Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 19:04:34 EDT
From: TulsaAuthor@aol.com
Subject: Tales from the Ranch, Chapter 50/?

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 2003 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.

AUTHORS NOTE:
     Yes, I know I usually put this at the end, but this is a
special occasion.  I first posted chapter one of this story
exactly a year ago.  My plans for this story was for ten short
chapters starting with Jason and Kevin at their present ages with
a chapter for each year until they were in college.
     Then I introduced Dale and the email started pouring in.
Then Craig "happened" and that seemed to be a winning
combination.  Later, in Chapter 30, when Joey was introduced the
mail really started arriving.  So, at the rate I'm writing and
the movement of the time line, we are going to have to build a
new building for the Library of Congress because this story may
go on forever.
     I received a bad computer virus this past week.  My desktop
PC is down until I figure out how to revive it.  In the meantime,
as I've asked before, please do not forward emails to me.  This
virus came from a trusted reader - who didn't know he was
spreading it.  Emails with attachments and those that are
forwarded will be deleted without my reading them.  I can't
afford to take my computer to the shop at $200 per hour to have
the hard drive cleaned.
     Yes, I run both Norton and AVG, but this appeared the day
after each updated.

     Please note the new email address:  TulsaAuthor@aol.com.
I'll look forward to hearing from each and every one of you.

Chapter 50:  A Williamsport Weekend
     Officer Doug Gillespie knocked on the door of apartment B-12
at the Four Winds Apartment Complex.  The door opened to reveal
Scott McKown wearing gym shorts and a tank top.  His gym bag was
sitting on the floor next to where he was standing.
     "Yes?" he questioned, wondering why an officer from the
Williamsport Police Department was there.
     "Does Marlene Jones live here?" the officer asked.
     Scott was hesitant.  "Ye... Yes. she does," he slowly
answered.
     "May I talk to her?" Officer Gillespie asked.
     "Uhnnn. sure." he replied, wondering what this was all
about.  "Just a minute."  Then remembering his manners, "Would
you like to step inside while I get her?"
     "Thank you," the officer replied, moving across the
threshold and shutting the door behind him.
     Scott made his way to the bedroom where Marlene should be
getting dressed.  They had just had sex for the second time that
day, then he had showered to get ready to go to the gym for a
workout.  Marlene was just getting dressed when he walked in.
     "That was a short workout," Marlene said.
     "I didn't make it out the door.  There's a policeman at the
door, asking to talk to you," Scott told her.
     "What?" Marlene replied.  "What on earth could he want with
me?"
     "I didn't ask, and he probably wouldn't have told me
anyway," Scott told her.
     Marlene pulled on a pair of shorts and a top.  She reached
for Scott's hand and they went to the living room together.
     Officer Gillespie was standing just inside the front door,
looking uncomfortable.  He hated it that he was the one chosen to
make this call.
     Marlene started to greet him, then realized that from the
expression on his face that this was something serious.  Suddenly
she didn't like this
     "Mrs. Marlene Jones?" the officer questioned.
     "Yes."
     "Are you married to Rev. Jimmy Bob Jones?" he asked.
     "Y. Ye. Yes."  She was very hesitant.  This didn't seem
right.
     "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but there has been an
accident."
     She started laughing.  "What, not another one?  I don't care
if he's had twelve accidents."  She was still laughing.
     "Ma'am, I'm sorry to tell you this, but he was a pedestrian
and was struck by a car in a rather bizarre accident this
morning."  He hesitated.  "He didn't make it."
     Marlene laughed harder.  "You mean the sonabitch is dead?"
she asked.  Then really started laughing.
     Officer Doug Gillespie didn't know what to think about this.
It was obvious that this woman and the deceased may have been
married, but that was probably about as far as it went.  He had
just started with the Williamsport Police Department three days
ago.  He was from Kilgore, Texas and had completed an Associate
Degree in Social Science in May.  He was immediately accepted
into the Police Training Academy in Dallas.  This school provided
rookie officers to countless police departments across Texas and
some surrounding states, also.
     Marlene tried to calm herself.  Scott was standing there
with his arms around her, soothing her.  He couldn't believe what
he had just heard, either.  Suddenly, he feared the worst.
Marlene might become dependent on him.  'Jeeze,' he thought.
     "What happened?" Marlene finally asked.
     "He had been to the Food Basket and bought a lot of stuff at
the deli, then went to the Liquor Barn to buy gin.  He stayed on
that side of the street until he got back to the Starlight where
he was staying.  He started across the street and the grocery
cart got away from him, causing him to fall.  We think that a
woman driving a Lexus swerved to avoid hitting the cart.  She
crossed into the path of a cement truck, which hit her car, and
it, in turn, ran over Mr. Jones.  The driver of the cement truck
swerved, but too late to avoid the car.
     "My God," Scott said, the first words he'd uttered after
having let the officer into the apartment.
     "You are his wife?" questioned the officer.
     "Yes," she replied, sighing.
     "I have the groceries in my car," Officer Gillespie told
her.  "Is it okay to bring them inside, or do you want them?"
     "What do you mean?" Marlene asked.
     "The cart he was pushing wasn't damaged.  There are things
that need to be refrigerated.  If you don't want them, I'll take
them to the police station and the men will eat the deli items."
     "I don't want them.  Probably a lot of his usual junk food,"
she said with disdain.
     "Up to you, we just have to make sure," the police officer
told her.
     "Look I haven't seen him since two weeks ago.  We didn't
really have a marriage anyway.  I just showed up as necessary to
make him look good.  There wasn't any consideration when it came
to my life."
     "I'm sorry.  Are you willing to identify his body so it can
be released to a mortuary?"
     "Was he. badly hurt?" Marlene asked.
     "Only in his chest area.  The upper chest and one arm were
crushed when the car ran over him.  His head suffered no
injuries," Officer Gillespie told her.
     "In that case, I'll do it.  Can Scott come with me?" she
requested.
     "That's not a problem.  I'll drive you to the hospital and
bring you back here, if you can go now."
     Scott took Marlene's hand.  "We appreciate that very much.
I guess we can go now if that's what you want," Scott told Office
Gillespie.
     "That's fine.  My patrol car is in the parking lot."
     * * * * *
      Jason and the other boys in Wolf Patrol, along with Derek
Maxwell didn't get to sleep until after 2 o'clock a.m.  They all
took turns pleasuring each other either by themselves or in
groups of two's and three's.  The younger boys were anxious to
please Scott's 18-year old brother, Derek, because he was almost
a man.  He was able to get them to do things they probably
wouldn't have done if it were just their patrol members.
     What they did was mostly kissing, licking various places on
each other's bodies and performing fellatio on each other.
Jason, Dustin, Scott and Derek had no problem with the other boys
cumming in their mouth, but Davis had a big problem with it.  He
would rather watch as they ejaculated on themselves or each
other.
     The next thing Jason knew, Scott was waking him up at 8:45.
     "Your Dad's at the door, ready to take you home.  He said to
remind you of the funeral mass for Dale's father this morning."
     Jason was really sleepy.  "Oh, yeah, I forgot all about
that.  I've gotta go home.  Can I come back after lunch?"
     "Yeah, not a prob, bro.  You should have told me that you
had to be ready to go home.  That way you could have been ready
and not kept your Dad waiting," Scott told him.
     Jason hurriedly pulled on his shorts, Levis, a t-shirt and
his socks and sneakers.  He didn't even bother to go to the
bathroom to pee or brush his teeth or wash his face.  He raced up
the stairs, telling Scott, "See you after lunch."
     He got in the Bar-W pickup Marty was driving so he could
pick up some items needed at the ranch.  So, there was dog food,
chicken feed, a case of computer paper and a couple of other
boxes in the bed of the pickup.
     "Hi, Jason," Marty greeted the sleepy boy.  Jason smelled
like male sex and Marty thought he could see dried cum in Jason's
hair and on his left cheek.  He smiled.  His boy was growing up,
just like he did when he was in Boy Scouts.
