Toward the end of the week Jon was relaxing on the couch with a drink. Luke burst in with a big smile on his face. He plopped a booklet on the coffee table. Jon read the title: "Piper Aztec Owner's Handbook."

"We're getting a new plane!" exclaimed Luke.

"We are?"

THE INN -- Chapter 30

Luke went to the computer. "Here, check this out!" He brought up the Web page that still listed the plane for sale and had pictures.

"It's beautiful, Luke. The instrument panel looks like a 747! I was just getting used to the Cessna. How much does it cost?"

"Not that much, considering. It's used, of course, but it has less than 4000 hours on it and it's always been hangared. It's a beaut!"

"Luke, I don't know about this..."

"What do you mean?"

"It looks awfully expensive."

"It's a very good deal, it's just what we need. It'll pay for itself in charters alone."

"But Luke, I thought you were going to hold onto your money."

"Huh? Oh my God, did you think I'm buying the plane?"

"It sure sounds like it."

"The flight school is buying it, I'm just real excited about it. It's a twin- engine--obviously--retractable gear, six seats and all the latest avionics. I'm dying to fly it. I can't believe you thought I was buying it--I'd never do something like that without discussing it with you."

"You have the owner's manual--what else would I think?"

"They let me borrow it. Charlie and I are flying to Sarasota to pick it up. That way I'll be more than halfway to being checked out in it by the time we get back. Wait until you see it!"

"Sarasota, Florida?"

"Yeah. We're flying commercial down there, then Charlie and I will fly the Aztec back. The only thing I have to pay for is my airline ticket."

"When are you going?"

"We're leaving Thursday afternoon, we'll spend the night there, and head back on Friday with the plane. We should be back late Friday afternoon. I'd have told you sooner, but I didn't know until today. Will you be able to take us to the airport?"

"I think so, I'll check my schedule tomorrow. Midway or O'Hare?"

"Midway."

"Okay, I'll just plan on taking the afternoon off. You're like a kid expecting a new bike for Christmas. What about the hotel? Don't you have to pay for that?"

"The flight school is paying for a room; Charlie and I will share it."

Luke logged a couple of hours with Charlie on Wednesday. When he got home he spread charts on the kitchen table. Jon was home at his usual time and Luke heard the door open.

"Uh oh, he's home--better get off the table, Rocky."

"I heard that," said Jon as he kissed Luke. Rocky didn't budge. Normally he would when Jon walked in, but with Luke there he just stared at Jon with a "And what are you gonna do about it?" look as he stretched a little and yawned.

"I wish you wouldn't teach him it's okay to be on the table."

"He's helping me by holding down my charts."

"Uh huh. I had him trained to stay off the table, but now you encourage him. I can't very well yell at him if you let him do it. What are you working on?"

"Plotting our trip back from Sarasota. I've never done a trip this long."

Jon was looking over Luke's shoulder at his notes. "What's SRQ?"

"The Sarasota airport. Same as Midway is MDW and O'Hare is ORD."

"I always wondered why O'Hare is ORD."

"It used to be Orchard Field. They renamed it, but kept the airport code."

"That explains that. Okay, fly-boy, if you're going to abandon me Thursday the least you can do is remind me why I love you so much."

"You need to be reminded?"

"I don't need to be, I just want to be. We haven't spent too many nights apart since we've been together."

Jon drove Luke and Charlie to the airport and decided to park in the garage so he could see them off. He had insisted they arrive at least an hour early because they had one-way tickets and he knew that would be a red flag for security. Jon wanted to go with them to the gate, but he wasn't sure he could do that. When they were asked for IDs, Jon took out his driver's license and his government security clearance card. He wasn't sure it would do any good, but he figured it couldn't hurt. The security woman checked his IDs and seemed to be happy she didn't have to do too much.

"They're with me," said Jon.

After a cursory inspection the three were off to the gate area.

Charlie looked at Jon. "How did you do that--get us whisked through security?"

"I have an honest face," smiled Jon.

They waited at the gate until it was time to board the plane. Jon paused for a moment and hugged Luke as he kissed him.

"Be safe, and call me. I love you, babe."

"Me too, I'll be thinking about you."

When Charlie and Luke landed in Sarasota they decided they'd see if they could look at the Aztec. They took a shuttle to the other side of the airport and found the hangar. There was a small office adjoining it and an older gentleman was seated at a desk. Charlie greeted him.

"I'm Charlie and this is Luke, we're here from St. Germain Aviation."

The man stood and extended his hand. "I'm happy to meet you. I'm Andy. Come out into the hangar, I'll show you the plane."

