I ONCE WAS LOST CHAPTER 11 BY THE CAROLINA SCRIBBLER
THE USUAL DISCLAIMERS APPLY HERE. IF YOU AREN'T OF LEGAL AGE (18 IN MOST AREAS) THEN PLEASE LEAVE. THIS STORY IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE WE ENCOUNTER IN LIFE AND THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT DEVELOP BETWEEN FRIENDS, FAMILIES AND LOVERS. IT MAY ALSO CONTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF SEX BETWEEN MALES BUT IT ISN'T A STROKE PIECE. IF THAT BOTHERS YOU THEN PLEASE LEAVE. ALL TRADEMARKS AND COPYRIGHTS ARE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNER(S). FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED AND FLAMES WILL BE IGNORED. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE STORY.
(RECAP)
I put my head on his arm.
"I've still got a lot to learn about love don't I?"
"Jesse, everybody has to learn about love but you know what?"
"What"
"You're great," he said.
"No, you're great."
"Together, we're great," he said.
"The best"
I knew we had plans for dinner but I thought I'd `rest my eyes' for a moment. I went right off to sleep cuddled with my guy.
(THE STORY CONTINUES)
"Wake up Jesse, it's almost 4:30," Will said softly.
"Mmm hmm," I mumbled.
I could hear him chuckle at me and I smiled. Finally I opened my eyes.
"Sorry, I must have dozed off," I said.
"It's ok. I need to run back to my place to shower and change anyway."
"Ok, I'll see you in a few."
We kissed and Will left. I sat on the bed for another minute, trying to wake up fully. When I did, I grabbed some underwear from my dresser drawer and headed across the hallway.
Charles had evidently just showered but was standing at the sink shaving. The bathroom felt like a sauna and he had wiped a circular place in the mirror so he could see his face while he shaved.
"Damn, it's hot in here," I grumbled.
"Yeah, I should have left the door cracked a little. Sorry dude."
"It's alright," I muttered.
He continued shaving as I stepped in the shower. When I has finished and had changed clothes I went downstairs. I was in a better mood now.
Charles was sitting on the sofa watching some movie. I patted his shoulder as I walked past. He tilted his head back.
"What?" he asked.
"I didn't mean to be a wise-ass earlier, when I came into the bathroom."
He thought for a second before answering.
"Oh, the comment about it being hot?" he replied.
"Yeah"
"Don't worry about it. It was hot in there," he grinned.
I poured some tea and stepped outside to smoke. In a few minutes Charles joined me. He started to say something but the phone rang. I went back inside to answer it, talking on my way back outside. It was Will.
"Ok, I'll tell him. I love you too. Bye." I said.
"Gee, I wonder who that could have been," Charles said playfully.
I chuckled.
"It was my boyfriend, thank you and by the way he said he was bringing a 12-pack of your favorite beer over."
Charles cracked up.
"Will ain't right man, I swear he ain't."
The phone rang again and I handed it to Charles.
"I got it last time," I said laughing at him.
He ginned and answered it.
"It's Jennifer," he said cupping his hand over the receiver.
"Ask her if she wants to join us?" I said.
The talked for a minute and finally he asked her. She said she could and Charles told her he'd pick her up about 6:15 and they'd come back here to meet everybody.
"She said she's been to that Thai place and the food was great," Charles said.
"Cool, I'm glad she could join us.
By 6:30 everyone had arrived. Charles introduced Jennifer to my relatives and she and my Aunt really hit it off well. I knew they would. We piled into my Aunt's van and headed off.
We arrived at the Loyal Thai and only had to wait about 5 minutes for a table even though they were packed. I was impressed with the unique décor of the place. The tables were all stained glass artwork illuminated by lights embedded in the flooring. More artwork adorned the walls and we found out from our waiter that the artist was also one of the owners. The artwork gave the restaurant a very unique look and created a very relaxing atmosphere. The food was great, not as spicy as I had thought it would be either.
I ordered a dish called Plar Prik which was basically your choice of beef, pork, shrimp or chicken with Thai chilis, garlic, green onions and other spices. Will ordered the same and once, I whispered in Will's ear to ask if his `Prik' was good and he nearly choked. My Aunt, who was sitting directly across from him heard me and laughed hard but silently until she had tears in her eyes. She removed a tissue from her purse and dabbed her eyes. I blushed when I realized she had heard me but Will laughed out loud.
Uncle Bert picked up the check for everyone and then we decided to head to `The Strip'.
"You don't mind, do you?" I asked Charles in a whisper.
"Not at all, Jess. I patrol down there a lot but I don't get down there very often sightseeing. It's cool."
He flashed a grin and I nodded my head. Maybe he was just being polite or respectful in deference to my family but I appreciated it. We parked in the deck across from the Pavilion Amusement Park and walked down the block to Ocean blvd. It was dusk and everything was all lit up. My heart began to beat a little quicker. Jared and Scott were leading the way with Will and me behind them. My Aunt and Uncle were behind us with Jennifer, Charles and Lin bringing up the rear.