     "Hi, Dad," Jason answered, not being entirely with the
program this Saturday morning.
     "Did you have a good time and get a lot of work done on your
Tenderfoot rank and merit badges?" he quizzed.
     Jason, as sleepy as he was, had to smile at that question.
He was reminded of what Scott had said the night before.  "They
don't give merit badges for sucking cock."
     "Yeah, it was a good camp-in.  I told Scott I'd be back
after lunch."
     He rubbed his cheek and some dried cum flaked off.  He was
concerned that his father might be upset if he saw what was on
his face, but Marty didn't say anything about it.
     "You need a hot shower to wake up.  I'll tell Mrs. Wood to
fix you something for breakfast while you clean up.  We need to
be at the church right after 9:30 so you can get the thurible
ready to use.  We'll take Terry Jenkins home on the way to the
church."
     "Thanks, Dad," Jason told Marty.  "Sorry I wasn't ready when
you came to pick me up."
     "It's not a problem, Jason.  I was in Boy Scouts myself.
There isn't much sleeping likely to happen on a camping trip."
     Again, Jason was concerned that his father knew what they
had been doing, but Marty wasn't pressing the issue.  He felt
good that he had parents who were cool.
     * * * * *
     Michael and Pat were aware that something was going on in
the area where the Starlight was located.  They were at the
Laundromat, doing their weekly wash and were aware of a fire
truck and EMS vehicle going past on the street.  They stepped out
on the sidewalk, but were about three blocks away and couldn't
tell what was going on.
     "Can you believe that kook that bought our breakfast?" Pat
asked.
     "No, he was crazy.  If that's the same guy that was caught
molesting young boys, he's crazy for sure.  Who would want to
have sex with him?" Michael said.
     "When he asked if we were fags, I wanted to sink through the
floor," Pat told him.
     "Yeah, you and me both.  That, coming on top of his
statements about Marty Williamson running the town and supporting
what he called 'The Fag Cathedral' just doesn't make any sense.
Then he said that the priest there was a fag and accused Dale of
being a fag, too.  Man, he's in outer space," Michael said.
     "It doesn't make any sense to me.  I just want to avoid him.
I think he's lonely, but has mental problems of some kind," Pat
answered.
     By the time their clothes were dry and they started back to
the motel, the street was clear. They parked behind the building
and walked around the front to their room so they could avoid the
guy who had bought them breakfast.  John's car was parked in
front of his room, so they assumed that he and Nolan were inside.
They didn't think anything more about the scene on the street a
little earlier.
     * * * * *
     John Sterling was confused after his dinner with Ray Evans.
Ray seemed ready to hire him, yet no job offer was forthcoming as
he thought might happen.  He wasn't sure how to proceed on this.
He loved working for Dale at the Bar-W Ranch, but wondered if it
was a dead-end job.  The pay was pretty good and, sure, they were
going to have a nice place to stay, certainly more like their own
home rather than the clean, but Spartan accommodations at the
Starlight.
     Ray had seemed more interested that he could be a foreman
than a worker and had stressed that the company owned by him and
two business partners was perched to grow by leaps and bounds.
He liked Ray, in fact he thought him quite a hunk, but was
hesitant to make a change.  He was scared that Ray might find out
he was gay, but by the same token he had to deal with moving to a
new place and what was going to happen to the relationship he and
Nolan were enjoying.  Certainly, he couldn't have Nolan staying
at the Bar-W crew quarters.  If Dale found out about that, he
surely would be fired immediately.
     * * * * *
     Matt's day with Tom and Eddie on Saturday was a real eye-
opener for him.
     When Jeremy Houser told him on Thursday night that he was
placing him with a gay male couple he thought that was going to
be his chance to have his full initiation into man-to-man sex
with two older men who could teach him everything.     He could
hardly wait as this sounded too good to be true.
     Jeremy quickly punctured the bubble holding that idea,
telling him in no uncertain terms that it wasn't going to happen
because Tom and Eddie were the same as officers of the court and,
as such, were held to a high standard.
     "If I hear of you making a move on them, I'll pull you out
of that house so fast that you will think your father is an
angel," Jeremy said.  "In the first place, they are 25 years old
and you are only 15 - a minor.  They could be charged with
molesting a child and serve time in jail for it.  So, for your
own sake, I suggest that you try to be a model son for them
because they will help you in every way possible to help you deal
with what you are going through in your young life."
     Matt was somewhat disappointed, but was smart enough to
realize that these men were willing to provide a home and
guidance.  Otherwise, he would be in a foster care situation
where his guardian might be hostile and treat him with contempt
because he was gay.
     They had a great time on Saturday and the three of them
worked together, in pairs and separately getting the final
preparations made for the party that evening.  Matt helped both
of them in the kitchen, as they had to bake a ham and a turkey
early in the day so they could cool before slicing.  The beef
roast would have to wait until late afternoon as it was to be
served warm so was scheduled to come out of the oven about 7
o'clock.
     Matt had never helped in the kitchen before and enjoyed
learning how food was prepared as he was given various tasks to
help accomplish.  Mrs. Fremont didn't want him or his brother and
sister underfoot.  Certainly his mother did little cooking beyond
pouring juice for breakfast and warming things in the microwave.
So, this was a new experience for him, and one that he really
enjoyed.
     Tom and Eddie had a cleaning lady who came in one afternoon
a week and had just been there on Thursday so the house was
clean.  Eddie had him help hang Halloween decorations and lights.
They set up the bar in one corner of the dining room, then Tom
had Matt roll silverware into cloth napkins and assist with
setting up a buffet line around the dining room table.
     He went to the store with Tom right after lunch and then
helped set up the table for the snacks in the dining room.  The
three men had a good chance to get acquainted with each other on
Saturday.  Tom and Eddie were easy to get to know and told Matt
stories about their discovery of being gay when teenagers.  All
three of them had a good sense of humor and were soon teasing
each other
     Finally at 5:30 Eddie suggested that they had better shower
and dress for the party.  Eddie's costume was pretty simple, a
pair of black tights, with black bikini shorts under them, ballet
slippers and the lavender tutu he'd bought a couple of years ago
for their "costume" closet.  A stretchy, low-cut tank top
completed his costume, except for grease paint for a silly clown
face.
     Tom's costume consisted of black pants, white sneakers, and
an open vest.  He had a latex cap to wear which gave him the
appearance of being bald.  A large gold hoop for his left ear and
eye make up completed his costume.
     They helped Matt get dressed and all three of them laughed
as each new piece of the costume was added.  Eddie loaned him a
pair of canvas sneakers and they attached the "pigs feet" to
them, then after he put the dress on, Tom zipped him up and
fastened the hook at the top.  Tom used heavy make up to cover
the bruise on his face, then they helped him with the long wig,
ears, nose, gloves, clutch bag, jewelry and stole.  The three
took lots of pictures of each other while getting dressed.
     He really made a good-looking pig.  Tom hoped he would win
one of the best costume prizes that evening.
     They hadn't been dressed five minutes when the two teacher
friends arrived to help in the kitchen.  The boyfriend of one of
the women accompanied them.  He was dressed as the "Phantom of
the Opera" for his role as the bartender.
     Then the first of the guests arrived.  It was Fr. George and
Paul.  Tom and Eddie proudly introduced their charge to the
couple.
     Again, Matt was astounded that a priest could be gay and
openly have a lover.  He immediately liked them and loved their
"American Gothic" costumes.
     Within another five minutes the guests began arriving en
masse and soon Matt had lost track of who people were, although
everyone remembered his name.
     Only two people wore full masks as they were needed to
identify their characters; Queen Elizabeth and Phyllis Diller,
although they soon shed them because they were too hot.
     Bret Jenkins, Junior and Joey arrived within a few minutes
of each other, and were introduced to Matt.  The three young boys
hit it off immediately and Tom and Eddie hoped they would be good
friends, as Matt needed young people his age that he could trust.
