Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 06:57:25 EST
From: RitchChristopher@cs.com
Subject: and-a-time-for-reapin'-5

	All rights reserved. Copyright held by the author. If you are
underage or are offended by gay fiction, containing graphic sex and
explicit language, please exit now.


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                       AND A TIME FOR REAPIN'

                            A story by

                         Ritch Christopher

                                <>


                           Chapter Five


	I got a ride home from the "secret place" after Larry had taken his
girlfriend to her parents' farm. Then he drove back to the school to pick
me up since I had missed my bus. As he and I sped down the highway in his
Chevrolet, we noticed that some of the neighbors were already in their
fields and orchards, harvesting their bounty. I loved Tennessee in the
fall.  The leaves hadn't quite started changing their colors yet, but soon
the green oaks, maples, and elms would turn to hues of bright yellow, burnt
orange, fiery red, and dull lackluster brown. After that, their branches
would have to hold up the ice and snow piled on them by a frosty
winter. And then, it would be time once again for Spring planting.

	If Webb was still around by then, AND if he was a man of his word,
then I would seriously discuss the idea of planting soybeans and maybe
tobacco. Whatever it took, I was ready to keep the farm going.

	As we drove, from time to time Larry would look over at me, a
knowing smile on his lips from our experiences in the woods, which we were
just leaving. We had shared every kind of sex that two boys our age could
handle. But that's all it was...just sex. Not any of the four of us had
kissed or even pretended to make love. I wasn't sure how sex and lovemaking
differed, but I knew there had to be something special for two people to
make love. I had kissed Webb and he had returned a kiss to me. Maybe that
was the difference. What I felt for him and what I had experienced with
Larry, Ben, and Eddie was not quite the same thing. As I watched Larry
drive,I wondered to myself if I could ever feel toward him the way I felt
for Webb.

	Larry was the same age as I. We were built alike physically and
probably had more in common than Webb and I. Maybe in time, if Larry and I
continued seeing each other, a feeling between us might grow into something
more serious. But I had my doubts about that. Two young guys like us would
never have a chance to live together. At least not in our county or state.
Besides, Larry was going steady with his girl and he would have to please
Brother Tomlinson and marry her and raise a bunch of kids.

	Whereas, since I was now an orphan, I didn't have to answer to
anybody. I would never marry and have kids and there would be no one to
make me.

	"How do you feel?" Larry asked.

	"You mean physically or otherwise?" I replied.

	"Both."

	"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tired and sore. My jaws are
aching from doing you-know-what and my ass is raw from you, Eddie, and Ben
doing you-know-what to me."

	Larry laughed. "You'll get used to it. I used to get sore when I
first started. But now, I've learned to enjoy it and I can't seem to get
enough."

	"Can I ask you something, Larry?"

	"Shoot!"

	"Have you done things with other guys besides Ben and Eddie?"

	"Oh, now you want me to tell you MY secrets."

	"Sorry, I guess I don't deserve to know. I shouldn't pry," I said,
looking out the window away from him.

	"Yeah, there've been a few others."

	"Guys or gals?"

	"Guys, dummy!"

	"You have done it with girls too, haven't you?"

	"None that I can remember their names."

	"Oh, you mean THOSE kind of girls. The kind that my Uncle Webb
screws on Saturday night."

	"So to speak."

	"But never with Bridget?" I asked without thinking. "I'm
sorry. Don't answer that! It's none of my business what you and Bridget
do."

	"I don't mind telling you. In a way I'm proud of it," he
replied. "I can honestly say to you that I've never touched Bridget except
for a good night kiss...and I'm glad she won't let me go any further with
her. I know that if she's still a virgin with me, then no other guy has had
her either."

	"Don't you want to do things with her?"

	"Sure, but that's why I meet Ben and Eddie so often. I can mess
around with them and shoot a load and never get horny around Bridget."

	"What would she do if she found out about Ben and Eddie?"

	"She wouldn't believe it. Why should she? There's nothing about me
that would make anyone think I was the slightest bit queer."

	I thought over what he had said, and it DID make sense. Lord knows,
I would never've thought about Larry doing the things he'd done to me
earlier.

	"Can I ask you something else?"

	"It's your dime...start askin'!"

	"What about me?"

	"What do you mean?"

	"Well, I totally agree with what you said about yourself, but I was
wondering about me. Do I give the impression that I'm queer?"

	"Good Lord, no, numb nuts! If you did, do you think I'd be seen
driving you home for everyone to see?"

	"I guess not."

	"OK, then you don't act queer! All right?"

	"All right."

	"Got any more questions. You've got eighteen more coming to you."

	"Maybe just one more."

	"Let's hear it!"

