Hello everyone. I cannot believe how quickly December is flying by. I hope that everyone is starting to get into the holiday spirit.
I continue to rewrite, add to and write more chapters of this story and I'm seeking any suggestions, constructive criticms or positive feedback you have about the story. Please send information to cjwilson328@aol.com. For those if you who have already reached out to me - my thanks! I'm working your ideas into future storylines.
So many of you have asked me about Ronny. Specifically, you want to know how he and CJ became such good friends. Well, hopefully this chapter and the next will give you all you need to know about Ronny from his point of view.
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Hey there everyone, it's Ronny J. Bradford filling in for CJ the next couple of chapters. While CJ and Wally enjoy some alone time, I told CJ I'd take over for him. Several of you have written in and want to know more about me. In fact, one of you went so far as to say "if Ronny is CJ's best friend, why do I know so little about him compared to what I know about CJ's life thus far?"
So here goes! I can't believe people want to know more about me. I'm a simple midwestern guy who grew up in the middle of Indiana farmland. My family's farm is southeast of Indianapolis. Let me paint the picture for you. Corn fields, red barns, cows, pigs, horses, sheep and chickens as far as you can see. My mom and dad both come from large families, so I have plenty of aunts, uncles and cousins in the immediate area. Mom could not have any more children after me. She considers me her miracle gift. I grew up in a family full of love and never really wanted for anything in my life.
From an early age, I admired and idolized my dad. I enjoy working on the farm with dad, and he has taught me so much about farming and raising animals. Dad always appeared as a giant to me. He towered over me at 6'4" and has hair all over his body. If I have to guess, I'd say he is around 240 pounds of pure muscle. The farm life has been good to dad, as his body reflects years of hard work on the farm.
I had plenty of cousins in the county to play with, and it seemed liked we had family picnics every week at one of the farms. It was fun to grow up with my cousins, and we enjoyed each other as we worked on chores, fed the animals, rode horses and plenty of swimming. All of the family farms had beautiful lakes. My dad and uncles built nice docks in each of the lakes with slides, diving boards and swings on them.
Summertime was so enjoyable for all of us. All of my cousins and I participated in 4-H. The majority of my cousins raised cows or sheep for their projects. I decided to participate in the local horse club, and showed my horse Thunder at the county fair for a number of years.
Puberty hit me and my cousins around the same time. We did the normal `show me yours and I'll show you mine' activities, and we discovered how to please each other in the haystacks of our barns. We were not kissing cousins by any means, but did discover the joys of sucking each other and circle jerk masturbation sessions. Life was good for me growing up.
Working on the farm and lots of swimming proved to be worthwhile for me as my body grew and matured into a studly physique, if I do say so myself. I felt strange though compared to my dad and cousins. As I mentioned, dad is very hairy and my cousin's sprouted hair in the usual male spots much earlier than I did. I remember mom asking the family doctor if there is anything wrong with my system? I can still hear the doctor saying "you worry too much about him Elinor. His build is fine and he's exactly where he should be in height and weight. The hair will come at some point, but remember your side of the family does carry the hairless recessive gene. It may be that Ronny has inherited this gene."
It was true, my mom's father only had hair on his head. One of her brothers also had a head of hair, but no body hair. I thought to myself after hearing the doctor "maybe I'll go through life with black hair on my head only, and a hairless body? It looks weird as a teenager, and I hope that I grow some hair to prove I'm a man in the future."
I made it into junior high school and started sprouting a few hairs in my armpits. I was relieved, but I still thought I looked like a geek. Gym class did not help as I developed the nickname "hairless beast". I know the guys were just kidding me about being hairless. Some of my better friends and cousins said "don't worry about that name Ronny. They're kidding you and besides, your penis is so much bigger than any of us. You have nothing to worry about there." It was true and I knew a number of guys were envious about my tool that I had between my legs. It was obvious to all that I was developing fine there and had nothing to be ashamed of.
Our high school and junior high shared the same property. It was a county school system and I considered the campus big since it was even bigger than the county court house complex. The campus was very nice, and the community supported sports and kids' activities very well. There was a very nice football stadium where the community came together each week to cheer on the varsity, junior varsity and junior high football teams in the fall. We had two gymnasiums, several soccer fields, baseball fields and an aquatic center for our swim and dive teams.
I decided to play junior high football. I enjoyed blocking and tackling, but the coach realized I could also catch a football very well. He talked me into playing a tight end position which I ended up enjoying very much. Our junior high team was good, but it served more as a development team for us to get our skills up to where they needed to be to play varsity football.
