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 2004 by Tulsa Driller. 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.
This story was to have lasted for 10 chapters, each dealing with a year in the life of Jason and Kevin Williamson from puberty to when they were in college. Somewhere along the way, probably when Dale was introduced and then Craig, Joey and all the "supporting cast" the story took on a life of its own. I've loved writing every word and the characters have become so real that I just sit and type what they tell me..
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 to read the last chapter of this story.
Tales from the Ranch Chapter 54: Halloween
Dale woke up as soon as Craig crawled out of bed to go to the bathroom. He needed to pee also, so made his way to join Craig at the stool. They quickly brushed their teeth when finished and crawled back into their bed as they still had 20 minutes before it was time for the alarm to ring. Each was sure they could keep the other (and themselves) entertained during that time.
They were kissing and groping each other and had started to turn around to be able to pleasure the other when Dale spoke.
"I want to see you cum instead of just feel it happen on our stomachs and chests."
"That's okay. Why don't you fuck me and then when I'm ready to cum, I'll tell you. I want to see you cum, too."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Dale said, leaning down to his lover for a kiss.
By using the precum both were producing in quantity, along with saliva, Dale quickly had Craig prepared for his entry. With extra pillows under his lower back, Dale watched Craig's face as he pushed into him. His eyes shut, then opened and widened as he felt the pleasure of Dale's cock moving up his love canal.
"Come on, cowboy. Ride my ass," Craig gasped in pleasure.
Dale intended to do just that. He loved the feel of Craig's sphincter muscle grabbing his dick as he pistoned in and out of Craig's rectum. Quickly each reached the point of no return and Dale grasped Craig's cock as he buried himself inside his lover as deep as he could reach. He stroked Craig about ten times and he felt like Craig's sphincter was about to sever Dale's cock. As soon as Craig relaxed a bit, Dale pulled out and using both hands brought them both to a roaring climax. There was cum everywhere on Craig's chest and on the bed where both of their wild shots had gone.
As they calmed down, Dale leaned in for a kiss, and then collapsed on Craig's body. Craig loved the feeling of Dale's furry front rubbing against him and through the cum both had produced.
They lay there, enjoying the bliss of giving each other pleasure.
Finally it was time to get out of bed. Craig helped Dale strip the sheets off the bed and decided that the mattress pad needed to be washed, too.
After Craig cleaned himself up a bit in the bathroom, he started for the kitchen to get orange juice and coffee for them. Joey wasn't in his bed, but Craig could detect the aroma of teenage cum in the room, even though the bed had been folded up. He immediately knew what had probably taken place and decided that he'd better strip the hide-a-bed, too. He and Dale frequently had to wash their sheets during the week, but now there was a third person in the household who was going to be contributing crusty sheets for the laundry, too.
Craig opened the bed, stripped the sheets and mattress pad, heading toward the laundry alcove off the kitchen. He grabbed a can of Lysol spray and gave Joey's bed a couple of squirts to help mask the smell of teen hormones and cum, hoping that Joey had enjoyed himself as much as he and Dale had.
Joey hadn't started the coffee pot, so Craig clicked it on after pouring orange juice for him and Dale.
Later, as he was taking Joey to school he said, "Hey, bud. I know you made a mess in your bed during the night and I'm cool with it. It used to happen to me, too. Don't worry about it, but the next time it happens, pull the sheets off and put them in the laundry."
Joey was embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, except when I woke up this morning there was a mess all over the bed and me, too."
"Nothin' to be sorry about. It happens to all young men." Then with a grin, he asked Joey, "What happened, didn't you have a chance to jackoff the last couple of days?"
This really got Joey, and then he realized that Craig was being honest and not making fun of him.
"No, with grandma and grandpa here I didn't have a chance.
"As I said, it's not a problem. Just put the sheets in the wash so they don't get stained. Your other Dad and I have to wash sheets, too." With that he poked Joey in the side, to show that he was teasing him.
"I think it's neat that we can talk about this. Some of the other guys wouldn't dare ask their parents about stuff like this," Joey told him.
"Hey, pal. Dale and I may not have all the answers, but we've been through this before. Wet dreams are nature's way of helping you control teenage hormones and the problems they cause. The only problem is if you can't talk to us about it."
"Thanks, Dad Craig. I love both of you guys. You are so cool."
With that, Joey leaned around and gave Craig a hug since they were stopped at a stop sign.
As soon as Dale had Patrick and Michael on the way to the field where they were working he finished up some paperwork, consisting mostly of invoices to be approved for payment so they could be sent on to the accountant for payment.
Dale briefly thought about Bret Jenkins, Sr. and the turn- around he'd done after separating himself from the Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones and the crowd that attended Victory Temple. He had to smile as he remembered that Bret Junior and Joey were best friends. He was really proud of Joey, as he was a very responsible young man. One moment he was a young adult and the next he was a young teen who was curious about how the world worked and where his place was in it.
The telephone rang while he was musing over his thoughts.
"Hi Cowboy," he heard as he said, "Bar-W Ranch, this is Dale Richards."
He liked it when Craig called him "cowboy" even though he really wasn't.
"Hi yourself, Studly," Dale teased back. He glanced at his watch, knowing that Craig had already talked to either Lois Grant or Leland himself about their appointment to meet David Perkins.
"Thought you'd like to know that we are to meet in Leland's office at 10:15. He wants to talk to David before we all have a chance to meet him. I guess Leland wants to make sure David understands what is going on and what is expected of him before all of us sit down together."
"That sounds reasonable to me," Dale stated. "I brought a pair of slacks, along with a shirt and tie so I can change here before meeting you at the bank."
"Okay, Dad and I'll meet you there just before 10:15. Love ya," Craig said.
"I love you more," Dale said, knowing that neither would ever win that argument.
Dale hurriedly finished up the papers on his desk. He had something else he wanted to do.
As he approached the other barn where the horse corral was, he noticed that Marty's horse, Sourdough, wasn't in the corral. That wasn't unusual as Marty liked to ride around the ranch to see what was going on. He frequently rode up to the horse and cattle operations rather than drive. He liked to stay in touch with the land the Williamson family owned.
He gave each of the horses half of an apple before leading his own horse, Tony, out of his stall so he could saddle him up for riding. After that was accomplished, he led the horse out of the barn and through the first gate they would pass through on the ride.
Dale, of course, wanted to ride to his favorite spot on the ranch, an area about a mile from the horse operation headquarters. He had discovered this place several years ago. It sat below a bluff and there was a panoramic view of a valley quite a ways on down, along with a small lake that was also down a slope.
He used to love to ride out there and either sit and think or wander the ground, letting his horse graze on the prairie grass. Marty had told him that a plow had never touched the ground in this area of the ranch. Although the soil was good, it was shallow and rocky, so was unspoiled.
He remembered the day that he'd brought Craig and Joey, along with Frank and Doris up here while showing them the ranch from horseback. All were taken with the beauty of the area. Craig had mentioned that he would love to design a house that would take advantage of the view. But, there were problems. Marty probably wouldn't want to sell a few acres in the middle of their family ranch. Then too, getting materials and equipment to the site wouldn't be easy as there were no paved roads nearby. Utilities were an even bigger problem. Electricity was available about a quarter of a mile away, toward the horse operation. Water would have to come from a well and he couldn't even begin to guess the depth one would have to go to get a flow of good water. Same thing for gas. The house would have to be total electric or propane or butane would have to be trucked in and a tank put in place.