"Man! This place is jammin' tonight!" Scott exclaimed with a wide grin.
We all watched him and Jared do an almost slow motion turn as a group of girls about my age walked past. They giggled and smiled at my cousin and brother.
"Keep your eyes in their sockets young man," Uncle Bert said. We all laughed at that.
A moment later, a troop of 5 or 6 young guys walked past. Some were shirtless too.
"And the same goes for you too, Jesse," my Uncle said to much laughter from our group.
"Shit" I said with a sheepish grin.
"Bus...ted," Charles said.
We laughed again.
We spent a good amount of time walking the boulevard, first in one direction and then the other. I noticed Peaches Corner was just ahead.
"Hey kids, ya'll mind if I take a little break?" Uncle Bert said. He wiped his brow. It was the end of June and although it was 9pm, it was still hot and muggy.
We went in and quickly made our way to the last booth. It was large enough to accommodate our bunch too. We all ordered ice cream or milkshakes and they were good. Jared and Scott both ordered milkshakes, fries and footlong hotdogs `all the way' too.
"They never get full," Aunt Maxine chuckled. Uncle Bert agreed.
With wide grins, Jared and Scott looked up simultaneously and their timing couldn't have been any better. They both had chili moustaches from the hotdogs they were eating.
We made such a ruckus over that it's a wonder we weren't thrown out.
After we left Peaches and made it back to the amusement park, we decided to check out the amusement park. Actually, Uncle Bert had suggested it but I'd bet he did that for the rest of us. Once we were inside he found a bench to rest on near the carousel. My Aunt latched onto Lin and asked him if he'd be her date. He grinned from ear to ear and off they went. Everyone scattered but promised to meet back in 45 minutes.
Will and I rode a few rides including the `The Scrambler'. It lived up to it's name we thought. We played some games and I won a teddy bear, which I promptly gave to Will. He named it JJ.
"Why JJ?"
"It stands for Jesse Jr," he replied.
"Remind me to thank you later," I said teasingly. He wiggled his eyebrows which made me laugh.
We played a few more games then caught up with Lin and my aunt.
"Have you seen the others?" she asked.
"No ma'am," I replied.
We strolled back to the meeting place and my uncle was right there. Aunt Maxine sat down and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"Did you miss me honey?" she asked him playfully.
"Well, I would have missed you more if these girls hadn't dropped by see," he replied.
"Oh and what were their names," my aunt replied, playing along.
I knew he was teasing her. My uncle loved to tease people. Lin was all wide-eyed. I glanced at Will and he was grinning big time.
My uncle thought for a moment. "Candy and Honey, I think it was. Yeah, that was their names. They just graduated from some college up north and came down here for a little rest and relaxation and they're going to have a party tonight over at the Java Island hotel. They invited me so I told them I'd be there about midnight."
"Albert Mayhew, you are a mess you know that?" she said. We all laughed.
Charles and Jennifer showed up in a couple of minutes.
"Have ya'll seen the boys?" Uncle Bert asked them.
"They were waiting in line at the bungee tower a minute ago," Charles replied.
"Oh my Lord," my aunt said as her mouth dropped open.
"C'mon, let's watch `em," my uncle said.
We got to the bungee tower and spotted them right away. They saw us too and waved. Scott yelled something but the noise was so loud in the park we couldn't hear him. He grinned like hell when he said it though.
Finally they reached the end of the line, literally and Scott went first, then Jared.
"Man that was cool. I gotta do that again," he said.
"Oh no mister, one heart attack tonight is plenty," Aunt Maxine said. She smiled and drew Scott into a hug."
We watched Jared walk toward us slowly. He looked a little green around the edges. Suddenly he darted off to the side where he stuck his head into a barrel.
"Bless his heart," my aunt said with a little giggle. I think we all snickered quietly.
"Son, go see if you can get some paper towels or napkins and wet some of them," Uncle Bert told Scott.
Scott took off and Aunt Maxine went over to Jared. She rubbed his back until he finished. Scott returned and handed the towels to her and she gave the wet ones to Jared first and then the dry ones. In a moment they joined us.
"Dude, are you ok?" Scott asked Jared softly.
"Yeah" he replied.
"Don't puke on me, ok?" Scott teased.
That made all of us, including Jared laugh.
I placed my arm around my little brother's shoulder as we headed out. Of course we stopped at a Mickey D's a few blocks away for the younger two. No one else was hungry but I got a cheeseburger for myself.
We arrived back home and although it was kind of late, Charles insisted my family come inside for awhile. He put on a pot of coffee and Will thought we needed a cake so he and Lin ran down to the supermarket. They were back just as the coffee finished.
