Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 07:57:27 EDT
From: Tulsadriller7@aol.com
Subject: Tales from the Ranch, Chapter 10/?

Disclaimer:  The following story is a work of fiction.  If you
are offended by descriptions of homosexual acts or man/man
relations, please exit this page.

TALES FROM THE RANCH
Copyrightc 2002 by Tulsa Driller 7.  All rights reserved.

This is a story of men who have two common interests.  You will
see that they love the land where they live and work, but it is
also the story of young men who love other men and their coming
of age in a culture of prejudice and misunderstanding.  It is a
story, which deals with difficult and often disturbing issues
but, nonetheless, issues which must be confronted in today's
world.

This is a work of fiction and in no way draws on the lives of any
specific person or persons.  Any similarity to actual persons or
events is entirely coincidental.  This work is copyrightedc by
the author and may not be reproduced in any form without the
specific written permission of the author.  It is assigned to the
Nifty Archives under the terms of their submission agreement but
it may not be copied or archived on any other site without the
written permission of the author.

PLEASE:  In a perfect world AIDS doesn't exist.  My characters
have unprotected sex.  I hope you use proper precautions because
I'd like you to be around the read the last chapter of this
story.

Tales from the Ranch
Chapter 10:  Planning Their Life
     The day, amazingly, passed quickly for Craig.  His partner,
Don Albrecht, was out of the office a good part of the morning to
check zoning restrictions and utility easements on the property
Warren Collins wanted to develop.
     Craig ran his sketches of the new ranch house through their
CAD program, which flagged any problems with measurements of
rooms, and called attention to any structural problems.  It also
could produce a rudimentary bill of material, which could give
Don and Craig an idea of material requirements and costs.  The
program had cost them several thousand dollars, but had already
paid for itself several times in the time saved by not making
drawings by hand.  Since Ray Evans said he could build the
dwelling without a full set of blue prints, he only needed to
make a few detailed sheets to show framing, floor and roof
trusses, electrical and plumbing.
     In the daily mail was a reminder of the Ft. Worth Builder's
Show that was coming up in another two weeks.  Neither he nor Don
had sent their registration fees or made reservations to attend.
This gave Craig an idea.  He'd find out if Don was planning to go
and if not, he'd invite Dale to go to Ft. Worth with him for the
weekend show.
     Don returned to the office after lunch and talked to Craig
about the information he'd found on the building site Warren
Collins owned.  There were no surprises, all utilities were on
the perimeter of the lot and there were minimum setbacks.  The
building(s) could be built and still leave plenty of room for
parking and three points of access to the intersection at the
corner.
     He was looking over his mail and spotted the reminder he'd
received about the trade show in Ft. Worth.  "Hey Craig, did you
see the notice about the Ft. Worth Builder's Show?"
     "Yeah, I was going to talk to you about that.  Are you
going?"
     "I'd really like to, but Marcia's parents are coming to
Williamsport that weekend and her father is expecting to spend
the weekend dragging me all over the golf course.  One of us
really should go.  There's always a ton of new building
materials, appliances and furniture to see."
     "You went last year, so guess it's my turn, anyway," smiled
Craig.
     "I've been to two trade shows since you went to your last
one.  This would be a good opportunity for you to take your new
cow. correction, boyfriend away for a weekend."  Don grinned and
Craig blushed.
     "I'll find out tonight if Dale can go, then get registered
and make reservations tomorrow."
     "Hey, guy, you deserve it," Don said.
     * * * * *
     Dale actually had an easy day.  They got the baling
completed by noon and after they ate their lunches together, they
began the process of moving the equipment back to the machinery
storage area so it could be checked for maintenance and any
repairs that might be needed.  They took a second pickup with
them so it only took two trips to move the hay wagons down the
road three miles to the barn where the bales would be stored in a
few days.  The hay would be allowed to dry until the first of the
week before being stacked inside.  He put Michael, John and Pat
to work to finish cleaning out the large barn and would go back
to get them about 5:30.
     He thought they would probably be ready to cut a field of
clover hay the next week and the process would be the same as the
job they had just completed.  Al's schedule was flexible so he
could be available any day Dale determined he was needed.
     There were supplies to be ordered and he went up to the
storage room on the second level of the shop/barn/office to
determine what was needed.  Several items were getting low.
Filters for diesel fuel, more spools of baling wire and other
miscellaneous items.  He walked outside to check the levels in
the two fuels tanks - one diesel and the other that held
gasoline.  He walked back to the office to call for a fuel
delivery the next morning.  Couldn't run out of fuel.
     Finally it was quitting time.  He had sent Al to pick the
guys up from the barn and they were just getting back.  He had
them sign time sheets and would fax them to the accountant in a
few minutes so they could have their weekly paychecks tomorrow
afternoon.