Luke and Charlie inspected the plane. It was immaculate, and Charlie studied the plane's log. Everything checked out.

"I bought this plane new," said Andy, "almost 30 years ago. I was probably just about your age at the time. She's been a great plane, and I hate to part with her. But I have a problem passing the medical now, so I have to give her up."

"Andy," said Charlie, "would you take us for a ride? I'd like to get to know her a little."

Andy beamed. "I'd love to. You're going to be very happy with her."

Charlie was qualified to fly the plane, so it didn't matter that Andy was no longer current with his medical certificate. They were able to get a lineboy to tow the plane out of the hangar and get clearance to take off. Charlie could tell Andy was a pro. They flew for about an hour, and Andy let Charlie land the plane.

"You love flying, don't you, Charlie?"

"It's my life. Flying is all I think about."

"I can tell. I feel better knowing 7-0-Yankee will be in good hands. I've had 'er longer than I've been married."

"I can see you've kept it up to date with all the navigation and radio equipment. That must have cost more than the plane did back then. Any time you get in the Chicago area, give me a call. I'll show you what good care we're taking of her and you can take her for a spin."

Charlie and Luke headed to their hotel, had dinner and went to their room. Luke flipped through some TV channels and decided there was nothing worth watching.

Luke looked at Charlie. "That was nice you asked Andy to take us up. He seemed really happy."

"It might be the last time he'll be able to do it. It's too bad, he's a good pilot. But I felt a connection with him; we'll see him again. I have a good feeling about this plane. Something tells me it's a good thing."

When Jon got home he fixed Rocky's dinner and sat on the couch. Rocky jumped up to sit with him and each time there was a sound, Rocky looked toward the door.

"It's just you and me tonight. He'll be back tomorrow."

Jon became bored at home and decided he'd go to The Inn for a while and see what was going on. He opened the door and stopped for a second.

"Rocky, wanna go to the bar?"

Rocky looked at Jon, then jumped off the couch and trotted toward him. They walked to The Inn together and Jon picked up Rocky when they got to the door. After getting his drink he went to the patio and put Rocky down. Rocky climbed the tree and perched himself on the first limb. A few minutes later Jon's phone rang.

"Hi, we're in Florida."

"How was your flight?"

"It was okay. But wait till you see the Aztec! It's even better than the pictures I showed you. We flew it this afternoon and it's great. Are you at home?"

"Rocky and I are at The Inn. We just got here."

"Don't let him wander too far, there's foxes and coyotes around. And don't let him get mixed up with the raccoons--they're all over."

"He's okay, he's in the tree at the moment. What about me? I could get kidnapped by a 'cougar'."

"That I'm not worried about--you're getting a little old to be 'cougar prey'."

Jon laughed. "Do you think you'll be home tomorrow still?"

"We should be, I'll call when we're about a half-hour away. So far the weather looks good all the way, so I don't think we'll be delayed."

"Okay, get a good night's sleep and I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going to miss you tonight."

"I'll miss you, too. Good night, babe."

"Love ya, bye."

As Jon was closing his phone Joe walked up and placed a fresh drink in front of him. "Where's Luke?"

"Right now he's in Sarasota, Florida. He and Charlie went down there today and they're flying back with a new plane tomorrow. The flight school just bought it and Luke's on Cloud Nine about it."

"That's cool. It must be a nice one."

"It is, I saw pictures of it. Luke is nuts about it. Where's Cathy?"

"She's home. Her company has a breakfast meeting every Friday morning and they start a half-hour early. It's her turn to bring breakfast, so she's whipping up something."

"Knowing Cathy, it'll be great."

"I know. I'm going to stop by before the gym and sample it."

"I hope there's some left for her co-workers."

"There will be, I don't eat a lot in the morning. So what kind of plane are they picking up?

"It's a Piper Aztec, a twin-engine."

"Wow, Luke's really moving up! Pretty soon he'll be flying jets."

"I hope not, at least not for a while. He already spends so much time flying or studying I hardly see him."

"I know, but for the first time in his life he has confidence in himself."

"How do you know that?"

"I see him for at least an hour every morning. We talk. The only thing he loves more than flying is you."

"Sometimes I feel a little guilty. I've been pushing him to quit his job and I don't know if I was doing the right thing. Maybe it was what I wanted more than what he wanted. He loves flying, but maybe I pushed him more than I should have."

Joe felt something drop onto his head. He looked up as he brushed at his hair. Rocky was climbing down the tree and he hopped onto Joe's lap.

Joe petted Rocky. "He loves flying, and from everything I've heard he's great at it. Luke doesn't belong in construction, not that there's anything wrong with it. But he's done that, and now it's time for him to realize his dreams."

