MONEY, BEAUTY OR LOVE? by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2006 written on February 19, 1995 translated by the author English text kindly revised by Gardner Rust
USUAL DISCLAIMER
"MONEY, BEAUTY OR LOVE?" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.
CHAPTER 6 - Gene and Fred: 3 to 3, final draw
On May 15th, Richard called the pizza shop where Fred worked and asked how many pizzas they could send with just one errand boy. They answered that the maximum in one go was eight pizzas, because the container mounted on the bikes could contain only eight boxes. So Richard said he needed twenty-three pizzas. They answered they would send them with three boys, as soon as they were made.
First came a delivery boy, but he wasn't Fred. Fred came next. Richard then told him that he really had more guests than he thought and needed seven more pizzas. He asked him to go back to the shop and to bring them, promising him a good tip if he came quickly, telling him, in fact, that he would give him the tip personally if he came as fast as possible. Earl assured him he would come back as soon as they were made, but advised him to call the shop meanwhile so that they could start making them at once.
The third errand boy came, and soon after Fred was also back. Richard asked him to enter and to wait a moment, so that he could go get the money, and left him in the room with the nude frescoes. When he was back, Fred was looking at the paintings. Richard noticed that the boy's fly was fuller than before. He paid him for the pizzas and gave him the tip.
Fred opened the eyes wide, "Such a tip... Really?" he murmured.
"Were you waiting for more?" Richard asked him.
"No... thank you... it's really a big one..."
"You like?" Richard asked pointing at the frescoes.
"Yes, I never saw such... special paintings."
"Gay, you mean?" Richard strightforwardly asked him.
"Well, yes... they are beautiful..."
"You, also, are beautiful..." Richard said with a cunning smile and caressed the young man's ass.
Fred smiled, but withdrew, "Well, thank you, I've got to go, now."
"Why you don't come back here when you end your work? I've several other interesting things to show you..."
"No, thank you. When I end my work I'm tired. I just feel like hitting the bed and sleeping."
"You could come on another day... on Sunday, for instance."
"No, thank you."
"I would like to meet you again."
"Sorry, but I've got to go back to work immediately," Fred said going towards the entrance door.
"Wait just a moment." Richard said, taking him by his arm.
"No, I really can't."
"I like you."
"Yes, I understood, but..." Fred said, wriggling away, "... I really have to go."
Richard let him go. He knew where the boy was living, so he decided to go and wait for him near his house that same evening.
When Fred went back home and saw him there, he looked at him frowning. "How did you know my address?"
"I didn't know, I'm just waiting for my driver to come and fetch me." Richard lied. "So, do you live here?"
"Yes."
"Well, I'm glad. I really hoped I could meet you again. I can call my driver and tell him to come to fetch me later," he said, pulling out his cellular phone.
"But I'm going to sleep, I cannot stop for you."
"Why won't you let me come upstairs with you?"
"Why?" Fred asked in a belligerant tone.
"Because I want to make love to you."
"Not I, sorry."
"I'll make you a good present..."
"I'm not a hustler."
"I didn't mean that. I like you."
"Sorry, but you aren't my type."
"Why not to try, just once? You have a really nice little ass, just the way I like," Richard said, knowing that the boy liked being a bottom.
"You've to look for somebody else, sir. Good night," Fred answered dryly and went upstairs in a hurry.
Richard smiled, called Jose with his cellular phone and returned home; he still had plenty of time.
A few evenings later, he was again near Fred's home to try to meet him.
"Good evening," he greeted him.
"'evening." Fred answered.
"May I talk with you for five minutes?"
"Yes."
"Listen, I like you very much. Why you don't allow me to make myself known by you?"
"I told you, you aren't my type."
"One can also change one's mind, getting to know one another; the first impression is not always the right one. Why don't you give me another chance?"
"I think you're wasting your time."
"Listen, I want to propose something to you: I'm going on a two month trip to relax. I would like you to come with me, of course at my expense, so we can have time to get acquainted."
