This story is fiction and resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. I hope you enjoy the story. If you have suggestions or comments, please email me I look forward to hearing from you. Frontrnrusa@netscape.net
Copyright 2002 Holloway H.
A World Apart
Part One - Zachary
I was born in Iowa in 1923; my parents were dairy farmers with a herd of 300 cows. I still hear my father's voice yelling, "Zachary, grab that pail and pay attention to what you're doing."
I looked at poppa, "yes sir." It took me a minute to get my bearings and realize where I was and what I was supposed to be doing, I must have been daydreaming again. My long legs didn't appreciate the short stool I sat on to squeeze the udders of hundreds of cows, filling bucket after bucket with warm fresh cream. By the time the cows had been milked, fed and turned out it was time for school. Poppa would yell at me to get washed up and hurry on my way. I'd run upstairs, scrub my face, comb my hair and run out the front door and almost a mile to school. As soon as I hit the schoolyard I'd seek out my friends and soon we'd be engaged in conversation and imaginary baseball. Girls in my class walked around in a small group they were always making eyes at me and giggling. I didn't much care what the girls were saying; my friends would rib me no matter what. I was taller than most boys my age and I knew my looks were striking; I'd seen many people look at me and once I figured out I wasn't deformed I knew. Sometimes at the pictures when I was allowed to go alone I'd be sitting in the corner and an older man would sit next to me and his leg would rub up against mine, I didn't move I liked the feeling. Instead of looking like a typical 15 year old, I looked seventeen or eighteen.
Once the school bell rang everyone ran for the classroom and their seat, everything was business. Mr. Herndon didn't care much for cutting up and was known to have a mean swing with the heavy rod he carried up and down each aisle.
"Zachary, stand up."
"Yes sir." I stood at attention looking neither right nor left.
"Zachary I want you to recite the preamble to the constitution."
My mind raced a hundred miles an hour and I could hear Mr. Herndon walking up behind me. "Sir, `We the people.'" My mind continued to feed the words to my mouth until Mr. Herndon put his hand on my shoulder and told me to stop. His touch sent electricity throughout my body and I lost all memory of the constitution, it was a good thing I didn't have to recite more. I felt the slight squeeze he gave my shoulder before he dropped his hand and picked on the next person. I watched Mr. Herndon in his suit, he was a young teacher, he wore glasses and I considered him to be handsome. Hearing someone cough brought me out of my daydreaming trance, I sat and listened as each person was tagged to repeat the next section of the chosen recitation. Mr. Herndon didn't have to wait long to use his ruler on the shins of some forgetful soul.
"Tyler standup and continue."
I watched as Tyler came to his feet quickly and stood like a good soldier at attention. I noticed his worn clothes, ragged haircut and saw the slight trembling of his lip. He too was tall almost as tall as me he had wonderful bright gray eyes and dark black hair. He talked with a slow, more thoughtful manner, considering what he was going to say next. He began to recite from the point where the previous person had left off, he came to a part he could not remember and the familiar whack of the ruler slammed against his shins, he didn't wince or move until Mr. Herndon told him to sit and then he returned to his seat without any expression, looking straight ahead at the blackboard. I watched Tyler for several more seconds until the voice of the next person reciting took my attention. After the Constitution was completed we spent the remainder of the morning with bookwork and penmanship. During recess I stood leaning against a tree and watched as Tyler went off by himself and sat under a large oak his back resting against the trunk, he was completely out of sight of everyone. I talked with a few boys before wandering over to where Tyler rested. As I walked up on him he looked at me then closed his eyes, I sat next to him without asking, he opened his eyes and looked at me sideways never saying a word, but between us was an immediate unspoken understanding. We sat in silence for a while then I looked at him, "You like to camp?"
He turned and grinned, "Yeah, I love camping."
"I like camping too, but not by myself, how about Friday night?" I asked.
He nodded his head, "Okay."
