Second Chance, Chapter 6
Warning:
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This story contains descriptions of love and sexual fulfillment between people of the same gender. If possessing or reading this kind of material is illegal where you live, please leave this site at once.
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As always, my thanks to Tom H and David S for editing!
Ch.6
The following morning, the guys all got up early in order to pack up and get going to secure a campsite close enough to their pickup point so that their last day would not be a strenuous one. They were scheduled to be met at 11:00 o'clock on Friday.
The journey took less time than they had assumed it would even though they made a stop mid morning to hike up to the top of a bluff that had a spectacular view. It was evidently a popular place to go because they encountered several small groups of boy scouts while they were there. Because of the traffic, they didn't stay too long. They wanted to free up the landing area for others to use as well.
Around noon, they began to look for a suitable place for their last camp. Several places were occupied and, from the looks of spread-out equipment, were likely to remain so. They were beginning to be concerned about finding a place because the sky was darkening rapidly like it had so often before on their trek.
Finally, they found a campsite with several fully loaded canoes tied up. A couple of girls were coming down toward the canoes carrying a small pack.
"Are you planning to stay here?" Ben called up to them.
"No, we're just finishing lunch. We'll be gone in a few minutes and it'll be all yours."
"Thanks! We'll stay back to let you have room to maneuver."
Six young women got seated in the three canoes and began to paddle away. Everyone wished each other a good trip.
The guys quickly unloaded and beached their canoes before setting up camp. They had scarcely erected the tents and put their packs under cover when the sky opened up. The girls were no doubt getting soaked. The guys were happy that they'd lucked out again.
Josh and Eric made good use of their time in the tent waiting for the rain to stop. They inflated their pads and unrolled their bags. Then, they helped each other remove their shirts and snuggled together bare chest to bare chest. Kissing and hugging made them feel warm all over even though the air temperature had dropped. When they stopped to talk, they expressed their amazement over how great the trip had been.
"Eric, I knew this was going to be a great adventure, but I didn't know how awesome it was going to turn out. This is going to be the best year ever now that I have you."
"It will if Mom doesn't put a wrench into the machinery. I'm still holding my breath. And to think, I tried to get her to `rescue' me from this trip. I hated the idea of roughing it and going without a computer or cell phone for a week. Man, I can't believe how my outlook has changed! You're responsible for almost every bit of it."
"I'm happy that I could help." Josh smiled. "You've changed my life too. I knew that I wanted another guy, but I never thought I'd find one as cute as you - and as loving. Wow! I'm going to take a positive view and say that we'll be sleeping together full-time in a matter of days."
Eric thought that Josh was being a bit overly optimistic, but he didn't say so. He didn't want to dampen Josh's enthusiasm. It was that bright, spunky spirit that had helped transform him in so short a time. It seemed like this had happened over a long period of time instead of about a week.
Their dads were snuggling in their tent as well. The rain left them with nothing to do but enjoy their mutual company. Their conversation ran along similar lines.
"Ben, being with you again is AWESOME! I'm going to go home and put the house on the market as soon as I can. It's a `starter home' and it'll sell quickly because there are lots of people who need affordable places since the flood. I know that I can get top dollar. Everything should go well; except, perhaps, Eric's custody. If Tina operates true to form, she'll throw up as many roadblocks as possible. She probably can't prevail now that Eric wants to live with us, but that won't prevent her from acting like a bitch."
"You might have an ace in the hole if you come on strong before she has a chance to make trouble. I have a few ideas..."
The shower was a gully-washer while it lasted, but it was over fairly soon and the sun began to raise the temperature again. The boys grabbed their towels and climbed out of their tent to go down to the beach to rinse off their bodies.
The men got water heating to prepare a freeze-dried dinner of chicken teriyaki and rice. The veggies to go with it were peas. The meal turned out to be better tasting than they had expected but not anything like fresh fish. The boys exhibited healthy appetites and chowed down as if it were a gourmet dish. There was nothing left to dispose of when they were done.
They didn't build a campfire that night because the wood was soaked and there wasn't time to get a good one going before it would be time to put it out. However, they did sit up for a short time eating the last of the chocolate cookies and looking at the emerging stars.
When it was time to go to bed, it was cool enough to need to be inside their sleeping bags. The boys arranged their bags so that the zipper sides were facing. They crawled in, but didn't zip them shut.
Eric reached his hand inside of Josh's bag and discovered that Josh wasn't wearing anything, so he pulled down his undies too. They spent the next half hour feeling each other's body. Eventually, they fell asleep cupping each other's favorite part.
Their last wilderness breakfast consisted of instant oatmeal and toast made in a skillet. There was enough jelly left over from the previous day's lunch to give it a bit of extra flavor. No one minded having a quick meal because they knew that they needed to pack up soon if they were going to be at the pickup spot at the appointed time for their tow.