"I'm working; I can't be on leave for two months, I'd be fired."
"The day after tomorrow go to this address. You will find a work contract starting on July fifteen."
Fred looked at him hesitantly, "What kind of job?"
"What kind of work would you like to do?"
"Well, it would have to be a decent job."
"No desires?"
"Well, I'd like having my own little shop."
"Selling what?"
"A sandwich house, perhaps."
"Good. If you come on that trip with me, I'll buy it for you."
"Are you pulling my leg?"
"Not at all. Come the day after tomorrow to this address and I will have the contract ready."
"I didn't say yes."
"You have time until the day after tomorrow to make a decision."
Richard bought a sandwich house in a good neighbourhood and waited. When Fred came, he took him to see the shop and showed him the contract. "Here, look - it becomes yours, if you accept coming on that trip with me."
"If in exchange for it you want to fuck me, my answer is no."
"For a change I only want you to come on that trip with me. And if during the journey you become persuaded that I'm not so bad..."
"But what if I don't change my mind?"
"The shop is yours anyway."
"I don't understand. Why would you take that risk?"
"Beacause I like you a lot. So, then, do you like this shop?"
"It's even more than I could dream."
"And making that trip?"
"Where?"
"Where would you like to go?"
"To England."
"Let it be to England, then. Do you accept?"
"But separate rooms."
"If you really want it so, it will be so," Richard quietly said.
Fred accepted. They went to register the contract in his name and Richard gave it to him, then told him to get ready for the departure. He told the boy to take nothing with him; he would buy him all he needed in England. The boy resigned from work and two days later Richard picked him up and together they went to the airport.
"That is the first time I've ever flown; I feel excited, " Fred said while they were boarding the airliner.
"I want you to indulge all your whims."
"Why?"
"Because I want you to undersand what kind of life you can have if you allow me to court you. Just a small taste of it."
"You want me so badly? You're spending lot of money."
"To me it's a mere trifle - you are worth a lot more," Richard said, and Fred seemed to appreciate that compliment.
In London Richard had booked a suite at the Hyatt. Fred was astounded, "I feel like I'm in a 007 movie!" he said in admiration.
Richard took him to tour some elegant shops so that the boy could buy the clothes he desired. He took him to the most famous restaurants. In evening, back at the hotel, Fred said good night and went to his room. Richard heard that he was closing the connecting door with the key and smiled.
Fred was kind to him. He agreed to call him by name. He even let him touch him, but as soon as Richard tried a more intimate approach, he stopped him with a smile and told him, "You promised not to do it. Don't make me feel uneasy."
"I desire you, Fred. I desire you so very much."
"But I still don't desire you," Fred gently answered, withdrawing from him.
Days were passing, but Fred didn't seem about to change his mind. Richard put pressure on him in the only way he knew, by showering him with costly gifts. So one day Fred told him, "Richard, I'm embarassed by all these gifts. I understand you want to buy me in this way, but I am really not attracted to you. If it was only to have sex once, I could even accept that, but you want more from me."
"I would like you to be my boyfriend."
"No, I really can't. This life, for one month, perhaps two, is OK, but it isn't my life. I can't see myself living near you. You and I belong to two different worlds."
"But what do you want from life? Wouldn't you like to live as a rich man, without problems, in luxurious surroundings?"
"No. I prefer having my job, even if I just earn a living."
"I gave it to you."
"In exchange for a job that I had anyway liked, one that gave me enough to live on. And you bought me the shop only because you wanted me in this trip. You wanted it, not I."
"So, then, I would have to thank you for having accepted?" Richard asked with irony.
"Exactly. I like this trip, but I didn't need it; I could carry on dreaming of it without any problem."
"I don't understand you; what can one desire more than a wealthy life?"
"Tranquility, freedom, a man loving me, not one trying to buy me. Is it possible that you cannot understand that?"
