A Tumbleweed Adventure – Chapter Four
Jerry held Danny in his arms as they
came down from their natural high. He
was totally relaxed and comfortable, more than he had ever experienced with a
woman. It amazed him that he could be
taken to such heights of passion by another guy. In fact, he never had felt as close to
another human being as he felt to Danny at that moment. The more he thought about it, the more it
scared him. He had already gone much
further into this relationship than he ever dreamed of going.
He and Danny had become very close
friends since the early summer, and that closeness had always had sexual
overtones. Initially, he had wanted to
have sex with Danny. He thought that
fucking Danny would satisfy his desires for him, and that would be the end of
the physical relationship between them.
However, last night his body had reacted so strongly to Danny’s touch
that it left him with no doubts that he was sexually attracted to him; and,
even more disturbing to him, was the realization that he wanted Danny more than
anyone else in the world. It wasn’t
just a physical attraction. He loved
everything about this man in his arms. He
was still uncomfortable with the fact that he wanted Danny to be more than just
a friend.
That thought brought him up short. What was he thinking? Never before had he felt this way. Yes, he had had the occasional fling with a
woman, staying at her place for a short while.
However, he mostly limited his sexual encounters to visits to a local whore
house. That way, there weren’t
expectations of a relationship; just sex for money. That is how he preferred it; no
entanglements, no hurt feelings, and certainly none of the trappings of a nasty
break up. He enjoyed his freedom from
domestic worries.
How could he be so sure this was what he
had been looking for all of his life – an intimate relationship with a man? His confusion about his feelings for Danny
had evaporated over the last 24 hours.
Now, he knew for certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life
with him. But that certainty raised
other questions in his mind. What would
their life together be like? Where did
they go from here as a couple? Despite
his feelings for Danny, did he have the strength and the courage to be his
life-long partner?
Up until now, he had led a very lonely
life. He knew, beyond a shadow of a
doubt, that he didn’t want to be alone anymore. He wanted to be with Danny. He nuzzled Danny’s hair and nibbled on his
earlobe as he thought about what made Danny the perfect mate for him. Danny was everything he had ever dreamed of
in a spouse. He was sexy, funny, and
liked many of the same things he did. He
was patient beyond belief, and most of all he listened with rapt attention to
everything Jerry had to say. Danny was
a man’s man, kind of like the guys portrayed in cigarette commercials. He was confident, strong, and
self-reliant. Danny possessed many of
the character traits that Jerry valued and felt were essential to surviving in
this world. Most importantly, Danny
brought a sense of completeness to Jerry, like they were two parts of a single
whole.
However, the thing that worried him was the
fact that having sex with a man was illegal, and they could go to jail. He kept going over, in his mind, how they
could keep the true nature of their relationship from being discovered. He was still thinking about a strategy for
hiding their relationship from other people, when Danny put his hand to his
face and asked, “What are you thinking about, that has you so troubled?”
Danny liked the feel of Jerry’s nascent
beard. It was just a bit more than a 5
o’clock shadow. He saw the troubled
look on his lover’s face and knew that something was bothering his friend. He had grown accustomed to Jerry’s mannerisms
and could tell when things weren’t right with him.
Jerry said, “I’m thinking of ways to
hide our relationship, to keep us out of jail.”
“What did you decide?” Danny asked,
gazing into his lover’s eyes.
“We will have to keep moving from place
to place. As long as we don’t stay too
long in a particular place, no one will get to know us well enough to figure
out that we’re lovers,” Jerry said.
“How long is too long?” Danny asked,
thinking this would suit him fine since that is how he had already been living
his life. He preferred not to be tied
down.
“It depends on the situation. In general, I would say that no more than
two months in any one place should keep us safe,” Jerry said. He thought for a moment. “It will be like it was for me growing
up. My mother always said that we were
like tumbleweeds being blown from place to place. We’ll be carrying on my family’s tradition
of never staying put for long. Are you
okay with constantly being on the move?”
Danny smiled and said, “As long as I’m
with you, I’m okay with moving around a lot.
I’ve kind of been doing that already, since I was kicked out of my
parents’ house. I’ve found people get
too nosy after a while.”