Why was he even thinking about the possibility of building a house out here? Certainly there were other places that were just as great and easier to get to. Besides he liked to ride out here to clear his head and allow himself to think in solitude.
When he reached the area, he stopped Tony and swung himself off the horse. He wrapped the leads around the saddle horn and allowed Tony to wander while he walked. and thought.
There were so many thoughts trying to tumble through his head. The one of concern right now was the possibility of a family enterprise in the computer business. That had seemed like a far-fetched idea until Frank said that he would love the opportunity to help get the business started and possibly stay on as the financial manager. This, of course, was enthusiastictly endorsed by Leland but hinged on David Perkins approval.
With Frank working for the new company, any doubts Dale harbored had pretty much vanished. He and Craig wouldn't be directly involved in the management, but Frank would see to it that they knew what was going on with the daily operation and any problems that might require a decision before they became a major stumbling block. And, with Leland overseeing the operation, he felt very secure in the decision to pursue opening the store.
Was this being done for Joey's sake? Maybe, maybe not. Joey certainly would have enough money of his own when he was allowed control of his trust fund ten years from now. Dale didn't know where the venture capital money was coming from and at first that bothered both him and Craig a great deal. Here again, Frank had explained what was happening and now both of them could see past that.
Dale glanced at his watch. It was 9:20. An hour from now they would all be sitting in Leland Stanton's office, deciding if this was really the right thing for them to do.
He called to Tony who immediately came to him. Dale swung back on his horse and started for the barn/office.
He wasn't aware that another person had been watching him. Marty was going to cut across that area on his way back to the ranch buildings, but decided go back a different way. He knew Dale liked to ride up here to think things over and he wasn't going to disturb him.
At 8:45 a.m., after the morning mass, Fr. George Tikker received a phone call while he and Paul were sitting at the breakfast table, enjoying being with each other and having a good cup of coffee to sip. Fr. George had discovered that he liked coffee better than tea when he was attending seminary in Wisconsin. Paul had long ago decided that he preferred the brew, too.
Paul answered the phone. The person calling was Arletta Sterns from Memorial Hospital.
"Just a moment," Paul said as he handed the phone to his lover. With his hand over the mouthpiece, he said, "It's a Mrs. Sterns. She's the Administrator of Memorial Hospital."
"Fr. George here. What can I do for you, Mrs. Sterns?"
"I need some information and if you can't help me, maybe you can direct me to someone who is in a position to do so."
"I'll do what I can," Fr. George said, wondering what the mysterious request was.
"As you know, the Reverend Jimmy Bob Jones died as a result of an accident last Saturday morning."
"Yes, I was aware of that," he answered.
"Well, the body is still in the morgue here at the hospital. No one will step forward to claim it. His wife doesn't want anything to do with it and the members of Victory Temple don't want anything to do with this either."
Fr. George made a sound of agreement.
"The mortuary won't remove the body from the morgue until a responsible person will agree to pay the expense of embalming and whatever other services are decided on," she said.
"And?." Fr. George asked.
"Would the Williamsport Ministerial Alliance take responsibility for the body and its burial? It's been five days since the accident."
"Are there any other relatives?" Ft. George asked.
"Well, his wife. She claims she doesn't have any money and she's living with her boyfriend. On top of that, she just found out she is pregnant with this fellow's child."
"That's a pity," Fr. George told her.
"Mrs. Jones only knew of two relatives and I can't locate either one. He had an Aunt Lujean Jones who pretty much raised him. She used to live in Dumas, Texas, but she must have moved away from there, or maybe she's dead. No one seems to remember her. His father left him with this aunt, his sister, when Jimmy Bob was about 10 years old. Jimmy Bob's wife doesn't recall him having had any contact with either of these people."
Somehow, Fr. George wasn't surprised.
"Let me make some phone calls and I'll see what we can do about getting the body removed from the hospital. If Mrs. Jones will sign the papers, maybe I can get the Alliance to pay for cremation."
"Oh, thank you Father. You might even get the mortuary and crematorium to handle this on a hardship case and not charge you for it," Mrs. Sterns told him.
"Well, that's an idea I hadn't thought of," Fr. George told her. "I'll get back with you later this morning and, hopefully, we can be rid of this mess."
After they hung up, Fr. George started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Paul questioned. He'd been in the kitchen and hadn't heard very much of the phone conversation.
"The 'Legend of Jimmy Bob Jones' won't die, just because he did," Fr. George said, and then laughed again.
He related the conversation to Paul, who enjoyed the mirth as much as his lover.
"This is better than a soap opera on the telly," Paul laughed. "But, only because we know some of the people involved."
"I need to make a few phone calls. Maybe I can get several of the ministers to give a few dollars each. I think the cost of cremation is only about $100," he told Paul.
"What are you going to do with the ashes?" Paul want to know.
"Have them boxed up and sent to Victory Temple. Maybe they can declare Jimmy Bob a saint and parade his ashes up and down the aisles," Fr. George said, without any humor in his voice.
"Hey, this is Halloween, it's an appropriate time to do that," Paul teased.
"That congregation probably is clueless about Halloween and it's relationship to All Saint's Day," Fr. George declared. "I can't imagine they know anything about Holy Days except for Christmas and Easter."
"You are probably right about that. Well, good luck. I'm sure the other ministers in town will be glad to see him burn, too. St. James probably felt the brunt of his verbal attacks more than any other congregation in town, but I can't think the others were comfortable with his activities as they were revealed this past week or two."
"No, you are right about that," Fr. George agreed.
Leland Stanton and David Perkins ate a late dinner together at the IHOP close to the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport in Austin. Leland immediately found David to be a personable man with a quick sense of humor. He was about 5'10" and probably weighed 170 pounds. He wore his thick, sandy brown hair trimmed neatly, but one could tell that it had a mind of its own, wanting to arrange itself differently than it was combed. David had brown eyes that seemed to dance, along with bright, even teeth. His skin was either a natural dark complexion or he spent a lot of time in the sun. Leland wondered if he worked out or spent time playing various outdoor athletic games.
David Perkins had gone to work for Sturdy Lift Corporation after he had been out of college for a year. He first had been involved with helping some friends start a software development company for a year after he graduated. His expertise in sales, management and attention to detail had the company up and running in a very short time. His two best buds from college provided the product and David not only found the money to promote it, but also traveled the country from one end to the other to demonstrate and sell the business software they came up with.
He still owned a chunk of stock in that company, although he had been more than willing to accept cash for what he had done. His partners wouldn't hear of it and cut him in on the stock when it went public. In the three years since he had left to go to work for Sturdy Lift, the stock had split 3 times and he had bought more with each split. He now owned 28% of the stock and the dividends provided him with a comfortable income, even if he never worked another day.
But, that wasn't what he wanted. A college professor had kept his eye on David and recommended that Walt Timmons hire him. Sturdy Lift products were selling well, but the business was at a point where it was either time to grow and go national or remain as it was, a small company with a great product and low sales. Within 6 months, David had helped the company grow from 8 employees to 64 and had secured venture capital money to build a new building and buy additional manufacturing equipment.