Tomorrow was Friday and there would be no reason for his men to
work over the weekend.  Looking at the calendar of scheduled
chores and judging the weather, there might not be any weekend
work until sometime in October.  That was fine.  He had a lot to
do to empty his house.
     The other four men left and Mort wasn't around.  He'd left a
note for Dale that he wanted him to go with him first thing
tomorrow morning to look at the land being purchased for the
ranch expansion.  They needed to determine which was going to be
used for crops and which for grazing.
     He hadn't seen Jason and Kevin except to wave at as they
were waiting for the school bus.  They were involved with a lot
of outside activities and if their grandfather couldn't do their
farm chores, he let Dale or Mort know about it so they would be
taken care of with no problem.  He thought that Marty and Chris
had gone to Dallas for a few days, but generally wasn't advised
of their plans unless something needed attention while they were
gone.
     * * * * *
     On Thursday evening Pat showered as soon as he and Michael
got back to their room, then he left for San Angelo as his older
sister was getting married on Saturday.  Pat was to take part in
the wedding as an usher.  He hated to miss a day of work, but
since they were almost through baling hay that week, it wasn't
going to cause a problem at the ranch.  This would also allow him
to help his parents with last minute items, which needed
attention.
     Although they had shared a "double room" at the old
Starlight motel since May and usually slept in the same bed, he
and Michael had never done anything sexually with each other
except to kiss and masturbate each other to orgasm.  They were
sexually naive and the thought that they could cause each other
even more pleasure didn't occur to them.  They really thought
they were the only two guys in Williamsport that did what they
were doing.  In 1990 there wasn't an Internet; but for those who
had computers and knew how to do it, one could access many gay
"bulletin boards" across the country.  They didn't know what they
were missing.
     Until.
     John was getting ready to go find a bite to eat for his
supper when he saw Pat loading a suitcase in his car and leaving
the parking lot.  Michael and Pat had driven to the ranch in
Michael's car that morning and John had driven his own car  so
they really hadn't had much of a chance to get acquainted with
each other, except to know that they lived in the same place,
about 4 units away from the others.
     John had been checking Michael and Pat out during the day
while they were working.  Michael had been driving one of the hay
balers and Pat was driving the other.  The ranch had several
flatbed hay wagons that were pulled with a small tractor, which
Al had driven.  It was John's job to haul the bales that had been
dropped on the ground to a conveyor that carried the bales up to
where Dale could hook them and stack them on the wagons.
     They had worked quickly because it was a job to keep up with
two balers, but John was strong and kept up his end of the
workload.
     John wondered where Michael was going to eat.  He didn't
realize that he and Pat shared a room, which had limited
facilities where they could keep things cold and warm them up in
a microwave. and fix their own sandwiches for lunch.
     He decided to see if Michael would like to join him.  They
could get something to eat and then maybe go to a movie.  He
walked the short distance to Michael's room and knocked on the
door.  Michael opened the door slightly to see who it was, then
invited John to come in.  He had just finished his shower and was
wearing only a pair of boxer shorts.
     "I saw Pat leave and wondered if you'd like to get something
to eat and then maybe go see a movie tonight," John asked.
     "Sure, that'd be great.  Let me put some clothes on,"
Michael answered as he dug out a pair of Levis and t-shirt.  He
sat on the side of one of the beds to put on socks and a pair of
athletic shoes.
     John was standing there, taking in the sight of Michael's
body and realized that he was starting to get a hardon.  Michael
wasn't aware he was being observed so closely.  John decided that
he had better say something instead of just standing there,
drooling.
     "This is a nice room.  You've got a refrigerator, sink and
microwave.  I wish I was allowed to have these in my room."
     Michael laughed.  "When this was a motel, this room was
their 'VIP Suite'.  Can you believe it?  I think there is another
double room on the other side, but the rest of the rooms are like
yours.  Pat found out by accident that this room was available;
the guys who were living here got transferred.  So, we decided to
share it so we could have the 'gourmet kitchen' you see in the
corner."  They both laughed.
     By this time Michael was dressed and ready to go.  As he was
locking his room, he said, "It's 8:15, do you want to eat first
or see a movie?"
     "After all the hard work today, I'd like to eat and then see
a movie, if there's time."
     "Fine with me.  Where would you like to go?" Michael asked
as he unlocked the passenger door on his car so John could get
in.
     "I've not eaten out that much here.  I went to Western
Junior College last year, but almost always ate in the Cafeteria
there.  I didn't have a car to get around and had to really hit
the books to maintain my grades, so didn't go out with the other
guys very often."
     "Let me ask this. and I don't mean to pry. but do you want
fast food or go somewhere better where we can sit down and
order?"
     John replied, "Either is fine with me.  I like most any kind
of food."