After football was over for the season, I wanted to do something else. Basketball did not turn me on, even though it was a very popular sport in Indiana. So many kids envisioned being the next Bobby Knight, but I wanted something different. We did not have a junior high swim team, but I asked the high school coach if I could practice with the team. I knew I'd not be able to compete for two more years, but I enjoyed swimming and diving. The two years allowed me to perfect my skills to where I'd be ready to join the high school team in my freshman year.
Between football, swimming, diving, weight lifting and my continued farm work my body continued to become well defined. I began to show a six pack and now had some hair in my pits and crotch. My hair was by far less than most of my classmates, but that did not matter as I was well respected by my peers and teams for my athletic skills that I was perfecting. The other area of me that was changing was my voice. I remember my mom and aunts telling me what a handsome voice I have, and it's a pleasure to hear me talk.
High school was very fun for me. Because of the skills I had acquired in junior high, I was able to play varsity football and swimming as a freshman.
I also found one other activity that excited me and helped form me into who I am today. The high school principal did not like making the morning announcements over the public address system. Each year he auditioned students to perform the daily announcements for him. I tried out for this, and was shocked when Principal Daniels picked me to do the announcements. I enjoyed this position and put my personality and deep voice into giving the morning highlights to the student body. I particularly enjoyed highlighting our sports teams, giving accolades to the athletes for their outstanding performances in our high school sporting activities.
As the springtime approached during my freshman year, I did not go out for any sports. The farm work usually picks up during the spring, and I wanted to continue to help dad out as much as I could. Dad told me to look for more school activities to do and I can help out more on the weekends with him.
Baseball and track did not interest me as much as football and swimming did. One morning after the announcements were finished, I asked Principal Daniels if he had any suggestions for me of activities I may want to pursue? He looked at me and said "you certainly have a bright personality in broadcasting the morning announcements. Have you thought about giving the drama club a try and perhaps trying out for our spring play?" I told him "No, I had not thought about that" and thanked him for his advice. Later that day, I saw a poster announcing the spring play tryouts for "Our Town" and decided to give it a shot.
The tryout day came and I was introduced to Mrs. Evans who teaches English and serves as the drama coach for our school. Mrs. Evans informed all of us that she went to school at Maumee College in Ohio where she majored in secondary education and television broadcasting. I had never heard of Maumee College and thought to myself "it can't be that impressive of a school in Ohio with more prominent universities in the state such as Ohio State or University of Cincinnati. I'll have to look it up sometime and see what they offer."
I impressed Mrs. Evans with my audition and she asked me to play the part of Stage Manager for the play. I was shocked to learn that the Stage Manager was considered the lead role in the play and felt very honored that Mrs. Evans selected me. She took a real interest in me and worked with me hard on voice techniques, stage presentation and projection of my voice to the audience.
The play was a success, and everyone in my family attended one or both of the presentations the cast did for the community. Four weeks after the play ended, my freshman year came to a conclusion. I reflected back to everything I was able to accomplish, as well as my solid B+ grade point average, and decided it was a good year. I was determined to do more though, and expand my horizons as much as I could.
My school friends and I stayed in contact over the summer. Mom and dad were pleased to see that I had made so many friends and was not solely relying on my cousins for entertainment and socialization. I did not have problems attracting attention from both girls and guys. It was great to be popular, but I found myself preferring to hang around with guys more than girls in my high school years. I developed special bonds with two swim team mates named Clint and Sam. Clint and Sam were both sophomores and took me under their wings. Sam was held back for a year in elementary school, so he had his driver's license ahead of Clint and myself. The three of us became inseparable, and I still maintain contact with both of them today. Besides cruising the county in Sam's junker truck, we slipped away to the bright lights of Indianapolis as often as we could to experience the `city life'.
My sophomore through senior years went by quickly for me. I continued on with the football and swim teams each year, Principal Daniels selected me for the morning announcements each year, and I continued to perform in our spring plays. Each summer Thunder and I entered numerous horse competitions, and I helped dad out as much as I could with the farm chores. My friendship with Clint and Sam continued to grow as well, and the three of us lost our virginity to each other. Sam and Clint loved my cock, and the way it filled their holes. I liked feeling their cocks in my ass as well, but I realized that I enjoyed fucking them more than one of the two of them fucking me.
