Tales from the Ranch

Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction. If you are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man relations, please exit this page.

TALES FROM THE RANCH Copyrightc 2003 by Tulsa Driller 7. All rights reserved.

This is a story of men who have two common interests. You will see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is also the story of young men who love other men and their coming of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding. It is a story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's world.

This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any specific person or persons. Any similarity to actual persons or events is entirely coincidental. This work is copyrightedc by the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the author. It is assigned to the Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the written permission of the author.

PLEASE: In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist. My characters have unprotected sex. I hope you use proper precautions because I'd like you to be around the read the last chapter of this story.

Tales from the Ranch Chapter 28: More of the Honeymoon

The next thing Dale realized was that Craig had leaned his head on his shoulder and nodded off. Dale wasn't that far from going to sleep himself and didn't think it would be very comfortable to sleep on the love seat, especially since there was a bed in the next room.

He kissed Craig on the side of his face. "Hon. Craig. Babe."

"Uhmmm," came back the reply as Craig stirred slightly.

"Hon, let's go get in bed before we both go to sleep."

"Okay.? I didn't mean to go to sleep, but it just feels so good to sit here next to you," Craig said.

"I know, but I'm sleepy, too. Guess we had a busier day than we thought," Dale said, easing Craig back into an upright position so they could get up.

Dale couldn't move until Craig was out of the way, because his right leg was on the loveseat, behind where Craig was sitting. He finally leaned Craig forward so he could move his leg and withdrew it. It was starting to get numb.

He stood up and took Craig by both hands to stand him up, thinking that he might have to carry him to bed, but Craig became more aware of what was going on and walked to the bedroom with Dale's arm around his waist, keeping him from falling. He helped Craig shed his boxers, then sat him on the edge of the bed so he could roll him into the middle. He pulled the sheet up over his lover.

Walking around to the other side of the bed, he placed both mints on the night table, shed his shorts and crawled into bed on the other side. Thinking again that the bed was too big, he found his way to the middle, gave an unresponsive kiss to his lover and wrapped his arms around him. Dale didn't remember going to sleep.

Craig stirred about 6 o'clock. He didn't remember going to bed, but he was curled up next to Dale, who had his arm over him. He slipped out of bed so he could relieve his bladder, brushed his teeth and made his way back to the bed. He made a mental note to never get a room with a king-size bed again.

Dale roused a little when Craig slipped in next to him. He needed to pee, but not badly enough to get up. He slipped his left arm under Craig's neck and used his right one to pull Craig to him. Craig kissed him on the cheek and they both slept for another two hours.

This time Dale needed to pee and do it right away. He extracted himself from his beautiful lover's body and made his way to the bathroom. After relieving himself, he brushed his teeth and washed his face before he went back to bed.

Craig was awake and waiting for him. He was ready to play around for a little bit and hoped Dale was, too.

Dale lay down and Craig put his head on his shoulder, tracing circles in the fur on his pecs and pinching his nipples. Dale's hands were doing the same to Craig.

"Did you sleep well?" Craig asked.

"Must have, I don't think I even dreamed or moved last night."

"Me, too."

"I thought I was going to have a hard time getting you in bed after you went to sleep on the loveseat," Dale said.

Craig giggled. "I really must have been asleep to pass up a chance to get in bed with you." He leaned up and gave Dale a kiss on the lips, pinching his left nipple at the same time."

"AaRrGgHh!" Dale pretended to be in pain. "Is that any way to treat me?"

"Just checking your responses," Craig said innocently, then cupped Dale's semi-hard dick in his hand. "Hmmm, you must not be awake yet."

Dale did the same thing to Craig, starting with a kiss. "You aren't either."

They shared a few more kisses, tickling the other's sex organs with their hands and fingers. Soon both were "awake" and starting to leak a little precum.

Dale wanted to suck Craig off and he didn't want them to do it together. He wanted to make his lover feel good and be able to enjoy the pleasure without trying to bring Dale off at the same time.

"Is it okay if I suck you off. then you can do whatever you want to me?" he asked.

"Sure. Do you want to '69'?" Craig asked.

"No, I want to be able to give all of my attention to you and let you enjoy it."

"Okay by me."

Dale started in, bathing Craig from his face to his toes and back up, rubbing, kneading, tickling, kissing, sniffing, using his hands, tongue, mustache, nose, whatever he could. Soon Craig was withering on the bed and was making the "Craig noises" that Dale loved to hear. Finally, without warning he wet two fingers with saliva, then swallowed Craig to the balls. He started working his fingers into Craig's ass and his sphincter immediately opened up. He realized that Craig was leaking a lot of precum into his mouth, so rewet his fingers and worked them into touch his prostate. That had the desired effect. Craig started leaking profusely and the "Craig noises" really started getting louder.

He worked Craig's cock down his throat and constricted the muscles. Then he thought of something he'd read about. He started humming and Craig almost bounced off the bed. The "Craig noises" got louder - a lot louder. He was really moving around on the bed and Dale used his other hand to stroke his nipples, chest and stomach.

Almost without warning, Craig started cumming. He even surprised himself as he was trying to relax and enjoy this exquisite feeling. "AAARRRRGGGHH!!!" Dale heard, trying to hold Craig's dick in his mouth and keep his teeth out of the way, too.

It felt to Dale that Craig's dick had doubled in size as the first wad shot down his throat. The force was such that it almost felt like a fire hose was emptying into his gullet. Dale rode out the convulsions, enjoying the fact that he was making his lover feel so good.

Finally, it seemed to be over except for the occasional aftershocks. Dale allowed his tongue to wipe the few dribbles of nectar off the end of his cock, then moved up to share the delicious creme with Craig. He deposited his offering in Craig's mouth.

"Happy Birthday, Lover," he said, then locked lips with Craig so they could stir the birthday cocktail he had produced for Dale.

Craig was truly out of breath, just like he'd done all the work. He swallowed half the mixture after returning some to Dale. He murmured, "Why don't you put your dick up my ass and give me a birthday fuck, too? That would start my day right!!"

