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 39: Confusing Secrets
There was a group of twenty-seven people who gathered at Victory Temple on Wednesday evening for a "congregational discussion". Riley Boyd acted as ex-officio chairman of the meeting as the church really didn't have a board of trustees. Jimmy Bob Jones ran the church his way and the members had always been in the dark as to the financial situation of the church.
Jimmy Bob had insisted that Bret Jenkins, Sr. take over the treasurer's job about three years before, although Bret always felt that he was just "rubber stamping" everything that Jimmy Bob wanted. It had taken a year for him to even find out what the debt owed on the various notes was. Driving to the meeting that evening with his wife, he was wishing he had declined the job when Jimmy Bob insisted he take it, but at the time he felt that it was an honor to serve the man the members thought could do no wrong as he was guiding the congregation in their daily lives.
Riley, his wife, Lois and Bret had met with Marcus Streeter earlier in the evening to find out what was going to happen to Jimmy Bob. They didn't tell him they had recovered almost $115,000 in cash from Jimmy Bob's desk drawer and his home.
Marcus told them Jimmy Bob's car could not be used to secure a bail bond, since it was heavily damaged and there was no insurance. Bret hadn't paid the premium because there wasn't money to do so. Jimmy Bob had told him he would take care of it, but the church would owe him for the amount he spent out of his own pocket. Also, since the church couldn't come up with the fee Marcus requested to represent Jimmy Bob, he was withdrawing from the case, telling them the court would appoint an attorney for him. Jimmy Bob would be in jail until the trial and sentencing unless someone came up with the money.
So, it was up to Riley and Bret to present the members with the financial report of the Victory Temple.
Of the people who showed up for the meeting, seventeen were older members who had been part of the congregation before Jimmy Bob Jones was invited to take over the pulpit after Dr. Phil Arnett had died. Several of those people were even charter members of the congregation. The other ten people had been attracted by Jimmy Bob's charisma and had joined in the last few years. .
Riley called the gathering to order.
"Many of you are wondering what is going on in our church and several of you have contacted me, asking that I call a meeting so we can discuss the present situation of our congregation and what can be done to allow us to keep the building.
"It is a sad state of affairs and I come before you with a heavy heart this evening. Our leader, whom we all trusted, has turned out to be an admitted pedophile and has done harm to at least ten young men in this congregation. All the while, he was railing on and on about his version of 'God's Plan' and heading up what we thought was a just crusade against sin and moral decay. It turned out that this isn't the case.
"If you will bear with me for a little bit, my wife, Lois, and I have put a report together as to what has transpired in the last few days, starting with Sunday.
"Jimmy Bob conducted the church service on Sunday morning and he and Marlene ate Sunday dinner at the home of Maynard and Blanche Day's home. They returned to the parsonage about 3 p.m. The next thing we know is that the minister of Faith Assembly Church called Jimmy Bob to tell him there was going to be a meeting of the Dignity/Integrity Chapter at St. James rectory that evening at 6:30. Jimmy Bob had become obsessed with this group of homosexual men and women, claiming they were taking over Williamsport. It was his idea to sit out in front of the house, spy on them to see who was attending, then make their names public to ridicule them. He asked Bret Jenkins, Sr. to go with him and Bret drove his minivan. The two of them were able to identify about half of the people who showed up, either by name or where they are employed.
"An off-duty police officer was attending the meeting and as she parked behind the van, she noticed the brake lights flickering, apparently Bret was bumping the pedal slightly. She and another person discovered Jimmy Bob and Bret using binoculars to spy on those arriving for the meeting. She called for two patrol cars to be sent to the scene and helped remove the two men from the van.
"In the meantime, Bret Jenkins, Jr. arrived on his bicycle. He had heard his mother talking on the telephone, found out what his father and Jimmy Bob were doing and went to warn the group as he was acquainted with several people he thought would be attending.
"An enterprising reporter by the name of Miles Truby happened to hear about the disturbance, went to the scene and took some pictures, a couple of which ended up on the front page of the Austin American-Statesmen on Monday morning. He quoted a conversation by the police, an attorney from Austin who was attending the meeting, along with Fr. George Tikker who was hosting the meeting. There were no charges filed, or arrests made. Jimmy Bob and Bret were told to leave the area.
"Now, Bret, I have to apologize to you for telling the next part of the story, but it's all part of what has led up to our present circumstances."
Bret nodded his head, embarrassed to have attention called to him.
Riley continued. "Bret Junior was in trouble at home because he had attended a Sunday morning mass at St. James Church a week before. Now he was afraid to go home for the reason his father was in trouble with the police, not for doing anything illegal, but being warned that his behavior of spying, along with Jimmy Bob, would not be tolerated. They were advised to leave the area and did so. Bret took Jimmy Bob home.
"Several of the men who were attending the meeting talked to Bret, Jr. and he indicated he was afraid to go home as he feared physical abuse from his father. The men took him home and his mother advised that it might be better if Bret didn't stay at their house that night, hoping his father would calm down and they could talk about it at another time.
"One of the men offered a place for him to stay that night and when he went with Bret to get clothes and the other things he needed, his father told him to get out of the house and to take his son with him. He took a swing at another of the men, who grabbed his wrist and broke a bone in his arm. He has the cast to prove it."
Bret was really embarrassed now.
"The story continues on Monday morning. The reporter, Miles Truby, wanted to dig a little deeper into the story so went calling at Victory Temple. According to him, initially Jimmy Bob told him to get out of the building and berated him for the article in the newspaper. He told Jimmy Bob that he only wanted to interview him so he could tell his side of the story. Part of that interview was in the Tuesday morning paper.
When Miles started to leave the church, a little boy about 10-years old was waiting to see Jimmy Bob. He asked Miles if "he was ready for him" which triggered an alarm in his mind. He pretended to leave the building, then went back to check. I don't need to go into any detail, but the police were called, pictures were taken and Jimmy Bob was arrested."