Then the bottom fell out right after the application for a patent was filed. Walt dropped over with a heart attack at the age of 48. The two sons, Sean and Ian, took over the company, voted themselves a huge salary and then cut expenses to pay their salaries. Things had started to turn sour almost at once. David's travel to promote the product was cut. Plans to hire a couple of salesmen were shelved and, of course, production drew almost to a halt because of few sales. David had to layoff 57 employees.
David's pleas to the sons fell on deaf ears. They were dumb enough to think that there was a pile of money somewhere that would allow them to continue to do nothing and still draw their salaries.
David told Leland, "There isn't enough money in the bank to pay any bills or salaries after this week. There is about $30,000 in accounts receivable, but it's in a "floor plan" where the dealers are making payments on it and when the equipment is sold, we get the balance of our money."
"You said that the company might be for sale?" Leland asked.
"They are going to have to close their doors. There's no way it's going to survive. Even if there was an infusion of cash, the sons are going to have to leave. If they hadn't gotten greedy, they were sitting on a potential gold mine."
"And the patent?" Leland asked.
"They don't know the value of it. Someone might be able to buy the company for 20% of what it could be worth. If they could do that and get the patent rights, a lot of money could be made," David told him.
"Keep your eyes and ears open. I've got someone who would buy the company and move everything to Williamsport. This person has helped many companies get their start and a lot of them have grown into companies with names that are known nationally now."
"These boys aren't going to turn loose of anything until the cash dries up. They wouldn't even talk to me about what could happen," David told him.
"I understand. Just let me know if someone starts sniffing around, wanting to buy the company. I can make them a better deal."
"I'd like to see them starve to death," David laughed.
Leland laughed with him, and then turned serious.
"Okay, one of the prospective owners of the computer company has a father who has been the business manager for the largest law firm in Dallas for his entire career. He has stepped forward to say that he would like to help get this company started. We can make him the financial manager and he would also take the responsibility for hiring, payroll, insurance and the daily operation of the business. He's willing to give us three months of his time and then will decide if he wants to continue here or go back to his other job at the end of his 90 day leave."
"Wow!" was David's response.
"I can assure you that he's not going to get hurt either way. Although he is the business manager for the firm and it has 75 attorneys on staff, plus that many more clerks, paralegals and secretaries; the original partners made him a partner when the company was starting up. He has taken all the stock options through the years and could retire at age 55 and never worry about money again. But, he doesn't want to do that. He's willing to work for us."
"I'm impressed," David said. "Now what about the guys who are going to own the company. What can you tell me about them?"
"They are both young and have limited experience in the business field. That's why we need someone like you and Craig's father, Frank. As I told you, I'll be on the board and oversee the operation, hopefully from afar, until the venture capital money is repaid," Leland stated.
"Okay," David responded.
"Craig Bastian, the one with the father, is 27 and an architect. He's in partnership with a friend from college, Don Albrecht, and they have proven themselves by carefully renovating old homes, adding modern conveniences such as new lighting and central heat and air conditioning; and doing it without upsetting the interior of the home. At the present time they are working with a developer on a small shopping center to be built close to the downtown area."
"Sounds like they know their stuff, doesn't it?" David asked.
"Yeah, there are two nice buildings here in Williamsport that they have designed. One is called The Carriage House and has ten condo units in it. The other is the Republic of Texas Bank and office building. It's right downtown, two blocks from Commerce Bank where I work," Leland said.
"And the other owner of the computer company?" David asked.
"That's Dale Richards. He's from Williamsport and is an up and coming young man. I think he'll be 25 on his next birthday. He came from a poor family and he had to quit school to pay medical bills for his mother before she died about three years ago. He has worked at the Bar-W Ranch, which is the largest operation of that sort in central Texas. Dale started out as a laborer, working crops, and was made foreman over that part of the operation. Then recently he's been named as General Manger for the entire operation, which includes, crops, cattle, horses, timber, gas and oil. He's smart and should be easy to work with," Leland responded.
"What about the venture capital funds? Any chance of them drying up?" David asked.
"No. This person is determined to see this succeed as he has a big interest in the economy of Williamsport and the area. I'm sure that if it was needed that some additional funds could be made available, but unless the economy completely collapses, my forecast is that the loan could be paid back ahead of schedule, but I wouldn't recommend it unless the company is generating money by the ton," Leland laughed.
David joined in the laughter.
Leland looked at his watch. "It's almost 11:45 and we still have a drive back to Williamsport. I've made a reservation for you at the Best Western out on the highway. I'll pick you up about 8:15 and we can have a quick breakfast before going on to the bank."
"Sounds great," David said, getting up out of his chair and following Leland to the cash register.
There were whispered rumors around school as to what had happened to Coach Paul Dennison. The boys in the last hour Phys Ed. class were some of the most popular in school that day as they could provide an eyewitness account of what had happened to warrant his being removed from the class.
So everywhere Joey, Bryce and Matt went, one student or another had a thousand questions.
What actually happened was that Douglas Tate, the principal of Davy Crockett High School had met with Paul Dennison on Monday to talk about his overly aggressive behavior toward his students. In addition Marty Williamson and Clint Meyers, both of whom were on the school board were present.
Principal Tate opened the meeting and then got right to the point.
"Paul, these aren't Marine recruits, they are 14 to 18 year old boys in gym class. You should be encouraging them to learn how to play as a team instead of dividing the group into two teams to play half-court basketball and then making them run laps for punishment for a foul that probably wasn't even their fault. This is a class for the boys to enjoy, not be threatened by a frustrated drill sergeant."
Paul Dennison blew up and went into a screaming rage. Those in the outer office area at the school were treated to language seldom heard and certainly not by a teacher in high school.
"These boys need discipline. Most of them don't know anything except being babied by their families and some of them don't even get that. Their parents really don't give a fuck because they don't know any better, either.
Marty stood up. "Paul, listen to me. We've had complaints ever since you started in the Williamsport School System. We've had complaints about the way you handle the football and basketball teams. We've had complaints about your coaching the track team, but most of the complaints have come from the way you conduct yourself in front of the boys Phys Ed. class."
Coach Dennison was sputtering and jumped to his feet. "Dammit it to hell, don't you understand? I'm trying to give those boys a little backbone."
Marty cut him off. "The school board is warning you that you had better change your ways and your teaching methods. I want to see lesson plans on Wednesday and I want those boys doing something different in gym class everyday. They can climb ropes, they can play scooter basketball, they can wrestle, they can do gymnastics, you can take them outside to play soccer; but they are not going to be playing half-court basketball and running laps all the time. anymore! Do I make myself clear?"
Paul's response was, "Soccer is for wimpy-assed faggots to play. Not in my class!"
"Lesson plans - Wednesday morning - in Doug Tate's office by 8:30 a.m. Got that?" Marty asked.
Paul glared at him, simply nodding his head.
So, it shouldn't have surprised anyone as to what had happened during gym period the evening before. This time the meeting took place in Coach Dennison's office with coaches Eddie Thompson and Joyce Bressler who went with Paul to his office. Doug Tate was there along with Clint Meyers and Marty Williamson, who had also witnessed what had just happened in Phys Ed. class.
Marty spoke. "I have permission to speak for the entire Williamsport School Board as we've had two telephone conference calls today. They have each given me permission for what I'm about to say and Clint here, will back me up."