“Well, I think we’ll be okay, especially
since neither of us have feminine traits that would cause someone to question
our relationship,” Jerry said.
“Not only that, we’re both into the
outdoors, and aren’t shy about putting in a good day’s work,” Danny said,
straddling Jerry. He leaned down and
kissed him, as he felt Jerry growing under him. “It’s your turn to fuck me; since I fucked
you first.”
Jerry smiled and said, “Has anyone ever
told you that you have beautiful eyes?”
Danny laughed and said, “No, they
haven’t, but I’m sure my beautiful eyes aren’t what you’re interested in right
now!”
Jerry grinned and said, “You’re right
about that.”
*** ***
The fire had burned down to a pile of
hot coals that glowed in the dark. A
draft of cold air sent a chill down Jerry’s spine. He roused himself from his post-coital
stupor, untangling himself from Danny, and knelt in front of the fireplace to
add wood to the fire. He watched as the
dry wood began so smolder, then burst into flame. He noticed that all of the logs in the wood
box were pine. That meant it would burn
quickly, unlike hardwood that would last much longer than these split pine
logs. He made a mental note to
replenish their wood supply before they went to bed for the night. Fortunately, they wouldn't have to go very
far to fetch the wood, because someone had stacked it neatly along the south
wall of the cabin.
He lay down alongside Danny and pulled
the blanket up over them both. Danny
stirred and rolled over, placing his arm over Jerry’s stomach. Jerry brought his hand to Danny’s face and
ran his fingertips along the chiseled jaw line. Danny smiled and opened his eyes.
“I love it when you do that,” he said,
bringing his hand up to capture Jerry’s in his. He turned it over with the palm up and
placed his palm on top of Jerry’s. He
lined up their hands and said, “They are almost exactly the same size, only
your fingers are slightly longer than mine.”
Over the last few months, Danny had
memorized everything about Jerry that he could. He had been cautiously optimistic that Jerry
might have an interest in having sex with him.
However, just in case his favorite fantasy didn’t come true; he had committed
to memory every detail of Jerry’s personality.
Even now, he was cataloging things in his mind, hoping to build memories
that would never fade. His fear of
losing Jerry fueled this seemingly manic behavior. Their passionate lovemaking had added another
dimension to his mental portrait of Jerry.
Comparing his hands to Jerry’s added another layer of pigment to the
picture he was painting in his memory.
Jerry grinned lecherously, and said, “Just
like my dick is slightly longer than yours.”
“That’s true, but you enjoy being fucked
as much as I do,” Danny said. “So size
isn’t an issue for either one of us.” Danny’s
hand caressed Jerry’s semi-hard steel pole.
Danny noted Jerry’s troubled expression. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just that I can’t believe that I’m
really lying here talking to you about how much we enjoy having sex with a
guy,” he answered. He was still making
mental adjustments as the reality of their relationship sank deeper into his
psyche.
“Why does it have to be a big deal? Can’t we just accept the fact that we love
each other, and leave it at that?” Danny asked, fearing that Jerry was going to
bail out on him; just as things seemed to be working for them.
Jerry gazed intently into Danny’s
eyes. He saw the fear in them, and
heard the anxiety in his voice. He
placed his hands on either side of Danny’s face. “Danny, I’m not going to leave you. That isn’t what I’m trying to say. I’m trying to work through my feelings of
confusion and uncertainty. I don’t know
who I am anymore. I thought I was a
real tough guy who was fiercely independent and had no attachments to
anyone. Now, I find myself madly in
love with you. It has changed my
perspective on things. I didn’t ever
worry about where I was or where I was going.
Now that we’re in a relationship that has all changed. I worry about our future together.”
Danny took Jerry’s hands in his and
said, “Leave the worrying for another time and place. Let us enjoy the time we have together,
right here, right now. There will be plenty of opportunities for us
to plan out our lives together.”
Jerry nodded his head. He heard the pleading in Danny’s voice. His fears weren’t unfounded, and Jerry felt
guilty for not being able to hide his worries from him. He said, “Okay. Are we sleeping in here?”
