JUDGING 6 -- ACER'S STORIES
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Phil Ford
JUDGING 6 - ACER's STORIES
THE LOVER LEFT BEHIND
By Phil Ford
Acer was headed west on Interstate eighty, going toward Livingston. He finished passing out ribbons and prize money the afternoon before, driven to Billings and slept until three, showered, dressed, and left before five. When the show in Livingston was done he'd spend the night, turn in the rented SUV and fly to Amarillo through Denver the next afternoon, and rest a couple of days before heading down home for the annual stock show and rodeo with his partner Blue. He hadn't been able to make it home in a long while. A month earlier, he and Blue got together in Kansas City for a few days, but most of the last month was spent driving the rental to smaller towns. Trying to get a hotel room in Livingston proved impossible. His reservation was at a motel near a truck stop an hour from his destination. It was a hundred miles closer than Billings. Either a good tourist season or other local events had all the rooms there booked way in advance.
He'd dropped the key card in the slot. The lights behind the glassed in desk were dark but the large pot of coffee was full and he'd taken two large cups. It was at the ramp he spotted the cowboy resting with his hat pulled down and a sign sitting in front of him of a hand with the thumb out. He usually didn't pick anyone up. It was the hat that reeled him in. The guy was asleep and Acer had to wake him up to give him a ride. "Chad", he'd said, from near Spokane and headed home but not in any hurry. He had that Brad Pitt look from 'Thelma and Louise' but maybe better dressed, sort of. He wore a black western shirt with zigzagged stripes in red, orange, and yellow across the chest, left unsnapped in front and at the cuffs. Underneath the open front was a dove grey t-shirt with blue letters saying, 'pick me' and larger red letters below that that read, 'STUD.' His boot heels were extra high, probably to make him look taller because they wouldn't be great for ranch work like that. He lacked a belt and a top button on his black jeans, too. Chad took the second cup and was coming to life. "So, do you hitch hike a lot?" Acer asked him.
"As that lady Blanche in the movie 'Streetcar Named Desire' says, 'I have always relied on the kindness of strangers'," Chad quoted. "My mama loved that movie. I had to sit through it a hundred times at least. I think she liked the look of a young Marlon Brando without a shirt. Hell, he was a fat old man in 'Godfather' when she was a little girl. Mom's name is Stella, the name of Brando's wife in the movie. The truth is, I had a bus pass and lost it. I was at the derby in Louisville. I had the pass and my cell phone in my back pocket. I thought a guy was feeling me up, but he was picking my pocket. My wallet was in my boot leg. I've got plastic if I need anything and hitching hasn't been bad but a few times. I'm just traveling around. I've never been far before except one trip to Seattle and another one to Portland. I'm going home for a week and see California next. I go back to college in the fall." The coffee goes down fast and Acer stops for more and a quick piss. Getting out, Chad sheds the black shirt and puts it in the backpack he's carrying. Acer takes the middle urinal because the first on is little boy height and Chad steps up to that one. They both check each other out, but pretend not to. Chad has a silhouette of a cowboy on a bucking horse on the back of his t-shirt that reads 'Bareback Limited.' Acer had never heard of a company by that name associated with cowboys, rodeos, or ranching. He didn't think it was a clothing line either.
"My dad hired help for the ranch since I went to college," Chad continues. "He said it wasn't worth trying to wake me up every morning and arguing with me, so I got the summer free. He says if my grades don't go up, I have to enlist. I'll look for other options before it comes to that."
"Why's that?" Acer inquired.
"It's not because I ain't patriotic. I just don't want to talk about it," Chad answers.
"I guess it's on of those 'Don't ask, don't tell' kind of things," Acer joked.
"Yeah, sort of," Chad answered. "I have a buddy who is my best friend, who joined up. He wasn't there a week before he got hurt. That was a year ago. He's still recovering and they haven't let me see him since he came back. Maybe I'll get to see him here in a few days when I get home. I went on this trip because of him. When we were growing up, his parents took him places all the time. They loved to travel. Mine always stayed at home. He'd send me picture postcards and when he got back, he'd tell me everything he saw and did, and all the places he went. It made me feel like I'd been right there with him. Since he's still in bad shape, I want to give him what he gave me back then."