	"Well, you mentioned 'other guys'. Do I know any of them? I mean
are they in our class at school?"

	"Now you're wanting to look elsewhere for your jollies. What's the
matter? Wasn't I good enough for you? Didn't you like the way I sucked your
dick?"

	"Heavens, yes. You were great! I wasn't asking about the other guys
because I'm interested in them. I just wondered who knew about you...and if
we became buddies at school, would they know about me, too?"

	"Jerry Boy, you are a fine specimen of a worry-wart! No one's gonna
know and no one's gonna say anything because if they did, they'd know I'd
beat the shit out of 'em. So will you just relax?"

	"Yeah, I'm sorry," I said. I was pleased by what he had said. I'd
never had a close friend, especially one that would take up for me or fight
a fistfight. "Close friend"..."Best friend"...the words echoed in my
head. Since Larry's friendship with Ben and Eddie was kept secret, maybe
he'd let me be his friend. I would like that. "Best friend", I said once
more to myself.

	"Larry, one more?"

	"Go ahead...you'll soon have used up your allotment."

	"Are we friends now?"

	"Jesus! Do you think I would let you fuck me if we weren't?"

	"Well, you fuck those girls downtown and you don't even know their
names. They're not your friends."

	"I fuck them! They do NOT fuck me! Besides, you're cuter and better
looking than they are." he said, smiling and giving me a wink.

	"Do you think that you and I will ever do anything like that
again?"

	"You can bet your bottom dollar on it. Any time, and I mean ANY
time, you get horny and want to fool around, I'll be there with open mouth
and spread butt cheeks!" he announced. "Now is that being friends or not?"

	"I want you to be my BEST friend, Larry. You don't have to
reciprocate if you don't want to. I can just be `a' friend, not your best
friend."

	"Reciprocate? God, I've never used a big word like that in my
life. You mean you'd like to be MY best friend?"

	"Do you have one?"

	"Well, no, I guess," he said and quickly added, "so YES, you can be
my best friend. Does that make you feel better?"

	"Lots!" I replied. He didn't know how much he had suddenly changed
my life...all in one sentence. Maybe the two of us could do things
together...go fishing, swimming, or maybe even a movie. Then there would be
sex, too. I couldn't believe I was getting another erection, thinking about
my "friendship" possibilities. If I had only known earlier that we would've
had this conversation, maybe I would've tried to kiss Larry.

	Five minutes ago, we were just "fuck buddies", but now all this had
changed. We were "best friends" and all at once I had feelings for him. Did
I love him so quickly? I didn't know what love was, but I suddenly wanted
Larry to stop the car and hold me the way that Webb had...and press his
lips on mine. I didn't let Larry have a clue what I was thinking. His idea
of "best friends" might not be the same as mine and that would ruin
everything that I had just gained.

	I was relieved to see Grandpa's farm on the horizon. This
conversation would end, but would Larry feel the same way tomorrow at
school? It was just a chance I had to take.

	He pulled his car down our dirt drive and we stopped in front of
the house. I had to get out, but I didn't want to.

	"Well, buddy, I'll be seein' you," he said.

	"Yeah, and thanks for the ride."

	"What are friends for?" he mused, and then the two of us smiled at
each other. He put out his hand for me to shake. I stretched out my hand to
meet his and he pulled it near his mouth.  Larry planted a most delicate
kiss on the back of my hand. I wanted it to stay there forever. He finished
the kiss and looked deeply in my eyes.

	"That's a little something to remember me by, in case that hand
reaches beneath your shorts and you need someone to fantasize about. Just
think where your hand has just been and know that I'm in my bed thinking
about my best friend."

	I was a boy...soon to be a full-grown man, but I floated from his
car like some giggly schoolgirl who had just received her first kiss. I
stood on the porch as Larry drove away but my heart was still in the car
next to him.

	I slowly went inside the house, again, hoping not to see anyone. I
had noticed that Webb's Corvette wasn't parked in front of the house, so at
least I had escaped his confrontation as to my whereabouts. I quietly made
my way up the stairs to Grandpa's room and was surprised to see that he
wasn't there. I checked downstairs for him in the living room and then the
kitchen. There was no one there but Rita, sitting at the table, drinking
some lemonade.

	"Where's Grandpa and Webb?" I asked her.

	"Where you been? Webb waited for you to get off the school bus, but
when you didn't get off, he went ahead and took your granddaddy to the
hospital," she said rather calmly.

	"What for? What's wrong with him?"

	"He fell," she replied.

	"Fell where? How?"

	"Don't know. Webb and I were in the middle of something and when we
came back down to the kitchen, that's when we discovered him at the foot of
the stairs."

	"Good Lord! Was he hurt? Was he conscious?"

