Judging

JUDGING 4 - ACER'S STORIES - Blue

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Phil Ford

JUDGING 4 - ACER'S STORIES

BLUE

by Phil Ford

Acer drove up to his apartment in Amarillo. The trailer was covered in dust from the many miles he'd traveled since he washed it last. He went up the steps and checked his mailbox on the way to his door. One card was inside from his Aunt Colleen. She'd just returned from a vacation in Hawaii. 'It must be nice,' Acer thought. More mail would be waiting at his office. Someone came and collected it once a week, making sure he got anything urgent while he was on the road.

He gathered a few things from the apartment. It was a neat orderly little place. He'd never bothered to mess that up by adding too many personal possessions.

The coffee table displayed the latest editions of several trade and association magazines fanned out in one corner and refreshed by the gal who collected his mail. Work paid the rent and the bills. His closet held a few days changes of clothes diversified to meet the needs of any function that came up. It also held two fold up, roll away beds. He pulled them both out and moved them near the door to carry with him. The second bedroom had a bed even though it was set up as an office, if someone needed to stay overnight. Other judges with less job benefits sometimes relied on his hospitality.

Like many occupations, judging had a slack season. During that part of the year Acer needed to be near the offices for the meet and greet business done with event sponsors and to go through the schedules for the upcoming year. He was on salary and showing up at the office was optional. Promotion was essential. He'd take off at the drop of a hat to charm a sponsor out of some cash if it would get an event some attention. He had letters and emails already written and a list for follow up phone calls to be done after they went out. All that remained was adding details of the schedules, lining up some attractions for the events, and contacting new sponsors. He could do all that from any place but was stuck in Amarillo for the personal meetings. His pleasant manner, good looks, and winning smile, didn't shine through in a letter or an email.

After he landed his job straight out of college, a coworker had offered him a deal on twenty acres, thirty miles or so outside of Amarillo. At seven hundred an acre when the surrounding land was going for two thousand, he couldn't turn it down. The coworker's wife was about to file for divorce, being convinced he spent more time hunting two legged deer than he did judging. Acer preferred the three legged variety but there's no accounting for taste. The guy wanted cash in his hand to stash away before she filed because after that, under Texas law, half of everything was hers and she'd likely get their house on top of it.

The place had a horse barn, a hay barn, some lots, two wells, and a plumbed in slab where he'd intended to build a house. One well was low volume to supply the barn and the house and the other was an irrigation well dipping into the giant aquifer below and capable of flooding the twenty acres on demand. Like most of the land in the area, the topsoil was an eight foot thick layer of fine soil that could grow anything. Rocks were so far down, you'd have to mine to reach them.

He rolled the beds out the door and lugged them to his pickup one at a time. His friends Cotton and Logan from home were making the four hundred mile drive to help him work on the house. He doubted they'd need the beds, but you never knew.

Cotton had helped from the time he started work on the house. Logan wasn't really a close friend then. Cotton was the kind of guy that just naturally took to using any type of tool or machinery. He could walk around it, pick it up and get the feel of it in his hand, or turn it off and on a few times, and whatever it was, he had it figured out. Logan's skills and abilities were an unknown quantity. Then there was Blue. Blue had the place next to Acer's and was always in a bind for extra cash. One point Acer had to get across first was to let Blue know he couldn't tell the guys Acer paid him. That would cause some hurt feelings and Acer couldn't bear the thought of it.

He pushed the beds through the door to the front of the trailer and went to the back to check his horse. It had been a long drive getting to Amarillo. The horse's ears perked and focused on Acer when the door opened. "Ranger, we're going to have to change your name to dusty," He told him as he eased up to the horses flanks. He gave his butt a rub and continued talking, "You need a bath bad. You stink, too. You'll be out of this old trailer in no time. I promise you."

With Cotton's help, the first phase had been staining the slab, first in a Hershey's chocolate syrup color, then a plains red dirt tone, and an ochre yellow on top. When it was sealed, lines were cut with a concrete saw and grouted in a light grey for contrast. Next, stone faced concrete block went up around the sides, tied with steel into the slab and reinforced throughout.

Finally, Acer chose to go with metal studs which were a third the cost of wood. He used seed free straw bales to insulated the walls and one foot thick foam panels below the roof. The living room and kitchen were sheetrocked and the kitchen was functional. One bathroom was finished. The remainder of the house needed wiring, sheetrock, and the drywall finished and painted. Trim and closets could wait.