Lin stayed a few minutes after he finished his cake but announced he had to get home. Aunt Maxine hugged her `date' goodbye. He ate that up too. He shook our hands then left. About 11:30 Uncle Bert asked my aunt if it wasn't time to head back to the campground. She agreed it was. We all stood to leave, she called out to Jared and Scott. They were in the living room. Charles had set up his game system and they were sitting on the floor playing a war game. It looked interesting too. She waited a moment and called them again.
"If you want, they can spend the night. There's plenty of room, we'll even feed them in the morning," Charles said with a grin.
"Oh honey, we couldn't do that. They eat everything in sight," my aunt replied.
"Really, it's ok. It's not an imposition, let `em stay if they want. We can give them a ride to the campground tomorrow or you can pick them, either way."
She glanced at my uncle.
"It's fine with me," Uncle Bert said.
"Ok then, and you're positive you don't mind?" Aunt Maxine asked.
"It's fine," Charles said.
With that settled, they asked the boys if they'd like to stay and of course they said yes. I knew that would be a given. They paused the game long enough to say goodbye then went back to saving the free world.
Once my aunt and uncle left I figured at that point Jennifer was staying but in a few minutes Charles said he had to take her home.
"You guys need anything while I'm out?" he asked.
I pulled out a few dollars and handed it to him.
"Could you pick up some stuff for breakfast, I think we're out of eggs and almost out of bacon too."
They left and Will and I went into the living room. We watched Scott and Jared play the videogame for a few minutes. I was engrossed in that until the telephone rang, it brought me out of the trance I was in.
I ran into the kitchen to answer the phone. It was Charles and he told me he had an `opportunity' and would be home in a little while. I laughed and we hung up.
"That was Charles," I said to Will.
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
I grinned. "Charles is gettin' a little action and he said he'd be home in a little while."
Will chuckled.
Scott and Jared grew tired of the game so they turned the system off and carefully put it all away. I turned on the stereo and turned the volume low.
"Jesse, could we talk?" Jared asked.
"Sure, you want to go in the other room?"
"Oh, no I meant all of us," he said.
"Sure," I said looking at Scott and Will. They both nodded their heads.
The coffee table was still off to the side since they had been lying in the floor while they played the game so we sat down on the floor in a circle.
"Could I have a soft drink first?" Jared asked with a grin.
"Yeah" I chuckled. I trotted to the kitchen and returned with 4 cans of soda.
"I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you," he said.
"I know and I'm sorry for the way I treated you too but didn't we discuss this on the front porch this afternoon?"
"Yeah, but I wanted to say it again. I really am sorry Jesse. I didn't understand a lot of things and I guess some things I still don't but I'm going to try, ok?"
"That's fair enough," I answered, "Do you have questions?"
"Yeah, I have a couple if ya'll don't mind. But I don't won't you to get mad though," he said. His eyes nervously darted from me to Will and then down at his soft drink.
"We won't get mad," Will said reassuringly.
Jared smiled.
"Well, Scott explained that you pretty much always knew you were gay but I was wondering why you're gay."
Will answered.
"It's genetic, it's how we were made. I didn't just wake up one morning and decide I was homosexual. Some people are made gay and some are made straight," he said.
"What about bisexuals?" Scott asked.
"Good point," Will said, "I guess they're attracted to males and females."
"Huh? You mean they like guys and girls?" Jared asked with a puzzled look.
"They're attracted to both. I know a guy at the hospital who's bisexual. He's had a girlfriend and a boyfriend since I've known him," Will said.
"You mean both at the same time?" Jared asked.
"No, it wasn't at the same time," Will chuckled.
"Two girlfriends at the same time would kick ass," Scott laughed.
"I'd settle for just one," Jared added. We all laughed.
"Well, I have one boyfriend and he's all I need," Will said as he took my hand in his.
I smiled at him and glanced back at Scott who had a grin on his face.
"I never thought I'd say this about two dudes and especially not my cousin but ya'll make a nice couple," Scott said.
Will and I chuckled but I noticed Jared seemed a bit uneasy.
"Are you ok little bro?" I asked.
He fidgeted with his soda can.
"Yeah" he said softly. He continued staring down.
"Jared, does this bother you?" Will asked gently as he held our hands up.
Jared was silent but Will waited for an answer.
"A little bit I guess," he said. There was sadness in his voice.
Our conversation continued for a while and I thought I had explained things well enough to Jared earlier in the day. Either I hadn't or he had some real issues. By the time all was said and done though, Jared and Will were acting like lifelong friends. It made me feel good again. I knew that Jared fully accepted me individually as well as Will and I as a couple.
Charles came in smiling and singing so we knew what he'd been up too. Will teased him too and of course Charles ate that shit up. We made a big pallet on the floor for Jared and Scott to sleep on. Just before we all turned in Charles told us that Michael was coming home tomorrow. I knew he was glad about that. Will and I were too.
TO BE CONTINUED
Dear readers and friends,
I apologize for the length of this chapter, I know it's short and I'll try to make that up, I promise. There is something going on in my personal life which I am dealing with. The story WILL CONTINUE.
Take Care, The Carolina Scribbler
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