Of course, since they were retracing this part of their journey, they had to face the same portages in reverse order. The longest one would come first and it would be good to have that out of the way.
Eric had been aware that he'd done a lot of growing up in the past few days, but he hadn't realized how much strength he'd gained as well. Yes, the food packs were lighter, but the other ones weren't. In fact, the personal pack that he was now sharing with Josh was heavier due to the fact that both boys had found a couple of interesting rocks to bring back for souvenirs. Yet, the portages didn't present the same challenges they had before. Maybe some of it had to do with attitude.
They made such good time that they had more that 20 minutes to wait for the motor boat to take them back. The boys' stomachs were growling and they were hoping not to have to wait too long for lunch.
Ben surprised them by pulling a box of salad crackers, a hunk of cheese, and a thuringer from his pack. Josh unsheathed his camp knife and cut the smoked sausage into thin slices. The cheese was less cooperative, but ended up in small chunks that could be placed on top of the crackers and meat. It tasted like manna from heaven to the hungry boys.
The motorboat arrived right on the dot of 11:00. The young man driving it hurried to get the canoes strapped on while the guys loaded the packs.
"See that black cloud?" he said. "I'm going to do my best to get you on shore before we get wet. I suggest that you put on your rain jackets just in case."
The trip back across the lake was quicker than the one had been when they started out the past Sunday. The sky darkened even more as they sped toward their destination. Eric and Josh grinned as they hummed Winnie the Pooh's song.
As soon as the boat was docked, the guys grabbed their packs and hurried toward shelter. They used the canoes and a tarp to protect their gear from getting wet and then ran to the overhanging eaves of the little office/store. They had barely reached cover when the rain poured down like a waterfall. After 10 minutes, the cloud moved eastward and the rain stopped. Then the sun came out again – typical northern Minnesota weather. Once more, they had been extremely lucky.
The wait for their ride back to the outfitter's lodge wasn't more than 20 minutes, but seemed longer. The guys wished that they would have kept some money on them in order to buy a can of soda. The vending machines looked quite tempting.
They were pleasantly surprised when their ride arrived and the driver produced a cooler containing four cokes and four beers. The boys acted disappointed when their fathers nixed their attempt at helping themselves to a beer.
"Sorry, boys, you may be adult in many ways, but we can't let you do that in public. If Tina could prove we were giving you alcohol, she could mess things up for Eric."
"Hey, we've been men all week. Besides, she'd let me have one," Eric whined.
"Men don't whine," Scott responded with a grin.
Eric shut his mouth and also grinned.
At the lodge, Dan opened the safe and got out the bag that contained the guys' billfolds, keys, and cell phones. He checked the condition of their equipment and refunded their damage deposit. Then his assistant handed each of them a clean towel and a new bar of soap.
The guys all headed for their cars to lock up their valuables and retrieve clean clothes to wear. Ben and Scott pulled out their shaving kits to remove their six-day beards. They toyed with the idea of letting them grow, but opted to shave most of their facial hair off, leaving a small line from their sideburns to their chins. Their sons thought they looked very studly and envied them.
The shower units had a small dressing area at the front of each so that people could have privacy. Each had a curtain at the first opening as well as a curtain at the shower part.
Josh and Eric headed for the shower stalls at the opposite end from the entrance door. At the moment, no one else was using the showers between them and where their dads were at the sinks. As the boys got to the last one, Josh pulled Eric in with him.
"Aren't you afraid we'll get caught?" Eric whispered.
"Who cares? No one's going to come in who knows us."
It was both scary and exciting for Eric. He was frightened that they'd be seen leaving the shower together, but the fear of discovery tended to make his libido run hotter.
The teens soaped each other up all over, paying special attention to the groin area. Then they rubbed together for a while under the warm water. A few minutes later, they had to rinse off the evidence.
Eric pulled the outside curtain back enough to check for traffic. Seeing no one, he quickly took his clothes and towel and made a beeline for the next shower. Josh giggled at his sense of urgency.
Back at the cars, Scott tossed the convertible's keys to his son and told him to follow Ben and him. He'd heard about a barbeque wagon that served excellent beef sandwiches. Eric was pleased about eating lunch soon, but even more so that his dad trusted him with the car without his being in the passenger seat.
It was only a few minutes before the guys were eating their delicious lunch. While the boys were considering going back for another sandwich, Ben made a proposal.
"I think that you two should follow us to my house and stay for the weekend at least. Scott, you can use my computer to catch up on your business and Josh can show Eric around the neighborhood. That is, unless Josh and Eric would rather not."
"Dad, that's the coolest idea I've heard today! Yeah, I want Eric and Scott to stay with us. Maybe Eric could just move in right now and get his stuff from Illinois later."
"I'm afraid that he's going to have to appear before the judge to show that he wants to live with me, and I have to get back to get the house ready to sell. But, I think we could at least stay until Monday."