"First of all, I don't know for sure what happened out there this afternoon, but it looked to me that the boys were doing just fine until you got there, Mr. Dennison. Sure, a couple of the boys took a spill and the ball ended up in the wrong court, but that is no reason for you to come unhinged and start shouting obscenities and berating the boys. Running 40 to 60 laps isn't going to teach the boys anything about sportsmanship. In fact, in my book, anything more than 5 laps is excessive punishment in this environment."
Paul had a wild-eyed look on his face. He was so mad he couldn't even whisper, which was probably a good thing as there was no argument to be heard.
"Effective immediately, you are on 'official leave' for the month of November. You will be paid your normal salary, but not for extracurricular time, such as coaching the football team after school. The school board will send you to a behavior management class in Austin that will last for three weeks. At the end of that course, their staff will evaluate you. If you pass their interview, you will be allowed to come back to your position here, however, I warn you that you will be watched carefully and any return to your abnormal behavior will result in immediate termination.
"If their staff feels that you haven't changed your ways, you will be dismissed at the end of November. It's all up to you, Paul. This is all the school board can offer."
Marty looked into Paul's eyes and didn't like what he saw. "Any questions?"
One could tell that Coach Paul Dennison was about to blow up, but he couldn't even squeak out a reply. Nobody in the room felt sorry for him. He'd brought this all on himself.
"Okay, what happened today stays in this room," said Doug Tate. "I don't want rumors to get started. Eddie, will you and Joyce stay with Paul while he gets things he wants to take with him? Then he is to turn all of his keys in and they will be held in the key cabinet in the office until he returns, hopefully at the end of November."
Eddie and Joyce stayed with Paul while Doug went to his office to get a couple of boxes so Paul could pack what he wanted.
Paul had regained a whisper and true to his nasty disposition, used what little sound he could make to berate those with him and everyone else he could think of. He started in on Eddie.
"Okay, faggot, I guess you got what you've wanted all along. My goddamn job. I'll bet you engineered this whole thing, didn't you? You're a goddamn fudge-packing cocksucker, aren't you?"
Doug Tate was standing in the door and about that time Coach Carol Holmen came into the office area they all shared, having sent the boys off for their showers.
Coach Dennison was just getting wound up, although he still could only talk just above a whisper.
"And you two lesbians. You think your kind rules the world, don't you?" he hissed.
Carol Holmen, the larger of the two women walked over in front of Paul. "I ought to kick you in the nuts, but it would probably be wasted effort on my part because you don't have any balls. It's not worth my time."
"All right folks," said Doug. "Let's cool down. He put the boxes on Paul's desk. "I think it would probably be a good idea for all four of us to wait for Paul to pack what he wants to take with him."
Paul tried to say more, but he could only move his lips. There wasn't any sound.
All he wanted to take with him were a few things that fit easily into one box. He reluctantly gave Doug his key ring and left the building.
Later that evening after they had gone to bed, Eddie told Tom about the meeting with Coach Dennison. When he got to the part where the coach had called him a cocksucker, Tom asked, "Well, are you?"
Eddie smiled and said, "Yes".
"Show me then," Tom giggled. And Eddie did.
Marty arrived back at the corral just as Dale was finishing up stowing his saddle and combing Tony.
"Hi, Dale. Haven't seen you to talk to for a couple of days."
Dale was pleased to see Marty, too.
"Yeah, a lot going on. I lost one of my workers. John Sterling, our newest guy, went to work for Ray Evans. John's a smart fellow and will do well working for that company."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Marty said. I know you were impressed with his work."
"He would have been a good crops foreman, but Ray will be able to use him for his brains and certainly there is more opportunity for him there. Ray's company is growing rapidly."
"What about your other men? Is either of them up to the crops foreman job?"
"They are both good workers, but I'm not sure either of them has any ambition in that direction. They are both 'followers' and not leaders," Dale replied.
"Are you going to hire someone right away?" Marty asked.
"I think we can get by until spring. The men have two more sections of ground to work and then we'll knock off the hard work until late February. I'll probably need to add two men then, but there is no use paying them for slack time," Dale said.
"Good thinking. We'll probably be adding another 3 and maybe five sections of ground about the time to plant spring crops. You may need more than two men."
"Are those deals pretty well wrapped up?" Dale asked.
"The contracts are ready to sign on the three sections we talked about last month. We're talking to the other people now, but they've indicated that we offered a fair price so it shouldn't be any problem to close the deals," Marty said.
Dale glanced at his watch. "Marty, we have a meeting with Leland Stanton at the bank at 10:15. I need to change clothes and head to town."
"I meant to ask you, what's going on with that venture?" Marty wanted to know.
"We're to meet with a fellow this morning that Leland found in Kansas City. Leland is impressed with him. Also, Craig's father is talking about taking early retirement from his company and being our operations and financial manager."
"That's great. You'll certainly have someone you can trust handling the money and financial reporting," Marty told him.
"Yes, and he can take charge of personnel, insurance, payroll and the daily operation while the manager is out selling and promoting our product. Hopefully, this should all come together in a few days. Leland and Craig have been scouting for a store location and Leland wants to open the store the day after Thanksgiving. That's really moving fast," Dale said. He was getting really excited about this now.
Marty shook hands with Dale and then pulled him into a hug. "I know you guys will do well with this. And now that Frank's involved it really will be a family enterprise. Good luck."
Dale was thankful Marty was pleased.
Dale walked into the lobby on Leland's floor just at 10:15. Lois Grant was just ready to take Frank and Craig to their meeting in Leland's office. She greeted Dale and led them down the short hall.
Leland greeted them and introduced David Perkins who gave each of them a firm handshake. David was impressed with the appearance of the three men. It was easy enough to tell that Frank and Craig were father and son. Dale presented a somewhat more rugged appearance, but still fit his good clothes well.
As the conversation progressed and they were sitting around the coffee table, Frank was very impressed with David's grasp of the economy and the questions he directed to Frank about cash flow, overnight investments of unused cash, inventory, personnel, benefits and at least another dozen things that impacted a business.
All Dale and Craig could do was to sit and listen. Most of what they heard made a lot of sense, but neither would have thought of the questions and answers they heard. Both were glad that Frank was there and could answer the questions to David's satisfaction. Then it was Leland's turn to quiz both Frank and David.
Leland went through the whole scenario from product availability, staff training, sales and marketing, future plans for the company if they were successful in the retail business. He talked a little about being a service center for several name brands of computers, building their own custom line of computers for businesses, selling parts at both wholesale and retail levels, eventually getting into manufacturing their own boards and selling to other companies.
David interrupted several times to ask questions and made sure that Frank, Dale and Craig understood what was being discussed. All three of the men were very impressed with David Perkins.
Finally after an intense hour of discussion the conversation wound down. Leland excused himself to go to the restroom, leaving the other four men alone. This was a planned opportunity for them to talk to each other without Leland being present.
David had questions for Frank about his present job and the retail business verses managing a large law firm. Frank's answers seemed to please David.
Then Craig jumped in with questions about David's schooling, his present job and his family.
"I'm not married," David replied. I was engaged for about a year but my fiancee thought that I was more likely to be married to my job than to her," he laughed. We decided that marriage to each other wasn't a good idea. There isn't anyone else at the present time."
Craig was surprised when Dale made the next statement.