I lettered in both football and swimming in my sophomore year. Even though our football team never made it out of the state regional contests, we had fun, performed well as a team and I was well recognized as a top tight end in southeastern Indiana. Our swim team made it to the state competitions in my three remaining years of high school. I won the state 100-meter individual freestyle all three years, and was part of the state championship freestyle relay team in my junior and senior years.
Principal Daniels gave me free reign on the morning announcements. I recorded musical introductions to my morning shows, and he even allowed me to expand the content to include weather forecasts and community events going on around the county. By the end of my high school career, I developed a new nickname of "DJ Ronny" which I liked much better than "hairless beast".
Mrs. Evans continued to work with me on my acting and voice skills. I must admit that the more I worked with her, the more I enjoyed learning from her. One day after play practice she asked "Ronny, you have wonderful skills and your voice is well suited for broadcasting. Have you ever thought about pursuing a career in radio or television broadcasting?" I replied "yes Mrs. Evans, I have. The more I do work on the morning announcements and working with you on voice techniques, I have an interest in the broadcasting field." She smiled at me and said "that's great. Let me help you with some introductions to various people at Maumee College. You're just the type of student they look for in their academic and sporting curriculums. I think you will enjoy the college and all it has to offer someone like you with such diverse interests."
Little did I realize how much Mrs. Evans was getting my name very well-known at Maumee College. She had been sending video and audio clips of my sporting competitions, my morning announcements and my theater events to the dean of students at Maumee College.
During the fall of my junior year, I had visits from the dean of students, an assistant football coach and the swim and dive coach from Maumee. They each spent a day with me, and took myself, mom and dad to dinner. I never imagined myself being recruited to colleges as I always viewed myself as the `country bumpkin' who was destined to inherit the family farm and continue on in the farming tradition. It was very exciting for me and I sought advice from mom and dad as I did not want to desert them and the farm.
Mom and dad were very supportive for me. They encouraged me to go to college, experience new adventures, make new friends and find something that I had a passion for. Dad did ask me to make sure Maumee was the place for me, and not to rule out other colleges and universities. I did not attract attention at the division one schools. I only had interest expressed from Purdue and Indiana Universities. I lucked out with a number of division two schools contacting me and encouraged me to come to their school to explore my interests. Most of the smaller schools were located in Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.
I was invited to a number of division two schools to spend a day or weekend at the school. Maumee rolled out the red carpet and invited me for a four-day weekend at their campus. I remember pulling up to the administration building and seeing the beautiful sprawling hills of the campus. All of the buildings were covered in ivy, and everyone who passed me greeted me asking if I needed any help to locate where I was going. I thought to myself "this feels like home".
I was catered to all weekend and my sponsor Brian showed me everyplace I needed to know on the campus. Brian was an education major and on the swim team. He took me to their practice session on Thursday afternoon. The coach had various sized swimsuits lined up for me and I remember him saying "suit up Ronny and join us in our practice today." I loved it, and the coach spent time with me after practice answering any questions I had. He also gave me an impressive overview of how he saw me fitting into his program. I spent the rest of the day with members of the swim team. It felt like a real brotherhood, and I was the newest recruit to their membership.
Friday rolled around and I met with the football coaching staff. I was given a tour of the football practice facilities, the weight rooms, the football stadium and met with several of the players on the team. I was not as impressed with the football coach as I was with the swim and dive coach. He flat out told me he had too many tight ends, and saw me more as an offensive line or defensive player. This did not really surprise me as I know changing positions happens to many football players in their career.
On Friday afternoon, I spent the afternoon with James Thompson, the director of the radio and television broadcasting department at Maumee. I have never felt such hospitality as I did with James. He gave me an overview of the program curriculum, and we took a tour of the radio and television studios and facilities. I was surprised when he said "let's do a few voice exercises on you." Throughout the exercises, James kept complementing me on what a quick study I was. At the end of our audio work, James said "Ronny, you have a wonderful voice and I can see you fitting in well here at the department. I can see you easily fitting into a television personality role if you desire that. Your voice will also be very pleasant as a radio disc jockey, should you choose to specialize in the radio side of the house. I hope you seriously consider our program here at Maumee. I think you will be a fine addition to our program, and I can guarantee you will learn so much that will benefit you in a future broadcasting career."
James introduced me to several of the students who were preparing for the nightly television news cast. He invited me to stay for the newscast, which I gladly accepted. I was in total shock with what all went on behind the scenes of a news broadcast operation. I watched the technical director extensively showing me how a switcher works, not even knowing what a switcher is prior to today. I loved being on the studio floor watching the students give the news, weather and sports reports. It was a real eye-opening experience to see the cameras and green boards in action for a broadcast.
