My Summer Vacation, Chapter 4
I was awakened early by a chorus of feathered friends. It was pleasant to lie there and listen to the variety of their melodies. The cool air coming through the slightly open window was invigorating too. Lying nude under the sheet and light blanket, I felt refreshed and ready to face the new day.
Vern was already sitting at the kitchen table when I ventured from the bedroom. He had helped himself to a cup of coffee made in the Keurig as I had suggested the night before.
"How is the patient this morning?"
"Much better! I slept very well after soaking in that hot water last night. I'll be good as new by tomorrow, I'm sure."
"Don't heal too quickly or you won't get a good compensation from the insurance company for pain and suffering!"
"We're assuming there IS insurance. I'd really hate to take the lady to court. If she offers money to fix my bike, I guess I'd settle for that. It was intended to be my sole method of transportation while I'm here, so I really need it."
"Speaking of which, I think we should take it this morning to see if it can be salvaged. If it can't, I saw some very nice ones in the window of the bike shop in town."
"I wonder if they have a payment plan. I really wasn't expecting a major expense. I suppose I can take it out of my savings and replace the money as I get paid."
"Look, I don't want to sound like you're a charity case, but I'd be willing to front you the cash and you could pay be back a little at a time. I remember being a student."
"That's kind of you, and I may take you up on it. It's funny that I'm so willing. Usually I stiffen up when I'm offered help like that. I'm not sure what's different. Maybe it's because I don't feel like you're playing the role of the person in the Big House who has to care for the po' black servant boy. You've treated me as an equal from the moment we met."
"It's because you ARE my equal, or maybe I should say that I'll be YOUR equal when I get buff from working out more in the gym this coming year!"
"Thanks, man!" he exclaimed as he stood and hugged me.
I wanted to simply melt into his arms and stay there forever! As it was, I probably remained several seconds too long for what was meant to be a gesture of friendship. He didn't make me feel like I'd overstayed my welcome. If he had dropped his arms and backed up, it would have been a signal that I had. However, he waited until I broke our embrace, and then he didn't rush.
"Um, well, I should get breakfast going. Do you like eggs, bacon, and the full thing?"
"Sure, but you don't have to go to all the trouble. I can eat cereal or whatever."
"I don't have bacon very often, but there's some left from the chicken recipe. I suspect that you're probably careful about animal fats like I am. You don't seem to have an extra ounce of fat on your body."
I felt good about having brought up his bod without making it look like worship, even if it was to an extent.
"You're the same. I couldn't help noticing how good you looked last night on the deck."
I beamed at his compliment. Perhaps he had been checking me out more than I thought.
Bob, the proprietor of Bob's Bicycle Barn shook his head as he inspected the wreckage of what had been a deluxe touring bike.
"I'm afraid it's roadkill. There might be a few salvageable parts, but the frame is beyond saving. I have one hanging in the window that's comparable, perhaps a step up."
"That's the one I wanted when I settled for this one," Vern sighed. "Is it gonna cost me a fortune?"
"Nope. If you're satisfied with it, it's yours."
"Uh, what?"
"Aunt Edna's son was in yesterday and basically handed me a blank check. He had your name, but not your phone number and he's probably at the sheriff's office obtaining that as we speak."
"Wow! He doesn't need to buy me one better than I had!"
"Yes he does. He wants you to have a new water bottle with carrying rack, a new digital lighting system, speedometer, saddle bags, and/or anything else your heart desires."
"Wait, I can figure out how he would know who I was, but how did you?"
"It's a small town, Mr. Washington, and, um, I don't want to offend you, but we don't get many people with a tan as dark as yours."
"You don't have to worry about upsetting me, I know I'm black. I've been like this since I was born, sun or not. I do appreciate it that everyone I've met has been nice to me."
"We call it western hospitality," Bob smiled.
"I think I'm gonna love spending the summer here!" Vern grinned, shaking Bob's hand and bumping fists with me.
Bob tallied everything up, but wouldn't let Vern see the extent of the bill until it was all taken care of. As Vern accepted the receipt, marked paid in full, his phone rang.
Wes, Edna's son was on the line. He talked loudly enough that everyone within six feet could hear the whole conversation.
"Mr. Washington, this is Wes Purdy. I'm awful sorry about what happened. I hope you can forgive Mother. She's a tough old bird, independent as hell. I've taken her keys and pulled the sparkplug wires so she won't be driving again. I even called her neighbor boy so he won't put the wires back for her. Did Bob get you fixed up?"
"Yes sir! You're being more generous than you needed to be. This bike is nicer than the one I had."
"No, that's exactly what we needed to do. I've paid Dr. Marsh and I'll be happy to cover any other bills you have over this. Where are you; I'd like to meet you if you have a minute."