     * * * * *
     Shortly after Beth Jenkins arrived home from taking Bret
Junior to the party, the telephone rang.  Finally, she rinsed and
dried her hands as she had been preparing their dinner.  She
didn't know where her husband was for sure, but he had quit
answering the phone, afraid it was Jimmy Bob calling.  It was
Riley Boyd calling.
     "Have you heard the latest about Jimmy Bob?" he asked.
     "No, we haven't had any contact since Bret met him and his
attorney at the parsonage to allow him to get his personal
belongings, mostly clothes," Beth told him.
     "He's dead," Riley stated flatly.
     "What?  Jimmy Bob?"  She was stunned.
     "Yeah, they think he was trying to cross the street.  He was
pushing a grocery cart and it must have gotten away from him and
he fell on the pavement.  A woman driving a car swerved to avoid
hitting the cart and drove into the path of a cement truck.  The
car got hit and ran over Jimmy Bob.  He was dead at the scene."
     "Oh, my God!!!" Beth cried.  "Let me holler at Bret.  You
need to talk to him."
     She put the receiver on the counter, not knowing where to
find her husband, then remembered that he'd said something about
working in the backyard.  She went to the door at the back of the
garage.  Bret was in the yard with Paul and Terry.
     "Bret!!" she almost screamed.
     He knew something serious had happened and immediately ran
to the door, the two boys following.
     "What is it, honey?" he questioned, putting his arms around
her for comfort.
     "It's Riley Boyd.  There's been an accident.  Jimmy Bob's
dead!!" she wailed.
     A cold chill went through Bret's body.  "Are you sure?" he
questioned.
     "Talk to him!  The phone's on the counter," she said, trying
to recover her composure.
     Bret reluctantly went to the kitchen, dreading the latest
news.
     "Hello," he said as he picked up the received.
     "Bret, Riley Boyd.  Did Beth tell you what happened?"
     "She said there had been an accident and he was dead.  What
happened?"
     Riley told the brief story.
     "That's hard to believe, but maybe it will bring a closure
to all this mess," Bret said.
     "Does the church have any life insurance on him?" Riley
questioned.
     "Well, there was a policy, but you know Jimmy Bob.  I don't
know if the premiums are current or not.  He was supposed to pay
the car insurance because the church didn't have any money.  We
found out that after the wreck that he hadn't paid it, so the car
couldn't be used as collateral to bail him out of jail."
     "That son of a bitch," Riley was livid.  "Marlene identified
the body, but refuses to have anything further to do with this
whole mess."
     "She may not have any money," Bret said, realizing that he
was taking her side.
     "Well, he stole enough from the church that she should be
well taken care of," Riley spat out.
     "That doesn't mean that she got any of it.  Remember, we
found a bank statement for her account and there was only a few
hundred dollars in it and we recovered $17,600 in cash from her
bedroom, Bret said.
     "Well, I guess the question right now is who is going to be
responsible for burying him.  I don't think the church wants to
have anything to do with it and I don't blame Marlene for not
wanting to be involved," Riley said.
     "Jeeze," Bret said.  "Are we ever going to be rid of him?"
     "Well, think about it tonight and we'll decide what to do
about it in the morning after church," Riley said.
     'Okay," Bret replied, as he hung up.
     He suddenly realized that they didn't plan to attend
services at the Victory Temple again, although he really wanted
to straighten out the church finances and the problems with the
corporate filings that hadn't be taken care of.  No matter, they
were going to attend church at St. James the next morning - for
two reasons.  Bret Junior had joined the choir and he wanted to
see what their service was all about.  It all sounded so
mysterious.
     * * * * *
     Jimmy Bob's body remained in the morgue room at the Memorial
Hospital because no one would claim the body and the mortuaries
wouldn't remove the corpse without knowing who was responsible
for paying for the funeral.
     Miles Truby picked up the story and the latest chapter in
the continuing saga of the Reverend Jimmy Bob Jones was on the
Austin affiliate of the NBC network at 6 o'clock p.m. that
Saturday evening.  Most people ignored the story because they
were tired of hearing about his problems.
     Miles had been offered a reporters position at Channel 36 in
Austin.  The station had come through with a good salary and he
would have his own cameraman and film editor.  He was due to
start there on Monday morning.  He silently thanked Jimmy Bob for
his good fortune; otherwise he would still be a freelance
reporter, selling his stories and pictures wherever he could find
a buyer.
     * * * * *
     Dale and his family arrived back at their condo about 10:30.
Craig couldn't wait to remove his costume and Frank and Doris
were ready to shed theirs also.  It had been a great party.
After they got comfortable everyone gathered in the living room
for a nightcap and to talk about the party.
     "I talked to Matt quite a bit," Joey said as they settled in
to enjoy each other's company.
     Craig looked at him.  "Well, don't keep us in suspense."
     "It sounds like his father is a real bigot.  He was wearing
a lot of make up to cover a bruise on his face.  He told Bret and
me that he had two cracked ribs where his father had kicked him,
plus bruises on his back and butt, too," Joey said, hardly able
to believe what he was telling them.
     "Some people shouldn't be allowed to have children," Frank
said, the other's agreeing.
     "Maybe I need to go break his arm," Dale snickered.
     "Oohh, I love that.  A man who takes charge," Craig said.
     Everyone laughed at that statement.
     "Seriously, Matt is very lucky that he was placed with Tom
and Eddie.  They will help him through all of this.  I talked
briefly to both Tom and Eddie during the evening and they said
that his mother was 'trying to cooperate' but they don't really
know what that means.  It sounds like both parents are caught up
in their jobs and don't have time for the children, so a live-in
housekeeper takes the kids where they need to go.  Tom said that
Matt told him they frequently don't see their parents for several
days at a time," Dale told them.
     "The only thing keeping that from being child abuse is that
at least the children have someone around.  The parents are a
poor excuse for being providers.  It makes me wonder why they
bothered to have children to begin with," Doris said.  She was
agitated.
     Joey spoke up.  "Matt thinks that Tom and Eddie are cool.
The only reason he would even want to go back home is to see his
brother and sister."
     "That's sad," Craig said.
     "Well, a couple of weeks ago young Bret Jenkins was in
somewhat the same situation.  I'm afraid his dad would have
beaten him if we'd left him at his house.  The man was abusing
his wife and Bret Junior, both.  Thank goodness Morris Johnsmore
was able to get through to him and demand that he seek counseling
for the entire family.  He agreed, but only because it became a
condition of his continued employment," Dale told them.
     "I wonder if he would have agreed if the whole Jimmy Bob
Jones story hadn't blown up the next day?" Frank asked.
     "Who knows, but at least he seems to be seeing that there is
another side to life and he is trying to be more tolerant," Craig
said.
     "Yeah, and Bret joined the choir at St. James.  He told me
tonight that his parents and brothers and sister are going to be
there tomorrow," Joey said.
     "That should be an eye-opening experience for the whole
family," Dale laughed.  "Kind of like me going there for the
first time.  I had no idea that a church service could be so
beautiful and inspiring."
     "Me too," Joey said.  "Remember that I sang a solo the first
Sunday I was in the choir.  I wasn't prepared for all the
ceremony and ritual, but it was great.  I was so stimulated that
I hated to quit singing at the end of the anthem."
     "And we hated for you to quit, too," Craig said.  "It was
wonderful."
     "This has been a truly wonderful day," Dale said.  "First of
all, Mom and Dad, I want to thank you for coming to Williamsport
for the weekend.  It really means a lot to Joey and me. and
Craig, too. for you to come down to support us at Joe's funeral.
I'm just astounded at the love and support of the friends we have
in Williamsport.  There were people at the mass this morning that
we barely know."
     "Dads," Joey asked.  "Do you think there would have been
very many people at our father's funeral if it had been held in
Houston?"
     "Joey, I can't answer that.  I didn't know any of his
friends or co-workers.  But, you may be right.  In a larger city
people forget about each other."
