Date: Thu, 04 May 2006 15:31:39 +0000 From: David Lee Subject: Tales from Bentonville, Ch. 37 Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 37 By David Lee Warning: This story contains scenes of love and sexual interaction. Much of this involves males with other males. If the reading or possessing of such material as this is illegal in your country, state, province, county, municipality, etc., please leave this site immediately and do not proceed further. If you are under the legal age to read this, please do not do so. It is not my intention to offend anyone or to get you in trouble. The author retains all rights to this original story. Please do not publish without explicit authorization from me. Disclaimer: This story is completely fictional. Most of the places mentioned, and none of the characters exist in real life. Some may possess physical or personality characteristics of people I know or have known. But if you see yourself in this story, your imagination is better than mine! "Tales from Bentonville" is a romantic story centering on the lives of high school kids. Lovers of other ages may appear, but not normally in a cross-generational sense. References to sex with under-age kids may be made for the sake of the story line. However, I feel that child molestation is a crime and should not be glorified or tolerated. This is my fifth attempt at writing fiction. My other stories on Nifty include: "Zeke" (August 29, 2005), "Always and Forever" (March 25, 2004) under High School, "Brad and Alan's Canoe Trip" (April 23, 2004) under Camping, and "Jacob and Jacques" (May 5, 2004) under High School. Some characters from previous stories may have cameo roles in this one. However, you need not read them first. Our only reward for contributing to Nifty is your e-mails. Please write if you like the story. Please include the name of the story in the title of your e-mail. I get a lot of spam! Finally, thanks and hugs to Tim who edits for me so that there are fewer typos! dlee169@hotmail.com Tales from Bentonville, Chapter 37 April turned out to be a month of unpredictable weather. It ran the gamut from chilly to hot to mild to severe. Temperatures were steadily on the rise, but could make sudden drops seemingly without warning. Seasoned gardeners knew enough not to put out the most tender plants until the middle of May at least. In the early part of the month, Miss Charlotte called Darrin to let him know that her daughter was doing much better and that she was well enough to be on her own. Charlotte was heading back in a few days. She made it clear that she wanted the boys to continue living there unless they were uncomfortable with her being under the same roof with them. She urged Darrin to give up his apartment when the lease came up. Darrin wasn't sure how he felt about having the older lady living with them. She would certainly figure out the relationship that he had with John. No one could put anything over on that woman. She might be old, but she was nobody's fool. That night, the three guys discussed it over dinner. John said that they would have to tell Lottie the truth and let the chips fall where they might. Darrin was proud of his younger lover for being so brave. When John picked Lottie up from the airport a couple of days later, she remarked about how good he looked. "You have turned into a handsome young man! I'm proud to know you. I'm guessing that your love-life has improved since you changed your style and your attitude." John blushed because he felt like Lottie could see into his mind and soul. "Yeah, it has," he admitted. "Do you have any idea who my soul-mate is?" "Yes, I think that I do. May I assume that it is someone who took a special interest in you and who cares for you as much as you do for him?" John was taken aback by how up-front she had been in her use of the gender of his lover. He blushed some more and swallowed. He simply nodded because he wasn't sure what to say or how to say it. "Darrin is a very nice young man and so are you. I hope that it all works out for you." After that had been said, Charlotte asked about various people in Bentonville to get caught up on local happenings as they drove toward the town. She loved hearing about the Johnson twins and was eager to see Greta's new grandchildren. She even took delight in hearing details about Dan's compassion for Cory in acting as his nurse. John was struck by how normal the conversation was and that she had made no further reference to his and Darrin's sexuality or relationship. Before they got to the house he had to explore more about how she felt. "Um, are you okay with Darrin and me or do you want us to move out now that you know?" "Why would I want you to do that? I've suspected for some time. Darrin always speaks about you with a kind of pride in his voice that comes from caring a great deal for someone. It reminds me of how my late husband used to brag about me to his mother. She wasn't thrilled about having her son give his affection to another woman! I'm not saying that she felt anything unnatural toward her son, but she certainly did dote on him." John had to laugh at Lottie's assessment of her departed mother-in-law. He was certain that the lady didn't stand a chance against Miss Charlotte. Who