	"He was breathin' and he had his eyes open, if that's what you're
worried about."

	"WORRIED!" I screamed. "Did he break any bones?"

	"I don't know. I'm not a nurse. I was a Candy Striper."

	"Webb and me paid you good money to take care of him. Shit! I guess
Webb thought you were supposed to take care of him, too. What were the two
of you doing? Fucking?" I raged.

	"Jerry Boy, I wish you wouldn't use words like that in front of a
lady," she said, nonchalantly, sipping her lemonade.

	"Lady, my ass! You're a whore! That's what you are! How long have
they been gone?"

	"Since about 12:30 I guess. I didn't have a watch on."

	"Rita! Why the fuck don't you just leave? We don't need you around
here! You've been nothing but a heap of trouble since you got here!"

	"I've heard no complaints from your Uncle Webb.," she said,
pointedly.

	"Well, you're gonna hear some." I quickly added. "Right now, you're
hearing my complaints and I want you outta here. NOW!"

	"I don't take orders from a young fool who won't accept a piece of
ass when it's offered to him."

	"I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole!"

	"You wouldn't touch any girl with a ten inch pole, would you,
Jerry?"

	"What do you mean by that?"

	"Do you think I'm blind? Don't you think I've seen the way you look
at Webb, all moony-eyed?"

	"I do not!"

	"Yes, you do! You're jealous of me and what I do to Webb."

	"You're not just a whore, you're a crazy whore."

	"You may not think I'm so crazy if word gets out about you among
your classmates."

	"You don't know any of my classmates and even if you did, you've
got nothing to say to them."

	"I probably wouldn't have to. All they have to do is take one look
at you and know that you're queer," she snarled like a cat.

	"THAT'S A LIE, YOU FUCKIN' BITCH!" I yelled as I made a lunge for
her. I slapped her broadly across her left check. The blow was so forceful
that it knocked her chair backward and she landed in the floor, her head
hitting with a thud.

	"You'll pay for this, Jerry Donahue, and you'll pay big!!" she
screamed.

	"For what? I can say that I came home from school and found you at
the bottom of the stairs where you must've fallen and hit your head!
Nobody's going to believe you over me!"

	"Your Uncle Webb will!"

	"Fat chance! Now you pick up all your duds and get 'em packed. I
want you out of here before he gets back!"

	Rita had cut a gash in the back of her head. A small trace of blood
was showing through her hair. I know that Mother taught me never to hit a
woman, but then, Mother had never had to live with Rita.

	I continued in my rage by going over to her and grabbing her hair
and pulling her up by it. Once she was standing, I grasped the back of her
neck and pushed her through the kitchen, the living room, and up the stairs
to her room. She was slapping at me the best she could but missing with
every blow. I crossed over to her bed and looked under it to retrieve her
suitcases.

	"You want to pack your things or do you want me to?"

	"I'm not packing anything!"

	"All right, I'll do it for you. I can pack 'em quicker!"

	I went to her bureau and then her closet and crammed everything in
sight into the two bags. I snapped the locks.

	"Is that everything?" I asked.

	"I suppose."

	"Good. Now let's go!"

	I didn't know where we were going because, with Webb's Corvette
gone, all the transportation I had was the tractor. No taxicabs would come
out this far from town. Shit! Shit! Shit!

	I went to the phone and asked the operator to connect me with the
hospital emergency room. In my anger, I'd forgotten all about Grandpa. The
admitting nurse answered the phone.

	"Do you know Webb Donahue?" I asked her.

	"Why, yes, I do." the nurse replied, cheerfully.

	"Well, is he there? I think something happened to my Grandpa and
Webb brought him there."

	"Yes, Webb brought his father in."

	"Is Webb still there?"

	"Yes."

	"Well, could I speak to him...PLEASE!" I said, getting annoyed.

	"Just a minute and I'll get him for you," she replied setting the
phone receiver down on her desk.

	I waited around two minutes before Webb picked up the phone.

	"Hello?"

	"Webb?"

	"Yeah?"

	"How's Grandpa?"

	"Where were you? I waited on your bus. I needed you to help me with
your Grandpa."

	"Never mind where I was...just tell me how he is!"

	"He's gonna be all right. He must've fell tryin' to come down the
stairs. The doctor thought he had broke his hip but then they x-rayed it
and found out it was only bruised."

	"Thank the Lord," I sighed with relief.

	"The hospital wants him to stay overnight and he can come home
tomorrow."

	"That's good news."

	"I guess it's lucky that we'll have Rita to look after him when he
gets back."

	"Webb, that's something I want to talk with you about."

	"What's that?"

	"Rita! I want her to leave!"

	"What for? Your grandpa's really gonna need her now."

