Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 14 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 Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me.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 14
Summer came to an end as all good things must. School started with a half-day and the students were happy not to be confined for the whole time.
At the edge of the parking lot, there was a place for bicycles and mopeds. While the latter had peaked in popularity in larger towns some 20 years earlier, they were still loved by some of the younger kids who lived a distance from school and who didn't want to ride the bus. It was almost comical to see how proud the freshmen boys were of their machines.
Some of the kids, like Colt and Dane, were content to ride bicycles. Those gave them freedom of movement and exercise as well. Besides, they didn't require petrol!
There were a number of new students at Bentonville high. The community was growing by leaps and bounds with lots of new construction. People were settling in the area because of the high taxes in the bigger towns. The tax break offset the additional cost of gasoline for commuting. It wasn't that far to drive to places like Cosgrove where many of the parents worked.
Among the new faces were kids who had transferred in from other states. Every class at Bentonville increased in enrollment. Pretty soon, they would outgrow their aging facilities. No one was talking about school consolidation this year.
There was a family with two high school boys who bought the house that used to be Colton's home. He was not sorry to see it sold. For him, it held only bad memories. He wasn't too thrilled to meet the young males who were moving in. John and Daniel Tracewell seemed like they could be related to Robert Crider. There was something about them that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. They were polite when he met them, but their smiles didn't reach up to their eyes. Colton felt that their civility was a very thin veneer. They would bear watching.
Among the transfers from out of state was a pair of twins. They were pretty muscular though not heavy and they turned a lot of heads as well. Both were out for football. They were 17 and entering their senior year. No one even thought about messing with them because there was always a brother around to back either of them up. They seemed to be inseparable. They had a shy little sister who was a freshman.
On the outside, the guys looked identical. On the inside, they were quite different. Allen Albers was a lady's man. Alex kept his interests to himself. In the locker room he could BS about girls with the best of them, but in his heart, he felt like a hypocrite. Alex had known for a long time that he was not made like his brother.
In their early adolescent years, they had experimented with each other's bodies as if they were their own. Twins often do that. It had been heaven for Alex. But as puberty settled in, Allen didn't want to do those things with his brother anymore. Alex had not questioned the changes, but he had cried himself to sleep when his twin had no longer wanted to share his bed.
Dane and Colt were pleased to find that their class schedules were similar in a number of ways. Since Colton had gotten his name changed, he was in Dane's homeroom. Some of their classes were different because of their abilities and interests. Dane was in an upper level English class while Colt was in a higher math class. That was okay. The only thing different that they would like to have changed was gym class. It would be nice to have that together, but they would have to wait until the next term to see if they could coordinate that.
Both guys had decided to go out for cross country track in the fall despite the fact that it didn't excuse them from gym classes. In some small schools, the administration required all kids to take physical education every term to keep the numbers high enough to maintain staff.
The best part of their fall schedule was having lunch at the same time. It meant having a little quality time together in the middle of the day. There was a boys' room near the auditorium where they could meet to exchange a hug and kiss or possibly cop a feel to tide them over until after school. It was relatively private and far enough from the lunchroom that few students frequented it.
This year, the boys decided to sit with Trent, Sara, and Carrie for lunch most of the time. Trent had become a real buddy since the canoe trip and the ordeal with Robert. He had taken a kind of protective stance where Colt and Dane were concerned.
Sometimes Leah joined them, but she still was angry with Colton. When she sat with the others, she basically ignored him. He had no problem with that.
After the school year had started, a new guy transferred to Bentonville High. He stood out because of his good looks, his fashionable attire, and his fancy car. His name was Joel Teague. He had come to live with his grandparents. No one besides his family and he knew why he was there instead of Florida where he used to live. For the present, he was going to keep that a secret.
From the time that he was five, Joel had known that he was different from most of his classmates. He couldn't sit still and concentrate for any length of time. After a series of tests, he was diagnosed as being hyper active. The medications that the doctors prescribed were effective, but had some side effects. Sometime Joel had trouble sleeping. Other drugs were given him in order to compensate for the problems created by the first ones.