Chad leaned the seat back and slept until they reached the motel. Acer was able to check in. Normally motels didn't let you until noon and it was seven in the morning. "We only have six guests," The desk clerk told him and handed him the keys. Acer had been afraid he'd loose the room and only stopped to pay in advance. He carried his bags up and Chad asked if he could leave his backpack, saying he'd get it later or in the morning. If he didn't make it, Acer was to leave it at the desk with a tag saying 'Chad Warren.' Chad wanted to do the tourist bit and maybe wander over to Bozeman while he had the chance. Acer dropped him off in Livingston.
When his day was done Acer went out to eat. He was sick of burgers, barbeque sandwiches, and corny dogs, the main things available at shows. He had a couple of beers in a bar after that and got to his room about eleven. A sign by the elevator had said there was a gym and whirlpool in the basement. He'd seen no sign of Chad so he threw on a pair of shorts and went down. He passed by a coin laundry and the sign beside the door said, 'Closed at 10 PM', but trying the door, Acer found it open, just dark inside. He flipped one switch and a few small lights came on around the room. He turned the lock so he wouldn't get run out and looked around. It had a sauna, a steam room, a whirlpool, and a variety of exercise machines. The whirlpool was hot and bubbling. The sauna was cold and would take too long to heat up. He could see steam escaping below the door of the steam room, so he dropped his shorts, set them on a table and grabbed a towel from the stack. Inside, you could see a foot from your face if you were lucky. He felt his way to the bench and heard moaning as he sat down. He scooted toward the sound and when he could see who was there, it was Chad with his eyes shut tight, pounding away on his dick. Acer went to his knees and placed a hand on Chad's belly and the other on a nipple, massaging with both of them. Chad's eyes flew open and he shot a load that painted him from his face down, including Acer's hands. "Do you feel like doing that a few more times?" Acer asked him.
"Hell yeah Acer," Chad answered. "Where'd you come from?"
"I saw the sign and came down to check it out. I locked the door. It's supposed to be closed," Acer stated.
"My hand might be virgin territory to you, but to me, she's the same old bitch I see every night," Chad told him. "If you want to play, I'm up for anything. I've only had Rosie since my buddy joined up."
"I had a feeling you were closer to him than you were saying," Acer said.
"Were is the right word. I tried to talk him out of joining. I gave him every reason in the book. We had a big fight and he joined the next morning and left the same day. He left me behind. Together we could have taken on the whole world and won. The military don't work like that. We'd have been separated and probably ended up getting kicked out. Now I've been just down the road for over a year. I'm still left behind, but in the past this time. It's his dad. He's the one that won't let me see him. His sister says he asks about me every day."
"I had to leave Blue, my partner, behind, too. We sunk nearly everything we had into a farm and it takes my salary to be sure it keeps going until we hit a payday. He works his ass off. I see him once a month if I'm lucky," Acer confessed. "We have it better than you do. I hope your situation improves."
"You look even hotter without any clothes," Chad commented. "Will your buddy be pissed if you play around?" Chad was ready to go again.
"No, he's fine with it. I think my room would be a better place, if you want to go up there. Of course, the chance of getting caught does add to the excitement," Acer suggested. Chad agreed and when he stood up, the advantage of his boot heels was obvious. In bare feet Chad was about five foot nine. In his boots he was six foot two. Even the length of his jeans was cut to fall a half inch above the floor in his boots but covered most of his bare foot without them. Chad noticed the look Acer was giving him. "Height is an equalizer for a guy traveling alone," he told Acer. "I have regular boots back home, but they still make you taller."
"You're a nice looking package either way," Acer replied.
"I know how you cowboys are. You'll tell a guy anything to get in his pants," Chad joked. "But thanks for saying so."
Acer swiped the key card, opening the door and they stepped in. "We could have come up naked or with just a towel around us," he commented. "I haven't seen anyone but the desk clerk in this place." Acer's shorts came off faster than Chad's clothes so he helped him get out of them.
As Chad pulled his boots off, he said, "I started the trip with different boots. I got these in the town where Dr. Pepper was created, Dublin, Texas. A lady there named Wendy claims to be the only saddle maker left in the world. She says all the rest are just assemblers. At her place, called Wendy's Saddlery, she makes damn good custom boots, too, and these fit what I wanted." Down to skin, they started with a long make out session and followed that by doing sixty-nine. Acer's shaft was longer by over an inch, but in all other ways they matched and both would reach into your throat. That first release came quickly. Chad wanted Acer to fuck him next, straddling his legs and driving into his ass like a rider mounted on a horse. "I will if you fuck me next," Acer agreed. "You're not just a bottom are you?"