     "Well, it really made me feel good that there were so many
at the funeral.  I'm glad I moved to Williamsport and have you
and Craig as my Dads - and grandma and grandpa, too.  I never had
grandparents before and now I have you both."
     Joey got up and gave all four of them a hug and kiss on the
cheek.
     "Thanks, Joey," they each said in turn, returning the
gesture.
     "Not to change the subject, but that was a great party,"
Frank said.  "I enjoyed meeting everyone and it was a good group
of people.  They all acted like genuine friends of each other."
     "It was a nice party," Doris said.  "The food was good, the
costumes were great and the people were friendly.  Did you
already know everyone there?"
     "Yes and no," Craig said.  Of course, we hadn't met Matt
before and we didn't know the 'bumblebees' although they attend
St. James.  We hadn't met Doug and Betty Tate, who were Rhett and
Scarlett, but knew who they were, also."
     "He's the principal at Davy Crockett, isn't he?" asked Joey.
     "Yes," Craig answered.  "They had great costumes, too."
     "Southern elegance," laughed Doris.
     "I didn't expect to win a prize for my costume," Craig
proudly said.
     "You were a beautiful Cinderella," Doris said.
     "I still like you better as a man," Dale said with a deadpan
expression.
     They all laughed.
     "Well, we didn't expect Andy and Ann to win a prize, either.
It was a great party and your Dad and I thank you for arranging
for us to go tonight," Doris said.
     "I think it's neat that you could go," Joey said.  "It was a
fun party - and the first adult party I've been invited to."
     "Well, since you didn't get drunk and embarrass us, we just
might take you to another one," Dale said in a teasing manner.
     "Wow!!!  I wonder where the next one will be and how soon?"
Joey said.  He was clearly excited by the thought.
     "Well, I don't know about you fellows, but it's been a long
day and I'm ready to go to bed," Doris told them as she stood up.
     "Yeah, guess we all need to.  The kid here, has to have a
place to sleep and we're sitting on his bed," Frank teased.
     "I hate to admit it, but I'm tired," Joey said.  He got up
to take Mitsy outside before everyone went to bed.
     Craig fixed the coffeepot so the first person to go to the
kitchen could turn it on the next morning.
     * * * * *
     Dale was helping Craig get undressed in their bathroom and
they were both stimulated by the exposure of more and more skin.
"You may be a beautiful Cinderella, but I still like you better
as a man," Dale teased, licking from Craig's right nipple to his
throat, then on to his lips.
     "Believe me, I have no intention of changing anything.  We
seem to be able to drive each other to the top with no problem.
I just can't imagine us being anything except two men who love
each other," Craig said, nuzzling Dale's neck.
     "I want to show you how much I love you," Dale whispered in
a sensuous voice.
     "Well, let me take my panty hose off.  It'll be a lot easier
for both of us," Craig giggled.
     They both burst out in laughter.  However, Craig had taken
them off when he took his dress off.  It was just too good of a
line to pass up.
     They peed, and then freshened up before making their way to
the bed and taking the covers off.  They spread two bath towels
on top of the sheet.  Craig was determined that he was going to
be the bottom tonight and that met no resistance from Dale.  They
were both versatile and were willing to do anything the other
wanted.  Generally they went to bed without any preconceived
notion as to what form sex was going to take.  Each could
pleasure their mate in many different ways.
     But somehow, Dale knew Craig needed to be loved tonight and
although they started out rubbing each other in a sensuous
massage and then worked on each other in a 69 position, Dale took
the initiative and started preparing Craig to be fucked.  By the
time he had him ready to be entered, Craig was practically
bouncing on the bed and begging, "Put it in, now!  I'm ready!
Please, I want you in me."
     Dale took his time which made Craig beg all that much louder
until he finally pushed Craig's legs back and shoved a pillow
under his lower back to position him where it would be the most
comfortable for each.
     It seemed that Dale had barely shucked his foreskin back and
spread the precum they were both producing in quantity in his
glans.  He positioned it at Craig's hole and it was immediately
swallowed up without Dale doing anything except feel the pleasure
as his pole was pulled inside his lover.
     Dale's intention was to bring Craig close to a climax
several times before they both succumbed to the stimulation each
was receiving.  Craig may have been on his back, but he was the
one in control and Dale was trying to stay on his stallion.
Finally Dale leaned over to trade a deep kiss with Craig.  That's
all it took.  Craig's sphincter spasmed twice and he started
dumping ropes of hot cum on his own chest.  Dale lost it.  Craig
could feel his already large cock swell up even more.  Dale gave
a big "uunngghhhh!!" and shot what seemed like a gallon of his
nectar into his lover's bowels.  Craig was trembling; it was such
an intense experience for both of them.  Dale lay on top and held
him in his arms as they came down from the sexual high.  Finally
Dale slipped out and they rolled on their sides, cementing
themselves together with the liquid mortar of their love.
     Sex just kept getting better and better for each of them.
They loved each other and the sky was the limit.
     * * * * *
     Sunday morning dawned much like Saturday had.  It was cool,
but with fewer fluffy clouds than the day before.  The weather
forecast was for a high of 72 degrees with clear skies by noon.
     Joey's first awareness of the new day was when Mitsy went
"woof" as the Sunday paper was dropped in front of their door.
She was ready to jump off the bed when Joey snapped his fingers.
Mitsy immediately piled against him, rolling on her side so he
could have easy access to rub her stomach and chest.  She managed
wiggle onto her back and gave Joey's face a swipe with her
tongue.  Joey loved his dog and was pleased that she was well
behaved and had adapted to living in a fifth floor apartment with
no problem.
     He sat up on the edge of the bed, pulling on his boxers as
he stood up.  He went through the same routine, let Mitsy out, go
to the bathroom, let Mitsy back in, go to the kitchen for juice
and start the coffee.
     Frank soon joined him and they sat beside each other to look
at the paper.  Frank was impressed that Joey worked all the word
puzzles in the paper and seemed to do it at a rapid pace.
     "You like doing those puzzles?" he asked.
     "Oh yeah, grandpa.  My Dad loved to work them and showed me
how.  The Houston paper carried both the L.A. Times and the New
York Times crosswords and we used to work them together.  We used
to play Scrabble at lot, too."
     "Your grandmother will be pleased to know that.  She
probably won't be happy to find out that you beat her to the
puzzles in the Sunday paper, but she'll have the one from the
Dallas paper when we get home."
     "Does she like to play Scrabble?" Joey asked.
     "Oh yes, and I do, too.  We just don't play as much as when
our kids were at home.  Craig used to be really good at Scrabble,
so you might challenge him to a game.  There should be a set
around here."
     "Thanks for suggesting that.  I'll ask him about it," Joey
said.
     About that time Craig and Dale arrived in the kitchen
together.  They had already shaved and showered and were wearing
gym shorts and t-shirts.  They helped themselves to the container
of orange juice and coffee.  Craig topped up Joey and Frank's
cups, and then started a new pot of coffee.
     Dale got out the pan of cinnamon rolls and put four of the
large ones on saucers, setting out the butter for anyone who
might want to add that.  "Anyone want their roll warmed up in the
microwave?" he asked.
     No one did, so he sat on the barstool next to Joey.  He
watched Joey finish working the puzzles.  "What time did you
start on these?"  He was curious.
     "I don't know.  I didn't look at the clock when I started."
     Frank spoke up.  "I do.  I happened to glance at the clock
when Joey was pouring our coffee.  It was about two minutes
before seven."
     It was about 7:40 then.  Joey had worked the crossword, the
Cryptoquip and letter jumble and obviously had gotten them right.
     "Wow, I'm impressed," Dale said.  "I used to work the
crossword puzzles but I could never get a good handle on the
other two.  I could eventually figure out the letter jumble, but
the Cryptoquip never made any sense to me."
     "Sometimes it can take me an hour to figure it out, but the
one today was easy," Joey told them.