He had a cupboard full of meds. Most of the time he was careful in how he took them, but if he forgot, his life could become miserable. Once when he was off of his pills, he stuck a paperclip into an electrical outlet and got thrown halfway across the room on his butt. He had laughed it off, but it was scary. The worst part was that he didn't know why he had done it.
The other thing that made Joel feel different was his attractions to other guys. He had begun to realize that when he was twelve. Some guys dream about cute girls in their classes. Joel dreamed about guys. Not only did he dream about them, but in his dreams he was giving head and enjoying it! That was difficult for him to understand, especially since he had had no sexual experience at the time.
The Corvette coupe was a bribe/guilt present from his parents. They had sent him off to prevent him from communicating with a gay friend at his old school. Despite their forbidding him to contact Daren, he had found ways of doing it.
Joel had accidentally been outed to his parents, but he had assumed that they would understand. They always talked a pretty liberal game in public, but when it came to accepting their son as gay, they could not.
His present problems had begun one day when he was running late for school. In his haste, he had forgotten to shut down his computer all the way. His mother was not pleased when she found the link to a gay website as she was about to use his machine. (Her computer had unexpectedly crashed and she needed to e-mail a client quickly.)
"You aren't gay!" his father had insisted. "It's just Daren's influence. He is trying to make you like him so that he can have sex with you. You don't have enough experience to know how you feel. No son of mine will be gay. I forbid it!"
Joel had been completely blind-sided by those comments. He had really believed that his parents would support him or at least leave him alone. He had held out hope when they had gotten a psychiatrist to counsel with him. The doctor had been very nice to Joel and had understood. Joel's parents were pissed. They had assumed that anyone who was paid big bucks by them would agree with them. They were used to buying whatever they wanted.
He had begun school in Florida in early September as usual. However, after his parents became dissatisfied with the psychiatrist, they suddenly pulled him from his school and everyone he knew and shipped him off to his grandparents.
Without any time to adjust to the idea, Joel was living with Jane and Rhys Masterson, his mother's parents. He had all the electronic equipment and clothes from his room at home, but he was cut off from his parents who said that they would see him at Thanksgiving. When they had said that, it seemed more like a threat than a promise. Joel liked his grandparents, but right now, he felt like a poor little rich boy in exile.
Now Joel was stuck in as small town in Iowa cut off from his friends and basically ostracized from his family. His younger brother had no sympathy. Jake liked the idea of being the favored son. He had no time for anyone who was different. He couldn't wait until his brother was sent away.
Being suddenly uprooted from his familiar surroundings had had an adverse effect on Joel's system. His medications were "off" for some reason and he was working with a local doctor to get his equilibrium back. He hoped that he wouldn't do something stupid while he was waiting for the new medications to kick in.
Since no one in Bentonville knew about Joel, he had a chance to make a new start. With his looks, his clothes, and his wheels, he was drawing a lot of attention from the local girls. Everyone wanted to be his girlfriend. Some of the boys wouldn't have minded getting close to him too.
Joel was 16 and had long blond hair. It was fashionably cut and went perfectly with his eyes. Those eyes were close to blue, but turned hazel when he was angry or upset. His body was nicely proportioned, but on the thin side. All in all, Joel was a looker.
He was also pretty smart although his grades didn't always show it. Math was his strongpoint. His mind just seemed to have been made to deal with numbers and equations, etc. Most of the time, he could coast along without studying much. He knew that this wasn't the best plan if he wanted to get into a good college. He was going to work harder in this new environment to see if he could get his grades to match his potential.
The cute new guy ended up in Colton's gym class. His locker was next to Colt's. Colton couldn't help but take a quick look at Joel's crotch when they were changing. Joel caught him and smiled. Colton smiled back, mostly in embarrassment at being caught.
The first few weeks of school were pretty uneventful. It didn't take long for students to feel like summer had been just a dream. Now, they were looking forward to Thanksgiving break and Christmas which seemed light-years away.
As October approached, the days began to shorten and the nights took on a chilly feeling. A few trees were beginning to change from green to red and gold. Football was the main entertainment on Friday nights. Even students who had no interest in the game would go for the social part of it. The pep band did it's best to create some feeling of excitement and school spirit. Actually with the addition of the Albers twins, the team was doing very well this season.