“Only if you want to sleep in front of
the fire place, I think the bed will be much more comfortable,” Danny replied,
trying to keep his voice light. He
didn’t want to spoil this night with thoughts of what might happen tomorrow. He knew that Jerry might change his mind
about their relationship and leave him.
Jerry said, “I vote for the bed. I’ll add a couple more logs to the fire to
keep it from getting too cold in here.”
“If you want, we can fire up the wood
burning stove to heat up some water. I
believe there are some hot water bottles in the pantry,” Danny said. “We used them when we were younger. Dad would put them at the foot of the bed to
keep our feet warm,” Danny said. He
stood up and walked over to the pantry and opened the door. In the dim firelight that entered the
pantry, he managed to find two hot water bottles, and turned to show them to
Jerry. “See, they are still here.”
Jerry smiled, as he admired the
beautiful body of his lover. His eyes
fell on the hot water bottles in Danny’s hands, reminding him that Danny was
waiting for him to respond. “Okay,
let’s heat the water.” Jerry continued
to watch Danny with a lover’s eyes.
Danny walked over and laid the hot water
bottles on the counter. He opened the
door to the stove. He wadded up some
old newspaper and placed it inside with some kindling. He lit the paper and soon had the fire
burning. He added more wood after the
kindling was burning pretty steadily.
He closed the stove and filled a cast iron pot with water. He placed it on the stove, and returned to
snuggle with Jerry in front of the fire place.
Danny pulled the blankets over them and folded himself around Jerry.
Danny asked, “What do you want to do
tomorrow?”
Jerry said, “I don’t know.”
“Would you like to do some camping? We could go to Arches National
Monument. They have some good places to
camp there,” Danny said. “We can take a
couple of the horses down with us. I
don’t think Golden will mind, and the horses need to be exercised.”
Jerry said, “Let’s talk to Golden in the
morning. Since we’ll be taking horses
with us, we will need to make sure we take enough supplies with us.”
“We already have our camping gear stowed
in the back of the truck. That part is
done,” Danny said, excitement showing in his voice. He loved camping with Jerry; but, in the
past, they had always been accompanied by tourists. This time, it would be just the two of
them. “You know, this will be our first
camping trip alone.”
Jerry grinned, “Are you saying this will
be like our honeymoon?”
Danny laughed and replied, “If we were
married, yes, it would be.”
“I wish I could marry you, Danny,” Jerry
said, seriously.
Danny’s expression quickly changed and
became serious, “We can still be committed to each other; I mean, like married
people are.”
Jerry said, “But I want to shout it out
to the entire world that you’re my husband and that you’re mine. All mine,” Jerry said. “As long as it’s illegal for us to have
intimate relations, we will always have to be on our guard. Are you really sure you want to live a life
in the shadows, always looking over your shoulder, wondering when the police
will show up and throw you in jail for loving me?”
Danny said, “I love you, Jerry
Wallace. I’m willing to do whatever it
takes to stay with you.”
“Including the risk of being beaten or
killed?” Jerry asked. “The United
States government persecutes homosexuals, just like the Nazis did during World
War II. Eisenhower signed an executive
order banning homosexuals from working for the government. He said that homosexuals are a threat to
national security; because they could be blackmailed, and because they are
psychologically unstable. The FBI
hunted them down, and co-workers were encouraged to inform management of any
suspicious behavior. Those who were
found out never found other employment and ended up impoverished, if not
dead. That kind of discrimination and
hatred still exists,”
“But I’ve never heard of that executive
order,” Danny objected.
“That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist,
and that it’s not still in force,” Jerry said.
“All 50 states have anti-sodomy laws on the books that impose fines and
jail time on homosexual activity.”
“Why do you know so much about it?”
Danny said. He was surprised that Jerry
would know so much about homosexuality and the laws against it.
“I worked for the Bureau of Land
Management for a short period of time, and one of my co-workers was caught
having sex with another guy. Both of
them ended up in jail,” Jerry said. He
paused and shuddered before continuing.
“They were beaten to death by their cell mates.”
“Didn’t the guards try to stop it?”
Danny said, horrified.
