Dan and Ben at Sixty-two is the fourth series of stories about Dan Morse and Ben Schermer and the characters who are part of their lives. The previous series are: Reunion at Forty-Eight, Dan and Ben at Fifty-Five, and Dan and Ben at Sixty, all available on Nifty. If reading series four leaves you with the sense that you are missing some pieces from their earlier lives, I would suggest you go back to the previous series. As always, I am very grateful for your readership and welcome any feedback.
Remember to support Nifty, a site that presents so much good erotica. Your contributions to Nifty are welcome. Be well.
Ezra Randle
miwisco@yahoo.com
Dan and Ben at Sixty-Two--Chapter One By Ezra Randle
Gary was shoveling the latest March snowfall when Old Raymond, as Ben affectionately called his next door neighbor, Ray Desmond, leaned against his snow blower. "Is Ben's blower not working, Gary?"
"Hey, Ray. It's working fine. This is a workout routine for me, especially on a Saturday when I don't have to head off to work."
Ray smiled. "How's it going at OnLineMed? They're in the news all the time. With that big expansion at the Verona campus."
"It's going well. I told you a month ago I was trying to persuade Ben to apply out there, but he's resistant."
"Gary, maybe you don't understand loyalty. FirstEnd took Ben on when he was struggling without work years ago. He feels like he owes them."
"Did he tell you that or are you just making it up based on your own time at CUNA. Because, Ray, the workplace has become a different place. People don't stay at the same job like they used to. Like you did for fifty years."
Ray laughed at Gary. "Thirty-six years. But I get your point. Is Ben around?"
"Yeah, he slept in and then Annie called.
"It's a sad thing about Marnie. Not accepting you two."
"What do you mean Ray?"
"The roommate story worked for a while and maybe it still does with some of the neighbors. But I figured out what's going on pretty much right away. Haven't told anyone, including my wife who is still buying the roommate story. She never liked Maureen anyway and was happy she moved on."
Ben came out of the house just then, dressed for a walk. "Hey, Ray, want to walk to the park and back with me?"
"Yeah, can you wait until I put the blower away and change my boots?"
"Sure."
After Ray walked off chasing his machine, Gary said, "Ray knows we're a couple. Did you know that?"
"Doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Ray's a smart guy."
"But all this time, you've kept telling me to keep things on the down low when we're out in the yard or walking in the neighborhood."
"He might be the only one to have figured it out. The neighborhood is in such transition with older couples moving on and younger families moving in, most of them don't even know me anymore."
Ben leaned in and gave Gary a peck on the cheek. "Now you're mocking me for being careful," Gary said, a cute smile cutting through his frosted moustache.
Ben laughed. "Ray's inspired me. He and I have talked a bit over the months since you've moved in. He knows about Marnie. I told him it was over me divorcing Maureen. But he probably figured it out. Over the years, I've asked him to keep an eye on my place since he's home most of the time. Which I think gives him license to look through the windows. He's probably seen us kiss for real or maybe seen us naked in the kitchen."
Gary laughed. "Let me know when you out us to anyone else. So I know when to let my guard down."
"You walk a straight line all day at work, right?"
"I get it. I'm not offended. I'm still pretty much a stranger in the neighborhood and you've been here forever. By the way, I like it when you don't shave on weekends. Maybe you'll let it grow this time."
"I doubt it. I'm like Ray. A creature of habit."
Ray's overhead garage door descended and Ray came out in his winter walking gear. "Here he comes. You OK to finish the shoveling while I walk with Ray?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Ben had always liked Ray from the moment he and Ellie bought the house over thirty years ago. At the time, Ray was raising two girls and a boy working a career in finance at CUNA Mutual. He was a quiet neighbor for the most part, appreciative of the purpose of backyard fences, though he himself never built one to separate his yard from Ben's. He kept to himself but had an inquisitive nature. Some of the neighbors called him a snoop, but Ben liked the fact that Ray was protective of their mutual turf. He had given Ray a copy of his house key years ago to keep a lookout on his place when he was gone. Their girls had played together, but he and Ray had never become close friends. Just solid neighbors. Ray was a big man. About the same height as Ben and Gary. He was trimmer by twenty pounds and took care of his physical condition. In the summer, it was not uncommon for him to be doing yard work wearing just a pair of shorts and his beat-up sneakers. Ben admired his ability to stay trim.
Ray had loved Ellie, to the point where both he and Ellie realized he had a genuine crush on her. When Ellie passed on eleven years ago, Ray was bereft. He often stopped over to see how Ben was doing in the aftermath. And when he witnessed Ben's decline and depression, he tried to do all he could to help. That turned out to be mostly mutual crying sessions at Ben's kitchen table. Ray never warmed to Maureen, though he was cordial to her, unlike his wife, Celeste, who seemed to dismiss Maureen's entry into Ben's life from the beginning. Ben never held Celeste's behavior against Ray. In fact, Ray's affectionate relationship with Maureen's son, Peter, was a genuinely beautiful thing to observe. Something that elevated Ben's opinion of Ray dramatically. Perhaps Ray had figured out that Peter was gay, but he definitely didn't know Ben was seeing men until a short time after Gary moved in. He and Ray hadn't talked about his relationship with Gary, but given what Ray had just said to Gary, Ben thought it was time to clear the air.
