Tales for Bentonville, Chapter 12 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 Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.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 5, 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 Tim who edits for me so that there are fewer typos!
dlee169@hotmail.com
Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 12
As the hot days of August slipped by, Dane and Colton were feeling pretty good. They had survived coming out to their friend Trent and to Grandma; both of whom had accepted them. The guys had proved to be careful, capable young men in helping with the remodeling of the house. They had earned some money from de-tasseling and continued to be paid by DJ for their work on the house. Both were looking forward to a good year at school though neither was eager to give up the freedom of summer. This combination of events helped their self-esteem greatly.
The one specter that loomed in the near future was the trial of Robert Crider. He was being tried on the first charge, that of abuse. He would be tried later on attacking Colt with the knife. In view of that more serious charge, he had not been given the chance to be out of jail on bail this time.
Sharon Crider had come back to town for the trial and was staying with her sister. Her divorce from Robert was not yet final, but was nearly done. She would take back her maiden name, Squires. She would get the house and a cash settlement. Of course, Robert had no extra cash so the prospect of actually getting anything more than the house was slim. The court could stipulate that his personal property be liquidated, but he owned very little of any worth.
Colton's mother was in the process of deciding what she would do after she was free of Robert. She wanted to put the house on the market the moment it was hers. She had adapted to her new town so well that she really didn't want to come back to Bentonville. This place represented nothing but unhappiness for her.
There was even a man in Madison where she now resided who was interested in seeing her once she was a free woman. He told her that he wouldn't date her while she was still legally bound to another man, but that he was very fond of her. He was a kind man with good values.
Her new job was better than her old one had been. She had no reason to stay in Iowa anymore. Well, almost no reason. There was Colton. She loved him dearly; enough to want the best for him. What could she do? She didn't feel that she should keep imposing on Greta. She had sent money to Wade to forward to Greta in order to help pay for Colton's keep. But providing for her only son was not like having him with her. She missed him. Perhaps he would consider moving to another school at the beginning of a new term.
Sharon was musing on all of this as she walked the few blocks from her sister's house to DJ and Ellen's new one. The route would be shorter if she cut through Greta's back yard. The day was not all that hot and there was a slight breeze. It was nice to get the exercise and to save the gas money at the same time.
The boys were high on the scaffolding painting the last gable at the back of the house. Once this was done, they could begin to disassemble the top part and work their way down. The ancient oak tree in the back gave them some shade and screened their activities from most of the other houses behind them. They had one ear open for the sound of Sharon's car which should soon be pulling into the drive by the side of the house.
They were shirtless and dressed in torn jeans that they had cut off short enough to get lots of sun on their legs. It didn't matter that they couldn't wear them in polite company because these clothes were worn out and wouldn't fit by next summer in any event. To say that they looked sexy would be an understatement.
Dane called a halt to their work for a few minutes to rest and to drink some water. The gable was nearly finished. This was a good time to take a short break. As they sat side by side, their legs touched. Dane got a goofy grin on his face. Colton called him: Horny Toad which made him grin even more. To prove that Colt was correct in his assessment, Dane pulled him close and planted a big kiss on his lips. The moment they separated, Colt giggled and returned the favor.
It was at that moment that Sharon looked up. Colt's musical laughter drew her attention. What she saw surprised her, but did not shock her because she knew his father's orientation.
Sharon stepped back behind Greta's garden shed so that the boys wouldn't see her. She nearly stepped on Greta in the process. Her son's grandmother put a finger to her lips to signal quiet. The two women retreated to the deck of the Johnson house.
"Colton is more like Wade than I had guessed," Sharon stated.
"Is that going to be difficult for you?" Greta asked.
"No, I love him just the same. I don't know what to do. This town has nothing that I want anymore, but he will be torn up if I take him away."
"There's no reason to do that, Sharon. He is welcome to live with me for as long as he wants to. I know that he will miss you very much, but I also know that he won't be happy without Dane. They are like two halves of the same person. They complete each other."
"It's kind of you to take him, but I really feel bad about leaving him. I know he will be loved, but I love him too."
"I know you do, dear. I can't make up your mind for you. If he does stay, I will need you to sign papers for guardianship. We haven't been working exactly legally as it is. If there were an emergency...."
"Yes, I'll do that. I guess that I need to leave the decision up to Colton.
He is old enough to know what he wants. Though I think of him as my little boy, I know in my heart that he is becoming an adult and that I must respect that.
"You are wise beyond your years, Sharon," Greta exclaimed as she hugged the mother of her grandson.
Greta took a quick peek to see if the boys were still being amorous before the two women went through the back yard to call up to the boys.
"Wow, we didn't hear your car. Have you been here long?" Colton called down hoping for a negative answer.
"A while," Sharon said.