Acer had just gotten Ranger in the lot when a cloud of dust came roaring down the road toward him. It was Blue in his old seventy two Ford Pickup. Acer shut the gate to the lot swearing he'd be back in a minute to give Ranger a good washing. Blue sat there for a minute leaned forward over the steering wheel looking at Acer like a man seeing a cool glass of water after a long walk in the desert. He stepped out and leaned back against the truck door. Acer turned to Blue, standing beside his truck, "Will you help me get the trailer parked and hooked up?" he asked.

"Sure thing," Blue answered him. Blue lined him up and directed him to stop at the right spot on the pad beside the house. Acer crawled below the trailer, handed the electric cable to Blue, and reached in to grab the sewer line and secure it down to the drain pipe. "I'm yours as long as you need me Acer," Blue informed him. "I got fired from the truck wash last week. My pickup broke down and getting parts on foot ain't too easy. I guess I took too long fixing it and they hired someone else."

"I'm sorry to hear that Blue," Acer told him. "I hope the next job you get goes better. Do me a favor and don't mention I'm paying you to help, though. My friends are driving a long way to come help and they're working for free. It might ruffle some feathers, if you know what I mean."

"I wouldn't take it Acer, but you know what a hard time I have. Most of what I make goes for taxes on the farm and that's with a homestead exemption. Food comes second. I ain't had a beer in over a month," Blue declared.

Acer reached inside the trailer and tossed him one, opening one for himself. Blue's foamed up some from the toss. He gulped it down and Acer got him another one. "Do you think that might be because you won't be twenty one for a few months, Blue?"

"I'd say it's more because I haven't made one damn friend besides you in the two years since I moved here," Blue replied. "The guys at the truck wash ain't nothing but deadbeats looking to get out of doing any work. I think they'd steal anything that ain't tied down. I wouldn't piss on one of them if he caught fire."

"What about girls? Have you found a girlfriend?" Acer asked.

"Don't get mad at me Acer and I don't want to talk about it. I'd be different if I had a choice in the matter, but I didn't get one. Girls are just not my type."

"You're a good man, Blue. Don't you forget that. I'll never be mad at you for being yourself," Acer replied.

I get so lonely when you're not around Acer. I'm always wishing you'd pop up," Blue told him.

Blue was named for his grandfather, Otto Beckmann. Blue had been tagged on him because his eyes at two years old and still, were a deep unnatural sapphire blue. Most people thought he wore colored contact lenses, but he didn't. His hair was coal black and his skin rarely burned from the sun but never tanned darker than the color of honey. He was wide chested and hipped, and had played defensive tackle in high school football. He'd lost over twenty pounds from the poor diet he could afford living on his own.

Old Otto was born to German immigrant parents between the world wars. He got out of serving in Korea as a sole surviving son and was referred to by his neighbors as 'that damn kraut' which did nothing to engender them to him. He made a fortune growing mostly onions that got larger than grapefruits in the deep topsoil and with the pure water from the aquifer. In a taste test, you'd be hard pressed to tell which was his Texas T-1015 and which was a Vidalia. On his death, his many children each got an equal acreage with two sections left to Blue. Otto thought Blue's mother or father would sell off their share and Blue would be left with nothing, so he provided for him separately.

The place had an old four room house with shiplap siding built around nineteen hundred. He got eighty head of cattle, a nineteen forty nine Ford tractor with all the implements, and no money. He was now down to sixty head of cattle from paying the taxes. Life was an uphill struggle and the hill was winning.

"Did you ever get the hang of running your tractor?" Acer asked Blue.

"Fuck no. I get it planted and up and the first run through cultivating, I plow half my crop up. At least that tractor don't use much gas. I wouldn't get anything done if it did. Gas and diesel are so high now, I can only look for work around here. I'd spend everything I made on gas if I drove into Amarillo every day. My truck just gets twelve miles to the gallon," Blue explained. "I spent a hundred bucks on parts last week, too."