"We want you to know that Craig and I are domestic partners. We've not been together very long, but feel that we have a deep commitment to each other. In addition, we have a 14-year old son, he's actually is my half-brother, who lives with us. You will probably meet him while you are here. He's an honors student and will be taking Advanced Placement courses next semester."
"Thanks for being up front about that part of your lives. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with it or understand much about the gay lifestyle, but it's not for me," David replied.
"We just don't want any surprises down the road," Craig said. "We're not flamboyant and would never do anything to embarrass ourselves or this company we are hoping to start."
"I wouldn't have guessed that you fellows were gay, you don't seem to be any different than any other men I encounter," David said.
"Thanks for telling us that," Dale said. "We are quiet about our relationship, but many people know about it and have no problem with our love for each other."
"I've never had any gay friends, so this is new to me. I just don't want you to hit on me."
Craig said, "Number one, Dale and I won't hit on you, but I'll bet you have a lot of friends who are gay, but just haven't told you about it, probably because they didn't want to upset you. Just think about your various friends, who they associate with and their relationships with each other.
Almost immediately, David came up with two of his friends who seemed much closer to each other than the women they were dating. He'd just never been exposed to the "alternative life style" before. Maybe he had friends he "didn't know about"?
Regardless, Dale and Craig seemed like good solid men. He needed a job. They wanted to start up a business. Craig's father was available to lend his management experience. He was comfortable with that.
David's next questions were to Craig and his architectural company. They discussed that for a few minutes, and then David questioned Dale. He wanted to know about the Bar-W Ranch and its operation. He had grown up on a farm in north central Oklahoma where they harvested two crops each year. Winter wheat in June and a crop of either soybeans or silage in the fall. He'd had no experience with raising horses or cattle and was stunned at the size of the herds on the Bar-W Ranch.
Leland allowed the men to visit with each other for almost a half hour before coming back into the room. "Gentlemen, our lunch reservation is for noon. If anyone needs to use the restroom, it's down the hall to the left."
"Thanks," David replied as he started out the door.
The others followed after a short wait, none of them going together.
Lunch continued with questions and answers by each of them. Leland seemed to take charge of the conversation to begin with, but then that was taken over by Frank with his excellent questions and viewpoints on the many aspects of the soon-to-be company.
Craig and Dale joined in, both discovering that they knew a lot more about running a business than they had thought.
By 1:15 they were back in Leland's office and he asked David Perkins to excuse the rest of them so they could have a private discussion. David decided to ride the elevator down to street level and walk around the downtown area for the next 45 minutes.
Leland got right to the point as soon as David was out of the office. "I'd like to hear what each of you think of our candidate," he said.
Frank was first to speak up. "I like him. He certainly knows his stuff and seems to have the track record to prove it. It's too bad that he's going to lose his job with Sturdy Lift, but I guess there are no guarantees in life. However, you can't tell. My present job was to be a temporary one and I've been there for 33 years," he laughed.
"I like his ideas for marketing and his thoughts about where the company might go and his plans for growing it a little at a time," Craig told them.
"I think he would be a good general manager. I like his emphasis on sales marketing and the fact that he's willing to leave the financial operation to you and Dad," Dale told Leland.
"What are your feelings about him?" Frank asked Leland.
"We had a good discussion last night and another extended meeting this morning before you came in. He has impressed me. We discussed his benefit package and what he wants is doable. He's not greedy but asked for a salary, commission and profit sharing or bonus. Actually we would be paying Frank a higher salary, but David could easily beat him out when the company really starts to make a profit. Then we might have to renegotiate Frank's salary," Leland said, smiling at all of them.
"How soon can he start here in Williamsport?" Craig asked.
"Probably on Monday of next week. Neither of us feels that he owes Sturdy Lift anything more in the way of his time. Especially since he might not get paid for it," Leland said, "but we haven't nailed that down yet."
"I agree," Frank told them. "He's not going to be able to have any influence over the two sons and the company is going to sink, regardless."
"That's the way I see it, too. My friend at Boatman's Bank in Kansas City is the person who recommended David. He's in a position to see what will happen and since they are already in financial trouble there won't be any more loans from his bank. He'll keep me advised about buying the company and the possibility of moving it to Williamsport."
"David wouldn't be likely to want to work for them if the company was moved here, would he?" Dale asked.
"I don't think so. He gave them his loyalty. They are the one's who chose not to listen to him. I think you'll find that he'll be committed to this company. By the way, we need to come up with a name for it," Leland said.
"We already have one," Dale said proudly. "Joey thought of it this morning. We were trying to come up with some combination of our initials. We like his idea. It's 'Saber Computers' with the slogan, 'the cutting edge of computer technology'.
"How's that spelled?" Leland asked.
"S - A - B - E -R," Craig replied.
"Shouldn't be a problem. American Airlines calls their reservation system 'Sabre', but they spell it differently. Can't get in an argument with them," Leland told the men. "I like the reference to the 'cutting edge of computer technology'. That's great!"
Then Leland told them, "We'll have to file corporation papers and obtain permission to do business under that name, but it shouldn't be a problem. Does Joey have any ideas for a logo?" he asked.
"We didn't talk about that," Frank told them. "But I'll bet he can come up with some ideas."
"Okay. That certainly doesn't have to be decided today. What we need to do is to finalize some agreements for Frank and David's employment and have you fellows sign a contract for the venture capital agreement and we are ready to roll on this."
"How soon are we going to be able to do this?" Dale asked.
"Tomorrow morning. You can sign your venture capital agreement and then the employment contracts for Frank and David. After that I want to hit the Austin and Williamsport papers with an announcement on Sunday. We don't have to decide on a location yet, but I know that Craig has looked at a couple that would be suitable, either short term or long term leases."
"Could I ask for something?" Dale wanted to know.
"Sure," Leland said. He was enthused with what had transpired today.
"I know that Joey is a minor, but could he sign the contracts, too? He is really excited about this and I can sign as his legal guardian. Does that put his trust fund at a risk?"
"No, his funds are not at risk. I think that's a great idea. He will feel that he's really a big part of this, but his signature wouldn't be binding. We'll just put the words "a minor" under his signature line. It will have absolutely no bearing on the contract."
"Thanks,' Craig said, then laughed. "You realize that all we set out to do was to help him pass a computer lab course at Davy Crockett High School?"
"I remember," Leland smiled. "How's that class going?"
Dale laughed. "Joey and at least one other boy in the class know a whole lot more about computer programming and operation than the clown teaching it."
David Perkins was waiting in the outer office and Leland invited him to join the rest of them around the coffee table in his office.
Leland again started the discussion. "David, the agreement has been made to hire you at the wage and benefit package you and I agreed on this morning. How soon do you have to be back in Kansas City?"
He laughed a little. "I guess all I really need to do is turn in my keys and collect my final paycheck, assuming there's enough money to pay me. Other than that, a copy of the employment contract will allow me to break my apartment lease. I guess all I need to do is rent a U-Haul and either tow my car or see if I can get a friend to drive it down for me. So, I guess I need to spend the rest of the day and tomorrow morning looking for a place to live."
"The various contracts will be ready for everyone to sign tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. Dale, Craig and Joey will need to sign everything and Frank and David will need to sign their employment contracts," Leland said. Then he added, "Any questions?"
There were none and the men shook hands as they stood up.
