Date: Sun, 17 May 2015 22:43:09 +0200 From: Nick Brady Subject: Nicks Story - Chapter 46 Nick's Story -- Chapter 46 This story is about growing up in Tulsa. Part of the story involves sex between boys so you should be 18 to read it. Please send comments to y2kslacker@mail.com and please make donations to Nifty. Copyright 2014 - 2015, Nick Brady, all rights reserved. ------------------------------------ Monday was New Year's Eve and things were quiet at the Tulsa Boys Home. If the boys had enjoyed celebrations in the past, there were none in store for tonight. The only thing to look forward to was that New Year's Day was the last day of the holiday vacation. Some of the boys were actually looking forward to school starting just to have something to do. At breakfast Bobby was joking around with Jermaine and Arlo, his new friend from the boys choir. Thomas gave Tony a nod and the two left the dining room close behind one another. "Seems like we haven't had much chance to talk lately." Thomas said. "Hey, we are going to be in the choir together." Tony pointed out. "Yeah, but you know what I mean." Thomas complained. "I been wishing we could get together, you know?" "I know." Tony felt a stir in his crotch. "I been thinking about that." "We could go down to the classroom." Thomas suggested. The idea appealed to Tony. "Yeah, that would be OK." Without further discussion the two friends walked quietly to the classroom with the loose door lock, and quickly slipped inside. Thomas stepped into the storage closet to pull out a pad to lie down on and jumped back in surprise. "Shit, you scared me!" He said. A muffled voice came from inside the closet. "Get out of here!" "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't know anybody was in here. What are you doing?" Thomas asked. "What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" Was the indignant reply. Tony stepped up to the closet and looked inside. He saw a boy leaned up against the wall with his pants down at his ankles. The boy was about fourteen, very blonde and with his hard cock in hand, trying now to cover himself and looking embarrassed. Thomas burst out in laughter. "I know you, your name's Nathan. Did we catch you jacking off?" "What does it look like?" The boy sputtered. "Ain't there nowhere in this damn place to get any privacy? What the hell are you doing here?" Tony started to laugh at the boy's embarrassment as Thomas replied. "Maybe we are looking for some privacy too." And began to rub the front of his jeans. Nathan suddenly got the picture. "Really?" His hand uncovered his erection and slowly cupped his balls. "You guys like to play?" Tony spoke for the first time. "Yeah, we get pretty horny sometimes and come in here." Nathan started to relax. "I thought nobody ever came down here when classes weren't going on. It ain't hardly safe to do it in the bathroom." "Nobody comes here but us horny guys." Thomas was starting to show a bulge in his pants. Nathan laughed. "Cool. You guys want to play around a little?" "Looks like you are ready." Tony observed. Thomas grabbed a pair of mats and drug them to the inside wall of the classroom. "Come on out of the closet. We like to lie down on these pads." They tossed the mats out and started to pull off their clothes. Nathan hitched his trousers up enough so that he could walk over to them then removed them. "If you guys like to play, we could have some fun." "Yeah we could." Tony agreed. Thomas stripped off his shirt and grinned. In a minute all three boys were naked and looking each other over closely. "What's your names?" Nathan wanted to know. "I'm Thomas and this is Tony." In the light of the room they could see that Nathan was pretty good looking. He was a little taller than they were, very blond, medium length wavy hair, with equally blond pubic hair. His body was smooth with a little blond hair on his lower legs and up his stomach from his pubes. He had light hair on his forearms too. He was slender with a nice tight six-pack and well shaped arms and shoulders. He looked really fine. By now, all three boys were erect. Nathan was circumcised, his cock was about five inches long and stood up at a steep angle in front of his flat belly. He was more muscular than the other two as if he had been athletic. "You look good, man." Tony remarked. "You work out or something?" "I was on the wrestling team in Jenks before I came here." Nathan answered. Then he said to Tony. "You still got your skin and you got a nice tan. You Indian or something?" "He is from Mexico." Thomas answered for him, reaching back to feel Tony's butt. "He is my boyfriend." "Hey, that's cool. You look good too, you got a fat hairy one." Nathan decided not to play favorites. "What do you like to do?" Thomas asked him. "Well, I like fucking girls best, but right now I am just horny." He attempted to explain himself. Thomas gave him a direct look. " I like to fuck boys. What do you think about that?" Nathan looked a little apologetic. "Hey, I never did that, but, you know." "You want to try it?" Thomas asked with a grin. "Like you want