THE ODD COUPLE by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2005 written on September 28th 1993 translated by the author English text kindly revised by Dave
USUAL DISCLAIMER
"THE ODD COUPLE" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.
CHAPTER 14 - The Ring
Weeks were flowing serene, and the two lovers felt more and more united. They devoted the Saturday to themselves, to shopping, to short trips out of town. The Sunday was for Natalina, Maurizio's mother. So three months together elapsed and they decided to celebrate them having supper at the famous Cambio restaurant, alone, then to spend all the night making love.
When they were in bed, Maurizio said to Stefano, "Promise me that you'll not say no!"
"To what?"
"I've something to ask you. Promise me you'll not say no."
"Well, I don't know... If it's something I can... I'll answer you with a yes."
"Sure it is something you can."
"Well, then, I promise!"
Maurizio opened in a wide, luminous smile, "Then tonight you'll put it all inside my ass, OK?"
"But, Maurizio... why?"
"Why? Because I feel like doing it. Because you take it from me, so I too want to take it from you."
"We don't need that, Love."
"We do."
"To me, it's OK as we have been up to now..."
"I know that with Carlo it was in this way, you told me so. You also liked putting it and he liked also being your bottom. I'm not Carlo, I cannot and don't want to take Carlo's place. But if it was so with him, why not with me too?"
"Love, but Carlo and I, and other people, we are used to take it there, and we like it. But you... It could be painful for you..."
"The first time, I didn't even like drinking your liqueur, and I felt bad. But now on the contrary I wouldn't renounce it for nothing in the world! And then, for you too, for the others too there has been a first time, hasn't it? And it hurt you, didn't it? But now you like it. And I want it. Really, Stefano, I want to feel all of you inside me."
"It could hurt you..." the man repeated gently, caressing him.
Maurizio made him a sly smile, "Do I have to train first, as I did with the blow jobs? At the pub there would be many who would accept to be my coaches for this, you know?"
"No, no! Absolutely not! I'll break your ass, if just you try that!"
"Well, this is right what I'm asking you, isn't it?" Maurizio answered with a laugh. And Stefano yielded.
They couldn't go all the way, on that first time. But Maurizio was determined and in the end, little by little, he was able to open, to accept his lover inside himself, and at last even to enjoy it. Also Maurizio was becoming, if possible, more beautiful while he was welcoming Stefano inside himself - he was literally radiant...
"Now I know that I am totally yours!" the boy murmured the first time he felt it completely inside himself. "And yet, I feel even more manly than ever..." he added with merry surprise.
In May the boy's mother fell ill. Maurizio, on Stefano request, accepted to go to sleep every night at his mother's house until the woman was healed. Stefano went to visit them a couple of times each week. The young man whispered to him that he was no more able to stay without him, but Stefano insisted that he had to be patient, that he too was feeling alone without his lover at home, but if he accepted that sacrifice, much more had Maurizio to accept it. The boy was sad, but didn't insist.
On a Saturday, the woman was feeling better and Stefano was keeping her company while Maurizio was out to do some shopping. Sitting on her bed, Natalina was lazily thumbing through "Novella 2000". She put down the magazine, looked at the man, and said, "Stefano, I think that it is becoming a burden for both of you, my illness. I hope to heal soon. You two are too kind with me."
"A burden? Not at all. Why do you say so?"
"It's my fault if you two cannot be together any more..." the woman thoughtfully said.
"Well, but it is logic it is this way, isn't it? Maurizio is my friend, but before that is your son. And now you need your Maurizio, so it's logic that he..."
"It could be so, and it could not be so. I don't want to nose in my son's life, in your life. Maurizio is of age and he knows what he is doing. But I think that between you two there is... more than just friendship. Am I wrong?"
Stefano looked at her surprised, embarrassed, then lowered his eyes.
"Then, I guessed right, didn't I?" the woman asked with a weak but quiet voice.
Stefano couldn't avoid nodding in assent.
"I read it in my Maurizio's eyes. A mother, at times, can read these things..."
