Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 18:46:12 -0800 (PST)
From: dante umbero <danteumbero@yahoo.com>
Subject: The General - 11

This is a story of erotic Gay fiction.  If you are a minor or it is
illegal to view this material in your area, please go away.  If this sort
of thing floats your boat, read on and enjoy.

This story took place in a fantasy world free of things like diseases;
don't make love without a glove!

It was the middle of one day in the following week when I picked up the
ringing phone.  It was the home line not the business.  Jock must've
been out maybe picking us up lunch or running an errand.

"Hello?"  I said into the phone distracted.

"Oh, uh...is this the Ramirez residence?"  I heard a masculine voice
ask.

Now even though Jock and I had been together in this house for a few
years it still took me by surprise when someone called the home line and
asked for him.  It took me a minute to shift realities.

"Sorry, he's out at the moment can I take a message or have him return
your call?"  I paused and could tell he was unsure, "I'm Jock's
partner, Dan."  I finished.

A pause on the end of the line...then, "I'm Carl Hargrove, a military
buddy of the general's and was trying to catch up with him."  He said.


"Carl, Jock's told me a little about you.  Hear you're coming for a
visit soon."  I said conversationally.

"Uh yeah, that's really what I called for, to setup the final
arrangements." He said, "When will he be back?"

"I'm not sure, shouldn't be long, can I have him call you?" I asked
distracted with email, I have a one track mind and when I see email I
have to open it.

"Yeah that'd be great, my number is..."he said and rattled off a number
that I wrote down on a scrap of paper.

"Ok, got it.  When are you planning on joining us here in the Deep
South?"  I said, "Jock mentioned something about taking you fishing in
the Gulf.  I got me a few buddies down that way that owe me a few favors
and I can usually snag a boat given enough notice."

"Oh, yeah, that sounds great.  I'm planning on coming in next Friday
afternoon if that's ok.  Plane's suppose to land at 5:45pm."  He said
clearly reading the schedule as he spoke.

"Great sounds good, I'll have Jock give you a call when he gets back
in.  I'm looking forward to meeting one of Jock's Army buddies, be
prepared to tell me all the dirt so I can tease the shit out of him about
it and I'll buy you a beer or two." I said and laughed.

I could hear his deep throated chuckle and could tell he was probably a
nice guy, you know how sometimes you can just tell by the way a guy tells
or takes a joke.  "Ok I'll be writing them down for you."  He said.


When Jock came in and I told him about the exchange, minus the part about
embarrassing stories, he seemed uptight suddenly.  He went into the
library and called Carl back.  I was slightly put off and confused;
surely Jock wasn't ashamed of me or our life.

When he returned to the room and sat at the table where I was eating
lunch he said, "Well you made an impression on Carl."  He paused then,
"He's coming in on Friday I told him I'd pick him up."  He sat and
went back to his food.

I watched him, could see the tension in his shoulders.  I wondered if I
should say anything, would I just make it worse.  "You want me to see if
I can scrounge up a boat for next week?"  I asked, thinking that was a
way to open this can of worms.

"I don't know, Dan."  He cleared his throat, "I haven't decided what
to do with Carl yet."
"Anything I can do to help, general."  I said and putting my plate and
glass in the dishwasher I went back to work.

I'd never seen Jock like this, but I had experienced the fallout from a
similar scenario.  Jock clearly was struggling with his past and coming
out to, what I was starting to think of as, his other life.  Considering
his experience with Eric and the whole military culture I understood it,
but it didn't really make me feel better about it.  As the days went by
I realized he was really up tight.

Friday morning I was awakened before dawn, I was spooned in front of Jock
and could tell he was awake; his hand was softly, unconsciously, rubbing
my thigh where my boxers had ridden up my leg in the night.  I could tell
by his soft caress he was deep in thought.

"Is it so hard to tell him, Jock?"  I whispered.

His arm went around my chest and I could feel his warm breath on the base
of my neck as he said, "Sorry Babe, I didn't mean to wake you."

"I like being woke up by you stroking my thigh, stud, but that didn't
answer my question.  Is it so hard to tell him?"  I asked and smiled in
the darkness.

I felt him relax and then sigh, "Dan every time I think about telling
Carl the whole culture of the military gets in the way.  I love you and
our life."