(Author's note: Wendy doesn't make boots, just the best saddles in the world, but this IS fiction.)
"When you learn about sex with your best friend, you each take turns," Chad answered. "I never considered doing just giving or receiving. I'd be missing something if I didn't do both." Chad took Acer from the back next, followed by Acer taking him again laying facing Acer and they made out throughout the joining. "Just being touched for a change would have been nice, but fucking is so much better," Chad exclaimed.
They fell to sleep after that last fuck, curled together in the center of the bed. When they were up, showered and dressed, Chad asked to use the phone to try and call his buddy. "Let me try something," Acer offered. Chad gave him the number saying his friend's name was Ron. Acer used his cell phone. When it was answered he said, "Can I speak to Ron, please. This is Acer Caldwell, a friend from the military."
The same voice replied, clearly speaking with some difficulty. "This is Ron. Who did you say you were?"
"I've got Chad here beside me and he wants to talk to you," Acer replied.
"Put him on, please, and thanks," Ron responded. They talked for nearly an hour. Chad called the Billings Airport and made a reservation for Spokane next. Then he called home to set up a ride from the airport there. "He had a brain injury," Chad told Acer. "He's still recovering but making a lot of progress lately. His dad thought he was retarded from the injury and kept everyone away. He still talks funny. He said a veterans group got him some help that came out and worked with him. It made all the difference. He wasn't improving at all until they came. Now he can walk again. I'll see him no matter what." They had time to eat after the drive to Billings. Chad might have gone to Bozeman instead, but he went along with Acer. They exchanged phone numbers and Chad's plane left half an hour before Acer's. Acer arrived to find a smiling Blue waiting as he got off the plane.
Blue wrapped one arm around Acer's shoulders. He carried one suitcase and Acer carried the other and his garment bag as they walked in cadence out to the truck. "I'm so glad to see you, you wouldn't believe it," Blue told him.
"I'm glad to see you, too," Acer responded. "I've been driving nearly as much as I did pulling the trailer. I just want to get to the house and sit around with you in my arms for a while."
They made the short drive in pretty good time and Billy and Alfredo had a meal ready when they arrived at the house. Acer hadn't eaten since noon and stuffed himself to relieve the hunger. He hadn't been able to drink often while he'd been gone, between driving rental vehicles and taking planes. He'd have had to throw what he bought away if any was left over. Acer grabbed a beer and kicked back on the couch with Blue. He told him all about Chad and what had happened over the last day. Then Blue began telling Acer about the progress on the farm. Acer put a stop to the business chatter by forcing his tongue down Blue's throat. Tomorrow would be soon enough to hear about the farm. Billy and Alfredo had made themselves scarce, so the two lovers cuddled on the couch and watched television.
Their lust overtook them and they retreated to the bedroom. Blue entered Acer with a frenzy. Acer felt the throbbing that signaled his climax, but Blue kept going until Acer wasn't sure how many times he came. Acer came three times himself. That he was certain of. "Aren't Billy and Alfredo helping you out," Acer asked, concerned for his lover.
"Yeah, they do their part. I just miss you so much, I can't get enough when I'm with you," Blue admitted. Eventually they found time to sleep. The next morning it was all business. The cotton was tall and covered in green bowls waiting to split open and show their fluff. It was covered in more blooms, too. In three weeks grazing and feeding the claves averaged a hundred pound weight gains. If the calves continued at that rate or increased it, they would be at a profitable weight by sale time. The cotton stood to make a huge profit. It had been planted at the required time by the USDA, but crop insurance had to be applied for in February, long before they began working the farm. Any problem from insects to weather or disease cold wipe out the crop and leave them stuck with bills due for seed, fertilizer, fuel, and gas running the irrigation pumps. When the tour was finished, they shut down the pumps and went to pack for the trip down home.
"I'm so proud of all three of you," Acer exclaimed while they loaded the pickup. "If everything holds steady, we'll see the payday we need by December."
"My dad's bringing all the strippers up here in a few weeks," Billy told him. "He'll start the cotton harvest here before he moves further south. This area has the earliest frost date and that cinched it." With six sons, four older than Billy, and three daughters who all expertly operated every piece of farm equipment, Billy's dad managed to pay for the equipment he needed for his own farming operation by doing contract farming for others. All the kids were grown now and the same contracts were helping buy more land for each of them.