"You don't have a car down here. I'd be glad to help you find a place to live, or at least direct you to a realtor who deals in rental property," Craig told David.
"I don't want to be a burden, but that really would be appreciated," he told Craig.
"Not a problem. There are some really nice apartments in the River Parks complex. There are some efficiency units as well as both one and two bedroom apartments. Then there are duplexes and houses available, too. We'll have to go to a realtor to get a listing on them."
"I bet that Phyllis Richmond can find exactly what he needs," Dale said with a grin.
Leland and Craig about doubled up with laughter. Frank couldn't remember who Phyllis Richmond was and, of course, David had no clue.
"That's great!" Leland said when he finally got his composure back.
David was standing there with a funny look on his face.
Craig quickly explained. "She's just a bit of 'local color' in the real estate market here in Williamsport. I don't think any of us will be dealing with her again."
Leland spoke up. "Shall we meet back here in the morning at 10 o'clock?
Everyone nodded, and then Frank spoke up. "I think this calls for a celebration and I'd be glad to treat everyone to drinks and dinner tonight. Craig, do you think we could go to the Lakeshore Country Club?"
"I can handle that," Leland told them. "I think that the bank can help us celebrate this occasion. It's my first use of venture capital funds that directly affects the economy of Williamsport. Commerce Bank will pick up the tab," he said.
They agreed that Leland would pick David up at his motel at 6:30 and they would all meet at the Lakeshore about 6:45. Doris and Joey were to join them.
It was 3:15 p.m. Dale had been gone from the Bar-W far longer than he had planned. However, his cell phone hadn't rung so there must be no problems at the ranch. Dale dropped Frank off at the condo on his way back to the ranch.
Craig took David Perkins to the River Park Apartments first and then on to the Four Winds Apartments, these being the nicest complexes in Williamsport. There were both a one and two bedroom unit available at River Park and both faced the lake the river formed behind the downstream dam. Four Winds had a two-bedroom apartment, but David was more impressed with the unit at River Park.
"Do you want to see if you can find a house to rent?" Craig asked as they were sitting in the parking lot at the Four Winds.
"Actually, I think I'd be happy at River Park if they will give me a six month lease. I would like to look at houses, but to buy one rather than rent. Six months will give me time to find something suitable and make a purchase."
Craig was pleased to hear this. It meant that David was dedicated to staying in Williamsport.
It only took Fr. George 5 phone calls to get all the arrangements made. His first call was to Shepherd's Funeral Home. The manager told him that they would pick up the body, provide a box for the crematorium and deliver the body for $95. For that fee, the ashes would be put into an aluminum canister.
The second phone call was to Marlene Jones who was very cool toward Fr. George until she found out that he wasn't asking for money, but only needed her signature to allow the body to be cremated. He told her that he would pick up the form and bring it past her apartment for her signature by 11 o'clock.
The next call was to the treasurer of the Williamsport Ministerial Association. Rev. Preston Rogers of First Christian Church told him they had funds to cover such things as that and he would call the mortuary to guarantee payment. The only thing Fr. George had to do was to pick up the form at the mortuary, secure Marlene's signature and return it to the mortuary so Rev. Jimmy Bob's body could be taken from the hospital.
For some strange reason, it gave Fr. George perverse pleasure to tell the mortuary to deliver the canister containing the ashes to Victory Temple.
Doris had enjoyed another day somewhat to herself. It was a much different routine than being at home where she played bridge and canasta with two luncheon and card clubs she belonged to. She was enjoying getting acquainted with Williamsport and looking through the stores and what they had to offer. She was amazed, deciding that Williamsport was a city beyond its size. She decided that there was a lot of money in that town as there were branches of stores from Dallas and Houston, a couple which had no outlets in Austin.
Returning to the condo that Craig, Dale and Joey lived in, she encountered Vernon Ernst waiting for the elevator. They recognized each other although they had not been introduced. Doris decided to break the ice as they nodded to each other, commenting on the beautiful day.
"Are you Mr. Ernst?" Doris asked.
"Yes, I'm Vernon Ernst and you must be Craig's mother?" he replied.
"I am. Craig told me that you are having an estate sale starting in the morning?" she said.
He was hesitant to answer in the affirmative as the women who were handling the sale had decreed that no one be admitted before the sale opened the next morning.
"Yes," he replied.
To his relief Doris replied, "I'll be down for the sale in the morning, but I wanted to tell you that my husband and I may be moving to Williamsport to help our family with a new business venture. We will be looking for an apartment to rent for at least 90 days and maybe 6 months or longer."
"I really hate to take a lease for less than 10 months. I'll be retiring from my job with the government next October. My mother, who lived here, recently died and my sister is having some problems, so we may want to come back here to live."
"We would be interested in looking at the unit if you want to rent it. We won't have a decision for a day or two as to what might happen," Doris told him.
"You are welcome to look at the condo," Vernon said. It might be hard to visualize what it really looks like. They have tables set up everywhere. It's kind of like going through a maze."
"I understand. How many bedrooms are there?"
"Two, but there is another room that could easily be used as such. There are two bathrooms, one for the master bedroom and the other is for the second bedroom, but is also accessible from the hall."
The layout was quite a bit different than the condo Craig shared with his family, but had the same amount of floor space. Craig's unit was more interesting and had larger rooms.
"My husband and I might be interested in this unit, but we won't know for a couple of days," Doris told him.
"That's fine. I'll be here until Sunday afternoon. I'm not pressed to rent it right away, but I hate for it to sit here empty for several months," he replied.
Doris thanked him for the tour, telling him that she would be back for the estate sale the next morning.
When Joey arrived home from school, Frank and Craig told him they were going to the Lakeshore Country Club to celebrate, without telling Joey what was going on. They wanted Dale to be there to share in the celebration of telling him what had happened that afternoon.
"I'm supposed to go to choir practice tonight," Joey said in disappointment.
Craig was disappointed, too. After all this was a big event for this entire family and he wanted Joey to know he was a part of it.
"Can you call Paul and find out if you can be excused? We would really like for you to go with us," Craig said.
Joey brightened. "Yeah, I'll call right now. He should still be at the rectory."
He picked up the phone, pushing the buttons for his call.
Paul answered on the second ring.
"Hello, this is the St. James Rectory."
"Paul, I'm glad I caught you before you left. This is Joey Sullivan."
"Hi Joey. What can I do for you?"
"Something has come up with my family this evening and they want me to attend a dinner with them. It's pretty important to all of them," Joey told him.
"We're not practicing anything that we haven't already been working on for the last several rehearsals. I don't have you scheduled to sing a solo until the middle of the month, so I guess it wouldn't hurt anything. I know your family has been busy and your grandparents are there, too. I can excuse you, but you may have to work harder later," Paul chuckled.
"I really appreciate this, Paul," Joey told him.
Craig indicated that he wanted to speak to Paul.
"Paul, Dad Craig wants to say something to you," Joey said. He handed the phone to Craig without waiting for Paul's reply.
"Paul, this is Craig Bastian. Sorry we had to ask for a special favor but this is a special cause for celebration tonight. I can't tell you what's going on, but we can talk about it on Sunday after church."
Paul was curious about the apparent excitement, but didn't press the issue.
"Not a problem. Just tell Joey that he 'owes me one'," Paul laughed.