I thought for a moment and said, "Then don't tell him, Jock."

"Babe, I can't do that.  I won't try and make you a secret."  He said
going on the defense.

"No, Jock, I meant that if you love me and our life, then simply live it
in front of Carl.  Let him ask you about it if he wants.  His seeing how
happy you are and how much we love one another will tell him all he needs
to know.  That's how my kids and my relatives here figured it out.
Really I never could see a reason to advertise our life, didn't think I
needed to.  What we have together will tell itself, if you just let
it."  I finished and felt his arm tighten around me and his lips brush
my ear.

"How did a redneck gringo like you get so smart?" he said and I felt
his fingers exploring in my boxers and sighed.

I was in the guest room on the main floor behind the kitchen, making up
the bed and putting out towels in the bathroom when Jock wandered in.
The suite had been Flora's, the housekeeper when I was a kid, and after
her retirement my Mom had converted its use to guests.  It gave house
guests a bit of privacy; they had their own bathroom and could get
anything they needed from the kitchen easily.  The upstairs bedrooms had
been taken over by my kids for their routine visits and I wasn't about
to try to clean one of those up for guests.  Jock started helping me make
the bed methodically; I could tell he had something on his mind.

"So Jock, what's up?"  I asked.

He mumbled and I made out Carl.  "Dude, your shorts still in a twist
about Carl?  Look, why don't you go pick him up and take him out to a
bar and get a few in you and him.  I'll keep the home fires burning.  If
you want to bring him home for dinner give me a buzz from your cell and
I'll order a pizza.  I got to make a beer run anyway.  That'll give you
and him a chance to catch up and let him chill before he gets the
featured attraction."  I laughed and threw a pillow at the general who
was looking stunned.

Jock caught the pillow I threw and put it on the bed and turned the quilt
up over it.  He came around the bed and wrapped me up in his arms and
said, "Sure you don't mind?  You can come along too."

"Jock, go...please, before you fucking drive me to drink, as if I need an
excuse!"  I said taking his arms away from me and pushing him back
playfully.

His lips brushed mine lightly and he whispered, "Thanks babe." turned
and went out.  I heard the back door close and soon heard his Ridgeline
startup.

Jock had trouble with trust, he just couldn't fathom that I trusted him
to always be honest with me.  I never for a moment seriously considered
him capable of being unfaithful and I didn't need him beside me to feel
connected to him.  I guess in that way I am the stronger of the two of
us.  Jock however was a rock in a storm.  He was hands down the most
practical person I knew and had no trouble making a decision and sticking
by it as long it didn't involve an emotional attachment.

I finished up the guest room grabbed my keys and headed to the liquor
store.  My father had always staged his parties on the back porch whose
screened sides kept the bugs at bay but allowed for a casual party.
We'd decided to throw a small get together for Carl to let him see that
he could make a transition back to civilian life.

The principle attendees would be a slew of cousins and family of mine
along with a few friends from the Rotary club and Mark.

Jock pulled up to the terminal and looked for Carl.  He spotted the big
blonde man and tapped his horn.  Carl turned and waved at Jock and picked
up his suitcase and made his way through the crowd.  He tossed it in the
back and slid into the vehicle.  They shook hands.

"Have a good flight, Carl?"  Jock said.

"Yeah, never enjoyed flying though."  He said.

Jock laughed and said, "I remember that flight out to Saudi, dude you
hurled all the way, sixteen hours of air sickness."

Carl, blushed and said, "Well at least this civilian flight was less
bumpy.  As I remember it you didn't eat much on that flight either."

"Fuck no."  Jock sighed and smiled to himself.  "I need a drink, Carl,
how about you?"

"Sounds good General, especially if you're buying."  Carl said with a
smile.

"Carl, no more General, Ok?  I'm retired, its just plain ol Jock
now."  He said.

"You miss it?"  Carl asked.

Jock sighed and wondered if he truly missed it, then said, "Honestly?"
Jock caught Carl's nod from the corner of his eye.  "Yeah in ways, 20
years is a long time.  For a long time I had a job that I loved, but you
know how it got, the crap got worse, too much shit happened, the brass
was giving me a bad taste.  I met Dan and it seemed a good time to chuck
it in and make a change."