Stefano nodded again, embarrassed.
"Listen to me, Stefano. I don't know if it is good or evil. Some says it is evil... Here, on 'Novella 2000' at times they write that it is normal. I don't know who is right. I just know that my Maurizio, since he met you, and it is now more than a half year, became another man, a better boy, and above all, I know he is happy. And thus I don't care a fig for what others think, good, evil, normal, pervert... I don't care what you do between yourselves, it is just your business. I want only to ask you one thing, and I beg you to be sincere, with me."
"Yes, Natalina..." Stefano answered, looking hesitantly in her eyes.
And he read in those tired and sad eyes a begging light, while she asked, "You really love my son, don't you?"
"Yes, yes, with all of myself!"
The woman smiled sweetly, "Good. I wanted only to hear this. And then I can tell you something - if ever a day, by chance, my Maurizio would... harm, hurt you, you have just to tell me, and I'll make him regret to be born. You are a really good person, Stefano. And not only because of your kindness towards me. But you are a really good person. And I don't want my Maurizio making you suffer. Never!"
"I... I don't know if you can trust me, Natalina, but I... I love you. I couldn't not to love you, because you gave life to the man I love."
"I know. I felt it, but it makes good hearing it said. But even my daughters in law or my son in law loves me as you do. And... may I dare..."
"Tell me, madam..."
"Can we be less formal?"
"Sure, and with real pleasure."
The woman sighed and said, "Here! Now I feel better. Bow I don't care any more knowing that Maurizio is different from the others. And now I love you too, Stefano. Am I silly?"
"No, you are wonderful. I felt guilty towards you. I felt almost like cheating on you, being so kind with you while at your back I was sharing my bed with your son."
"But you... you don't just share a bed, do you?"
"No, sure. We love each other."
"Then... may God bless you!" the woman said closing her eyes and smiling happily. Stefano was moved and held her hand between his own. The woman squeezed in answer and Maurizio found them in this way, hand in hand.
"Stefano, whatever happens, happens, I don't want to stay away from you for so long! Do you promise me?" Maurizio asked on the first night he could spend again with his lover.
"I too hope so, but life, at times..."
"I'll die, without you!"
"I too feel like dying, away from you, Love. Like when you were hurting me, in the first months..."
"Yes, I understand it, now. I too, when you hurt me. But it will happen never again, no more hurt, no more parting."
"I... I hurt you?" Stefano asked, amazed.
"Yes, when you are so kind with those boys at the pub. I feel hurt. Really... I know I am silly, but..."
"Do you think I'll be able to touch one of them after these months I spent with you? Or let them touch me? You really think so?"
"I don't know... these days you were alone... I guessed that you, perhaps... perhaps you were feeling too lonely so... so you possibly took here a boy..."
Stefano laughed, "Oh, Maurizio, you really are a silly boy, a delightful, silly boy! Nobody can have me, as long as you want me. Don't you trust me?"
"If you say so, I believe you. But, Stefano..."
"What's up?" the man softly asked.
"You really never desire one of those boys?"
"Well, then, before answering you, you have to answer me. Do you never desire a pretty girl? I noticed how you look at them..."
"But, Stefano! I... Yes, if I see a pretty girl I get a hard on, that's true. But I have you. I don't want them. Like a married man, not for that one doesn't notice any more another woman, does he? But if he loves his wife, he doesn't have sex with other women, does he? Dad often told me - look at that one, what a breast! Or something like this... but he never cheated on mum. For me it is exactly the same. I would never cheat on you!"
"To me too it is exactly the same. But there is another thing worrying me - there is a difference, I can get from you all what another boy could give me. On the contrary, I cannot give you all what a woman could give you. Therefore I'm afraid I can lose you."
"I can be a simpleton, or a silly boy, or ingenuous... But you are a silly man, and complicated and ... What is that you cannot give me? A pussy? I don't need one. Or a couple of big bobs? I cannot care less! I don't need that. And you are giving me more than enough."