     Michael was pulling out of the parking lot.  There is an
Italian place called Tony D's that has good food and the best
pizza in town."
     "I've had their pizza before," John said, "That sounds good
to me.
     Tony D's was on the edge of the downtown area of
Williamsport, so it only took about 5 minutes to get there.  They
were late enough the crowd had thinned and were shown to a booth.
The young man who was their waiter left menus and said that he
would be back to take their order in a few minutes.  He was a
good-looking fellow, tall, black hair, brown eyes and looked like
he might be of Mediterranean descent.
     "How about we split a pitcher of beer?  I'll pay for it,"
Michael said.
     "I love beer, my folks let me drink it when I was still in
high school, but I'm only 19."
     Michael replied, "They don't check ID's here.  Pat's only
19, but you look older than him.  They've never asked him for
ID."
     About that time the waiter came back.  "Hi guys, I'm Greg.
Have you decided what you're going to eat?"
     Michael said, "Yes, we'll have a large deluxe pizza and a
pitcher of Coors."
     "Okay, be right back with the pitcher.  The pizza will
probably take about 20 minutes.  The kitchen isn't too backed up
right now.  Would you like a salad with that?" Greg asked.
     John nodded his head.  "That will be fine."
     Michael repeated what John had said.
     "What kind of dressing?" asked Greg.
     "The house Italian," replied Michael.
     "Same here," said John.
     Greg left and John, without thinking, reached over to touch
Michael's hand and said, "Guess we made his job easy tonight,
didn't we?"
     It was almost like a little spark had jumped from John's
finger when he placed it on his hand.  It was unexpected, but he
didn't flinch.  He'd never been touched like that by another guy
except Pat.  'Hhmmm.' Michael thought.
     About this time the pitcher of beer arrived.  Michael poured
a mug for each.
     They talked back and forth.  Michael was from Millsville,
which was close to Williamsport and had worked at a ranch there
for two years.  He found out about the job at the Bar-W through a
friend who had worked there until the past winter.  He had put in
a good word to Dale on his behalf and Michael had moved down to
Williamsport last February.  He liked the Bar-W better because it
was in such a pretty location.  Unlike the other ranch, which was
out on the plains, the Bar-W had trees, streams, two small rivers
and a lake.  Besides it was close enough to Austin if he wanted
to go there on a weekend.
     John was from Bennington and had attended a year of Junior
College here in Williamsport.  His family had a small farm of 320
acres and rented an additional section (640 acres) of land where
they grew wheat.  His older brother worked the farm on a part-
time basis with their father but there wasn't enough work to
really allow John to work there, too.
He liked working outdoors and felt fortunate the Bar-W was
hiring.
     They both agreed that Dale was a super foreman who wasn't
afraid to work with the others.  "I can't believe the amount of
hay that guy was able to handle without any problem," said John.
     "Yeah, he's not afraid of work.  Most other foremen would
tell you to go get the job done and you wouldn't see them again
until you were finished," Michael added.
     "How long has he been working here?"
     "I think on and off since he was out of high school.  He
went to Junior College at Western and finished there.  Mort
talked him into coming to work here full-time and made him a
foreman over the crops part of the ranch a year after he started
full-time."
     "John said, "Somehow, I thought he was older than that."
     "I think he was 24 last spring," Michael said.
     "Wow!  That's a lot of responsibility for a young person."
     About this time their salads arrived and they dug into them
as if they hadn't eaten for quite a while.  Well, it had been
almost 9 hours and these were hungry young men who had done more
than a full-days work.  They discovered they were also thirsty
and the beer disappeared quickly.
     More conversation about the ranch, what there was to do in
Williamsport, maybe a possible trip to Austin some weekend soon.
The conversation soon turned to the living quarters that were to
be built.
     "When Dale hired me, he told me that they would be making
some of the jobs a permanent, year-around job with a place to
live.  Do you know anything about it?" John asked.
     "Not a lot more than you.  Dale mentioned that it was still
in the planning process although they would be hiring permanent
crewmembers if we wanted the jobs.  The house is going to have
double rooms. two to a room. with a lounge room and kitchen.
There is supposed to be a basement where we can have exercise
equipment or whatever we want.  He said it would be part of our
benefits package, but not to expect a wage increase for several
years."
     About this time their pizza arrived and they dug into that,
too.  Greg brought another pitcher of beer for them, saying,
"It's on the house.  Your order didn't make it out of the kitchen
in the time it was supposed to."
     They both thanked him.
     Michael's thoughts drifted to Pat's having gotten sick the
first time they'd been out to drink beer. and then too much of it
at that.  He hoped that John wouldn't have that problem.  Then he
became embarrassed because he realized he was wondering what John
would look like without any clothes.
     John interrupted his thoughts.  "This is really great pizza.