We talked about hunting and family, we got so caught up in our conversation the bell startled both of us as we raced back to our seats.
After class Mr. Herndon made me stay behind. He had me clean erasers as he closed up the schoolhouse then we walked next door to his house, he said he wanted to give me a new book to read I loved reading and borrowed books from him all the time. He handed me a book on Greek History telling me it wouldn't be appropriate to show my parents the book. I looked at him understanding his concern. We sat beside each other as he took the book and opened it to a section and began reading about the Greek's. I felt my face turn red and at the same time I felt Mr. Herndon's hand on my leg, I didn't move the feeling was electric. He looked at me and his hand traveled further until I was straining for release. He led me back to his bedroom he removed his glasses, knelt in front of me, my fingers greedily moved in his hair as I held his head and my body moved of it's own accord soon I felt my knees buckle. Mr. Herndon looked at me and removed his clothes, he lay face down, I knew what to do I'd done it before, I soon lay on top of him, he cried out several times and finally my body shook and I collapsed, he didn't move. I could smell the hair oil he wore and was excited once again. Mr. Herndon had already had enough, but I'd already begun to move and he had to deal with my youth once again, his body was quick to move in unison with mine, my body shook and I collapsed on top of him. He rolled me off, cleaning off my private areas then he hurried me off. I ran all the way home and was only an hour late I used the book Mr. Herndon had given me as my excuse. I quickly got my chores done before heading to my room to read.
The First of Many Camping Trips -
I looked forward all week to camping out with Tyler. Over the next three days during recess Tyler and I made plans for our camping trip, we wanted to camp somewhere out of the way. With our supply list readied we counted down the time until we would setup camp. Friday afternoon as the school bell sounded Tyler and I raced back to my house. We gathered my camping supplies, Mom packed food for us to take on our trip. I slung my canteen over my shoulder and put my sleeping roll on my back, Tyler carried the tent and we both carried the canvas sack with our food.
"Zachary you boys be careful." I kissed my mother on the cheek,
"Yes momma."
Tyler looked over at my mother and smiled, "We'll be fine."
She smiled and we were off. Almost an hour later we arrived at Tyler's house, it was pretty run down, they hadn't planted much crops this year. Tyler's dad was a large man and he appeared much older than my dad, he acted like he'd been drinking. Tyler's mom had died from the fever three years back this past November. Tyler and I gathered his supplies as his father watched. As soon as we were ready to depart he looked at us, "be careful."
"Yes, sir," we replied in unison.
Traveling through brush and trees for almost three miles we reached a small pond completely shrouded by trees and brush. Across the pond was a clearing large enough for a tent. Tyler told me to wait while he went around into a clump of bushes and pushed out a wooden raft, we loaded our supplies onboard. Tyler used a pole to get the craft moving across the shallow pond. Once we hit the opposite shore and unloaded our stuff we hid the raft out of sight and proceeded to get our tent set up. It was still hot as the sun began to set, we stripped and ran to the water, then we swam as fast as we could to the middle of the pond and back; we wrestled with each other playfully until we were both tired out. Tyler and I dried off, then gathered wood and started a fire, we fixed something to eat and listened to the silence until mosquitoes started buzzing around us then we climbed inside the tent and pulled the flaps shut.
