picked up a key. I looked around his room and it was just like mine, except he had a few posters on the wall and a fan in the window. He also had a small bench in the middle of the room and a pair of dumbbells on the floor.
"So that's how you stay in such great shape."
He looked at the bench. "Yeah, it's not much but it's a whole lot cheaper than a gym. C'mon."
I followed him halfway down the hall until he stopped and unlocked the door to a linen closet. He handed me a couple of sheets, a pillowcase, a towel and a washcloth.
"If you need anything else, let me know. Lucille doesn't like me giving out extras but if you've got an emergency, it's okay."
He locked up and we went back toward his room and an idea hit me.
"Would you be able to let me borrow your toothpaste? I just ran out and haven't had a chance to get to a store."
"Sure, no problem." He went over to his sink and picked up a tube.
"Thanks, you're a lifesaver. I'm going to take a shower now but I'll bring it back as soon as I'm done."
"Okay, I'll be going out in about twenty minutes, though."
I ran downstairs, dropped the sheets on the bed and stripped off my clothes. I wrapped the towel around my waist, grabbed my toothbrush and the toothpaste and went across the hall to the bathroom. There was no one around so I started the water, got the temperature adjusted, hung my towel on a hook next to the stall and jumped in. I pulled the plastic curtain closed and let the water run over me. In my room I'd realized that I should have asked Manny if I could borrow some soap as well, but I was in luck. There was a dispenser labeled body shampoo in the stall.
I don't think I'd ever appreciated a shower more. I brushed my teeth and then lathered myself up from head to toe. I felt like I could have stayed in there all evening. I absentmindedly played with my dick a little, plumping it up a bit as the water streamed over me. I was shaken from my dreamlike trance by the shower curtain being pulled back. Manny was standing there naked, grinning at me. My hands automatically dropped to cover my crotch. For a second I thought he was going to come into the shower with me.
"Done with the toothpaste? I've gotta get ready for work."
I handed him the tube while trying to keep myself covered with one hand. He kept grinning. "You shouldn't be hiding that thing. It's really something to be proud of."
I blushed and looked down and for the first time noticed his cock. He wasn't circumcised and while his was quite a bit shorter than mine, it was pretty thick. It was also totally hard. He took the toothpaste and closed the curtain and I heard him turn on the water in the next stall.
"You should really work out, Jerry. You've got the start of a good build." I could barely hear him over the two showers.
"Are you kidding? I'm a skinny runt."
"Sure you're small and thin, but you've got a good frame. Broad enough shoulders and chest, v-shaped torso, tiny waist with no love handles and slim hips, A little weight training and you'd have a great bod."
"It would take a lot of work and even then I don't think it would make much of a difference." I was done with my shower so I turned off the water, reached out and grabbed my towel and dried myself without leaving the stall.
"You'd be surprised what you can do if you do it right. I work out every day in my room around four. Come up some time and I'll give you some pointers."
"I'll think about it. Thanks for the toothpaste."
I went back to my room, made the bed and lay down for a while. I was pretty sure that Manny was just trying to get in my pants but I wondered about what he'd said. I'd always been so small. I didn't have a bad body if you liked thin, but naked I looked more like I was fourteen than sixteen. I sure didn't look like the eighteen I was claiming to be. Maybe I'd take him up on his offer. I was pretty sure he wouldn't force himself on me. After all, we had to live together. And Lucille had said he was a nice guy, for a fairy, that is. If all he wanted was my body, I'd just say no and leave. But if he was for real, maybe I'd make a friend.
To be continued.