After the broadcast, several of the students asked me to join them at Lucy's Pizzeria for the standard television Friday night Italian fest. I accepted the invite and had a great time with all of them. After dinner, they took me to the campus dance which turned out to be a blast. Finally, I felt free from the eyes of Jennings County High School watching me! At high school dances, everyone always follows the rules of guys dancing with girls. Tonight though, it is a bunch of friends dancing with each other. I saw couples dancing, girls dancing with other girls, guys dancing with guys and everyone was having a blast. I joined in the crowd, relaxed and had a fun night. I wished that Clint and Sam were with me, enjoying the scene as much as I was.
Brian and I continued my visit by attending the football game Saturday at noon. We sat in the stands with the other members of the swim team. It was great to get to know more about the guys on the team. The football game was okay, but did not keep my interest. Maumee ended up losing the game to the Wooster College Fighting Scots. After the game, I joined the swim team in a late afternoon practice session, followed by their weekly dinner pig out session of chicken wings, fries, onion rings and other munchies at a local sports pub hangout. As we left the pub, I felt like I was a member of their team and thanked everyone for their great hospitality over the weekend.
Brian and I ended the weekend with a Saturday night bull session in his dorm room. Several of his friends from the hall joined in and we ended up playing poker into the early hours of the morning.
Brian walked me to my truck early Sunday morning. We exchanged contact information and he said "I hope you seriously consider Maumee, Ronny. I think you will fit in great here, and you'll end up with an excellent education. You're already a hit with the swim team, so let's make this a win-win situation for you and Maumee!" I gave Brian a hug, told him thanks for a great weekend and said I will keep in touch with him on any questions I may have as well as what my final decision is on choosing where I'll attend college. Driving away from the parking lot, I reflected on the weekend and how comfortable I felt with the students, the campus, the swim team, James Thompson and any future adventures that may await me at Maumee College. I then did something I rarely do and said a prayer asking God to send me a sign if this was meant to be for me.
I pulled into my driveway at home a few hours later. Mom, Dad, Sam and Clint were there waiting for me to hear my stories of how the weekend went. Mom had fixed a nice lunch for everyone, and I told them all about my adventures over the weekend. Clint and Sam asked me a number of questions about the campus, the swim team and how I felt about the broadcasting program. After the lunch, I walked Clint and Sam out to Sam's truck. Sam looked at me and said "you lucky stud. I wish I was in your position, and smarter than I am. Whatever you decide, please know you have my support and go make the most of yourself Ronny." I gave Sam a hug and felt sorry for him. We all knew that Sam was not college material. He'll do fine as he will follow in his father's footsteps and take over the family farm. Clint, on the other hand, was recruited by several smaller colleges and was just waiting to hear from one of them. He had a similar experience as I did with Adams College in northern Indiana. He spoke up after Sam and I finished our hug and said "Ronny, you and I will always be friends where ever we end up. I hope it works out for both of us, and we can experience the college life. It's too bad though we're not being recruited by the same school though. I'd love to be your dorm roommate for several years." He gave me a huge grin and evil wink as he finished his comments. I pulled him in for a big hug, and Sam joined us as well. Sam spoke up and said "I love you both like brothers. Promise me you won't forget me here in Jennings County." All three of us made the promise to be brothers for life and always keep in touch with each other.
Later that week, Clint heard from Adams College. He received a full scholarship to Adams as long as he maintained a solid grade point average and continued to make the swim team. Clint was so happy, and I was happy for him. I know I'll miss seeing him on a daily basis next fall, but I knew it was a good opportunity for him that he could not pass up. Clint accepted the offer and was so proud to say he was attending Adams College in the fall as a member of their swim and dive team.
It was almost two weeks later when I received a text from my mom saying "You received a package from Maumee College today. I have a good feeling about it, Ronny. Bring Clint and Sam home for dinner after your practice and you can open it in front of all of us." I texted Clint and Sam who both accepted the invite to dinner. I was on pins and needles for the rest of the day. I told the coach about the package waiting for me at home. He cut practice short, and the three of us headed out to our vehicles, and raced to my house to see what I had received.