me to fuck you?" Nathan asked. Thomas took the boys slender dick in his hand. "No, I want to fuck your ass. You want to try it." "Maybe." Nathan said nervously. Tony's old lasciviousness took command and he stepped behind the blonde boy and rubbed his butt. "You got a nice ass." He stated. Nathan looked uncertain but his dick stiffened. "I never did that before." He said without conviction. Tony pressed his hard brown cock into the crack of Nathan's ass. "I bet you would like it." Thomas began to stroke his dick. "I don't know." Nathan replied, but did not resist. "Lie down on your belly." Thomas told him, then nodded to Tony. "You go ahead." The blonde boy whimpered a little but did as he was told. Tony laid down over his back and wiped spit into the crack of his ass. "I bet you gonna like this." He said quietly. Nathan did not reply, but tipped his butt up and spread his legs. He had done this before. Tony noticed that the hair around his butt made a little blonde fan on each side of his hole. He spit on Nathan's asshole and slipped in a finger. Nathan moaned softly. Thomas found the scene very exciting and began to stroke himself while he watched. Tony leaned in and pressed the end of his dick against Nathan's hole and started to push. When he did so, Thomas knelt down in front of the blond boy, raised his chin and fed him his cock. "Yeah, suck me." Thomas urged. Nathan obliged and found himself filled on both ends. Once Tony felt the head of his dick pop into Nathan's pink hole, he pushed himself as deep as he could go, causing the blond boy to yelp. Tony looked down to see his smooth brown cock deep inside a fan of blond hair. "Shit, man. You are tight. Ahh, that feels good!" Nathan tried to respond but with Thomas' dick in his mouth could only mumble something unintelligible. "I think he likes it." Thomas said with a grin. "Man, I know I do." Tony said. "You like him better than me?" Thomas asked with a lecherous smile. Tony grunted. "No, but he has a nice ass." Looking down at the fair haired boy between them, it was not clear which end was receiving the most pleasure, but Nathan clearly enjoyed being the center of their attention, as he squirmed and grunted his approval. "You like this?" Nathan asked him roughly. "Um humm!" Was all that came out of his mouth. After several minutes of this, Thomas wheezed. "Shit, I 'm gonna cum!" He took Nathan's face in his hands and began to pound himself into his throat. Nathan choked and coughed Thomas' cum onto the floor. Thomas backed off just enough to let him breath but kept fucking his face. Tony looked down at the sight and began to cum in the other end. In his frantic pumping he withdrew a little too far and his dick fell out of Nathan's ass. Before he could stuff it back in he blew cum all over the crack of his ass, coating the fan of blond hair with his sperm. "Oh shit! Damn that feels good!" Tony cried. By then Nathan had managed to twist his head enough to get Thomas' dick out of his throat. "Oh, oh, shit!" He groaned and pushed back against Tony's cock as it pounded back into his hole, obviously enjoying the smooth brown dick in his ass, twitching with pleasure. Tony sat back on his haunches and looked down at the new boy. His face and ass was coated with their cum, and he was lying with his face down on the mat, panting hard. "Did you like that?" Thomas asked in a gentle voice. Nathan turned his head to the side and said. "Yeah, I can't lie to you, that was hot." Tony ran his hand over Nathan's ass, wiping the cum over his white butt cheeks. "You got a nice ass, man. You are a good fuck." Thomas tossed Nathan's undershorts to him to wipe up with and said. "You got to know that me and Tony have something special between us. But if you like, we can play with you again." Then he paused and asked in a caring voice. "You OK Nathan?" Nathan rolled over on his back and grinned. "I guess you ain't gonna believe that I never did that before, huh? "Probably not." Thomas chuckled. "Do you think you want to do it again?" "Maybe, but I don't wanna be in the middle every time." He argued. Tony agreed with him. "No, man. We will take care of you." Then he looked at the layer of cum on Nathan's belly. "Did you already shoot?" "Yeah, that was pretty hot. I guess I gave it up the same time you did." Nathan admitted. "Hey, you are an OK guy. The three of us can have some fun together, OK?" Thomas suggested. "You got anybody else you like to play with?" "Not really." Nathan admitted. "If I did I wouldn't have been here by myself. I'm glad I met you guys." "Hey, we better go. I don't want to get caught in here." Tony warned them. They cleaned themselves off as best they could and dressed quickly. Thomas peeked out the door, declared that the coast was clear, and they slipped out and ran up the stairs to the second floor and separated. New Year's Eve had not turned out so bad after all. They had Tony's room to themselves for the moment and discussed their new adventure. "Are you OK with playing with Nathan?" Thomas asked. "Yeah. He's pretty hot." Tony replied. "I mean, we have