"I know, I never liked him working construction. But at least we had more time together. I'm glad he's flying, though."

"I'll never forget our trip to Lake Geneva, that was great."

"Yeah, it was. It was the most memorable birthday I've had. I'm glad you and Cathy were with us."

"Did Rocky go through 'The Procedure'? He seems like his normal self."

"Yeah, he's fine. I think Luke is still recovering, though."

Joe and Jon finished their drinks and Jon walked home. Rocky ran ahead and was waiting for Jon when he got to the door. When they went inside Rocky did a tour of the condo, looking for Luke. He wound up sitting next to Jon, then followed him into the bedroom. When they went to bed, Rocky settled himself against Luke's pillow.

The next day Jon was just finishing up for the week when Luke called and told him they should be landing within an hour. Jon left work, stopped at home to feed Rocky and headed to the airport. When he got there he had a cup of coffee with Darlene while they waited for Charlie and Luke.

"I can't wait to see the plane," said Darlene. "It's going to be nice to have an aircraft like that here."

"I know Luke's excited about it. When he first told me, I thought he was buying it the way he talked."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he does something like that one of these days. You guys might be joining the Jet Set before you know it."

Charlie's voice came over the radio. "Midwest, Aztec six-seven-seven-zero- Yankee."

"7-0-Yankee, go ahead."

"What's your active, Darlene?"

"Active is niner, wind is calm. Pull up to the hangar, everyone wants to see the plane."

"Roger, will do. 7-0-Yankee out."

Darlene picked up her walkie-talkie. "Let's wait outside, it's nice out."

They walked to the hangar door and Darlene called to the two mechanics to let them know the new plane was coming. When Jon saw the Aztec taxiing toward them he was impressed--this was nothing like the Cessna. Luke and Charlie got out and Luke gave Jon a quick hug. Darlene and the mechanics climbed into the plane.

"Did you guys have a good flight back?"

"It was perfect!" said Luke. "We hardly had to do anything--the Aztec flies itself on autopilot. We just had to tell it where to go. I'll take you for a ride next weekend once I'm checked out in it."

"That'll be fun. Have you eaten anything?"

"We stopped in Chattanooga for fuel and I grabbed a sandwich but it wasn't much."

"Okay, let's stop for dinner. Let's go to Rayme's and I'll buy you a steak."

Rayme's was a small neighborhood bar and restaurant that was family-owned and had been around as long as anyone could remember. It was close to home and had good food. Jon realized Charlie was probably hungry, too, and he asked if he'd like to join them. Charlie said he'd be glad to.

As he and Luke were driving to the restaurant Jon wondered if he would regret asking Charlie to join them. Charlie and Luke would no doubt be talking flying all the time and even though Jon enjoyed hearing about it, it wasn't a subject on which he could contribute very much.

Once they were seated at the restaurant Luke told Jon of the highlights of their trip and Jon was glad Luke had such a good time. The waitress took their orders and they settled in.

"I know Luke grew up around here; what about you, Jon?"

The trio talked through dinner and stayed for a short time afterward. Most of their conversation concerned their backgrounds or current news items. Jon learned Charlie was surprisingly well read and knowledgeable. Luke and Charlie considered themselves friends, but until tonight everything they did together involved flying; they had never interacted on a social basis. It wasn't too long before they decided to leave; the long flight back was beginning to catch up with them.

"I'm glad Charlie joined us," said Jon. "He's an interesting guy."

"Yeah, I like him. This is the first time we talked about anything other than flying. I'm pretty sure he did it so you wouldn't feel left out."

"Maybe, but it didn't seem like it was an effort for him. He's a personable guy."

When they got home, Luke sat on the couch with Rocky. Jon went into the kitchen and mixed himself a drink.

"Want a beer?"

"No," answered Luke, "just a Coke, I'm flying tomorrow. I want to get checked out in the Aztec this week."

"Are you ever going to be done with your lessons? I see less of you now than I did before."

"Jesus Christ, Jon! You wanted me to quit my job, and I did. You wanted me to go full time with flying, and I did that, too. What the hell else do you want me to do?"

"Nothing, just be with me."

Luke stood. "I'm beat, I'm going to bed. If you want to be with me, that's where I'll be."

Jon stayed on the couch and again he felt maybe he had gone too far in convincing Luke to quit his job. He'd thought Luke was happy about it, but maybe that wasn't the case. On the other hand, Luke seemed he was okay about it and enjoyed flying. Jon wasn't sure what Luke was thinking. Did he resent the fact Jon had pushed him?

