Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 99
By David Lee
Warning:
This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction. Much of this involves males with other males. If the reading or possessing of such material as this is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so. It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble.
The author retains all rights to this original story. Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.
Disclaimer:
This story is completely fictional. Most of the places mentioned, and none of the characters exist in real life. Some may possess physical or personality characteristics of people I know or have known. But if you see yourself in this story, your imagination is better than mine!
"Tales from Bentonville" is a romantic story centering on the lives of high school kids. Lovers of other ages may appear, but not normally in a cross-generational sense. References to sex with under-age kids may be made for the sake of the story line. However, I feel that child molestation is a crime and should not be glorified or tolerated.
This is my fifth attempt at writing fiction. My other stories on Nifty include: "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004) under High School, "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 23, 2004) under Camping, and "Jacob and Jacques" (May 30, 2004) under High School. Some characters from previous stories may have cameo roles in this one. However, you need not read them first.
Our only reward for contributing to Nifty is your e-mails. Please write if you like the story. Please include the name of the story in the title of your e-mail. I get a lot of spam!
Finally, thanks and hugs to Tom and David who edit for me so that there are fewer mistakes! They not only proof-read, but make other valuable suggestions.
dlee169@hotmail.com
Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 99
Sometime in the early hours of the morning, Mike was awakened by the sounds of sobbing. He immediately cuddled up against his boyfriend trying to comfort him. Brent almost literally melted into Mike's embrace. He settled down and went back to sleep rather quickly. Mike stayed awake longer pondering the turn of events of the past few weeks. In a way, he felt guilty that he wasn't suffering like Brent was. He was thankful that his dad seemed to understand, but he still wasn't sure about his mother.
At school on Friday, Brent tried to keep on task, but it wasn't easy. He kept wondering what his fate would be. He had support from several friends, but losing his family really hurt. It wasn't something that he could simply ignore. The whole scene with his mother kept replaying in his head. He was still in shock. He had always known his father to be distant, but his mother had always been there for him.
Colton was quick to pick up on the fact that Brent was bravely trying to hide something. He took the younger teen aside after they had finished their lunches. Dane and Mike came along of course.
"Brent, I don't know how much you've heard about my past life, but I want you to know that I understand some of what you must be feeling. The man that I grew up thinking was my father beat me fairly often. I even blamed myself for causing it. You need to remember that NONE of this is your fault. You can't be responsible for what your parents do."
Brent bit his lower lip to keep from getting emotional. Colt was telling him exactly what he needed to hear. He had begun to believe that perhaps his mother was right and that it was entirely his fault. Colt's words eased his mind a lot. He would have felt even better with a big hug, but was hesitant to initiate it.
Dane communicated with Colt in a nonverbal way and the two guys enveloped Brent between them. He shed a few tears as the warmth of their love surrounded him. Mike felt good inside as he joined in the group embrace.
In the minutes that remained before classes resumed, Brent told Dane and Colton the whole story of being thrown out. They promised to do whatever they could to make his life easier.
"You guys are our little bros. We won't abandon either one of you." Dane promised.
Judge Maples had received an early morning call from Frances Martin, the new county social worker. The subject was that of Brent's welfare and his staying with Darrin and John.
"I got a call from that Darrin Holmes person, but I'm concerned that this is not a suitable placement for an impressionable teen." Ms. Martin said early in the conversation. "The men in that house, if you can call them that, are openly homosexual. I'm going to be looking for someone else to take the boy if he is indeed not going back to his mother's."
"Darrin and John seem to be suitable guardians for John's brother, Dan," the judge responded. "I'm the one who approved that placement after getting to know both of them."
"By the way," she continued, "I want to congratulate you on your recent marriage. How soon is your baby due?"
"That's none of your business and has nothing to do with this case!"
"I agree. One's personal life is no one else's business. In my mother's day, an unmarried college girl who was found to be pregnant was thrown out of school – a public university at that. Our notions of morality have changed in the intervening years. I'm hoping that you won't be too quick to judge others on the basis of their sex lives."
Frances Martin was upset when she got off of the phone. Not only was Judge Maples not taking her side, but had brought up the fact that she had gotten pregnant before she tied the knot. She was not in a great mood as she called to set up a meeting with Brent's Mom, Jodie.
She was even unhappier that she would have to wait for Jodie to get off of work before they could get together. That meant that her day would run late. It also meant that she couldn't do anything about Brent's placement until the next day at least.
When 5:30 eventually arrived, Frances Martin was already on Jodie's doorstep. She had her finger poised to ring the bell when Jodie opened the door.
"I have only a few minutes to spare because I need to get dinner ready for mother and me. What seems to be the problem?"
"What's the problem? It's only that you have kicked your underage child out and sent him to live with two homosexuals one of whom is a recovering druggy! Don't you know what they might influence him to do? They could turn him gay too!"
"Look, lady, Brent is already gay. They're not going to make him any gayer. I'm not so stupid as to believe that anyone can be `turned' gay in the first place. You either are gay or you are not."