Colt felt his face flush. He saw dread in the eyes of his lover as well. They should have been more careful. They shouldn't have let their feeling of love and lust run away with them. Well, they would have to face his Mom sooner or later. It might as well be sooner.
When they had climbed to the ground, the boys tried to act cool while feeling nervous on the inside. Sharon quickly hugged her sweaty son to allay his fears. She hugged Dane too. The boys relaxed figuring that no one had seen anything.
Sharon was given a tour of the inside of the house. She watched the boys' eyes light up as they described what they had helped with. They had done some fine work. Her son had needed this kind of project so that he could feel his self-worth. Her chest swelled with pride.
After the boys had cleaned up their paint mess for the day, they all went back to Greta's deck for some lemonade and iced tea. It was getting too hot to be anywhere except the shade or the swimming pool.
"Colton, I've decided to leave Bentonville and relocate permanently to Wisconsin. My job there is great and I have made a lot of new friends. It's a new chance for me -- for us."
Colt's body tensed as he took in what his mother was saying. He swallowed hard before speaking because he had a lump in his throat.
"Mom, I love you a lot, but I can't leave. I like school here; I'm afraid to go somewhere else. I don't want to leave my friends. I don't know what I would do without Dane."
"You two seem to hit it off very well. I have known twins that weren't as close as you guys are."
Before Colton spoke again, he looked questioning into Dane's eyes. Dane nodded slightly and moved his chair closer to Colt's.
"Mom, I have to tell you something. Promise you won't freak-out."
"I won't freak," Sharon assured him.
"Mom, I love Dane -- like I've never felt for anyone -- no girl, no other guy.
Do you understand what I am saying?"
"Yes, son, I came through the yard in time to witness that."
"You're not angry?"
"How could I be angry? You are who you are. And I can't question your taste in guys," she snickered.
All either boy could say through their tears was: "Wow!"
After a few seconds of digesting what had just been said, Dane turned to Greta.
"Grandma, do you think it's time to tell my parents, too?"
"I think it might be. In the past, I never would have believed that your father would be accepting of a gay son, but he has changed. The war has done some good things to him as well as plenty of bad ones. He's not the same man he was. Look at how he treats his brother now. He wouldn't even be in the same room with him before. Listen to what he says about the young gay man who sacrificed his life for your dad and the other men. He loved Barry like a brother. It's going to be okay."
After the emotional stress of the afternoon, the boys weren't sure that they had enough energy to go to the pool and to the health club with DJ, so they opted to rest up for exercising. Upstairs, they took a quick shower together before heading to their room. They didn't bother to dress at all. They closed the door, turned on the ceiling fan, and pulled up the sheet. Then, they fell to sleep side by side holding hands.
Their dreams were interrupted a half hour later by the sound of their grandmother calling up to them. DJ had called on his cell phone to say that he was on the way home and would be going to work out as soon as he could gather up his gym bag and them. The boys hustled to dress in their exercise clothes and pack shorts for wearing home.
DJ noticed that both boys were unusually quiet on the trip to and from the gym. He wondered if they had some weighty matter on their minds of if they were exhausted from the painting. Or maybe it was the upcoming trial. He would have to make sure that they took some time off of the house project to have some fun at the pool.
That evening, Greta prepared an elaborate meal for everyone. Since she still had a couple of days free before getting ready for teacher workshops, she decided to make the most of it. Sharon was invited too.
Dinner was delicious and everyone sat around with iced tea or coffee while eating the light dessert she had made. Dane sensed that this was about as good a time as any to make his announcement.
"Mom and Dad, I'm really glad you are going to have more kids. That makes it easier for me to say this. You won't have any grandchildren from me unless there is some kind of miracle. I'm not into girls at all. I'm, I'm, I'm gay...."
Dane couldn't go on without losing it altogether. DJ was quick to come around the table to his son. Dane wasn't sure what that meant, but was ready to take whatever blow might come his way. Of course, what he got was a hug. That did it; the floodgates burst. DJ kept holding his sobbing son while kissing him on the back of his neck. Colt's tears were splashing on Dane's hand; the one that Colt was holding tightly.
Ellen was the first to speak.
"Son, your father and I love you very much. We couldn't love you more. You have been our joy for 15 years and we expect that to continue for another 50 if we are still around. We kind of figured out that you might not be particularly interested in the opposite sex. Grandchildren are fine, but they aren't necessary. Family isn't determined by blood. Family is made up of the people who love you. I'm guessing that you and Colton may want to adopt someday."
It took a minute for her words to penetrate the teen minds. Both boys beamed as they realized that their relationship was not only known, but accepted. They grabbed each other and kissed for the first time (intentionally) in front of their parents. It was a quick, happy kiss that made the adults smile.