Acer grabbed himself a second beer and Blue a third one. He walked toward the horse barn with Blue following. "I've got to hose down Ranger," Acer stated. "He's pretty dirty and stinky from all the traveling. If you take the hose, I'll soap up the brush and scrub him down," Acer requested. With Blue's help, they made quick work of the task. Acer left Ranger's halter tied, with him up on concrete, because Acer knew the first thing the horse would do was roll in the dirt. By the time he was dry, Ranger would forget about rolling in the dirt and the bug killer in the soap would stop any itches he was having.

"I've got to 'fess up to something Blue," Acer told him. "Girls aren't my type either, if you want to put it that way."

"Don't you fuck with me Acer Caldwell!" Blue protested. "I still have this hose in my hand and I'll squirt you good if you do."

"I'm not fucking with you, Blue. I'm serious as a heart attack," Acer replied.

"I had a buddy I messed around with in high school on the football team," Blue explained. "It got to where I did all the helping out and all he did was complain that my dick was too big and he couldn't do anything for me. He brought another team member with him one day and got me to suck them both. The other guy told the whole team. They never told anyone outside our team and I never messed with any of them, but every time I saw one of the guys in town, he rub his fly and say, 'Got a few minutes, Blue?' and I'd say 'no.' I was never happier to leave a place in my life. I ain't got any other place to go from here."

"I told you so you'd know you weren't alone, not to cause you any trouble," Acer responded.

"What happens now?" Blue asked.

"I can't say, Blue. I'll tell you that my buddies Cotton and Logan want to play when they visit me. It ain't all work. I hope that won't bother you any," Acer replied.

"Hell, that won't bother me one bit. Give me a signal and I'll make myself scarce," Blue responded. "Watching would be more fun, though."

"Let's look around inside the house and see where we're at," Acer suggested. He was looking at Blue in a different light now. Blue wore his hair long. It hung past his shoulders now and was much shorter when he and Acer met. Haircuts were an optional expense. At the truck wash his appearance hadn't mattered. He had a goatee, too. That again was saving money he'd have to spend on razors. Acer doubted Blue's beard grew much more than what showed as the goatee, anyway While Acer usually liked his men clean cut, with Blue he settled for clean and Blue was that.

"I'm going to put on a pot of stew for supper first, Blue," Acer said, coming into the house. "Would you run out and take the halter off Ranger for me?" Blue scrambled out the door and returned minutes later. He rinsed out a pot in case it had collected some dust. He sent Blue out to the trailer for a couple of things while he got started and had it simmering in no time. He took two packages of complete corn bread mix, stirred them up, and got them in the oven, too, He reached over and patted Blue on the belly, saying, "I've got to fatten you up some while I've got the chance."

They walked through the house then with Acer sizing things up and telling Blue what he wanted to get done. Blue would stop him every little bit and ask a question. One was, "Do you think your friends would let me join in when you play?" and Acer said yes. They'd talk about the house some more. Again Blue asked, "Would you let me play, Acer?" Acer answered yes. After looking everywhere else they came to the finished bedroom. The mattress and springs were still wrapped in plastic from the store and leaned against the wall. Blue helped him get it unwrapped and set up. Acer brought out packages with a bedding set and pillows from the closet and they spread them on the bed. "Would you let me stay here with you for the next day or two until your friends arrive?" Blue asked. Acer answered that he'd like that.

Acer pushed Blue back on the bed and went to unbuckling his belt and getting his fly open. Blue was already rock hard. He took it until he felt Blue's short hair tickling his nose and began swallowing. Acer liked that done to him so he figured Blue would enjoy it. Blue was moaning and singing Acer praises. In less than two minutes Acer felt a throbbing begin and got a mouthful of Blue's jizz. Blue wanted to suck Acer next but Acer thought sixty nine would be better. After that, to show Blue he wasn't too big after all, Acer straddled him and Let Blue pound him through a couple more rounds.

Blue would have kept going like he'd never get a chance at sex again if Acer let him. Acer coaxed him into eating some stew and sitting around for a while.

Acer turned on the radio and Dwight Yoakum was singing 'Cowboys, Cadillacs, and Sweet Country Music.' Blue joined in singing. He had a good clear voice. He stopped halfway through the song apologizing, "I'm sorry. I'm by myself so much that singing along with the radio keeps me from feeling lonely. You're here now and I don't need to do that."

"I like your voice," Acer replied. "You go ahead and sing as much as you want."

"Why do you think my buddy did me like that, Acer?" Blue asked.