Jon climbed into bed next to Luke and noticed he was snoring softly. Jon couldn't sleep, thinking of their conversation. He spent most the night tossing, but Luke seemed to be unaware of his discomfort. Just before sunrise Jon managed to fall asleep. A couple of hours later Luke got up and started breakfast. Jon walked into the kitchen.

"You look like you didn't get much sleep," said Luke.

"I didn't."

Luke walked up to Jon and kissed him. "I'm sorry I was such a prick last night, I was tired and cranky. I have a lesson with Charlie today, but it's the last time I'm doing this."

"What do you mean?"

"From now on I'll fly during the week, when you're at work. I'm reserving the weekends for us."

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to. I've been so wrapped up in flying I lost track of what's important. You're right, I've been too absorbed in my own issues."

"I don't want to come across as some controlling bitch. It's just that we really don't have that much time together lately. I hope you don't feel I forced you to quit your job."

"You know me well enough to know I don't get forced into things. You just pointed me in the right direction. I went into flying whole-hog and now I have to back off a little and treat it like any other job."

Jon smiled. "Where did a city boy learn 'whole-hog'?"

"I don't know. In any case, from now on the weekends are ours. If you want to fly somewhere on a weekend, that's fine. But otherwise, I'm yours."

"Okay, that sounds good. Five days a week of flying should be enough, anyway. You don't want to burn yourself out. As long as you're okay with that, it sounds good to me."

"Hey, don't you have some vacation time coming up? You should."

"I have three weeks, but usually I split it up. A week at a time works for me."

"All right, where do you want to go? Obviously my schedule is open and we can go anywhere you want. We can drive or fly."

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it. I can't think of anywhere I want to go, I'm not a big traveler. It seems silly to put so much time and money and effort into a trip when you're supposed to be taking it easy. It should be a time to relax."

"Okay, what about spending a week with your parents?"

"Are you serious? What gave you that idea?"

"I know you enjoy going there, and I like your parents. They'd be thrilled if we spent some time with them."

"Of course they would. Are you thinking of flying or driving?"

"We can drive. If we fly, the plane will sit there for several days and that costs money. Not as much as flying time, but it would be a waste of money. It's an easy drive, and we know we won't have a problem with Rocky. I should take him flying one of these days and see how he likes it."

Jon looked at Luke but decided that would be a discussion for another time. He was happy Luke wanted to spend time at his parents' place. Jon had never considered it a vacation destination, but the more he thought about it, the better it sounded. He just wasn't sure whether Luke was only doing it for his benefit.

"We can go someplace else, someplace more fun. Wouldn't you rather be somewhere other than with your in-laws?"

"No, I think it would be a good time for everyone. I like the idea of spending time with family--I've never really done that. I'd like to go there again and anyway, the Corvair can probably use a tune-up or oil change or something. I'm sure your dad will want to tinker with it."

"Damn, I'll have to get it detailed before we go. How does going there a week from Monday sound? I know you want to take me in the Aztec this weekend, and I'm sure I can take that week off."

"Okay with me. Call your folks and make sure it's all right with them."

Jon spoke with his mother and she was excited that they would be coming for a week. Jon loved the fact that Luke wanted to spend some time with his parents. But he also was saddened in a way that Luke seemed to have a yearning to be part of a family. But Jon wasn't worried about that; he knew his parents loved Luke.

Peg hung up the phone with Jon as Bill walked into the room. "Guess who's coming to spend a week with us!"

Bill glanced at his wife. "Jon and Luke."

Peg was slightly disappointed he had beaten her to it. "Yes--how did you know?"

"No one else could put that big a smile on your face. That's great! When are they coming?"

"A week from Monday. I'm going to have to plan on doing some serious shopping. I can't wait to have all my men together here again."

"This member of your stable is ready for a shower. Care to join me?"

Peg smiled even more as Bill took her hand and they walked to their bedroom. After their shower they dried each other and Bill led Peg to the bed.

"Hey, Jon-Boy, Connie wants to see you when you have a minute," called Fran.

"I'll be right up, let me get some coffee."

Jon was glad to hear Fran call him "Jon-Boy" again. Now that he thought about it, he would have been disappointed if she hadn't. He walked into Connie's office and sat.

"We're about to close a deal with Hendrix Manufacturing and Moler, too. Both of them were on the cusp, and they both said after talking with you while I was out they were confident we would take care of them. You made quite an impression. Maybe I should take some more time off."

"Please don't, Connie--I don't know if I can take it. Of course, if you have to do that, I'll do whatever needs to be done."