There was an audible gasp from those attending the meeting. Up to that point there had been little reaction to what Riley had reported.
"Jimmy Bob was taken to the police station. He called Bret at work and he secured the services of Marcus Streeter, an attorney. He was able to arrange bail in the amount of $50,000 by using Jimmy Bob's Cadillac as security. Bret took Jimmy Bob home.
"As you know, Monday evening the story was carried on the five and 6 p.m. television news broadcasts. A mad crowd gathered in front of his house and Jimmy Bob got scared, called the police for protection and then confessed to having had sexual relations with at least 9 other small boys."
Another cause for murmuring from the assembled members.
"Jimmy Bob spent the day in custody on Tuesday, then Marcus Streeter was able to get him released and took him home. We don't know the full sequence of events, but it appears that Jimmy Bob drank quite a bit of alcohol, and then drove to the church to retrieve some incriminating pictures from his desk. Several witnesses reported that he was driving erratically on his way back home. He must have lost control of his car, hit the gas instead of the brakes, jumped the curb and ran into a large oak tree in a yard. Although he wasn't injured, he was knocked unconscious. EMS was called and took him to the hospital. The plastic sack containing the pictures was discovered and used as evidence against him. A blood test showed that he was DUI with about 3 times the normal limit for alcohol.
"He was treated, then admitted to the hospital under police guard and transferred to the jail the next day. As you know, more of the story appeared in the papers this morning.
"Some of you are probably asking where Marlene was all this time."
More noises from the audience.
"It seems that the marriage of Jimmy Bob Jones and Marlene was just in name only, although we don't know that for sure. However, we do know that a man spent Monday night at her home and now it appears she has moved out of the house and into his apartment."
Riley did not tell the group that he and his wife had given picture proof to Miles Truby that morning.
Another gasp and discussion among those attending the meeting.
Riley stood there, waiting for the audience to quiet. Finally, he continued.
"This afternoon, Bret, Lois and I called a locksmith and had the locks changed on the building. Bret told me that he had never been privy to much financial information, although he knows what is owed on three notes and that only the interest is being paid on them at this time.
"We found a big discrepancy in the handling of cash from the collection plates. Bret told me that the church secretary made up the deposit on Monday morning, then gave him a copy of the deposit slip and receipt later in the week. He had not realized that no cash was being deposited."
More noise from the audience.
"The three of us went through his desk drawers and found $56,000 in cash stuffed in file folders, most of which had dates written on them."
There was a lot of noise this time and it took almost 5 minutes before Riley could continue.
"We decided to have the locks changed on the parsonage, also. We found $41,000 in Jimmy Bob's bedroom and about $17,600 in Marlene's bedroom. This is a total of about $114,600 in unaccounted cash contributions to our church, we think going back to about the first of this year."
The noise level went way up. People were on their feet, some shouting, and some demanding he be brought to justice for this. It was a full ten minutes before Riley could get their attention again.
"Folks, Bret has been kind enough to bring the financial records up-to-date this afternoon and has a concise report of our financial position."
There was a little noise in the audience as Bret made his way to the podium.
Bret got right to the point.
"I'm going to start with the assets.
"The building was appraised at $772,450 a year ago and the furnishings, organ, grand piano, pews, sanctuary furniture at an additional $35,000. The furnishings for the school and day care center are valued at $37,000. The parsonage is worth $89,700. This makes our total fixed assets at $934,150.
"The cash in the bank as of today was $3,270.93 and we have the cash which we found in the amount of $114,623, for total cash of $117,893.93.
"For the liability side, we have a note in the amount of $350,000 on the building and $51,000 on the parsonage. Payments on the building note had been current until 3 months ago when we started paying only the interest due to lack of funds. This note will be due in five years, March 31, 1995; however, if we don't make the interest payments they have the right to call the note for immediate payment. Payments on the parsonage mortgage are current."
There was more noise from the audience.
"In addition there are two notes for $50,000 each to cover operating expenses. The oldest one dates back about five years and the newer one from about two years ago. We have been making interest payments on these, but no principal payments for the last two years. Both of the smaller notes, totaling $100,000 are up for renewal next month and the bank is putting pressure on the church to have responsible members co-sign new notes. I've been told by one of the directors that they are fearful the church could go under - now even more so with what has happened in the last 3 days."
There was a lot more dissention. Finally Bret was able to continue.
"With the discovery of the cash we've found, it may be possible to pay off the older of the $50,000 notes and reduce the other by a small amount, then bring our payments up to date on the mortgage of $350,000. That would put us in a pretty good position to continue operating as a church, but without a leader."
One of the members was immediately on his feet. "We'd be better off without a leader than letting that SOB come back here."
There was general agreement.
Riley took the floor again.
"Ladies and gentlemen. I don't think we have to worry about Jimmy Bob coming back here. I don't think he will ever get out of jail."
There was a lot of noise, mostly in agreement.
Another man took the floor. "We've been hoodwinked, but maybe this is a wakeup call for this church and it's the Good Lord himself telling us that we need to take a different course in the future."
More approval.
"I don't care if Jimmy Bob was right or wrong with his crusades, but it's sure drawn a lot of bad attention to this church," another stood and said.
Riley managed to get their attention again.
"We don't have to decide anything tonight, but we wanted to bring you up-to-date on what is going on here. I would like to propose that we meet on Sunday morning for a prayer meeting at our usual time, then have an organizational meeting to elect officers and a finance committee, along with a pulpit committee to determine who might be available and willing to lead us."
"I second that motion," one of the women yelled.
"Since this isn't a business meeting, there was no motion and a second is out of order, but I would like a show of hands if you are in agreement to our meeting on Sunday," Riley said.
It was a unanimous showing. Then someone stood up to suggest a potluck dinner afterward and again, it was a favorable show of hands.