	"No, he won't!" I paused before telling him the rest. "Webb, I have
just packed her clothes and if I'd had a way to get her there, she'd
already be at the Trailways Bus Station."

	"You what?"

	"I don't want to hear no arguments, Webb." I said, firmly. "I say
she's leaving and that's that!"

	I could tell Webb was pondering whether to overrule my decision and
tell me who's boss or thinking maybe I was right and she should go.

	"Can we talk about this when I get home?"

	"Sure, but you're not gonna change my mind. She doesn't look after
Grandpa! You just want her around when Grandpa and I have gone to bed so
you can be alone with her."

	"Now watch it!" Webb slightly warned. "Don't go sayin' somethin'
you don't know nothin' about."

	"I'm sorry, Webb." I said, trying not to break into tears. That's
the last thing I wanted to do. "Webb, she's caused trouble between you and
me, just when I thought we were finally starting to get to know one
another. She doesn't fix Grandpa's meals. If he shits his pants or his bed,
she'll let him stay soiled all day without cleaning him or putting on fresh
sheets. Maybe you won't admit it to her, but you and I both know what a
rotten cook she is! So if it isn't for her fucking you, why are we keeping
her around?"

	There was a long pause before Webb thought of what to reply to me.

	"OK!" he finally said. "You've made your point. You're a true
Donahue, just like your grandpa, and once a full-blooded Irish Donahue
makes his mind up to somethin', there ain't no way of changin' him. Wait
there and I'll take her to the bus station or wherever she wants to go when
I get home. I'll be there directly!"
	"Thank you, Webb." I said, relieved and pleased that he had sided
with me.

	"Only one thing, Jerry boy..."

	"What's that?"

	"You're gonna owe me for this...owe me big!"

	"Whatever the price, I'll pay it."

	I hung up the phone and grabbed Rita's two suitcases and placed
them on the front porch.

	"You wanna wait in the living room or in one of the rockers on the
porch. Webb's coming to take you wherever you want."

	"I don't know where I'm goin', Jerry, but you can go to hell!", she
exclaimed.  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
	"No doubt I will, but I'll do my best from going there. I sure
don't want to spend eternity with you!"

	She stuck her tongue out at me as she went out the screen door and
sat in the swing. I was trembling. Too much had happened to me in one
day...Grandpa's falling...the fight with Rita and finally getting rid of
her...Larry...! Gosh! I had forgotten about Larry and the feelings I had
experienced. That seemed to have happened days ago, not just a few short
hours.

	Thinking of Larry put me in another dilemma. I had a best friend
now, one I had true affection for, one I had had sexually, with the promise
of more to come! And at long last, I would have Webb all to myself. Life
was so simple the day before yesterday...before Ben and Eddie...and
Larry...and now, Webb.

	Larry had been right. I was a worrywart! I had a bigger problem
facing me, more pressing than my romantic life. I had to think about the
harvest and who would take care of Grandpa while Webb and I were out in the
fields until dark every day.

	I went into the kitchen, got a Dr. Pepper from the icebox and went
into the living room to watch TV while I waited on Webb. Rita was swinging
and singing on the porch as if nothing had happened. I guess she thought
she could change Webb's mind once he got here. She'd probably give him a
blowjob once they got into his car. Women like her were wicked and I didn't
trust them. Heck, I suddenly realized,she's the only one I'd ever known.

	The five o'clock news was on TV. The weatherman had been promising
rain for weeks. Once again, he was predicting heat lightning tomorrow in
the early afternoon, followed by widespread thunderstorms. If he had been
accurate back in August, we might not have lost most of the corn in the
south fields. I ignored him by switching channels. There was an old re-run
of "I Married Joan" with Joan Davis and Jim Backus. That show always made
me laugh...how any woman could be that stupid, but her husband was more
stupid for putting up with her. Jim should've lived with Rita for a
while. Then they'd have to rename the show to "I Killed Rita". I laughed at
my joke and took another swig on my Dr. Pepper.

	Webb came home around five. I waited for him to come inside the
house and I heard Rita and him talking outside. The next thing I heard was
the sound of Webb's Corvette speeding back down the drive. I ran to the
screen door to see, but mostly, I wanted to make sure that Rita and her
bags were going with him. A funny thing happened as the car turned out onto
the open highway. The early Autumn sun came from behind a cloud for one
last beam of the day. It was almost as if it were a sign from God that a
dark cloud had been lifted from the farm. Maybe Mother had made a special
request to Him and this was her way of showing her approval of my
actions. I walked out on the porch and closed my eyes to enjoy this bit of
warmth. In the distance, I heard the sounds of early jarflies singing in
the patch of trees that separated the farmhouse from the nearest cornfield.
In my mind, I pretended that the insects were bidding farewell to the young
wicked with. They seemed to be chanting,
"Rita...Rita...Rita...Goodbye...Goodbye...Goodbye..."

