Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2002 11:54:30 -0800 From: arthur Subject: turning the tide part 2 adult/ youth TURNING THE TIDE Part Two By arthur As I struggled into the bathroom with my burden I thought to myself that this was not what I had planned for a Sunday morning lay in, as I sat Moeaki on the edge of the bathtub and stood up holding him so he wouldn't fall into the empty bath, god he was a mess, it was going to take me ages to try to get him cleaned up, I gentley shook his shoulder and as he became a little alert again I explained what I was going to have to do to fix him up, he mumbled something about it being ok to do whatever and then tried to sink into oblivion again but with another shake he came back to consciousness. "Moeaki, hey, I'm going to have to undress you and put you in the bath to clean you up, ok?" "Mmrph, yesh, sokay." I began to strip off the ragged clothes and then saw the real extent of the bruising and cuts he had on his body, I held him there at last only in his boxers as I turned the water on and checked the temprature so as not to fry him, it was going to be painful as it was with all the bruising and cuts, but with luck the amount of booze he'd had would dull some of the pain. When the bath was ready I lifted him by the armpits and snaked his boxers off, it was a pity he was in this condition as what he had to offer was very inviting and quite well developed for his age but this was neither the time nor the place to be thinking of that. I lowered him as gentley as I could into the bath and began to bathe the cuts and dirt from his skin until he began to glow again with that beautiful copper colour I admired so much on the Islanders, the bruises were starting to darken even as I watched, he'd taken quite a beating somewhere and was going to be as sore as hell when he awoke later in the day. I looked down into his face and could see he was aware of what was going on but still the odd wince told me he was feeling the effects, I tried to take it as easy as I could and as I worked my way down his torso I was aware of his eyes on my face, even in pain they seemed to be asking a question of me. "You ok, Moeaki?" "Yesh, sorry yes, can I ask you a question?" "Sure anything you want to ask is ok." "Well, I know your one of those gays." "So?" "Ahhh, do you think, like you know, like I'm one too?" "I don't know, Moeaki, only you can answer that." "Its hard, you know what the Tongan people say about people like that?" "No Moeaki, I don't know what they say, tell me?" "Well they all say that if you're a, you know, poofter, well you're going to go to hell cause god doesn't want you, so he'll send a disease to you to kill you." "Is that what they say? and what do you think Moeaki?" "I don't know, I tried to do 'it' with a girl I met at a party but I couldn't do 'it', I didn't, well, get hard like, you know to put it in." "Were you drinking at the party?" "Yeah." "You might of had to much to drink, so it mightn't mean anything." "But I didn't try at the party, I just met her there, it was two days later I tried and I was sober, I just couldn't do 'it'." "It doesn't mean that you like boys though, it may just have been one of those things that happens now and again." "I don't think so." "Why not, Moeaki?" "Because I'm still pretty pissed now and you're making me hard, you see, even with the booze when I get near you I get hard all the time." "Why not tell me this before, Moeaki?" "I'm Tongan, I'm not meant to be like this, I'm a bit drunk now and it seems ok to talk about it but before I couldn't, do you hate me now?" "No Moeaki, I could never hate you, lets leave this for a while and I'll get you finished up and then look to your cuts and bruises after that it's into bed for you, when you wake up later I think if you want to we should talk straight out like you're doing now, is it a deal?" "You'll listen to me?" "Yes, I'll listen to everything you want to say and I wont say anything against you, deal?" "Yeah, deal, you want me to get out now, you wont be ashamed of me will you?" "I've seen you already tonight, once more wont change my mind about you." Moeaki struggled to his feet in the bath as I held onto his arm to help, it was true, as drunk as he was he was also as hard as steel, and a very nice piece of steel as well, I tried to ignore it and began to dry him off then wrapping the towel around him lead him into the bedroom leaving his dirty clothes for the next day to wash and dry, I sat him on the edge of the bed and took out my house hold first aid kit and began to repair some of the damage to his body, he winced and grimaced as I swabbed the cuts but when it was over he was happy to be allowed to lay down at last on a safe warm bed and