"Ray, Gary just told me you think he's more than my roommate."
Ray laughed. "You practically told me that when you first introduced him to me."
"Now how did I do that?"
"You said he'd be coming and going with freedom. Using half of your garage for his car. That I shouldn't be concerned. You knew Gary from working together and he needed a place to stay. You thought having a roommate after Maureen moved on would be a good idea. It was pretty easy to figure out."
Ben smiled. "Because I know you better than that, I'd say there was more to it."
Ray laughed. "I've been watching you two. You're too friendly to be just roommates."
"What do you mean?"
"Sometimes when I look into the kitchen window, I see you kissing. One time I saw you dancing together to that old song I just love, "My Buddy." You guys were singing along to the recording. It was very beautiful. And, of course, I saw Gary naked one morning on the back deck. He was careful about it. Had a towel covering his cock when he sat down. But I got a pretty good glimpse of his chunky butt. It all added up."
Despite some concern about what Ray had just revealed, Ben still found it amusing. "Did you tell Celeste what you thought?"
"Heavens, no. She's still happy Maureen left and is convinced you are helping a nice young man with his housing needs. That's all she needs to know."
They walked in silence for a block, the fresh snow crunching beneath their boots. Some sidewalks had been shoveled, but most had not. They veered into the street which had already been plowed. "Ben, just so you know, I really like Gary. He's funny and relentlessly upbeat. I understand why you like him. You guys are much braver than I could ever be."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing much. You have the courage to live your convictions. That's all."
Five days later, Ben came home from work an hour early, and Ray was sitting at his kitchen table. Totally surprised, Ben stood next to Ray. "What's going on, Ray?"
"I'm sorry. I meant to be out of here by the time you came home. I misjudged the time."
"I'm an hour early, Ray. But what are you doing here?"
Ray started sniffling. "I'm really sorry. I've used your key to get in several times since we had our talk the other day. I guess I just wanted to be inside here. Where you guys eat and sleep and love each other. I'm really sorry if I've broken your trust."
Ben sat down next to him and touched his arm. "I'm not upset you're here. I just want to understand it."
"It's too long of a story, Ben. I should get going before Gary gets home."
"No. You can't go now. You owe me an explanation."
"I'm so ashamed. Please forgive me."
Ben shook his head. "Ray. What do you do when you let yourself in?"
"I take off my galoshes and walk around. Sit in the living room. Go into the laundry room and see your dirty clothes mixed together in the basket. Go up to your room and lie down on your bed. Mostly I just sit at the table here and dream of what might have been."
Ben finally removed his winter coat and changed out of his shoes. He loosened his tie and let it hang loosely around his neck. "Want a beer, Ray?"
"No, I better not."
"How about we split one?"
Ray didn't respond, so Ben poured his beer into two glasses and set one in front of Ray. "Thanks, Ben. That's decent of you. You could be calling the cops."
Ben touched Ray's hand again and said, "Do you want to tell me more? Or just keep it inside you for a better time?"
"That's the thing. There was never a better time for me. I thought it might work out."
They heard Gary pulling into the driveway, the garage door opening, and the car door shut in the garage. "We should wait for another time, don't you think?"
Ray nodded and stood up. "Here, take your key," he said as he slid it across the counter.
"I still trust you, Ray. But you've got to tell me sometime. OK?"
Gary came through the kitchen door. "Hey, Ray, how's it going?"
"Ray was just heading out. He was telling me about a new family down the street."
Ray headed out the garage door. Gary looked at Ben, "What the fuck?"
"Long story. I'll tell you during supper. How was your day?"
"Good. Low stress."
They embraced and kissed. Ben looked out the kitchen window toward Ray's driveway, then kissed Gary again.
"What's for supper?"
"The chicken stew's been percolating all day in the slow cooker. I'll start a pot of rice. When do you want to eat?"
"How about forty-five minutes?"
"Sounds good."
Ben sat on his bed thinking about Ray. Obviously, he had a story to tell, but Ben had no idea if he'd ever tell it to him. It wasn't like they were close friends. But somehow finding Ray in his kitchen when he should have been watching television in his own living room unnerved him. He changed into sweats and went back down to start the rice. Gary was sitting at the table, dressed in his house clothes which were much like his own. Sometimes they even wore each other's sweat pants.
"Forgot to ask amid Ray's leaving, but how was your day?" Gary asked.
"Nothing that unusual."
"Did you think any more about what I mentioned a few weeks ago? Applying to OnLineMed?"
"Not much. I think the pension thing is too big at this point in my career. Besides, I don't think they'd be that keen on hiring a sixty-two year old."
"You know how long I've been living here?"
"A year plus."
"Fourteen months today."
"Happy anniversary. Did you think you'd stay when you first moved in?"
"I didn't want to as you know. I thought it would be better for us if I had my own place and saw you whenever we could."