"I'm at Bob's."
"Good, meet me at the Lodge Café for coffee if you're not in a hurry."
"I'll have to check with my ride to see if he's on a tight schedule."
"That's fine," I nodded.
Wes was as folksy as he sounded on the phone. Everyone in the place knew him, and by default, probably knew who Vern and I were as well. The waitress brought the coffee pot along with menus.
"Now I want you boys to order anything you want."
"Gabe made a big breakfast, so coffee is plenty."
"How about you Gabe?"
"I'm fine."
"Well, at least you have to have one of Lois's cinnamon rolls. They're the finest in the county. June, honey, bring us three big ones and butter to spread on `em."
It would have been impolite to turn him down, but I was mentally calculating the calories and the percentage of animal fat, and it sounded like a heart attack on a plate on top of the bacon we'd already had.
We spent half an hour being entertained with stories about the town. When Wes wound down, he paid the bill, shook our hands, and gave us each an envelope.
"Don't you open these until I'm out of sight, hear?
"Okay," we responded in chorus.
"Look at all these bills; they're all hundreds!" Vern exclaimed as he sat in my vehicle.
"What does that add up to?"
"It looks like $5,000 if I counted them right."
"That compensates for lots of pain and suffering, I guess. Hmm... I got $400 as a reward for being `a good Samaritan' according to the note."
Vern tried calling Mr. Purdy's number to tell him that he shouldn't have given him so much money. It rang and rang and then cut off instead of going to voice mail.
We had a theory that Wes knew it was Vern who was calling and why, and was avoiding him. We decided to try calling him on my cell phone because he probably didn't have my number. He picked up the phone on the second ring. I said hello to him and handed the phone to Vern.
"Mr. Purdy, I can't accept all that money!"
"You have to. Mother said you were to have it and that's how it is. I gave it to you in cash so there wasn't a check you could tear up. She realizes that you could bring an expensive law suit against her, and she's thankful that you haven't. We understand you're still in school and we know how expensive it is these days. Use it however you want to."
And that was the sum total of the conversation.
Vern and I ate lunch before we shopped for groceries. I urged him to tell me what kinds of things he liked and we'd buy the supplies to make them.
"I can't let you wait on me all the time," he insisted. "I'm gonna make some meals too. Do you like Southern cooking?"
"I guess; I'm not familiar with a lot of it besides fried chicken, which I love."
"I was thinking about a meal of poke greens cooked with bacon, hard boiled eggs, and cornbread. I'd use spinach because I don't think poke weed grows here, and it can be poisonous if not done right."
"The spinach sounds okay," I agreed, leery of anything that could be toxic.
"Next I'll make chitlings," he said with a perfectly straight face.
I must have visibly cringed at the idea because he began to crack up laughing.
"Man, you should've seen the look on your face. I think you actually turned a shade of green!"
"Sorry, I've eaten snails, octopus, and witchetty grubs, but I think I draw the line at pig guts."
"Ew, you've eaten moth larvae and you turn your nose up swine intestines?"
"Yeah, well, it was exotic, not gross."
"Man, you white boys are strange," he grinned. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna make you eat anything you find disgusting."
Several innuendos flitted across my naughty mind, but I had the good sense not to voice them.
By Monday, which was his first day to report to his job, Vern thought he was feeling well enough to bike to work. We had taken a short ride on Sunday to test his new ride, and his strength. He might have been fine, but I asked him to let me baby him at least one more day and he did.
When I picked him up at quitting time, he admitted that he might have been too drained by the end of his first day to enjoy cycling home.
"I made a lot of progress and I'm pleased, but the learning curve was steeper than I'd anticipated. I'm bushed!"
"You're welcome to relax in the hot tub while I get dinner on the table. It's all cold things prepared ahead, so we can eat whenever you like."
Vernon insisted that I join him in the swirling water and said he could help with setting things out afterward. We rinsed off quickly and got in. It was becoming increasingly difficult for me to be naked with him and remain flaccid. I know I swelled up a bit even in the short shower in tepid water.
We sat awhile as I got him to talk about his day. It felt rather homey and I began to dream again about a life together.
I dried off quickly and pulled on my shorts before I could pop an erection, and began busying myself in the kitchen. He came in soon to help.
Our first course was a cool summer soup made with a plain yogurt and chicken broth base and filled with diced fresh vegetables and herbs. Vern raved over it.
Course number two consisted of a Greek village salad (horiatiki) which was also rich in fresh veggies.
The main entrée was a meaty chicken salad made from my grandmother's recipe. I served a crusty baguette with it that I had baked a couple of hours before.