"I know I threw you a curve ball, and I'm sorry it worked out that way. But sometimes a trial by fire is the best lesson. I plan on having you do a lot more negotiating with clients. I know you prefer to be in production and you will be, but I'd like to see you give Cecil more responsibility so you can spend some time up here."

"Cecil's very sharp, and he can do a lot already. I'll work on easing him into it. But I do want to keep my finger on the pulse in Production, I think it's important to stay on top of that."

"Yes, it is and I won't keep you away from it. But you're valuable up here, too, and I want to get you used to it. By the way, how is Luke doing?"

That was typical of Connie. When he'd said what he had to say, he didn't waste time. An abrupt change in topics meant the meeting was over.

"He's great, I can hardly keep up with how fast he's moving with flying. Oh, by the way, I'm on vacation next week. We're going to spend the time with my parents in Rockford."

"Good for you! That sounds like a nice way to spend a vacation."

"I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Connie."

"You deserve it, son."

After Jon left his office, Connie smiled to himself. He admired the fact that Jon was spending his vacation with his parents. He didn't know what he had done to be so fortunate as to have Jon working for him. He knew he had put Jon under the gun, but Jon had come through better than he could have hoped. Connie thought as long as he could hang in for a few more years, he had no doubt Jon would be the man to take his place.

On Thursday Luke and Charlie landed the Aztec and went into the office. Charlie was filling in Luke's logbook. He frowned and looked up.

"Darleen, will you please check Luke's hours in the Aztec. I think I'm screwing something up."

Darleen looked over the figures. "Is this a '9' or a '7'?"

Charlie looked at the entry. "Oh, it's a '9.' I should be more careful."

"Okay, then, he has 10.65 hours in the Aztec."

Charlie endorsed the log, smiled, and handed it to Luke. "Congratulations, you have your multi."

Charlie had gone through all the required procedures for Luke's Multi- rating. He knew how Luke flew and he had no problem signing-off on him. Luke didn't know it, but Charlie felt Luke was one of the few pilots he would trust in any situation. Luke was elated he'd gotten his Multi--he hadn't expected it today. He thanked Charlie, shook his hand and headed home. When he got there he flung the door open and let out a whoop. Jon and Rocky jumped.

"I got my Multi-engine rating!"

"Wow, that's great--congratulations!" Jon gave him a hug and kiss.

"Let's fly the Aztec somewhere Saturday for lunch. You won't believe what a great plane it is. Where should we go?"

"I don't care, what do you think?"

"Let's go to Milwaukee. I don't want to go too far, it's an expensive plane to fly. But I need more practice flying into a controlled field and I want you to see what the plane's like. What do you think about asking Joe and Cathy, and Paul and Annie? As long as we have the room, why not use it?"

"That would be fun, I know Joe and Cathy would love it. And Paul's never been flying with us; I think he'll like it, too. We'll have to ask Paul about Annie."

Luke glanced at Jon. "Come to think of it, I don't know about Annie; I'm not sure she's comfortable with us."

"If she doesn't want to come, so what? I'll bet Paul comes either way."

"I don't want to start something between them."

"Paul's a good friend. If she has a problem, he'll deal with it."

Paul turned to Annie as he closed his phone. "Do you want to go to Milwaukee for lunch on Saturday?"

"Why? Do they have a big bratwurst special up there or something?" she chuckled.

Paul laughed. "No, Luke and Jon are flying up there for fun, and they want us to go with."

"I didn't know they're pilots."

"Luke is. What do you think?"

"I guess so--after all, we should be safe. Fairies are naturals at flying, aren't they?"

"Annie, will you stop talking like that? They're my friends and they're great guys. I'd do anything for them, and they'd do the same for me."

"Okay, sorry. They do seem like nice guys but I never knew anyone that's queer before. I don't know what to say in front of them."

"Just don't say 'queer' or 'fag.' It doesn't even have to come up. They're just a couple of guys."

All six of them climbed into the plane, Luke and Jon in front, Joe and Cathy in the middle and Paul and Annie in back. Once in the air, Jon couldn't stop glancing at Luke and smiling--his pride in Luke knew no bounds. Jon studied the cockpit to see how much he recognized. He was surprised he could identify as many of the instruments as he did. He began to realize a lot of the gauges and controls were similar to the Cessna, just a lot more of them.

"Luke, are the controls for the flaps and gear supposed to look like little flaps and wheels?"

"More important, they're supposed to feel like them so you know what you're grabbing. Very observant, Jon."