"Then you saw how much money you were saving?"
"Well, there's that. No small thing. But I think it's worked out pretty well. Should I be spending more time downstairs in my room?"
"At night or in general?"
"Either one."
"I'm a pretty sociable person, Gary. So l like having you around. That's part of why I do the meal thing. I want us to be together every evening. We do pretty well with that."
"Yes, we do. I'm really appreciative of your cooking."
"And you are a great clean-up guy. I figured you more for a slob."
"Well, my digs downstairs are in the "old Gary" mode in terms of keeping things straightened up."
"As it should be. I don't want to remake you entirely," Ben said with a smile.
"I'm not doubting what we have, Ben. But are you happy I'm here, day after day? I know it's caused some grief with your daughters."
"You're one for three. Marnie wishes you were gone and I was straight. Jessie tolerates you and doesn't hate me which has always been her MO with me. And Annie loves you. So do her kids. Not bad, Gary."
"You'd get along with all of them better if I wasn't around."
"Marnie and Jessie didn't much like Maureen either. Don't worry about them. If you think we need more space and you need to move out, let's talk about it. But if you think I'm dissatisfied, you're heading up the wrong tree."
"Thanks. I guess I needed some reassurance. Something happened to my thinking after Ray blabbed about us being a gay couple the other day."
"Did you think you were hiding out before that?"
"That's not it. Must be even harder for you?"
"Sometimes. Then I have to be a man and stand up to it. But as you know, I don't move very quickly with it."
"Took you awhile with your daughters." Gary smiled. "Sometimes I feel like you're my daddy. Taking care of me like this. I know I've told you I'm not into that sexually."
"I don't want to be your daddy, Gary. I've reiterated that enough times. I care about you so much that I want to make my house your house. Maybe you'll never feel that way. And maybe I'm too possessive about it being my house."
"Actually, you're not, Ben. Every day I feel more at home here. And if it's only my choice, I wouldn't ever leave. Maybe it's a good sign that Ray sees us as a couple not as roommates."
Ben turned down the heat on the rice. "Come here."
Gary walked over to Ben. "Can I kiss you, right here in the kitchen, by the window that Ray likes to observe us through?"
They embraced and kissed deeply, half smiling through the kiss.
They were in the middle of dinner when there was a knock at the back door. Ben got up and saw it was Ray. "You're back. Come join us for dinner."
"I had a little time at home with Celeste before she went out. Some church function."
Gary smiled and greeted Ray. "Hey, Ray, heard you've been breaking and entering boss's house. Anything valuable I ought to know about?"
Ray smiled. "I checked out your bedroom. All I saw were a bunch of sex toys and bottles of lube."
Gary broke out laughing and Ben said, "Raymond, we don't talk about stuff like at the dinner table. Now sit down. Can I fix you a plate?"
"Just a small portion."
"Water OK?"
Ray nodded and tasted the food. "You boys do all right with the food preparation. This is good."
"Ben's the chef. I clean up afterward."
"I came back to tell you my story. I was sitting at home and knew I had to get it out. Or it would keep me up all night."
"Go ahead, Ray."
"You know I spent my career working at CUNA. I knew a guy there. Jack. He was in another department, but I saw him every day. At first it was at breaks, then we started eating lunch together most days. He was fun to talk to. We both enjoyed each other. He invited me out for a few beers one Friday, and we had such a good time we started doing it every Friday. Celeste and the kids always had something going on Friday nights, so they didn't miss me when I came in at seven. It was the most fun I'd had with a male friend since college. One Friday, we were sitting at a small table in the corner of the bar and I felt his knee touching mine. And he left it there. I didn't move mine. It was like electricity running up my leg to my cock. I can't recall if I got hard but I'm sure I was very aroused. After ten minutes of saying very little, he put his hand on my thigh and rubbed it a little. I did the same with his. After twenty minutes, he invited me to his home on the near west side of Madison. When I came in the door, he led me to his bedroom and we kissed. My heavens. There had never been a kiss like that in my life. He undressed me. I couldn't take his clothes off. Like I was almost paralyzed. He undressed himself and pulled me under the sheets. We kissed for an hour. Touching each other over and over. Eventually he slid down and licked me. I don't think I lasted very long and he said the next time would be better. I wanted him so much and started sucking him. He came quickly, too. The cum just sat in my mouth. He said, "You can swallow it or kiss me and we can share it." I did both I suppose. Then we spent another hour holding each other. I got hard again and this time he jacked me off as he touched my ass."
"Wow. How long did it go on," Gary asked.
"Almost two years. We did everything we had time to do. I don't know if you guys fuck. But we did that. It was glorious. I thought about him all the time. I was lucky because Celeste was done have sex with me. Some weeks I saw him twice. I was totally smitten. Then one night, he said, `Ray, either you've got to leave your family or I'm going to give you up. I need to know.' It wasn't the first time he said that. It was just the first time he meant it. I couldn't leave my family. He knew that ahead of time."
"What happened?"
"It ended. We had one more night. So spectacular I wept when it was over. And then I gave it up."