"And children?"
"Children? But then, if I married with a woman who cannot give me children, would this be a reason good enough to cheat on her? You really are silly, Stefano... No offence."
"But you.... do you love me even if I am so silly?"
"Sure! And also if you look at handsome boys as I look at pretty girls. But woe betide to you if you dare to just touch one of them... I'll die, I told you!"
"I swear I will never do that!"
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes, I really think so."
"But if... well, if it happened to me to make a mistake, once, if I ever did it with a girl, I'll tell you the truth at once, hoping that you can forgive me. But you, if it happened to you, would you tell me?"
"Certainly yes, Maurizio. I swear it."
"Good. Thank you. Now I feel a lot better. Now I'm no more afraid, even if I see you smiling and chatting non-stop with a handsome boy."
"That's just my job, you know it."
"Yes... but I noticed that with handsome boys you chat and smile more than with the others."
"Jealous?"
"No, no more, now. At least I think so."
"Would you like me to stop my job?"
"Possibly. At least the evenings would be totally ours. Perhaps meeting some friends at times. Some of the boys there at the pub seem to be likeable people. And also Pigg", and others... But if you like your job, it will be OK with me, even if at times I feel somewhat lonely..."
Stefano felt elated. Having been accepted by his boy's mother gave him a sense of euphoria. Gradually clarifying matters between Maurizio and himself, gave him a sense of safety. Thus he thought that he owed something to the young man.
Therefore an evening he took aside Pigg", "Can you come to the kitchen? I've to talk to you..."
"Nice or nasty things? Problems with your blonde hunk, perhaps?"
"No, with Maurizio all is going perfectly!"
"So then?"
"Well, I should thank you for the job you gave me. But I have now to resign."
"Do you want a rise in your pay? After all, you deserve it..."
"No, thank you. I just want to spend more time with Maurizio, that's all. And this job prevents me from doing it."
"Oh, good heaven! Madly in love! But, what can I do, if I lose you?"
"You can find another, even better than me. For instance, Claudio. He is also looking for a job."
"But you needed that money, didn't you?"
"Yes, of course! But I'll manage. I'm sorry, Pigg", leaving you so, but..."
"Are you determined? Don't you want to think some more about it? You can possibly come here just three times, for the week end..."
"It is mainly the week ends I want free, Pigg". And especially now that Summer is coming."
"He really bewitched you, that boy! And you insist saying he is a straight boy! Who ever saw such a thing? If it is true that he is straight, sooner or later he will fall in the trap of a shrewd female... and I will have to come to gather together the shards of your heart..."
"Will you?"
"Sure, I love you, Steu! Even if you didn't want to accept again my... graces. But beware what you are doing..."
"Sure. But I feel certain, And strong. And I'll be even stronger when I'll be able to spend more time with my Maurizio."
"Admitted that you don't get the opposite result and you both get mad at each other... But you have to try it, I can understand that. Best wishes, my friend. From my heart. I would have sworn it would not last, and on the contrary... I'm asking myself if it is he the one who bewitched you or the other way round... A gay and a straight in couple, in love! That's really a mad world! Well... you are free, if you want..."
"Thank you. In a while he will be here. After work he went to see his mum, but he promised me..." he said while they were going out of the kitchen. "Oh, here he is, as I said." And happily went to meet him.
"Hi, handsome! Is your mum fine?"
"Yes, and she sends you her greetings and asks when you'll go to see her. But... what's up?"
"Why?" Stefano asked, taken aback for the stupor of his lover.
"You have a face... you seems suddenly... younger! You look like a kid, tonight. I never saw you so... so fresh, and beautiful, and luminous..."
Stefano embraced and lightly kissed him on his lips, and enjoyed the complete loss of embarrassment of his Maurizio. "It's right, I never felt better, since a century to now!" Stefano said caressing his cheek, "I love you, Maurizio. My God, how much do I love you!"
"I too love you, Stefano. But this... this is no news, is it?"
"No, certainly not."