Cathy was taking tons of pictures, and Paul and Joe were enjoying the scenery. Annie was impressed with Luke piloting the plane. She'd never thought about it, but it wasn't a skill she figured gay men would get involved with. Hairdresser or decorator, yes, but not a pilot. She shrugged and turned her attention outside.

Saturday night Jon and Luke relaxed on the couch and watched some TV. Luke had his head on Jon's lap and Jon idly played with Luke's hair.

"That was fun today," said Jon. "I think everyone was impressed with the Aztec, especially Joe and Cathy. It's quite a step up from the last time they flew with us. I could get used to flying in that plane."

"Yeah, I have to admit, I was pretty proud myself. Now I have to get my commercial rating so I can fly charters and let someone else pay for the plane while I fly it. Charlie has two charters next week and I think we'll be getting more of them. We should do some packing tonight--we're going to be leaving for Rockford early Monday."

"I'll take care of it tomorrow. Let's just take it easy tonight."

Luke looked up at Jon and smiled. "This is one of my most favorite things to do--just sit at home with you and not worry about anything. I should get something for your parents--some kind of gift or something."

"You are the only gift they want. Maybe you and me." Jon leaned down and kissed Luke. He noticed Luke's eyes were moist. He lightly brushed his finger on Luke's eyebrow.

"What? What's this about?"

Luke started to sit up, but Jon pressed his hand on his chest, then over to nestle his head against his side. "What's up, babe?"

"Nothing. I just love how much your parents are so good to us. And I know they really love me. I never felt that before. They don't preach, or make any judgments. They just accept and love us."

Jon was about to tease Luke about being emotional, but he didn't. Instead, he merely held and kissed him. "And I love you."

Sunday was a slow day and Jon enjoyed not having to worry about work for a week. He suggested they hang out at the pool, the one close to The Inn, so they spent a couple of hours there, then got a drink before heading home. Jon decided to make hamburgers on the grill for dinner.

Luke asked, "What time do you want to head out tomorrow?"

"Around eight or nine. That way we'll be there for lunch, and I'm sure my mom--I mean mom--will have lunch for us."

"Did you get everything packed?"

"Yeah, it only took about 20 minutes. We're only going to be with my folks, so all we need is jeans and a few T-shirts."

"Let's take at least one nice shirt and pants, we should take them out to dinner one night."

"Yeah, you're right. I'll take care of that tomorrow."

The next morning Jon and Luke were ready to head out. Luke put Rocky's blanket on the back seat and they hit the road. Jon held Luke's hand as they drove, with Rocky on Luke's lap.

Luke asked, "What are we going to do all week?"

"I think my parents have rented us out. Mrs. Ryerson, next door, she has a field of hay to bring in. Her two sons are in the military now so she needs some help. We can handle it."

"We? I don't know anything about farming."

Jon smiled. "You will by the time we're done."

Jon pulled into the yard at his parents' and Rocky jumped out of the car; he recognized the surroundings.

Peg said, "You two are looking wonderful! It's going to be so much fun having you both here all week. Oh, by the way, Jon, do you think you boys can help Mrs. Ryerson?"

"Sure, Luke can use the exercise. All he does now is sit in airplanes. I want to keep him in shape."

Luke looked at Jon. "And what do you think I do at the gym every day? Sit at the juice bar?"

"No, I can tell you do more than that."

Peg stood. "Come on in the kitchen and let's have lunch."

Peg went to the refrigerator and retrieved what she needed. She cut a cantaloupe into quarters and heaped chicken salad on them. As soon as she had placed the plates on the table, Rocky was meowing at the kitchen door.

"Oh, damn, I forgot all about him," said Luke. He let Rocky in and sat back down at the table. Rocky jumped on Luke's lap and had his front paws on the table, checking out what was there.

"R-o-c-k-yyy..." said Jon in a menacing way.

Rocky looked at Jon, and then retreated to Luke's lap. Luke gave him some chicken, and then a piece of cantaloupe. He was surprised when Rocky ate it and was looking for more.

"I didn't think he'd like that. He has a sweet tooth!"

"One of our cats loved honeydew melon," said Jon. "Don't give him too much, he'll get the runs."

They all spent a nice evening talking and catching up. At about eleven they decided to turn in. Jon and Luke got ready for bed and found Rocky already asleep on it. He didn't seem to have any difficulty adjusting to the surroundings.

Jon awoke at six the next morning and nudged Luke. "Come on, we have a lot of work ahead of us. Get up."

"I thought this was a vacation," yawned Luke.

"It is--I'm going to give you all kinds of fun stuff to do."