"Thanks for understanding."
"It's okay, just tell Joey to be in the choir room tomorrow evening at 5:15 for choir before the All Saints Day mass. This is one of the big church celebrations of the year," he reminded Craig.
"We'll see to it that he's there and we'll all be in church tomorrow evening, too.
With that, they hung up.
"Okay, you're excused, but Paul says you may have to work harder later," Craig told him.
"Yippee!!!" Joey said. "What are we celebrating?"
"We'll tell you as soon as Dale gets here," Frank told him.
"Is your homework completed?" Craig asked.
"All but three Algebra problems and they shouldn't take me long," Joey told him.
"Okay, you may want to take a shower and get dressed. We need to leave here about 6:30 to drive to the Lakeshore Country Club for dinner.
"Can I use the neat shower in your bathroom?" Joey asked. He loved that shower.
"Sure, help yourself, but remember that Dale and I want to shower, too."
When Dale arrived home about 5:20 Doris told him there were two messages for him to return telephone calls. The first was from Harlan Holman and the second was from Cary Clark.
Dale dialed Harland Holman's number first. He answered on the third ring.
"Hello, this is Harlan Holman."
"Dale Richards, Harlan," he said.
"Good to hear you voice, Dale. I have some good news for you," Harland told him.
"You sold Joe's house?" Dale questioned.
"Yeah, and you're not going to believe the price I got for it," Harland gloated.
"Good, or bad?" Dale asked.
"Oh, very good. Three couples actually got into a bidding war as all of them wanted the house. I ended up with a qualified contract for $308,000 this afternoon. They've already got the loan money lined up and I can Fed-Ex a copy of the contract so you can sign it and return it to me. We'll have this deal closed by Friday."
Craig heard Dale say, "Wow! That's hard to believe!"
"Believe it. I see that your estate sale people have finished up. I talked to Rusty Gable yesterday and he said the sale was a big success and he planned to call you today to give you a report."
"I have a note to return his phone call when I'm through talking to you," Dale said with a huge smile on his face.
"This is the first time I've ever had a bidding war decide the price of a piece of property I've sold. It's also the first time I've ever sold a piece of property at more than the contract price for my client." Harlan was as excited as Dale.
"What do I need to do?" Dale asked.
"I've still got time to get this to the FedEx drop off this evening. You should have the contract in the morning. Just sign it and have it notarized. Then put the contract in the Fed-Ex envelope I'll send along. You should have a check from the loan company next Monday or Tuesday. I'll have them Fed-Ex it to you."
"Do you know how much the check will be?" Dale wanted to know.
"$279,360.00," Harlan told him.
"I don't know how Craig and Joey and I can thank you," Dale said. You have really done a super job."
"You had a very desirable house in a good neighborhood. It is in excellent condition, just needs a little redecorating, and so you were lucky several people wanted to buy it."
"I'll look for the Fed-Ex man in the morning, take the contract to get it notarized and back to you tomorrow. Thanks a lot!" Dale told him, again.
"How are things going in Williamsport?" Harlan asked.
"Really well. We've been busy at the ranch, Craig has a shopping center project that's about finalized and we are ready to sign a venture capital contract to start a new computer business here in Williamsport. We plan to open the Friday after Thanksgiving," said proudly said.
"That's wonderful. hey, don't mean to rush, but I have another call coming in," Harlan told Dale.
"Not a problem. I just hope that Rusty Gable's news is as good as yours," Dale said in telling Harlan goodbye.
"Can you believe that?" Dale ask everyone
Joey was back in the room by that time, wanting to know what he should wear.
"I take it that Harlan sold the house?" Craig asked.
"Did he ever!" Dale said. "He sold it for over $17,000 more than our contract price."
"What?" Frank exclaimed. "How did that happen?
"Three parties wanted the house and they kept upping the bids on each other. One couple finally offered $308,000 and has the loan secured. Harlan is sending the contract by Fed-Ex tonight and I'm to sign the contract and have it notarized, then send it back in an envelope he'll provide. We should get a check for $279,360 early next week."
"Guess I'd better get to work on house plans," Craig teased. He walked to Dale and hugged him, then the others joined in.
After things calmed down a little, Dale called Rusty Gable.
"Hello Dale," Rusty said in answering the phone.
Dale realized that he had Caller ID.
"Hi Rusty, I just got home and have talked to Harlan Holman. The house is sold."
Rusty knew about the contract, as Harlan was so proud of this sale, he was telling everyone.
"Yes, I talked to Harlan. He's never had anything like that happen before, although I've heard of other realtors having similar things happen with contracts."
"We're certainly pleased. I hope you have some great news, also," Dale said.
"Well, nothing like Harlan had, but we've finished up the sale. Everything is cleaned up and hauled away and I've turned the keys in to Harlan."
"Sure, since I guess we don't own the house anymore, at least as of this Friday."
"That's right. Well, the weather was excellent and we had a huge crowd and one of the best first days that we've ever had. Cary thinks that we sold over half the items on last Thursday, the first day. Things sold at a good price, especially the furniture, shop equipment and kitchen items. The clothing sold better than we thought. In fact, everything really sold better than we had anticipated," he told Dale.
"That sounds favorable," Dale stated.
"I'm putting a check in the mail tomorrow for almost $22 thousand. We almost should pay you a commission, too. We've signed two contracts for sales as a result of your sale."
Dale was elated. He wished that he had put the conversation on the speakerphone, but they were almost through talking and he had made notes. He could hardly wait to tell everyone else the good news.
"That's great!" You guys are tremendous. We felt very comfortable when we first talked to you and I'm glad someone recommended you. Thanks a lot, both of you."
"You are most welcome. Tell your family 'hello' from both of us. The next time you come to Houston, please let us know as we'd love to see all of you," Rusty told him.
"You never know where we will turn up. We'll certainly keep that in mind. You said that you'd never been to this part of the state, so we'd like to issue an invitation for you to come visit us, too."
"We might do that. Actually we have some friends in Austin and they have been after us to come spend a few days. You're only down the road a short distance, aren't you?"
Dale replied, "About 35 miles, depending on what part of Austin you start from."
"We'll keep in touch with you. Both of us would like to see your ranch and the other things you are involved in."
"Thanks. We'll look forward to seeing you again, too."
Having said their goodbyes, both hung up the phone.
Dale was standing there with his 1,000-watt grin.
"What?" Craig asked.
"First the house sells for more than the contract, then those two guys sell everything for more money than they thought the sale would generate. Rusty is going to mail us a check for almost $22 thousand."
Again there were a lot of hugs and high-fives. Everyone was elated.
It didn't take everyone very long to freshen up and dress for the evening. Dale and Craig showered in their bathroom, but didn't have time to do anything more than swap a few kisses. They kept their hands to themselves knowing that they would have time for each other later after they were back at home.
It was almost 6:15 when everyone started gathering in the living room. The men were all wearing slacks and sport coats. Doris was wearing a long black and red skirt with a beautiful long-sleeve paisley blouse. They made a good-looking family.
Frank took drink orders and it was the usual scotch and soda or gin on the rocks for each. Joey had a ginger ale.
As soon as the drinks were served, Dale cleared his throat and hoisted his glass.
"To our business venture, 'Saber Computers'.
"May it be successful beyond your wildest dreams," Doris said.