Another one of the original charter members stood to ask, "How much were we paying Jimmy Bob? I assume he's off the payroll now, isn't he?"
Bret stood. "In addition to furnishing him a home, utilities and a car, we were paying into a retirement fund and insurance, too. His base salary without the fringe benefits was $48,000 per year and - yes - he's off the payroll."
There was general laughter.
After the meeting, people stayed around to talk and there was general consensus that an effort be made to find all the victims of Jimmy Bob's sexual abuse. Bret would like to know that himself. He was glad when he and Beth could finally go home.
Dale and Craig retired to Joe's room. Joey was spending the last night in his room and Frank and Doris were sleeping in the third bedroom. Although the closets had been emptied entirely for purposes of seeing what was on shelves, many things had been returned and hung up so they were out of the way of those sleeping in the bedrooms.
Doris and Frank had been up the longest of any of them, so retired early for the night, going to sleep immediately.
Joey wasn't far behind. The last two weeks had been a strain on him with Joe going into the hospital for what both knew would be his last time. He had stayed with his aunt, but knew that was a temporary situation. When Joe went into the hospital no one knew what would happen to Joey. The social worker had been able to locate Dale, who had rescued Joey from a very bad situation - that of being placed in the Foster Care system of Children's Social Services, which was overloaded. Even a smart, desirable child like Joey got lost in the system because no one really cared about them.
Most of those who were signed up to be Foster Care providers were only in it for the money and what was given them to buy clothes and necessities for those in their care, ended up in their pockets while the children did without and eventually gave up trying to improve themselves.
Joey knew a boy his age that was in "the system" and it wasn't a pretty sight. He had been thinking about running away from Houston if something happened to his father. He was smart enough to live on the streets (at least he thought so) but there had to be better places to do it than living in Houston.
He knew that his father had provided money for him in a trust fund, but what good would it do if he couldn't get to it until he completed a master's degree in his chosen field? Even though he was an honor student, that and the money wouldn't do him any good. So, it was with great relief when he found out his half-brother had been located and was willing to provide a home for him.
Upon their first meeting he was pleased to find out Dale was gay and had a partner, Craig. While Joey hadn't really thought about his own sexuality, he'd never really given it a thought as others being straight or gay. What difference did it make? He certainly would never have guessed that these men were. They seemed like ordinary men, just like himself.
However, Craig had laid the cards on the table, explaining that he and Dale were a couple, devoted to each other and had no desires toward him except to provide a home for him and take care of his material needs. Joey immediately liked these men and felt comfortable with them. And, most importantly, they genuinely seemed to like him and had proven that many times over the last ten days they had been together.
They each shared an offbeat sense of humor and could tease the others about anything and it was well received.
And, Williamsport. From what Joey had seen of the place and the people he had met there, he was going to love it. Sure, he would miss his friends in Houston, but the kids his age that he had met seemed have a genuine interest in him. He loved it that Dale and Craig had gotten him involved in the church choir. That was a big surprise to him and he knew it was where he belonged, at least as far as having the chance to sing.
Joey would miss his father, but he was really gaining an old brother, or if one wanted to define it another say, two Dads. And, the bonus, he'd gotten grandparents out of the deal, too. He'd never had those before. Then there was the promise of Craig's sisters becoming his aunts, too. He'd gotten a "ready- made" family out of the deal.
Although Joey had been exposed to church, he hadn't ever felt any real reason to give thanks. This night before crawling into this bed for the last time, he knelt and gave thanks for the blessings he had received. And, prayed for love and guidance in his new life to come with his Dads.
Dale and Craig were both tired and wound up. It had been a long day, but they had accomplished a lot in getting the house listed with a competent realtor and making arrangements for two men, who were a gay couple, to handle an estate sale for them. There was a trust from the very beginning and both felt comfortable in allowing them to handle the sale with them being 200 miles away.
They rolled together in the bed, searching for the other in the middle, finding the love they needed to sustain them for the night.
Dale couldn't help but thinking about occupying his father's bed with Craig. He wondered how many men had shared this bed with his father and what they had done to pleasure each other. The thought made him start to get hard. Craig was nestled against Dale, front to front. Although he wasn't doing anything except to lay there in his lover's arms, he felt Dale begin to respond to something, which in turn, triggered his own arousal.
Their mouths searched for the other, then tongues dueled for supremacy, swabbing tonsils. They pulled themselves tightly to each other. Both were thinking they were the luckiest people in the world to have each other. They were now parents, if you wanted to call them that. It felt good to think of themselves as such, anyway.
They had been together for a very short period of time, but trusted the other fully. Each was a good match for each other, respectful of the other's needs and emotions. They each adored the other and thrived because of it. Dale had come out of his shell of being an insecure, unloved man who needed someone to show him that the world was a place to discover and have fun doing it. Craig was much more self-assured, but still needed a mate he could rely on; one who would love him and be there for him for all time.
Together, they were set to conquer the world.
Sex was slow and easy for them that night and without prior planning they pleasured the other at the same time. They had their cocks buried to the balls in each other's throat. It seemed that hands and fingers were everywhere. Release from their tensions reached a roaring climax for each and they feasted on the ambrosia the other gave in reward. Finally, as each was softening, they swung up where they could mix the cocktail of their love and commitment to each other and share it like the wine of communion.
Dale awoke first, hearing the shower in the bathroom next to their room. Frank and Doris must be cleaning up.
He kissed Craig awake, applying his mustache to all the proper places on his face and chest. They each had "morning mouth" probably caused by the cum from the night before. Dale got out of bed, giving Craig a hand to follow him to the bathroom. They took turns peeing, and then brushing their teeth. They would have taken a shower together except there wasn't room. While Dale was showering, Craig stripped the bed and laid out their clothes for the day, then took his shower while Dale dried his hair and began dressing.
