GRII-29
Green Room II
Chapter 29
Once the oldies were tucked away in bed, the younger people organized an impromptu party of their own. It was wild! and held in the stables, which is where we slept for the night. I can't remember if I had sex. Don't think so. It's all a bit of a blur.
Next morning, we were treated to a huge farm-style breakfast; eggs, bacon, chops, sausages, toast, pancakes, juice, cereal, coffee, you name it. Managed to get my cousin's girlfriend's email address. She slipped it to me, as well as her phone number, when her boyfriend wasn't looking.
It turned out to be a wicked weekend. My younger cousin and I are great mates now. Okay, so his older bro is a real prick, but I knew that already.
I don't see Bob much these days. He's focused on getting his school work together. Graham phoned last night. I told him all about my wild weekend. He must've had a raging cockstand by the time I finished. Also told him about my younger cousin and how hunky he is. Hahahaha!
"Yeah? I'll beat him up, and then he won't look so hunky anymore."
"Doubt it, mate. He looks pretty strong to me." Oops! That wasn't such a smart thing to say to my little ego-sensitive grommet friend. I could tell he was pissed when he said, "Might see you during the week. Gotta go!"
"Hey! I'm only kidding, Graham. Don't get so hung up. You could beat him with one hand tied behind your back. Actually, you and he would be pretty good mates. He's an ace surfer as well."
"So when's he coming to Byron? I can beat him up first, and then surf with him later."
"Hahahaha! You're worse than me, bro."
"Well, you beat up his older bro, so I'll kinda balance the family, hehehehe." Graham's a `hehehehe' person, and I'm the `hahahaha' type.
That night, I decided to read my story as G had written it. I'd already read the Fremantle chapters, but not the others; they reminded me too much of the fucked-up Stuart I used to be. Used to be? Lately, I took advantage of the winter swell and surfed daily. It was especially good this past week, and my surfer mate Graham was out there catching barrels with me most days.
Sex with him (albeit pretty tame)? Nope, not recently. I'd backed off quite a bit, with the result that the grommet felt a lot more comfortable in my company, and treated me like a good mate. So maybe the sex thing was a bad idea in the first place.
I also studied hard for the half-yearly exams in June. I figured Bob and I could study together since we shared the same classes. But each time I rocked around to his place, we studied each other's bods instead. It was impossible to hit the school books.
Anyway, I finally found time to read the whole Stuart story, up to its current stage. I could not believe I was that bad. At the time of reading, I hadn't even smoked so much as a joint for quite a few weeks. Serious. The last one was with that chick at the wedding. Okay, so being off drugs still wasn't easy street. I occasionally suffered the shakes and pains in the gut. And I'd sink into depression without any logical reason.
No, I hadn't grown a halo yet. But some things were on the improve. The atmos with my folks had gotten better as well. Hey, G, can you believe we actually sit together at meal times now? I can hardly believe it myself. We dine together and talk about everything; well, almost everything. What the hell had I missed all these years? And where had my folks been? Maybe the question was: where had I been?
Also cool is my new girlfriend, Julie. A really nice girl--shortish blonde hair and totally cute. She's a year older than me--the `older woman' story again. Hahahaha!
About a week later, I wrote G again, with `Just Something' in the subject line. I've been a total prick because I keep promising myself to write and thank you for everything you did for me, but I keep forgetting. Guess it's still a bit of the old acid head shit than stuffs my memory.
I read the Stuart story over and over again. I was so bad. I don't know how I got away with it for so long. And what I did to Graham, and the way I treated him, was sooooooo bad.
I understand now why he started that whole acid head campaign against me. If I were him, I would have done a lot worse. However, we're such good friends now, and it's cool. He likes Julie as well, and thinks she's totally adorable and cute. Don't we all?
You're not gonna believe this, G, but I haven't slipped my ol' fella into her yet. I dig her too much to risk spoiling what we have. We're into each other's pants, though, and enjoy stroking each other, and we get each other horny as hell. It's just that she's really special, and I don't wanna fuck things up like I always do.
With Graham now, we say whatever we like to each other, and things always turn out okay, which says a lot about how our friendship has developed. He still turns me on--make no mistake. And I guess there will be another time we sleep together. I'd like it to be more than sex, though. I'll do a caring Kyle instead of a fucked-up Stuart.
I see Susan and Melanie now and then. They're still good friends despite the lengthy separation.
It's not been easy for me the past few weeks. I guess it's like someone who quit smoking. I'm tempted to grab things and throw them around because my head gets so messed up. I don't miss the grass, which is weird. But then, that stuff's not so addictive. It's the shit that goes with it.
Meanwhile, things with my folks are getting there. That's like the biggest surprise of all for me. My dad even gave me some bucks the other night to take Julie out. He likes her, and thinks she'll be good for me.