"So, then?"
"I left this job, to be all yours, always with you."
"Your job? You left... you don't work any more here at the pub?" the young man asked him, looking at him in surprise, but happily.
"That's so. I resigned. We will have less money, that's true, but..."
"Who cares about money! Oh, Stefano... and you did it for me?"
"For us..." the man gently corrected him.
"For us, right." The young man proudly answered.
There was less money at home, but this was not a burden for any of them. They could spend the week ends all for themselves and Pigg" often lend them his house at the Viverone lake. They took there also Natalina.
They never made the woman see them in intimacy, not even when she said, "A peck, in front of me, you can also exchange it. All the couples do it. Why not you two?" Stefano gave a peck to the woman, on her cheek. "Not to me, silly man! To him..." Natalina merrily chuckled for that affection gesture.
"Mum, Stefano left his job in the pub to spend more time with me. We now have less money..."
"If you want to give me less money, love, I've dad's widow's pension. It's small, but..."
"No, no, that's good so. Just we could no more give you all the presents we would like, now..."
"You are making me the best present seeing how happy you two are, together, my boys... I am just a poor woman, but..."
"You are a splendid woman, Natalina!" Stefano said assuredly.
The woman accepted the compliment with simplicity. Then said, "Hey, take care, it is not in order to get more gifts, but... What if Stefano found a day time job, in the same hours you go to work, Maurizio? Wouldn't it be better? He is still young, our Stefano, he is two years younger than me. What can he do all the day long alone at home? I don't know, but... a taxi, for instance. Just not to be all the day long doing nothing. Or else, sooner or later, he will be bored to death, a man active like he is! I can at least chat with the neighbors wives, I can help them, look at their children, and time passes fast... Think about that, boys!"
They both agreed and Stefano started to look for a job. That was not one of the best moments, but in September he got a place as a temporary shop assistant at the Petrini Bookshop. And he started right for the school textbook sale that he, being a former teacher, was able to manage with competence.
When the season of the school books was over, the manager of the shop, happy with his work, offered him a steady place.
"Maurizio... It is now one year since we first met. Today is right the first anniversary. Did you remember?"
"Oh, god, no! Can you forgive me?"
"Well... I can try... But then you have to immediately undress before I tear your clothes from your body, if you want to be forgiven!" Stefano laughing answered.
"Yes sir!" Maurizio shout, pulling out his necktie and his belt, almost at the same time. "But now you have to close your eyes and to count to three..."
Stefano looked at him in curiosity, but shut his eyes and counted to three, then opened them again and looked at the hand that his boy was stretching towards him, "Oh, Maurizio! So then you didn't forget it! God, isn't it beautiful? But... how much did you spend for it?"
"Very little. I just made it clean and shine. Dad left this to me and it belonged to his granddad. I never wore it. Look if it fits you, but the jeweler says that he can widen or tighten it in case..."
"Oh, Maurizio! It is the most beautiful ring I never saw. I should have been a good boy, this year, to deserve a precious ring like this one!"
"Yes, you really were a good boy. There isn't another around best than you, believe me. So then, will you try it? The jeweler says that the stone has not a great value, but the ring itself, is ancient... anyway it is all I had, all I can give you..."
"No, it is really beautiful. And it is also precious. Moreover it belonged to your great granddad, then to your granddad, then to your dad..."
"It is a little tight, isn't it? Well, I'll take it back to the jeweler, or rather you take it there so he can measure your size and enlarge it... and you ask him also to carve inside the date of one year ago, OK?"
"Yes, sure, agreed. But I didn't make you any present..."
"You? Well then, undress me, and make me your present..."
Stefano went to the jeweler that Maurizio told him. After he measured the size, Stefano told him to carve inside the date, then asked him, "Excuse me, but can you make an exact copy of this ring?"
"I think I can. The sapphire... I can possibly still find one with this same old cut... It is out of fashion this cut, and I don't know if I can find one of the same carats and nuance. For the mounting instead, no problem. Can I give you an answer in two or three days?"