When I got to my house, I found my mom, dad and both sets of grandparents waiting for me. Mom had the package on the dining room table and said "here's the letter opener. Good luck Ronny, I know it's going to be good news." I opened the package, and on top of everything there was an envelope addressed to me. I opened the envelope and found a letter from the dean of students at Maumee.
I began reading the letter to myself first, prior to reading it to everyone. I read the first paragraph and screamed to everyone "I did it! I received a full scholarship to Maumee College and will be on the swim team." Everyone erupted in cheers, applause and began pulling me in for celebratory hugs. I was so proud of myself and knew that my life was going to change dramatically when I attended Maumee. I emptied the rest of the box and found a number of Maumee College clothing items, and various other items with the Maumee Muskies logo on it. We all sat down to a beautiful dinner that mom had prepared, and to this day I cannot tell you what else was said that night at the table. I was on cloud nine, and ready for my college adventures to begin.
Unfortunately for me, I still had over a year and a half to finish high school. My junior year went by very quickly. I think it was due to knowing I had a plan established and felt good about where I was heading in life. Graduation came around for Clint and Sam. Their parents got together and threw them a big party. I remember a huge circus tent being brought into Sam's yard for everyone to enjoy throughout the graduation weekend. Once all of the adults left, Sam had a number of his friends stay over and we camped out in the tent. Of course, there was beer and whiskey snuck into the party, but Sam's dad was prepared for it as he collected all of our car keys in advance and told us "Everyone stays in the tent tonight, and no horseplay on the back roads. Have fun guys and congratulations on your great accomplishment." Once most of the guys had passed out or fallen asleep, Sam, Clint and I went down to Sam's Lake and had our own private party. I gave each of the guys their graduation fuck present as hard as I could.
The summer between my junior and senior year also flew by. Football practice began in August, and Sam and I said goodbye to Clint as he made his move to Adams College. It was obvious that Clint was excited about the change, but vowed to us he'd see us when he could. He also extended invites to Sam and I to come up and see him compete at a swim match. Sam and I did make it to Adams for two of Clint's competitions that fall. Clint did well in both of the matches we watched, and Sam and I enjoyed staying with him for the weekend in a college setting.
Sam attended all of my football games, and cheered me on at all of our home swimming matches. He followed the swim team to Indianapolis for the state championships and was so proud of me obtaining the state championship titles again for my senior year. It was so good to have Sam around for my senior year supporting me like a big brother I always wanted in my life. The truth is though, I think Sam needed me more than I needed him for support. Ever since I have known Sam, he has always followed me and goes with my flow. I enjoy being with him because of this, and I think it's also why Alex and I are so compatible now. I see so many similarities between Sam and Alex, and I dearly love them both for what they have given me in my life.
Graduation came around for me and I was proud with all of my accomplishments, including moving that B+ average up to the low A range. Most of my classmates decided to attend Indiana University in Bloomington, or Ball State in Muncie. I was the only one from Jennings County High attending Maumee College, and it thrilled me as I felt like I was starting fresh and had so many new opportunities facing me. My mom and dad threw a huge graduation party for me including all of my relatives, friends and teachers. It was very touching to receive so many well wishes, gifts and inspirational messages from everyone. I still have a card from Mrs. Evans which said "Ronny, keep reaching for the stars and achieve all the goals you set for yourself. I'm so proud that you're breaking out on your own, and I know you are going to be very successful after your four wonderful years at Maumee. Enjoy the experiences and make the most out of life for yourself."
Sam, Clint and I spent as much time together as we could during the summer. I was worried for Sam as he would not be seeing Clint or myself every day in several weeks. I know he was putting up a good front for us, but I vowed to visit him when I could break away from school. I also planned to invite him over to Maumee for some weekend visits. The day came for me to depart from my parents, Sam and Jennings County. He helped me pack up my truck with what I was taking. I'm not sure who was weeping more that day between Sam and my mom. Dad stood strong for me and gathered everyone for a group hug. I can still hear Dad saying "come on you two, let's be strong for Ronny. This is going to be a wonderful experience for him and he is going to benefit from his experiences at Maumee so much. This is by no means a goodbye for any of us. Rather, we'll see you later Ronny. We love you, and go kick some Maumee butt for us!"
I got myself composed before I turned onto the interstate. I went into the convenience store and got myself two bottles of water and some munchies for the trip over to school. I thought about what dad had said and a big smile came to my face. He was right, this was by no means a goodbye and my college experiences will begin in just a few hours.