I've only had it one other time, but it's the best I've ever
eaten."
     "The other food they have here is good, too.  I really like
their lasagna.  It's thick and not runny like it is in so many
restaurants.  I think the people who own this place came to
Williamsport from Chicago, but his parents were born in Italy."
     About this time Greg came back to check on them.
     "Hey Greg, this pizza is wonderful.  We were just talking,
didn't the owners move here from Chicago?" Michael asked.
     "Yes, my parents moved here when I was about 10 years old.
My grandparents help with the restaurant, too.  They were born in
Italy and immigrated to the United States right after they got
married.  My aunt and uncle already had a restaurant in Chicago
and they went to work for them.  Somebody bought the building and
tore it down for another project so we were encouraged to move
here."
     "So. you're part of the owner's family?" asked John.
     "Well, I am part owner of the restaurant.  My grandparents
still work here some, but they've given me their share of the
business, so it's my parents and I who own it now."
     "So, the restaurant is named for your family?"
     "Yes," replied Greg.  Dad's name is Anthony DeFazio, so Tony
D's."
     "Greg doesn't sound very Italian," Michael teased.
     "My name is Gregorio DeFazio.  Is that Italian enough for
you?" he laughed.
     "I give up.  Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Greg.  My last
name is Russo and my dad says our family came from Italy about a
hundred years ago.  I think the original name was Ruzzio, but
when they came through Ellis Island, it got changed to
'Americanize' it.
     "That happened to people from all countries, not just us
Wops," Greg laughed.  "More so to people who didn't have any
vowels in their names.  The Poles and people from eastern Europe
really had their names butchered."
     "Hey guys, it's been great visiting with you.  Come back and
see us again," he said as he laid their check on the table.
     As Greg left their table, he realized he should have found
out more about these two handsome men.  'They certainly were a
pair of hunks,' he thought.
     Unbeknown to him or each other, both Michael and John were
thinking the same thing.  Well, John thought he was a "hunk".
Michael wasn't trying to put a name to it; other that Greg was
really handsome.
     As they got up to leave, John insisted he leave the tip
since Michael bought the beer.
     They had the cashier divide the bill and left, getting back
in Michael's car for the trip to the Starlight.
     * * * * *
     Dale drove to his home, the trip taking about fifteen
minutes.  He was looking forward to a shower, putting on clean
clothes and going back to spend the evening and night with Craig.
While thinking about that, the thought crossed his mind about
laundry and the fact that many times when he arrived at home he
was absolutely filthy, sometimes with grease stains or just
soaked with sweat and grime.  'How would that go over with Craig,
should they live together?'  He couldn't imagine that the other
tenants would be very happy to see him arrive "home" looking that
way.  And, did Craig have a washer and dryer?  He didn't remember
seeing them.  Well, that was another thing to be added to a long
list of things for them to talk about.
     Since he had a little extra time, he started a load of
laundry before putting himself through the shower.  He decided to
look in the refrigerator to see if there was anything there that
needed to be used immediately, or thrown out.  'Hmmm. a couple
slices of pizza from two evenings ago and some lunchmeat and
lettuce, orange juice and the rest of the beer Craig brought the
first night.  Not much, but would he be needing it here?'
     His shower finished, he pulled clothes out to wear and
clothes to take for work tomorrow, putting on one set of casual
clothes and putting the work set in a paper bag.  His shaving
stuff was already at Craig's.  The washing machine was starting
to spin after the rinse cycle.  He'd better wait to rinse them
again to get all the soap out.
     * * * * *
     Craig arrived home about 6 p.m.  He had dressed casually for
work today, as they had no meetings set up with clients.  He
didn't need a shower and what he was wearing was good enough to
wear for dinner.
     He went directly to his bedroom, depositing the mail on the
kitchen counter.  He saw their folded clothes on the chair and
started to hang them up.  He couldn't help but smell Dale's
clothes.  It had a "Dale smell" and just inhaling the scent of
HIS GUY caused his cock to twitch and maybe get just a little
hard.  He thought to himself that in just a few minutes he would
be able to smell the scent from the real person and not his
clothes.  He shook out the wrinkles of both sets of clothes the
best he could and put them on hangers, hanging them in his
closet.
     Then he got to thinking about closet space, should Dale move
in with him.  The only things in the closet in his guest room
were some heavier winter clothes.  He could move some things out
of his closet and put them in there to make room for Dale's
things.  There was plenty of room; they just needed to rearrange
what was already there.  They could decide more about this
tonight.