decided that we are like, boyfriends, does it bother you to do something with another guy?" Thomas worried. "No, man. It's just sex. I like sex." Then I thought about it. "I guess I wouldn't want Bobby to know though. He might not understand." "No, maybe not. Bobby is kind of innocent, and probably should stay that way. It is different for us." "Yeah, for me it's different with Bobby. I mean, I love him a lot but I'm always afraid I will do something to hurt him." "I understand." Thomas said sincerely. "You know, it is cool to have somebody who understands stuff like this. I am glad you and me are boyfriends." Tony acknowledged. "Yeah, me too." Thomas said. "I figure you and me are lucky like that." -------------------------------------- Joseph expected his father to return from the Valley of Hope rehab facility later Sunday afternoon and he wanted to know how his mom was doing. After their time in the bedroom, the boys went downstairs to see what Alice had left for them to forage in the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a container of chicken salad in the refrigerator and a bag of nice buns on the counter. Two each of those and a glass of cold milk and the inner boy was satisfied. "I really need to stay, Nicky. I want to be here when Father returns." Joseph explained. "I have really imposed on your hospitality long enough." "I hate to see you go." I admitted. "Mom keeps saying that we spend so much time together that we are going to get tired of each other. Seems to me that the more we are together the closer we get. I wish you could move in with us." Joseph laughed. "It seems that I have. I haven't spent a night at home in a week. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed it." "I will miss you. I mean we will be back in school on Wednesday and back to the old routine, but it has been cool to be together all the time." I assured him. "Well, there is always tomorrow night. I suppose if we are desperate enough for something to do we could go to the watch party at Trinity." Joseph suggested. "That's not exactly a wild thing, but I guess it beats sitting at home with the parents." I agreed. "If you like I can get permission from Father when he returns. I'm sure Alice will give us a ride. You are on our way to the church." "The party won't be over until after midnight. That is kind of late to ask Alice to come and fetch us." I reminded him. "You know good old Alice." Joseph smiled then asked. "Since we will be so late, do you suppose your parents would let you stay over? Why don't you check and I will call you later." "Sure! That's a great idea, I will ask when I get home but I think it will be OK." I was reluctant to part. "Well, I guess I better get going." We embraced for a long tender hug, and kissed each other gently. "Do you get tired of hearing me say I love you?" I asked. "Never." We held on to each other for a long moment. He walked me out to where we had parked the bikes and watched as I rode off towards home. With him there were never any regrets. I rode home smiling. "There is a New Year's Eve watch party tomorrow night at Trinity." I told Dad, "Joseph asked if I would like to go, then stay over at his house since it will be so late when it's over. Would that be OK?" Dad smiled. "I don't imagine you can get into too much trouble at church. It's fine with me." Kevin was listening from his usual position on the sofa. "I have a date." He announced smugly. "Really?" I said, a little surprised. "Juan is borrowing Pablo's spaceship and we are taking Angie and Juanita out to a movie." He grinned. "It has parental approval." Dad nodded without enthusiasm. "That's Pablo's car." I pointed out. "What is he doing?" "I don't know, but he and Jack are going somewhere and he is letting Juan borrow the DeSoto." I had to be a little impressed. "Wow, that is the ultimate date machine." Kevin's grin got a little smugger. "You are to return no later than 1:00 a.m." Dad reminded him. I gave Kevin the little nod that said we needed to talk and went into our bedroom. After a minute he followed. "Damn Kevin. Where are you and Juan taking those girls in that pussy wagon?" Kevin grinned in a conspiratorial way. "Actually, I don't know. Don't tell Dad, but it's not a movie." "So what are you going to do?" I lowered my voice. "Juan says he know a cool club where we can go. He says he can get us in." "Jeez, Kevin. You are just twelve. I mean, you look a little older maybe but how are you getting into a club? What kind of a place is this?" Kevin laughed. "You sound like Mom. It's a teen club in the Hispanic area up around Admiral and Lewis. Juan has a lot of friends there. He says not to worry, it is cool." I frowned a little. "Hey, be careful. You never know what you are getting into. You may be a pain in the butt sometimes, but you are the only little brother I have." "I'll be careful. Juan and I have talked about this. We are ready to go." "What do you mean, ready to go?" Kevin leaned up close and whispered. "I mean we have condoms and lube and everything! I'm gonna get laid!" "You think?" I asked in