"No, I think that's absurd. With money, you can buy anything you desire, can't you? And I'm offering you so much more money than you could ever have."
"Perhaps some people are born to be rich, and others not. I don't know why, but too much wealth makes me uneasy. I would never want to be in your position, believe me..."
So the end of the trip came and Richard had nothing else to do but resign himself. They went back to New York, and Fred started to work in his new shop, happy and content.
On May fifteenth, Patrick went to the post office. He asked Gene how to send a parcel by mail. Gene kindly explained to him how to prepare the parcel. Patrick had the feeling that Gene was smiling to him in a more than simply professional way. His plan was simple: he knew tha Gene was going to a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch, so he waited there until saw him enter, then joined the queue behind Gene.
When the boy turned back with his tray, he recognized him and nodded in greeting. "You come here to have your meals too?" he asked.
"Yes, but only for lunch; I eat supper at the restaurant where I work."
"Oh, are you a waiter?"
"No, a dishwasher." Patrick answered with a smile.
"We can share the same table..." Gene proposed.
"Willingly." Parick gladly answered.
They sat and, while eating, had a long chat. Gene told him about when he was just a kid; Patrick made him talk, from time to time asking some questions.
Then Gene asked, "I always come here to eat as well, but I never saw you."
"I've changed my shifts; before I always came later."
When they said good bye, Gene said, "See you tomorrow, here, then?"
"Yes, sure; the first one waits for the other, alright?"
They met again. Patrick got the impression that Gene liked him, and he too liked the boy more and more, but still neither of them had said he was gay. They talked about a lot of subjects, but mainly about their thoughts, their dreams, what was important to them. They met for about a week and were calling each other by name when Patrick said, "At times I feel so lonely. I would like having somebody with whom to share my life."
"Yes, this is everybody's dream, I think."
"Yours also?"
"Sure, mine also. A person to love and to be loved by."
At one point a few days later, Gene asked him, "You aren't married, are you?"
"No."
"Divorced?"
"I never got married."
"How come?"
"Well, for several reasons."
"And don't you plan to marry?"
"Do you mean that at my age I should be married?" Patrick asked with a smile.
"Well, how old are you?"
"Thirty-three."
"You look younger."
"Thank you."
"Usually, at your age, the majority is already married."
"I'm different from the majority," Patrick countered with a smile.
"In any case, you are a fascinating man; you wouldn't have any difficulty finding someone to marry," Gene said.
"The fact is that I'm not interested in looking for a wife."
"Ah. Well, I'm still young, I just turned twenty-years-old, but I too think I will never get married," Gene said seriously.
"How's that?" Patrick then asked.
"Bah... I never felt attracted to girls," Gene said looking straight in his eyes.
The man nodded, then said, "I neither. When I was a boy it was somewhat of a problem. I felt different from the boys my age. But now I'm serene; I have accepted myself."
"I see. For me it has been different. I accepted myself at once, as soon as I understood it. I was fourteen-years-old, and I fell in love with a school mate."
"It happens to adolescents."
"No, it was not just a kid's thing; it was real love, at least on my side."
"And... he?"
"Not him. He just wanted to amuse himself. We were together for three years, then he left me... for a girl."
"I'll bet you felt bad."
"Yes, and not just a little. That's when I told myself that I would never tie myself to anybody until I was absolutely sure he too was in love with me."
"And..." Patrick asked.
Gene smiled, "And I haven't yet made love to anybody."
"Not even just an adventure?"
"No."
"Isn't it heavy not having sex for... three years, now?"
"A little, but it would be heavier making love with somebody who wanted only to amuse himself with me."
"I... even though I too would like to find a sincere and true lover... I honestly have not been able to wait as you have. Thus, I had several adventures and some disapppointments."
"But also some good stories, I hope."
"As long as I was deceiving myself, yes, I also had some good stories. Anyway, when can one be sure it would be forever? Does a relationship exist that lasts forever?"