Dale was only too happy to oblige him. Craig's sphincter was already dilated as Dale had worked two fingers inside him to massage his prostate. He moved down to deposit what was left in his mouth in Craig's hole, using his tongue as a plunger. He then used the rest and his own precum to lube himself, pushing Craig's legs apart and back so he could get in position. He didn't think it would take him long to service Craig, he was so horny.

He placed his cock at the entrance and pulled his foreskin back, then milked out the precum in his tube. That was a nice dollop. He pushed gently and they coupled easily. Craig started contracting his muscles as Dale bottomed out. He moved up on Craig's body so they could kiss while Dale worked his magic in Craig's ass. Craig wished he could hum with his asshole as Dale had when his cock was buried in his lovers throat. However, the pulsations of his sphincter must have had the same effect.

Dale starting grunting and his thrusts got harder and deeper.

"Ride me, fuck me!!! Cowboy," Craig panted.

Dale devoured Craig's tongue, gave a mightly thrust and started emptying his balls into his lover's love chute. God, that felt good. he unloaded and then shot that much more on the second eruption which followed about 15 second later. Craig hadn't realized that he was near a second orgasm. He'd been enjoying the pleasure of Dale's hairy body rubbing his chest and stomach, so he was surprised when he felt himself firing more cum between their chests. The tightening of his sphincter was milking the last of Dale's wad out of him.

Dale fell on Craig's chest, sliding around on the cum he'd shot there. They both were gasping for breath.

"Happy Birthday again, Lover!!!" Dale gasped.

"Wow!!! I may have to stay in bed all morning to rest up from this. We just get better at this all the time," Craig said, adding, "Thank you!!! That was incredible!!!!"

They lay there in post-coital bliss for several minutes until their breath slowed to normal. Craig's asshole convulsed, ejecting Dale's soft cock. He could feel that it was still leaking a little cum.

Their mouth's sought the other one more time and they exchanged another passionate kiss.

"If I'm not pregnant by now, I never will be," Craig giggled as they got out of bed.

"If you're not, I'm going to keep trying until you are," Dale laughed, slapping him lightly on the ass, then pinching his cheeks as he followed him into the bathroom.

Craig turned around with an impish look on his face. "Let's go make sure," then leaned up for another kiss. God, how he loved Dale and he was glad his parents did, too.

"If I cum again today, I'll have to stay in bed. That was hard work and it made me hungry," he laughed.

By this time they were emptying their bladders, then started to shave before their shower.

"Why don't we dress casual today, Levi's would be fine, and go to the stockyards? There's a restaurant there that has a fantastic breakfast buffet. That will probably hold us until dinner this evening," Craig told him.

"What about church?" Dale asked.

"How about we skip today?"

"Lead me to the restaurant, I could eat a whole cow," Dale said.

Craig smiled at him as they kissed, then climbed into the shower.

As always, it felt good to have the other wash them, paying special attention to parts that really needed to be cleaned. They finished, dried themselves and the other, dried their hair and dressed in Levis, boots and plaid shirts that were similar.

Dale glanced at his watch when he put it on. It was 9:45. No wonder he was hungry.

They rode their "private elevator" to the lobby. Craig gave his claim check to the doorman and the car was in the driveway in less than 2 minutes. It didn't take them 10 minutes to get to the Stockyards Visitor Center. The hotel with the brunch was just a block away. Craig parked the car and they walked the short distance to the hotel.

The church crowd hadn't gotten there yet so they were seated immediately. There was a listing of all the foods that were on the buffet on the table. While they were looking it over, getting hungrier, a young, male server asked what they would like to drink.

"How about Bloody Mary's?" Craig asked Dale. "They make really good ones here."

"That would be great," Dale said.

"Will you gentlemen be having the buffet, or would you like to see a menu?" the server asked.

"The buffet," they said, almost in unison.

"Help yourselves when you are ready. I'll bring silver and napkins when I bring the drinks."

Craig led the way to the buffet table. They had "Texas- size" plates that had to be at least 14-inches in diameter, but from the looks of the buffet, they would need them.

As they moved down the line, Dale spied the "mountain oysters" and helped himself to two. He loved them.

"Are you going to have some of these?" he asked Craig.

"Oh yeah, I like them," helping himself to one. I've never been sure what they were because sometimes they call them 'cow fries'."

Dale snickered. 'This could wait until they got back to the table,' he thought.

They finished loading their plates. Dale was surprised because there were also plates and dishes on the buffet to put fruit and pancakes on. Then he noticed that the servers were available to help carry all the dishes and food to their tables. "Wow, this place is for people who are serious eaters, isn't it?"

They arrived back at their table with their server carrying their food on a tray. The drinks and cutlery were on the table.

They picked up the drinks and Dale told Craig 'Happy Birthday' again as they touched glasses.

"This has been a fantastic weekend," Dale said.

"It's not over yet," Craig reminded him.

They dug into their food and soon Dale was cutting into his "mountain oysters". He took a bite. They were delicious and really were fork tender. They had been coated with a spicy batter, and then deep-fried.

"Have you tried these yet?" pointing with his fork. "They are wonderful."

Craig cut into the one on his plate and took a bite. "You're right, they are good."

"The Bar-W supplies them to the Rotary Club to sell at their booth during the Williamsport Days Carnival," Dale told him. "Marty donates them to help them raise money for scholarships."

"What do you mean, 'The Bar-W supplies them'?" questioned Craig.

"You're from Texas and you don't know what they are?" Dale started to grim his famous 1000-watter.

"Oh no, this is going to be good, I can tell," Craig laughed.

"Bull balls," Dale said.

"What?"

"Bull testicles," Dale said.

The look on Craig's face was priceless. "Bull. testicles?"

"Y'all got it," Dale teased.

"Well I knew they were from a cow, but I really didn't know what they were. They taste great, but I never guessed."

"They're not from a COW, they are the BALLS of a BULL, that becomes a STEER when they cut them off."