Doris had started a pot of coffee and was standing in the kitchen when Dale walked in, carrying the sheets and bed pad from Joe's room.
"Good morning," he said in his usual morning, cheerful voice.
"Morning, Dale. I hope you fellows slept as well as Frank and I did."
"Yes, it was a long, busy day, yesterday."
"I've already stripped the bed we slept in last night and put those sheets in the washing machine," Doris told him.
"Good, we need to have Joey strip his bed, too. Any sign of him, yet?" Dale asked.
"Yes, he rode to the donut shop with Frank. You know, something all of us need badly," she laughed.
Dale gave her one of his famous 1000-watt smiles. "If it will cure my hunger, I'm all for it."
"What are you for?" Craig questioned as he walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Mom."
"Donuts to cure my craving for something to eat," Dale said, continuing his smile.
Craig chose to ignore it. He was still tired from the previous day and night's activities.
"I'm going to start a load of two sets of sheets. There should still be still be another set of sheets to wash, along with 3 mattress pads and towels, unless you want to keep any of this stuff for ourselves and take it home to wash," Dale said.
"Actually, the set that was on the bed we slept in appears to be new and they are percale, really comfortable to sleep on," Craig said. "We can take those if you like them."
"They were really soft," Dale said, then sacked them into one of the pillowcases and took it to the living room. He went into Joey's room and stripped his bed, too, then started the load of sheets.
Frank and Joey arrived back at the house about that time with a box containing 15 donuts. "I thought this would tide us over until we could get some real food," Frank told them.
Craig poured each of them a mug of coffee, which emptied the 12-cup pot. He emptied the basket of grounds, measured out more and refilled the reservoir with water for another pot.
Doris handed paper napkins to everyone and they dug into the box of donuts.
It was quiet except for the chewing and sipping noises.
Frank spoke up. "I don't know about anyone else, but I really slept well last night. Must have worked harder than I thought."
There seemed to be general agreement from each of them.
"Okay, what do we have to accomplish today?" Craig asked.
Dale spoke up first. "Make sure everything we are taking with us is packed and ready to load in the various vehicles.
Doris spoke up. "I intend to go through the kitchen utensils and pots and pans to see if there is anything you boys might need to keep or that I can use. Craig, you need to pack the liquor and put it in the trunk of one of the cars. Also, we might as well box up the spices so we can divide them later. They won't sell at the sale and we might as well use them ourselves."
Dale said, "Let's put the fragile stuff in the back of the Blazer. The heavier things can go in the bed of the pickup with the big TV right behind the cab. I have a net to put over the bed to secure things from blowing out. I really don't think we are going to have to put much in the cars, but we'll just have to see how things stow away."
Joey spoke up. "I need to finish looking in Dad's room because I didn't have a chance to look in the dresser drawers, yet."
"Okay, when we finish here, why don't you do that and I'll go with you?" Dale said.
"I haven't emptied those drawers, so I think that's the only thing I haven't been through," Doris said.
"Aren't we going to eat breakfast?" Frank asked, pouring himself another cup of coffee, then refilling the others.
Doris ignored him.
"Sure, I'll go with you, grandpa," Joey said.
"I beg your pardon?" Dale said. "I thought you were going to finish in Joe's bedroom."
"Oh yeah, I just remembered," Joey said, grinning. "Sorry grandpa, guess you're on your own."
"Story of my life," Frank laughed.
"That's only his opinion," Doris said, pretending to cover her mouth with her hand.
That caused all of them to laugh.
"I'm like Rodney Dangerfield, I don't get no respect," Frank said, pretending to pout.
More laughter.
"Poor Dad," Craig said, patting him on the back. "We're going to have to have a 'Feel Sorry for Frank Day,' sometime soon. Everybody!!! Listen up!! Have something else planned for that day," Craig teased.
"Well Dad, thanks for the donuts. You, at least, should get some respect for that effort," Dale told him.
"Thanks, Dale. I'm glad I have one son who thinks his old man is okay."
"Excuse me, but I need to go put my boots on, the shit's getting a little deep in here this morning," Craig said.
"But Dad, you already have your boots on," Joey told him.
The laughter continued.
"Yes, it's beginning to sound like the auditions for a comedy club," Doris said. "I guess I could do my Phyllis Diller act, but if they stretched my face that tightly, it would shatter."
That statement added to the laughter.
Joey was enjoying the teasing. 'This is a neat family,' he thought.
About that time Dale heard the washing machine shut off, so he went to see if it was through with it's complete cycle. It was just through the wash cycle, so he would have to wait to start the next load.
The clowning around had come to an end. It was time to get to work. Everyone was thankful there wasn't very much more to do, except to pack the vehicles.
Joey went to the neighbors who lived on the east side to tell them goodbye and thank them for being so nice to he and his father while they had lived next door to each other. He picked up the house key, telling them that a realtor was listing the house and that there would be an estate sale coming up soon.
Then, he called his aunt, his Dad's aunt, to tell her goodbye and make sure she had his new address and telephone number. She and Joe had never been close to each other, however, in the last few years she'd had to rely on him and Joey more and more because of her declining health. Joey felt sad when he talked to her because he figured that he would not see her again.
Dale and Joey left in the middle of the morning, driving Joe's car, to go to Jay McCormick's office. Dale had called him earlier to tell him of their progress, thank him for helping them find a realtor and people to have the estate sale. They were going to his office to pick up the urn that contained Joe's ashes.
Jay welcomed them and they visited for a short time, Jay mainly concerned that Joey was going to be okay. Dale and Joey both gave him an account of the activities of the previous few days, including Joey's debut as a singer in the choir at St. James.
Jay gave Joey the box containing the urn. The three men shook hands and exchanged goodbyes.
The next stop was Arlen Fischer's office to sign some papers transferring Joey's trust fund to Dale's administration and to authorize the Trust Department of the Bank of Houston to remain as trustee. He also gave Dale an original copy of Joe's will.