This year for homecoming, Trent took Sara to dinner and the dance -- just the two of them alone. Dane, Colt, and Carrie went as a threesome. For them it wasn't as formal as last year. They went to Pizza Hut to eat (Dutch treat), and didn't dress up as much. DJ drove them to and from the activities. There was no goodnight kiss at the door when Carrie was dropped off. The boys both gave her a hug and thanked her for going along with them. Carrie knew in her heart that neither of them would ever care for her as much as they did each other, but that was okay. She loved them both -- as friends and buddies.
If Carrie could have seen Dane and Colt in their room that night, her suspicions would have been confirmed big-time. The boys took a quick shower together before climbing into bed. Once there, they wasted no time in expressing their mutual affection in an intimate and physical way.
Dane and Colton didn't go with DJ to the health club very often in the fall.
They had access to the school's weight room and worked out there for the most part. It actually worked out well because DJ didn't have to make an extra trip to Cosgrove. He could stop by the athletic club on the way home from work. On Saturday mornings, however, the three often went together for exercise.
During the weekday times, DJ became aware of the fact that Trey was still interested in his body. While DJ had overcome his anti-gay feelings, he wasn't happy that Trey kept hitting on him.
One late afternoon, in the steam room Trey got bold and put his hand on DJ's leg. DJ decided that it was time to straighten the situation out.
"Trey, you're a good looking stud, but I am not interested in other guys. I have a wife and she is the only one I'm going to mess around with. I can't say that I don't like having my body noticed, but anything beyond that just isn't going to happen, buddy."
Trey put his head down. He looked rather forlorn as he spoke.
"I'm sorry, man. I thought that I felt some positive vibes from you. You are one hunk!"
"It's okay, Trey. I'm not angry with you. Like I said, I'm not interested in other guys. If I were, I would certainly consider you. You are one hunk, yourself!"
Trey felt better after hearing DJ's response. The two men smiled at each other knowing that they could be friends if not lovers. Trey was happy that DJ wasn't offended by Trey's coming on to him. He'd once been punched in a similar situation.
It was on a Thursday in late September when Colt hurried off to the restroom near the auditorium. He had to pee, but his main interest was having a few minutes with his lover in the middle of the day. So far, they hadn't aroused suspicions since they left the lunchroom at different times.
He was standing at the urinal relieving his bladder when he heard the door open. He smiled as he felt loving arms embracing him from behind. Then a hand reached down toward his flaccid penis. It wasn't going to stay that way for long! Colt melted into the guy behind him. He sighed contentedly.
Just then, the door burst open.
"What the Hell is going on?" Dane demanded. "What the fuck are you two doing?"
Colton turned around to see that it was Joel who was holding him. He couldn't believe it.
"Wait, Dane, it's not what you think!" he said to the back of his retreating boyfriend.
"Shit!" Colt swore. "Joel, what the Hell were you thinking? That was my guy. I thought he was behind me, not you!"
"I didn't know! I asked around and they said you were cousins. Leah said she thought you might be gay, but she didn't say anything about Dane. I'm sorry."
"You jerk, you've messed everything up."
"Hey, I'm sorry. I saw you checking me out in gym and I thought you wanted me. Sometimes I do compulsive things. I'm really sorry. Please don't out me!"
Colton ran to find Dane. He looked everywhere, but Dane was nowhere to be found.
They had different classes for the next period, so Colt would have to wait to explain. His mind was not on his work at all. He missed several easy questions in math because he wasn't paying attention.
By the time Colton came out of school, Dane's bike was already gone from the rack. This was not a good sign. Colton unlocked his bike and hurried home to Grandma's house.
When he arrived, he ran up to the room that he and Dane shared. Dane wasn't there. Colt sat down on his bed and cried.
Dane came home just before supper. He and Colton were supposed to have started the meal, but nothing had been done. He went up to the bedroom where he found his cousin curled up in the fetal position asleep on the bed.
He quietly collected some of his clothes and took them into the guestroom.
Then, he hurried down to begin preparing the evening meal before his grandmother came home.
