Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 101
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 Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.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 101
Darrin and John were making preliminary plans for Thanksgiving. They were hoping to include everyone who was a part of their extended family if possible. They weren't sure if Brent would be going to Mike's, staying with them, or if his mother and grandmother would plan something by way of a reconciliation. Where ever he went, his absence would be felt somewhere else. Perhaps they could coordinate with the other families and have a huge dinner in their big house.
Cory's family was another consideration. Dan would doubtless want to host them because he would want to be with Cory, but also with his own brother, John. It would be tricky to balance it all. Maybe they could do a trade-offs with one family hosting Thanksgiving and another Christmas.
Darrin began by calling Cory's mom, Nancy on Sunday afternoon. She explained that her plans were completely up in the air. Her deceased husband's parents wanted Jamie and her to fly to California for the holiday. Cory was not invited and Nancy was very upset. She hadn't broken the news to Cory yet because he wasn't home. In fact, he was at Darrin's house at that moment since he'd stayed over with Dan.
Darrin suggested that Nancy bring Jamie over and that they all sit down together to work things out. He suspected that Cory would want Dan with him when he got the news that he was a person non grata.
When Nancy and Jamie arrived, Darrin ushered them into the less formal back parlor where he had set out cookies and soft drinks. John was on duty and Brent was at Mikes, so it was only Cory and Dan who needed to be summoned to join them.
Once they were all present, Nancy shared what had happened. Originally, she had invited her in-laws to come to Iowa for Thanksgiving. They had made reservations and seemed to be happy to come. But, yesterday when Cory had talked to his grandparents, he felt that he should let them know about his orientation before they came so that he wouldn't be worrying about how to tell them during the time they were at his house.
Cory's grandparents had become quite upset and had gotten off the phone quickly. This morning, right after church, they had called with the alternative plans. Nancy had told them that it wasn't acceptable to exclude either one of her children.
"Here's the kicker," she continued. "They are quite wealthy and they're going Monday to have their wills changed to cut Cory out. If Jamie refuses to go to California, he'll be cut out too. I know that they aren't as flushed at the moment as they were a year ago before the `downturn' in the economy, but I'm betting that their net worth is at least a million dollars."
Dan gave a low whistle on hearing the figure. A hundred thousand dollars seemed like a huge fortune to him.
"I'm not going without my brother!" Jamie exclaimed. "He means more to me than a hundred million dollars."
"Jamie, you must go!" Cory insisted. "You can do a lot with that money and you won't be hurting me. I'm giving my consent with no strings attached."
"I suppose that I could inherit it and split it with you after the fact," Jamie said thoughtfully. "I guess I'll call and see how it plays out."
Nancy handed Jamie her cell phone and he punched in the number. It was only possible to hear his side of the conversation, but the rest could pretty nearly figure out what was being said on the other end.
"Yeah, we've talked it over. --- He knows that he won't get anything from you because he's gay. --- I don't understand how you can treat him like that. It's not like he's evil! --- What do you mean `dead hand rules?' --- What? I'm not allowed to give him anything or even talk to him? I can't agree to that!" --- I know it's a lot of money, but I love my brother more than that. --- I'm sure that the San Francisco Philharmonic can make good use of it. --- As far as I'm concerned you can stuff it up your butt!"
With his final comment, Jamie shut the phone off.
"Bravo!" Nancy shouted. "I should probably reprimand you for being rude, but I'd have been tempted to say `tight ass' instead of your milder suggestion."
"Well, Darrin," she continued, "What may I bring for dinner since it looks like we'll be joining you? If you're doing the turkey, I could at least bake yams and fixed mashed potatoes. Tell me what else you would like."
"Isn't anyone going to cry over losing all that money?" Dan asked wide-eyed.
"You can't lose what you never had," Jamie responded. "I have a brother. If I lost him, THAT would be a reason to cry."
Cory was crying. He hugged his little bro so tightly that the latter was feeling like he might be in danger of being crushed. At the same time, his chest swelled with pride that he had done the right thing.
A few blocks away, Greta was also coordinating things for the holiday. This year, Wade and Roger wanted everyone to come north to their house. It was finally completely remodeled and there was adequate space to handle a large gathering. Ellen was concerned that a household without children would not be ready for the invasion of her twins, but had been assured that it was.
Roger had `child-proofed' the whole place because he and Wade were going to become foster parents in the beginning of the next year. They had spent lots of time and money in preparation and had attended many parenting classes, but it was going to be worth it. They were receiving and infant boy around January 5th. And, if all went well, they would be able to adopt him within a year. They were ecstatic.