Dale reported what was being done with the house, furnishings and car. Arlen agreed that they were doing the right thing.
The last stop of their errands was to stop at the local branch of Joe's bank, City Trust, to close his checking and savings account and empty his safety deposit box. The bank officer greeted them, asked a few questions and had Dale sign where necessary since his signature had been added to the account the previous week. He gave Dale two cashier's checks for $9,340.17 and $7,657.75.
There were a number of CD's in the safety deposit box, made out to Joe with Joey being listed as beneficiary, with the clause "payable on death". Dale wasn't sure what that meant, so they went back to talk to the officer who explained that they would need a copy of Joe's death certificate, then they could either cash the CD's and pay Joey with a cashier's check, or issue new CD's in his name.
Jay had given them a certified copy of the death certificate, telling Dale he could order additional copies, if needed.
The banker didn't need a certified copy. He verified what they gave him, made a copy and then handed it back. Dale decided to ask for a cashier's check made out to Joey, then they could take care of investing the money at the Bank of Commerce. He was sure that Morris Johnsmore and Marty could steer him to the right person since the amount of that cashier's check would be almost $80,000.
They closed out Joey's savings account, which had about $1,250.57 in it. Dale put that cashier's check in with the others they had received.
On the way back to the house, Dale posed a question to Joey.
"Our Dad was somewhat flippant about disposing of his ashes after he was cremated."
Joey broke in, "Yeah, he always used to say we could scatter them, bury them or flush them down the stool."
Dale grinned, then his face turned somber. "I'll tell you my idea and you tell me what you think."
"Okay," Joey told him.
"There are extra lots where my grandparents and my mother are buried in the cemetery at Williamsport. What do you think about burying the urn in the plot next to my mother? They really belong together as far as I'm concerned. We don't know where your mother is and may never hear from her again," Dale told him.
"I think that's a great idea. He'd be buried where he would be close to both of us," Joey said.
"Let's talk to Fr. George about it in the next few days. He can do a simple committal service at the grave. The Veteran's Administration will provide a marker to place on the grave and that will show he was a veteran of the Vietnam War."
"Dad, that's a really great idea. I didn't know what we would do with the urn and I was afraid it would get put on a closet shelf and forgotten. Let's do it," Joey said.
By the time they got back to the house, it was noon and everyone was seriously hungry. Almost everything had been put in the various vehicles and there was still plenty of room for the few boxes and items left to be loaded.
"Where shall we go eat, Joey?" Frank asked. "I don't think we spent enough money last night."
Everyone laughed.
"My favorite Mexican Restaurant is El Toro's and it's not too far from here. It's family owned and their food is a lot better than most others, and certainly the chains."
"Sounds good to me," Craig said.
Everyone was in agreement, so they loaded into Joe's car. It was a little crowded, but Craig, Frank and Doris being the smaller people of the group sat in back. They were only going a few miles, anyway. Joey gave good directions and the traffic was amazingly light for the noon hour.
They were shown to a table immediately and Frank ordered a pitcher of Margaritas and a Coke for Joey. The waiter brought three baskets of chips and pitchers of hot and mild sauce with bowls so each could mix sauce to their own taste.
By the time the drinks arrived all had decided what they wanted to eat. The waiter filled their glasses, and then wrote their orders down.
"Cheers," Frank said, hoisting his glass. The others did the same.
"Thanks for being here for Joey, Craig and me yesterday and today," Dale said. "We couldn't have done it all without your help."
"Hey, that's what families are for," Frank said.
"It was our pleasure to help. We got to meet Joey and get better acquainted with you, Dale, and we're looking forward to spending a couple of days with you in Williamsport, too," Doris added.
"Yes, we're going to take you up on that horseback ride, going up the river like you promised us. We even brought our cowboy boots so we'll look like real dudes out on the range," Frank added.
"And I'm going to play 'cooking teacher'," Doris told them. I think in two days time I can make first-class cooks out of all three of you."
"Boy, she doesn't know that she just bit off more than she can chew," Dale laughed.
"Don't sell Mom short," Craig said. "She can do it."
"I'm looking forward to it," Joey said. "Dad taught me how to do some things in the kitchen, at least enough that I could fix pot roasts, bake chicken and cakes and make some things in the crock pot."
"That's a good start," Doris told him.
That reminded Dale to ask Joey about the cookbooks he said he wanted to keep.
"I've already put them in my backpack," Joey told him.
About that time their meals arrived. Dale wondered if there was going to be enough room on the table for all the plates and platters the waiter brought. All of it was steaming hot and prepared to order.
The food tasted as good as it looked and in no time at all, the plates were empty.
"Joey, this was an excellent idea. Thanks for suggesting it," Dale said.
The others murmured their approval.
Frank insisted on paying the bill and wouldn't even allow Craig or Dale to leave the tip.
Everyone thanked him as they left the restaurant.
It took them another forty-five minutes to finish loading the vehicles, most of it going in the bed of the pickup. Dale insisted that they do one last 'walk-through' of the house. Nothing seemed to have been overlooked. They set the alarm and locked the house. Everyone who needed to get inside had a key and a code for the security system. The monitoring company had been notified to contact Harlan Holman in case of any problems.
At 2:15 the caravan pulled out of the driveway, Craig leading the way in the Bar-W pickup, Mitsy riding with him. Doris was following Craig in their family car. Frank was next, driving Joe's car and Dale and Joey bringing up the rear.
Craig was glad he'd rented a storage unit before leaving Williamsport, as there was too much stuff to put in the apartment and his storage locker in the basement. They could sort things out at their leisure, then take the boxes they needed to the condo as they were ready for them.
By the time they were close to the rest area on I-10, Craig needed to pee badly and figured everyone else did, also. Each of the other drivers was relieved when they saw Craig turn on his right turn signal. As he got out of the pickup, he snapped the leash on Mitsy and was going to walk her to the pet area.