"I'll be sure to thank him when we get home," Acer acknowledged. Loading the horses, Acer's phone rang. It was Chad saying he and Ron wanted to visit for the rodeo, but mostly to get away from family and be alone. Acer offered a room, saying the town would be booked full. He gave Cotton's phone number in case they didn't reach him, instructions as to where to fly, and told them to call when they got to town. They could follow him to his place. Renting something to drive was a given. Looking at his watch, Acer thought they'd probably get to town about the same time. They locked the house and then locked the gate on the way out for the long drive south.
Blue kept his mouth full with his face buried in Acer's crotch for a lot of the first hour Acer was driving. "Damn, you've got to let me play with that pretty thing sometime, Acer," Billy told him. "I've been missing out."
"You'll have to ask Blue about that," Acer answered.
"Oh, he'll share," Billy replied. "Alfredo won't give me any ass work. He says he only likes getting it. Blue's been taking care of that for me. With four older brothers, I started liking it pretty young. Hector is two years older than you. Manny is a year. David is the one your age and Luis came next before me. I don't know how I'm the only one who stuck with men only. I bet their wives don't get a proper dicking and they stay busy with their buds every chance they get."
"Yeah, David is a real pretty boy," Acer commented. "I know for a fact he charmed his way up a few guys asses. I'd see them in the shower with their pucker all red and knowing they'd been out partying with him. Then I'd see them walking around with their girlfriends later. I never could understand that."
"Daniel, the youngest, never played around with us. I got his share I guess," Billy added. "With four brothers and me, I've got shit on half the guys in town, either from playing around with them or watching when they thought they were alone with one of my bros. Anybody who gives me a hard time gets put in his place quick."
"How did you and Cotton get together?" Acer asked.
"We hung out together for a weekend right after you left for college. I was sixteen then. One thing led to another and we switched out until both of us had sore dicks and assholes," Billy replied. "We've been friends ever since."
Alfredo had been asleep almost from the time they left the farm. Blue drove after Acer and acer returned the favor for part of the drive. When it was time for Billy to take the wheel, he and Alfredo moved to the front seat, leaving Acer and Blue the back seat of the crew cab pickup. They slept until Billy pulled up at Acer's hose there. Billy opened the door the instant they stopped. The dome light came on and Acer stirred. "I hate these long drives," Acer proclaimed. "I can't even drink a fucking beer." He was on the passenger side. He stepped out walking to the trailer and opened the door there. He reached in the cooler for a long neck and popped the cap off. He turned it up and took a long gulp. He turned to the house and saw Cotton standing there in the dark with Logan, Chad, and who he guessed was Ron, beside him. He dug in his pocket for his phone and flipped it open. "I forgot to charge the son of a bitch. It's a good thing I gave you Cotton's number."
Hastily fumbling the key into the slot, Acer got the house open and the lights on. It had a musty smell from being closed up so long. The men filed in behind him and he turned on the A/C. It was still in the nineties and warmer inside the house. Handshakes, pats on the back, and hugs were shared all around. Billy and Alfredo took the trailer to the horse barn to put the horses in the lot. Acer turned on lights for them from the house.
"Hey now, all you've got in that fridge is beer," Blue exclaimed. He passed them all around.
"There ain't much that will keep even in the freezer except beer and canned goods," Acer answered back.
"I've got fried chicken, potato salad and fixings Acer's mom sent by me if anyone is hungry," Cotton responded. "She said for you and Blue to be there for dinner at noon tomorrow," he told Acer.
"We're staying for three weeks," Blue announced. "My uncles are going to run the sprinklers and the Co-op will deliver feed. Acer's boss scheduled him to do rodeos and shows within driving distance so we could stay here."
They caught up on the lapsed time since they were together last over a few beers. Ron told of his short stint in Iraq and the long recovery afterward. Chad told highlights of his travels, too. Then Cotton and Logan left for home and they all drifted to their beds for the night.
"It sounds hot listening to guys making love," Blue commented as he and Acer lay in bed.
"Yeah, it does. I bet we can make more noise than the four of them, though," Acer replied.
Every year seemed to be divided and described as before the rodeo, during the rodeo, or after the rodeo. After the rodeo this year, Acer didn't need to tell anyone, "I'll see you when I see you," because he stayed around awhile.