     "Do I smell wonderful coffee?" Doris asked as she came into
the kitchen.  "How are all my guys this morning?"
     "Great grandma!" Joey replied, the others greeting her,
also.
     Craig filled the remaining cup on the counter and handed it
to her.  "Who's ready for more coffee?" he asked the others.
     Everyone was.  "Do you want some juice, Mom?  We've got
orange, cranberry and V-8."
     "Cranberry juice will be fine," Doris told him.
     "Let me know when you're ready for a cinnamon roll," Dale
told her.  "Does anyone want a second one?"
     "I'll split one with somebody," Frank said.
     Craig agreed to the offer.  He was reading the story about
Jimmy Bob Jones on the front page of the "state" section of the
Austin American-Statesman paper.
     "It says here that no one will claim Jimmy Bob's body and
it's still in the morgue at Memorial Hospital."
     "I bet they love that," Dale quipped.
     "Doesn't he have a wife?" Doris asked.
     Craig snickered.  "Let's just say they were married to each
other, but she had a boyfriend.  She didn't waste anytime moving
to this guy's apartment after Jimmy Bob was arrested the first
time."
     "Oh, that's interesting," Frank said.  Usually, it's the guy
who has a girlfriend."
     "Let's just say that they must not have been the perfect
couple," Dale said.
     "I can't imagine having to sleep with him.  He was bigger
than a whale," Craig said.  Then he realized what he'd said and
turned red.  The others laughed at him.
     "Point well taken, son," Doris teased.
     Dale couldn't resist.  "I don't think he was really gay,
anyway, I mean, who would want him?  Craig and I both have better
taste than that."  Then Dale realized what he had said and it was
his turn to be embarrassed.
     Frank and Doris were laughing at their sons and although
Joey wasn't sure what he'd heard, he joined them.
     Finally after everyone had regained their composure, Doris
told Dale she was ready for a cinnamon roll.
     "What time do you have to be at church this morning?" Dale
asked Joey.
     "The usual time, about ten before 10 o'clock.  Maybe I
should go a little earlier this morning 'cause Bret may need help
putting his vestments on and making sure he has everything he
needs prior to our rehearsal."
     "That's right, his parents are going to be at church today,
too.  I think Morris Johnsmore encouraged them to come visit.
They should really get their eyes full," Craig said.
     "Certainly nothing like the Victory Temple services they are
used to," Dale told them.
     They enjoyed sitting around the kitchen counter chatting
with each other.  They certainly were one big, happy family.
     Somehow the topic turned to a new house for Dale, Craig and
Joey.
     "I want a shower like you have in your bathroom," Joey said.
"That is awesome!  I hope you'll let me shower in there again
sometime."
     "You got it. and you're welcome to use our shower anytime
you want - as long as we aren't using it first.  We'll hang a
sign-up sheet outside the door," Craig teased.
     "That is a great shower enclosure.  I may want to try that
myself," Frank told them.
     "As I said, there will be a sign-up sheet by our bedroom
door," Craig repeated.
     "Do you think we could make some money by renting the shower
and Jacuzzi?" Dale asked.
     "Count on it.  It's going to be expensive.  After all, we'll
have to hire a fitness instructor, a towel boy and a masseuse to
take care of all the demands of this bunch," Craig giggled.
     "I thought maybe by being your "old man" that I could at
least get a family discount of some kind," Frank said.
     "Oh, I'm sure you can get a senior citizens discount.  A
dollar off each service offered," Dale said, joining in the fun.
     "Hey, I'm insulted.  I'm only 55," Frank said.
     "I thought AARP started their recruitment program when you
turned 40," Craig said.
     "Actually, I think it's 45, but I throw all their stuff away
without opening it anyway, Frank told them.
     The sparring continued for another 45 minutes.  Craig rinsed
their dishes and loaded the dishwasher.  Joey used the shower in
Dale and Craig's bathroom while Frank showered in the guest
bathroom.  Doris had showered after she got up.
     "What are we going to do for lunch today?" Dale asked.
     "There are three buffets.  The Cattlemen's Hotel, the
Holiday Inn or the Best Western out on the hi-way," Craig said.
     "We know we can get a good meal at the hotel," Dale told
him.  He looked at the clock in the kitchen.  "Do you think it's
too early to try to make noon reservations?"
     "It's five past nine.  I think it's worth a try," Craig
said.
     Dale found the phone number and punched the digits.  The
operator at the hotel switchboard answered.  The dining room
wasn't open on Sunday morning, but she could make reservations
for them.  He had her put them down for 5 people at 1 p.m.  That
would give them time to come home, change clothes and have
something to drink if they wanted it.
     * * * * *
     The Jenkins family had a leisurely Sunday morning for a
change.  Usually they had to be at Victory Temple for Sunday
School before 9 o'clock.  Bret Senior was surprised that there
weren't Sunday School classes for adults at St. James.  The
children's instruction took place during the high mass as the
children went to classes after the Gospel reading, then returned
in time to go to communion with their parents.  He didn't
understand all of that, but Morris assured him that it would all
make sense later
     Morris Johnsmore suggested that since Bret Junior had to be
at the church about ten minutes before 10 o'clock to put on his
choir robe (they called them vestments) for a choir rehearsal at
10:10, the family meet him at the front door and he would take
them on a tour of the building and explain the liturgy.
     It all sounded complicated to Bret, but he knew his son was
enthralled with the service, so he and the rest of his family
wanted to know what was so special about it and experience it
with him.
     Beth made waffles, scrambled eggs and sausage gravy for
their breakfast.  This was the first time since they had lived in
Williamsport that the family actually had time for breakfast on
Sunday morning.  When the children were younger, they required a
lot of help to be bathed and dressed - and then the family barely
made it to Sunday School in time.
     Later, of course, the children could get ready on their own,
but it was still total chaos with the family trying to get to the
church on time.  Today seemed more like what a Sunday morning was
supposed to be like.
     They were all in their mini-van and ready to leave their
house by 9:40.  It was a short drive to the church and Bret
parked in the parking lot, close to the front door.  He had never
really looked at the building before, certainly not to notice the
details of the stonework, the carvings above the front door.  It
looked like a stone mural and there were larger than life-size
statues of men in niches on either side.  He would later find out
that they represented the Saints James (the Lesser) Peter, Paul
and John.
     True to his word, Morris and his wife, Margaret, were at the
front door.  Bret presented his family and after Bret Junior
shook hands with them, he departed for the choir room.
     They were standing in the narthex and Morris started his
speech about the church building.  He was especially proud of it
because his own family had been members there for years and he
had seen many changes since he was a child as the installation of
the stained glass windows had been completed, carved statues of
the various saints had been added, along with many other
decorations which had been given as gifts.  He was especially
proud of the life-size stone carving of The Holy Family that had
been placed there in memory of his parents and grandparents.
     The other statue in the narthex was a bronze statue of St.
James the Lesser that was about 10 feet tall.  This had been
given by an earlier generation of the Williamson family and had
been moved from the front of Founders Chapel (the original church
building) when the present building was built.
     They started down the main aisle toward the high altar.
Bret couldn't get over the fact that this building was huge.
Morris explained that it was 150 feet from the front door to the
east end of the sanctuary where the high altar was located.  The
stone vaulting of the ceiling was 55 feet above the floor.  As
they walked to the front, he pointed out the windows on both
levels, explaining that you could read the entire Nicene Creed,
starting in the windows above the high altar, than going on
around the building.  The colors of the windows were brilliant as
it was a sunny day.  The reds and blues seemed to shimmer in the
light.
     Of course, Morris was proud of the pipe organ, pointing out
the gallery division with the horizontal trompettes above it,
then the main organ, divided and partially exposed above and on
either side of the chancel where the choir sat.
     Beth couldn't believe the treasure they had here in
Williamsport.  She had never thought about what was inside the
building.  In fact she hadn't even considered that there was so
much open space inside.  She guessed she thought it was just a
collection of smaller rooms.  She was hardly prepared for what
she was seeing.