would? The moment that Charlotte entered her old house, she could feel the change in its aura. The atmosphere was as light and happy as it had been before her brother, Robbie, had died. She suspected that it had to do with the love that was shared here now -- that and the fact that three young men brought a new energy to the place. It was great to be back. Darrin made a special meal for Charlotte's homecoming. It was served in the dining room with china, silver, and a good wine to complement it. The boys were all at home to eat with her and were dressed in slacks and sweaters in keeping with the occasion. She was very pleased. "This is a real family!" she exclaimed. "I'm so happy that you have allowed me to be a part of it. You've done wonders with the house!" "We really haven't done anything except dust and vacuum," Darrin said. "Oh yes you have! You have brought life and sunshine to it by your presence. It is the happiest I have know it to be in years." Later that night, Darrin and John made love in their room. They were especially quiet lest their passionate moans offend their elderly friend. But they felt even closer by virtue of the fact that she knew about them and accepted them. Her love seemed to feed their own. -------------------------------- Work on the musical, "Annie," progressed at an amazing pace. When Dane and Colt got involved in helping to build the set, they enlisted DJ to join them when he could. He made sure not to neglect his wife and new babies in the process. As a result, he didn't get as much sleep some nights as he would have liked. Gary Fagan came one Saturday with Dave and Dustin to lend a hand. He figured that if the boys were going to be in Bentonville for high school in the fall, they might as well begin to make more friends from that school. He might as well get used to the idea of volunteering at the school which was once his arch rival. It felt good to work with his hands and to work beside DJ. Building things for the pleasure of others was good therapy for both veterans. The news that Gary shared with DJ was not all good. It seemed that his wife was having a difficult time accepting that Dustin was gay. Even after Gary had made a complete turnaround in his thinking, she was not able to. It was difficult for Dustin, but not overwhelming since he had his father's acceptance. Dustin had already shared that story with Dane and Colt via e-mail, so they weren't surprised. They did give him their verbal support when no one else was within earshot to overhear them. "It's really great that Dad understands," Dustin said. "I don't know what I would do if he hadn't come around. But, either way, I still have the guy I love and his parents are both behind us a hundred percent. I spend as much time at Dave's house as possible and the rest with my Dad. Mom kind of goes off to the bedroom or out in the yard when I'm around. She doesn't say anything bad to me. Mostly, she doesn't acknowledge that I exist." -------------------------------- Besides academics, "Annie," and spring sports; there were other activities. The student council was casting about for ideas for a community-service project. The response to the fund-raiser in the fall for Jerry's new moped had been so great that the student leaders thought that they could keep the ball rolling. Since Joel and Alex had been instrumental in that idea, the other kids turned to them for some thoughts about a new direction. Danica Parr, the president of student council, asked them for input at the next meeting. "At my old school, we had a `Clean out Your Drawers' drive in the spring," Joel volunteered with a grin. "It was a way of giving some good used clothing to deserving people. There was a local mission that gave the things free to people who were down on their luck and it gave us room for the new clothes we needed to replace the outgrown ones." "I think the title is a little suggestive for Bentonville to accept," said Mrs. Brinks, the advisor with a smirk of her own. "How about calling it `Clean out Your Closet, instead?' Jerry suggested. Quick eye contact was made between Alex and Joel, Dane and Colton, and a few others, but Mrs. Brinks missed the symbolism of "closet." "Yes," she said. "I think that would be fine." Joel mentioned that they might have a silent auction for more valuable items to raise some cash for the local food bank at the same time. "I have a great leather jacket that I've outgrown. It would fit a guy the size of Dane or Colt just fine. I'd be glad to donate it. I am certainly not passing it down to my brother." Other kids began to think about things that they might donate for the auction as well. By the end of the period, everyone was excited about the project. They all knew that their mothers would be pushing them to do some spring cleaning anyway. Why not combine it with a fund-raiser? In the end, they decided to accept some house-wares as well as clothing. There was a mission in Cosgrove that was like the one Joel had mentioned in Florida. And, if that place didn't need the goods, certainly the Goodwill would take them. Mrs. Brinks said that she was sure there would be some funds available to help sponsor a dance on the night of the silent auction. That would ensure a lot of participation. The