	The next thing on my agenda was supper. I rummaged through the
icebox for leftovers and nothing looked appetizing. So, I went outside and
pick out a plump fryer from the chicken pen, killed it with my hatchet, and
went to the hose next to the house to wet it before picking off its
feathers. I went back inside the kitchen and cut up the chicken as best I
could remember how Mother had done it. I poured a helping of bacon fat in a
frying pan, added some flour, and battered the chicken pieces, only
flavoring it with salt and pepper...NO SPICES!...and began to fry it. In
the bin,there were some potatoes I had dug up last week. I peeled them and
boiled them just as Mother used to. I hurriedly went outside again and
picked a mess of peas off the vines and rushed back in to check on the
chicken. Then I shelled the peas and dumped them in a pot of boiling water.

	One of the things Mother had taught me was how to make buttermilk
biscuits. Soon I had a full supper prepared...fried chicken, mashed
potatoes, green peas, biscuits, and sweet milk gravy. I made a pitcher of
iced tea and poured a whole cup of sugar in it and then I cut up two whole
lemons to float in the top of it. Everything was ready for my favorite
uncle. I was going to make a statement that we didn't need her, at least
for cooking anyway. I could watch Grandpa, and, dammit, if all he wanted
from Rita was to have sex, then I was more than willing to accommodate him
with that, too, if he wanted it bad enough.

	Just as I reached into the oven to retract the pan of biscuits, I
heard Webb's Corvette coming back down the drive. I quickly ran to the
window in the living room to peek and make sure he was alone and the slut
was gone. I watched him as he vaulted over the driver's door, which he
seldom opened. He came up the stairs and opened the screen door.

	"Mmm mmmh! What's that I smell, boy?" Webb asked.

	"Hungry?" I asked from the kitchen.

	"Boy, am I? What did you fix?"

	"I just threw together a little something on a moment's notice," I
joked.

	Webb came into the kitchen and lifted the lids to the pots and pans
covering my peace offering I had made for him.

	"Damn, boy! D'ju fix all this by yourself?" he said, impressed.

	"Well, I had a lot of help from the things that Mother taught me."
I replied.

	"She must've taught you good! If it tastes anything like it
smells...wowie dowdy!!"

	"Sit down, but wash your hands first."

	"Yes, ma'am," he said, joking.

	He sat down, filled his plate, and began to eat. I waited for some
sign of approval. After he bit into a chicken breast, he closed his eyes
and smiled. This one moment was worth all the effort I had gone to in
preparing his meal.

	"Everything taste all right?" I asked, fishing for a compliment.

	"Best chicken I ever ate in my life! Why the hell didn't you say
you could cook this good?"

	"Cooking's not the kind of thing a boy...or a man, brags about."

	"You think cookin's too girlish?"

	"Kinda."

	"What other secrets have you kept hidden from me? Any more
'girlish' things?"

	"Maybe a few. I can wash and I can iron. I can sew buttons on,
too...and mend holes in socks."

	"Your mother teach you all them things."

	"Webb, she told me six months that she had cancer six months before
she died...and every afternoon when I'd finished my chores, she'd bring me
in the kitchen to teach me how to do things that I'd need to know when she
was gone."

	"Well, bless Pat! I had no idea."

	"No one did, not even Grandpa."

	"Either she was a good teacher or you was a good learner..."

	"It was a bit of both, I guess." I said.

	"Come on, fix your plate and stop watchin' me eat!" He said,
pointing to my empty plate with his fork. "We have a lot of things to talk
about and a lot of plannin' for the harvestin'".

	"I know it, but could I ask you just one thing?"

	"Sure, what is it?"

	"Rita...Where did you take her? I mean, where did she go?"

	"If you're worried about her comin' back, you can forget it! She
won't be back!"

	"You swear?"

	"I swear! Now, fix your plate before I get strange notions about
you."

	"What kind of notions?"

	"Nothin' except the more I eat, the better it tastes, and I might
just get all excited and forget you was a boy and ask you to marry me so
you could cook for me like this all the time."

	His idea thrilled me but it was out of the question. Still, I was
glad he'd said it. I'd been doing farm work nearly all my life and no one
ever said a word to me about how well I was doing. Now after I cook one
meal, I was being flooded with compliments. Maybe I should do girlish
things more often. They seemed to get more notice.

	"How's Grandpa?" I asked, changing the subject.

	"He ain't in pain, if that's what you want to know. He's in good
spirits in spite of not knowing where he is.  He almost got slapped when he
grabbed one of the nurses' asses. She hauled off to hit him and I stepped
in the way and told her that it was me who had grabbed her."