     Craig went to the kitchen to see if anything there needed
his attention.  He looked in the dishwasher and there really
weren't enough dirty dishes to run it.  He turned his attention
to the mail.  Toss, toss, bill - keep, toss, toss, new Men
magazine in it's sealed wrapper - keep, telephone bill - keep,
bill - keep, toss.  Simple. He took the magazine out of its
wrapper. 'Hmmm, a hunk this month.'  He took the two bills to his
desk and the magazine to his night table, putting it in the
second drawer.  The thought hit him:  he wasn't going to need a
stroke magazine again.  If Dale moved in he'd have his body to
look at and they would get each other off.  Wow!!
     About that time the doorbell rang.  Dale!!!
     He hurried to the door, opening it for MY GUY!!!  He pulled
him inside, shut the door and took his hand, leading Dale to the
bedroom.
     "Whoa!!  Are we horny tonight?" Dale teased.
     "Well, yes but I wasn't going to molest you - yet," he
leered.  "I was just going to take your packages and decided you
could come along, too."
     He showed Dale where he had hung his clothes from the night
before and where the dirty clothes hamper was in the closet, then
pointed out empty clothes hangers, both wood and wire ones he
could use.
     "I don't have anything that needs to be hung up this
evening.  All that's in the sack is a pair of Levis, boot socks,
shorts and a knit shirt for tomorrow.  I left my loafers here
this morning, so really would like to take these boots off and
put those on."  Craig showed him where his loafers were; on
Craig's. make that THEIR shoe rack.  Dale picked them up, walked
to the bed so he could sit down and changed to his shoes.  He
stood up and Craig wrapped his arms around him, searching for a
kiss.
     "Wow, I didn't realize boots made you so much taller.  You
must be two inches taller when you wear them.  I don't have to
reach up as far to kiss you."  They shared a passionate kiss.
Craig rubbed his upper lip against the bristle above Dale's lip.
"I can't believe how quickly your mustache is growing."
     "It is amazing.  I noticed this evening that it's starting
to show.  No one has noticed it yet, though."
     They started out of the room when Craig remembered
something.  He walked to the dresser taking a key out of the
drawer and pressed it in Dale's hand.  "Here's a key for you to
put on your key ring.  If you get here ahead of me, you can get
in and not have to wait."  He kissed Dale's right hand that was
holding the key, and then hugged him again.
     They looked at each other and Dale had tears in his eyes
again.  He put the key on his ring as they walked toward the
kitchen.
     Craig said, "Let's have a drink and we can talk about where
to eat tonight, okay?"
     "Sure, I'm not as tired as last night, but could use
something to help me relax."
     "I'm going to fix you something different tonight that you
might like.  If you don't I'll drink it as my second drink and
we'll figure out something else for you."
     "What is it?"
     "A Manhattan.  It's made with bourbon and sweet vermouth and
a dash of bitters.  You get the ice bucket off the bar and I'll
fix the drinks while you get the ice."
     Dale did as asked, following Craig to the bar to get the
bucket.  Craig got two glasses down while Dale headed to the
kitchen.  He filled each about half-full of bourbon, then added
about an ounce of sweet vermouth, a couple of maraschino
cherries, a bit of juice and a couple dashes of Angostura
Bitters.  Dale came back with the ice and he added a half dozen
cubes and gave each glass a quick stir.
     He handed Dale a glass and napkin, saying "Cheers!"
     They touched glasses and Dale repeated, "Cheers!"  They both
took a sip of their drink.
     Dale said, "This is really good.  It's got a couple of
flavors that I can't identify, but certainly good."
     "Thanks.  A word of warning.  Don't drink it too quickly.
It's a drink to sip, like any other cocktail."  Craig was
thinking that if Dale wasn't used to drinking much liquor, he
needed to caution him about how to enjoy a drink.
     They moved to the love seat and sat facing each other.
     Dale asked Craig, "Have you given any thought about what to
eat and where we might go?  I seldom eat out except for fast food
or pizza and then usually just pick it up and go home."
     "Do you like Italian food?"
     "You mean like spaghetti and meatballs or pizza?  Sure."
     "Well, that too, but there are all kinds of other things on
the menu.  I was thinking about the Italian Gardens.  They have
good food, large servings and it's reasonably priced."
     "I've seen the place, but have never been there.  I don't
like to go places by myself because I don't know what to order
and some restaurants aren't happy to see one person show up by
themselves to take up table space when they are busy."
     "I agree with you about being seated by yourself.  You don't
have to worry anymore about deciding what to order.  I'll be glad
to help you until you get familiar with food from various
cultures.
     "That would be great.  Our family was 'meat and potatoes'
and those were overcooked, too."
     "Okay, Italian Gardens it is for tonight."
     Dale thought, 'This is great.  I have someone who can help
me learn about food and about other things, too.  He was proud of
Craig and thought he was a really lucky man.
     Craig cleared his throat before asking, "Have you given any
thought today about us being together, sharing our lives and a
home?"
     Dale answered slowly.  "This has really happened suddenly.