"Okay, but if you think you're going to gross me out, I love them. They are good!" Craig said.

Dale didn't get to enjoy teasing Craig, although he really didn't know what they were. Many people got pretty squeamish when they found out what they were eating.

They finished their meal with a cup of coffee after the drinks were gone. Neither went back for seconds, even as good as the food was.

Dale paid the bill, remarking about the low cost for what was served. Craig tipped the server and they left the restaurant.

Since Dale hadn't been to the stockyards before, they walked to the Visitors Center and watched the video, but declined the free tour of the facilities.

"Are you ready to experience Dallas, now?" Craig asked as they started down the street.

"It can't be any better than Ft. Worth," Dale said.

"Not necessarily better, just different things to see and do," Craig answered.

The first pass they made was to drive through downtown Dallas. Since it was Sunday morning, the traffic was light after they got off the freeway. Craig drove leisurely through the streets, up and down, often criscrossing to get different views of the same building or buildings.

Dale felt a little strange with all the tall buildings surrounding the area to the point that the sun was usually blocked from view and they seemed to drive in the shadows of the buildings. They stopped in the area called Old Downtown, which was being renovated. Warehouses and other old buildings were being turned into condos, loft apartments and restaurants and stores.

"I look for this to become the next big gay area in Dallas, as areas like this seem to appeal to young couples and singles, both gay and straight. Probably if I lived in Dallas and worked in the area, I'd live down here," Craig told Dale.

"Well, I glad you don't," Dale teased.

"Since I'm interested in architecture and old buildings, I see a lot of things that appeal to me, but yes, I'm glad to live in Williamsport because I would have never met you."

Craig parked the car and they started to wander down the sidewalk. There were plenty of people out on the sidewalk, some were dressed for church, some for running and others were probably on their way to or from restaurants.

Soon, they saw a male couple, dressed in shorts and tank tops, each with a schnauzer on a leash. They were holding hands and looking in shop windows. No one seemed to be paying any attention to them except Craig and Dale and that was only because they approved.

Instinctively, Dale reached for Craig's hand and they strolled on down the street together. It felt wonderful - the exhilaration of freedom! Neither thought Williamsport was ready for them to do that at home. Craig pointed out interesting features on many of the buildings. Along the way, they saw several other male couples walking together, too. Several of the guys cruised Dale and Craig, who were looking back, smiling.

They returned to the car and Craig drove up the street a little way. Dale immediately knew they were in the area of Dealey Plaza and thought about the dark day a little over two years before he was born.

As he parked the car, Craig said, "Unfortunately this place became a historical landmark just two months after I was born."

Even twenty-seven years later, the place still felt eerie. They walked around the area, ending up in the 6th Floor Museum in the Texas School Book Depository, quietly looking at the exhibits and video tape that was playing. It wasn't until they were back outside that Dale realized that they hadn't spoken a word to each other the entire time they were in the museum.

They walked about two blocks to the Kennedy Memorial Plaza. They stood side-by-side and read the plaque and description of the monument, learning that the city had dedicated the memorial in remembrance of Kennedy in June 1970. They walked in and immediately were overwhelmed at the memorial. They were standing in a square, roofless room, called a centograph, which the folder said, 'symbolized the freedom of Kennedy's spirit.'

There were seventy-two white concrete columns, which seemed to glow. Most of them stopped short of the ground and made up the walls of the room. It seemed as if the columns supported the sky, and each ended in a light. They read in the brochure they picked up that at night the monument appeared to levitate. In the middle of the room, a coarse granite square was inscribed with the name, John Fitzgerald Kennedy in gilded letters. It seemed to inspire reverence. The few people who were in the memorial seemed to congregate in the corners, whispering or staring in the silence that seemed to be punctuated by busy-city sounds of the city.

"Let's do something fun," Craig said as they were walking back to the car. "I enjoy history and learning of our past, but I hadn't intended to dwell on the unpleasant aspect of Dallas history."

"I'm glad we stopped. I've read about all this, but have only seen a few bad pictures. This was worth seeing, but I'm with you, on to more happier things to see and do."

The next stop was the 50-story Reunion Tower. Craig parked in a parking lot and found that even though it was Sunday, the parking meters had to be plugged. He hadn't seen a sign, but there was a meter maid making her rounds.

The entrance was through the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the lobby had a stunning fountain. They took one of the elevators that seemed to be one the outside of the shaft and were whisked to the first level of the dome. They were greeted with a stunning view of the city as the car rose. They stepped off the elevator in what was called the Lookout and paid an admission charge to go outside to the 360-degree viewing deck.

Dale, who had never been up so high was getting the feeling that many men do, a tightening of his groin and balls. It was weird. He said something to Craig about it. He just grinned and told Dale he was experiencing the same problem at the moment.

They made their way around the perimeter of the dome. Craig pointed out some of the lights in the dome. "The lights are controlled by a computer and can be set to flash as strobes, or in a pattern."

"You pointed them out to me the other evening when we were in our hotel room."

"We'll have to come back downtown tonight so you can see them closer. I've been told that unless they program them to do so, the pattern is never repeated. There are 300 lights, so the combination is never-ending."

Dale was impressed.

Even though the restaurant on the second level had just opened, it was full, but the host told them the cocktail lounge on the top level was open and they could go up, either for a drink or to look around.

"Do you want to go on up?" Craig questioned.

"Sure, I'm game. Maybe a cocktail will get rid of my anxiety."

"Afraid of losing your virginity again?" Craig whispered with an evil leer.

Dale laughed and hugged him around the waist.

They took the stairs up one more level. It was easy to walk around the lounge, but they found a table and sat next to the window. A waiter immediately appeared to take their drink order.

"How about a Margarita on the Rocks?" Craig said.

"Make it two," Dale said, smiling. He loved that drink.

As they were sitting there, looking at the scene, Dale realized that the room revolved inside the dome.

"We've moving around!" he said, more than asking.

"Yeah, I think this makes a complete revolution about every 55 minutes," Craig replied.

