Lawn Boy, Chapter 8
Classes began on Monday and, once under way, the term would move rapidly toward its finish in mid-December. Some kids would be fine with their new freedom from parental oversight, and others would fritter away their time partying and trying to get laid.
Any number of things could interfere with students' affairs of the heart. Liam and Perrin weren't about to let that happen in their lives to any greater extent than absolutely necessary.
There was a minor distraction for Perrin on that very first day, when the news media updated the story about Ted Bachmann's run-in with the law.
In front of a bank of microphones and a number of cameras, on the courthouse steps, Pastor Prichard made a public statement in defense of his long-time associate. His attempt to completely absolve the man probably stirred up more problems than it resolved.
"This is all a big misunderstanding. Mr. Bachmann was entrusted to provide surveillance of my house while most of my family and I were in Europe on a mission. I asked him, as a trusted friend, to keep tabs on my older son, so the cameras he set up were for that purpose.
"My son had no business involving the police in a family matter."
"Was your son aware that he was being spied upon?" one of the reporters asked, interrupting him.
"I'm not taking questions from the media! You'll only twist my words and use them against me because you're trying to thwart my objectives. There is a war on Christianity in this country, and you people are the tools of the Devil!" he thundered.
"I did not share that information with my son, because I wanted to catch him red-handed if he got involved in any sinful activity in my absence. After he discovered the cameras and reported them to the authorities, the homosexuals have taken up the cause against Ted Bachmann because of his vocal opposition to same-sex marriage."
"Are you saying your son is gay?" another newsperson cut in.
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Peter pronounced in messianic tones.
"Mr. Bachmann's record as a standard-bearer of the faith is exemplary. He has been a primary supporter of our summer camp experience for boys. He sacrifices part of his vacation to stay out in the field with them. No one cares more for molding their character than he does. This has all become a witch hunt. Evil forces are at work in this city!"
"Are you excusing Mr. Bachmann's invasion of your son's privacy as something you ordered to be done?" the first reporter asked.
"I have no further comment."
With that, Pastor Prichard retreated to his car which was parked in the loading-zone by the curb, leaving the press shaking their heads. Once again, he had come off as a crackpot. Rather than point out the obvious, most of them decided to let his words speak for themselves.
Perrin watched the press conference footage several times on his laptop with Liam propped up on the bed beside him. He kept shaking his head, as if to clear away cobwebs.
"God! He's getting crazier by the day. I suppose not many on campus will have caught this, or, if they do, won't make the connection with me. But, I'll bet someone will. For all intents and purposes, he outed me. You may take heat from being associated with me."
"Don't worry about me. I'm out to everyone who matters, and I don't give shit who else finds out. I should probably come out to Clay right away since we share a room. I'd rather he heard it from me instead of the grapevine. Will you be comfortable if I tell them we're, um, dating?"
"I'll be fine with that. You know it's more serious than casually seeing one another."
"I do, but he doesn't, and won't until you're ready for it to be public."
"You can let him know. That way, he won't have questions when you don't sleep in your room some nights. I don't think the university has any say in whom I sleep with, but if there's a big to-do over it, I'll give up the job. I love you more than that."
Instead of a hot romp, the guys settled for "together" time that evening. It was great to cuddle and talk after their minuscule amount of homework was finished. They knew their assignments wouldn't remain that light for long. Better take advantage of free moments when they could.
After a goodnight kiss around 10:00, Liam went back to his room.
"How was your first day?" he asked Clay.
"Pretty interesting. I'm pumped about most of my classes even though they're core courses. How about you?"
"Yeah, my day was good. Did you see Garth at all?"
"Yup, he's in three of my classes! I'm glad Perrin invited him to supper the first night. Now, he doesn't seem lost from not being at home."
"By the way, where were the two of you tonight?" Liam asked.
"Garth heard we could eat in any of the dorms, and someone said there was a shrimp special at Conway, so we went over there. It was really good for institutional food."
"Wow, he actually ventured out on his own!"
"Well, with me, at least. He seems more at ease already. He's so vulnerable. I just want to protect him. He gives me something to think about besides my own problems."
"Do you want to talk about them?"
"I will, someday. Right now, I'm trying to forget, and enjoy a life away from home."
"Perrin could probably empathize. He found that life away from his father last year was a very freeing experience."
"Is his dad that crazy preacher I saw on the news?"
"Yup. Perrin's been concerned about people making the connection."
"I'll keep my mouth shut then."
"Nah, it's okay. He figures that his orientation will get aired to some extent, but he's not going to hide. Neither of us is. Um, I need to tell you that he and I are boyfriends, and I hope that won't be a problem. You should be relieved that you're in no danger from me hitting on you then, um, not that you're not cute enough, it's just that I'm in love."
"Thanks for sharing that!"
"I thought I'd better clear the air, so you wouldn't feel as bad about sharing with a queer."
"Liam, I have no problem with your orientation, but please don't use the word `queer.' If fact, I'm not into girls either. You've given me the courage to say that out loud. I'm, uh, gay too. There, I've said it!"
"Congratulations!"
"I hope I don't scare Garth off if he finds out. It's not easy knowing you're different."