I knew that I was attracted to other men, but didn't have the
guts to do anything about it.  So, I lived in my own little world
and kept to myself except to go to work every day.  Then you came
along like a knight on a white horse that wants to rescue me and
share his life with me.  It's all happened so quickly.  I know I
could be happy being with you, but I don't know that I could call
it love at this point.  Sure, I love what we do in bed, love
being with you, love you being with me. I just don't want us to
hurt each other.  The idea of being another man's partner, or
lover, is a big step for me.  I don't have any experience in this
sort of thing."  He reached for Craig's hand, which was on the
back of the loveseat.
     Craig squeezed Dale's hand, then leaned toward him and
brought it to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss on the back.
     "Dale, this is all new to me also.  As I told you the other
night I've not had much experience, either.  Sure, there have
been some experiences, which left me frustrated, and a lot of
what I think I know came from reading stories.  But, I know how I
feel about you and would like to give us a chance to try to make
this something we can do with each other.  We can hold off if you
are more comfortable waiting, but I think I'd like you here by my
side and as a part of me as soon as you are ready."
     They looked at each other and scooted together so they could
share the moment and confirm the emotions with a deep kiss.
     Craig continued.  "The beginning may not be easy for either
one of us.  We have had totally different experiences in getting
to this point in our lives.  Your world has been spent in
Williamsport, mine has been in Ft. Worth and Dallas. in some
ways, almost opposite ends of the earth.  We just have to realize
that I have been exposed to a family situation where parents and
3 sisters were involved.  You had your grandparents and mother to
take care of.
     "I am a partner in a young, hopefully growing business with
a wonderful partner who respects me.  You have a good job with a
large ranch and have an employer who respects you for who you are
and what you can do to improve his business.
     "You may not be comfortable in certain social situations
which you will be exposed to, if we decide to become partners.
But, Dale, please trust me when I say from the bottom of my heart
that I hope you will say yes."
     Dale thought carefully, without saying anything for a period
of time.  He finally looked into Craig's eyes and pulled them
together, arms about each other and heads on the other's
shoulders.  "Yes, I want this to happen.  I want to be part of
you and your life.  And, I want you to be part of mine."
     This was music to Craig's ears and they dissolved into each
other's arms, then their mouths searched for the other.
     As they pulled apart, Craig handed Dale his drink and picked
up his own.  "We really should be doing this with champagne, but
I guess that a Manhattan can be a proper toast to our love for
each other."
     "May I propose a toast?  To Dale, my new LIFE PARTNER, MY
LOVE and MY LIGHT!!!  May we be tolerant of each other's needs
and realize what we must do to help each other during our
adjustment period and forever."
     Dale thought those sentiments were great and he wondered
what he could do to top what Craig had said.  He said, simply,
"Here's to MY MATE, the man who loves me and will protect me -
that I will LOVE for ever!"
     By this time the tears were flowing down both of their
faces.  They touched their glasses, each took a sip of their
drink, and then set them down so they could embrace and give
themselves to the other.
     Murmurings of love flowed from their thoughts and throats.
     * * * * *
     "Okay, I hate to break the mood, but we need to look through
the apartment to make sure there is room for what you will bring
with you.  Then, tomorrow night or Saturday we can go to your
house to look there so we will know what we are dealing with."
     He stood and said, "Bring your drink and we'll start in the
second bedroom," leading the way.
     Craig pulled open the closet door.  It was large for a
closet, but certainly smaller than the walk-in in the master
suite.  There were a few clothes hanging in there, a couple of
suits, jackets, a topcoat and a couple of sweaters on a shelf.
Otherwise it was empty.  Dale thought to himself that it should
hold everything in his closet and then some.
     "There is more room here than what I'll need."
     "I'd prefer it if we put the things we don't wear on a
regular basis in here.  Summer clothes in here during the winter,
and so on.  That way you don't have to run back and forth from
one closet to another.  Then also, if we have guests - my
parents, for example - we don't bother them retrieving clothes
from in here.
     Craig shut the door, put his arm around Dale and said,
"Let's go look in OUR closet."  They went down the short hall and
into the other bedroom.  The door was already open, so they both
stepped in.  Dale hadn't realized just how large this closet was
and it wasn't that full.  He said, "I don't think we'll have to
rearrange very much.  There's more empty space in here than my
entire closet will hold.  And there are a lot of things I'm going
to throw away or donate to charity."
     "We don't have to decide these things tonight.  I just
wanted you to see what is here so you can think about it.  Don't
get rid of anything you think you might need.  We can always move
it, then decide later.  We can also rent a storage unit if we
have to," Craig said.
     He led Dale by the hand and they went to the living room.
"What about your furniture.  What do you want to bring with you?"