Joey ran up. "I'll do that, Dad, then you can walk her when I go pee."
Craig was only too happy to have Joey do that. He needed to go. The combination of the salt and alcohol made him feel like his bladder was stretched to its limit. Especially after sitting for 120 miles with a seatbelt across his lap. They were the only ones in the restroom and he was thankful there was an open urinal so he stepped up next to Dale. He didn't know where Frank was, probably waiting for Doris to get out of the car. He teased, "Hi fella, come here often?"
"As a matter of fact I do, and I think I've see you here each time, too. Trolling for tricks today, are we?" Dale answered with a funny grin on his face.
About that time someone walked in behind them and that was the end of the joke. It turned out to be Frank, but they didn't rally want to tease each other about picking up tricks in the rest area in his presence. Craig was still peeing when Dale left to wash his hands.
Joey was walking Mitsy so he went to take her leash so Joey could use the facilities.
Craig bought soft drinks for everyone and they drank them before starting the final leg of their journey home.
They arrived in Williamsport about 5:45, parking all four vehicles in the parking lot of the condo. Mitsy went to her usual place to check on what other dogs had left and add her mark to the area they all used as a bathroom.
While she was taking care of her business, the five people unloaded the items in the two cars, as they were all things that would stay at the condo. Dale, Craig and Frank carried the boxes of liquor and Doris and Joey each had large boxes of kitchen items. Joey made a second trip to gather up clothing they had kept.
Craig picked up the padlock they would need for locking the storage garage. Dale, Joey and Frank went with him in the two ranch trucks to unload and store the other items; Craig warning them to put the boxes marked "Fragile" on the top. It only took them about 25 minutes to drive there, unload and drive back to the condo.
Frank rode with Dale, telling him how great Joe's car was. "I need to let Doris drive it, but I'm buying it regardless. It's a lot more comfortable than either of our cars and drives better, too."
They left the big-screen TV at the storage unit at the very front so they could get to it easily. They needed a four-wheel dolly to use to get it into the condo, so this was temporary storage.
By this time it was about 6:45 and all were ready for "happy hour" and to go out for dinner. Craig took charge of the bar. He had put cheese out to soften before going to the storage area, putting it and crackers on a tray to go on the coffee table.
Bartending was a simple job for this crew tonight. Two gins and two scotches. Joey helped himself to a Coke. Soon they were settled down to enjoy the company of the others.
"I can't believe that we've been to Houston and back, accomplished everything we did and were only gone about 36 hours," Dale said.
"It may have only been 36 hours, but I feel more like it was at least four days," Craig laughed.
"We didn't waste any time, did we?" Doris asked.
"No, and the three of us want to thank you again for all the help and support you've given us. Frank used up vacation time and I know you had things you would have done otherwise," Dale told them.
"Nonsense. I don't use all of my vacation time as it is and other than for being able to spend time with the three of you, it's great to get out of town and do something different," Frank said.
Doris agreed. "We haven't had a trip for a little while. It's nice to see another world, other than our own.
"By the way, I almost forgot, there's a box for you fellows. I set it on the chair in your bedroom."
Dale got up and brought it back to the living room. He handed it to Craig, who broke the tape with his fingernail. When he lifted the tissue-wrapped item out of the box they discovered it was the flower arrangement Craig had given Dale and had sent to their hotel room in Ft. Worth. They had taken it to be dried and Doris had picked it up when it was ready.
Dale was really taken with it. The colors weren't as brilliant as when the flowers were fresh, but there was no sign of damage anywhere. The floral shop had done a super job. He wanted to kiss Craig, but decided to wait until they were in the privacy of their own bedroom.
"Thank you for picking these up," Dale said. "They turned out a lot better than I thought they would. I was expecting them to be flat and dry, like when you pressed them in a book."
Craig took the bowl of flowers to set it on their dining room table. It was just right for the room and low enough you could see over it to the person seated across from you.
After their second drink, they crowded into Joe's (Frank's) car to go to Tony D's for dinner. Greg, of course, had the wait staff outdo themselves and provided plenty of wine for the group to drink with their meal.
Back at the condo, Craig was going to have Joey help him change the sheets on his bed so Frank and Doris could occupy his room that night.
"I'll not hear of that," Doris said. "We have to sleep in a strange bed tonight regardless of which one we use here. Joey might as well be comfortable in his room and Frank and I will sleep on the hide-a-bed in the living room."
"I can sleep out here, grandma," Joey replied. "I'll probably get up before you do, anyway because Mitsy will want to go out as soon as it starts getting light. We'll disturb you when we go through the living room, so we might as well stay out here."
Craig and Dale agreed. "You'll have to share the bathroom, but the door into Joey's room can be shut and he can use the door from the hallway if he needs to."
Doris and Frank reluctantly agreed to sleep in Joey's room, so they changed the sheets and put clean towels in the bathroom.
It was still too early to go to bed, so the five of them sat in the living room to discuss the possible activities of the next few days.
About that time the telephone rang. It was Paul Rathborne and he wanted to talk to Joey. Craig called Joey to the kitchen to take the call.
"Hello," Joey answered.
"Hey Joey, it's Paul Rathborne from St. James. How are you this evening?"
"Oh, hi Paul. I'm okay. We've been to Houston and just got home about 6 o'clock, then went out to eat."
"I hope everything went okay," Paul said.
"Yes, we brought things back to Williamsport that I wanted to keep and my Dads listed the house with a realtor and made arrangements for an estate sale. My grandparents, actually they are Craig's parents, drove down from Arlington to help us. They are going to stay until Sunday, so you'll get to meet them at church."
"That's great. Sounds like a productive trip. Joey, the reason I'm calling is that I want to do something special for the communion hymn on Sunday and thought maybe you could help me out."