“They were the ones who instigated the beatings,”
Jerry said. “Their murderers were
already sentenced to life in prison and had nothing to lose. The guards were reprimanded, but no one was
fired or charged with murder. The
district attorney refused to bring murder charges against the inmates and the
prison guards. I overheard the local
county sheriff telling his deputies that they deserved to die.”
Danny was shocked that such callousness
existed in the United States with regard to another human life. He had imagined that such atrocities only
occurred in third world countries. He
had been raised to believe in the greatness of the United States and its people,
and how virtuous and beyond reproach they were. The image of the officially condoned murder of
two homosexuals clashed with everything he believed about his country. He had been taught his country was founded
on the principles of freedom and justice for all. Now, he found himself wondering what other
falsehoods he had been taught all his life.
Deeply troubled, he asked, “Why would
someone allow a murder to happen like that?”
Jerry noted the distress in Danny’s
voice. He hated to cause Danny pain,
but he felt compelled to drive home the dangers they would be facing if they
continued to remain in the relationship they both wanted.
“Most people don’t consider homosexuals
human beings. They have convinced
themselves that homosexuals are abominations and monsters; and, therefore, it
is okay to kill them and eliminate them from society,” Jerry said. “They justify their behavior based on their
religious beliefs. I’ve heard many a
preacher quote the Bible to justify committing the sin of murder.”
“My grandparents experienced religious
persecution. When they left the Baptist
Church, they had their house burned down by a mob, and their fields were sown
with salt. They moved from Georgia to
California, and became very wealthy. My
parents moved to Richfield to be near my mother’s family. Dad bought this ranch because he thought we
needed to learn how to work.”
“I remember you told me about this ranch
the first day we met. You also told me
that your father kicked you out of the house when you were 17,” Jerry said.
“Yes, he did. Sheriff Larson took me in. He and his wife let me stay with them until
I graduated from high school,” Danny said.
“Sheriff Larson couldn’t believe my devoutly religious parents kicked me
out of their home because I didn’t want to attend their church. He told me he was surprised at my father’s
behavior, because his dealings with people from our church had always been
positive up until that time. It shocked
him that my father, who held a prominent position in his church, would kick me
out of his house for my refusal to attend his church.”
“So what did cause your father to disown
you?” Jerry asked. He knew this was
important for Danny to share, because it had such a major impact on his life as
an adult. He wanted to know everything
about this man who had rocked his world.
He needed to understand what made him who he was.
“I told my parents I wouldn’t go on a
mission for their church nor would I comply with their demands that I attend
the same church school as my older siblings.
I told them I refused to continue with their program of indoctrination
and brainwashing. I was old enough to
make my own decisions about my religious beliefs, and wouldn’t tolerate my
father’s insistence that his beliefs had to be my own. I accused him of being a ruthless dictator
in our home; and that freedom of expression was all but non-existent in our
home. I accused him of being a hypocrite,
and that he presented a nice face to other people; but did totally the opposite
at home where no one could witness his true nature.”
“What did he do then?” Jerry prompted
when Danny paused.
“He told me to pack my things and he
would deliver me to the sheriff’s office as I was no longer welcome in his
home,” Danny said. “I packed what few
clothes I had in a pillow case and walked out the door. He told me to get into his car and I told
him to fuck off. I told him that I
never wanted to see him or my mother ever again. I walked the two miles to the sheriff’s
office, and told Sheriff Larson what had happened. He told me I was welcome to live with him
and his family until I graduated from high school. Fortunately, I only had a couple of months
left until graduation. I worked for him
in the sheriff’s office, filing papers and answering phones. I helped cook the meals for the inmates at
the county jail, and did other chores around the Larsens’ home to earn my
keep. On Sundays, he told me that I was
more than welcome to attend his church, which advocates that God is love and
accepts everyone, regardless of their religious tendencies. I didn’t go with him, because I saw their
church as being the same as my parents.
It was a different denomination, but it taught many of the same
doctrines.”
Jerry said, “What did you do after you
graduated?” He was really curious to
know. They had shared their experiences
about moving from job to job, but Danny had never told him about this period of
his life. It was apparent that it was a
painful time for Danny; living so close to his parents, yet not being a part of
their family anymore. Jerry wanted to
help Danny heal the wounds that had been inflicted on his tender heart by his
so called Christian parents.
