Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 103
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 Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.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 103
The Nissen family arrived in Bentonville on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. They were greeted warmly by Allen's family who took them to dinner at a new restaurant in Cosgrove. (Joel and his Iowa grandparents were in attendance also.) It was an excellent meal. At the end of it, Allen stood up and faced Abby's parents.
"Mr. and Mrs. Nissen, I would like your permission to ask your daughter to be my wife."
George and Molly Nissen smiled at each other before nodding their approval. Then, they watched as Allen knelt beside Abby's chair to formally ask her to marry him. While no one was surprised at his request, Abby was shocked when he produced an engagement ring that fit her perfectly. She had no clue how he had managed to pull this off without her suspecting anything. She let out what sounded like a war whoop as she pulled him to his feet and planted a big kiss on his grinning face. As soon as he was released from her embrace, he received high fives from Alex, Joel, and Caleb.
"Way to go, Big Bro!" Alex exclaimed.
Allen's next statement sent a momentary shock wave around the table.
"I'd like us to get married as soon as possible."
"You're not..." Molly began."
"No, Mom, you don't have to get out the knitting needles just yet. We aren't pregnant. We're certain that we want to be together forever and we don't think that we can wait forever!" Abby responded.
"It will take months to plan a wedding," her mother reminded.
"Not if you're all agreeable to what we've been thinking about," Allen said. "I'm not going to be pushy, but Abby and I have long talked about a simple family gathering rather than a huge church wedding. Of course Abby was thinking it would happen a year in the future. Here's what we've talked about."
Allen went on to present their detailed plans. They would all be in Belize for Christmas and the beach there would provide an excellent backdrop for the ceremony. It would be an informal wedding with his twin, his sister, Abby's brother, and Joel as their attendants. Fr. Jerry would be invited to bring along his partner Dennis to participate. Fr. Jerry would perform the rite and Dennis would provide a solo or two.
No one said anything for a couple of minutes. The newly engaged couple held their breath waiting to see how Abby's mother would react. After all, this was her only daughter and she might be offended if she couldn't plan a fairy-tale extravaganza.
"I had always pictured a large formal wedding for Abby, but what you kids have suggested makes a lot of sense," Molly agreed. "Abby has never been a `Barbie Doll' type and I want what will make her happy. It is about the significance of the rite after all, not the amount of people who are invited. The kind of wedding I had envisioned would have cost many thousands of dollars. I'm sure that I could convince George to give you that amount to help with your living expenses next year."
Allen and Abby let out an audible sigh of relief.
"We'll match whatever you give them," Lori added. "I'm all for helping them to get established without their having to be emotionally stressed over finances. That is the cause of most marital difficulties in the early years."
Once there was parental agreement all round, several people had questions about how this could all come off on such short notice. Allen answered all of them because he had already anticipated what the hurdles would be. In September, he had emailed Fr. Jerry with tentative plans asking him to hold open the week after Christmas if possible. Fr. Jerry had checked with authorities in Belize to arrange for a temporary license to perform a marriage ceremony. Joel had offered a private jet from his company to transport the cleric and his partner. The Masterson's had checked on the availability of housing for the two of them.
"That is more than generous, Joel," George exclaimed.
"Well, my motives aren't entirely altruistic," Joel admitted. "Alex and I don't want to intrude on their special day, but we do want Fr. Jerry to bless our union on the same beach where we first confessed our love for each other. Uh, no one has to come to our thing if you feel uncomfortable. Allen talked to Abby about the possibility a long time ago."
"I think that's wonderful!" Molly enthused. "Twins should be able to share a special day like that if they want to. You make a delightful couple and I can't imagine that anyone at this table would be offended."
That set off another round of high fives among the younger males. It was fortunate that the Albers' had reserved a private dining room for the evening because the excitement would certainly have affected other restaurant guests.
About the time that things began to quite down again, the owner of the establishment came in to make an announcement.
"A little bird told me that there are a couple of reasons to celebrate in this room tonight. Does anyone dislike Baked Alaska? If not, I'd like to treat you to our specialty - on the house."
When no one expressed any objections, the man gave a signal to his wait staff who promptly entered the room bearing trays of the flaming dessert. Needless to say, it was scrumptious.
It also goes without saying that the owner scored lots of PR points with all the families present. He would be rewarded with many referrals and his waiters and waitresses would be tipped generously.
The celebration of Thanksgiving ahead of time at Miss Charlotte's old home did nothing to diminish its quality or significance. When the spread was all laid out, Darrin asked a short blessing on the food and thanked God for extending his family. Brent swallowed hard to keep his composure because he knew that was for his benefit.