"And the young man you're calling a druggy didn't do more that smoke a few joints from what I've been told. Don't tell me that you never did that growing up."
Frances was caught off guard for a moment. She had, in fact, experimented with marijuana a bit in college. She didn't have a snappy comeback and Jodie didn't wait for her to gather her thoughts.
"Brent is with his own kind. They understand him; I can't. I know that I may have been hasty in turning on him like I did. My mother has had a long, serious talk with me – until about 1:00 a.m. I'm leaving him where he is for the present. He and I both need some space and some time. I still think it's his fault that his father is dead!"
"You think he killed his father?" Frances exclaimed in shock.
"No! Jack died in St. Thomas. Didn't you hear the town gossip?"
Ms Martin left in a huff. She had spent hours trying to find a "suitable" family to take Brent as a temporary foster child and had worked beyond quitting time only to have done it all in vain. There was essentially nothing else that she could do short of getting a court order to have Brent removed from Darrin and John's house. After the response she had gotten from Jodie and Judge Maples, she knew that wasn't going to happen.
When the phone rang at the Long residence after dinner, Mike's mom, Brenda, answered it on the second ring.
"Oh, hello Jodie. Yes he's here and I'm sure he will be happy to talk to you. Just a minute."
Brent wasn't all that sure that he wanted to take the phone, but Brenda assured him that his mother didn't sound angry.
"Hello. Yeah. I don't know that I can do that – ever! It's like you put a knife in my heart. Whatever. Can I talk to Grandma?"
Brent spent several minutes conversing with his grandmother. He had tears in his eyes at one point, but was smiling by the time he got off of the phone. His mood seemed to have brightened considerably.
"Mom says she's sorry. I have a hard time caring. I'm not sure what to believe. It's like she's not emotionally stable."
"She has been through a really stressful time," Brenda said. "I can imagine that her feelings are all over the place."
"Yeah, but that doesn't excuse her from throwing her own son out!" Mike spoke up.
"Brent, are you sure that you didn't do something to make her turn on you like that?" Brenda questioned.
Both boys got very quiet and Brenda figured that they were going to tell her that Brent had been smoking pot or had stolen something.
"Mom," Mike began softly. "I have to tell you something about me that Brent's mother figured out about him."
Brenda held her breath fearing the worst. Michael, Sr. came into the family room having overheard most of the conversation and sensing what was about to happen. He put his arm around his wife's shoulder.
"Mom, I'm sorry, but I'm uh – uh g-gay." Mike stuttered.
"Oh, honey, it's okay," Brenda responded as she moved to hug her son. "I thought you boys were in some sort of serious trouble. I'm so relieved!"
"Uh, you're relieved that I'm gay?"
"I sort of read the signs, Son. I was hoping that I was wrong because I know that life isn't easy for people who are different. But, I'm not upset or ashamed of you or anything like that. I'm proud of you for having the guts to tell your dad and me."
"I think Dad already figured it out on our camping trip," Mike blushed.
"So that's what set Jodie off? I think that I should have a serious discussion with her." Brenda told them.
"Maybe you should hold off until she recovers from the verbal shellacking that Grandma gave her," Brent suggested.
"Shellacking? Do teens use that term?"
"No, that's Grandma's way of saying it." Brent grinned. "She may not be as young as she used to be, but she's a tough old girl."
After consuming a large bowl of ice cream each, the boys were lying on top of Mike's bed snuggling – clad only in their underwear. They discussed the evening's events, stopping to kiss frequently.
"I'm really blown away!" Mike confessed. "I knew that Dad was okay with me and us, but I figured that Mom would have a cow. I read in the paper about a professor in Iowa City who reacted like Mom did when her high school aged son came out to her, but they're pretty liberal down there."
"Well, your mom's no dummy! She is a registered nurse after all."
"Your Mom's smart too. Maybe she'll come around." Mike said hopefully.
The boys were going to turn out the lights early when Brent had a thought.
"We need to call Colt to let Dane and him know – about both our moms. They were really concerned today."
It took several rings on Colton's cell phone before he answered. He sounded out of breath when he did. Although he didn't talk too long, Colt let the boys know how pleased he was to hear the news.
"Hmm, where was I before they called?" Colt grinned.
"I think you were saying something about teasing me until my balls turned bright blue and then sucking me dry." Dane giggled.
"Yeah, let's get to it!"
The talk at school on Monday was mostly about the annual ritual of homecoming. No one was sure why it was called that because rarely did any alumni actually get involved in anything more than possibly coming back to see the football game. Everything else revolved around the kids who were still in school.
This year, the guys living at Greta's house had no reason to go with anyone but their boyfriends. They were all out and proud. Mike and Brent were still not out at school, but were afraid that they might be outed if word got out about why Brent had been kicked out. However, they didn't feel good about dating girls for cover. They mentioned at lunch one day that they would probably not go at all.
"You really should go stag," Colt encouraged. "Dane and I have gone to several dances without dates even before we came out. There're always girls who don't have dates who will love to dance with a couple of studs like you guys."