They ate breakfast and then went to the Ryerson's. Mrs. Ryerson fussed over them a little and wanted to feed them. Jon assured her they'd eaten and led Luke to the barn. Luke looked around at all the farm buildings and equipment.

Jon went into a barn and checked the fuel level in the tractor, then made sure nothing was in the way before he backed out. He hooked the sickle-bar mower up to the tractor and pulled into the turn-around.

"That looks like a serious piece of machinery," said Luke.

"It is. Keep out of its way--I don't want you suddenly four inches shorter."

Luke sat on the tractor's fender and found a place to plant his feet. He watched as Jon began mowing the hay. A couple of hours passed and Jon drove the tractor back to the barn.

"That wasn't so bad," said Luke. "I thought it would be harder."

"You ain't seen nothin' yet. Next we have to rake the hay, but it has to dry for a while before we can do that."

"Rake it? You mean with rakes? How are we gonna do that?"

Jon pulled into the barn and disconnected the mower. He maneuvered the tractor up to another machine and started attaching it.

"What's this?" asked Luke.

"It's a power rake. Once I get it hooked up we'll have lunch, then we'll rake the hay."

Mrs. Ryerson had a hearty lunch waiting for them. They talked about the local gossip and what she had heard from her sons. Jon and Luke both could feel the angst when she mentioned them.

After they had eaten they went back to the barn. Luke got back on the tractor and looked at Jon.

"You really know what you're doing! I would never have guessed you knew so much about equipment like this. What do we have to do now?"

"We're gonna rake the hay into rows."

Luke was fascinated as he watched the machine. By early mid-afternoon they were done raking.

"That was really cool. It's neat how all this equipment works."

Jon pulled into the barn, disconnected the rake, pulled out and then backed into the barn. Luke watched as he maneuvered up to a large machine. Luke saw it had "New Holland" on the front, or what he assumed was the front.

"I've worked with New Holland equipment," said Luke.

Jon smiled at him. "Probably not like this. Give me a hand getting it into position."

Once Jon had the baler hooked up to the tractor he again pulled out, then backed up to a flatbed wagon with high two-by-four sides. When that was hooked up behind the baler he handed Luke a pair of gloves.

"Okay, here's where you earn your keep. You're going to ride in the wagon and stack the bales. This is a kicker-baler, so it'll toss them into the wagon and you don't have to pick them up off the ground. But watch your head--it kicks 'em out pretty good."

Luke had no idea what to expect. So far bringing in hay had seemed pretty easy--they just rode on the tractor. Jon started driving the tractor slowly, keeping one eye on where he was going and the other on Luke. The baler made a chugging sound and vibrated a lot. Jon stopped the tractor.

"When I start again in a few seconds the baler is going to make a 'clink' sound and you'll hear the knotter cycle. That means a bale is about to come out. Make sure you're out of the way."

"Okay, let 'er rip!" yelled Luke.

Jon smiled--he knew Luke had no clue what he was in for. He engaged the clutch and continued down the first row. A bale was kicked out of the baler and into the wagon. Luke was amused as it sailed past him and he pushed it into the corner, ready for the next bale. For the next fifteen minutes or so things went smoothly, but then Luke realized he was going to have to move faster to position and stack the bales. It got to the point he barely got one bale in place before another was threatening to decapitate him. After what seemed an eternity to Luke, Jon disengaged the baler and started heading to the barn.

"Are we done?" asked Luke as he spit some hay.

"Are you kidding? We're going to unload and start again."

"Oh, shit! What do we do--just dump it?"

"No, we stack it in the barn. Ever heard of a hayloft?"

Luke could only imagine what that might entail. Jon backed the wagon up to an inclined aluminum trough that extended from the ground to the upper section of the barn. Another tractor was positioned beside it and Jon fired it up to power the elevator.

"I'll get in the hayloft. You unload the bales and drop them onto the elevator."

Luke was surprised at how effortlessly Jon seemed to handle the bales. Luke tried to outpace him but Jon was always at the top of the elevator, ready for the next bale. When Luke had dropped the last bale onto the elevator he collapsed against the wagon. Jon scrambled down from the hayloft and after shutting down the tractor he went to Luke.

"Okay, I guess we can take a break if you need one. We're half done."

Luke looked at him. "Only half? Maybe we should wait and finish it tomorrow."

"Can't, we might get rain tonight. Besides, the day's only half over. There's plenty of daylight left."

Luke wondered where Jon was getting his strength and stamina. Luke was used to hard work, but he didn't expect anything like this. He'd thought farms were quiet places where you just fed the animals and raised the crops. He was beginning to have a lot more respect for farmers.

"Is this it for the year?" asked Luke.