Greta called Colton to come down to dinner, but he said that he wasn't feeling well. So, Dane and she ate alone. She noticed that Dane wasn't very talkative. She sensed that something wasn't right, but put it off to the fact that Colt was sick.
Colt came down later and ate a few leftovers. He kind of picked at his food. He had no appetite. His world was shattered - out of control.
After he finished, Colton went up to straighten things out with Dane. He knocked on the guestroom door.
"It's me, Dane, please let me in."
"What do you want?" was Dane's terse reply.
"I want to come in and explain about today," Colt said.
"Go away; I don't want to hear your lies!"
Colton went back to the other bedroom. He undressed slowly. Hot tears splashed down his cheeks. He lay on the bed and cried. Several hours and many tears later, he fell into a fitful sleep.
Across the hall, Dane tossed and turned as well. His pillow was wet before sleep overtook him. In the night, he awakened to the sounds of Colton crying out in his sleep. Dane reached out and hugged his pillow. Then, half asleep, he stumbled across the hall and climbed into bed with Colt who immediately slipped into a more pleasant dream. Dane drifted for awhile too. He awakened with a start. Realizing where he was, he jumped out of bed and returned to the guest room. In the chilly bed, he cried again.
The next morning, Colton got up at the usual time and began to get ready for school. Dane started into the bathroom that they usually shared, but turned on his heel and went to use the facilities downstairs when he saw that Colt was there.
They ate about the same time, but Dane would not look at Colton and cut him off when he tried to talk. Colt was so upset that he had to run to the bathroom where he threw up the cereal he was trying to eat.
While he was being sick, Dane got on his bicycle and left for school. Colton wanted to crawl back into bed, but there was an important test in science. He had to be in class. So, he pulled himself together and headed for school.
Fortunately, science was easy for Colton. It was his first class of the day. If he could get through that class, he could coast the rest of the Friday. When Colt entered the classroom, Dane was there already and had chosen to sit in a place far removed from where he and Colt usually sat.
Colt was determined to ace this class. He pushed his troubles to the back of his mind and concentrated on the exam. Before the period was half over, he had finished and knew that he had done well. That made the rest of the day seem like it had a chance of going okay, even if it couldn't be great. He looked across the room to see Dane struggling to finish.
In the other classes that the boys shared, Dane avoided looking at Colton. It was difficult to ignore him completely since some teachers had strict, alphabetical seating arrangements and the Johnson boys had to sit near each other.
In one of those classes, Colt slipped Dane a note. Dane tore it up without reading it.
Lunch time was awkward. When Colton sat at the usual table, Dane got up and moved. Trent looked at Sara and Carrie with a question in his eyes. They both shrugged. Colt picked at his food, but did manage to keep down what he had eaten as he strove to make light conversation.
Trent ate rapidly and then took Colton by the arm and nearly dragged him to a quiet part of the school where they could talk privately.
"What the Hell is going on with you two?" he demanded.
"He hates me. He thinks that I cheated on him and he won't let me explain."
"Tell me the whole story." Trent said.
Colt proceeded to tell Trent exactly what had transpired. He didn't leave out any details including Joel's hand reaching for his cock and the sigh he had uttered.
"You see, I knew that it had to be Dane. No one else would have done that to me. God, I wish that Joel kid had stayed the Hell in Florida."
"Okay, let me think about this. You are both as miserable as anyone I've ever seen. Something has to be done."
"I've tried. He won't listen. I wrote him a note, but he tore it up. I don't know what to do."
Colton began to sob. Trent held him until he got himself under control again.
"Thanks, Trent. I can't believe how good a friend you have been to me after what I did to you last year."
"Hey, that's done and forgotten. You're my bud."
The elementary school had early dismissal on that Friday because of teacher workshops. Those ended around 3:00 and Greta decided to leave as quickly as the teachers did. She needed a break. The extra work that the "no child left behind" legislation had created was about to stress her out. Maybe she should retire and let the younger people deal with it. Life was too short.
Tonight, instead of cooking, Greta thought she would take the boys out to dinner in Cosgrove. It would be a treat for them if Colt was feeling better. She wondered if he had come down with a flu bug. In the years that she had known him in school, he had never been anything but healthy.