"This is even better than chitlings, man! I think you're turning me into a white boy."
We both had a good laugh. The more time we spent together, the more relaxed we were about race. That we could tease about it made me feel we were going beyond fears about being politically correct and were truly accepting each other. I hoped we could reach that level about my orientation someday, but I didn't want to push the envelope and end up alone for the rest of the summer.
Life moved at a comfortable pace for the next month. There was time for me to write, and time to socialize with my house-mate.
I normally cooked dinner during the week, and he often cooked on the weekend. Some weekdays, he would insist that we go out on his dime to give me a break from the routine. I didn't resist because it was pleasant not to have the responsibility every single day, and I wanted him to be able to contribute because he had this thing about not being a charity case.
It was on Friday at the end of our first month together. We had finished our dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and were showering off before our hot tub time. We were completely nude and only a few feet apart when Vern told me about the call from Fred, the real estate guy.
"A small apartment has opened up and he's holding it for me to look at tomorrow."
"Okay... Are you tired of riding so far into town? I can drive you even on the dry days if you like."
"No, I don't mind the ride and you always take pity on me when it's rainy. But I've been in your space for several weeks..."
"Have I ever made you feel unwelcome? If so, I certainly didn't mean to. I love your company."
"But with me here, you don't get much of a social life."
"Does Red Lodge seem like a place to have a social life?"
"No, but you could have one if you wanted to. I've noticed how Brock Forsythe looks at you like the Big Bad Wolf looked at Little Red Riding Hood, only he's not thinking about eating you in the same way."
"Brock would be fine if I were a gay man looking for a one-night stand."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you're gay. I didn't mean to offend you."
"And I didn't mean to imply that I'm not gay. What I'm saying is that I'm interested in a long-term relationship, and Brock certainly isn't the type."
"I'm becoming too comfortable here Gabe. At the end of summer, we'll have to go our separate ways and that will be tougher if we don't sorta get used to it ahead of time."
"Why do we need to go our separate ways?" I asked, staring into his emerald eyes.
"Well, we're from different worlds. I'm an undergrad living in the dorm and you're a full professor with an apartment."
"So, move in with me."
"Are you serious? You want me to live with you this fall?"
"Yes, and I want you to move in right now!"
"But I already live here."
"I'd like you to move into my bed now, and into my apartment when we get back to Iowa City."
With that proclamation, I put my arms around him and drew our faces together, kissing him passionately. My action caught him off guard and it took a few seconds for him to respond. When he did, he wasn't shy. His manhood rose next to mine. It was like two jungle snakes heeding the mating call.
From that point on, it felt to me like white-hot lust. We didn't make any sounds other than moans of pleasure after I led him to my bed. Those heightened as we shared fantastic orgasms a few minutes later.
While I don't want to go into detail about our first sexual interaction, I do want to stress that it didn't involve intercourse. It basically amounted to frottage, rather like a couple of adolescents might engage in after they discovered that the organ between their legs was created for something besides allowing them to pee while standing up.
Once I started to come down from the high of my climax, I felt a rush of guilt for pushing Vern into a sexual act without even asking if he wanted it.
"Please forgive me for nearly raping you. It's not like me to be so inconsiderate," I pleaded.
"No apology necessary, you didn't do anything wrong. I've wanted this for so long!" Vern cried. "I didn't think you'd humiliate me or throw me out if I put a move on you and you weren't receptive, but I also didn't want you to think I was using my body to repay your kindness of taking me in. I mean, if this was gonna happen, I wanted you to know it was genuine on my part."
"I was afraid to make the first move for the same reason - that you'd think I expected payment," I confessed. "Just now my lust overruled my brain and I lost it!"
"It looks like we both lost a lot of something! Your sheets are going to be a mess," Vern giggled. "Should we put them in the freezer to preserve them and donate them to a sperm bank?"
His hilarious comment set me to giggling too.
"Should we change the bed, or roll around and coat our bodies?" I asked.
"I vote for the latter; I'd bathe in this stuff if I could!"
As our dicks deflated, we cuddled in the afterglow and talked. In talking, we found that our hopes for the future coalesced much like our bodily fluids had.
Author's notes: Thanks to the many who emailed since the last installment. Zero, Jim M, Peter M, Arden C, John M, Tom A, Wayne, Bill K, Bill T, Vern, Dick M, Jim L, Mendy D, Larry S, Jim W, Jon B, Chris L, Paul F, Deon, Jeremy R, John McD, Ott H, John L, and Hotrod, I appreciate your encouragement.
Please remember Nifty in your will!
Chapter 5 will be the last on of this short story. I hope you'll enjoy it. As I sometimes do, I may take a short break before posting a new tale. I have one cooking on the back burner.
David