"Wow! I'll have another baby brother." Colton exclaimed when he heard the news. "We'll have someone else to spoil rotten."
Jane Masterson and Lori Albers were planning Thanksgiving dinner together. The lake cottage would be the ideal spot for everyone to congregate. Both wanted to include the Nissen's, Abby's family, because it was becoming more and more apparent that Abby and Allen were headed for the altar – probably before they finished college. Neither one was comfortable about moving in together without any commitment, and both were ready to consummate their relationship completely. Allen was especially ready! He said that he would be willing to jump over a broom handle or anything Abby wanted him to do if he could spend the night making love to her.
It was also likely that Alicia and Caleb would be happy to see each other again. Both had agreed that they should date other people while in high school because it wasn't practical to try to go to each other's school functions when they lived rather far apart. However, they e-mailed and spent time sending instant messages nearly every day and often several times a day.
Greta had offered the use of her cottage for the overflow of people since she wouldn't need it. Jane graciously accepted, saying that she would happily return the favor whenever Greta had a larger crowd than she could handle at Camelot.
It was obvious that Nancy and her family had had a stressful day. Darrin didn't want them to go home without having a chance to unwind. And he felt that they should eat together.
"Nancy, may I mix you a drink to help you relax while we wait for John to get home?"
"Oh, I'd better not."
"Go ahead, Mom. You can handle it and I won't be adversely influenced by your evil ways," Cory giggled. "Seriously, you're entitled to it. I think that Jamie is too, but I wouldn't want to send him down the road I was on awhile back."
"Needless to say, I'm not into serving minors," Darrin smiled. "But I will mix a couple of Bloody Mary's for us older folk and get more sodas for the rest. I'm going to place an order for pizza for all of us. I'll time it to be delivered right after John gets off of work. What does everyone like for toppings?"
After making their choices known, the boys went up to Dan's room to battle it out on video games while Darrin and Nancy sat with their drinks. Darrin was enjoying having an excuse to partake because he rarely drank in front of John and the other boys. He didn't want to be a stumbling block for young men who were trying to stay clean and sober.
John came home an hour later and the pizza delivery man arrived within 10 minutes after that. The guys and Nancy filled John in on what had transpired in his absence.
He too, hugged Jamie. The young man had shown remarkable loyalty. Obviously, he loved his brother as much as Dan and John loved each other.
Later, when Nancy was attempting to round up both of her boys for the drive home, her cell rang. She frowned at the number displayed on her phone because it wasn't one she recognized.
"Hello. --- This is Nancy Fordham. --- Really? --- How? --- When? --- But, my son was just talking to them a few hours ago. --- Yes, I know. --- Yes, I'll call you back when I figure out what I should do. --- Thank you."
Nancy had a somber look on her face when she turned to the others.
"I got called because I'm the emergency contact. They're both dead. Your grandmother thought that your grandfather was having a heart attack and tried to get him to the hospital. She evidently drove like a maniac down that winding road they live on. The rain had made it slippery and she missed one of the curves."
"Damn! I've killed them," Jamie exclaimed. "I wish I hadn't ended the call like that. I'm sure I must have given him the heart attack.
"No, son, they're responsible for their actions and their reactions. All you did was to stand up for your brother. You are blameless! Your grandmother's poor judgment and weather conditions are the cause of this accident. Your grandparents weren't wearing their seatbelts and evidently your grandfather didn't have a heart attack at all."
Darrin and John agreed with Nancy that adults were accountable for their own actions. No one made them do what they did. Jamie was somewhat relieved, but still felt partially responsible. Nancy made a mental note to get counseling for him. There was no need for him to carry that kind of burden.
While Dan took Nancy's sons to the kitchen for more Cokes to calm their nerves, Nancy quietly told Darrin and John the rest of the details. Her mother-in-law had not been killed outright in the crash, but had died in the hospital. She had been thrown several yards from the car. It was a miracle that she lived long enough to give the police an accurate account of the accident. Preliminary examination suggested that the boys' grandfather had died of blunt force trauma from being thrown into the windshield. An autopsy would be performed to prove that theory one way or the other. The airbag on his side of the car hadn't deployed. Nancy didn't want the boys to hear all of the gory details.
Brent came home from his weekend with Mike in high spirits. He had two invitations for Thanksgiving! That was exciting and unexpected, but the down side was that he was going to have to figure out how to juggle them.
His uncle Winston, Carrie's father, had invited Brent, Jodie, and Grandma Banes to share the holiday dinner with them. Winston seemed to have no problem with his nephew's orientation and was hoping to convince his sister, Jodie to welcome her son back home.