Danny said, “One of my friends from high
school got a job working in the pineapple fields in Hawaii; so I applied and
got hired, as well. We spent the next
year working there. Then we decided to
try commercial fishing. A group of us
who worked in the pineapple fields hired on with a fishing boat out of
Seattle. I worked that job for a couple
of years before I tired of fishing, and moved on to a job tending sheep in
Idaho. I really liked that job. I worked with one other guy, but we hardly
ever saw each other, since we were camped at different locations. After that, I drifted from job to job about every
six months or so, until I ended up working at the ranch where I met you.”
Jerry asked, “Which job did you like the
best?” He had held many different jobs
over the years as well. There were some
jobs he liked and there were others he had hated.
Danny grinned, “Do you really have to
ask?”
Jerry laughed, “The last one where you
met me!”
“That’s right, buck-o,” Danny said,
running his hands over Jerry’s well-muscled chest. “I never dreamed I would find such a
handsome man to be my partner.” He
leaned over and kissed Jerry. He pulled
back and said, “I think the water is boiling now.” He got up and walked over to the stove. “Will you hold the bottles while I fill
them?”
Jerry joined his lover. He put his arm around Danny’s waist and
kissed him. He released him and picked
up the rubber hot water bottle and removed the lid. He held it over the sink while Danny poured
in the hot water with a coffee cup.
When the two bottles were filled, Danny
said, “Let’s go to bed.”
Jerry gathered up their blankets and
pillows, carrying them into the bedroom.
The bed was an old brass bed with a mattress that sat directly on the
springs which creaked loudly at the slightest movement. It was a good thing they were in the cabin
by themselves, because having sex on this bed would be a very noisy
affair. The thought of having sex with
Danny in this bed brought a smile to his face.
He quickly made the bed, placing the hot water bottles, wrapped in
towels, at the foot of the bed.
Danny saw Jerry’s smile and asked,
“What’s the smile for?”
“I was thinking of having sex with you
in this bed,” Jerry said, as they climbed into it, pulling the covers up to
their chins.
Danny grinned and said, “I can’t wait.”
Jerry pulled Danny into his arms. Danny molded his body to Jerry’s and soon
the two lovers were fast asleep.
*** ***
The next morning, Golden waited at the
main house for the boys to show for breakfast.
When they hadn’t shown up by 9 AM, he loaded the food onto a big tray,
grabbed his winter coat, and made his way down to the cabin. He knocked on the door, but there was no
answer. He opened the door and walked
inside, closing the door behind him. He
walked over and set the tray down on the little table. As he looked around the room, his mind was
flooded with memories. He and his wife
lived here for many years. Those were
the happiest years of his life. He
still lived here during the summer, when Danny’s parents came down for the
summer. They had moved north to Salt
Lake City more than ten years before, leaving the management of the ranch in
his hands. He walked over to the
fireplace and extended his hand over the ashes. He could feel there was still some heat
there, and decided to light the fire for the boys. He pulled out a couple of sheets of old
newspaper that he kept in the wood box for starting fires. He crumpled it up and used it to brush away
the ashes from the live coals hidden there.
He placed some kindling on top of the paper and began blowing the
exposed coals until the paper caught fire.
Originally, the Eccles hadn’t installed any other heating in the cabin;
but after a pipe froze one year, Golden had convinced them to put in electric
heat strips along the baseboards. The
strips provided enough heat to keep the pipes from freezing, but that was just
about it. Golden had always built a big
fire in the fireplace to keep the place comfortable. Of course, there was the small wood burning
stove. It helped as well, but it burned
through wood at a much faster rate than the fireplace, despite its small size. He thought about the many midnight trips to
the wood pile to restock his wood box.
He remembered how she would greet him after he came in from the cold,
pulling him into to bed with her, to warm him up, she said. He missed her terribly.
That done, he decided it was time to
wake the boys. He walked over to the
doorway between the main room of the cabin and the bedroom. The boys had left the door open to allow the
heat from the fireplace to warm the bedroom.
He stopped and stared at what he saw.