"Sure, I'll try. What do you need?"
"Are you up to singing another solo?" Paul asked him.
"Yeah, that'd be neat. if I can do it."
"It's an easy one, you probably know it already. It's a hymn arrangement that I've made and the choir will sing it during communion. I was going to give it to you on Wednesday at choir, but you were out of town."
"Sure, I'll be glad to do it. How do I practice this?"
"Can you come to the church sometime tomorrow?" Paul asked.
"I don't think that's any problem. I know there are some things planned, but we were just starting to talk about them when you called. Can I call you back, maybe in the morning?" Joey asked.
"Let's just leave it that if you can come to the church in the morning, I'll be there from 9 o'clock to about noon to practice. Just come on over. If you can't do it in the morning, call me at noon at the rectory and we'll figure out a time that will work for both of us."
"Okay, I can probably do it with no problem, so I'll either see you or call you."
"Good. Thanks Joey. Goodbye."
"Bye, Paul," Joey said as he hung up.
Meanwhile, the rest were discussing the day. Dale had to go to the ranch and Craig wanted to take his parents out there so he could look at the new house for the crew quarters. Dale, of course, wanted to look at it also. They decided that mid- afternoon would be a good time to take the horses and ride up the river.
Dale wanted to do it at that time so Craig and Joey could go along, too. Jason and Kevin would be in school so they wouldn't have to worry about hurting their feelings by not taking them along.
Craig wasn't sure of his schedule for the next day. He would have to go to the office to see if Don needed anything done to the drawings that were already in the computer for Warren Collins' project. A thought came to him to check about the houses in the vicinity of the rectory. There might be something there that could be suitable for Dale, Joey and him to buy and remodel.
Frank and Doris had no plans, although Doris was thinking about what to have for dinner the next evening. This would be her opportunity to lay in supplies and teach "her boys" about the "art of the kitchen". She knew they liked good food and she was going to show them just a few things which they could expand on and develop their own menus.
The people bantered around for another hour until it seemed that all were trying to stifle yawns. It was time to go to bed.
Friday morning dawned clear but quite a bit cooler, 52 degrees, although the weather forecast said it would be 70 by noon and 75 by 5 p.m.
Mitsy, as usual, wanted to go outside when it started become light outside so Joey was the first awake. He let her out, then ducked into the bathroom to pee, brush his teeth and wash his face. By this time Mitsy was scratching at the door so Joey let her in and followed her to the kitchen to put out food, give her fresh water and turn on the coffeepot.
Frank had awakened when he heard Joey flush the toilet. He rolled over to see that the clock said 6:15. That was about his usual time to wake up. As soon as the light went off in the bathroom and he heard the hall door close, he was up to take care of his morning needs.
Craig woke up first this morning and thought it was because of the opening and closing of the front door, but he wasn't sure if Joey was letting Mitsy out or in. He rolled over to look at the clock on his side of the bed. The red digital numbers read 6:19.
Dale roused about the same time as Craig, reaching his arm around Craig's chest and pulling him back toward himself. Craig was reveling in the feeling of Dale's hairy chest against his back. The next thing he knew was that Dale was licking behind his right ear and running his hand from his nipples down to his groin, then skirting around to lovingly caressing his balls. What a way to wake up of a morning. For each of them. Dale was getting off by feeling Craig and Craig was getting off being fondled by his studly lover.
"How's my big sweetheart today?" Craig questioned, trying to turn so he could kiss Dale.
"Guess?" Dale replied, thrusting his groin against Craig's cheeks.
Craig could feel Dale's hard cock at the top of his cleft. It was oozing precum and felt slick to his skin. Dale used his right hand to maneuver it into position, then used some of the lubricant he was producing to work his fingers into Craig's channel. As soon as the first finger breached Craig's sphincter, he knew that it wouldn't take much to make him ready. That was one thing they had discovered shortly after they started having a relationship. They could relax enough to take the other with a minimum of lubrication and that the natural each produced was better than KY or some of the other commercial products. And. best of all, saliva contributed to making the natural lube even slicker.
So, with each of them shifting position slightly, Dale was able to enter Craig and bury himself almost to his balls with little effort. Craig enjoyed being the recipient and as soon as Dale was embedded in him, he pushed himself back against Dale's chest to receive additional stimulation from his hairy chest.
They had to be careful about making noise this morning, as they didn't know who might be up and about and could hear the sounds of their coupling. Dale used Craig's precum to coat the palm of his right hand, then helped Craig to achieve a climax that triggered Dale's own orgasm. This wasn't the best sex they'd had by any means, but it did bring relief to each and was quick. Since they hadn't put towels on the bed, the sheets would either have to dry or be changed.
Dale hated to slip out of Craig's ass ring, but they also had to get the day underway. This was Friday and there was a lot to accomplish. After all, Craig's parents were here and they wanted to entertain them to the best of their ability. Craig slipped on his boxers to go to the kitchen to get their orange juice.
Frank and Joey were looking at the paper while sipping coffee. Both were in their boxer shorts, too. It was really a contrast of bodies. Frank was shorter than Joey, and of course, older. He was trim but had a little hair on his chest, not smooth like his son.
Joey, at fourteen, was larger than Frank and Craig by virtue of being taller, and was much hairier. Craig thought it was a striking contrast.
Joey was looking at the Thursday paper while Frank was looking at the current Friday paper.
"Hey Dad," Joey said.
"Yeah?" Craig loved to be called 'Dad'. He didn't know why, but it felt good to hear it.
"You'll never guess the latest news in the preacher's story."
"What's that?" Craig asked.
"He and his wife didn't really have a marriage. Some dude stayed with her at the parsonage on Monday night and now she has moved in with him. They didn't tell what his name is, but that he teaches Computer Science at Western Junior College."
"Oh, really? Shouldn't be too hard to figure that one out," Craig stated.