"I'm glad you feel comfortable to do that in our presence," Ellen said. "But if you plan to play tonsil-hockey, you'd better do that in your own room!"
Her comment wasn't funny enough to deserve the riotous laughter that ensued, but given the tension and tears of the moments before, it sounded like the funniest thing anyone could imagine.
The trial of Robert Crider for child and spousal abuse didn't last very long. He had waved his right to a trial by jury and so the evidence would be heard by the judge.
Sharon testified about Robert's hitting her. She also told that Colton had hidden his injuries from her and why he had done so. She described the scene of the accidental shooting when she had tried to prevent her husband from hurting her son.
Besides the testimony of the arresting officers, Dane and Trent testified to seeing previous signs of Colton's injuries. Dane said that Colton had finally confided in him that Robert beat him when intoxicated and that he, Dane, had kept Colton at his grandmother's house on paydays to prevent that from happening.
Robert made some outburst about Dane's motive being that he wanted to sleep with Colton, but the judge quickly called for order and threatened Robert with the charge of contempt of court.
The defense lawyer didn't have much to say. He claimed that Robert was a good provider and father. Robert had been shocked to find a love-note from Dane to his son. That had caused him to take uncharacteristic action in hitting the boy. Wouldn't any man be excused from acting violently in that situation? What would other men do if they found out that their only son was a pervert?
The judge asked for the defense to produce the note in evidence. Of course they could not. Therefore, this was merely hearsay. The judge also told the court reporter to strike the last sentence the defense lawyer had spoken.
"Neither this young man nor his cousin are on trial here. Their sexual orientation, whatever it is, has no bearing on this case. I will not have a show of discrimination in my court! If, indeed, these two boys are gay and if Robert hit his step-son knowing that, he can be tried on a hate crime as well as abuse."
"I withdraw the statement and any suggestion of sexual orientation from this defense, Your Honor," the lawyer stated.
The prosecutor asked Colt to take the stand again. Despite the fact that there were few people in the courtroom, Colton was concerned that whatever had been said and whatever he said now would be all over school when it began in a few weeks. Perhaps he should have decided to go live with his mother and take Dane with him!
"Colton, did Robert tell you anything that afternoon about his being your father?" the district attorney asked.
"Yes sir."
"Will you tell the court in your own words what that conversation was about?"
"He called me a bastard. He said that he was glad that he wasn't my father.
He said my mom was already pregnant when he started dating her in high school. He let everyone think I was his son because he wanted to have her. He called me a fag and said that he was going to give me a chance to, uh, I don't know exactly how to say this without using four-letter words, but he wanted me to do oral sex on him."
A hush fell over the room as the judge and the few observers thought about what Colton had faced. No one felt anything but sympathy for the young man and distaste for Robert. If anyone had shown a bent toward sexual perversion, it was the defendant!
It was hard for Colt to relive those awful moments again, but after he told his story, he actually felt better. Robert had no control over him anymore.
He was free emotionally and physically. He held his head high as he left the witness stand.
The judge found Robert guilty of physical abuse and attempted sexual abuse. He sentenced him to five years without the possibility of parole. The first trial was ended. Colton wouldn't have to see his step-father again until the next trial. He smiled as the sentence was pronounced.
Standing on the courthouse steps, Colt approached his mother with something that had been on his mind for several weeks -- especially the last couple of days.
"Mom, if you're changing your name, can I change mine too? I have e-mailed Wade, uh Dad, and he would be happy to let me take his name if it's okay with you."
"Of course it's okay! I know that you want no reminders of the man that I was married to and I don't blame you. Maybe you could even have an altered birth certificate. It might require having a DNA test. I'm guessing that your dad would be willing to do that. He has been very generous in providing support, now that he knows you are his son."
Colt and Dane squeezed each other's shoulders. It was the most that they felt comfortable doing in public since being caught by Sharon when they were kissing.
Trent understood their plight and pulled them into a three-way hug. He was beginning to stand on his own hind legs and would not be intimidated even if his father heard about this and questioned him later. So far, Trent's father hadn't said anything about the fact that Trevor and Marc had been in town helping DJ or that Trent had worked with them. Trent had decided that he was going to openly defy his father by going to visit Trevor and Marc the minute he got his driver's license. He was straight. He had nothing to hide. He was not going to be separated from people he loved.
Colt called his own dad that night to talk about changing his name. (He called from Greta's speaker phone so that everyone could join in the conversation.) It turned out that Wade had already hired a lawyer to do the preliminary work on getting Colton's name changed hoping that Sharon would be okay with it. Wade planned to come to Iowa the following week to have a DNA test with Colton. It could be done quickly at the university if they were willing to pay an additional $50 each for the expediting fee. Wade said that he would pick up the cost. Colton would be Colton Johnson in time for school to begin. Colt was elated.