     The Jenkins children were full of questions and Morris and
Margaret answered each, but kept the "mini tour" moving.  They
ended up in the crossing where Morris pointed out the Chapel of
St. Mary in the north transept and the Chapel of St. Joseph in
the south transept, explaining that the daily masses were said at
those altars, as it was a more intimate setting for small groups.
     They moved on up into the chancel area.  There were more
stone and woodcarvings representing various Bible characters,
those from the Old Testament on the left and the New Testament on
the right.  But what caught Bret's eye was the stone carving in
the center called "Christus Rex".  Morris explained that it had
been carved in Italy in three pieces, then shipped to the United
States and carefully installed in the Reredos behind the altar.
     The eyes of Christ seemed to follow you as you moved from
one side to the other.  He had never seen anything like it
before.
     About that time the ladies from the altar guild started the
preparation of the sanctuary and altar for the mass.  Bret could
see why his son was so impressed with the reverence and care as
they accomplished everything.  Of course, he didn't understand
exactly what they were doing, but knew it was of great
consequence.
     They were where they could see the pipe organ better and
Morris walked them over to the console so they could look at it.
There seemed to be keys, buttons and knobs everywhere.  Bret had
never thought of it before, but the organ at Victory Temple
didn't even have full keyboards and only a few pedals for the
feet to play.  Morris directed them to look upward, pointing out
that the longest pipes in the facade were about 32 feet long and
that only a portion of the pipes could be seen, the rest being
behind shutters that opened and closed to control the volume of
the sound.  He couldn't wait to hear this organ.
     Morris looked at his watch.  "Let's find seats as people
will be arriving for church shortly.  I'll get service folders
for each of us and explain a little bit about the service."
     They walked to the third row.  Margaret genuflected and
entered the row of chairs.  She had Terry sit on one side of her,
and then Beth followed with Sally and Bret behind her.  Morris
sat next to Bret and Paul was on the aisle.
     "The entire service is in this folder," he said as he handed
them out.  "The hymns are in the hymnal and it looks like the
congregation will only be singing the processional and
recessional hymns today.  The choir will sing the rest of the
service.  Very briefly, we stand to sing, sit to listen and kneel
to pray.  If you aren't comfortable with kneeling, simply sit in
your chairs and listen."
     With that he and Margaret pulled the padded cushion from
under their seats and knelt to pray before the organ prelude
started.
     The entire Jenkins family was looking around, in awe of
their surroundings.  This was certainly different than Victory
Temple.  That building didn't have any stained glass windows
anywhere and no windows of any kind in their auditorium, which
probably only seated about a fourth of the capacity of this
church.
     About that time, Bret felt someone touch him on the
shoulder.  It was Tom Bryant and he had a young boy with him.
Tom introduced Matt to him and Beth, then the others in the row.
     "Good to have you with us this morning.  This is Matt's
first time to attend here, too."
     Dale and Craig, along with Craig's parents took their seats
across the aisle from them, and then knelt for their private
prayers.  The Williamson family sat two rows behind them.
     The organ prelude started shortly afterward.  Paul always
chose his music carefully and today was no exception.  The organ
work chosen was the "Prelude, Fugue and Variation" of Caesar
Franck.  The sound from the flute stops seemed to float over the
congregation.  Bret was disappointed.  He expected to hear more
sound from the organ, but by the same token he didn't think he'd
ever heard anything prettier than this.  It didn't take long for
the sound to change and the organ became much louder and then he
could feel the vibrations from the low notes.
     Two acolyte's appeared and started to light six candles on a
shelf behind the altar, two on the altar itself and two on tall
stands sitting on the floor.
     He sat there with his eyes closed, not realizing that Beth
was doing the same, enjoying the beautiful organ music.  It was a
lot different than Victory Temple, where they used piano, drums
and guitars and sometimes the Hammond Organ.
     The music came to an end.
     Something was about to happen.
     The organist started the introduction to the processional
hymn, "Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven".  Everyone stood up.
Bret could feel the power of the organ and thought it strange
that no one was up in the front to lead the service.  He was used
to a song leader directing the congregation, urging them to sing
louder.
     The congregation started singing and the sound was
overwhelming with the organ leading them on.  Where was the
choir?  They started     singing the second verse and he was
aware of movement to his right in the aisle.  Two young boys were
walking slowly together, robed in red and white, one swinging a
vessel that was filled with incense and making a lot of smoke.
Right behind them was a tall cross being carried by an acolyte
robed in green and white.  Two other boys robed in white and
green flanked him.  They were carrying large candles in brass
holders.  Everyone bowed as they passed their row.
     The choir followed and he spotted his son, wearing a black
robe with a white surplice.  While singing he was watching the
front of the church and was taken by the fact that each chorister
bowed toward the altar, then entered the choir stalls.
     The clergy and others participating in the service followed
another cross; again everyone bowed.
     The first man behind the second cross was carrying a book in
a gold cover, held high over his head.  The last person in the
procession was Father George, wearing a beautiful green and gold
cope.  At the end of the third verse, the organist opened the
organ up for an improvisation before the last verse.  Suddenly
there were loud trompettes, the sound soaring above full organ.
Shivers ran down Bret's back and he felt goose bumps.  His wife
and children had the same reaction.  The fourth verse of the hymn
started, the organ being quieter.  The treat was the young boys
in the choir singing the descant, their voices seemingly floating
above the others.
     Bret realized that the clergy was standing, facing the
altar.  The organist intoned the start of the Introit Proper and
Jason Williamson handed the censer to Fr. George.  Flanked by the
Deacon and Sub Deacon, he started censing the altar and those
participating in the mass.  Then he handed the censer back to
Jason and bowed as Jason swung the censer toward him.
     Of course, Bret had never seen anything like that, but his
son was right.  It was reverent.
     After the opening prayers, the choir sang the "Gloria" and
at the end everyone sat down.
     The service proceeded with readings from the Old and New
Testaments, the choir chanting a Psalm between them.  He was
looking at the bulletin and realized that people were standing up
again as the choir started singing a hymn.
     He was confused as the incense, the processional cross,
flanked by the candles and two of the clergy, one carrying the
gold book, started into the chancel and down the steps into the
nave.  It was the Gospel procession.  Again, everyone bowed as
the cross passed their row.  The procession stopped about 6 rows
behind where they were sitting.  Bret had turned to face the
procession, as did everyone else in the congregation.
     After the Deacon chanted The Holy Gospel, the procession
moved back to the sanctuary area.  Fr. George had moved to the
pulpit and gave the homily.  Bret was stunned.  It couldn't have
lasted more than five minutes.  Jimmy Bob used to preach for 45
minutes to an hour.  Furthermore, this was a well-prepared sermon
dealing with the first miracle at the wedding in Cana where Jesus
turned water into wine.  Bret had to smile when the priest
reminded the congregation that Jesus turned the water into wine,
not Welch's grape juice.  Everyone in the congregation laughed.
     The service seemed to move quickly from that point on, with
a few announcements then the Nicene Creed and Prayers of the
people.  Bret was surprised to hear Jimmy Bob Jones' name in the
intercessions.  After the prayers was the exchange of The Peace
where everyone greeted each other in the name of Christ.  Bret
thought that was a nice touch.
     The mass moved on through the offertory and the entire
Jenkins family loved the anthem. The choir sang, "The King of
Love, My Shepherd Is".  It was a familiar melody.  Bret was
watching the altar as the Deacon was preparing for the communion.
After the anthem, the congregation stood as the organist
improvised, continuing on through the censing of the altar (this
was fascinating) and then the officiants, the choir and finally
the congregation.  Again, this seemed to be a very reverent part
of the mass.