Their drinks arrived, along with a bowl of peanuts. "Anything to make people thirsty and order more drinks," Craig said.

"This is really a neat place," Dale said.

"There was a big uproar when they announced that it was to be built because it didn't fit with the architectural designs of the rest of the Dallas skyline." He laughed. "Now most of the other buildings don't look like they belong with this tower."

They enjoyed their thirst-quenching drink. The room had moved about half a revolution when they were ready to leave, but they went to the middle and took the central elevator to the lobby.

"That was fun," Dale said as they started toward the parking lot.

"And we're just in time," Craig said as they got to the car. "Only five minutes left on the meter. I thought I plugged it for an hour."

"Maybe this lot gets most of its revenue from parking tickets," Dale laughed. "The meter maid is on the next row over, writing tickets."

Craig laughed, and then said, "You may be right."

He backed out of the parking place and made a left turn on the street. "I just thought of something else that you might enjoy."

"What's that?"

"A cattle drive," he smiled.

Dale was a little confused. "Where are we going to see that?"

"Just a few blocks over."

"Now I'm curious. here. in downtown?"

Craig turned onto Lamar Street and headed toward the Dallas Convention Center, finding parking place a short distance from what he wanted Dale to see. These meters had signs telling people that parking was free on Sunday.

There was a plaza of about 4 acres with a recreation of a 19th century cattle drive. It was called "Trailing Longhorns" and depicted a herd of nine bronze Longhorn steers that appeared to be stampeding down the hill into a creek, pursued by three bronze cowboys on horseback.

"This was done by Robert Summers and I think it looks real," Craig said.

"It does." Dale was surprised, as he'd never seen large- scale art like this. The area where the sculpted cattle were was surrounded by native Texas landscaping and even had a waterfall.

"I've never seen this at night, but I understand that the lighting is such that it looks even more real."

They walked around and through the cattle.

"I really like this," Dale said. "I hadn't thought that something like this might exist."

After they were through with the cattle, they wandered over to the Pioneer Park Cemetery across the street, then back to their car by a different route.

As they got in the car, Craig glanced at his watch. It was a little after 3 p.m.

"Okay, is the sightseeing getting to you?" he questioned Dale.

"Having fun is hard work," Dale said.

"If you're up to it, I've got one more suggestion for today and you can sit down for part of it, too."

"I'm game. You're a good tour guide, Craig Bastian Richards," Dale said.

"Huh?" Craig said.

"Or maybe my name is now Dale Richards Bastian, since we're now brothers," he teased.

"Hmmm, I'll have to think about this. I like the sound of each," Craig said, reaching for Dale's hand and kissing it.

"What are we going to see and do next?" Dale asked with a smile, then brought Craig's hand to his lips.

"I thought we'd go to the Dallas Museum of Art and see some local history."

Dale was curious.

"Dallas has some turn-of-the-century trolley cars on a line that runs from the museum along McKinney Avenue to the Uptown area. The rides are cheap and fun. We can get on and off and wander around in different areas. There's restaurants, antique shops and other things to do in the area."

"Sounds like fun," Dale said. He was glad Craig was driving because he was totally lost. The streets didn't run true to north and south and one-way streets didn't help, either. He did notice that they were on Griffin Street. "What direction are we going?"

"More or less north. The streets are a little confusing, aren't they?"

"I'd hate to try to drive here without having someone with me who knew where we were going," Dale laughed. "I like the straight streets of Williamsport better, at least they don't go around a curve and change names."

"You have that right. I guess growing up in the area; I just learned where things were when riding with my parents to the downtown area. When I started driving, I already knew where places were and how to get there."

Craig told Dale a little more about the trolley cars.

"The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority operates the line and it's staffed and run by volunteers. I think the cars run seven days a week and I suggest that we get off at the car barn on Oak Grove as they have a little museum and gift shop there"

"Sounds like fun," Dale said. "I'm surprised your father isn't down here since he's interested in model trains."

"He's was active for a couple of years, but they kept assigning him to work schedules that didn't always work out for him."

Craig parked the car noticing, again, that there was free parking on Sunday.

They walked across the street and immediately saw one of the cars making its way down the street, bell clanging noisily.

"Have these always been here, or were they imported from somewhere else?" Dale asked.

"I think this is the last of the old trolley system that serviced the downtown area and probably ran a few miles out into the residential areas. Busses replaced the trolleys and somebody had the foresight to turn them into a tourist attraction and I think they produce enough revenue to keep the cars repaired and running, but they couldn't do it if they paid a staff to run them."

They paid the small fee and got on the next car that was ready to leave, the tracks running in a northwest direction, then turning northeast on McKinney Avenue. They got off at the car barn on Olive Street. One of the trolley cars was undergoing restoration and repairs, so they could see how they were built and there was a knowledgeable person to answer questions. There was a lot of memorabilia in the shop, including old route maps, uniforms and pictures. Both bought a couple of souvenirs, then got on the next car that was going to the end of the line, which looped around the Uptown area, north of Oak Grove. They rode to the end of the loop, got off and walked around the area, then got on the next southbound car to the other end of the line.

"That was fun," Dale said as they headed back to the car."

"Something you don't find in very many towns anymore," Craig answered.

They stood and admired the Dallas Museum of Art Building, then headed for their car.

"What do you think about heading back to the hotel and we can talk about what we might want to do this evening on the way back to Ft. Worth?"

"That's fine with me. Do you have any suggestions?" Dale asked.

"It's almost 4:30 now. By the time we get back to the hotel, it will be time for Happy Hour and we can decide about dinner and then if we want to do anything this evening."

"I don't know about you, but I think I'm going to be hungry fairly early this evening. We've walked a lot and shook our breakfast down pretty good," Dale laughed.

"Yeah, I thought the big breakfast would last us all day, but it didn't. Any idea about what kind of food you might like this evening? Do you want to go somewhere fancy or somewhere casual?"

"Let's do casual this evening, somewhere they have good food - maybe barbeque or a good steak."