amazement. Kevin looked slightly indignant. "You and Joseph started doing stuff a long time ago. Why should you have all the fun? Different strokes for different folks, you know." "I was thirteen, almost fourteen." I corrected him. "I'm not being judgmental, I am just trying to look after you is all." Kevin relaxed. "I know. But I got to admit I'm kind of excited about this." "I grinned. "No doubt. Remember that party. Be careful not to drink too much beer." "Yes Mother." He said sarcastically. I shrugged. "Whatever. I'm just saying, have fun and be careful. If you get jammed up, you might be sure you have Jack's phone number, or if you get in a real bind you can always call Dad." Kevin just grinned lecherously. "I can do this." I shook my head. "Good luck." The rest of the day was spent impatiently watching TV and being lazy. The next day was New Year's Eve and I called Joseph and confirmed that I could go to the watch party. "I'm not sure I can stand the excitement, but the church party is my best offer." I told him. "Well, I'll be there." Joseph reminded me, sounding a little hurt. "Sure, that's cool. I wouldn't go at all if you weren't there." I assured him. "I really didn't mean it the way it may have sounded. I can enjoy anything if you are there." "Oh I understand." Joseph chuckled. "Church parties are not the ultimate raucous events one might associate with New Year's Eve. But it is a nice group, and frankly, more my speed than something wild." "What time will you pick me up?" "About ten-ish?" Joseph suggested. "Don't be late." I told him, and rang off. I turned to Kevin and asked. "What time does your orgy start?" "You mean the movie?" He gave me a stern look and jerked his head at our mother who was nearby in the kitchen. "I think Juan will come about 10:00 or so. It will be a double feature." He grinned. Kevin puttered around for awhile then went into the bedroom to change into what amounted to his finery. I decided I was OK in jeans and a knit sweater, and just hung out. Juan showed up just before 10:00 smelling of cheap shaving lotion and they left whispering to each other. Joseph knocked on the door a few minutes later and we went out to the Lincoln driven by a smiling Alice. The big night had begun. We walked into the Parish Hall and saw that someone had decorated it with streamers and balloons. It looked pretty nice. There were quite a few more people there than I expected, very few people our age, but most of the choir. They looked pleased to see us and I began to feel glad that we had come. The side tables were loaded with snacks and finger-food, and another was set up with drinks: sodas, wine, and fancy bottles of booze. This was not a Baptist party. 'Whisky-palians' my dad called us. We grabbed a couple of sodas and made ourselves at home. I was surprised to see a band setting up. I could have expected maybe a DJ, but there were electric guitars, a keyboard, and a serious drum set. Things were looking up. When they started to warm up I was really impressed. They were darn good. Of course Joseph knew several of them, and introduced me as they were getting started. The keyboard player was a cute curly headed guy named Steve. "Hey Joseph. You gonna play with us?" Joseph laughed. "Probably not. I'm not much of a rock musician." "The hell you're not. I've heard you play some cool shit." Steve teased. Joseph shrugged modestly. "We'll see." More people began to arrive and the band began to play. They started doing Leon Russell covers and the place began to rock. By 11:00 a number of high school kids showed up and people began to dance. This was turning out to be a serious party. I told Joseph. "That is really a good band. Are they all local?" Joseph laughed. "Surprising, isn't it. Tulsa has always had a lot of great talent, especially in popular music. Don't be surprised that Steve covers Leon Russell quite well. He is related to him somehow, and Leon works with him when he is back in town." They did 'Delta Queen', 'Back to the Islands', 'Tight Rope', all my favorites. I just couldn't stand still. Most of the young people and some of the adults were dancing up a storm. I looked at Joseph. "I really feel like dancing." Joseph's eyebrows shot up. "Not with me." He pointed to several girls who were standing and watching. "Pick one." One of the girls was looking at me as I walked over. She seemed like the logical choice. "Would you like to dance?" I asked. She flashed me a nice smile. "Sure." And we stepped out on the floor. I was not much of a dancer but sort of wiggled to the music. It would be hard to stand still to that music. "Great band!" I said. "Yes, they are really good. I have been wanting to dance, thanks for asking." She replied. "What's your name?" "Nick." I told her. "What's yours?" "I'm Peggy." She shouted over the music. "Have I seen you before?" "Do you go to church here?" I asked her. "Yes, do you?" "I sing in the choir." I explained. "Oh, that's right. Now I know where I have seen you." She shouted. "It's a nice choir." "Thanks!" I shouted in return, realizing that the music had stopped. We