Tyler lit a candle in an old lamp and we played war with a deck of cards until we'd both won an equal amount of games. We lay back and Tyler blew the candle out to save light for tomorrow night. We lay in the dark talking about school, families, and what we were going to do tomorrow. After a while I heard Tyler's breathing soften I knew he must have fallen asleep. I could feel the warmth of his body radiating and my skin was thrilled by this sensation. I closed my eyes and slowly let my hand fall close to the top of his head, his hair felt soft on my fingers it was hard for me to refrain from playing with his dark hair. Tyler turned toward me lying on his side and rested his hand on my stomach. I moved my fingers in his hair and he moved his fingers across the skin of my stomach. We soon lost our shyness and began to explore each other, never in my life had I touched a boy my age and I'd never felt this way when Mr. Herndon touched me. Our hands explored the forbidden parts of each others body finding warmth and excitement with each touch until we both fell asleep from the excitement and exhaustion of our explorations. We slept well into the morning, I was the first to wake, Tyler's head rested on my shoulder. I turned my face into his hair and moved my fingers up the back of his neck. Tyler woke and looked up at me without a word, our shyness past, we hurriedly explored the limits of our excitement and we did the unthinkable, we put our lips together the way a man kisses a woman. I held Tyler's lips against mine and we moaned and writhed against each other as we erupted in passion and need for one another. We rested for a while then we swam together cleaning our bodies in the cool water, watching each other intently. Breakfast was delicious neither of us had ever tasted anything as good, we looked at each other as we ate and before long we were once again inside the tent our bodies pressed one against the other. We began to realize the impact of our actions. We looked at each other with confusion over what we had done, it was at that moment I became afraid, not at what we'd done but by the fact that I needed something in my life I'd never even thought about.
Tyler looked up at me, "Zachary I'm not sorry we did things together."
I looked at Tyler, "neither am I we mustn't let anyone know or they'll put us in jail."
Tyler shook his head acknowledging what I said as true. He climbed up next to me and leaned against me, my whole world had changed in one night. The heat of the day made being in the tent unbearable. We loaded my rifle and headed out in the brush to hunt for dinner. Tyler found an area where rabbit droppings were plentiful; we sat beside each other and waited, our bodies pressed together, as the first rabbit entered the small clearing Tyler took aim and with a pop the rabbit's body jerked a few time then was still. Tyler ran out and collected his trophy then resumed his place the dead rabbit lay next to us. After another hour and three more shots we had a good dinner. We returned to our campsite and cleaned our catch. Tyler was quick with removing the rabbit's head and pulling off their pelts. He soon had them all cleaned while I was still stretching out the skins to dry. We pulled out a can of beans and a jar of preserves to have with our rabbit. Tyler slowly turned the rabbit over the open fire watching as fat turned to liquid and exploded on the hot embers sending flames into the air. Once cooked he removed the rabbit from the stick and placed them on our tin plates, he looked at me as he handed me one of the plates,
"Zachary what are we going to do?"
I had already taken a bite of rabbit, "about what?"
Tyler tried to smile, "what we've done, do you think people can tell by looking at us?"
I studied his face, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, "we're friends, we're staying friends, you look the same as everyone else, we didn't do nothing wrong, I mean it."
He shook his head, "You look the same too, could we go camping again sometime?"
I reached out with my clean hand and messed his hair, "all the time."
The next day of our camping trip we spent together hunting, swimming and worrying about having to return home the following afternoon, it seemed at fifteen nothing in our lives would ever return to normal. The more time we spent together the more natural it all seemed.
Monday morning I returned to school, Tyler waited for me and once I'd said something to my friends I dragged Tyler into the group. Tyler was mostly a listener, when he did say something it seemed everyone waited for him to finish, while I hung on to each word, eventually he was a part of the group and I didn't have to worry about him being a part from me, but I did find myself worrying about something new. I worried about him doing something with other boys. I'd already been with Mr. Herndon again but I wasn't about to let Tyler be with anyone but me. Mr. Herndon needed what I could give and he wasn't a threat. Tyler and me saw each other at school but had little time even on weekends to visit. I worked from the time my homework was completed until it was time to go to bed and Tyler did the same. When we had weekends where I could get away, we camped out but only for one night, my father wanted me home for various reasons. When Tyler and I had a night together our shyness was gone and we sought only to please each other until we both lay in the dark exhausted and deeply in love with each other. Tyler's head on my stomach, my fingers moving in his hair was all I needed to be happy. I decided to tell Tyler how I felt, as we lay in the tent I stuttered as I tried to explain to Tyler, he looked at me, his expression torn between anger and understanding,
"I understand, what you're feeling but we'll grow out of this, we'll meet girls and get married."