I arrived at the campus and parked my truck in a lot near my assigned dorm. I grabbed two of my bags to start with and went into the dorm lobby. A registration table was set up and I was greeted by one of the resident assistants. He said "Welcome to Maumee and Clark Hall. I'm Charlie Wilson, and I'll be the Resident Assistant on the fifth floor this year." I stuck my hand out and said "good to meet you, Charlie. I'm Ronny Bradford, and I think I'm assigned to your floor." Charlie shook my hand, looked up my name and said "yes, you are Ronny. Your room is 518 and I have your key and welcome packet right here. The orientation activities start tomorrow morning in advance of classes starting on Monday morning. Can I help you move anything into your room Ronny?" I smiled back at Charlie and said "I'm good for now, but if you have a dolly around, I'd like to use it later to move my refrigerator in." Charlie replied "yeah, we have a couple of them around Ronny. I think they're in use now, but we'll get one for you when you need it. If I can do anything to help you today, just give me a yell."
I made it up to my room and was surprised that the beds were already bunked for us. I decided to take the lower bunk since it appeared that I was first into the room. I began unpacking my clothes into a dresser and started hanging shirts in a closet. I soon had my two bags unpacked and put them in the closet under my hanging shirts. Overall, I was pleased with the size of the room. Compared to some of the other campuses I visited, Maumee had generous size dorm rooms for two people to live in.
It took me several more trips to unload my truck, but I got everything moved in that I had brought. I made my bed, plugged in the refrigerator, put out some of my football and swim trophies on my bookshelf and still had over three hours before our welcome barbecue picnic occurred on the quad. My roommate had not checked in yet, so I decided to explore the floor to see who else was checking in today. I went next door and found a guy much smaller than me talking to his parents. I knocked on the door and said "hi there. My name is Ronny Bradford, and I'm going to be in the room next to you in 518." The guy smiled at me and replied "hey Ronny, I'm Jake Porter. I'm from Columbus, Ohio. Where are you from?" Ronny smiled and said "I'm from Vernon, Indiana. It's a small town in southeastern Indiana." Jake's parents introduced themselves to me and we chatted for a few minutes. Jake is going to be wrestling for Maumee in one of the smaller weight classes. I informed Jake and his parents that I'm going to be on the swim and dive team for Maumee. I said "I'll let you finish unpacking Jake, and I'll catch up with you at the welcome picnic later."
I continued to the next room and I heard a hearty laugh coming from the room. I knocked on the door and said "hi there, sorry for the intrusion but I want to introduce myself. I'm Ronny Bradford and I am in room 518." A brown-haired guy approached me and said "hi Ronny. I'm Christopher Skinner. Please call me CJ though." I smiled and said "okay CJ it is." CJ had a trophy in his hand and I said "oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one to bring some trophies from home." CJ smiled at me and said "yeah, I wasn't sure if this may be considered a sign of showing off, but I want a few tokens from home to help keep me grounded." After he finished his comment, a man got up from CJ's couch and said "don't believe him Ronny, he wanted to show off to everyone! I'm Dean Skinner, CJ's uncle and this is my wife, Sally." I shook both Dean and Sally's hands and said "it's nice to meet both of you. Where are you from CJ?" He smiled at me and said "we're from the western side of Cincinnati in a suburb called Cheviot." I smiled and said "I've seen the exit for Cheviot before on I-74 when I have travelled to Cincinnati. I'm from a small town called Vernon in southeastern Indiana." Sally jumped in and said "that's just north of Madison, isn't it Ronny?" I replied "yes, it's about 20 minutes north of Madison. Are you familiar with that area?" Sally grinned and said "my friends and I take several trips to Madison each year. We love the quaint shops in the town, and it's a good weekend getaway for some great antique shopping."
The four of us continued talking and I found out that CJ is going to play golf for Maumee, and I informed him that I was going to be on the swim and dive team. We continued talking for over 20 minutes and I said "it's been great to meet you CJ, Sally and Dean. I didn't mean to keep you so long." Dean looked at me and said "nonsense Ronny, it's been great to meet you. Please call me UD from now on whenever you see me. I don't feel right if CJ's friends call me something other than UD. He can explain it to you later." I cracked up and said "sounds good UD. You and Sally have a good drive back to Cincinnati, and I hope to catch up with both of you again. CJ, if you have not made plans already do you want to head over to the picnic later with me?" CJ smiled at me and said "yeah bud, that sounds good. I'm ready for some barbecue tonight. I'll have to get you to one of UD's restaurants soon though for some great barbecue."