"That's fine. I'm pretty sure I know where a couple of good barbeque places are and we can check that out when we get back to our room."

Craig started the car and headed for a ramp to take them onto I-30 and back to Ft. Worth.

They talked about the day and Dale expressed some interest in seeing the Reunion Tower at night.

"Well, there's nothing stopping us from coming back tonight. Do you want to visit any more gay bars?"

"That was fun last night. I never thought I'd enjoy dancing, but it felt so good to be with you to two-step and especially dance the slow dances where I could feel your body moving with mine."

"There are a lot more gay bars where we can go and a lot of them have dancing."

"Let's go cleanup and relax a little, then decide what we want to do," Dale said.

They arrived back at the hotel a little after 5 o'clock and Craig asked for a claim ticket, telling the car valet that they would be taking the car out a little later.

As usual, they were the only ones in the elevator so took advantage of the opportunity to exchange more than just a quick kiss.

"Thanks for a great day. This has really been fun," Dale said.

"It's been great for me, too. You know this is the first time that we've really been able to spend time alone for a long period of time and I've really enjoyed that," Craig told him.

The elevator stopped and they broke their hug just as the doors opened. Two other men, dressed casually, were waiting to get on. The men smiled, and then exchanged greetings with each other. As the door closed, Craig said, "I wonder."

They both laughed.

"Is the whole world gay?" Dale joked.

"It is when we're in it," Craig replied.

They shed their clothes and it felt good to sit down on something comfortable and relax. Craig fixed drinks for them, Dale trying a scotch and soda for the first time. He decided he liked that drink better than bourbon and water, telling Craig that it didn't have that "raw taste" of bourbon.

The remaining cheese from the previous night was in the bar refrigerator so Craig got that out and put on the tray that had been left in the room. They discovered they were both hungry as the only thing they'd had to eat since morning was some ice cream in the Uptown area on the trolley line.

"What are we going to do tomorrow?" Dale questioned.

"I have several things in mind. I think you would enjoy going to Fair Park as there is a lot to see there, then I want to take you to the Fairmont Hotel for lunch and to see the Neiman Marcus store downtown."

"I've heard of Neiman Marcus. It's a really expensive place," Dale asked.

"Yes, it's 'top of the line' everything. They have things that you can't find anywhere else, and they come up with Christmas gifts that are pretty far out and terribly expensive. But you know what? They sell them," Craig grinned. "Just not to you and me."

"That's okay. We probably don't need matching jewel-studded jock straps, anyway."

They both laughed at that idea.

"Do you want to go explore the gay scene in Dallas tonight? I can see if we can get dinner reservations to eat somewhere. You said you'd like to see the Reunion Tower lit up," Craig questioned.

"Well. do you mind driving back to Dallas tonight?" Dale asked.

"No, the purpose of this trip is to be together and see and do things that we don't normally do. It was my idea to stay in Ft. Worth because of the trade show. We could have moved to a Dallas hotel today, but I didn't think about that. Besides, it not that long of a drive. There's a good restaurant in the Melrose Hotel, with an elegant bar called 'The Library'. It's not that far to the 'Round-up Saloon', which is an even bigger dance bar than we went to Friday night."

"Okay, just wanted to be sure," Dale replied.

Craig went to the telephone and made a call after checking the phone book.

"We have dinner reservations at 7:30 in the restaurant at the Melrose Hotel. We can go in Levis, but they request coats - no ties necessary," Craig said. "Then we can go on to the Village Station for dancing. If you would like a nightcap, we can go back down to the Reunion Tower."

"Wow, and all in one telephone call, too," Dale teased.

"I suggest that we freshen up and change clothes, then arrive at the Melrose Hotel early enough that we can have a drink in the 'Library Bar' before dinner. It's a really neat place."

"Let's take a shower and get dressed then," Dale said. "I think that would give me a recharge for my battery.

Craig, who had sat next to Dale on the loveseat, said, "Oh no, I don't think I could stand it if THAT was recharged," he giggled, groping Dale.

"Is that a hint?" Dale questioned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Hmmm, I might take you up on the idea a little later, especially after seeing all those horny cowboys on the dance floor." Craig wiggled his eyebrows, too.

They went through the shower and it was, indeed, invigorating to both of them. They got a fresh change of clothes out of their cases and were dressed in a short time, opting for chinos and cloth shirts that would go well under their sport jackets.

They were on their way back to Dallas by 6:20, after finding a filling station to refuel the car.

It wasn't as easy to park as the other places they had been during the day, but found a spot about a block and a half from the Hotel.

Craig stopped at the restaurant to tell the Maitre d' they were in the bar and was assured that he would let their waiter know when their table was ready.

Dale was impressed with the bar. It was on the verge of being stuffy with lots of wood and leather wingback chairs. It made him think of the gentlemen's clubs that you read of in England. The waiters were dressed in black tux with tail coats and acted very reserved.

"Kind of makes you think of 'England meets the Rodeo', doesn't it?" Craig asked.

"Yes, none of the customers really look like they belong here, do they?" Dale answered.

They decided to have their usual Beefeater martinis since they were experiencing "Jolly Old England" and were about halfway through their second drink when the waiter notified them the dining room was expecting them, telling them to take their drinks with them.

The restaurant was nicely appointed and the menu was simple with a good choice of steaks, chicken, seafood and pasta entrees. Between their being hungry and the drinks they had, they both ate their salads quickly. Both ordered KC strip steaks, opting for a side dish of pasta instead of the baked potato. One side dish was a combination of zucchini, tomatoes and mushrooms and the other was a corn casserole, somewhat like a souffle.

Craig had bread pudding for dessert while Dale chose their special lemon cake. The coffee tasted good after the somewhat heavy meal.

As they left the hotel, Craig said, "The dance club won't get crowded until about 10 o'clock or so. Do you want to go there now, or ride on downtown to the Reunion Tower and go to the top to see the city lights?"

"Let's ride downtown and come back to dance a little later," Dale replied.