They pulled into Jim Bob's, a little road house about half way to
Thomasville.  It didn't have a very liberal clientele but it did serve
good beer and the truck drivers and farmers left you alone.  Dan had
taken Jock there, he of course knew the owner.  Jock firmly believed Dan
was related to half the people in South Georgia and knew the other half.
The pair walked into the dim bar decorated with beer signs, posters for
semi trucks and farm implements.  The pool table in the middle of the
room had its usual group of players and the bar was acting as a prop for
a few men.

The barman looked up and called across the room, "Well look what the cat
wouldn't have, how the fuck are you Jock?"

Jock waved and laughed, "Can't complain Smoky, how about giving me and
my friend Carl here a couple of long necks."

The big man slid a couple bottles with a mist of condensed liquid
catching the light.  They picked up their bottles and they settled into a
booth in the corner.  Their conversation was animated and they were soon
talking about old friends and shared times.  Smoky brought another round
of beer and then another, each time joining in their conversation joking
with Jock.  The beer was relaxing Jock and he was truly enjoying Carl
again.  Like most old friends they quickly were able to anticipate each
other's conversation.

Jock was tilting back his bottle when Carl said, "Yeah Jock the service
went to shit about the time Eric died.  I kept trying to figure out
something to say to you after the funeral but by the time I felt
comfortable talking with you about it you'd disappeared into
intelligence.  I tried to get in contact but you were not easy to find."

Jock put his bottle back on the table and looked Carl dead in the eye,
"There wasn't anything to say, Carl.  Eric did what he did.  It was a
waste and it pissed me off.  Eric was a great guy and an even better
soldier, but there wasn't anything to say."  Jock sighed and took
another sip.

"He was my best friend, Jock, like a brother to me.  I miss him still."
Carl said.  Then he sat his bottle down on the table and said, "I know
you were closer to Eric than I was, Jock, I'm sorry man I wasn't there
for you."

"Carl, there wasn't anything you could have done to make it better or
go away, but I had to go on just as you did."  Jock smiled, "You
remember how Eric would always piss you off by trying to take a drink
from what ever you were drinking?  He'd come into the room and always
pick up your beer or coke or whatever and ask if he could have a drink,
you'd come unwound on him."  Jock rocked back in the seat and laughed.

Carl blushed and then laughed, "Yeah, the little fuck, he did it just to
rattle my cage.  I tried to just let it pass, but every time he picked up
my drink I just couldn't stand it.  Remember how he told those two bar
flies in Austin that you thought they were hot chicks," he was roaring
with laughter at this point, "They got in a fight over you..."  He
stopped choking with laughter.

Jock was red faced he was laughing so hard, "Yeah, I told him one day
you'd make him eat your drink if he didn't quit.  He'd just laugh.
Eric liked nothing better than playing a practical joke, or fuckin around
with someone like that."

Carl was laughing as well, then he stopped and said, "Yeah he was a
little shit, but you know I wouldn't have had anyone else be best man at
my wedding, and when we went into action in Iraq he was the one that I
could talk to, and made it bearable.  Damn."

Jock wasn't laughing anymore.  He, surprisingly, suddenly ached for
Eric.  He knew if Carl and he talked about Eric this is how it would be.
"Yeah Carl, I still miss him as well sometimes."  Jock looked at his
watch and realized it was getting late.  "Carl you want something to
eat?  We can get home and order up a pizza, how does that sound?"

Carl sat his beer down and said, "Sounds good Jock."

Jock flipped his phone open.  Dan was sitting in the den watching a show
on TV and drinking a beer when the phone rang.  "This is Dan."

"Hey Dan, Carl and I are at Smoky's leaving now, you wanna order up a
couple pizza's?  We'll be home in about 20 minutes."

Dan could tell from his voice that Jock had had a few.  "You ok to drive
Jock, it won't take me any longer to drive out there than it will for
you to drive home."

Jock chuckled in Dan's ear making Dan smile in spite of his concern,
"Dan I'm fine.  We'll see you in twenty."

"I'll have the pizza's ready General."  Dan drawled and hung up.

Carl was sitting in the truck with Jock watching the dark swamp flash by,
"So Jock who's Dan, anyway?"