Mike's parents had also extended an invitation and Brent wanted very much to spend the day with him. And, Brent didn't want to abandon the guys who his "adopted" family at Miss Charlotte's old house. He was afraid that he would hurt someone's feelings no matter what choice he made.
On entering kitchen, he immediately sensed that the mood was solemn. So, he held back sharing his news.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I upset my grandparents so much that they ended up getting killed in an accident," Jamie said.
"No, I got them killed because I'm gay. It's really my fault, not Jamie's," Cory gulped.
"Wait a minute. You feel like you've caused this because of who you are?" Brent questioned.
Cory nodded sadly.
"Okay, we're going up to my room for a few minutes and I'm going to explain a few things to you. I may be younger than you, but I've had some life experience that you need to hear about. Dan and Jamie need to come along too."
After the boys told Nancy that they needed to stay a bit longer, she turned toward Darrin obviously wanting to ask a question. Darrin wasn't sure how much he should say because he didn't want to mess up his relationship with his foster son.
"Brent has been through a lot because of his father's death. I think what's going on up there will be good for all concerned. He'll probably share at least some of it with you."
Nancy nodded. She was satisfied with his answer and didn't probe further.
The four boys were gone from the room for around a half hour. When they returned, it was evident that they had sorted some things out. The grim looks on their faces had been replaced by calm expressions.
"Uh, I shared about the guilt I felt after my dad's death," Brent stated. "I told them some of the things that Dr. Lori told me that helped me get better."
"What you said really helped," Cory said as he squeezed Brent's shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "Mom, do you think we can afford to have a few appointments with her?"
"Of course we can, son. You and Jamie can go separately or together – whichever you choose, assuming that she has an open spot in her schedule."
Then Brent turned to Nancy.
"Ms. Fordham, I'm gay too and when my father found out, he beat me nearly to death. As you probably heard, he got killed off in St. Thomas and Mom blames me for his death. That's why I'm living here. I've been working with Ms. Evans to help me realize that I'm okay."
"Of course you're okay! You're a sweet and thoughtful boy. I think that I may stick my nose in and have a talk with your mother. She needs to know that it's not your fault."
"Won't that out Cory?" Brent asked.
"If it does, it does," Cory answered. I'm willing to take the risk if it helps you. I hope that you agree, too, Dan."
Dan said that he would take his chances also.
Everyone slept better than they had anticipated that night. They all felt like one big family. Life had its tragedies and hardships, but with the help of friends, those could be overcome. A new day would bring hope of a better future.
On Monday night, Darrin and John came up with a holiday plan that looked like a winner.
"Brent, can you be as thankful on a Tuesday or Wednesday as a Thursday?"
"Well, sure. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Well then, we'll plan to have our dinner on one of those days so that you can invite Mike here and then you can go to your uncle's on Thursday. That will solve several problems. There are two guys we work with who really want Thanksgiving Day off because of family situations. One is the guy who threatened to turn me in if I let Dustin ride in the ambulance when Dave got beaten up. The other has made a few unpleasant asides about gays. John and I can volunteer to take their shift and give them the day off."
"If you'll pardon me for saying this, why the Hell would you want to do them a favor?" Brent frowned.
"Have you ever heard of turning the other cheek? The Good Book says that if you treat enemies with kindness, you may shame them into changing their ways. That's not verbatim, but that's what it means."
"Wow! What if everyone did that? There could actually be peace on earth." Brent exclaimed.
"You're getting the picture. I'm really thankful for having a great kid like you living here with us. In a way, I would be happy if your mother didn't want to make up with you. That's selfish of me and I sincerely hope that she does. But, you are a great addition to this household."
Brent had a couple of tears in his eyes and a broad grin on his face as he hugged Darrin. He did feel comfortable there. There was an aura of happiness in that whole house. Life was going to be okay. He was loved.
Author's notes: Thanks to the big bunch of you who wrote since last posting. These include: Chuck, RC, Paul W, Bob, Rad, Jace, Tim P, Jim C, Tom A, Tim E, Mel K, Daniel F, Bill B (about Zeke), Smokr, Craig, Vann, Paul R, Ron M, Carroll, and Mark H (David). Special congratulations to this last guy who came out to his family recently and got nothing but a loving response!!! I wish it could be so for everyone.
I can't forget to thank my editors, Tom and David for their hard work. They've saved my butt more than once or twice!
I've been reading a story in the High school section: "Improbable Love" that I think most of you will want to read if you haven't already. There is also one called: "Zach and Jay" under College that I think you'll enjoy.
Flood cleanup continues. We're about ready to see who will be allowed to rebuild and who won't. It is going to be a LONG time before some sort of normality comes to this city. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, please!
David