"I hope so. You know, I'm a member of the Mattachine... There, I met three gay couples: one has been together for twelve years, another for eighteen and the third one for twenty-six. Therefore it is possible."
"And yet, the majority of the couples don't last such a long time," Patrick said.
The interesting thing was that Patrick felt so good with Gene, that he had almost stopped thinking about his bet; he was actually thinking of abandoning his attempt to win it. He liked Gene more and more and didn't feel like taking him for a ride; he preferred to lose his Leonardo's drawings. And gradually, while weeks were elapsing, Patrick became aware he was falling seriously in love with Gene.
They also met on Sundays and took long walks together. At times they went to see a movie or visit a museum and held endless conversations. Patrick had never met anybody so clean, sweet, upright as Gene. He felt happy that Richard hadn't succeeded in corrupting him. Also Gene seemed more and more attracted to Patrick. The man was really happy about that, but at the same time he was sad he had to pretend to be something he was not.
Therefore, at the beginning of July, only two weeks before the end of the bet, Patrick, after a long sleepless night, decided to tell the truth to Gene. He was afraid to lose him doing so, but on the other hand he was no more able to play that stupid game. When they met on Sunday morning, Patrick was tense, agitated but determined.
Gene at once perceived that the man was different from usual. "What's up, Patrick? Did something bad happen?"
"No... I need to talk with you, Gene. This is a serious matter, and difficult to tell."
"An ugly thing?"
"I don't know, I hope not; it depends on you."
"On me?"
"Will you promise me to listen in silence, and to try to understand what I have to tell you?"
"Yes... sure."
So, Patrick told him that several days ago he realized he was in love with him, and that, therefore, he had to tell him the whole truth about himself; he could no more lie to him. He told him who he really was, then told him about the bet he made with Richard. He said that although the bet had been embarrassing to him before, it was especially so now, because he now was in love with him. Gene listened attentively, seriously. They were sitting on a bench in Central Park. Patrick didn't dare look Gene in his eyes, he was trembling so badly while he talked.
"So, now I told you everything. I've finished," he concluded and felt like he had removed a boulder from his stomach.
Gene kept silent for a while, then said, "So, all you said during these days, was only to succeed in taking me in your bed?"
"No. At first, perhaps the first, the second day. But then, all I told you was true, was what I really thought and felt. While I avoided making concrete references to my true life, it was becoming more and more difficult for me. I swear, I didn't take you for a ride. And I decided I would prefer to lose my stupid bet than lose you... provided that I haven't lost you anyway."
"Patrick, I too was falling in love with you; you seemed to me a splendid person, and I'm not just talking about your physical appearance. Now... I'm somewhat shaken, sincerely. But I cannot but appreciate the fact that you decided to tell me the truth. But, you understand, I'm feeling wrongfooted. You, a billionaire..."
"Is it so important?"
"I don't know, I simply don't know. I believed I was falling in love with a dishwasher. You understand that it is not exactly the same thing."
"I don't think you were falling in love with me because I was a dishwasher; I hope you were falling in love with Patrick, with me."
"Yes, possibly. But..."
"You don't want to see me any more?" Patrick asked him worriedly.
"No, not that. It's just that we have to begin again from the start. Do you see what I'm trying to say?"
"But are you ready to start again?"
"Yes, I am. What I feel for you is real. I just need to see if all will be as it was before, now that I know."
"Gene, take all the time you need, but give me one more chance."
"I now understand Richard's behaviour. But what fools you were, thinking that money or beauty could conquer... I can understand that many would be conquered by one or the other, as they both can dazzle. But neither of them can be the basis for love."
CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 7
In my home page I've put some more of my stories. If someone wants to read them, the URL is http://andrejkoymasky.com If you want to send me feed-back, or desire to help revising my English translations, so that I can put on-line more of my stories in English please e-mail at andrej@andrejkoymasky.com