     The mass resumed with The Great Thanksgiving and
consecration prayers.  There was more music with the Sanctus-
Benedictus being sung and much ceremony with bells ringing in
several places.  The choir and congregation chanted The Lord's
Prayer together, then the choir sang the Agnus Dei before going
to the rail to receive communion.  Bret saw his son get in line
to go to the rail.  Morris had already explained how to receive
communion if they desired to go, as it was open to anyone who
wanted to partake.  Finally, the ushers moved to their row of
chairs.  Morris indicated that Paul was to follow him, and then
Bret was next in line.
     The choir was singing another anthem as they walked into the
chancel.  Bret caught his son's eye and there was a nod of
understanding between them.  His son was right, this was an
awesome service.
     It didn't take long for communion, even though there were
several hundred people.  The two priests were placing wafers in
the hands of the communicants and two lay people were passing the
chalice.  Bret had to smile again as he tasted the wine.  It
wasn't grape juice.
     The recessional hymn after the closing prayers and
benediction was "Praise to the Lord" again with an organ
improvisation before the last verse, then the choir singing a
descant above the melody.  Again, he had shivers run and up and
down his spine.
     * * * * *
     Matt was also thrilled with the service he had just
participated in.  He certainly had never seen anything like it at
the church his family attended in Austin.  He wanted to come
back.
     Eddie had come to sit with them after the offertory, as he
was one of the ushers this morning.
     Tom and Eddie introduced Matt again and all of them
discussed the service with each other.  Dale and the rest of his
family moved across the aisle to greet their friends.
     Dale told Bret, "We've never been properly introduced.  I'm
Dale Richards."  He started to shake hands and realized that
Bret's arm was still in a cast.  Bret returned the greeting.
"Bret Jenkins, Dale.  I'm glad to make your acquaintance."
     This could have been an awkward moment, but there were too
many people around.  Craig introduced himself and his parents to
the Jenkins family, as well as to Morris and Margaret.
     The group of fourteen people moved together to the parish
hall where the two boys that sang in the choir would join them.
They were already there, restoring the energy they had used up in
the service.
     Bret proudly introduced Joey and Matt to his parents and
Paul, Terry and Sally.  He was excited.  "Did you like the
service and music?" he asked.
     "I understand what you have been talking about, Bret.  It
was great.  Very uplifting," his father said.  Beth agreed.
     About that time Fr. George and Paul arrived in the parish
hall and made their way directly to the Jenkins family.
     "I'm glad to see you here this morning," Fr. George told
them.  I'm sure you are probably confused about everything you
saw and participated in this morning, but if you have any
interest I'd like to invite you to attend our Evening Prayer
service and then the 'Inquirers class' afterward.  Bret Junior
was here last week and I hope you will be with him this evening.
There is no obligation to join our church, it's simply to explain
the service and answer questions."
     "Thank you.  I think I'd like that.  We'll decide this
afternoon if it's for all of us, or not.
     They visited for just a moment, then Fr. George told them,
"I'd like for you to meet my partner, Paul.  He's the
organist/choirmaster and is responsible for the glorious music
you heard this morning."
     Bret's first thought was "faggots", but quickly dismissed
that from his mind.  He had already met Tom and Eddie and knew
about Dale and Craig and the rumors about the priest and his
partner.  These men didn't seem to be any different than others.
Certainly he would have never known that they were fag. no make
that "gay", if someone hadn't told him.  It was all somewhat
confusing, but he was beginning to see them for the people they
were, not the idea of what they were.
     Bret had seen the Williamson family sitting on the other
side of the aisle a couple of rows behind them.  They were
visiting with Morris Johnsmore and his wife now.  He was
surprised when Marty came over and shook his hand, welcoming
them.  He introduced his wife, Chris, forgetting that she and
Beth already knew each other.
     Others from the congregation shook hands and introduced
themselves; some asking if they were from out of town or if this
was their first time at St. James and all inviting them back
again.  He felt really good about that.  These people seemed to
be genuine in their invitations.
     He couldn't help but wonder about the service at Victory
Temple.  How many were there?  What did they do?  What was the
reaction about Jimmy Bob's death?  He decided he didn't really
care.
     * * * * *
     Bret and Joey told Paul that Matt was interested in joining
the choir at St. James, so Paul told them to be there at 6:30 on
Wednesday evening.  He was sure that he could find a place for
him.
     "I'm glad I'm in the choir.  It was a great experience.  I
just hope I didn't goof up somewhere, there's so much to
remember.  I just followed Joey," Bret Junior said.
     "You did just fine.  I'm glad you're here and I hope we see
you tonight at Evening Prayer and the class afterward, Paul told
them.
     All three of the young men assured him they would be there.
     * * * * *
     Dale and Craig and their family were more than ready to
change clothes and get comfortable when they arrived home from
church.
     "I was hoping you would get to sing a solo again this
morning," Doris told him, Frank and the rest agreeing.
     "Nobody had a solo part this morning," Joey told them.
"There are several others in the choir who seem to get to sing,
too, but I'm glad to have the opportunity when I can."
     "I know.  I love to hear the big guy with the bass voice
sing, too," Craig said.
     "You mean 'Fat Albert'," Joey said.
     "Joey!!" Craig said.
     "It's okay.  'Fat Albert' is a character that Bill Cosby
came up with.  This guy's name is actually Andrew, but his
parents started calling him 'Fat Albert' so now he calls himself
that."
      "Well, at least he has a sense of humor about it.  He's a
nice-looking young fellow, it's too bad he's handicapped with the
weight," Dale said.
     "It runs in his family.  Did you see his parents at the
coffee hour?  They were scooping up cookies like it was their
last meal."
     Dale had seen them.  He wondered if they were able to have
sex and in what form.  He wasn't sure he wanted to know about it.
     Frank had volunteered to be the bartender and was not
surprised that the count was two gins and two scotch and sodas.
However, it was he and Craig that wanted the gin while Dale and
Doris wanted the scotch this time.  Joey had his usual ginger
ale.
     "Matt is going to audition for the choir on Wednesday
night," Joey told them.
     "Great.  What did he think about the church service this
morning?" Craig asked.
     "He loved it.  I think the church his family goes to is
kinda like the Victory Temple.  They don't know what good music
is."
     "Careful there," Dale said.  "Most of them would think the
same thing if they attended St. James.  They would think what we
do is pretty dull."
     "How could they?" Frank asked.  "It sure seemed to be
inspirational to me."
     "That's the reason there are at least twenty different
denominations in Williamsport - and sometimes two or three
different congregations of each.  They all have their own idea of
how a worship service should be," Craig told them.
     "Which is the largest congregation here?" Doris asked.
     "St. James has passed the Presbyterians, according to what
Fr. George told us at the 'Inquirers class' last week.  The
Methodists are the third largest.  Most of our new members have
come from the Roman Catholic Church.  They have a young priest,
too, but he doesn't seem to care anything about music and St.
Mark's doesn't seem to be offering anything to the young people.
They've come here to be with their friends and their parents have
followed.
     "The clergy can make or break a parish in pretty short
order," Doris said.
     "I think St. James has always had excellent clergy," Craig
said.  "The rector here has always come from the Anglican Church
in England and has emphasized the 'high church or Oxford
Movement' aspect of worship.  We really think we're 'more
catholic than the Catholics are'," Craig told them.
     "Obviously, since you are picking up members from that
church, you are offering them something they don't have," Frank
said in concurrence.
     "Yes, I guess you are right.  Everyone seems to find their
own level of worship and comfort.  It's just what you are exposed
to and embrace as your own.  I'm happy attending St. James and
probably wouldn't be happy anywhere else.  Others are offended at
what we offer," Craig told them.
     Dale looked at his watch.  "It's 12:45 and our reservations
are for one o'clock, so guess we had better be on our way."
     "Where are we eating today?" Frank asked.
     "The buffet at the Cattlemen's Hotel.  It's really the best
in town on Sunday," Dale told him.
     "That's fine.  We thought it was great last week.  But, I'm
not going unless I pay," Frank said.
     "Not a problem.  We're all between paychecks here anyway,"
Craig teased.