admission charge could be kept at a minimum so that all kids could afford to come. She was as happy about the prospect as the kids were. It would help build community on many levels. -------------------------------- Dustin had his problems with his mother, but they didn't hold a candle to what Joel's parents were planning. They were really pissed over the e-mail that Joel had sent them when they confiscated his Corvette. Shortly after spring break, Joel's grandfather, Rhys, got a notice from the lawyer who was employed by Ward Teague. In it, he was informed that an official hearing would be held in an attempt to overturn the guardianship rights that allowed Rhys to keep Joel. Joel was devastated by the contents of the letter. In short, it said that the lawyer insisted that the hearing to be open to the public. In it, he planned to show that Joel's grandparents had allowed and promoted a life-style that was immoral and degrading in that they had encouraged him use alcohol and to have a sexual relationship with another boy. Of course, if Joel voluntarily came back to Florida to live with them, the whole thing would be dropped. Joel went to see Alex immediately. "I'm going to have to go back to live with my parents. I'm sorry! I love you very much, but they've played a trump card that can't be ignored. I can't risk outing you as well." "Shit!" Alex exclaimed when he read the letter. "I didn't think that anyone could be that manipulative. I love you and need you. You don't have to leave; we still hold the ace of spades." "What do you mean?" "We'll beat them to the punch and not tell them. Let's have a coming out party! I know that has a different meaning for society debutants, but we can put our own spin on it." Alex exclaimed. "But, you will have to give up football and watch your back all of the time. It's not worth it for you. I'd better go quietly and hope that we can find each other again after I turn 18." "Joel, do you think that my life would be worth living without you now that I've found you and shared your love? I think I can still play football, but if I can't, so be it. I can face the loss of about anything but you. We are bound to come out before school is over anyway. I only worry about you being here alone after I graduate. Maybe I'll flunk government class so I won't graduate next year." Joel sat on Alex's bed with tears in his eyes. He and never known another guy to care for him like this. Even his best friend back in Florida wouldn't have thought of putting his reputation in jeopardy for Joel. "Hey, Baby, it's going to be okay," Alex whispered as he held Joel close. At that point, Allen entered the room he shared with his twin and asked what the problem was. The other two explained the situation and their tentative solution. He suggested that they talk to their mom before they did anything drastic. "If you do decide to come out, you can count on me. I'm sure that there are others who will hang with you. I'm guessing that Dane and Colt will. I'm pretty sure that most everyone at the usual lunch table will remain your friends." After talking to Lori Albers, the boys made up their minds that they would indeed come out publicly. The only way to fight this fire was with fire. They simply had to decide when to do it. "Let's come out it at the dance," Joel suggested. "A whole bunch of people will be there and we can tie it in with the theme of clearing out the closet." Alex grinned at Joel's play on words. They had both been thinking that if you truly cleaned out your closet, you might have to come out of it at the same time. They informed Allen of their decision. He assured them again that he would be in their corner regardless of how and when they made the move. -------------------------------- In the next few days, clothing began to accumulate at Bentonville high. The principal allowed the kids to use the conference room adjoining his office as a place to store the items. The kids involved in student council began to fold the clothing and put it in boxes according to size, type, and gender. Some of the nicer things were placed separately to be auctioned off. There were a few household items such as pots and pans, decorative pictures, vases, etc. that would be sold too. That is, assuming that any students might actually want them. -------------------------------- On Wednesday night, lots of the kids were participating in youth activities at First Lutheran. The area churches had combined groups to make them large enough to be viable. It also promoted understanding between Catholics and Protestants of several types. (Of course, the more fundamentalist groups didn't participate! To do so would certainly be against God's will!) Since the kids were already in the basement of the church, they didn't have to go far to be in a safe place when the tornado-warning siren went off. Pastor Swenson herded them into the part that was under a solid, reinforced concrete ceiling. Even if the church got blown away, this area would likely stand firm. For the kids, it was a big adventure; that is, until the storm began and it sounded like the Last Judgment. Despite being in a secure place, they could hear the torrent of rain accompanied by the thud of hailstones and the howl of the wind. The