"Don't I know it!"
Liam felt completely at ease now that he'd come out to his roommate who'd also come out to him. It confirmed his suspicions, and it provided yet another person with whom he could be completely frank. If his developing gaydar wasn't out of whack, he was sure Garth would have no problem having a friend who was gay. To him, the little redhead had to be on the same team, so to speak. It wasn't that his wrists were limp, or that he spoke or acted campy, but it was something that Liam could sense. He would keep his eyes and ears open, and, if he were right, he'd try to help Garth and Clay make an even stronger connection.
"You seem preoccupied today, Babe," Liam commented when Perrin and he shared a few minutes alone before dinner the next evening. "Are you still thinking about your father's public rant?"
"Yeah, but not in the way you're probably assuming. Like you, I guess I really don't give a shit about being outed, but something he said about Bachmann's dedication to boys took me back a few years. Bachmann was very, um, hands-on at camp. He always took time inspecting us for ticks and insect bites. It gave me the creeps to have him lurking around the field-showers, checking us out. At that age, most of us accepted the authority of any adult who was connected with the church, but in hind-sight it was kinda like that Dennis Hastert guy who was the Speaker of the House of Representatives years ago."
"I don't think I've heard about him; was he like that Jerry Sandusky guy?"
"Very much; he perved on his wrestling team in the showers when he was a high school coach in Yorkville, Illinois, and had sex with some of them. One of the guys died of AIDS as an adult, and another blackmailed him for years. That's how he got caught. It was from misappropriating campaign funds to pay the blackmailer, not from the abuse itself. The statute of limitations had run out before it all became public.
"Doesn't that have a familiar ring? `Upstanding Christian leader messes around with young teens.'"
"Are you saying Bachmann did that? Did he abuse you?"
"He never did anything to me that couldn't have been explained away as a `fatherly' touch, but I'll bet he did stuff to others. He might have thought my father would go after him if he messed with me.
"I think he wanted to catch me naked on camera this summer, maybe so he could jack off to the images, or possibly to blackmail me into doing something with him as an adult who's old enough that I couldn't accuse him of statuary rape."
"God! That's creepy! Do you think he's capable of that?"
"I'd bet the farm."
Perrin wasn't the only one to sense there might be something disturbing in Ted Bachmann's interest in boys. Ironically, some of that suspicion was reinforced by Pastor Prichard's impassioned defense of him.
Because Bachmann had been arrested on charges of unlawful entry and invasion of privacy, the authorities had secured a warrant to confiscate his computer equipment. At first glance, it all appeared to be free of any suspect material, but in digging into the hard-drive, the techies found pornography. There was a lot of it, and it would take hours of reviewing to figure out if the images were of teens younger than the age of consent.
In spite of the official wall of silence around the investigation, the inevitable leaks soon began – a few drips at first, but then, like the erosion of a levee, it burst, flooding the media. Ted's life was about to become an open book.
Even if no child pornography were to be discovered, the very presence of material, considered by his church to be obscene, would likely cost him his business. Proprietors of Christian bookstores were held to higher standards than the guys who changed the oil on one's car at Jiffy Lube!
While enjoying the fact that he was right about Bachmann, and his father was wrong, Perrin tried to push the matter out of his mind and concentrate on his coursework. For the most part, his classes and responsibilities as an RA kept him busy enough to put it on the back burner.
Liam did his part to help too. He slept with Perrin a couple of times a week. Sometimes, on the weekend, they would spend a night at Liam' parents' home. They always felt more at ease there.
Liam's roommate was aware of what they were doing, and supported them. Clay wouldn't spread any gossip, true or otherwise.
It was only the third week of the term when Garth found himself displaced for the night. His roommate, Thad, had left a sock over the doorknob of their room, and Garth's toiletry bag on the floor under it. That was the signal he was "entertaining" and didn't want to be disturbed. Garth didn't know what to do, but was afraid to report him to Perrin for fear of some kind of reprisal. Therefore, he came to Clay and Liam's room to ask for help.
"I know I have the right not to be put out of my room, but I also remember from high school what happened to guys who ratted on bullies. I kept a low-profile, but some didn't, and they ended up with a lot of bruises. What can I do?"
"I know Perrin will do his best to protect you," Liam said immediately.
"Yeah, but just like teachers and principals, he can't be around 24/7 to guard me. It's worse when I have to share a room with the guy."
"We can solve your current problem immediately," Liam stated. "We'll make up the futon for you. I have bedding for it in the closet. You can just fold it up in the morning when you're done with it, and keep it there for the next time you want to stay here. But I still think you should report it. I know Perrin better than anyone. If you don't, it's gonna put me in an awkward position. He and I don't keep any secrets from each other, but I don't want to break your trust either."
"Okay, I'll think about it. Please give me a little time to decide.
"I guess I'll have to wear the same clothes again tomorrow. I hate not having clean underwear."
"I'll loan you a pair of mine," Clay offered. "I have a pair of briefs that are kinda tight on me, and they should fit your little butt perfectly."