I left CJ's room and went back to my room. My roommate David still was not there. We were supposed to be settled in on Friday afternoon for orientation programs over the weekend and the start of classes on Monday morning. I went back to the lobby and asked Charlie "did my roommate David Reiner make other arrangements to check in later this weekend?" Charlie looked at the list and replied to me "well Ronny, it looks as though your roommate has decided not to attend Maumee. For now, you'll be in the room yourself. Once we get everything settled, we may do some moving around if needed." On the way back up to the room I thought to myself "this may work out better for me. If I don't have a roommate this year, I can invite Sam over more for some fun weekends together."
CJ's aunt and uncle stopped in my room as they were heading the elevator to leave. UD came to me and said "Ronny, it was great to meet you today and I want to see you sometime in Cheviot." Sally chimed in as well saying "you're welcome to come over for a weekend with CJ. Take care Ronny, and don't let my nephew corrupt you!" All four of us had a good laugh over that comment, and CJ and I took UD and Sally down to their car. As they were leaving, UD rolled down his window and said "good luck you Muskies. Be good, have fun and enjoy your future adventures to the fullest." I cracked up once UD and Sally had left the parking lot and said "CJ, your aunt and uncle or so nice. It was great to meet them today, and I have never felt such a welcome feeling as I did with them." He smiled at me and replied "yes, they have an infectious attitude that overtakes all my friends. Welcome to my circle Ronny, you've been through the UD and Sally initiation, and I'm glad to see you survived it. Let's go back up to my room and see what UD snuck in for me. If I know him, there are several presents hidden in the room."
CJ does know his uncle! UD hid a bottle of whiskey and bourbon in his closet, and there was two six packs of beer in the refrigerator. CJ looked at me and said "do you drink Ronny?" I smiled at him and said "not excessively, but I do like beer and whiskey. I've never tried bourbon though." CJ said "well we have got to change that! If you like whiskey, you'll love bourbon. I can tell my roommate Cooper is already a strait-laced teetotaler, so I hope you don't mind if I crash in your room every now and then?" I broke out in a huge smile and said "no problem at all CJ. I found out my roommate David is not attending Maumee, so I've got a single room for the time being. I need to look for a couch or loveseat now, as David was bringing that to our room." CJ said "maybe we can find one on campus this weekend that someone is not going to use, or next weekend is labor-day weekend and it's notorious for garage sales in Ohio. Perhaps someone in town will be wanting to sell excess furniture to poor college kids at a ridiculous cheap price!"
CJ and I decided to head for the quad right around 5:00 pm. Jake asked if he could join us, and several others from the floor tagged along as well. All of us on the fifth floor are incoming athletes to Maumee. I thought to myself "okay, the fifth floor is either going to be an animal house, or a bunch of jocks supporting each other in our sports activities." As the year progressed, I found the floor to be the latter. We all had a great time together, but never really got totally out of control. We respected each other's athletic abilities, attended sporting events together to support those who were playing and all fell into the college life like a bunch of high school buddies.
On the way over to the quad, I asked CJ if he was starting out with any majors in mind? He looked at me and said "I'll probably be the oddball on the floor, but I'm starting out with radio and television broadcasting. I'm thinking I want to emphasize more on the television curriculum though. How about you Ronny?" I looked at CJ, cracked up and said "well dude, I guess I'll be an oddball right along with you. I'm also starting in radio and television. I have not decided on which side I want to focus on, so I am signed up for both intro courses this fall." CJ replied "no shit dude? I'm signed up for both intro courses as well. Monday, Wednesday and Friday television, and Tuesday, Thursday radio. My tv lab is on Wednesday and my radio lab is on Tuesday." I replied to CJ saying "yep, that's the same as my schedule. I'm also enrolled in english, economics and calculus." CJ smiled and said "let's compare schedules before Monday. I also have english, calculus and a web programming class. We may be in several more classes together besides the radio and television classes."
The college did a very nice job with the picnic. There were a number of mixer introduction activities, a number of college professors joined in at the tables to meet and greet us and the evening ended up with a dance for everyone to attend. I was shocked at the dance again, as it seemed like a group of good friends dancing the evening away versus a strict couple routine. The upper classmen were also invited to the dance as a welcome back to Maumee mixer for everyone at the college. Charlie our RA found us on the dance floor and said "come on dudes let's get crazy, it's going to be a fun year for all of us!"