Frank broke in. "According to the Friday paper, Jimmy Bob won't be getting out of jail. He hadn't paid the insurance premium, so the car wreck isn't covered and the Cadillac can't be used as collateral for bail money. And. get this. the church doesn't have any money, so his attorney quit."
By this time, Craig was laughing so hard he almost had tears in his eyes.
He quickly poured two glasses of juice and started for their bedroom. The laughter had made his asshole leak and he could feel Dale's cum starting to run down his leg.
"Serves the old bastard right," he said as he hurriedly disappeared around the corner.
Craig gave Dale a short version of the two newspaper articles as he shaved, preparing for the shower. He skipped his mustache although no one had noticed his effort, yet, although he could feel it with no problem, the light blond color blended with his skin color.
"This story just keeps getting better and better. I wonder what the next news will be?" Dale questioned.
"I don't know, but I'll bet there is plenty we'll never know about," Craig said. "But I agree, it just keeps getting better and better."
Marlene Jones and Scott McKown were caught up in the middle of something they had no control over. Scott was innocent, except for two facts, the first of which was that he was providing a place for Jimmy Bob's wife to live. Marlene had moved out of the parsonage, taking her clothing and personal things, but had forgotten to remove the cash Jimmy Bob had been giving her, so she was broke. At this point in time she didn't care. She had her clothes, her car and her lover. She didn't realize how tough things were going to get.
Scott took some good-natured kidding about the article in the paper, but was able to turn the story around to his advantage - that she was a good-looking slut who was continually horny and he was the beneficiary of that lust. None of his colleagues really cared at all who he slept with. The straight guys were jealous he was getting laid and the gay ones were, too - that they weren't on the receiving end of his screwing ability.
The story about the recovery of all the cash had not made the news, nor would it. It did, however, put the Victory Temple in a better financial light when it was time to deal with the bank.
Bret Senior was pleased to have the cast removed on Thursday morning. A new x-ray showed that the break had started to knit and the swelling had gone down. Dr. Matt Lucas was pleased with what he saw - a healthy patient who was going to heal quickly, probably with no side effects. He took him to Dr. Lawrence to have him change the cast, giving him instructions as to how he wanted it molded.
"Can I have a flesh-colored cast this time?" Bret asked.
"What? You didn't like the gay one I gave you?" Dr. Lawrence teased.
Bret didn't know how to answer that one, but that confirmed he'd gotten the fuchsia colored one on purpose.
"Well, it's not a problem. We don't even have to wrap the arm in an elastic bandage this time, so you can take a shower without having to worry about getting your arm wet." He proceeded to take the old cast and bandage off. Bret's arm had turned lily white in just three days.
The new cast was put on his arm and it was a big relief to him that it fit and wasn't tight or hot.
Paul Jenkins wanted to talk to his brother about Jimmy Bob and finally succeeded in getting him to tell him what had happened. He revealed that Rev. Jimmy Bob had approached his friend, Fred Moxley. Fred told his parents and whether they believed him or not, they started attending another church rather than confront Jimmy Bob. Of course Paul was scared and wouldn't allow himself to get into a situation where he and Rev. Jimmy Bob were alone with each other. Paul was also on the lookout for his younger brother, Terry, but hadn't told him details of the danger that could be in store for him. He was just monitoring the situation.
So, it was finally a relief when Bret Junior agreed to talk to his younger brother, Paul. After Bret gave Paul a sketch of what had happened to him, Paul was sure he could identify at least five of the boys who had been victims. Bret agreed to talk to his father with Paul going with him.
The police investigator wanted to talk with Sammy Murdock. At first his father refused to discuss it, telling the police that it was a "family matter" and there was nothing they could do. However, since the story stayed in the headlines he finally, although grudgingly, allowed the juvenile authorities to talk with him. He didn't hire an attorney, but insisted he be allowed to sit in on the meeting.
Sammy told the investigator that several times there had been another man who would meet with him and Rev. Jimmy Bob in the office. He was not able to identify the mystery man, although he gave a fairly good description. The man always wore a suit. He had black hair, cut short and wore "little" glasses. He did say that when the other man was present, he would fondle Sammy and allow Sammy to masturbate him while Jimmy Bob sat in his chair and watched, stroking himself to a climax.
That answered the mystery as to why Sammy thought Miles Truby was another man who had come to play around with him. And, he said he thought this other man had given Jimmy Bob money.
'So,' the investigator thought, 'it almost sounds like a case of child prostitution.' He hoped they would be able to figure who this other man was and get his statement because of charges pending against Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones.
When Dean Fletcher heard and read in the paper about Jimmy Bob getting caught, literally with his pants down, he was glad he'd been called to attend a meeting at the last minute. Otherwise, he would have been there in Jimmy Bob's office, too. This had been going on for about five months and there had been twice that Jimmy Bob had two young boys there at the same time. The first time Dean and Sammy Murdock had used an adjoining office that was empty except for a couple of old executive office chairs that had broken down because of Jimmy Bob's weight.
The second time all four were in Jimmy Bob's office and both boys took turns with the two men. Sammy, being nervous, had forgotten to tell that story.
Dean Fletcher worked for a wholesale automotive company as a regional sales manager. His company had been after him to move to Odessa, Texas to try to expand that territory into New Mexico. He made the sudden decision to call his immediate boss to see if the offer was still good. It was.
Dean told his boss that he would be gone for a couple of days to look for a place to live, then rented a U-Haul truck, emptying his 2-bedroom apartment that night. He left for Odessa the next morning, towing his car behind the truck.
(to be continued)
Author's Note: Thanks for the great response to Chapter 38. I would appreciate your comments, criticism, suggestions, and anything else that you would care to say about this chapter. I try to answer all Email, but I know some have slipped through the cracks and I'm sorry. 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
My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon, who has taken time to help me catch obvious errors.