Garth blushed at reference to the size of his tush, but didn't find the courage to make a snappy comeback, though he thought of a couple of comments he could use. He wished he were as fearless and outgoing as his two companions. At least, he hadn't chickened out on coming to them for advice. They were good buddies. He wondered how long that would continue if they got to know the real him.
Despite being a college man, Liam had a few mowing obligations that continued until the grass went dormant for the winter. Perrin didn't have much time to spare for helping him, so Kellan was enlisted. Kellan was thrilled to earn a bit of extra cash, and it was an opportunity for the brothers to spend time together. The only problem was coordinating their schedules around Liam's classes and Kellan's cross-country practice during the week. Saturdays were often fine, unless Kellan had a meet. Fortunately, his coach allowed him to skip part of a practice now and then on the promise that he'd put in the time on his own. That was cool with him because he could run with his brother and Perrin on Sundays instead.
Despite paying for the gasoline, Liam split the money evenly with Kellan. He was generous by nature, and he really did appreciate the help. His main reason for continuing to mow was that he'd made a verbal agreement with his customers and he felt responsible for fulfilling his obligations. After their father had shared the good fortune of his bonus, Liam wasn't strapped for cash.
The coed Thad had been shagging dumped him for a junior with a fancier car and, some guessed, a bigger dick, but not before leaving him with a little remembrance that took a strong antibiotic to cure. His "entertaining" was on hold for the time being, since he was responsible enough to be sure he was clean before pursuing someone else. Thus, Garth didn't have to talk with the resident assistant, and the matter of being forced out of his room was temporarily forgotten.
However, on the first Saturday after his test came back negative, Thad asked Garth to find another place to crash for the night. Garth put up a fuss this time, but eventually gave in, after collecting a change of clothes as well as his toiletries. He again headed for Clay's room. Clay was alone because Liam and Perrin were at the Neuhaus' home.
"Hey," Clay grinned. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"
"You know what it is. Thad's got a new bitch."
"Whoa, that's not how you usually talk."
"Well, I'm getting fuckin' sick and tired of being the one who always has to leave to accommodate him! He needs to find some `ho' who has a room of her own."
"Hmm..., a tad upset with Thad, I see."
"I'm sorry for being in such a pissy mood."
"It's okay. You have a right to be angry. I think it's kinda cute when you try to be a potty-mouth. It doesn't fit your style!"
"Are you making fun of me? What's wrong with my style?"
"No, I'm not. It's just that you're so innocent looking that I can't imagine any naughty words slipping out of the cute little mouth."
"Jeez! You're embarrassing me!"
"I'm sorry," Clay said, putting his right arm around Garth's shoulder.
Then he moved his hand up to the back of Garth's head and gently guided their faces together. When their lips met, it was like someone had dropped a match into a fireworks store.
As they separated, Clay was aware of big tears flowing down Garth's cheeks.
"I'm sorry; I got carried away. I didn't mean to make you cry."
"Don't apologize," Garth insisted, as he initiated their second kiss.
They pulled apart again, but with smiles and giggles. Both were giddy with relief.
"Could you pinch me so I know I'm not dreaming?" Garth asked.
"Avec Plaisir!" Clay grinned, as he grabbed a handful of butt.
"Ah, the pleasure is all mine."
"Nope, I'm lovin' it too."
"I've been walking on eggshells fearing what would happen to our friendship if you found me out."
"Me too. Didn't you pick up on Liam and me at all?"
"Oh no! You're not with Liam, are you?"
"No, no, no! I wouldn't have kissed you if I were. Perrin and he are a couple. He said it was okay for me to share that, or I wouldn't.
"So, if you're gonna spend the night, and Liam is gone, um could we share the futon? Or would you worry that I might want to mess around?"
"Is worry' a synonym for hope?'" Garth blushed.
"If it isn't, I can pencil it into the dictionary."
"Um, I'm still a..., you know..." Garth stopped to chew on the right side of his lower lip.
"Me too. I won't push you into anything we're not ready for, I promise."
"Cool. So how should we do this?"
"I'm kinda sweaty, so I'd like to go take a shower before we get in bed."
"Me too; I'll come with you."
"You mean like go with me now, and CUM with me later," Clay joked, and then wondered if he'd gone too far.
"Yeah, like that," Garth blushed.
Author's notes: This is the last chapter until after Christmas, so I need to wish you all a great holiday season. Hanukah is ending, but there are several other celebrations on the horizon.
Thanks to all who sent emails about the last chapter. The list includes: Paul R, Ott H, GCD, Walter Sz, Bill T, Mendy D, Gordon, Cary R, Skip M, Charles G, John L, Tim T, Jim M, Jim S, Bill K, Geoff S, Tom A, Chandra B, Randy McC, Wayne, Jacob C (my email to you bounced back), Steve C, Tony C, John McD, Frank K, JLF, Rick, Bo, Joe W, Douglas and Lawrence, Derrick M, Tyler W, Zero M, Hotrod, Daniel B, Jim W, Ad M, Michael E, Paul F, and Vedang S. Most, possibly all, of you also commented on Christmas Guest. That short story got even more responses, including a lot of people I haven't heard from before!
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Love and Peace, David