was immediately asleep before I had put everything away. It was tempting to hop into the bed with him but I felt it was not the time to do that and definately not when he was boozed to the gills, I don't like the next morning story of 'I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing' If he wanted to do anything it was going to be when he was sober and would know what was going on and with no regrets, I left him there now snoring in that way that all drunks have of doing when they at last pass out, and went into the kitchen for coffee, looks as though my sleeping for the night was over, thats the trouble with one bedroom apartments, any visitors and you either sleep together or one of you gets the sofa and he was in no condition to sleep on a sofa so it was coffee and a chair in front of the TV for me and being Sunday the TV programs were as exciting as watching paint dry. I watched the News and some lame program on gardening then decide to open up the computer and see to any emails then after all was done I looked into the bedroom to check on Moeaki and went for another coffee and a think, what was I going to do about him, did I have any right to do anything, was I just a replacement for a father figure or was there something more going on in his mind, well I'd just have to wait to find out, that is if he wanted to talk truthfully about his inner thoughts. Moeaki was a little of an enigma to me, he was the big macho Tongan and at the same time a little boy lost, I remembered my youth and thought about what I felt when I was his age and the battles I had to fight both in my head and with my fists, well all I could do was wait till he woke and then try to find answers for him. *************************************************************************************** The fuzziness in his mind tried to clear itself as Moeaki stirred into wakefulness, his body ached, throat dry and feeling dirty, the softness of the bed. "Bed! how'd I get in a bed? where the f*** am I? oohhhh, shit my head hurts, argh, my ribs hurt, where the hell am I?" "You awake now Moeaki?" "Who,who're you, oh I'm sorry, didn't know where I was, I'm sorry for being trouble to you." "You're no trouble Moeaki, you stay there for a bit I'll get something for you to drink." "Thanks, I'm really dry." "Thought you might be, stay there for now, I'll be back in a minute." "Ok, thanks again." 'Why's he helping me? nobody wants me, why him? why did I come here? oh well might as well enjoy it, he'll probably throw me out soon as he knows what I am, shit thats right I told him last night, damn, he's going to hate me know and gods going to kill me, its just not fair, I tried to be a good Tongan, they're all going to hate me, when is god going to kill me?' "Here you are Moeaki, drink this slowly, it's hot." "Thanks, why you doing this, don't you hate me? god hates me." "Who told you that rubbish Moeaki?" "It's what all the elders say in church." "Sorry Moeaki, but thats bull shit, if god hated everyone that was different then we'd all be dead." "But I'm Tongan, I'm not allowed to be like, well like you, you know, like gay, sort of." "Who says you are, you decide what you are, not others, look finish your tea, then if you feel like it come into the lounge when your ready and we'll talk some more, I've put your clothes into wash and they will be done in and hour or two, if you look in that cupboard you can find something else to wear until yours are done." "Thank you, you will listen to me wont you, I don't want to be hated all the time?" "Moeaki, I'll never judge you, I promise as I said last night, I'll listen to anything you want to say and if I can help you I will but the decision must be with you, ok?" "Yes ok, thanks again, I wont be long, jeez I hurt all over." "Would you rather stay there then?" "No I have to get up, I dont want to be a pain in the ass for you." "You'll never be that Moeaki, ok I'm going to go into the lounge, you just come through when you're ready." 'I have to tell him everything, it's only fair, he's been good to me, it's only right, shit it's going to be hard, the guys are never going to want me again, I'll have to get them back for last night, oh well one by one, I'll get them, they'll know then, damn better get up and go see him. F*** that hurt, the bandages help a bit, can't see out of that eye, ouch, bloody stupid chair, now I've broken my toe, shit, shit, shit, whats going to go wrong next, lets see, oh yeah that tee shirt will do, and those shorts, should I look for some boxers or something, nah, he's seen it all anyway, F*** what am I thinking, but he's a nice looking guy, damn got to stop thinking like this, I'm a Tongan, I'm Moeaki, I'm staunch, I'm not a poofter, am I?' To Be Continued: