Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2015 00:49:24 +0000 (UTC) From: Jerlar Subject: For Pete's Sake Chapter 21 This story is purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to person's living or dead, or to events that may have occurred, is purely coincidental. The author claims all copyrights to this story and no duplication or publication of this story is allowed, except by the web sites to which it has been posted, without the consent of the author. All of us enjoy the stories here, so please, support Nifty. Like any other Business, it takes resources to keep it running. I appreciate you, and I know Nifty appreciates your support! Mark Stevens CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Pete and his son had enjoyed a full night of catchup sex in bed, yet the older man was awake at his usual time the following morning. Pete moved silently from the bed he had shared with Tracy and left the college boy sleeping peacefully beneath the covers. Pete left the room quietly and made his way down the hall. He pulled a robe from the hook on the back of the bathroom door and covered his naked body. He went into the kitchen and started the morning coffee. While Pete waited on the coffee, he pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table. He began thinking about something that had taken place two weeks earlier. Pete had been leaving the bank for the day when he came face to face with Harland Lewis on the sidewalk. The two men had greeted each other with a smile and then suddenly became silent. Neither Pete nor Harland had been able to find any words to say. Harland had finally broken the silence. "How have you been, Pete?" "Good," Pete had answered. "You?" "I guess I can't really complain," Harland replied. "I haven't seen Tracy around here lately. Is everything okay with him?" Pete gave a nod with his head. "He's doing great, Harland. Thanks for asking. When he was home at Thanksgiving, Trace decided to remain at school until Christmas. He thought if he did, he would have more time to spend here during the holidays." Harland eyed the man in front of him closely. "I imagine you have really missed him." "I have. I can appreciate, however, the fact Tracy is so responsible and takes interest in his studies the way he does." "Tell him hi next time you see him," Harland said and made a move to walk away. "I will, Harland. And thanks for asking." Pete watched the older man move away from him. He suddenly surprised himself by calling out Harland's name. Harland turned back around. "Yes?" "You have any plans for supper?" "Nothing in particular," Harland answered. "Me, either. I was heading over to Tess' place. Care to join me?" Harland was the one to show surprise this time. "I think I'd like that, Pete." "Let's do it." The two men remained silent as they walked side by side in the direction of Maker's Café. Once they were seated and their order taken, the two sat back, becoming silent once more. When their food arrived, for the most part, the silence continued. They engaged in small talk, not saying much of anything. As they were leaving the café later, Pete surprised himself for a second time. He found himself inviting Harland out to his house. "I'll even treat you to a cold beer or two," he added. Harland was silent for a good moment. He appeared to be lost in thought. When the man's silence continued, Pete said, "Oh, well, just a thought. I understand if you have other plans." Harland suddenly came to life. "Actually, I don't have any plans. A beer might be nice," he agreed. "Then follow me to the house." Pete jumped into his truck and headed for the country with Harland following close behind in his vehicle. When they pulled up in front of Pete's home, Harland followed the man inside the house. Pete told Harland to have a seat in the living room. He soon joined him with a bottle in each hand. He handed one to his guest. For a moment it looked as if they were going to be consumed with the same heavy silence once more. Then Pete spoke up. "Harland, I've been thinking about a lot of things lately. About you. About me." "It was nice back then, wasn't it, Pete?" "Yeah, it was," Pete agreed with a nod. "Another life time," he added. "For you, perhaps," Harland remarked. Pete studied the man sitting across the room from him. "What the hell does that mean?" "I didn't choose to leave that life," Harland reminded. "Do you think it was a choice I wanted to make?" Pete's voice held a hint of anger when he spoke. "There is always a choice," Harland answered. "Perhaps for you. I didn't feel like I had that luxury. At least not twenty-five years ago. Things were much different back then, Harland. I know you remember how things were." Harland was silent, his eyes focused on Pete's face. He made no attempt to speak. "The one thing I will never regret is marrying Tracy's mother. She gave me Tracy. God, Harland, I can't picture my life without that boy in it." "Tracy is something else," Harland agreed. "You have every right to be proud of him the way you are." Pete finished his beer and stood to his feet. "I need another one of these. How about you, Harland?" Harland looked at his bottle. It was still half full. Then raising his eyes and looking at Pete, he decided he would need a second drink as well. He told Pete to bring him one. Pete soon returned and handed another bottle to Harland. Falling down in his chair, he said, "Harland, I realize I took the chicken shit way out back then. After you and I began spending so much time together, Dad became suspicious. Like I said, it was different in those days. Let's face it, if I had told my folks I was gay they would have disowned me. Did that make it right what I did to you? I don't think so. Have I regretted it over the years? Sadly, not so much early on. I was a jerk, Harland. To you. You didn't deserve to be treated that way. I know I keep repeating myself, but chicken shit or not, I did what I thought was the right thing at the time." When Pete became silent once again, Harland said, "What about now, Pete? Just because Tracy's mother is gone, will that make it any easier for you to be honest with yourself? We still live in the same area. You know how small town people are; how they think. Will you still be concerned with what they would think? Because they will talk. You know these people." "To be honest with you, Harland, I don't know what I do think." "Are you worried that your friends will drop you? What about the bank? Would they keep you or let you go?" Pete suddenly placed his bottle on the table beside his chair. His shoulders began shaking. The words he spoke came out slowly. "I..don't..know...what I'm going to do," he finished. "Sounds to me like you have a lot to think about." Harland finished his drink and reached for the second bottle. "I just wish to hell I had things settled the way you seem to." The words Pete spoke were laced heavily with bitterness. Harland was quick to disagree. "I'm far from having anything settled. I've spent my entire life in a world that felt upside down to me." "It has been interesting," Pete agreed. Breaking the heavy silence that followed Pete's words, Harland said, "I know you're concerned what people might say about the two of us. What do you think they would have to say if they knew about you and Tracy?" Pete looked directly into Harland's eyes. "Tracy is what this is all about, Harland. I would never do anything to cause that boy pain or embarrassment. To do so would be the death of me." Harland suddenly stood to his feet. "I feel the same way, Pete. I would never hurt your son. I think too much of him for that to ever happen. And whether you believe me or not, I feel the same way about you." Pete watched as the man walked out of his living room. He left his chair and followed Harland into the kitchen door. "Are you leaving?" Pete asked. When Harland reached the door, he turned around and said, "I am. Thanks for dinner and the drinks. I think you have enough to think about. Perhaps some decisions to make. I think you'll be able to think clearer if you're alone. Goodnight, Pete." "You don't have to leave," Pete said. "I think I do." Harland placed a hand on Pete's shoulder. "Just promise me something, Pete. Be honest with yourself; with me." Unable to keep the emotion he felt from his voice, Harland said, "Whatever you decide, remember this: the choice is yours to make." Returning to the present, Pete poured himself a cup of coffee and returned to the table. He studied the cup of steaming liquid in front of him and found his thoughts returning to the night of Harland's visit. Left standing alone in his kitchen, Pete had listened as Harland started his truck's engine. Silence quickly settled in as Harland drove out to the main road and disappeared from sight. Pete slowly walked to the refrigerator and pulled out another beer. His better judgement told him he could think better with a clear head, but hell, he thought, he didn't want a clear head. Truth of the matter, Pete didn't want to have to think at all about anything, especially Harland Lewis. Pete decided after the third drink one more might help him to think even better. He had just opened it up and fell down in his chair when the ringing of the telephone startled him. He reached for it and discovered his son's name on Caller ID. "Trace," he greeted. "What a nice surprise." Tracy greeted his dad warmly and talked with him for a few minutes, and he suddenly realized something. "Have you been drinking, Dad?" "Drinking? Why the hell would you think that, Trace?" Tracy had pointed out several things to his father, such as slurring of words, loud voice, even a somewhat obnoxious attitude. "What's wrong, Dad?" "Nothing, Trace," Pete hastened to assure his son. "Okay, if you say so." Tracy had no doubt his dad was not being honest with him, but he decided to drop the subject. "What have you been up to?" The beer had loosened Pete's tongue to the point that he said, "I had dinner with Harland after work today. And invited him out to the house for a beer." "Wow. I'm impressed. Is he still there?" "He's been gone for a while," Pete answered. "How did