fury ceased. It was almost too quite for a couple of minutes. Then came a sound that rivaled that of a freight train. The building above them seemed to shudder. The electricity went off leaving them in the dark. It took pastor Swenson a few minutes to find some large candles and matches to give them some illumination. The kids probably prayed more ardently in that short time-span than they had in all of their young lives up to that point. After what seemed like an eternity, the awesome sound went away. But, pouring rain continued. It was about 45 minutes later when the all-clear signal was given and the kids emerged from their underground haven. What greeted them would be imprinted on their minds for the rest of their lives. Many old trees were down. Some cars were turned over. The steeple of First Lutheran Church was nowhere to be seen. Several power lines were down causing sparks as they shorted out on the street. Pastor Swenson cautioned all of them to stay inside to be safe. They were frightened enough to obey without question. Most were just thankful to be alive and unharmed. But, of course, they were all worried about their families. Some got through to relatives by cell phone. Dane and Colt contacted Greta who told them that the family was all at DJ's and that there was little damage to property other than some tree limbs down. Joel was relieved to find that his grandparents were safe. Alex was frantic that he couldn't raise anyone on his phone. Finally, it rang. He was so worried that he nearly dropped it as he fumbled to answer. It was his mother with good news about their condition. Dan and Cory settled down once they knew that their families were okay. It seems that Lottie had ridden out the storm in her "widow's watch" room on the second floor of her house. Darrin and John had eventually left her there and gone to the basement at her insistence. Pastor Swenson had told the kids to inform their parents about the downed utilities in the area and to say that he planned to keep them all at the church that night. He also managed to get through to the sheriff's office to let him know that the kids were all safe. He went to the parsonage next door and returned with his wife and young children who were all carrying blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags. They had grabbed everything that was available in order to make it more livable for the teens. Mrs. Swenson went back to the house and returned with extra milk (there was some in the church refrigerator), sugar, and cocoa. She heated up a huge batch of hot chocolate on the gas range and thawed out some frozen cookies in the oven. The pastor retrieved more candles from the sanctuary to light up the basement recreation room. The couple turned the nightmare of the storm into an impromptu party. The kids all appreciated it. The teenagers listened carefully to a battery-powered radio for the latest report on damage. They were pleased to hear the reporter tell everyone that the youths at First Lutheran were all safe and accounted for. They knew that their families would be relieved -- especially the ones who couldn't be reached by phone. As the evening grew late, kids huddled together on the carpeted concrete floor sharing what blankets and pillows were available. No one did anything that wasn't proper in public, but some were cuddled together for warmth. It was like a massive, coed pajama party. -------------------------------- In the early light of dawn, Dane awakened to the sound of utility trucks. Electrical workers were restoring the lines as quickly as they could. Power had been cut for safety. It would be okay to go home soon. Dane was painfully aware of his morning erection. It felt strangled in the confines of his jeans. He adjusted himself as well as he could before getting up and stumbling to the men's room. He was just zipping up when Colton appeared in the room for the same reason. They washed up at the sinks and finger-combed their hair so that they would be able to face the world. Joel and Alex came in before they had finished. They made some comment about its not being as much fun as the cottage where they could go naked. All four thought that their morning breath precluded any serious kissing even if there hadn't been the possibility of being discovered by their peers. The four teens went out on the front steps to watch the utility workers and to survey what they could see of the damage from that viewpoint. Soon, they were joined by several other kids. As they were pondering the mess, Greta drove up. She asked them to help her bring in a couple of boxes. Greta had borrowed pancake mix from Ellen to add to her own. They had scrounged as many eggs as they could and dug cans of frozen juice concentrate from Greta's freezer. With the help of the four boys, Greta began whipping up breakfast for the group. Including pastor Swenson and his family, there were nearly 40 hungry mouths to feed. The smells coming from the kitchen caused even the worst sleepy-head to rouse. Some of the teens pitched in to set out plates and glasses. Breakfast would be served cafeteria style and everyone would clean up after themselves. If the power got restored in time, they could use the dishwasher. Before the food was