They shed their coats before getting in the car and were soon on the route to take them to the tower. The big dome seemed to fairly pulse with flashing lights in random order, but with some patterns here and there, too.

Craig saw a sign in the parking lot this time. The meters had to be fed until 11 p.m. - and a meter maid was working the lot. Craig put in money for an hour and looked at his watch. It was exactly 9:15 p.m.

They took one of the outside elevators up to the bottom level of the dome. They had the feeling that they were floating above the skyline, as the elevator was dark so people could see through the window on the outside of the car.

Dale paid the small fee for them to go out on the viewing deck and they were in awe of the view as they walked the full circle of the deck. Although they had enjoyed the view that morning, this was a totally different experience. Both were glad they had come back.

They were almost 500 feet above the ground and Craig was able to point out most of the places they had been during the earlier part of the day.

Dale thought it was strange, the height didn't bother him at night as it had that morning. Craig agreed, but didn't know why except that it was a visual reaction.

They had been there about 45 minutes when Craig indicated they should probably go in case the parking meter was running fast. They had a good laugh about that, but when they got back to their car, there was only 5 minutes left on the meter and it was only 10:04. The meter maid was still writing tickets.

"They really have a great revenue source going here, don't they?" Craig joked.

"Might was well put in slot machines, too," Dale agreed.

Parking was more difficult when they arrived back at the "gay crossroads" of Cedar Springs Road and Throckmorton, but a car was pulling away from the curb as they slowly drove down the street. The parking space was not large, but Craig maneuvered the car in with no problem, glad that he didn't have a full-size car.

There was no cover charge at the Village Station, but being a Sunday evening there wasn't the crowd Craig expected. Still it seemed full. The music was loud, the strobe lights and lasers were pulsating and the dancers were stompin' to the DJ's selections. Dale bought them each a beer and they found a small table on the edge of the dance floor. It appeared that there were quite a few straight people there, too, but the crowd was still 75% male couples and singles.

They watched the crowd as they drank their beer, then threw the bottles away and made their way onto the dance floor. The first number they danced to was a rompin'-stompin' 2-step, then the next two numbers were slow ballads. Craig and Dale hung onto each other and danced around the floor, not sure if they were doing the correct steps, but it felt good to hold the other in public and they even shared a few kisses, too.

Craig bought the next round of beer and they stood on the sidelines this time, watching those on the dance floor. Several men spoke to them and they made some conversation as they watched. After they finished their second drinks, Craig led Dale back to the dance floor for a slow number and they, again, enjoyed being in each other's arms. This time they danced four more numbers, and then were ready to go back to their hotel.

It was about 11:45 when they arrived back in their room and they were both tired. It had been a long day. They had walked a lot, seen a lot and especially enjoyed their time with each other.

Stripping off their clothes they stood at the window to watch the airplanes in their landing pattern for a little bit. Being a Sunday night and also late, there was not as much traffic as on Friday night. Even the freeways seemed empty in comparison.

They crawled in bed, making their way toward the other, wrapped themselves in their partners arms, exchanged several kisses and were asleep in a matter of minutes.

Dale first woke up about 6 o'clock and his morning wood was pressed against Craig. They must not have moved during the night because he thought they were still in the same position as when they'd gone to sleep. He extracted himself from Craig's arms and legs, then made his way to the bathroom. Just as he was stripping the last of the urine from the head, Craig stumbled into the bathroom to pee, too. Dale figured that Craig also had beer breath, so he brushed his teeth, and then handed the toothpaste tube to Craig was he stepped away from the stool. Craig was sleepy, but also brushed his teeth.

By the time he got back to the bed, Dale was already in the middle and patted the sheet beside him. Dale was on his left side and Craig scooted back against Dale's furry chest. They cuddled and both dropped into a light sleep for about an hour when Dale came to, stretching his long body, and rubbing against Craig, who immediately woke up.

He worked himself around so he could give Dale a kiss. They lay together, idly rubbing the other, enjoying waking up together. Both were thinking about the wonderful time they were having, wishing it could go on for another four days.

"I've got to pee again," Craig said. "I must have drunk more beer than I thought I did," he laughed.

Dale said, "They say that you don't buy beer, you just rent it." They both laughed and Dale got out to bed to join Craig in the bathroom.

They stood side-by-side to relieve themselves again.

"Hey cowboy, y'all wanna fool around some?"

"Na, 'ready dun it three time this trip," he teased back in his best hick voice.

"Oh, just what I like, a man that's experienced," Craig said in his best seductive voice, running his hand around on Dale's hairy chest.

"Zat so?" questioned Dale, laughing as he scooped Craig up in his arms and carried him back to the bed, dumping him in the middle, then lying on top of him, pinning him down.

That seemed to push Craig's buttons - in all the right places and they proceeded to make out, then the kissing turned to a gentle session of making love to each other.

As they were shaving and showering, they talked about the day, Craig reminding Dale that they would have to check out of the hotel when they left to go back to Dallas. As they were packing stuff up and stuffing dirty clothing into a laundry bag, Dale was wondering about the flowers. He didn't want to leave them there because it was the first time anyone had given him flowers and he wanted to keep them.

"What about keeping a couple of each flower and dry them?" Craig asked.

"That would work, I guess. How do we do it?"

"I'm pretty sure that we can stop at a floral shop and they will do what's necessary to start the preservation process. I'm not sure how it's done, but I think it's a granulated powder that is used. Let's just take the whole arrangement and we can find out at the desk where they recommend we go."

"Okay," Dale said brightly. He was really happy that they were going to have a memento of their trip.

Craig was thinking he would find out if the entire arrangement could be preserved. He could pay for it, and then have his mother pick it up and they could get it later.

When they were packed, they headed to the mezzanine restaurant for breakfast, then back to the room. Craig called for the bellhop to bring a luggage cart to the room and asked that the car be brought from the parking garage.

He took care of the final bill while Dale saw to the loading of luggage and garment bags into the car. This time the garment bags went in the trunk since they had to park in a public lot.