the visit go?" "Go? Nowhere, actually." "Why not?" "You sound just like Harland. You seem to have all the answers to everything." "All I want, Dad, is for you to be happy. I told you before, if you're happy with your life as it is now, then I'm happy." "I know." "Are you? Happy, I mean." Pete took another drink of beer. "I don't know anymore, Trace. When are you coming home?" "In two weeks, Dad. You know when. At Christmas break." "I wish it was now. Tonight." Silence made a loud noise over the phone line. When Pete didn't say anything, Tracy said, "I wish I could too, Dad. I really do. Remember, we talked it over at Thanksgiving. You agreed it was a good idea for me to hang around here and finish things before the long holiday." "I remember," Pete finally said. "I don't have to like it, though." "Did you and Harland talk?" "Talk? Of course we did." "That sounds like you got a good start. How did it go? The talk, I mean." "He told me to decide what I wanted to do with my life and left." "I see." "Do you? I wish to hell I could see it." "The choice is yours to make, Dad. Only you can decide what you want; what will make you happy." "What about you, Trace? What will make you happy?" "Dad, right now I don't give a flying fuck about my happiness. For you to be happy will make me happy. Can you get that through your goddamned head?" Pete's eyes teared up. "I'm sorry, Trace. Please don't be mad at me." "Dad, the alcohol's doing the talking here. Why don't you get a good night's sleep? Things will be better tomorrow." "I'm sorry, Trace. I've made you sad." "Dad, listen to me, okay? Between now and Christmas Break, I want you to think hard about your life and what will make you happy. When I come home in two weeks, I want you to have an answer for me. Now, get your ass in bed. Before you go to sleep, pump a load out thinking of me. That should make you feel better. Even a tiny bit happy, I would hope." "Night, Trace. I love you, Son." Pete had disconnected the call with his son's words, "I love you, too, Dad," echoing in his ear. Pete didn't drink any more beer, but he was up the entire night, walking the floor and trying to put things in prospective. When he thought about Tracy, Pete realized he loved his son so much, that he could never be very far away from him. Perhaps it was selfish of him, but he wanted Tracy in his life. And not just in his life, but be a big part of that life. When his thoughts landed on Harland Lewis, Pete had tried pushing them away. Tracy would be the only life he would need. That felt very important to Pete. He also knew that Tracy would want that sort of life as well. The two of them could have a great life without Harland, and at first, Pete thought that was the answer to his situation. However, as the darkness outside had been replaced by the wintertime sun, Pete Adams had found himself hit with a realization that not only surprised the hell out of him but quickly turned into a desire; a need; a want. Once his decision was made, the solution had seemed simple. It was like the pieces of a very large puzzle had suddenly went together in one easy swoop of the board. The first thing Pete did was put on a pot of coffee. His night of drinking and walking the floor was going to make things difficult for him, and he realized he would need the caffeine to get him through the day. The next thing Pete had done was to call the bank and take a Personal Day. He explained he had some unexpected business to take care of. Pete was the type of employee that a financial institution appreciated, and was more than willing to help him have the time off. He saved the most difficult task of his day for last. He made a call to Harland. When the man's voice came over the wire, Pete took a deep breath and forced himself to speak. "Hey, Harland. Did I wake you?" Harland said he was awake, just not up and going yet. "Harland, I have the day off. Would you be willing to come out to my house for breakfast?" "Are you sure you want me to come over?" "Yes, Harland, I do. I've had a very long night. I really want to see you." Harland said, "I've nothing planned for today. I would like to come over. If you're certain that's really what you want." "Just please come, Harland. Say in an hour?" Pete had ended his telephone call and began pulling things from the refrigerator. He would have a nice breakfast ready for Harland when the man arrived. As he went about preparing the meal, Pete was surprised by the feeling of excitement that was spreading over his body. For the first time in a long time, Pete knew exactly what he wanted. Slipping back into the present, Pete took a sip from his coffee cup. Savoring the warmth of the hot liquid as it traveled down his throat, he thought of his son sleeping so peacefully down the hall in his father's bed. The memory of what had happened on Harland's second visit caused a big smile to form on Pete's face. It had been all he could do not to tell Tracy about it the evening before. If everything went as planned, Pete and Harland would tell Tracy their news today. The two of them. Together.