served, the minister offered a short prayer of thanksgiving for their safety and for the food. Everyone felt more thankful than usual. When the lights came on in the middle of breakfast, all of the kids broke into applause. Civilization had returned! The reporter on the Cosgrove TV station announced that many area schools were closed because of the storm damage. Bentonville was one of the first to come up because the list was read alphabetically. A cheer went up from the kids in the room. Older kids, who had driven to the church, went out to check their vehicles and prepare to go home. Alex, Allen, Joel, and Alicia had all ridden in the car that the Albers' twins shared. It was fortunate that Joel hadn't driven his new vehicle because a tree had totaled the older sedan. Far from being upset, the Albers boys were pretty sure that they could talk their parents into a better set of wheels or maybe two cars. It was worth a try at least. Greta gave Allen the keys to her Camry to drive his siblings and Joel home. She said that when he returned with her car, she would give him a ride home. He thanked her profusely for trusting him with her nice vehicle. Some parents showed up soon to pick up their kids. They took along other kids who lived near them. Just as Greta was finishing up, Allen came in with her keys. His mother, Lori, had followed him over to take him home. She made sure to express her thanks to pastor Swenson and Greta for their kindness to the kids. -------------------------------- School may have been called off, but that didn't mean that no one had anything else to do but play games. Most kids were out helping to clean up after the storm. Dane and Colton picked up many branches in Greta's and DJ's yards. DJ got out the electric chainsaw to cut the larger pieces up for firewood. There was no sense wasting. By noon, both properties were back pretty close to normal. So, after lunch, the boys went to Colt's aunt's house to see if she needed help. She had managed to do a lot by herself, but with the help of her nephew and his cousin, the rest was done in no time. After that, Colt and Dane moved on to help others in the neighborhood. When they got to Colton's old place, they couldn't believe their eyes. The house was crushed under the huge old oak that Colt used to climb. He was sad to see the tree gone, but not the house. The tree had been his childhood friend, but the house held few pleasant memories. He wondered about the fate of its current owners. Colton's old house wasn't the only one that suffered major damage. Several houses in town were uninhabitable. Families were standing around in shock wondering where they would be sleeping that night. The answer to that was not long in coming. Lottie Webber was on the scene inviting people to her house. "I have four unoccupied bedrooms in my house. We can put up cots in the old ballroom on third floor. No one will be without shelter if I can help it!" Darrin offered his unoccupied apartment to a young couple who had two little children. They had tears in their eyes as they accepted the keys from him. Other people opened their homes and hearts to their neighbors after seeing Miss Charlotte's example. No on would need to be housed in the high school gym, though that had been made available. Joel called Mrs. Brinks to see about opening up the school to distribute some of the clothing and other things that they had collected. Mrs. Brinks called Mr. Haggerty, and soon it was arranged. Word spread across town by phone and also by TV. A reporter covering the damage for the Cosgrove station heard about it and put it into her story. ABC picked it up as a human interest story for their national broadcast. They praised the kids in the small Iowa community for their efforts in helping their neighbors cope with the disaster. Joel, Alex, and Mrs. Brinks all watched themselves being interviewed on the evening news. It was pretty exciting. The best part was that the gently used clothing was being put to use. Some high school and middle school kids, who had lost nearly everything, were delighted to have something to wear. Mr. Haggerty took them to Wal-Mart in the school van and gave them $20 each to buy some underwear. That was an item that very few high school kids felt comfortable in donating. He was pretty sure that the silent auction would cover his expenditure. If not, he would simply consider it a donation. Some adults took advantage of things that fit them and also accepted household items that would help them survive. It seemed as if the "clean out your closet" project had happened at just the right time. Miss Charlotte was certain that her arrival back at Bentonville at that particular time was no coincidence. -------------------------------- Author's note: Thanks to Joe, Jim C. Scottie, Mike K, Don B, Rad, Jim W, and last, but not least: Tom H. Tom continues to proof my copy for typos. He and Tim do a great job! Thanks to both of them. Recently, 250 kids at a local small college (about 1200 enrollment) wore T-shirts saying: "Gay? That's okay with me" or something close to that. Do the math; statistics suggest that they can't all be gay. It is another sign of hope for understanding in this world. I think I'll slip it into the story somewhere. David