"Alright, And you will also tell me how much it could cost me?"
"No problem."
"And, if you find a suitable stone, how long will it take to make the copy?"
"Let's say... a couple of weeks. Even less. Is it alright?"
"Yes, certainly."
Stefano wanted to make a surprise to Maurizio and hoped that the jeweler managed to find the right stone. When he went to the shop again, the owner showed him the stone he had found, and told him the price for the copy.
"Perfect. The stone is just slightly smaller and a little darker, but it will almost not be noticed. I'll give you some advance money..."
A couple of weeks later he went to retrieve the ring and went back home, excited, touching from time to time the small ring box in his pocket, and feeling happy.
He found Maurizio waiting for him, sitting on the bed, without his shoes, his arms around his knees. He at once noticed the young man's expression.
"What's up, Maurizio? Some problems?"
"Yes... sit here... No, don't look a t me, please... but embrace me..."
"Yes, Love. What happens?"
"I... I feel terribly ashamed, but..."
Stefano felt that the boy was trembling and started to guess. "But?" he encouraged him in a whisper, keeping him tightly in his arms.
"Well, I... It happened. It happened." He said filled with desperate sadness.
"It happened... what? Tell me..."
"Yes, I promised you I would have told you... A women... the secretary, there at work... we were in the archives room... we were alone... she touched me there and I got at once a hard on and... we were alone and then... and then I kissed her and... and she pulled it out, so... I wanted to tell her to stop... but she... she... I was aroused and asked her to give me head... and she did it... and started to suck... and just in that moment I thought of you and... and then..." he stopped in a sob, trembling.
"And then?" Stefano asked gently, feeling all the despair of his boy.
"And then it softened at once... there in her mouth... And at last I said no... and went away from there... but I did it, do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
"You... can you forgive me?"
"Do you want to be forgiven?"
"Oh yes, yes... if you can..."
"Do you want an answer now?"
"If... if you feel like. But if you want time to think about it..."
"No, I already thought enough. Do you love me?"
"Yes, sure I love you, even if I didn't show it. But I love you. I would like to swear to you it will never again happen, but... even before I was sure it would never happen and instead..."
"Do you miss a woman, Maurizio?"
"No... no... It is just that... I had to be more careful. I had to think of you before, not after..."
"Well... you thought of me during... not after." Stefano smiled. "Anyway I have something that could possibly help you to think of me before, if it would happen again... Do you want to know what is it?"
"Yes..."
"Here, this!" Stefano said handing him the blue little box.
"What's it?"
"Open it..."
Maurizio opened it and his eyes widened, "You don't want it any more?" he asked, trembling.
"Sure I want it... here it is, the one you gave me," he said showing him his hand with the ring, "This one is just a copy, so you can wear my same ring."
Maurizio looked at the hand, at the box, pulled out the new ring and turned it between his fingers, "It is absolutely the same!"
"Almost, very similar."
"And, it is for me?"
"Sure."
"Like a wedding ring..."
"Right like a wedding ring. Do you want to marry me, now, here, Maurizio?"
"I? Sure! But you... do you want to marry me? Do you still want it?"
"Give me your hand, I'll put it at your finger."
"So then... you forgive me!" the youg man said, still trembling, but with a bright light in his eyes, a shy smile peeping out of them.
"Yes. Here, I marry you, Maurizio!"
The boy burst in tears and embraced tight his man.
"Why are you crying, Love?"
"I'm too happy, Stefano. I don't deserve you."
"Yes, we deserve each other, Love. We are an odd couple, but we fit well together."
"Odd? Why odd?"
"I am gay and you are straight."
"Oh, stop that, please! I am just Maurizio and you are just Stefano. Never forget this. Never!"
THE END
In my home page I've put some more of my stories. If someone wants to read them, the URL is http://andrejkoymasky.com If you want to send me feed-back, or desire to help revising my English translations, so that I can put on-line more of my stories in English please e-mail at andrej@andrejkoymasky.com