When Greta entered her house, she called out to the boys. Colton was sitting in front of the TV, but didn't seem to be watching it. Dane was upstairs. The unhappy look on his face, when he came down, let her know that something was very wrong.
"Okay, what's the problem? Did someone die?"
Both boys looked down at the floor and shook their heads. Neither could look her in the eye.
"I was planning to take you out to dinner, but I'm not sure that you'd enjoy it. I don't think I would either, with you like this. Do you want to talk about it?"
Again both boys shook their heads.
"Whatever this is, it can be worked out. Are you in trouble? It is drugs?"
This time they looked her in the eye as they shook their heads.
"Somebody tell me something, damn it!" Greta demanded.
Colt's body went rigid at the angry sound of his grandmother's voice. It made him subconsciously think of his step-father.
"Dane thinks he saw something that didn't happen and he won't let me explain."
"I know what I saw, jerk!" Dane responded. He was going to say "asshole" but thought his grandmother would likely wash his mouth out with soap.
"Okay, this isn't getting us anywhere. You are both as hard-headed as your fathers! I'm tired and I'm hungry. I'm ordering a couple of large pizzas to be delivered. You two can eat or not as you please."
The aroma of cheese and sausage pizza was enough to tempt the appetites of two boys who hadn't eaten very much that day even though they felt lousy. Greta wondered if she should have ordered more. She cut up some apples to help fill them up and balance their diet a little.
Then, she put an arm on the shoulder of each as she apologized for yelling at them. When she asked them to forgive her, both boys nodded, but remained silent. Neither trusted his voice.
Again that night, the boys slept in separate rooms. Again, they slept badly.
About 9:00 on Saturday morning, the phone rang. It was Trent calling for Dane. He asked Dane to come over for awhile to play video games since Trent's parents would be gone most of the day. Dane quickly accepted and left without telling Colton where he was headed.
Dane was barely out of the door when the phone rang again. This time, it was for Colton. Trent invited him to come over to shoot some hoops. Colton welcomed the chance to do something to distract his mind.
Trent and Dane were seated at the kitchen table with Cokes when there was a knock on the back door. Trent answered it and ushered Colt into the room. Both Johnson boys were surprised to see each other.
Dane jumped up to leave, but Trent took him by the shoulders and pushed him forcefully back into his chair.
"You sit down too, Colton. We are going to talk this out. I'm not having my two best friends miserable a minute longer."
"It's his fault. I turned my head and he made a play for a cute guy with a hot car. I thought he loved me!" Dane spat the words out.
"You are going to tell Colton what you saw and how you feel and Colton is going to tell you what really happened and you are going to shut up and listen."
"I don't want to hear anything he has to say."
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Trent yelled.
Dane was stunned into silence by the choice of words and the force with which they were delivered. He had rarely heard Trent say anything not "G-rated."
"Okay," Trent said more quietly: "You start Dane."
"What I saw on Thursday was the guy I love more than anyone in the world playing around with the new kid from Florida. That guy had his hands where only mine are supposed to go and Colt loved it! You could tell by the look on his face and the sound he was making." (Turning to Colt, he continued.) "I cried myself to sleep two nights over you. Why did you have to go and ruin what we had? Damn-it!"
Dane's eyes were tearing up as he finished.
Colton looked Dane in the eye and told his story from start to finish. Like when he had told it to Trent, he didn't leave out a single detail including the sigh. He offered to swear on the Bible that it was true just as he had related it.
"Besides," he concluded, "if I were going to mess around with Joel do you think I would be stupid enough to do it in the place where you and I get together?"
Dane stared back defiantly for a moment. Then his gaze softened as truth of what he had just heard began to sink in. He couldn't see the pain in Colt's eyes completely because of the tears in his own. Dane sobbed uncontrollably. His shoulders shook.
Colton wasn't sure what to do. Trent gestured with a tilt of his head that Colt had better get over there. Colton did. He came around behind Dane's chair and put his hands tentatively on Dane's shoulders. Dane cried all the harder, but didn't shrink away.