	"What did she do then?"

	"She smiled and gave me her phone number. I think I'm supposed to
go over to her house Saturday night and grab her other cheek."

	I know my face showed hurt as I quietly asked, "Are you gonna fuck
her?"

	"NO! I ain't gonna fuck her! Jesus Christ, boy, don't you know that
that's not the way things are done between a man and a woman?"

	"I'm afraid not. I haven't had as much experience as you."

	"You want me to call her up on the phone and see if she'll fuck you
instead?"

	"Heavens, NO!"

	"I didn't think so. Why do you get so rambunctious every time I
mention going out with a woman?"

	"I don't know. I just do."

	He knew that this kind of talk made me feel uncomfortable, so this
time Webb chose to change the subject.

	"What's on TV tonight?"

	"Perry Mason's on at nine, following by Armstrong Circle Theatre."

	"That'll do, I guess, unless they're gonna show some skin flicks."
He looked at my response to his last remark and quickly added, "You got any
dessert?"

	"Yeah, I put a jar of Mother's peaches in the ice box and we got
some sweet cream to put on top of them."

	"Well, where are they? You gonna leave me sittin' here, hungry?"

	I was glad to leave the table for a second just to clear the air
between us. I got two bowls from the cabinet and balanced them on top of
the jar of peaches while I got two spoons and the pitcher of sweet cream.

	We finished supper and Webb reared back in his chair and patted his
belly.

	"I'm f-u-l-l, full, boy! That was mighty tasty."

	"Thanks, Webb, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

	"You..uh..want me to wash the dishes?"

	I smiled at his gesture. God love him! He did want to help me.

	"Sure, you wash and I'll dry." I replied.

	"You want me to put one of your mother's aprons on?"

	"No, silly, just roll up your sleeves and make sure the water is
plenty hot."

	"Yes, ma'am!"

	I swatted him on the bottom when he called me, "ma'am". That's the
second time he had done it, but I knew it was all in fun and no reflection
concerning my manhood.

	The dishes were washed and dried and Webb and I went into the
living room to sit together on the couch to watch TV. Webb had taken a
bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon from the icebox while I took my usual
Dr. Pepper. There was nothing on TV at 8:00 that either of us wanted to
see, so we continued our conversation.

	"I spoke to Jed Murtry on the phone this mornin'," Webb began, "and
he's bringin' a busload of reapers to the county next Monday."

	"How many to you think we'll need, Webb?"

	"About a dozen or so...same as last year."

	"They gonna need a place to stay? I mean, should I clean out the
barn and lay some fresh straw for them to sleep on?"

	"Now, they'll probably sleep in the bus, same as usual. We WILL
have to feed 'em, though."

	"That's no problem. Grandpa always slaughters a pig and as many
chickens as we need. They can get vegetables out of the garden. I'll get
out the big cast iron pots that are stored in the loft and they can cook in
'em." I replied.

	"Seems to me that you've got everything under control, Jer."

	"There's still one problem we haven't settled and that's what to do
with Grandpa for the next two weeks."

	"I've already taken care of that." Webb said, rearing back on the
sofa to adjust his full belly under his tight belt.

	"What do you mean? How?"

	"I sweet talked one of them nurses down at the hospital and she
said census was pretty low and they had lots of empty beds. That's when I
asked her if they could keep your Grandpa down there for a couple of weeks
and run some tests or something. You know, they'll keep anyone as long as
they can as long as they think they can make money off him."

	"Well, Grandpa will be watched, at least, and we won't have to
worry about him. Thanks, Webb, that was some smart thinking!"

	"I thought you'd like that." Webb said with pride. "Now, does that
settle all of your problems, knucklehead?"

	"I suppose so." I replied.

	It was still a half hour before "Perry Mason", so I thought long
and hard before I brought up my final topic.

	"Webb?"

	"Yeah?"

	"Can we talk about somethin'?"

	"I thought that's what we were doin'."

	"I mean about what happened between us in the barn the other
night."

	"Oh, that."

	"Yeah, it started that night on the porch when we came home from
seeing "Ben Hur". That was just a kiss, but what happened in the barn went
much further."

	"Jerry, I told you to forget about that! I was drunk and don't
remember much, so as far as I'm concerned, nothin' happened."

	"I can't Webb, it's all I think about...especially when I go to bed
at night."

	"You mean when you jerk off?"

	"Yeah."

	"You still thinkin' about me?"

	"Yes."

	"Well, it'll pass. Soon you'll be fantasizin' about lots of other
things and forget all about me. I'll even get you some girlie magazines if
you want 'em!"