both laughed. "It's no good if it's not loud." She smiled. "A person can work up a sweat dancing like this. Would you like something to drink?" I asked. "Sure." She smiled again. She had a nice smile. We walked over to get a soda and I decided I liked her. "Where do you go to school?" She asked. "I am a freshman at Tulsa Edison. You?" "Me too. I don't remember seeing you there, but it is a big school." She admitted. I handed her a coke and realized that I had almost run out of conversation. "I am not much of a dancer." I admitted. "Oh, I'm not either, but you can't stand still to that music." "They are something else, aren't they? I am here with my friend Joseph. He knows some of the musicians." I told her. "Does he sing in the choir too" She wondered. "Yes. He sort of talked me into joining." "Does he play the piano?" She asked. "Oh yes. He is very good." I said, pointing to him. "Do you know Joseph?" "Sure, everybody knows Joseph. He is an amazing guy." I had walked her back over to her friends. "Well I guess I had better get back and see what he is doing. Thanks for the dance." "Thanks for asking." She said with another sweet smile. "Ask me again." "I will. Maybe you can teach me how to dance." I kind of liked this girl. I walked back over to Joseph. "You did well." He greeted me with a smile. "Not really, but it was fun." I told him. She knows you, I think." "Yes, that's Peggy. She's a nice girl." Joseph knew everybody. "She's one of your many fans." I told him. "Oh?" He shrugged off the compliment with a smile. "She would say that. She is a sweet girl." "She seems very nice." I admitted. Joseph smiled. "Should I be jealous?" "No, not really. But at least she will dance with me." "Touche." He said. "Girls are better at that sort of thing." "Thanks." I said. "Thanks for what?" He asked. "For not being possessive, and for letting me have such a good time. I'm really glad I came." "So am I Nicky. So am I." We talked and enjoyed the music. When they played something I really liked Joseph told me. "Go and dance some more. I like to watch you move like that." "Really?" I felt myself blush. "Well, if you don't mind." Peggy and I danced for several more tunes, then the band took a break. Steve came over to speak to Joseph. "Hey man, come and play with us." "No, I couldn't." Joseph protested. "Come on, give me a break." Steve insisted. "I've heard you play Leon Russell. Do 'Shoot Out'. You play and I will do the vocal." "No, really." Joseph protested but seemed tempted. Steve stepped behind him and gave Joseph a friendly push toward the keyboard. "Come on, man." Several people witnessed this and began to clap. "Joseph, come play for us Joseph!" Joseph appeared to surrender reluctantly, but I could see that he was having fun. He sat down at the keyboard and said something I could not hear, then the band members nodded in agreement and he began to play Russell's 'Shoot Out at the Plantation'. He didn't just play the thing, he ripped the keys off the little electric piano. The band began to swing, Steve took the mic and bellowed out the lyrics. Steve played well, but Joseph brought the energy level way up. The guys in the band began to grin and really started to rock. It sounded so good that people stopped dancing and stood to listen. When they concluded, the room erupted in applause. Steve was bouncing up and down with excitement. "Bluebird. Do Bluebird!" He insisted. "You know the words to that too, I have heard you do it." Joseph tried to protest, but found himself in the spirit of the thing. "OK, give me a second." Steve put the mic in front of him. He played a few chords then started to play and sing. It began: Yeah, I'm lost in the night The icy wind is howling out your name And desolation lingers like a fog The fire is growing dimmer in the wind I'm out in the rain The moon has gone behind the cloud again And I can't stand to live another day 'Cause my bluebird went away. He didn't try to sound like Leon Russell, rather he sang in a firm baritone and gave the song a jazzy feel. To my amazement he knew all the verses and finished with a flourish. He raised his hands as if to say he surrendered, and stood to walk away, smiling at the applause. It took him a minute to get back to me because so many people had to shake his hand and pat him on the shoulders. Steve rushed up and pounded him on the back. "Thank you Joseph. You rocked, man! How can I thank you?" "Play my favorite Leon Russell song." He replied. "What's that?" "'Home Sweet Oklahoma', of course." Joseph requested. "You got it, man!" Steve promised, and walked back to the band, clapping as he went. When the band began to play again Joseph told me quietly. "That was fun, but I am almost embarrassed." "Why?" I asked him. "That was fantastic!" "Oh, Nicky, that's not my style, I felt out of my element." I just stared at him. "My God, Joseph. You can do anything!" He just smiled. We had a nice time. People wandered over to chat with Joseph and tell him how much they enjoyed his playing. He was the home-boy here, and people were proud of him. In reply he commented