Nancy, Cory, and Jamie did get to attend as planned. The instructions left with the will from the boys' grandparents said that they wished to have their bodies donated to the university medical school and that a memorial service could be held when it was most convenient for their remaining family to attend. That meant that it could be put off until summer if necessary. However, Nancy felt that it would be best to get it done soon so that the boys could move on more easily. She had contacted the pastor of her in-laws church and had arranged it for two days after Christmas. They could fly in on the 26th, have the service the 27th, and spend the rest of the break in southern California. Neither of her boys had been to Disneyland and that would be one of their destinations. She was planning to take Dan along, but he didn't know that yet.
When the table had been cleared, everyone gathered in the front parlor for awhile before the football games began. It was then, that Nancy brought up the subject of the trip. She laid out the schedule and then made her announcement.
"Dan, we want to come with us. Cory and Jamie will both want extra emotional support during this time and I'll bet you haven't been to Disneyland either."
"Wow! Thanks. I think I have enough in the bank to cover the ticket."
"There's no way you're going to spend your own money. I owe you a lot for what you've done for Cory," she insisted.
"I can't accept that because you've already paid me to be his nurse. I can't be a charity case."
"Do you realize how much that would have cost? You were nurse, tutor, and therapist all rolled into one. I couldn't have found that kind of help, much less afford it!"
Then Cory spoke up: "Dan, it looks like I'm going to come into some serious money when I come of age. According to the letter from the lawyer, I'll have access to part of it before then. There is no one in the world that I'd rather share it with. You loved me when I had little; you can't push me away when I have plenty. Mom's right about how you helped me physically, but she hasn't mentioned the rest. When I got off track doing pot and booze and hanging around with Paige and that crowd, you still loved me and kept picking up my sorry butt every time I stumbled. You were patient and caring. I didn't deserve all of that, but I'm grateful for it. Please don't abandon me now."
Cory's impassioned plea had its desired effect on Dan. He rose to take Cory into his arms. They stood there in the middle of the parlor for several minutes just hugging and oozing silent tears. There wasn't a dry eye in the room including Jamie's. He was attempting to remain stoic and macho like he thought straight males should, but he couldn't carry it off. His mother was pleased to see that he was sensitive too.
Once it was established that Dan would go without protesting anymore, the guys began to get excited about the trip. They started to talk about what they would see and what they would pack.
In the midst of it, Darrin told Brent that he could invite Mike for an overnight trip to Minneapolis to the Mall of America with John and him over Christmas break. Darrin had been making tentative plans and was going to make the announcement later, but moved it up because he didn't want Brent to feel left out.
Brent knew what Darrin was doing, but that didn't make it any less special. He grinned as he basked in the love of his extended family.
In Minneapolis, Dane and Colt lay cuddled in their zipped-together sleeping bags on a large inflatable mattress in a small upstairs room at Wade and Roger's house. Since Sharon and Dwayne were there for Thanksgiving as well as DJ's family and Greta, rooms with real beds were at a premium. The guys didn't mind at all. It reminded them of camping.
Colt was lying on his side enjoying the fact that his cousin/lover was snuggled against his back - skin to skin. He sort of scooted back to get even closer. Then he sighed contentedly.
"Whatcha thinkin' `bout, Stallion," Dane asked.
"Oh, just that I'm the luckiest boy in the world."
"No, that would be me!" Dane insisted. "I don't know what I'd have done without you."
"Shit, I'd probably be dead without you," Colt exclaimed. "What if you hadn't moved to Bentonville? What if we hadn't been working out at the same time? What if you hadn't put on that little show down the leg of your workout shorts?"
"Hey that wasn't intentional, and it's not THAT little!"
"Okay, it's big," Colt agreed as he wiggled his butt against Dane's half-hard dick. "If you hadn't taken me home, I'd never have gotten acquainted with my real family, and Robert Crider would probably have killed me sometime. You saved my ass!"
"And a nice ass it is. I'm afraid that my motives were somewhat selfish. I plan to enjoy that part of you anatomy a lot more in the future."
"It's yours whenever you want to claim it," Colton assured him.
Dane reached down to tenderly caress his lover's bottom, feeling the firm, muscled globes in his hands. Colt raised his top leg inviting Dane to stray into the cleft between them. Dane did so, running his middle finger gently across Colt's most private area. Then, he wet that finger so that it would slip in easily. Colt was breathing erratically and producing a steady flow of sticky lubricant from his almost painfully hard phallus.
Although he didn't want to stop what Dane was doing, Colt wanted to stimulate his Horny Toad as well. He unzipped his side of the sleeping bag so that he could turn around to get at Dane too. It was a bit chilly in the room, but the boys were producing enough body heat not to feel it.
They settled into their favorite position taking each other to the pubes while massaging each other's prostate. The stimulation was too much to allow either of them to last. With gasps and whimpers they unloaded – Colt ahead of Dane by a few seconds.
When the main event had concluded, they went back to cuddling. This time, Colt was against Dane's back leaving sticky tracks on it.