	"I'm afraid girlie magazines won't help me much, I close my eyes
and think how great it was to have your...you know...your thing in my
mouth."

	"Jerry boy, that's just a phase you're goin' through. It'll pass,"
he tried to reassure me.

	"Did you ever go through such a phase when you were my age, Uncle
Webb?"

	"Sure, only I was younger than you."

	"What kinds of things did you fantasize about?"

	"Well, it wasn't all fantasy. Some of it actually happened."

	"You mean...you had sex with another guy?"

	"Well, so to speak.."

	"Whaddya mean?" I said, eagerly.

	"Jerry, I think you're old enough for me to tell you some
things...things I thought you should never know about. But since your
Mother and Daddy are both gone, maybe it's time I told you."

	"I ready," I said, anticipating Webb's revelation.

	"I was about fourteen or so and your dad was around thirteen, I
guess. I'd been pokin' around some of the older women downtown and your dad
was real jealous. We shared a bedroom...the one I still sleep in. One night
I caught your dad playin' with his dong. He thought I was asleep. I
wasn't--I was watchin' him out of one eye. He yanked on his thing for what
seemed to be about fifteen minutes and I scared the hell out of him by
askin' if he needed any help. At first he was embarrassed that I'd caught
him. Then he started to cry. I felt sorry for him and even guiltier that
I'd let him know that I had seen him, So, I went over to his bed and put my
arm around him. I told you that we were never close. We weren't-- up until
that night."

	I became more curious.

	"Well," he continued, "one thing led to another and somehow I wound
up jerkin' him and I guess he got kinda brave and he grabbed hold of my
dick. Before I knew it, your dad jumped down between my legs and put me in
his mouth. I didn't object! Hell, it felt good and ,well, me and him was
blood kin...Now this is the part I don't like talkin' about. But after he
finished with me, I seen him lookin' up at my face to see if I was mad or
disapproved. He looked so pitiful, and well, I did feel sorry for him...so
I kinda motioned for him to stand up...like he expected me to do the same
thing to him."

	"And did you?"

	"Well...yes," Webb admitted, hesitantly, but quickly added, "but I
didn't swallow his cum the way he'd done mine."

	"But you DID go down on him?"

	"So to speak."

	"Did you ever do it again?"

	"Well...a few times, I guess."

	"Lots, I bet!" I said.

	"Well, it DID feel good!"

	"I know." I replied.

	"How? Who's been suckin' on your cock?"

	Oh, Lord, I had just opened the door. I didn't want to say anything
about my adventures in the woods. But Webb had told me his secrets so
openly, I almost felt obliged to tell him everything about Ben, Eddie, and
Larry!  Instead I tried to keep the focus on what he was saying.

	"Er...no one. I just saw you much you enjoyed it when I did it to
you," I said, "How long did this go on between you and my dad?"

	"I don't know...weeks...months..."

	"What happened? Why did the two of you stop?"

	"Well, there's more to the story and this you've got to promise me
on your life that you'll never tell anyone!"

	"I promise."

	"Well, one afternoon, some time later, I had skipped school and
wasn't wearin' no watch. So, I came home, thinkin' it was after school had
let out...and I came into the house to go to my room."

	"And...?"

	"I passed your Grandpa's door and that's when I seen them..."

	"Who?"

	"I don't know where your Grandma was...probably out pickin'
vegetables or somethin'...Anyways, your Grandpa's door was just cracked
enough that I could see your dad on his knees givin' your grandpa a
blowjob."

	This wasn't too difficult to believe because I HAD seen Grandpa and
Henry going at it. But--my dad???

	"My dad?" I asked in amazement.

	"Yeah, now you promised not to say anything."

	"I won't."

	"Well, I'd heard rumors about town that your dad wasn't exactly
manly."

	"What do you mean?"

	"Nothing, 'cept he had been doin' a bunch of school boys behind
Jernigan's dry goods...way in the back."

	"You mean going down on them."

	"That's what I heard, but I didn't believe it. I'd fight anyone
who'd ever call my own brother a queer."

	"You think he was?"

	"No, not until I saw him suckin' on your Grandpa."

	"What happened?" I asked,

	"I must've been shocked or somethin' and made some kind of noise
because the two of them heard me and your Grandpa got up and swung open his
door and caught me, standin' there watchin'. I couldn't move or else I
would've run quietly down to my room."

	"Go on..."

	"Well, I didn't see them for the rest of the night. I ran out the
door and slept in the cornfield.  I couldn't face them. I knew sure as hell
they didn't want to see me."

	"Then, what happened?"

	"That was the end of it! That's what drove a wedge between me and
your dad. He hardly ever spoke to me again...and as for your Grandpa...he
hated me from that day on."