As he stood there, he realized that Jerry and Danny were more than just
good friends. He turned around and
walked over to the couch and sat down.
He usually grew nostalgic as he sat staring
at it, but not this time. He was
shocked at what he saw, and wasn’t sure how to react. He thought about Danny, and everything his
family had put him through. He had seen
how happy Danny was yesterday. He
hadn’t known then that Jerry was the source of that happiness. It was obvious to him now that he had no
right to spoil that happiness. He
hadn’t agreed with Danny’s parents and how shabbily they had treated him, and
he wasn’t about to join them in destroying Danny’s happiness. Having decided that Danny’s relationship
with Jerry was none of his business; he got up and walked over to the
doorway. He could see the contentment
in their faces, even as they slept. They
looked like he and Delores must have looked when they slept there, happy and
content in each other’s arms. He nodded
to himself. He knew he was making the
right decision.
“Good morning, boys,” Golden said,
smiling.
Jerry opened his eyes and looked at
Golden in surprise. He was about to ask
him how he got into the cabin, when he remembered that there wasn’t a lock on
the front door. “Hello, Golden.”
Golden said, “I brought you
breakfast. When you two didn’t show up
to eat this morning, I thought I had better check on you.”
Danny rubbed the sleep from his eyes and
yawned widely. He sat up and said,
“Good morning, Golden. Thank you for
bringing breakfast.”
“You’re welcome, Danny Boy,” Golden
turned to leave their bedroom, but then turned back. “Boys, I don’t have a problem with you two
being lovers, but please be careful not to let anyone else know. I don’t want to see you hurt or thrown in
jail. It was very hard on me and the
wife when your parents kicked you out of their house. I don’t want to lose you again.” He
gazed steadily into Danny’s eyes. “You
were always our favorite of all the children, and you still are. I want you to be happy, and I can see that
this man here is who makes you happy.
I’ve never been religious, so I don’t have any hang ups with you two
loving each other. But as I’ve already
said, be very careful to hide your relationship from the rest of the world. A love like yours is much too precious to
let others ruin because of their religious prejudices and their hatred of
things they don’t understand.” He turned
and left the room, whistling a song that neither of them recognized.
Danny looked over at Jerry and said,
“Well, that went well.”
Jerry said, “Yes, it did, but it could
have ended very badly. I think we need
to get a lock for that door today.” He
reached up and brushed the hair out of Danny’s eyes. He loved his amazing blue eyes. They looked almost ice blue this morning. Last night, they had darkened to the color
of sapphires as Danny’s passion for him had grown in heat and intensity. When he had commented on Danny’s beautiful
eyes, he had meant it. They were truly
mesmerizing.
“We can get it when we pick up our
supplies for our camping trip,” Danny said.
“Great idea,” Jerry said.
They got up and padded across the room
and into the main room of the cabin. Set
out on the little round kitchen table was a hearty breakfast. They sat down and made short work of
devouring the tasty meal Golden had brought them.
“We have to light the hot water
heater. It burns propane, and I’m sure
that it’s not been lit since everyone left in the fall,” Danny said.
Jerry asked, “Why didn’t you mention it
last night? We could have lit the pilot
light sooner.”
“I honestly forgot about it until now,”
Danny said, defensively. He stood up
and walked over to the pantry. He
opened it and found the long matches used to light it. “Here are the matches.”
Jerry couldn’t help admiring his lover’s
athletic build as Danny walked into the bathroom and opened the closet that
held the hot water heater. He knelt
down and took off the metal plate that covered the opening. He turned the knob to pilot, struck a match
and reached in to light the pilot light.
The flame caught and he turned the knob to on. The burner roared to life as the flames
spread quickly from one nozzle to the next one. He replaced the metal plate and rejoined
Jerry.
“That’s all taken care of. We should have hot water in about 15
minutes,” Danny said, looking at Jerry’s crotch. He met Jerry’s eyes and knew what was on
Jerry’s mind. He grinned and said,
“Let’s clean up.” He cleared his dishes
from the table. Jerry followed him over
to the sink, bringing his dirty dishes to join Danny’s in the sink.