The first stop was a floral shop that Craig knew about in Arlington, not too far from his parent's home. They took the floral arrangement in and were given a price that both thought was fair for preserving the entire arrangement, using the nice container the flowers were presently in. Craig paid for it with his MasterCard, making arrangements for the shop to call his mother to pick it up when ready.

Finally, they were on their way back to Dallas and the Fair Park complex.

Dale was reading the brochure aloud as Craig drove.

"Fair Park, east of downtown Dallas, is an Art Deco gem built in 1936. It has one of the nation's largest and finest concentrations of art deco architecture and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The buildings on the 277- acre site include pavilions, an auditorium, theater and eight museums. They're a melding of architecture and art, with strong geometric lines, painted stencil designs and bold murals. Popular with cyclists and rollerbladers, the landscaped grounds also contain fountains, an esplanade with reflecting pool and a lagoon. Fair Park is best known today as the site of the annual State Fair of Texas and as a venue for concerts and special events. It's also home of the Cotton Bowl stadium, the Age of Steam Museum, the Dallas Aquarium, the African American Museum, The Science Place, the Hall of State, the Smirnoff Music Centre and the Museum of Natural History.

"The most visually striking building in the Fair Park collection of art deco buildings is the Hall of State building. It was built as part of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition. The place feels like sacred ground and it is -- it holds the history of Texas. Within the building is the Hall of Heroes; it features statues of men who shaped the Republic of Texas. Another is the 200-foot-long Great Hall of Texas, which has six bays each devoted to one of the national flags that has flown over the state and gigantic murals. Constructed of Texas limestone, the building is a masterpiece of craftsmanship with red marble floors inlaid with squares depicting Texas plants and animals, bas- reliefs, stenciling and metalwork along with Texas motifs such as cacti, Lone Stars and oil wells. These days the Hall is mainly used for special events such as art exhibitions and can be rented for private events."

"I didn't realize what this park was and that there were so many buildings," Dale said.

"This really is 'the historical district' of Dallas," Craig replied.

They easily found a parking place, probably because of it being a weekday. There were no parking meters, although Craig seemed to remember that you had to pay to get into the parking lots if there was a big exposition going on.

Craig knew that they really would need all day to do the area justice in seeing everything, but Dale had agreed that he would rather see a little bit of a lot and then go back later to take a full tour. They started with The Science Place, then on to The Science Place Planetarium and spent 45 minutes there seeing a wonderful presentation on the solar system.

Afterward, they cut across the grounds to the Hall of State Building, then on to the Age of Steam Railroad Building. There just wasn't time to see or do much of anything, except whet their appetite to see more at a later time. The last stop they made before their self-imposed time to leave of 1:15 was the Dallas Firefighters Museum. Those five buildings received more than just a cursory tour by them, but they were more in an "observe mode" rather than a "learning mode". Although the Cotton Bowl was of interest, neither wanted to spend the time to see it on this day.

The next stop was the Fairmont Hotel, operated by the same company that ran the San Francisco Fairmont. They found parking in a city garage a block away. The restaurant had just emptied out from the noon rush hour crowd and they were ready for a relaxing lunch.

"I'm sorry that I rushed you at Fair Park, but I wanted you to get an idea of what it was. Hopefully we can have another long weekend and make up some of the time we didn't have this weekend," Craig said.

"Don't worry about it. I know that we would have to spend a couple of weeks in Ft. Worth and Dallas and still not see everything. You've shown me a lot more than I ever dreamed I might see, anyway," Dale told him. "Some of the places we've been the last two or three days, I've heard of, but it was hard to visualize they were so big, or were as wonderful as they really are.

The host seated them and Craig ordered Bloody Marys for each of them when the waiter arrived at the table. While waiting for their drinks, the looked at the menu. Dale decided that the beef stroganoff on noodles and a garden salad was for him. Craig decided on the Irish stew with a garden salad. Of course, they had to partake of the dessert cart. Dale decided on the strawberry shortcake and Craig took the fresh strawberry cake. Both were delicious. They knew, because they shared their entrees and dessert with each other.

The Neiman Marcus flagship store was 7 blocks away and they decided that they would walk the distance instead of moving the car. After all, they were country boys and certainly Dale was up to walking the distance. It wasn't a problem for Craig either; he just wasn't as active nor on his feet most of the time as was Dale.

Dale was totally blown away when he walked through the front door with Craig. This certainly wasn't Dillard's. They hadn't come to buy anything in particular, but just wandered through a dozen different departments on the various floors. Although many of the offerings were the same things as any department store, the merchandise was better displayed and the clerks (sales associates) were well informed about the goods for sale in their departments. But, there were also things you wouldn't find in just any department store - and they were a lot more expensive, too.

One of the areas they passed through was the fur department. They each fell in love with several of the men's fur jackets. 'Hmmm, a gift for an upcoming occasion?'

By the time they were through at Neiman Marcus it was time to think about heading back to Williamsport. Craig found a pay phone to call his mother, thanking her for the wonderful birthday dinner and to ask her to pickup the dried flower arrangement at the floral shop, telling her that they would try to get back to spend a weekend within the next month.

Dale then spoke to her, also, thanking her for the great afternoon and for treating him so well.

By the time they were back in the car, it was after 4 p.m. and that meant they would hit the already heavy Dallas traffic during rush hour. They took I-35 East to Hillsboro, where the interstate met up with I-35 West which went through Ft. Worth. Although traffic was still heavy, they were out of the area of the aggressive driving of the commuters.

Dale drove for about an hour, and then traded with Craig in the Temple area so that neither got tired of driving.

It was after 7:30 when they arrived back at their apartment and they were glad to be home. They had covered a lot of miles, done a lot of things and had the time of their lives.

For Craig, it was the joy of being able to share the experiences with someone he loved and to show him the world beyond the town where he had lived all his life.

For Dale, it was being with Craig for four days, meeting his parents and being accepted into their family and seeing and visiting places he had only heard of.

They unpacked their luggage, putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket in their closet, then hung up the good clothing they had taken with them.