The trip to the Twin Cities involved a bit of driver and passenger rotation. Neither of the adults wanted his son to drive someone else's car, but they had no problem with having them drive theirs. Eric drove the Sebring the first hundred miles or so with Josh as his copilot and then they switched cars and Josh drove with Eric in the passenger seat of the crossover.
It was nearing 6:00 when the two vehicles pulled into the drive of the Brady home. Scott and Eric were impressed. It was an older brick home in the historic section of St. Paul which had fallen on hard times in the past and Ben knew he could upgrade. He had had the foresight to buy it just as the neighborhood started to be "gentrified" and the value had increased several times over.
At this point, the whole area was neat and trim - with well-manicured lawns and flowerbeds. The driveway went under a broad portico before ending at a large four-car garage with living quarters above.
"Wow, this is quite an estate!" Scott exclaimed. "It makes my little ranch house look like a mud hut."
"I would have to spend big bucks to buy it at today's market value and that would make my budget a lot tighter," Ben admitted. "As it is, it's been a great investment. I fixed up the carriage apartment and am renting it to a couple of college guys beginning next month. Josh isn't sure that it's a good idea. He's afraid that they'll do a lot of partying and make us sorry we didn't leave it empty, but the rent money will come in handy when he's going to college. You know how I am about saving for a rainy day."
Scott and Eric were given a quick tour of the apartment before they headed for the house. The apartment was a college kid's dream with adequate space and neutral colors. The furniture was used, but not worn out. The bedrooms were still nearly empty.
"I've got to go shopping for a few more things, like beds and bureaus, soon. Maybe we could do that this weekend."
"I have a better idea, Dad," Josh grinned. "How about we put my twin bed in the smaller room and your queen sized one in the bigger room? We'll both want larger ones to share anyway."
"Ben and I have been talking about sleeping arrangements," Scott spoke up. "We think that you boys should have your own rooms so that you have a space to retreat to if you have a disagreement or are just in a bad mood. Things happen and it would be a good idea to be able to get off alone without a big drama scene."
"But you and Ben are going to be sleeping together, right?" Eric said. "How is that different?"
"We shared a small room for 3 ½ years in college, so we know that we're compatible." Scott told him.
"Okay, but how will we get to that point if we can't share the same space?" Eric continued.
"Why don't you `old guys' buy us each a big bed for our rooms? We can have our own space, but invite each other for a sleep-over when we feel like it. Like on a Monday, I'll invite Eric over and the next day he'll invite me over and the following day I'll invite him over... If we work it right, we can change the sheets on both beds at the same time every two weeks!"
"I suppose you'll want Eric in the bedroom that connects to yours through the shared closet." Ben laughed. "I know it's pointless to separate you, but for propriety's sake you should probably maintain separate quarters – at least as far as anyone else is concerned. If you have guys from school over, you might not want them to know, at least until you're ready to come out publicly."
The boys didn't argue with Ben's reasoning because it made sense. They didn't think that they would ever be angry enough with each other not to want to cuddle, but it would look more "normal" to their peers if they didn't appear to be sharing a bed.
After a tour of the house, they went out for pizza because there wasn't much in the fridge since Ben had emptied it before the trip. It was a pleasant change not to have to cook or clean up anything. The men shared a pitcher of beer while the boys had a pitcher of coke. Upon leaving, Ben handed the keys to Josh for the drive home. He didn't want to chance getting pulled over in case his blood alcohol level happened to be close to the limit. The newer law was quite strict.
On the way, they stopped at a supermarket to purchase enough food for breakfast. No one wanted to do too much shopping until later.
When they got back to the Brady's home, there was a discussion about sleeping arrangements. Josh insisted that he and Eric would use the guest room because of the big bed. Neither Ben nor Scott objected because they knew it was pointless to do so. Eric, of course had no problem with it.
Eric was interested in seeing Josh's art studio in the attic which had been the maid's quarters nearly a century ago. It was pretty tidy for an area where few other people ever went.
The walls were covered with pastels, some finished and some in progress. Eric was very impressed. He'd been to a few special exhibits at the Art Institute in Chicago and felt that Josh's work was as good as many of the things he'd seen there.
Josh thanked him for his rave reviews, but said that Eric was biased. Josh didn't see his painting as being great, but hoped that someday he might get good enough to sell a few works. He was thinking more of architecture as a career and painting as an avocation.
Before they left the attic sanctuary, Josh pulled Eric into an embrace and whispered a naughty proposition in his ear. Eric nodded his head grinning.
The two descended to the second floor guest room to make good on that suggestion.
Author
s notes: I hope that everyone had a great holiday season. May the New Year bring you the best.
Since last posting I've hear from several people. Some were responding to "Tales from Bentonville" but I'm including them as well. The list includes: Jim C, Jim W, Ott, Chea, Rad, Paul R, Baruch, Paul L, Roger P, Dean C, Jian, Luiz, Danny F, Marc R, and Polar. I hope I haven't left anyone out!
David