They washed up the dishes together. When they had finished, Jerry wrapped his
arms around Danny’s waist from behind, kissing the base of his neck. He nibbled on his earlobe and said, “I’m
going to make love to you right here and now.”
He was as good as his word!
*** ***
Jerry collapsed against his lover,
clinging to him as his body completely relaxed. He said, “I’ve always wanted to have sex in
the kitchen, but women aren’t really into it.
They always want to be comfortable, and it kind of spoils it.”
Danny turned his head and met Jerry’s
lips in a deeply passionate kiss. “I’m
here to fulfill all your wildest dreams, sweetheart.” Jerry still wasn’t used to his best friend
calling him sweetheart. He got a funny
look on his face that caused Danny to ask, “What’s wrong? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
Jerry responded, “No, nothing is
wrong. It’s just that you called me
sweetheart. I don’t recall that you’ve
used that term of endearment before with me.”
Danny shrugged. “What do you want me to call you?”
“I’m not sure,” Jerry said. “I don’t want us to slip up in public by
using terms like honey, babe, sweetheart, and lover. It has to be something no one would
recognize as something they would call their wife or husband. He thought for a moment, then snapped his
fingers and said, “That’s what you should call me, Danny. I’m your partner or roommate. That way no one will know that we’re
lovers.” Jerry put his hands on the
counter and pushed himself up, freeing Danny from his embrace. Jerry turned him around and kissed him
deeply.
Danny put his arms around Jerry’s neck
and said, “Let’s get a shower. The
water should be hot by now.”
They walked hand in hand into the
bathroom. Jerry started the water
running in the tub and adjusted the temperature before pulling the lever for
the shower. He stepped into the tub,
pulling Danny in with him. Danny
reached up and pulled the shower curtain across the opening to prevent water spraying
all over the bathroom floor. They
washed each other and let their hands roam each other’s bodies.
Jerry smiled and said, “Thank you for
making my life so wonderful.” He
tenderly kissed Danny. He turned off
the water and they stepped out of the tub.
They dried each other off, maintaining contact with each other as much
as possible. Jerry said, “I think this
must be what it’s like to be newlyweds.
I want to touch you and I never want to let you go.”
Danny agreed. “I’m sure you’re right.”
They walked into their bedroom and got
dressed. They grabbed their winter
coats and walked up the lane to the main ranch house. The door opened when they reached it.
Golden said, “Please come in,
boys.” They came in and sat down in the
chairs next to the potbelly stove.
Golden joined them. He could see
they weren’t sure what to say to him, so he said, “Let me repeat what I said
down at the cabin. I don’t care that
you two love each other. You don’t have
to act any different around me than you normally would. I’m not condemning you, and, to be honest,
what you two do in your own bedroom is your own business. Have I made myself clear?”
They nodded their heads that they
understood what he said. Jerry said,
“Thank you for not judging us.”
“We were worried that you would call the
sheriff,” Danny said.
Golden looked horrified. “I would never do that to you, Danny. Your parents may have disowned you, but I
never did.”
Danny’s eyes were bright with
tears. He swallowed hard before he
could speak. “I’ve wanted to come back
here, but I didn’t dare, given how Dad and I parted ways.”
“Your mother was devastated,” Golden
said. “She threatened to leave your
father, but he managed to convince her to stay. He told her that he wouldn’t allow her to
destroy the rest of the family by leaving him.
In the end, she bowed to his wishes and stayed with him. She refused to sleep with him and moved into
her own room. As far as I know, they
still have separate rooms. Your mother
used to confide in my wife. That’s how
I know what happened after you left.
Your Dad thought he could make her happy by moving to the big city. I don’t think it changed anything.”
“Thank
you for telling me,” Danny said. “I
wondered what happened after I left.”
Golden said, “That is all ancient
history now.” He smiled and asked,
“What are you boys planning to do today?”
“We want to borrow a couple of horses
for a few days and go camping. We plan
to go to Mesa Verde to see the cliff dwellings and then to Moab.”
“You’re going to Arches,” Golden said,
smiling. “That was your favorite place
to go horseback riding and camping.”