Emboldened, Colt bent down and kissed the back of Dane's neck. Dane got up and pulled Colt to his chest. Locked in a death-grip hug, both boys were sobbing.
Trent headed for the bathroom to give them a few minutes in private and to find a box of tissues. When he returned, the boys were still clinging to each other, but the waterworks had stopped.
Dane fell to his knees in front of Colt.
"I am so sorry for not letting you explain. How could I ever doubt you? Can you ever forgive me?"
"Of course, I can forgive you if you can forgive me."
"But, you said you didn't do anything. You were telling the truth, weren't you?"
"Yeah, but I did check Joel out in the locker room. I guess that's why he thought it was okay to come on to me. I didn't mean to. It just happened."
"Hey, Stallion, I would have done the same thing. Looking at another stud's goodies is no sin. If it were, most guys would be damned to Hell for sure!"
Colt grinned at Dane's comment. Dane grinned back. They hugged and kissed.
Their kisses began to get deeper. Their tongues explored each other's mouths.
"Okay, you guys, get a room or something!" Trent laughed.
Dane and Colt laughed too. They were almost giddy with relief. The idea of being alone in their room appealed to both of them. They embraced Trent and thanked him for forcing them to talk it out. They promised never to do anything like that to each other again. Then, they said goodbye and headed for the door.
"Hey, aren't we playing any video games?" Trent teased.
The boys stopped in their tracks. They felt guilty for leaving so suddenly until Trent's giggles assured them that he was not being serious.
"I meant it about the room," he said. "If your grandma is home, you can use my room. Just don't get the sheets too crusty!"
After more giggling, the boys told him that Greta had gone to Cosgrove on some business errand and wouldn't be home until noon. They had plenty of time to renew their relationship in private.
And renew they did. Once back in the room that they shared, they nearly ripped each other's clothing in the stripping process. They were in too much of a hurry to even close the door. Dane got on his knees and swallowed Colt's throbbing member nearly to the hilt in one gulp. Colt cried out in ecstasy as Dane used his talented tongue on the sensitive spot just below the head of his cock.
After a couple of minutes, Colt pulled Dane up. One more second, and he would have cum. (He wanted this to last a bit longer than that!) He kissed Dane deeply tasting himself on Dane's tongue.
Their tongues wrestled for a little while. Then Colton moved down to pleasure Dane's nipples causing the latter to moan. The more Dane reacted, the more Colt worked on them; the more he worked on them, the more Dane moaned. It was an awesome cycle. Dane was near to ejaculating from the nipple play alone. His dick hadn't even been touched!
Colt pulled his willing lover into the 69 position on the bed. They took each other deeply. At this point in their sexual relationship, they could actually deep-throat their partner for a few seconds. Colton made some swallowing motions and Dane followed suit. Neither could last very long with that stimulation. Three days of pent-up anguish and cum exploded out of their young loins. They nearly drowned each other in the process.
When the spasms ended, they kissed until they had to stop to catch their breath. Their kisses gradually became more tender and less passionate. Finally, they pulled up the top sheet and fell asleep.
When Greta came home, she called out for the boys, but no one answered. She went upstairs to see if either was home. Seeing the two guys wrapped together in sleep, she smiled sensing that whatever had been wrong was now righted. She went back downstairs and prepared lunch before calling them again.
This time, Colt called back to say that they would be down in a minute. Both boys seemed to have exceptional appetites.
Author's note: Hey, I heard from a bunch of you since my last posting. Thanks to the following: Rad, Bob and Walt, Paul, Allen, Andrew, Joe, Don, Bill, Beast, Terry, Charles, RC, Jim C., Jon, Alastair, and Tom H. If I've left anyone out, I'm sorry!
Beast is recovering from an illness, Joe is having ups and downs with family, and Andrew has posted a story "Being Here" which I haven't had time to read yet. Please remember all of them.
If you get a chance to shop at Target, please do so. The AFA is carping about their not letting the Salvation Army have the kettles in front of their stores. Also, some shops are advertising "holiday" items vs. "Christmas" ones. It seems that the American Family Association sees every thing some companies do as a plot to stamp out Christianity! Am I crazy, or was Christ more into compassion than nitpicking?