"Maybe the new wore off," Acer responded. "We both like guys and ain't afraid to admit it. Some guys go for what they see, for what turns them on, whether it's a man or a woman. After a while that attraction looses its strength. They want someone new and they've probably already been looking around."

"Athletes are a different story," Acer continued. "The guy might have the best looking girlfriend in town and talk bad about how he hates fags, but he spends as much of his time as he can with his friends. He likes the look of a strong masculine body and works to make his look the same way. I think a lot of athletes have buddies like you did. They just don't get caught playing around."

"Then there are the guys that are just too damn pretty," Acer went on. "Not pretty like a woman, but pretty like movie stars or models in magazine and television ads. Guys have been getting on their knees and girls have been spreading their legs for them since they grew a little short hair. They're hooked on the feeling they get when they cum before they hit high school. With all the best intentions in the world, they are so horney they can't be faithful and can't turn sex down unless something better is right there and ready to go. What the hell, I'm just four years older than you. What do I know?"

"What kinds of guys do you like, Acer?" Blue asked.

"I like a strong masculine good looking guy, but more than that I like a guy with a heart of gold. If I get the feeling you couldn't make him do me wrong, that is more important to me. I must not be alone. Look at old Lyle Lovett. He has to be the ugliest man on god's earth, but he was married to Julia Roberts. If he ain't got a heart of gold, it don't make a lick of sense."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Blue responded. "Sean Penn ain't no prize winner either and he was married to Madonna." The phone and satellite service had been turned back on the week before. Acer and Blue watched a movie. Before it finished Blue was asleep with his head resting in Acer's lap. Acer got him to get up and follow along when he went to bed. Blue slept like a log. Acer slept in fits and starts, waking all through the night. When Acer saw the sky brightening he got up, made coffee, and took a quick shower. He noticed Blue moving around when he was getting dressed and asked, "Hey big guy, do you drink coffee?"

Blue nodded a yes and Acer brought a cup for him. Acer went to the kitchen and took care of some work related business on his laptop. He couldn't throw everything he had ready at them in one shot. He emailed a number of letters and prepared emails to be sent out and a call back schedule. Every time he'd been shaking hands and meeting people at events over the last year, he'd been compiling a list of new sponsors to contact. Some were local for certain areas only and others would sponsor events nationwide. He sent a few from that list into his office, too.

Blue joined him fresh out of the shower and praising it, having had to use an old claw foot tub for the last couple of years. Acer was just pouring up a plate of scrambled eggs when he walked in. He'd cooked eight eggs knowing two was plenty for himself but sure Blue could manage the rest. "Do you have any irrigation pipe at your place, Blue?" Acer asked.

"Just the old aluminum pipe you move by hand," Blue answered. "The new stuff and the circle systems went to mom and my aunts and uncles. There is a lot of it. I've been so broke a few times I almost sold it for scrap."

"I might be able to help you get out of the pit you dug in the bottom of the hole you're in, if you'll go for it," Acer proposed. "I got a good raise this year. I do a feeder calf operation on my place down home, too. I'm not there enough to do a cow and calf deal and you've got to be around when they're calving. I get one head to ten acres but with the aquifer you could do one head to the acre here. If you want to go fifty-fifty, I can cover the calves, feed, fertilizer, and an expense account for you to get by on without going back to work and whatever else we need to do. We can even it up when we sell the stock and you'll make enough to do it own your own the next year. I'll make good money, too."

"Acer, you're rocking my world," Blue responded. "You better take a look at what I've got before you do anything. I can do the work but I can't buy shit."

Cotton and Logan arrived two days later. By the time they arrived Acer already had work started at Blue's place. Part of it was being put in costal, part in alfalfa, and part was reserved for crops so Blue could work on his tractoring skills. The house was finished in three weeks and Acer moved out of the apartment. Cotton and Logan hung around another week to help get some fences up on Blue's place so cattle would be loose on wet freshly irrigated ground. They came back a couple of times in the next two months to visit and help with other tasks as the new grass and alfalfa grew in. When it came closer to time for Acer to go out on the road, he and Blue were dreading the day. Acer had his schedule worked out, subject to changes, for the next nine months. He vowed to be back as much as he could and Blue would meet him when that was possible.

They held each other for an eternity that final morning. With a kiss on the cheek, Acer told Blue, "I'll see you when I see you," and drove away.