I shook my head in agreement giving up on honesty. We lay in the dark listening to each other's breathing neither of us moving. I was fifteen and anticipation was hard to control, I couldn't control my urges but I could control my hands. It seemed like an eternity passed before, Tyler placed his hand on my chest and I put my arm under his neck. We lay a while longer before either of us was bold enough to break the silence with a question,
"What if we don't like girls this way?"
Tyler thought about my question before answering, "we'll see what happens, like daddy always says don't count your chickens until they hatch." His hand found its way down my stomach and my hand did the same. I'd always thought about doing this with a boy but always thought it would be nasty and I'd never think about it again, but it wasn't. I never touched Mr. Herndon's private areas he was always the one doing the touching. Tyler made me want to touch all of him and all the sermons about hell fire and everything else didn't even enter my mind anymore.
The Farm -
Farm life keeps you busy, makes you strong and healthy until it drives you into your grave. My father was of German descent, he was strong willed and determined to never count on anyone but himself. At times he worked so hard he'd fall asleep in the barn without eating. Momma was German too and just as strong willed except when it came to daddy. She loved him something terrible. They were always real practical except when it came to each other. I'd go into town with my father and he'd always spend an extra nickel to pick momma up something. It didn't matter what he got her, it only mattered that he remembered her. I was my parent's only child, they couldn't have no more otherwise I'm sure we'd of had a house full. While I was being born, the midwife said there were terrible problems and by the time they was able to get a doctor, I was half out and momma was in severe pain. After I was delivered the doctor looked after momma, she got real sick and daddy nursed her the entire time. The Doctor told momma and daddy a few weeks later momma couldn't bear any more children, her insides was messed up from my birth. I was never sure if it was my fault or not and I was even more uncertain whether they blamed me or not. My parent's loved me I think. I don't remember hearing them tell me that exactly, they would make a big deal of good grades and medals for baseball or running, but I don't remember hearing them say `I love you'. I looked a lot like my father, at 35 he still looked like a young man. His hair was blond and thick, his eyes as blue and lively as mine and he was tall, we were both tall and the spitting image of each other. Daddy took Momma and me to town when the photographer came through and had our pictures made, he got two and let me put one in my room. Momma was a good mother and a better wife, she never talked about not being able to have other children at least not that I heard. She kept the house clean as a whistle and she cooked like a chef in one of those high priced restaurants. Momma was our cook and our housekeeper she sewed, washed and nursed us when we were sick. She was the last one to sit down to dinner every night and the only one of us that didn't want something from town or anywhere else always saying she was content with her lot.
I on the other hand wasn't content. A year passed, Tyler and I saw each other every chance we got. It was becoming more than either of us had ever considered. During the summer, Tyler's father had taken him to see kin in Pavo, Georgia. While he was there he met a girl from town. They went to a dance, but soon ended up in the back of the Ford. Tyler said he couldn't go through with it and told the girl he was scared of getting caught. She called him a bad name and ran away. He told me about it when he returned, he couldn't look at me as he told me the story. We didn't talk about what was happening between us, seemed a distance was springing up without words. The few times we could have gone camping we didn't. At school we were friends but not as close. Over a long weekend a group of us decided to go camping, we asked Tyler too but he said no, even though he knew I was going. I saw him look over at me like he wanted to say something but didn't. The camping trip was fun, we fished and swam down by the river, the bugs were bad at night but overall I had a good time.
The following Monday at school the gulf between Tyler and I widened all week until Friday when he almost ordered me to go camping with him. We managed to get our supplies together and then we walked to our campsite with less than 10 words between us. We swam and played around but we were restrained in our actions with each other. As night fell we climbed in our tent and got settled Tyler didn't want to play cards so we lay in the dark. You could hear the mosquitoes buzzing outside the canvas walls. Crickets played their fiddle legs and owls hooted to their hearts content. It was warm and I lay there shirtless my underwear wet from sweat, I had almost fallen asleep when I felt Tyler's hand on my body. He moved in next to me and whispered his question in my ear, "Did you mess around on the camping trip?"