     "I can't believe this.  They haul in enough food to feed an
Army, we eat out every meal except breakfast and there isn't
enough food in the house to have a light lunch," Dale laughed.
     "I've never eaten a bad meal at a restaurant," Doris told
them.
     Everyone laughed.
     * * * * *
     Tom and Eddie took Matthew to the buffet at the Holiday Inn
immediately after they left the parish hall.  They were still
early enough to beat the Methodist and Presbyterian congregations
to the restaurants.   They would have eaten at home, but after
getting ready for the party, then cleaning up they didn't want to
prepare a Sunday dinner.  There were plenty of leftovers for
their evening meal.
     Eddie was driving Tom's car and Matt was in the backseat.
     "Do you drive each other's cars?" Matt asked them as Eddie
pulled onto the street.
     "We don't have 'each others' things in our relationship.  We
own the house together and everything I have belongs to Eddie,
too," Tom told him.
     "Really?  That's so neat.  My Dad and Mom each have their
own money, at least they write checks on their own accounts,"
Matt told them.
     "Well, we each have our own accounts, too, but we contribute
equally into a household account to pay our living expenses.  I
don't know what Eddie does with all his money, but I'm saving for
my old age," he giggled.
     "Dream on, Bryant," Eddie laughed.  "The last time I looked,
my signature was on that account, too, and there wasn't that much
money in it.  At the rate you're saving, you're gonna have to
teach until you're at least 107."
     Matt broke up.  He thought that was the funniest thing he'd
ever heard.
     "That's only because you moved it all to your own account,"
Tom teased.
     Matt thought this was great.  He had never heard his parents
say anything funny to each other and certainly he and his brother
and sister weren't allowed to joke around with each other.  In
fact, they didn't have that much to do with each other when they
were at home.  He loved being with these guys, they had accepted
him without any question and had honestly answered the many
questions he had for them.
     The hostess seated them at a table and they told their
waiter that they wanted to go through the buffet line.
     As they were eating lunch, Tom asked, "Well, what is your
opinion of the church service this morning.
     "Oh, wow!  I never dreamed it would be like that.  That
choir was wonderful and the organ music, too.  The choir at our
church in Austin has a bunch of old people in it and they sound
terrible, too.  I don't even know if our church has an organ.
It's mostly guitars and electric basses with a keyboard.  Almost
like disco music.  Not dignified like this morning."
     "Paul has a good choir and they have been invited to sing
other places, too.  He would like to take the choir to England so
they can experience singing Evensong at such places as
Westminster Abby, St. Paul's Cathedral and some other cathedrals
while there," Eddie said.
     "That's cool.  Do you think they will be able to do it?"
     "Probably.  They plan to start raising money for it and
there will probably be several families that will contribute
money to help out," Tom said.
     "Neat.  Bret and Joey talked to Paul about me singing in the
choir, too.  I'm supposed to go Wednesday evening at 6:30 for an
audition.  I hope I'm good enough."
     "I'm sure you will be.  It's a good opportunity for you to
learn about church music and take an active part in the service,
too, if you are interested," Eddie told him.
     "Can I go back to the buffet line?" Matt questioned.  "The
food is really good, here."
     "Sure."  Tom looked around.  "Looks like now would be a good
time.  Leave your plate here and get a new one."
     Matt got up from the table and Eddie said, "Hungry teenager.
Bottomless pit."
     Tom laughed.  "Maybe, but we didn't have that much to eat
this morning and I don't know how much he ate last night at the
party."
     "Plenty," Eddie smiled.  "I couldn't get enough to eat when
I was his age, either."
     "He wants to start working out and running with you when
he's healed.  Do you think we need to get him checked before we
let him do that?" Tom asked.
     "Probably.  That's something we need to ask Jeremy about.
I'm sure that his parent's medical insurance should cover it, but
in any case, the state or county should pay part of it," Eddie
responded.
     Matt was soon back at the table.  To give him credit, he
hadn't taken a huge plate the first time and this plate was only
about half full.
     "Are you ready to start school tomorrow?" Tom asked.
     "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.  Bret and Joey introduced
me to two guys that sing in the choir after church today, and
told me to look for them in the cafeteria.  Hopefully, my lunch
period will be the same as theirs.  And, that guy that works at
the Costume and Novelties Shop, Steve Hall, said that he would
watch for me, too.  So, I guess I already know six guys in high
school," Matt said, sounding excited.
     "That's good.  Well, actually you know more than that.  Doug
Waters and JoEllen Daily, the bumblebees, are seniors.  They will
see to it that you meet other people, too," Eddie said.
     "Oh, yeah.  I forgot about them.  They seem like nice
people," Matt said.
     "They are.  Doug's an umpire for the Little League program.
He thinks he'd like to do that as a vocation when he's out of
college," Eddie proudly said.
     After they left the restaurant, Eddie and Tom drove Matt
around Williamsport, pointing out some of the interesting
business buildings and homes, along with other points of
interest.  Davy Crockett High School was within walking distance
of Tom and Eddie's house, so they wouldn't have to worry about
transportation to get him to and from school.
     * * * * *
     The Jenkins family was just getting ready to sit down for
their Sunday noon meal when the telephone rang.  Bret Senior
answered it, only to find an irate Riley Boyd on the other end.
     "Where were you this morning?" he demanded as soon as he had
identified himself.  "We had a guest preacher and I didn't have
any way to pay him after the service, so had to give him my
personal check."
     "You should have told me that a check needed to be cut when
you called last evening.  I could have written it and seen to it
that it was available to you this morning," Bret said, clearly
unhappy.  Riley Boyd was worse that Rev. Jimmy Bob when it came
to making demands.
     "Well, you owe me $200," Riley told him.  "Where were you
anyway?  We expected to see you at church this morning.  Nobody
from your family was there."
     At first Bret wanted to tell him that it was none of his
business, but decided he might as well be honest about it.
     "My son, Bret Junior, is now singing in the men and boys
choir at St. James Episcopal Church.  Today was his first Sunday
and we wanted to be there to support him.  We had never been
there before and it was a beautiful service in a wonderful
building."
     "What!?  You're not bailing out on us at Victory Temple when
we need you the most?  You can't do that!"  It was Riley's turn
to be agitated.
     "I plan to get the finances and the corporate reports
straightened out for you.  I owe you that much because I took it
for granted that Jimmy Bob was taking care of all of that.  I
should have known better, but I'll see to it that it's up to
date.  Then, I think we are going to visit some other churches
here in Williamsport.  Neither Beth or I have good feelings about
everything that's happened at Victory Temple in the last couple
of years."
     "You can't do that!  Jimmy Bob's dead!!  Things are going to
be different.  I promise you."
     "Look Riley, we're just sitting down to eat our Sunday
dinner.  I'll have to call you back later and I'll drop a check
by for the $200.  You have a note ready to give me to put in the
file so I've got some paperwork to back up the disbursement,"
Bret told him.  "Goodbye."
     He hung up the telephone, relieved for some reason.  'Maybe
he didn't owe it to them to bring all their paperwork up to date.
He'd served his sentence of being the church treasurer,' he
thought as he joined his family at the table.
     * * * * *
     There were so many at Inquirer's Class on Sunday evening
that Paul moved the classroom to the larger parlor while Fr.
George was conducting the Evening Prayer service.  Since there
were a number that hadn't been there the previous Sunday evening,
he went back over some of the major points he'd already covered
in the earlier session.
     Everyone had good questions, especially the Jenkins family.
     Frank and Doris went, also and were glad they did as they
learned some things about the church they weren't aware of, or
that hadn't been explained to them in laymen's terms before.  Fr.
George was ecstatic.  This group of 37 people was the largest
group; he'd had for an Inquirer's Class.  Usually 80% attended
the follow-on Confirmation class, but five there tonight were
already members of St. James, they were there to support their
families.  So Fr. George hoped that 25 or 26 of these people
would eventually be Confirmed and join the parish.

* * * * *