"Wow!"
"Wow, indeed! Dane agreed. "I think were both the luckiest guys in the world."
Brent was up early on Thanksgiving Day making sure that his hair was just right. He had showered and dressed in a sweater and slacks. Their autumn hues were perfect for a "dress-casual" occasion. He looked far more handsome than he realized as he checked his reflection in the mirror.
Dan drove Brent to his uncle Winston's house reminding him that he and Cory would be around all day in case Brent needed to make a hasty exit for any reason.
"If there's anything or anyone that makes you feel unwelcome or uncomfortable, all you have to do is hit the speed dial on your cell and we'll be there in a flash."
"What if you're in the middle of something `important'?" Brent teased.
"Nothing, even THAT, will prevent us from coming to your aid like knights on white chargers." Dan teased back.
Brent was convinced that it was true.
When Brent got to his uncle's house, he was given a warm welcome. His grandmother met him at the door with a kiss as did his aunt and uncle. However, his mother was nowhere to be seen. Brent was of two minds about that. It was less tense not having her there, but he had hoped that she would make some effort to see him on "neutral" ground. Oh well, he wouldn't let it spoil his day.
Dinner was great, although it wasn't better than what Darrin, John, and Nancy had served the day before. Different families have different traditions. Brent wasn't into the oyster dressing that his aunt and uncle served, but he ate some and made the appropriate comments in order to please them. He was really thankful for being included in the extended family and he loved being with his grandmother who knew all about him and loved him unconditionally.
After dinner, Carrie called Jerry to come over and asked him to pick up Mike to join them. She was certain that all of the boys would be happy to be together and even happier to partake of dessert.
Carrie's mother was starting to cut the pies when the doorbell rang. Standing on the porch was Nancy Fordham accompanied by Brent's mother, Jodie who was carrying two pies in holders.
"I had the ingredients for these and decided to bake them this morning after Nancy came over to talk to me. May we join you for dessert?" she said to her brother who had opened the door.
"You're just in time, Jodie," Winston said. "Please come in. I hope those are your famous pecan pies because it wouldn't seem like Thanksgiving without them."
Jodie set the pecan pies in the kitchen and went to find her son. She asked her brother if she could have a room to talk to him in private. Once in the den, she sat down in a straight-backed chair and motioned for Brent to sit on the love seat.
"Mother has fussed at me, Brenda has talked to me, and now Nancy has added to what they've said. I'm in counseling and I've joined an on-line discussion group of mothers with gay sons. I'm beginning to understand and I am truly sorry. I'd love to have you come home, but I won't push that. If you want to stay with Darrin and John, I can fully understand your feelings. I was heartless when I should have been there for you. They acted more like nurturing parents than I did. I will be sending money for your support until you decide to come back under my roof. It will be your decision because only you can know when it's okay."
"Thanks Mom." Brent managed to get out.
He was choking up from the sincerity of her words. However, he still couldn't forget the pain and panic he had experienced when she ordered him out of the house without any warning. It would take a long time before he would get over that.
They didn't say anything else to each other. There were no words that seemed appropriate at the time. Brent made no move to embrace his mother, nor did she to hug him. Some progress was made that Thanksgiving day, but it would take awhile for them both to heal.
A couple of hours later, Jodie and Nancy said their goodbyes. Jodie insisted that Brent take the leftover pecan pie to Darrin's house to share with the others.
Jerry and Carrie drove Brent and Mike to Brent's place and then found a quiet spot to park and make out for awhile.
The extended family in Minneapolis had a festive day. No one could possibly eat all of the goodies that were available. Everyone had a great time.
The boys were surprised at the announcement that Wade made after dinner.
"Roger and I hope that you guys are available after Christmas to go to Disney World. We want to make good on the promise that we made a couple of years ago."
"You guys had better save your money for your foster child." Colt suggested. "I'm sure you spent a lot on the house too."
"Don't worry about that. We have saved up our money for those things and for the trip. We both got great raises this year and we're not hurting. We want to do this."
"We'll be glad to join you then," Dane said. "We will appreciate the time with you and the chance to go. Thanks!"
DJ insisted that he wanted to help defray the cost since Dane was invited along. Wade graciously accepted his offer.
The Masterson, Albers, Nissen group had an awesome day as well. Besides having a huge meal and watching football games, much of the time was spent on discussing the details for the wedding and commitment ceremonies after Christmas in Belize. It was great that everyone got along so well. It was much more harmonious than many such preparations. That boded well for the future of all concerned.
Author's note: Thanks for writing to me: Jim We, Tom A, Luiz, Mark (David), Jim C, Craig, Polar, Tim E, Paul R, Ron, David S, and Ric.
Thanks for editing, Tom H. David S was planning to check this story too, but I messed up and didn't get it sent in time.
David