     Dale was a little appalled at the thought of any of his
furniture being in this room.  "No," he quickly said.  "I just
can't see anything that I have fitting in this room.  My stuff is
all junk compared to your furniture."
     "What about the two reclining chairs.  Don't you want those
for watching TV or reading?" asked Craig.
     "Well, maybe, but I'd rather buy something new that will fit
in with what's already here.  The upholstery is in pretty bad
shape on those chairs."
     "Okay.  It's up to you."  He was secretly somewhat relieved
that those chairs wouldn't be coming along with Dale, but again,
they could always be recovered if they were in good structural
condition.
     They walked to the kitchen.  "Is there anything that you
want in the way of kitchen items that you now have?"
     "No, you have a new microwave and stove, trash compactor,
dishwasher, refrigerator, everything - more than I need for the
simple things I can cook."
     They talked about that for a little bit.  Craig said, "If we
enroll in a cooking course we may find that we need other
equipment.  I'm sure Mom just bought the basic things she thought
I'd need to get by with and I don't even use most of that."
     "I didn't see a washer and dryer."
     "Right behind the folding doors," Craig said as he opened
them.  Mrs. Hopkins takes care of the little bit of laundry I
have, mostly sheets, towels, underwear and sport shirts.  I send
my dress shirts to the laundry as they need to be ironed."
     "Well I have enough dirty clothes from working on the ranch
that I need to wash them about every three days so they don't
pile up.  I can't ask somebody else to wash that stuff, it's
filthy."
     "Don't worry about it.  The equipment is here and you can
use it when you need to."
     They started to walk back to the living room when Craig
realized that both drinks were empty.  "Here, let's dump the ice
and I'll make seconds.  Then we can sit and talk a little more."
     He fixed drinks while Dale found his usual spot on the
loveseat.  Craig sat down, handing him his drink and a fresh
napkin.
     "I think you are going to spoil me."
     "I hope I do," Craig said, leaning in for a kiss.
     They discussed the logistics of moving and going through
Dale's house to empty it and get things moved.  Craig said, "Why
don't we go over there on Saturday morning and take a pad of
paper with us so we can make a list of what you want to keep and
what you want to sell.  I know a couple of women who handle
garage sales.  All you have to do is decide what you want to
sell, they come in, arrange it, mark it and sell it.  Anything
that's left they dispose of, generally calling one of the
charities to come pick it up."
     "I didn't know people did stuff like that.  It certainly
will make it easier for me because I'd probably just assumed it
was junk and throw it away."
     "You'd be surprised how much some of the 'junk' is worth.
Maybe not to you, but someone always wants to buy it and you'd be
surprised what people collect."
     Craig looked at Dale and pulled themselves together.  "I
love you, Dale.  In my heart I know this is right and we're going
to make it work."
     Dale pull against Craig, his mouth finding Craig's.  He
whispered, "And I love you, too, Craig.  Thank you for being
determined to find out who I am."
     As they pulled apart, Craig said, "If we don't go eat right
now, we'll never get to the restaurant and I'm hungry - for food
- as well as love. and we need something to sustain ourselves for
the rest of the evening."
     * * * * *
     They had a wonderful dinner at the Italian Gardens, but the
funny thing of it was that neither could really remember it.
They each ordered Chicken Parmesan, which was served with a
delicious tossed salad and bread sticks.  Craig ordered a glass
of Chianti for each of them.
     They were each lost in their own thoughts and the food was
incidental to what they were feeling but couldn't express.
     * * * * *
     Back at Craig's - correction - THEIR apartment, they sat
back down to talk more about what was going on and what needed to
be done.
     "I hate to discuss some of the things we need to talk about
at a time like this after we have pledged our love for each
other, but I think some things are going to move very quickly -
if you are willing."
     Dale replied, "I think we are going to have to address some
issues and we are going to have to be truthful with each other
because there are some things I've thought about that you may not
have."
     "Okay, let's start with those." Craig said.
     "Well, as I said earlier, I work on a ranch.  I get very
sweaty and dirty.  Sometimes my clothes are soaked with sweat,
other times with dust and still sometimes mud and grease.  How is
it going to look for me to park my old crate of a car in your
parking lot and take the elevator to this floor?  Do you think
the others who live in this building would appreciate seeing me
like that?
     Craig thought carefully.  "I don't know how anyone can
complain about someone who does good, hard and honest work.  If
they have a problem with seeing you that way, it truly is their
problem and not yours.  I own my apartment here free and clear
and I was the second person to move into the building.  As far as
I'm concerned, if they have a problem with it, it's their problem
and not yours or mine.
     "I come in from time to time all sweaty after going to the
gym and playing racquet ball and working out.  No one has ever
said that I couldn't ride the elevator when I stink from those
efforts."
     "Guess you are right about that, I just don't want to cause
a problem."