Dale went downstairs to the mailbox to get the mail that had accumulated from Friday, Saturday and today while Craig mixed them each a drink, thinking they could decide on what to eat as they relaxed.

As they settled in their favorite position on the loveseat, they talked about their trip and of the experiences. Both were enthused about what they had seen and done during the four days.

"I especially enjoyed the time we spent with your parents and sisters. I didn't expect to be treated so well. It was almost like we've always known each other, I was so comfortable," Dale said.

"They really did like you and I feel lucky they have always been supportive of everything I've done. Most kids feel their parents are a real pain and are ashamed of them, but I don't ever recall feeling anything except pride - that they loved me and I loved them. and my sister's, too," Craig agreed.

"I really like Susan and Chuck. Do you think they are going to get married?" Dale asked.

"I think we can plan on being invited to a wedding sometime soon. I think they've decided to get married and it will probably become official at Christmas. I just don't know if they are planning a long or short engagement," Craig said, cuddling a little closer to Dale.

"What about Becky?" Dale asked.

Craig laughed. "She doesn't know herself. She's always been the maverick of the family, although not a problem to my parents or Susan and me. She's just a bit of a rebel and as my parents think, she tries too hard and dates the wrong men. I don't really know what she's looking for and she certainly hasn't found it with Stan."

They both laughed at that.

"What do you want to eat this evening?" Craig asked.

Dale licked his cheek, and then engulfing his ear in his mouth, rewarded him with a great feeling.

"I guess I meant for dinner this evening, but you can do that all night," he laughed.

"Oh.?" Dale questioned. "You don't like that?"

"I love it, just thought maybe you would like something with a little more substance to it

"How about either ordering a pizza or going to Tony D's to have a bite to eat?"

"Let's go to Tony D's, maybe Greg will be working this evening," Dale said.

They freshened up and drove to the restaurant in Dale's Blazer. The restaurant wasn't busy, it was after the evening rush and Greg was working. He greeted them and sat them at a table where they could see the entire dining room. After he gave them menus, he came back to their table with three glasses of Chianti.

"Is it okay if I sit down and visit?" Greg asked.

"Sure," they said, almost together.

"So, how was the big city, or I guess I should say cities?" Greg asked.

"Just great," Craig replied.

"We had a wonderful time," Dale added.

They told him about going to the French Restaurant, Bistro Nicoise.

Greg was familiar with the restaurant. "That's a great place. I've eaten there once and plan to go back the next time I'm in Ft. Worth."

"Dale was disappointed that he couldn't get a cheeseburger and fries, but I was able to get him to eat something else, and. he cleaned up his plate, too."

Dale pretended to look injured and the three had a great laugh over that statement.

"The only thing I was disappointed in was that the menu didn't have those nice pictures like the IHOP does."

More laughter.

"I'll have to remember that the next time we get new menus here," Greg said. "Maybe that will simplify the wait staff having to answer the questions about the various selections."

That was cause for further laughter and fun.

Greg signaled one of the waiters, asked him to get them each an Italian salad and then to check with the cook to see if there was enough Chicken Cacciatore for the three of them.

Craig started to protest.

"Now, guys, I told you the other night that my family and I entertain our friends here at the restaurant. The chicken is really good tonight and I want you to share it with me."

They each thanked him.

Shortly the other waiter served their salads and told Greg that there was enough of the Chicken Cacciatore for each to have for their dinner.

They had a wonderful meal and Greg was a charming host. Both Dale and Craig liked his personality and sense of humor. At Dale's expense, Craig told the story about Dale's "virginity" and this time it was Greg who almost choked on his sip of wine.

All of them laughed about that.

"I love that story," Greg said as he regained control of his breathing.

He reached across to squeeze their hands and noticed the new rings for the first time. "These are beautiful," Greg told them.

"Thanks," Craig said, with Dale echoing.

"I love these. Tom and Eddie have matching rings, but theirs are a plain, wide gold band, still beautiful, but look like regular wedding rings.

"I'm not sure the term 'regular wedding ring' has any meaning in this day and age. You see all kinds of shapes and stones. I think Dale and I would feel just as committed with a cigar band, but this symbolizes our outward feelings for each other," Craig said.

"I know that many men don't wear rings, and a lot of couples don't wear matching bands, but I wanted something that told everyone that Craig and I are together," Dale said.

"I agree," said Greg. "I hope that when the time comes my guy will want to wear a ring I'd buy for him, too."

"Any prospects?" Dale asked. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

"No problem, but the answer is a big 'Maybe'. I've been going with a fellow that lives in Austin. We really like each other, but his business keeps him there and the family restaurant prevents me from going over there as often as I'd like. We'll just see if the relationship progresses any further."

"Good luck to you," Craig said and Dale agreed.

Too soon, the meal was over and it was time for the evening to come to a close. They each thanked Greg, promising they would get together after they returned from Waco. Greg allowed them to leave a tip for the other waiter, but told them it wasn't necessary. Dale left a nice gratuity and told the young fellow 'thanks' as they exited the restaurant.

Back home they discovered they were tired. It was their idea to get in bed, cuddle up and talk, but sleep overtook them within five minutes after they pulled the covers up.

(to be continued)

• • • • • Author's Note: This is my first attempt at gay fiction, and the only way I can learn whether or not I should continue is from my readers' feedback. I would appreciate your comments, criticism, suggestions, and anything else that you would care to say. All Email will be answered. If you wish to receive e-mail notification of subsequent postings, please let me know by sending your request to the following e-mail address: TulsaDriller7@aol.com

A special THANK YOU to DANNY and GARY in DALLAS for their help and input to this chapter and the next. Their help was invaluable as I'm not that familiar with Dallas. Some of the information was downloaded from websites and it's hard to put the places into a story where you are (hopefully) seeing it through Dale and Craig's eyes. Thanks for the overwhelming response to previous chapters. I have received positive replies from all over the world and continue to be amazed at how large my "Notification List" has gotten. My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon, who has taken time to help me catch obvious errors.