My dad and I stuff around with the boxing bag about twice a week. Hey, G, don't hassle. I go easy on him. Hahahaha! But the bastard hit me a shot the other day that sent me flying back on my ass. He waited for me to get to my feet, shouting and cussing, but when that didn't happen, he got all worried that he'd hurt me. "Hey! You think you got a wuss for a son or what?"
My dad and I have yet to reach the hug stage--if it ever happens. I hug my mom, though, and she even said she thought I was a hunky dude. Yo!
Kyle's folks? They're doing well. The difficult time is not far off, though. His birthday is July 1, the first since he died.
Graham is organizing a few of the juniors in the swim team that Kyle helped train, to go out on their surfboards to commemorate the Starman's birthday on the back line. He invited me to join them. I'm not sure if Mr. or Mrs. T will be there. But, at least, they'll know the guys will be there, and that they all still love Kyle a stack.
I joined Kyle's folks for dinner the other night. It was really cool because we were able to talk about Kyle and laugh at the things we fondly remember. Always the joker; always so full of life and fun. And it was great to know the Ts enjoyed the conversation.
I can't believe that Kyle's room is still the same. Dusted and clean, surfboard on the wall, still waxed from the last time he applied it, Endless Summer poster, everything just as he left it--a special place for Graham to visit. A shrine.
Once I've had a few weeks of staying clean, Kyle's folks will take Julie, Graham, his girl, and me to dinner as a reward. Cool, huh? Mr. T has been really good for me. I'm beginning to see more of him in my own dad, now that I've stopped all my fucked-up bullshit.
Graham still spends a load of time at Kyle's house. He breezes in every day, all chirpy and beaming. He's very special to the Ts, like Kyle's younger bro.
So, G, you can see things are going pretty tightly at the mo. That wouldn't be the case if you hadn't pushed and pushed me, and kept at me. For what it's worth, thanks a stack. I reckon the full impact of what you have done for me won't register fully until later. But I know what it's worth right now, after reading the Stuart story several times.
I felt better after sending that email to G. I said things I wouldn't have thought possible a few months ago, from a fucked-up Stuart to respectable Stuart. Woohoo! And suddenly I had internet friends who read G's account of my woes and generously offered their support and encouragement.
Next thing, I was back hitting the books for the upcoming mid-year exams. I studied my tits off--cool tits, mind you. In order to study properly, I wrote little points as I went through the work. I broke the day into 3 segments of one subject each, taking short breaks in between.
I told G I'd just finished my Math 1 paper. It went well, but math had always been one of my better subjects. It helped me gauge the size of a willie just by observing the bulge in the crotch. Hahahaha! Or the curves on a hot chick. Those kinda questions weren't part of the paper, though. Hahaha!
Hey, what was I laughing at? Those thoughts made me horny. I hadn't had sex in ages, and the muscles in my right wrist were getting buff. Had to keep the motor running, I reckoned, or I'd end up with a permanently limp dick.
I also told G about the latest sparring session with my dad. I got him really sweating, hahaha! I figured he was confused as to why I was no longer such an easy target. But it wasn't only my boxing defense that had improved, I landed a few smacks on him as well. Thanks for the lessons, Brett.
Meanwhile, we were in for a wet weekend, which, hopefully, promised good surf. We'd enjoyed really awesome surf lately, and I managed at least an hour a day. "You're surfing well now, Graham, but you got no bloody fear!" I commented one afternoon as we walked home barefoot, boards tucked under our arms.
"So what the hell did I do now?"
"You almost killed yourself out there."
"I'm still here, aren't I?"
"I remember the first time you paddled out there with Kyle and me--the first few times, actually, and you used to get nailed."
"I don't remember getting nailed."
"Yeah, right, but you kept going back for more!"
"That's how you learn, right? Now I just totally rave on anything and everything that comes my way. Cool, huh?"
"You still get nailed, mate, but I have to admit your recovery is damn quick these days. Hey, we all get nailed. I got hammered by a wave the other day and thought I was gonna drown. I tried to paddle over that mountain of water, but my timing was shit, and the huge thing took me down big time. It seemed I was underwater for way too many seconds. I began to panic because it took so bloody long to surface. My lungs were on fire before I managed to breathe fresh air again. Pretty damn scary!"
"Wuss."
"Yeah, right. You've forgotten about that time at Ballina, you smartass grommet. Remember that? You going over the falls shortly after you first started surfing? You were totally nailed to the deck, coughing and spluttering and freaking. Kyle saw it happen, and he and I helped you get back on your stick, and head back to the surf." Graham became emotional so I asked him what the matter was.
"Nothing."
"You're all teary."
"Can't help it. Kyle saved my life that day."
"Kyle saved a lotta lives, Graham. More than you'll ever know."
"Not yours. You're an ace surfer."
"I'm not just talking about surfing, mate."