Danny smiled and said, “It was, and I
hope to make it our favorite.” He took
Jerry’s hand in his. “We’ve decided we
won’t stay here very long, Golden. We
don’t want to risk being found out; and the longer we stay the greater the
danger for us.”
Golden nodded his head in
understanding. “I’m sorry it has to be
that way, Danny. I want you to know
that I will help you in any way I can.”
Jerry said, “Thank you.”
Golden stood up and walked over the
kitchen table. He shuffled through some
papers and said, “I think you’ll need these maps. I used them a few weeks ago when we went out
to cut pine trees for the saw mill.”
He walked over and handed them to
Danny. Jerry leaned over and looked at
the maps in Danny’s hands. “That’s
perfect, Golden.”
“If you’re taking two horses, you’ll
need to take a bigger truck than yours, Jerry,” Golden said. “If you’ll leave me your keys, you can take
my truck instead. It’s got a bigger
engine and there’s more room in the back for all the supplies you’ll need.”
Jerry smiled and said, “Thank you for
your generosity. I had wondered how we
would pull the horse trailer while being loaded down with enough supplies to
keep us and the horses fed.”
They spent the rest of the morning
getting things ready for our trip. They ate lunch with Golden before setting out
on their little road trip. They arrived
a few hours later at the entrance of Mesa Verde National Park. They checked into Moorehead Campground, and
then talked to the park ranger about the best way to see the park. He recommended driving over to see the Cliff
Palace before sunset, and then seeing the rest of the cliff dwellings the next day. They took care of the horses and then unhitched
the horse trailer. They did as he
suggested and drove to the scenic overlook to see the cliff palace.
Cliff dwellings of the Anasazi Indians, Mesa
Verde National Park
They toured the remaining cliff
dwellings the next day. They camped
there for two more days riding their horses around the park before driving west
and south to Moab, Utah. They passed
the entrance to Arches National Monument on the way to Moab.
“That’s the entrance right there,” Danny
said, pointing to the sign announcing the park entrance.
“I saw it, Babe, but we need a place to
stay for the night where we can let the horses out of their trailer,” Jerry
said. “It will be better to let the
horses rest up before we take them into the park.”
“Okay,” Danny said. “There’s a campground our family used every
time we came here. Maybe it’s still in
business.”
They crossed the Colorado River just
before reaching the small community that is Moab.
Colorado River near Moab, Utah
They bought more supplies in Moab. They found the campground Danny’s family
used and checked in. The next day, they
drove back to Arches National Monument.
They talked with the park rangers and got permission to ride their
horses, giving them the details they asked for. Danny enjoyed telling Jerry of his childhood
memories of the many trips his family made to Arches.
Arches National Park
Upon their return, they spent their
first evening with Golden. They sat
around the potbelly stove and he regaled them with stories about Danny. Danny held Jerry’s hand and laughed at the
sometimes embarrassing stories.
Later that night, Jerry took Danny into
his arms and said, “I’m so glad we got to spend some time alone, but I’m also
grateful to Golden. His stories of your
childhood were great!”
Danny smiled, “It was good to remember
the many good times I had as a child.
It has made me realize that my parents were doing the best they could to
provide us with a good education and opportunities for us to improve
ourselves. But most of all, I needed to
be reminded that my life with my parents was a good one, despite my
disagreement with their religious views.”
Jerry put his hand to Danny’s
cheek. “I hope it was enough to let you
begin the healing process. I want you
to be able to let go of the hurt you’ve had to carry with you all of these
years. You’re with me now, and I want
you to be happy. I want you to leave
behind all of the bad things that have happened to you in the past.”
Danny turned his head and kissed Jerry’s
hand, “I love you, Jerry.”
“I love you, too,” he responded. He pulled Danny closer to him.
Danny rested his head on Jerry’s
shoulder and said, “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Danny relaxed in his lover’s arms, and
Jerry knew he had drifted off to sleep when he heard his breathing slow. He thought to himself, “I’ve found the
perfect partner, and now we’ve begun our lives together. Nothing can stop us now.”
*** ***
Author’s Note:
Eisenhower’s Gay Purge - http://www.gaypolitics.com/2013/04/29/60th-anniversary-of-federal-governments-gay-purge/
No comments:
Post a Comment