on how good the band was and turned the subject to Russell and Tulsa music in general. What a gentleman. For my part, I enjoyed the music and danced with Peggy a few more times. We pigged out on the finger foods and swizzled the sodas. At midnight they passed out paper horns and noise makers. The little rock band did a credible job of 'Auld Lang Syne' and at Joseph's insistence I danced a last dance with Peggy, who thanked me sweetly. Before long, a big pot of black eyed peas and ham were placed on the side table along with a tray of fresh corn bread and an urn of coffee for those who might have drunk a bit too much. There was laughter but no one seemed the worse for wear. I suspected that those who cared to drink heavily might chose a better location than the church parish hall. Episcopalians seemed to know what the rules were. About 12:30 the crowd began to thin quickly, and Joseph went into the kitchen to call for Alice while I said goodnight to Peggy. "I really had a nice time." I told her. "Happy New Year, and thanks for putting up with my lame dancing." "I did too." She said, and gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek. "Your friend Joseph is amazing." She smiled. "Happy New Year! I'll see you at school." Alice was waiting when we walked out into the parking lot. She was wearing a flannel housecoat and a wool cap, which seemed perfectly reasonable. "Did you have a nice time?" "Yes, thank you. Happy New Year, and thank you for coming out so late to bring us home." Joseph told her, then added. "You are what makes it a home for me Alice. I love you very much. Thank you." "Oh! Thank you Joseph." She seemed almost embarrassed. "Of course, I love you too. You are like my baby." The rest of the short ride to Joseph's was in silence. Alice pressed the device that opened the garage door and we got out of the car. I noticed that his father's car was not inside. We thanked Alice again and went up the stairs to Joseph's room. We used the toilet and began to undress. Joseph seemed quiet. "Are you thinking about your Mom?" I asked. Joseph Nodded. "Yes, my birth mother actually. I sometimes think Alice is more my mother than...well. I'm sorry, that is not very kind." "Can I guess that your father's visit was not all that great?" Joseph sighed. "When he came home last evening he told me that she was angry, and said she didn't know why she had to go be in that place. I take it she was rather hateful." He sighed again. "Some things never change I suppose." "I thought she was doing better?" I said. "So did I, Nicky." He wrapped his arms around himself. "I think I am very tired. Do you suppose we could go right to bed? We will have all day tomorrow to ourselves." "Sure. It's late and I'm tired too." I agreed. "But I really did have a nice time tonight. I'm glad you talked me into the party." "I enjoyed it too, Nicky." Then he looked at me and smiled. "I'm sure that Peggy was glad you came." "She is really nice." I said. "You sure you didn't mind that I danced and spent time with her?" "No, not at all. She is a very nice person, I have known her for a long time." Then he chuckled. "And she knows me." It took a moment for that to sink in. "Damn, does everybody in Tulsa knows that we are gay?" Now Joseph laughed. "I certainly hope not. But it seems that those who matter do, and that's all to the good, Nicky." "Is it common knowledge at Trinity that we are, like a couple?" "It's not posted on the notice board, but anybody who knows us has probably guessed at it. Most probably don't care either way." He reminded me. "It is an Episcopal church Nicky. Most are very accepting of diversity." We had snuggled into bed and I had wrapped my arms around Joseph, hoping to improve his somber mood. I put my chin on his shoulder. "You were awesome tonight." "How so? Oh, the music?" He inhaled and breathed out. "Technically, Russell is not that difficult to play, but the timing is different. Rock has a different structure. It's rather like blues or jazz. It is fun though. I suppose I have heard enough of it for it not to be foreign." "You talk like it was nothing. You blew everybody away tonight. It was terrific." He turned his head and smiled at me. "I am so pleased that you thought so. Actually, what you think really matters to me. But it is like when you throw a baseball, Nicky. You know when you do it well, but it is not something incredible for you. Playing a piano is what I do." "Well, I thought it was cool, and you sang good too." I was beginning to feel very sleepy. "I was real proud of you." Joseph took my hand in his and squeezed it. "Thank you Nicky." "Yer welcome." I whispered. We had a whole new year to continue our discussion. ......................to be continued. Email comments to y2kslacker@mail.com I love email. Your comments are what keep me going. Really. Nifty needs contributions to continue to publish the stories you enjoy. You may contribute at http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html Special thanks to Nathan F. who patiently edits the text of this story, and makes helpful suggestions.