"No, this is the second cutting. They should be able to get a third one easily with the way the weather's been."

"Who did this for them the last time?"

"I don't know, probably some neighbors. Everyone pitches in."

"How did you learn to do all this?"

"Same way you're learning. Work can't wait on a farm, and everyone has to do their share. Even though my parents don't have a farm, we're surrounded by them and it's how I spent most my childhood. I love this kind of work."

Jon and Luke walked to the side of the barn and Jon picked up the hose and sprayed both of them to get the dust and sweat rinsed off. They only wore shorts and shoes, so they didn't mind getting soaked and it felt great. They sat on the porch to rest a little and Mrs. Ryerson brought out a pitcher of lemonade. After about 30 minutes Jon was ready to get back to work.

Luke said, "Why don't I drive this time and you can stack the bales?"

"I would, but this field can be tricky. One false move and we could be tumbling downhill. The wagon gets pretty unstable as it fills up."

"A likely story. You just want me to do all the work."

"That, too."

They resumed baling the hay. Jon enjoyed going over the more-dense areas of the field where the baler kicked out bales faster and Luke had to hustle. Jon heard Luke yell.

"Hey, what the fuck?"

Jon turned around just in time to see a cloud of hay shower Luke. He laughed as he stopped the tractor and climbed off. Jon raised the cover over a bin on the rear of the baler.

"Oops, we ran out of twine. I knew I was forgetting to check something."

"Good. Then we're done," said Luke.

"No such luck, city boy. There's plenty here, I should have spliced the new spool. Now I have to figure out how to re-thread it."

Within ten minutes Jon had the twine threaded. "I shouldn't tell you this, but there's going to be at least one more loose bale on its way."

"No! Really? You don't say. I already looked and I saw what's coming. I'm riding with you until this contraption gets its shit together."

Luke and Jon had dinner with Mrs. Ryerson and she thanked them profusely for their help. She also loaded them up with a cake and pie she had made that afternoon. By the time Jon and Luke got back to Jon's parents' they were both exhausted. They took a shower together and felt better after that.

"My throat is raw," said Luke.

"It's from breathing all the hay dust. Here, gargle with this."

Jon handed Luke a bottle of witch hazel and they both gargled.

Luke said, "This stuff smells good enough to drink."

"I wouldn't recommend it. But it'll make you feel better."

After they had changed into clean clothes they joined Bill and Peg on the porch. They all had some milk and a little of the cake as they relaxed. Later Jon said they were bushed and he and Luke went to their bedroom.

"I love Luke more every time I see him," said Peg.

"I do, too. He's good to Jon, and I know he loves him. We couldn't ask for more."

Luke flopped into the bed and Jon followed him. They were both ready for a good night's sleep but Jon wrapped his legs around Luke's thighs and teased him.

"Jon, I'm sorry but I don't know if I'm up for this."

"Oh yeah? Where's that stud I married?"

Jon rubbed his chest against Luke's and their dicks dueled. Luke knew he was a goner. He decided he'd turn the tables on Jon.

"Think you wore me out today? I'm just getting started!"

Jon and Luke wrestled playfully for a few minutes until Luke pinned Jon on the mattress and told him he was going to pay for the tricks he'd pulled throughout the day.

The next night they decided to check out the gay scene in Rockford. They didn't have a lot of choices, but Jon decided to go to The Office. It had been there forever. Luke was under-whelmed by the atmosphere and the clientele. Jon got a vodka tonic for himself and a beer for Luke. They danced for a while and then played a couple of rounds of pool. Luke felt the place was comfortable enough so they relaxed and had more drinks. A while later a couple of guys stood next to them and started talking. Jon knew one of them, at least casually, and the four danced a little and continued talking and drinking. Luke noticed one of the guys seemed particularly interested in Jon. At first Luke didn't mind, but as things progressed he felt the guy was crossing the line. Luke was about to say something, but the bar was closing and they headed for their car.

"I'll drive," said Luke. Jon looked at him and said, "Okay."

Jon woke up earlier than he wanted to. He reached across the bed to Luke and Rocky intercepted him. Jon pulled his arm back and tried to go back to sleep. After about another hour he went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, and then got back in bed. Luke stirred.

"What do you want to do today?" asked Jon.

"I don't care."

"Wanna walk down to the river and go skinny-dipping?"

"Whatever."

"Something wrong, Luke?"

"Yeah, something's wrong. Maybe you don't remember, but you were all over that guy last night. You acted like I wasn't even there."

"I did not. I know him, we were just talking."

"Sure. So why did you keep your hand in your pocket all the time? You might as well have taken your ring off."

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