Their younger friends grinned at Colt's words and thought that they might reconsider.
During the next week, Brent became more comfortable with his new situation. John and Darrin did their best to make him feel at home. Dan and Cory tried to distract him with video games, basketball, and study sessions. Mike was included as often as possible. His parents were very understanding about the boys' need to be together.
Toward the end of the week, Frances Martin made a surprise visit to Darrin and John's home less than an hour before dinner time. She insisted on seeing Brent's room hoping to find some possible violation that would allow her to make a case for removing him.
What she found, was Brent sitting at a desk in a neat, clean room working on his homework assignment. He greeted her courteously and answered all of her questions politely. He didn't allow his temper to rise even when she attempted to bait him.
Having found no problems there, she barged into the kitchen hoping to find anything that might be construed as substandard. The aroma of dinner cooking made her mouth water. She had not expected to find a well-run household in a place operated totally by young males.
She tried to bait these men as well. Her remarks to Darrin and John betrayed her prejudice. John's face began to get red as he tried to keep his cool. Darrin knew that his lover was nearing the flashpoint and didn't want to have a scene, so he escorted Frances into the front parlor.
"Ms. Martin," he began as he gestured toward the settee. "Please make yourself comfortable. Is there anything I can get you? I have a variety of soda pop in the fridge."
"If you have something without caffeine, I'd appreciate it," she responded – beginning to soften slightly.
Darrin returned shortly with a tall glass of Sprite. Since that was Frances's favorite, she mellowed a bit more.
"Ms. Martin, I'm going to be very direct. You have been unnecessarily rude to my partner and me. I have a strong sense that you don't like gay people very much. Please understand that we are not monsters."
"It's against Nature!" Frances insisted. "God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve! I just don't understand any of this."
"Actually, Ms. Martin, it's not against nature. There are many animals that have relationships with other animals of the same sex. It's not something that's exclusive to humans. I can give you the link to the Live Science site where you can see for yourself."
"Well, I don't think you're going to change my mind, but you and your `friend' seem to be running an acceptable home. I have found no violations and you certainly seem to be able to cook. I'm going to approve Brent's placement. Since his mother says that he is gay already, I suppose that it won't hurt."
"Thank you, Ms. Martin. I hope that we can work together for Brent's welfare. He's a great young man who deserves a good life."
Mike got to stay over on both Friday and Saturday night. This was a special treat for Brent especially since he was in a place where he could express affection without getting looks of disapproval.
On the first night they finished their homework that was due on Monday and then played video games with Dan and Cory. Around 10:00 the boys retired to their respective rooms with their boyfriends.
"Hey, Baby, are you okay?" Mike asked when they were alone.
"Yeah, I'm doing pretty well. There's a lot of love in this house. I can feel it. Jerry says he thinks that it has something to do with Miss Charlotte. You know, I thought I saw the angel of death when I got beaten, but when I came here, I recognized who it was from a picture in the parlor. I think that she watched over me until you could get there."
"Did you tell Darrin and John?"
"No. I thought they'd think I was nuts, but I'm gonna mention it to Jerry because he's cool."
"Everyone connected with her seems to be cool," Mike nodded.
"Everyone in this place has been trying to keep me upbeat and distracted from my problems and they've done a good job, but I'll bet you could think of something better," Brent grinned running his tongue across his lips suggestively.
"Let me work on that," Mike said as he pulled Brent's shirt up and dived for his left nipple.
Brent moaned in lust as Mike tongued and nipped at the erect nub. He could feel his cock responding to the treatment. It didn't take long for the boys to strip each other bare. They humped against each other sensuously as the stood naked by the bed.
Mike dropped to his knees catching a string of precum with his tongue. Then he ran that wet tongue gently over the tip of Brent's cock. Next, he moved to Brent's nearly hairless ball sac. Brent was too charged up to hold back for long. After a little more stimulation, Brent gasped.
"I'm coming!"
And he did.
Mike lay back on Brent's bed and began to jack himself. Brent pushed his hands aside and buried his face in Mike's crotch. It didn't take a lot of licking before Mike was moaning and bucking. The first shot hit Brent squarely in the face. He caught the rest in his mouth. When he settled down, Mike licked the mess off of Brent's face and shared it in a kiss.
Then, both fell asleep rapidly spooned together.
Author's notes: I'm high and dry, but the downtown area and many communities in Iowa are partially under water even as the flood recedes. It will take months, if not years, for things to become normal again. However, just like after the tornado in "Bentonville", people are pulling together to help each other. Former Katrina victims from Mississippi are sending relief supplies. That part is heartwarming!
We are lucky not to have suffered loss of life. The one woman found dead in her basement likely died from a medical condition and not the flood.
Congrats to those in California who will be able to wed their partners (at least for the time being).
Thanks to those who wrote since last posting: Mel, Carroll, Jim We, Paul W, Tom A, Michael O, Jason J, Jay, Charles R, Tim E, Craig, and Rad. And special thanks to David S and Tom H who faithfully edit.