Roger would join them by the weekend. Wade and he would take the boys camping for a few days if it was okay with the rest of the family. Everyone agreed that it would be fine. The exterior painting should be finished by then and the camping trip would provide a well-deserved vacation for the Johnson cousins.
Wade arrived the following afternoon. He was greeted warmly by his son and nephew. Ellen and DJ were at work. Greta was at school for the afternoon preparing things for the following week.
Colt did all of the proper things in playing host. Wade watched with pride.
He couldn't get over the fact that this great kid was really his. At the same time, it made him sad knowing that he hadn't been there for the boy. Sharon had done a fine job of raising Colton despite the abusive step-father he had had to contend with.
The boys had been given their instructions on what to prepare for dinner. Wade pitched in as he was needed. It amazed him that two fifteen year olds could be that organized in the kitchen. It had taken him a lot longer to even learn to make "instant" meals. If it weren't for Roger, Wade might have starved before he had mastered the art of cooking a meal. As it was, his repertoire was limited.
In view of Wade's visit, the Johnson males all skipped the gym that afternoon. As long as they didn't get out of the habit, a day or two off now and then didn't hurt.
Dinner was a grand success. The teens basked in the praise of their family members. It made them feel good knowing that their efforts were appreciated.
Wade slept in the guest room across from the boys. He could have had the downstairs bedroom across from his mother, but chose to be near the kids. He wanted to spend a couple more minutes with them before they all retired for the night.
There had been sufficient time for the boys to get into bed, but the light was still showing under their bedroom door. Wade knocked and was asked to enter. Seeing the pair side by side in bed caused him to smile. He was aware that they were holding hands under the sheet and he suspected from the lumps in the sheet that they were also naked.
"You guys are growing up way too fast. I'm sorry that I didn't get to rock my baby boy to sleep when he was little."
"It's okay, Dad. I'm really, really glad to have you in my life now. I know that I wouldn't have been punched around, but I might not have let myself fall in love with this stud if I had grown up knowing he is my cousin."
"That still bothers you, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, a little, but not enough to give him up. I'm not going to ever stop loving him." Colt grinned as he turned to plant a kiss on Dane's cheek.
"You guys are so lucky to have found each other this young. I went through some rough times before I found the man of my dreams."
After Wade left, the kissing began again. The next ones turned from gentle to passionate. The animals living in the loins of the two teens were stirring. Those beasts, once aroused, would not be satisfied until they were appeased by an offering of fresh cum. They would not go back to sleep disappointed!
Colton "attacked" his lover the moment he heard the door close on the room across the hall. He began by pushing his tongue into his cousin's mouth as far as he could. Dane willingly accepted the hard, yet soft, muscle. It reminded him of another body part that has both characteristics at once.
Colt then moved to Dane's smooth chest. His assault on Dane's nipples ranged from being so soft that Dane had to concentrate to feel the tender tongue-flicks to sudden nips that caught the nubs between teeth and tongue. It was the anticipation that drove Dane's libido higher as much as the contact itself. He was moaning. His balls were aching for release.
Next he turned to move down nibbling Dane's bellybutton and abs on the way. In that position, Dane could pull Colt's body around to give it a tongue-bath too. Now it was Colton's turn to moan.
Once their hard, dripping tools had found warm, wet oral homes; their moaning and whimpering intensified. Dane quickly wet the middle finger of his right hand and used it to massage Colt's perineum. Colt aped Dane's actions and soon both were speeding toward climax.
That moment of ecstasy came with cries that were muffled by the big spewing pieces of meat in the boys' mouths. It had been so intense that both guys were sobbing with joy.
Across the hall, Wade was drifting off to sleep when he heard the sounds that signaled their orgasms. He could tell that the whimpering was Colt's and the low growl was Dane's. How like their fathers they were in expressing their feelings. Wade could remember overhearing DJ in his room with Ellen when they were cutting class and thought no one was home. He could remember his own experiences with Doug. The sounds took him back 16 years.
Author's note: Thanks to you who wrote this week. I hope that I don't omit anyone. This list includes, Tom, Andrew, Dave, Rick C., Jon, Royal, Rad, Joe, Jim C., Alastair, Paul, and Kevin W. BTW, the site for Paul's stories and others is: www.storylover.us. I printed the wrong one last time. Sorry!
Jim C. is writing an autobiographical series under high school. It is called "Few Words", I think. Anyway the title is something like that.
Rad seems to be doing okay! I had a long letter this week.
Joe C. is having some problems with his parents again over his orientation. They don't want to accept it. Please hold him in your thoughts and prayers.
Many of you know what he is going through.
This may be the last posting until after Thanksgiving as I am going away for over a week. I may try to post one more later in the week, but I can't promise.
David