"Hear, hear," Frank replied.
"Are we really gonna do it?" Joey asked.
"Yes, bud. We're gonna do it. I'm taking you out of a couple of classes in the morning so we can all sign the contracts," Dale proudly told Joey.
"This is so neat!" Joey said. "Does this mean I can tell my friends?" he asked.
"Yeah, you can," Dale told him. "Leland is going to try to get an article or announcement in the Austin and Williamsport Sunday papers. We met David Perkins this morning and all of us seem to like each other. Your grandfather is going to take 90 days off from the law firm to help get this started and we hope he will stay on as our chief financial officer, but that's up to him. The important thing is that he will be our eyes and ears and watch out for our money while the business starts up."
"There is a lot of work to do between now and then. We have to hire staff, sales people, people to help stock shelves, people who are knowledgeable about computers and later on we'll have a service department and can actually build a computer to the specification a customer gives us," Craig told Joey.
"Cool!" Joey replied.
"We're going to have to decide on a location for the business. I've looked at a couple of possibilities, but there may be at least one more place to look at," Craig said.
"Can I work in the store?" Joey asked. He was more than excited.
"Sure. It's your store," Dale told him.
"My store?" Joey questioned.
Craig laughed. "Remember when you were having problems in computer class and we said we'd help you in any way we could?"
"Ye.. Yeah," Joey said, with a huge smile on his face. Then, "How is this going to help me?"
"How about you and a couple of your pals learning all you can about several programs and be available to help your friends and other customers, too?" Dale wanted to know.
"That would be so neat. We could show everybody that Mr. Korte is full of shit," Joey said with enthusiasm. Then he realized what he had said.
Turning a little red, he said, "Sorry grandma. I didn't mean to say that word in front of you."
"It's okay, Joey. I've heard it before. At least you don't say it in every sentence like some others your age and even younger."
Frank looked at his watch. "Sorry our happy hour is a short one, but I'm sure it will continue at the club." With that he put everyone's glass on a tray to take to the kitchen.
Leland introduced Doris and Joey to David as the group met in a corner of the large lounge. David couldn't get over the fact that Dale and Joey looked like brothers and that they were only half-bothers. He wondered what their father looked like.
Craig's parents were both good-looking people and David thought he had inherited the best qualities of each in the appearance department.
Almost as soon as the greetings were finished the waiter for the bar arrived with a tray containing mixed nuts, cheese and crackers and a dip. He sat these on a coffee table, and then asked to take drink orders.
As they sat down, Joey ended up sitting next to David and he wanted to know all about his computer class and was not impressed that he was learning Basic computer programming.
"That was an obsolete program before it was ever introduced," he told Joey. "It was in a package sold to IBM for their new PC's. Everyone else thought that if it was good enough for IBM they should offer it, too. It's very limited and there are all kinds of better programming tools available, starting with dBase and the clones it has generated."
"Our instructor doesn't seem to know much about it, at least he can't answer our questions. All he's interested is a Bulletin Board he runs on his PC at home. Everyone in the class is supposed to log on each day. It's almost like he's taking attendance because in every class he announces the names of those who didn't access it the day before," Joey told him.
"Soon the World Wide Web or Internet is going to make the Bulletin Boards obsolete. They've served their purpose in helping distribute a lot of good programs like -PC Write and some great DOS utilities, but in another year or so, the Bulletin Boards are pretty much going to be gone."
Joey was fascinated at what he was being told. He'd not had a chance to talk to anyone who really was knowledgeable about computers before and David Perkins was sharing his thoughts with Joey. The rest of the people were visiting among themselves and David Perkins had Joey's full attention.
"Joey, what you need to do - and I recommend that you get some of your friends to work with you - is to pick several computer programs, dBase III, WordStar, WordPerfect, Lotus or one of its clones and Windows, a new Microsoft host that allows several screens and programs to be available at the same time. Learn these, and then you can help sell computers and programs at the store and teach others to use them, too. It will really help sales," David told him.
"Cool," was Joey's reply. "My friend, Daniel, has helped me a lot. I found a book at the Electronic Home that has helped us, too. It has sample programs. We took one program and he figured out how to change it so we could do a temperature conversion from Fahrenheit to Centigrade and I used the same example to do a simple interest calculation. It's not hard after you figure out what to tell the computer to do. It's just writing instructions the computer can read and execute, isn't it?" Joey asked.
You are absolutely right. I'm just saying that you only need to learn enough Basic to pass your course. Get proficient in the other programs that are going to be around for a while."
Dale and Craig had shifted their attention to what Joey and David were talking about.
Craig told David about the 'textbook' that was being used for the class. David was familiar with the text, as it had become somewhat a laughing matter in the computer industry.
"I can't believe that they are actually making students buy that book," David told them.
"Believe it," Dale said.
"Well, there is a lot of misinformation available and a lot of people trying to teach it, too," David laughed.
"Do you mean that I can work in the store?" Joey asked.
"Sure, I'll find a place for you and several of your friends. You can demonstrate computers and that will help sales, too. Besides, young people like you pick up on new programs and how they work faster than old people like me," David teased.
Joey thought that was funny. "You aren't old."
"Maybe not, but I'll bet that you can learn more about computers faster than I did."
That statement pleased Joey. He thought David Perkins was a cool fellow. David thought that Joey was a neat kid. He had his act together and that's more than he could say about half the kids Joey's age. He sensed that Joey had a quick mind and would be a good asset to the company.
Of course, David wondered about Dale and Craig being gay and was curious about Joey. 'Was he gay, too? What went on with the three of them? Was Joey being forced to perform lewd sexual acts with them?' David had never thought about being gay before and could only recall a couple of people he knew that were gay. Dale and Craig acted so masculine. They didn't talk with a lisp or have limp wrists. They acted normal, whatever that was. So did Joey. He didn't act like any of the characters on TV that were supposed to be gay.
David was a little confused about these men. They had offered him a good job. Frank would be a great business manager. Dale and Craig had little computer knowledge, yet someone was willing to back this business venture. Leland Stanton had an excellent track record and was very well recommended by the loan officer at Boatman's Bank in Kansas City. He knew he had found a home in working for Saber Computers.
Later that evening Dale and Craig were in bed, holding each other. They were not sexually aroused, but reveled in the fact that they could hold each other and feel secure that they could spill their innermost thoughts to the other.
"I don't know how this all happened, but we can do this!" Dale whispered to Craig, nuzzling him on his neck.
"Yes, I'm grateful to Dad, Leland, David, Mom, Joey and you," Craig told him. "Together, we will all pull together to make this a successful business."
"Thank you for being 'you'," Dale whispered as Craig could feel a few tears on his chest from Dale's eyes.
He used his finger to wipe the tears from Dale's cheeks. "I love you, Cowboy," he said.
"I love you more," was the answer before they drifted into sleep, secure in each other's arms.
(to be continued)
Author's Note: Thanks for the overwhelming response to previous chapters. I have received positive replies from all over the world. My special thanks for proofreading help to Paul Daventon, who has taken time to help me catch obvious errors. Also to two other "on-line pals", Joey Tuvok and Thomas from Austin who have been giving me encouragement and their friendship the last few months.
Thanks for being such loyal readers. Any comments are appreciated and you can reach me at TulsaAuthor@aol.com. Thanks, David.