	Most of the mystery had been solved. So, that's why Grandpa and
Webb always fought!

	"Is there more?" I asked, shyly. What else could there be?

	"Well, Grandpa moved your dad into one of the spare bedrooms...the
one you're usin'. I heard he continued doin' queer things to guys all the
way through high school. Then, instead of stayin' here and helpin' your
Grandpa with the farm...well, he got drafted and went into the
service. When he got to California, that's when he met your mother...your
mother got pregnant...your dad got killed...and your Grandpa sent for
her...she moved here...you were born...and, well, the rest you know about."

	I sat there stunned on the couch. I had no more questions to ask
because all the missing pieces were finally placed into my puzzle. MY OWN
DAD...A QUEER! I began thinking about what I'd heard in Biology class,
about how characteristics and traits were passed down with your parents'
genes. Had my own father passed these feelings on to me? Is that why guys
excited me so much and not girls?

	"I know what I just told you is a lot to understand all at once,
but I thought you ought to know."

	"I'm glad you told me, Uncle Webb."

	"You back to callin' me 'uncle' again?"

	"Sorry."

	"OK. Turn about is fair play," he announced, thumping the back of
my head with his finger.

	"Whaddya mean?"

	"Well, I told you all of my deep dark secrets. What do you have to
tell me in return? Ain't there nothin' that you've done that you'd like to
let me in on?"

	I held my breath and then exhaled a long sigh.

	"Well, maybe..."

	"Come on, let's hear it!"

	"Well, yesterday, when I was late coming home from school, I saw
these two guys, Ben and Eddie heading for the woods out behind the
school...."

	"You mean the fuckin' troublemakers?"

	"Yeah...only they aren't all that bad..."I said.

	My monologue lasted far into "Perry Mason", and I told Webb
everything, leaving out no details, that had transpired yesterday and
concluded by telling him about Larry and how I felt about him when I
watched him drive off.

	When I had finished, Webb smiled...he wasn't making fun. It was if
he understood. Webb was still sitting beside me and he pulled on my neck to
draw my head into his shoulder and armpit.

	"You're had a busy two days, haven't you, little man?" he said,
warmly. "Larry Tomlinson, the preacher's son..."

	"What about him?" I asked.

	"Do you think you're in love with him?"

	"I don't know, Webb. I'm not quite sure."

	"I'm not sure that I can help you any, Jerry, since I've never been
in love myself."

	I felt safe, snuggled close to him. I felt brave enough to say
other things, since I wasn't looking into his eyes.

	"I admit I feel something for him...but not the way I feel about
you."

	"And how's that...?"

	"If anything, I'd think I was more in love with you than Larry."

	"Jerry, you're not in love with me." he said, "It just that you've
been goin' through a lot of tough times and you've had no daddy to help you
get through 'em. You've sorta been lookin' up to me as your daddy's
substitute."

	"No, Webb, you're wrong!" I interrupted. "The kind of feeling that
I have is not the kind a boy has for his father."

	"Oh? Is that right?"

	"Yes."

	"Tell me about 'em," he said softly and invitingly.

	"Webb, I've laid in my bed night after night, wanting you to be
there beside me. I dreamt about us being naked...and you're holding me and
kissing me...I want you to love me and make love to me like you did to Rita
and all those Saturday night women."

	"And if I did...?"

	"I'd be the happiest guy in the whole wide world." I said, and
added, "but only if you're willing...not just because I want you to."

	"Anything else that you've dreamt about?"

	"Lots!"

	"Like what?"

	"Like you and me, living here together and taking care of
Grandpa...and us fixing up the farm the way you want it to be with
soybeans, tobacco, cotton, or whatever."

	"You mean like a husband and wife...?"

	"Well, sorta, except there wouldn't be no wife. It'd be two men!"

	"You're still worried about being 'girlish', ain't you?"

	"I guess so."

	There was a long silence between us as both of our secrets weighed
into our consciousness and we absorbed what we had just said to one
another.

	It was Webb who finally broke the spell. He stood up and walked to
the doorway of the living room and stopped at the foot of the stairs. I sat
on the sofa quietly, not knowing what damage had been done between the two
of us.

	"Are you comin' with me or not?" he asked, firmly.

	"Where to?"

	"I think it's time we made of few of your dreams come true."

	"What do you mean?" I asked in trepidation.

	"We gonna sleep in your room or in mine?"

	I got his drift and my heart sank to the bottom of my torso.

	"Either," I said, trying to appear reluctant.

	"Then, come on! We're wastin' time. We got a lot of reapin' to do
tomorrow."

	I slowly walked into the hallway and grabbed his outstretched
hand. The two of us walked up the stairs together to make my dreams come
true.

(to be concluded in Chapter Six)