The orientation program was very well done and we had Sunday pretty much on our own to explore and get ready for our classes to begin on Monday. CJ and I went to the bookstore Sunday morning and picked up our class books for the semester. After the bookstore visit, we decided to drive around to further explore what the town had to offer. I needed some shampoo, and CJ forgot mouthwash at home. We found a department store close to campus, and shopped around to see what all the store had to offer us. On the way back to campus, CJ spotted a sign for a neighborhood garage sale. We parked my truck on the street and went from house to house looking for some furniture for my room. Sure enough, CJ was right! We came upon a couple who was selling their basement furniture cheap. I picked up a leather recliner and loveseat for $30.
We hauled the furniture up to my room. Everything fit, but it was cramped. I didn't care as I had everything I needed to enjoy my college life. We moved the refrigerator under David's desk, which freed up some needed room. CJ brought a small table from his room which he was not using, and we placed it between the recliner and loveseat. He said to me "there, we have a table now to sit our bourbon glasses or beer bottles on." I cracked up at him and said "since the cafeteria is closed today, how about a pizza for dinner?" He smiled at me and said "sounds good. I enjoy all toppings but no anchovies. I'll bring some beer down, and we can shoot the shit tonight before classes start tomorrow."
Based on a recommendation from Charlie, we ordered a large pepperoni, sausage, mushroom and green pepper from DK's pizza. Charlie said it's the best pizza near campus, and they deliver to the dorms. The pizza was great, and CJ and I enjoyed it with beer. We discussed so many things, and learned so much about each other that night. I found out how his name CJ came to be, why he called Dean UD and he disclosed all of the details about his parents' death to me. I was looking deep into his eyes and said "Jesus CJ, you've been through a lot, and I must say you seem so well adapted to your life when you could be deeply depressed." CJ smiled at me and said "I'm who I am today because of UD, Ronny. Had he not been in my life, I probably would have gone into a deep depression and ended up in a far worse position in life than where I am at."
About two hours later, CJ said "enough about me. Let's hear the story of Ronny Bradford and who he is." CJ went and retrieved the other six pack from his room and we started down the Ronny Bradford trail. I told him everything about my family, my horse Thunder, my cousins, Sam and Clint, the farm and my experiences in high school. CJ was genuinely interested in my story, and kept asking questions all through sharing my memories with him.
Finally, CJ approached the dreaded subject with me. He did it in a way I was not expecting though. After I had finished my life story with him, he looked at me and said "Ronny, it has been great getting to know you and I've enjoyed spending so much time with you this weekend. I need to share something with you, and I hope it does not scare you off." I smiled at him and said "get it on the table CJ. Whatever you share with me will not shock me or scare me off." CJ took a swig of his beer, looked at me and said "Ronny, throughout high school I played the field and did what I thought society required me to do. I took girls to the proms and homecoming dances, but it did not make me happy. I have discovered that I enjoy being with men more than women. I don't have a lot of experience, but I want to explore it more in college. I'm definitely bisexual Ronny, and I may even be gay." CJ stopped and looked intently at me. I smiled at him and said "what, do you want me to deck you or kiss you now?" We both busted out laughing and I said "CJ, I've only been with men in my life. I never went to the prom or any homecoming dance with a girl. Sam, Clint and I always went stag, and had great times with each other. I can tell you brother, I've had intercourse with men, and I'm definitely gay dude. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, and I expect the same with you. Deal?" I stuck out my hand and we shook on it. After the handshake, I was shocked when CJ pulled me out of the recliner, gave me a hug, kissed me on the lips and said "deal my friend."
From that moment on, I knew I had found a good friend in CJ. It dawned on me that I can have friends outside of Sam, Clint and the rest of Jennings County. It was getting late, and CJ said to me "well dude, I'm going to hit the sack. Are you a breakfast person, and do you want to go tomorrow morning before our television class?" I smiled at CJ and said "yeah, I eat a good breakfast every morning. If I don't, I'm cranky later in the day. How about breakfast at 6:30, and then we can come back here and get ready for class at 9:00?" CJ smiled at me and said "it's a date you stud! Talk to you in the morning."
I got ready for bed, set my alarm and climbed into my tiny twin bed. I started to think about the evening and wondered if I had made a mistake by not asking CJ to stay with me? I thought to myself "no Ronny, you did the right thing. Let this play out, and see where it goes. You two have a good friendship going, and good friends are hard to find. Don't mess this up."
I drifted off to sleep quickly and was excited to start my new academic experiences in the morning.