     "Trust me, you won't."
     "Okay, what about me paying some rent to you?  I know you
have utilities and we'll have groceries to buy each week."
     "That shouldn't be a problem.  I suggest that maybe we set
up a separate bank account and we each contribute an equal amount
each month to take care of household expenses.  If we go out to
eat together, we can take that amount out of the account, too.
It isn't a problem to me, if it isn't to you," Craig replied.
     "Okay, I think I can live with that.  We may actually save
some money if we can eat here.  You mentioned taking a cooking
class.  Are you serious about that because we can save some real
money?  I'm not opposed to eating out, but it does get tiresome,"
Dale said.
     "I'll check into that tomorrow.  We can get by one way or
another and I'm sure we'll have fun, especially the chance to
learn together."
     Dale thought.  "Do you have any idea when Don will want
occupancy of my house?"
     "Usually the contract calls for 30 days after being signed,
but you can usually negotiate other terms."
      After they talked about this, it was getting late and time
to think about retiring for the evening.
     Craig said, "I have one other thing to talk about before we
go to bed.  There is going to be a 'Builders Show" in Ft. Worth
two weeks from the weekend.  Don can't go because of his wife's
parents coming to spend the weekend.  I haven't been to the last
two trade shows and really need to attend this one because we see
new products, building materials and other things helpful to us
in our business.
     "The company will pay for the weekend and I'd really like
for you to go with me, if you don't have to work at the ranch."
     Dale got a little embarrassed.  "I've never been away from
home overnight except for a field trip to San Antonio when I was
in high school.  We visited a couple of museums, took a tour of
the Riverwalk and went to Sea World.  It was a really big deal
for me."
     "Great, if you can go, I can show you my old home town.
Actually my parents live in Arlington, but that's part of Ft.
Worth.  We don't have to spend all of our time at the show, in
fact we can see what we need to see in less than a day, but I
really need to go and it would be a lot more fun if you were
along," Craig enthused.
     Dale was excited.  Ft. Worth and Dallas were a world away
from Williamsport and it would be fun to see the sights,
especially if Craig was there to show him.
     "Okay, I don't have to work that weekend and could probably
take a day of vacation, if I need to."
     "That's another thing, do you have any vacation saved up?"
     "I've never really taken any time off in the last three
years.  They paid me for some of it that I didn't use, but I'm
due to cycle for another two weeks at the beginning of the year.
I think I have at least two weeks coming now."
     Craig was excited.  "Maybe we can take a longer trip
together after the holidays.  Isn't the work at the ranch pretty
slow then?"
     "Yeah, we spend November thru part of February doing
maintenance on equipment and getting ready for the next planting
and harvest seasons."
     "Great, something to look forward to," Craig replied.
     Dale thought for a moment, then, "When would we leave and
when would we come back from this show?"
     "Why don't you see if you can get both Friday and Monday
off, or at least one.  That way we can go up the night before and
will have time to see all the highlights in both Ft. Worth and
Dallas.  We can see my parents and have dinner with them.
They'll love you."
     "Are you sure. about meeting your parents?  Won't they
wonder.?"
     "No, I told you they know I'm gay.  Dad and Mom are very
accepting and you will enjoy meeting them. and mom will love you.
She'll think I'm lucky."
     Dale was a little hesitant, but agreed.
     "Why don't you see if you can get off two weeks from
tomorrow and the following Monday?  Let me know what will work
and I'll get reservations at the convention hotel.  We'll be
right downtown and it will be handy for everything we want to
do."
     "Okay, there shouldn't be any problem.  Pat and Michael are
dependable and would need a minimum of supervision from Mort if
I'm not there."
     Craig looked at his watch.  It was almost 10:30.  "Well, I
think we've covered a lot of ground this evening and I'm happy
with the decisions we have reached."  He stood and Dale got off
the loveseat, too.
     "Come on lover, let's hit the sack."  Craig wrinkled his
eyebrows at Dale.  "I wanna play with your body," he giggled.
     They turned off the lights and headed to THEIR bedroom.
     * * * * *
     (to be continued)
Author's Note:  This is my first attempt at gay fiction, and the
only way I can learn whether or not I should continue is from my
readers' feedback.  I would appreciate your comments, criticism,
suggestions, and anything else that you would care to say.  All
Email will be answered.  If you wish to receive e-mail
notification of subsequent posting, please let me know by sending
your request to the e-mail address below.  Contact me at:
tulsadriller7@aol.com

Thanks for the overwhelming response to previous chapters.  I
received positive replies from all over the world.  My special
thanks to RW, whom I've known for many years and value his
suggestions.  Also for the proofreading help of Paul Daventon,
author of  "Turning the Page" found in the "Adult-Friends"
section of Nifty.  Please read it.