I breathed hard, "No, I wouldn't dare."
We talked until we'd settled the fear both of us felt then we sealed our pact with blood from our little fingers; we poked each other with a pine needle causing a drop of blood. As we lay back Tyler lay on his stomach and I took him the way I'd taken Mr. Herndon. I didn't even get to enter him before I was shaken by my excitement. Tyler turned over and in the dark his hand touched the side of my face, I bent forward and kissed him and he told me he loved me, nothing had ever made me as happy or given as much purpose in life as those words spoken that night. At 16 and half we were two farm boys who violated God's law as the preacher had preached from his pulpit by loving each other in physical ways, but it didn't matter cause even the heat of hell seemed all right as long as we were together. Over the next year and a half we spent summers together camping and winters in Tyler's barn loft. In a little less than a year and a half we'd both be eighteen and high school graduates. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for a living but whatever I faced it wouldn't be alone.
A Death -
We never tired of each other or camping or lying together in the dark of a tent. We talked often about Hitler and Germany, listening to the exploits of pilots on the radio and daydreaming of flying. In May of the following year many things happened. Tyler's father died and the land and farm was sold to satisfy debts. Momma and daddy allowed Tyler to stay with us until he graduated from high school then he could get in touch with relatives. It was during the time he lived in my room that I learned how independent I was of the world and how dependent I was on Tyler and him dependent on me.
In 1940 I wanted to be a Pilot and I wanted to spend the remainder of my life with Tyler. People had been put in jail or insane asylums for wanting the same as Tyler and me and getting caught. I daydreamed about the two of us working a farm after the war. Tyler smiled when I told him about my thoughts, "I'd like that too."
There wasn't anything soft in Tyler's appearance or manner it was in the way he was when we were alone, something that belonged only to me. On a Sunday afternoon almost a month after his father died the Sheriff auctioned off the farm and all the equipment. Sheriff Potter was a good man and he was sure to get the best possible price for everything. There was a crowd of about 25 people listening as each item was described before being put up for auction. Tyler and I sat behind the crowd and listened, I looked over at Tyler and could see anger and sadness in his eyes he'd turn his head and wipe his face like he'd been sweating. When it was all said and done, the farm, equipment and 300 hundred acres brought just over 2700 dollars. The sad part is the debt owed was only 1500 hundred dollars. Since Tyler was under 21 at the time he couldn't assume the debt so they sold his homestead. Three days after the auction, the bank manager came down by the house with a check for 1200 dollars made out to Tyler. Tyler held the check for a few moments before handing it back and saying he wanted to open an account. The following afternoon we walked into town went to the bank and signed the papers to open a savings account. I was listed as his next of kin just in case something happened to him. He made his first withdraw of 10 dollars, we both got haircuts, a cold drink and a real wristwatch. "We'll need the watches if we're going to be pilots."
"You're right." I replied a smile covering my face. We walked to the bus stop and took the bus into Atlanta almost two hours away. We got there just after one in the afternoon and had no problems finding the Army recruiter. The recruiter was an older fellow and he seemed nice enough, we talked about the Air Corps, he said we had to be high school graduates we told him we would be in about two weeks. He gave us paperwork to complete and a test, after looking at everything he said to us, "if you pass the physical you both can enlist in the Air Corps."
We slapped each other on the back. The recruiter gave us tickets to catch the bus back home and another ticket to come back in three weeks and take a physical. We were excited as we talked in the back of the bus. I don't know what I was thinking when I looked at Tyler and said, "what if they transfer us to different units?"
He smiled at me, "you and I are going to earn as much money as we can in the next two years then we'll move someplace we can live together without people wondering."